What movie are you?

What Classic Movie Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

Got the same results no matter how many questions I answered. I guess that's kinda cool. heh

Counterfeit tracts?

Hard to believe this really happened, but it seems the Secret Service can't tell the difference between money meant to fool people into thinking it is real and a made-up Bible tract 'million dollar bill' that was clearly marked "not legal tender." They seized, as counterfeit money, a pile of evangelical tracts asking 'the million dollar question' after a woman allegedly tried to deposit one in her bank.

If you couldn't tell this was not intended to be taken for real money after handling it for 10 seconds or less, either your mind or your eyesight is going.

I agree that the Secret Service's admonishments to change the design should be followed, but not because of their counterfeiting claims. Rather, I am concerned that a tract that may appeal to people's greed may be only too successful. Frankly, having tracts that look too much like money - on both sides - could represent a dangerous temptation to a desperate person who hadn't seen them up close. The ministers who pass them out are at risk. The recipients are as well. Seriously people, if you are that in love with the design, obviously change the size, change the back so its more obviously a tract, or at least make the ink purple....

That said...how can you counterfeit something that doesn't have a real counterpart? The US mint doesn't make real million dollar bills.



Clickee image for more details & links

from Cedric's blog.

Surveying the Scene

1. Grab the book nearest to you,
Turn to page 18, and find line 4...

"1 Tablespoon of dried oregano"



2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can.
What can you touch?

Becka's artist's easel

3. What is the last thing you watched on TV?

"In Search of Eden" w/ Dr David Rohl (unless you count Spyro: A Hero's Tale on the GC)





4. Without looking, guess what time it is. 5:16 p.m.

5. Now look at the clock. What is the actual time? 5:36 p.m.

6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?
Zola Levitt documentary on Ezekial & our fussing peach-faced lovebird

7. When did you last step outside? What were you doing?
Tom & I were out a few minutes ago, coming in from taking care of a few things around the county. We spent a few minutes watching the black-capped chickadee who was dancing on our clothesline.

8. Before you started this survey, what were you doing?
checking my mail

9. What are you wearing? a homemade, black crepe cotton skirt & a new dark blue cotton top

10. Did you dream last night? I can't remember exactly what I dreamed last night. All I can recall was that it was pleasant enough. Sorry to disappoint you.

I did have this weird dream recently. In it I was visiting a friend's house in Victorian London and noticed a wriggling oriental carpet by the front door. A couple of roughs said they were going to be picking it up in a minute. Concerned, I cut it open and found a detective half-asphyxiated inside. I exchanged 'Sherlock' with a pile of linen and hid him in linen cupboard until after the other men left. After he recovered, we tried to find out how he ended up in that situation. I got to ride old steam locomotives, wear period costumes, explore quaint villages for clues etc. No sense of real danger so it was all fun.

Yes, I dream in color.

11. When did you last laugh?
This morning during breakfast. Someone had accidentally mooshed some bread I was going to use for toast. It looked pretty silly

12. What is on the walls of the room you are in?
A framed crochet fan, 2 crochet framed doilies, an antique gilt-framed chalk image of an angel by a stream in a forest (probably done by a relation), an oil representation of an ancester (in an even older gilt frame), an antique illuminated Madonna print, Jesus knocking on the door (modern), an antique image of Jesus praying, and a wonderful sketch of Jesus with tears in His eyes for the lost. (Much of this is my Mom's.)

13. Seen anything weird lately?
There are days when everything seems weird...

14. What do you think of this quiz?
I found it different enough from the ones I've already done to interest me. ;-)

15. What is the last film you saw?
in the theater or on dvd? I think the last movie we watched on dvd was "The Day After Tomorrow." I think the last movie I went to see was "The Lion, The Witch, & the Wardrobe." I do expect to go soon & see "Over the Hedge" though

16. If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, What would you buy first?

To quote the Lord High Executioner from the Mikado, "I have a Little List." (of things I'd upgrade :) I believe I'd start with my sewing machine.


