Bringing a Foreign Reality to Your Livingroom

I hope to post something original soon, but until then, I request that you go to Save the Children’s website and take the tour of Kroo Bay. This is a town built on a trash dump. The clinic, which is being helped by Save the Children, shares its building with other community functions like school and important social gatherings. The lack of equipment and medicines is shocking. Viewing this caused me to remember the reality of where I live and all that I have. There is another reality of which I know nothing. This kind of thing is what helps us to remember what is really important in life.

A Remarkable Surprise

http://www.homecomers.org/weblog/index.php/islam-and-christianity/

London’s 2012 Olympic Logo

Imagine the planning that went into this logo. This will be used to represent probably the most international event on the planet. It will show up all over the world and especially in Britain for the next five years. The artist needed to create something that would appeal to most, be easily recognizable, and match the newest graphic designs in 2012. So, will this logo be a prophecy of where the graphic arts will go, or will it be a definer of where they will go?

Inside Tehran

This is an absolutely fascinating documentary by a very skilled BBC reporter and cameraman. It looks at people and life in Tehran, Iran. It is 1.5 hrs., but I believe it is well spent time. Enjoy and learn.

What the Western Media Didn’t Bother Reporting

http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/60428.html

World in Focus

For those of us here in Lancaster, and even for Amish in other states, the shootings at the southern Lancaster Amish school have rattled our consciousness. It was a terrible tragedy that promises continued nightmares for children and continued pain for those who have lost. It is not good and it should not have happened. But, today in Sunday school, an older man for whom I have great respect made a comment. He said, (this is from memory and somewhat paraphrased) “This is not to say that what happened was a terrible thing. It was. But as Christians we need to remember what is happening in Africa and other places around the world. In North Korea hundreds of children have recently starved to death. In Africa untold numbers die every day because of starvation. These shootings are terrible tragedies, but we must remember that these tragedies are happening a hundred or a thousand fold every day. Many children are starving and dying daily.” And, I add, doing so without ever having heard the name of Jesus. Many are suffering from an entire life without proper nutrition. They have lived through war, genocide, drought, and parental death. There are tragedies happening every day that we as Americans with grocery stores and full fridges and the coming holiday feasts and chocolate and a car with a CD player often forget.

The Enemy of Islam

The leaders of Iran and Venezuela met in the latter country on Sunday to sign a number of cooperative treaties. Iran is providing a large transfer of technology to Venezuela and is investing money there. They are working on treaties for manufacturing various items including gunpowder and ammunition.

My question is, if America is the enemy of Islam because it is Christian and infidel, does Venezuela not fall in the same shoes? Venezuela is a country with very strong Catholic and Christian base. In 2001, approximately seventy percent of the population was Catholic, twenty-nine percent Protestant, and one percent atheist or other, according to the U.S. State Department. This puts Venezuela far above the US as far as being a “Christian nation” goes. Not only is Venezuela largely Christian, but it is 70% Catholic which should really put it in the dog house considering recent Muslim opinions of the pope. But we do not see Iran, the new Muslim stronghold, having problems with Venezuela; we see them declaring this “Christian nation” a partner against their enemy the US.

All that I can conclude from this is that Islam’s problem with the US is not that it is Christian or infidel, but that Muslims are scared of the American worldview, which is very antithetical to that of Islam, or that they hate the US for its support of Israel. It is not about infidels, it is about fear of US cultural domination or anger at the US support of Islam’s worst enemy, Israel.

Revival of the Ancient Belief in Pluralism in American Culture

There is a growing trend in America to accept any form of religion as great for anyone. If you are from Africa and have your traditional tribal gods, that is great. If you are from India and worship a group of Hindu gods, that is dandy. If you are a Muslim and worship Allah, that is fine. If someone goes to the Africans house, they will happily follow the rituals related to the family’s gods. If they go to the Indians house, they will meditate with the others. If they go to a Muslim’s house, they will kiss the Koran. Different gods are fine for different places. If you visit Japan, Iraq, or Nunavut, you worship the god that is there. In America, if you are any religion, that is fine as long as you don’t force it on anyone else.

One of the ways that this is seen in America is the rise of Japanese comics. They include a varying mix of ancient mythology, magic, fantasy, spiritualism, “light vs. dark”, and pop marketing. Americans are eagerly absorbing these things and a large fan base is entering into the varying and all-embracing world of aneme and manga. Good and evil are sometimes paired to beat a common enemy. Magic words are chanted. Ancient Egyptian spells are chanted to release the spirits of the dead into battle. Relics are worn as protection. Fighting is done in parallel universes and the winner is the one who holds possession of the most powerful demons, monsters, or spirits. Powers, spells, spirits, demons, and anything else thought to contain power from any religion or culture are pulled in. Any god is fine as long as we can use it to accomplish our “good”.

I had to think of the story in I Kings 20 where the Syrians are attacking the Israelites. They are defeated in the hills and they decide that they will try to fight again in the valleys. They figure that the God of Israel must be a god of the hills and He cannot be strong in the valleys. They try again and are defeated. It seems that God was trying to make it clear to Syria that He was not just a place god or a god among gods. He was trying to tell them that He was the only true God. He was YHWH.

He still is God. He is not one of many. He will not share His place with any. He will not be lowered to a limited character that has to partner with evil to defeat. He is God supreme and in control. He is God over all.

My Rave Against the Liberals Mechanism of Social Change

Education. If we could just get the word out about safe sex, cancer prevention, the negatives of settling disputes with violence, the unhealthiness of certain foods, political correctness, gender discrimination, etc, etc. then we could make everything good and all live in blissful, happy, siblinghood.

The liberals (and many conservatives now) think that if we can just educate everyone they would see the good logic of their natural compulsions, control themselves, and act in proper ways. If we can just get everyone to understand they will choose avoid all the bad things.

What they fail to realize is that 1) Man is fallen and cannot easily control the evil urges that continually work to destroy society, 2) Few men have the desire to even rarely do what is best for all rather than what seems best or most comfortable to them alone, 3) Man frequently does not care what happens in the future as long as the present is satisfying.

The Liberals and public education proponents can teach all they want, but they will not fix the real problem of humans. If it is successful at all it will at best accomplish two things 1) It will cause people to turn their destructive behaviors to things that are less destructive or destructive in less widespread ways, and 2) Cause an action to stop or change, not a heart. You social educators, lecture all you want. Until you recognize the true condition of man which will become apparent with a brief study of human history, you will continue to manipulate a few peoples actions on the surface of an evil heart. Only true change comes from the heart. Only true change of the heart comes from Jesus.