17. Tell us something about you that we didn't know before.

Oh sure, but before I get into that...

"Did you ever hear the joke about the wild boar in the forest of the spirits? Its hehehe so funny hehehe *wwzzsshhhaaxxx*

*sspphhttzzptth* need *zzxxccssh* a new battery *wwiixxzzzcchpptthh*

*sxxzzaapp* and that's the only way to get past him when the time comes. I hope you remember that!"

(Wizard Trembyle from Return to Zork)

18. If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be.

If every heart overflowed with love for one another, most of the world's problems could be fixed shortly thereafter.


19. Do you like to dance?
I used to like Messianic (Jewish) line dancing & certain aerobic routines. heh

20. Should Christians get involved in politics?
Like it or not, political powers involve themselves in our affairs, defining freedoms and requirements, so there are times when I'd have to say "yes!"

21. If you could invent anything, what would it be?

A working linking book to to my very own cottage in paradise ;-)

22. If you could go anywhere, where would you go?

There are many places on Earth I'd like to see sometime & several I want to see again.

23. Would you ever consider living abroad?

I haven't seriously considered the matter.

24. What do you want God to say to you
when you meet Him face to face?

Well done! Welcome home!

25. What was the last music you heard?

"You Are My Salvation" by Lamb

the Age of Ayalon

I always believed a deep, habitable, cave ecosystem was possible. You just gotta read this

The cave, which has been dubbed the Ayalon Cave, is “unique in the world,” said Prof. Amos Frumkin of the Hebrew University Department of Geography. This is due mainly to its isolation from the outside world, since the cave’s surface is situated under a layer of chalk that is impenetrable to water. The cave, with its branches, extends over some 2½ kilometers, making it Israel’s second largest limestone cave. It is to remain closed to the public to permit further scientific research.

Okay, so its not 6 miles down & there's no Uru city, but it sounds pretty neat to me. I enjoyed these pics of the Ayalon/Ramle area too. (click 1st image. 2nd image links to another article on the same subject.)

The underground cave includes an underground lake, in which the crustaceans were found. The lake is part of the Yarkon-Taninim aquifer, one of Israel’s two aquifers, yet is different in temperature and chemical composition from the main waters of the aquifer. The lake’s temperature and salinity indicates that its source is deep underground.

Song of the Day 1

Awhile back a blogging friend started sharing song lyrics that spoke to her heart. I thought that was a great idea & enjoyed seeing her choices. I didn't do the same ~ mostly because many of the songs that inspire me are musical adaptations of scripture. But, hey, why not? They might bless you too.

"Psalm 62 : Only in God" from "Come to the Quiet" by John Michael Talbot

"Only in God is my soul at rest. In Him comes my salvation.
He only is my rock, my strength, and my salvation.

My stronghold
My Savior
I shall not be afraid at all.
My stronghold
My Savior
I shall not be moved.

Only in God is found safety when an enemy pursues me.
Only in God is found glory when I am found meek and found lowly.

My Stronghold
My Savior
I shall not be afraid at all.
My Stronghold
My Savior
I shall not be moved.

Only in God is my soul at rest. In Him comes my salvation."





"Psalm 91"

You who dwell in the shelter
You who abide in the shadow
Under the wings of the Most High, the Almighty
Say to the Lord "My Refuge"
Say to the Lord "My Fortress"
Say to the Lord, "My God, In whom I trust."

For He will rescue you from the snare of the fowler
and you shall be healed.

So come unto me, I deliver you.
Come unto me. I will raise you.
Come unto me. I will call you by your name.

And with my pinions I cover you
Under my wings you find refuge.
You shall not fear in the night or in the day.
For I will rescue you and glorify you
and you shall live forever
to know my salvation.

For I will rescue you from the snare of the fowler
and you shall be healed.

=================================

Yesterday's procedure went very well for Tom. The therapy is working and now they are talking of reversing the last bypass very soon. Its all good, though still not easy. We were looking to rest and unwind with the Lord today. "Come to the Quiet" helped us focus on our God who has the whole situation in His control.

A very cool poem

I haven't had the problem referenced in quite awhile, but it made cool reading :-)

The Thing That Eats the Heart

The thing that eats the heart comes wild with years.
It died last night, or was it wounds before,
But somehow crawls around, inflamed with need,
Jingling its medals at the fang-scratched door.

We were not unprepared: with lamp and book
We sought the wisdom of another age
Until we heard the action of the bolt.
A little wind investigates the page.

No use pretending to the pitch of sleep;
By turnings we are known, our times and dates
Examined in the courts of either/or
While armless griefs mount lewd and headless doubts.

It pounces in the dark, all pity-ripe,
An enemy as soft as tears or cancer,
In whose embrace we fall, as to a sickness
Whose toxins in our cells cry sin and danger.

Hero of crossroads, how shall we defend
This creature-lump whose charity is art
When its own self turns Christian-cannibal?
The thing that eats the heart is mostly heart.

from Double Dead Frog Blog

Eh?

I'm a Porsche 911!

You have a classic style, but you're up-to-date with the latest technology. You're ambitious, competitive, and you love to win. Performance, precision, and prestige - you're one of the elite,and you know it.

Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

What an odd result!

A few jotted notes

And finally I finish a blog from last fall..



Had to change Nov to March to put it where you could see it.

I guess I needed that 'poke,' my friend, to get me back in here where I told everyone to check for news. My apologies. Its been a crazy year and I had slipped out of 'net' mode for primary communications.

Basically things haven't changed all that much since I last wrote. Tom is still doing fine and is still supposed to be done with his treatments very soon. He's feeling much stronger and just in time too! We needed his skilled touch with several little tasks around the house... one task was threatening to grow to be a BIG pain, but its ambitions were shortlived.

Yah yah yah... I know. Too ambiguous. Heh. It'll make y'all call more often. buahahaha!


Soooo..what news?

uumm..it looks like UruLive will be returning for real. A fresh beta has been announced.
This is very good news not only for me, a longtime Myst fan, but to many who enjoyed beautiful, easy-paced, family friendly environment Uru offered to provide. I strongly encourage you to check it out.

Our dog is gone and two cats have arrived, all without any input from us. The first frogs and fireflies of the season are making themselves known. A raccoon and a doe are threatening to adopt us as well. I think the doe is the former fawn that used to watch Tom in the garage. I suspect the racoon just associates with his favorite snack :: cat food.

Mom & the kids are thoroughly enjoying Busch Gardens & Water Country again now that the weather has warmed up. I think they are enjoying it now much more than when it was a blessed distraction. I've gotten out a few times myself. The weather is certainly nice enough for about any fun we have in mind. Its been just the right amount of rainy days with enough sunny warm days to keep things fresh and green.

Tom is happy that the leaning pine trees have been professionally removed before the next storm season arrives.

Still a few things we need to keep in prayer, but overall, we're doing rather well, considering how long this trial has lasted. Now...how about you?

Fables & Parables

fa·ble (fā'bəl) pronunciation n.

1. A usually short narrative making an edifying or cautionary point and often employing as characters animals that speak and act like humans.
2. A story about legendary persons and exploits.
3. A falsehood; a lie.

par·a·ble (păr'ə-bəl) pronunciation n.
A simple story illustrating a moral or religious lesson. (other definitions say a parable points to a moral, religious, or philosophical point)

[Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin parabola, from Greek parabolē, from paraballein, to compare : para-, beside; see para–1 + ballein, to throw.]
[from www.answers.com]


Been thinking about this ::

2 Timothy 4:1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine.
3 For the time will come, when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts will they multiply to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4 And they will turn away their ears from the truth, and will be turned to fables.

I have attended several fan cons of the fantasy/sci-fi genre, and while I enjoyed them very much, I've sometimes wondered where the line is as far as God is concerned. Its very evident in such circles that many people are focusing on imaginary worlds in preference to thinking about the real mysteries and wonders in life. On one level, this makes sense to me, as I like to 'escape' this way too sometimes. But I still wonder why I should want to escape so completely? Sure, you might not want to think about this month's bills or next month's elections. But what's wrong with contemplating waterfalls or flying birds about then? Even on days when sun isn't shining here, it is somewhere. Why isn't that good enough?

So...what makes it so wonderful when anachronistic or imaginary cultural details are added? [I am asking myself too]. What fascinates me in a fable?

Seriously, we live in an age of wonder. Nature is full of beauty, and even here and there mankind makes decent additions to the inherited wealth we have from our Maker. Even when we, as a race, have stamped it out for a bit, beauty will come sneaking back in the most unexpected places-- in an accidental collage of strange skyward angles between shop and scraper and in the concentrated understanding of the beauty of a single blade of grass, where it has forced back life into breathless concrete. ..and that's just the background of our lives. We are surrounded by, in fact we use many objects that are as magic to most of us. What Robert Louis Stevenson said is still true::

'THE WORLD is so full of a number of things,
I’m sure we should all be as happy as kings.'

We don't lack for dramatic tension either. Our world is already at the point where people's hearts have failed them for fear of those things that may be coming upon the earth. Although I acknowledge this is a reason people might want to distract themselves, it seems odd to me that so many then end up enjoying imaginary worlds where the problems are written to be as bad as anything they're avoiding.

I think its because there is a hero who can set things right in those stories. There is an answer, a hopeful conclusion. Its not the problems that scare us as much as the lack of certain answers to them. In the fables we enjoy most ~ in all our books, games, and movies ~ answers are generally part of the package. We identify with the characters and, in our dreams, we become that hero (or sidekick or whatever).

My hope has always been that the heroism we attempt in our favorite dreams will give us the courage to face the real dragons of our existence, but that doesn't seem to happen very often. So then I began pondering that reality. I try to be as good in life as I try to be in my own stories (don't always succeed, of course). Doesn't everyone? If not, then why wouldn't you try?

Why are we not as good as our dreams? Christians have an answer for that one, but the rest of you, why doesn't it seem odd that you can never achieve the altruistic h eighths your best inner self aspires to? Why don't we try more often to live the values and courage that sound so great in our fantasies? Because we are safer in our stories if we screw up? Because we can't really screw up? We just hit the 'rewind' and re imagine the scene... That has to be part of it. I can deal with the idea of a little practicing in the padded training arena of our minds, but... when do we graduate?

& What about the wwwaaayyy out there stuff... vampires, Jedis, elves, and octarine fire ~If our hero selves win in such dreams will our necessarily fictional answers make our own life's concerns seem less real or the fictional solutions so appealing we spend all our time longing to apply an unavailable answer?

Perhaps this frustration is why so many seem to be content with Walter Mitter-ing their lives, promising themselves that if they only WERE an all powerful...whatever..they'd make everything go right. I suspect, however, that the reason our internal hero so rarely steps off the pages of the dream book of our lives in any guise is because we know only to well we are not fit to receive a true hero.

I don't know how many of you are familiar with Campbell's work on the eternal hero, but I was astonished to realize when I read it how much every heart aches for the return of the true hero. It seems we all long to be the good guy who wins the day! But then we desire to succeed and suspect they would not hire our hero. You wake feeling at one with the world but then fly into a petty fit of temper... Even our heroes have come to share many of our failings. Writers will say this makes them more 'real.' It does. It also makes them less heroic. Why? We seem to have a very high standard from which all our story heroes vary. We need the hope they provide.

There was one story of a perfect hero.

Most people in the west know the story of the perfect man. We are told of his loving heart, amazing gifts, and his courageous stand against the hypocrisy and venality of his day. We are told this hero sacrificed his own life, not only to save those he knew and loved, but those who did not even know him. He literally gave his sinless life to save the world.

As soon as I said "sinless" most of you knew who I meant. Jesus' sinlessness is something that starts many growling, but wouldn't be great if we, like he, could honestly say that we never hurt another living soul (without excellent cause) or dishonored the real God (so many of us are still trying to be sure who that is!)

Even if you feel Christ's rebukes to those he said were going the wrong way were 'unnecessarily hurtful to their person hoods' (personally I think hell is likely to hurt a lot worse!), you cannot deny that he helped many people and inspired all those around him to do and be much more than they had ever imagined. Under Jesus' leadership they changed the world.

....unless, of course, you refuse to believe that Jesus ever really existed. Failing that, you might claim that the 'real' story has been lost or that we do not know who Jesus 'really' was. Perhaps you'll dredge up some old heresies fomented by someone like ole Diotrephes trying to wrest leadership away from the apostles by inventing a new tale that besmirches the role Christ gave them....

And so the power of the story is used to turn the tide of mankind into another channel. Some are more than entertained by Brown's fable, they are thoroughly beguiled because they wish to be. A recent survey about summed it up:: People said after seeing the movie that they came out confirmed in whatever beliefs they had going in. In truth, however, a fiction-based novel cannot 'confirm' anything. Besides, the best stories inspire you to think for yourself, not sell you on a conclusion, especially a provably wrong one.

Perhaps this turning from truth & truthful allegories to the answers made up in books & movies is part of what Paul referred to? Stories are not, in and of themselves, wrong. Jesus used stories to teach those around him.

Mark 4:2 And he taught them many things by parables,

I have long held that the best stories taught people real lessons about life around them, essentially serving as modern parables. For example: Star Wars III had me thinking hopefully that certain youngsters would 'get it' when they saw how the Emperor deceived Anakin by a combination of directed enticements, offers of direct promotion, 'professional' charm, and by smearing his opposition with his own behaviors. Why did it work? Materially, the 'good guys' seemed to offer a lot less. Poor ole Obi Wan had already given his best gifts to Anakin. His ward knew he should be grateful, and mouths such sentiments, but we watch him continually complaining that the Jedi masters aren't doing 'enough.' They aren't competing for his favor, aren't promoting Anakin in every way that he wants. Mace & Yoda offered him the consolation of truth, loyalty, friendship and discipline. They offered a way of life worth living, not more power, grist for further ambitions. They offered him a way to cope with life's changes, but Anakin desired power over it, sure everything would be better if he got his own way. The truth became inconvenient to Anakin, he was drawn away by his own lusts to become Darth Vader, shedding his old values and friends along the way. Yet Darth Vader realized little of what he'd hoped to gain by his betrayals.

This truly happens. Bad choices often lead to bad outcomes. Call it Karma or Jesus (you know who I chose), there is a force for justice in our universe.

Unfortunately many decided to identify with obvious power Anakin held as he fell from grace. They remembered his youth and beauty in the ominous black robed figure who gained the limited power of fear over worlds - at the cost of his own soul. They choose to believe they could have all he gained, without paying the same price. According to what I have read about the online communities associated with Lucas' saga, this was not an unusual response.

I had hoped they would see. But your eyes must be open to see what is in front of you. Watching what people choose to glorify in the Star Wars, Myst, Star Trek, Harry Potter etc has been very enlightening as to why people don't seem to get proper parables out of them ( the point of fables re: def 1) in the same way everyone understand's Aesop's, Chinese philosophical writings, or many of Christ's teachings. When the text doesn't tell you what the value reference is, when the worldview context is indirect, people tend to interpret what remains in terms of their own wishes...what they'd like to be true.


I see Atrus wanting to help all those he meets and balancing, imperfectly, his love of wonder with his dedication to his own family. I see Harry Potter trying to do his best and be his best from a bad starting point. Sometimes he is seen as a hero, sometimes he gets blamed as part of the problem. OOohh Can I relate to that! I see Obi Wan doing his best against impossible odds, holding on to his faith that a balancing force will fight with him for the right and make his sacrifices, even his losses, worthwhile in the end. I see the Ent, holding on to the ancient ways, the paths that bring peace, but ready to fight to save what they hold most dear.

We see what we desire but we cannot take it by force. But, if we will seek to do the best we can for those around us, we may find one day that its already in our pocket.

As Christ said:

Matthew 13:13 Therefore I speak to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

Take the quiz: "What Star Wars Character Are You?"

Obi-Wan Kenobi
You are a level headed person who uses the Force to compliment your natural talent



Entish


To which race of Middle Earth do you belong?
brought to you by Quizilla

May the Force Be With You....always

Hello again :)

Yes, I'm still alive & well.

Meantime... The good word is the last surgery went reasonably well. Tom is recovering steadily, making good progress, and looking forward to the end of all this nonsense, as you can imagine! I was gone to Richmond to stay with him while he was in the hospital and I am still very busy, so I'll just leave you with my usual meditation for this time of year::

People are unreasonable, illogical, self-centered
... love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish,
ulterior motives
... do good anyway.

If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies
... be sucessful anyway.

The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow
... do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness will make you vulnerable
... be honest and frank anyway.

People love underdogs but follow only top dogs
... follow some underdog anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight
... build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if
you try to help
... help people anyway.

If you give the world the best you have,
you may get kicked in the teeth
... but give the world the best you have
... ANYWAY.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta

~ and ~

Lord make me an instrument of thy peace ...
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master, grant that I may not
so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

St. Francis of Assisi

Merry Christmas!

Don't have time to do much for Christmas this year, but we Hope you have a Merry Holiday!

Shushan / Susan / Susa

>may i ask why your name is 'shushan' now?

It always was. Shushan is merely a variant spelling of my first name.

Susan/Shushan/Susa is an ancient name whose original meaning is unknown. The current definition given for it is 'lily of the valley.' However, this is a guess at which flower grew in the valley of the first city of Shushan. That flower was said to be a small, delicate, star-like flower which was either white or blue. It may have been an astor, edelweiss, a daisy (maybe they weren't everywhere back in the day!), or lily of the valley. The flower grew well in unlikely spots but didn't always respond well to cultivation. Merchants and travelers took it back with them all over the ancient world, and the name went with it. Nevertheless, it is important to note that the city precedes the flower as the source of the name "Susan.'

I read a very interesting account of this ancient history in a university library as a teen. Apparantly the most famous Susa/Susan/Shushan known now was a capital city under the Persions/Medes..but this may have been the third city of that name.

According to a falling apart tome I found in Wake Forest University's rare book section...Shushan was a legendary city built in a green valley at the crossroads of the world. The inhabitants, or at least their rulers, dedicated themselves to the principles of hospitality, simplicity, and learning. It was said that for long periods the founders limited the amount of wealth that could be held inside the city, in order to discourage pride...and robbers. They were said to have been great stone masons and teachers, but eventually the merchants took over. Once wealth began to accumulate within the city-state, the fame of the place insured invaders. The city was rebuilt with walls at least once on the same location before a change in climate caused the people to migrate away.

That's the legend.

What is known for certain is that Susa / Susan was a capital city of Persia for many centuries. Esther's beautiful story is supposed to have taken place in the great city of Susan.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susa

http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/txt/ah/Persia/Susa.html

http://www.ou.org/chagim/purim/when.htm

I strongly identified with the virtues mentioned...hospitality, humility, and learning. The only reason I didnt use Shushan as a screenname to begin with is...well, its my name. It is just an unusual spelling of my name. I consider it a family reference, as every toddler I have ever known pronounced my name as "Shushan." It tickles me to think they may be right.

Not so tasty cookies

Many of you know I love to share sweet baked treats with my family & friends, but I didnt arrange these. Some not so tasty cookies from a not very nice person seemed to have been attached to my site in the last couple of days. I contacted blogger about it immediately, giving the technical data my security returned to me, and they seem to be gone already. Hopefully I gave blogger enough info to chase down the culprit.

The SSL is false. They were not the usual session cookies. I've been told that MANY sites (especially blogs) of people who have been related to the Myst community have been hosting these precise cookies (they are actually pretty distinctive).

So please clear your browser cookie cache, if you don't usually do so on a regular basis already. It is a good idea to clear them everyday, as too many will slow down your computer on and, eventually, even off the 'net.

Now here's a sweeter idea for your perusal:



mmmmmmm....good

Brk!Brk! Brk!

You are the the Swedish Chef.
You are a talented individual, nobody understands
you. Perhaps it's because you talk funny.

FAVORITE EXPRESSION:
"Brk! Brk! Brk!"
HOBBIES:
Kokin' der yummee-yummers

FAVORITE MOVIE:
"Wild Strawberries...and Creme"

LAST BOOK READ:
"Der Swedish Chef Kokin' Bokin'"

QUOTE:
"Vergoofin der flicke stoobin mit der brk-brk
yubetcha!"


What Muppet are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Intelligent Design

People are still talking about the tentative gains toward public recognition Intelligent Design has achieved in a few places. The most common attack is to call it all unscientific, by which they usually mean one of the following:

1 the faith of the scientists in question means they can't be good scientists because scientists should have no framework drawn from any source other than that allowed by NSF (or other currently governing scientific guilds)


Your position on the relative position of the universe to yourself is part of your belief system (aka religion, with or without a God. Atheists must also have faith, because you can't truly disprove God)

I have read any number of quotes and refs that have established beyond doubt that many who push(ed) the evolutionary framework have had their own humanistic faith (bias) to guide them. This included Darwin, though he may or may not have repented of it at the end.

They did NOT leave their faith at the laboratory door, Sir. They left everybody else's there.


2. No good scientists are involved in this effort.

Actually MANY good scientists have questioned evolution. Many of these were not believers in the Bible at the time, but being pilloried for daring to hold a 'religious' view, when they were only (initially) questioning a detail in the evolutionary framework, opened their eyes. Not all became believers then, but they ceased to be blind followers of Darwin.

Some were actually trying to improve upon evolution in a new direction, but found themselves on the receiving end of demonic attack, at last understood that there WAS a battle going on, that it did concern faith in God, and that they had been deceived by the system.

The pilloring itself, (ie the sort of garbage thats currently aimed at Behe), is part of what has become a standard process to demonize and discredit anyone not following the party line. Behe was recognized as a leading scientific light before his 'defection.'

Please understand that not all those who have given some credence to ID, or who question the Darwinian framework, are Christians, let alone conservative believers. The common identification made by the media/establishment is for two reasons 1) evangelical believers have been the quickest to recognize the importance of the debate. 2) These believers were already being demonized and there are those who see tarring all dissenters with this label as a way to discourage other defections. Its an implicit threat. Anyone NOT a believer would prefer not to have to seek conservative Christian support in order to continue their scientific studies. Once you are portrayed in this manner, it is likely to be very difficult to receive grants or gain tenure.


If the evolutionists truly believe they are correct, why do they feel the need for so many political dirty tricks ? The truth should be self-evident. If they truly value all searchers for truth, why be so hostile to those exploring another paradigm?

Currently those who do not already hold very strong positions or very strong beliefs are going to be discouraged to speak of any doubts they may have in such a charged atmosphere. At its base, this shrill cry is persecution, plain and simple because it doesnt respect any other point of view than its own. Worse, it insults people of faith as being incapable of logic. (They teach that at some colleges too, but its a different course).

Bluntly, our society is becoming increasingly intolerant of monotheists/dissenters from the current media-drenched culture. It just hasnt gotten down to the level of concentration camps and gas chambers...yet.


3. Mixing science and scientific study with elements of one's faith will produce not produce 'pure' science. The results should not be treated as though they were equal to purely scientific studies

Most people have yet to realize that their view of science reflects a taught bias most received from their earliest years in education. One of my children's textbooks, purchased from a public school, cheerfully informed them that scientists are impartial beings who set up studies purely for the love of knowledge or to solve a problem. They were assured that all real science is based on laboratory results and theories based in impeccable logic. T'ain't necessarily so.

I've already mentioned the current bias against monotheism, but there are other issues.



First off, science, as defined by that textbook, has overstepped its bounds. If only that which is reproduceable in a laboratory is good science, then most of what I see, hear, and read from the scientific establishment is the worst sort of charlatanism. They can not reproduce fossils by a slow process over millions of years. They cannot make a universe with a big bang in one. They cannot show a slow change, unaided by intelligent agents, even within a species, let alone a change from one to another. Closest they can get is to show single cell organisms using their amazing, built-in adaptive mechanisms to defeat the challenges we put in their way. Adaption within a species is designed into the creature. It is not 'progress' in the evolutionary sense.

Most think science and worldview can be separate at all levels. On some levels it can, as per chemistry and most Mythbusters experiments. But when you get into the age of the world and other BIG questions you start accepting some other unproven (and unprovable) hypothesis in order to move forward. Evolution is one of those uber-theories. Its a belief framework under which other hypothesis can be framed and tested, but the results will likely be interpreted ONLY in terms of the base belief/theory. Unless another truly different paradigm is substituted, you will probably never know if the results of your test/study could have a different meaning than the one you assigned to it.

The interesting thing to me is how many results of known studies change so drastically in significance when the ID framework is adopted.


Evolution has been billed to young children (and the general public) as the only good theory that covers all the facts, despites its many contradictions and failures. Students, being younglings, usually believe what they are told. Even by college days, they are still highly influenceable. They follow their professor's lead and continue to frame all questions in light of what they were told. They wish to look good to their elders. They wish to be recognized in the world. They are told evolution is the one ring of science that rules all others. One day, some of them become professors themselves...and Mordor's influence grows. (Sadly, I believe this West-dominated, scientific monoculture has not been wholly wonderful for the advancement of mankind.)

Imperfect humans rarely engage in perfect activities of any sort. Most logical constructs of any complexity develop flaws that may or may not be readily apparant to reviewers. They may or may not recognize their own prejudices. Some quite racist studies at late 19th/early 20thC held many societal and prejudicial errors in both the framing of the questions and in how the scientists in the experiments sought their answers. Those studies stood for decades. It was not pure science that budged those 'laboratory results' in the end. It was social pressure and a change in public attitudes. The mistakes are fairly obvious to any educated modern audience ~ who does not share their views. So much for 'pure' science. :P

The world doesn't have to get saved to recognize intelligent design as an alternative. The recognition for the catastrophic framework need not be religious per se. There are several possibilities that could account for their discoveries. The Bible's account would do so but so would the transplanting of species from elsewhere to this planet, once a catastrophically unstable world (that eventually settled down). Direct intervention of the Arthur C. Clarke variety, but earlier in the day, would have the ID effect. Cyclical quantum effects, especially between universes, might also produce dramatic effects that could account for an ID framework. Who knows?

*I* believe God is the cause, true. All I ask is that you recognize that He is a possibility and show me respect as a fellow, thinking human. Anything else is between you and Him.

Yes, the results do encourage Christians...and Hindus and ufologists and certain New Age sects. Christian ID scientists have found that allowing the words they believe came from the Maker of the universe to guide their searches has an illuminating effect.

but that doesn't make their work based on this alternative framework non-scientific.

Besides, its about time somebody else got a word in edgewise.