Holy Week
James Fortune - I Believe
^^^*^^^
He’s Alive, Believe It!
The Price Has Been Paid, Believe It!
He Will See Us Through, Believe It!
Happy Easter
Mar 17, 2013
Ragbag Headliners
Pope Candidate Axed Over Trashy Facebook Photos
The brave new world of social media torpedoed the chances of a leading papal candidate today, as a Dutch cardinal struggled to explain newly surfaced Facebook photos showing him on a 2007 spring-break romp in Tampa.
Cardinal Bonifacius Steuer had been on the shortlist to replace Benedict XVI as Pope, but his fellow cardinals abandoned him after the startling emergence of the photos, which chronicle Steuer on a seventy-two-hour nonstop-party rampage in Florida.
In the Facebook photo album, which Cardinal Steuer labeled “Tampa Phun,” the Dutchman appears at a dizzying array of frat parties and strip clubs, throwing gang signs at the camera and steadily drinking from two Old Milwaukees mounted on a beer hat.
Tracy Klugian, a job-placement specialist who helps papal candidates navigate the labyrinthine Pope-selection process, says that Cardinal Steuer’s downfall should serve as a cautionary tale to all Pope candidates who are active on social media.
“If you’re serious about becoming Pope, look at every single photo you’ve posted on Facebook and Instagram,” Mr. Klugian says. “If there’s someone on your arm who makes you look fallible, crop them out.”
While Mr. Klugian believes that the cardinals’ decision to blackball Steuer was a little harsh, he says that “at the end of the day, they couldn’t live with pictures out there of a Pope in a funny hat.” -By Andy Borowitz/The New Yorker/March 11, 2913
The brave new world of social media torpedoed the chances of a leading papal candidate today, as a Dutch cardinal struggled to explain newly surfaced Facebook photos showing him on a 2007 spring-break romp in Tampa.
Cardinal Bonifacius Steuer had been on the shortlist to replace Benedict XVI as Pope, but his fellow cardinals abandoned him after the startling emergence of the photos, which chronicle Steuer on a seventy-two-hour nonstop-party rampage in Florida.
In the Facebook photo album, which Cardinal Steuer labeled “Tampa Phun,” the Dutchman appears at a dizzying array of frat parties and strip clubs, throwing gang signs at the camera and steadily drinking from two Old Milwaukees mounted on a beer hat.
Tracy Klugian, a job-placement specialist who helps papal candidates navigate the labyrinthine Pope-selection process, says that Cardinal Steuer’s downfall should serve as a cautionary tale to all Pope candidates who are active on social media.
“If you’re serious about becoming Pope, look at every single photo you’ve posted on Facebook and Instagram,” Mr. Klugian says. “If there’s someone on your arm who makes you look fallible, crop them out.”
While Mr. Klugian believes that the cardinals’ decision to blackball Steuer was a little harsh, he says that “at the end of the day, they couldn’t live with pictures out there of a Pope in a funny hat.” -By Andy Borowitz/The New Yorker/March 11, 2913
After The Abuse: Finding Recovery - Part II
I kicked myself for allowing it to get this far. I continue to kick myself harder for missing the drama. I moved to a location I deemed safe for the duration of this madness, but I don’t know if I’m safe anywhere. Safe is a word I use sparingly these days. It’s mythical, the things fairy tales are made of. The air mattress I have slept on for the last three months is far from comfortable; I don’t sleep much. When I do, my dreams jar me awake. Every night I fight for my life, I can feel as my arms start to burn and go rubbery from holding off my attacker. He never has a face, but I know who it is.
Yesterday I went into the home we once shared, I checked at least three times to make sure I’d locked the deadbolt behind me. Everything is as I left it: the bed in the master bedroom is still partially unmade, waiting for someone to curl up under the comfort of the Egyptian cotton sheets. Strands of his long, dark hair peek out from between the folds. I don’t usually go in there. It makes me question my sanity.
I went in the bedroom to look for the camera…the thing was cursed…it went missing almost immediately after taking possession. It’s his; he wants it back. I want to give it back, it’s one of the last few material possessions that ties me to him…that and the laptop he took from me. It’s the laptop that keeps him connected to the outside world; he’s used it in his creative ventures, for his schoolwork, and most recently as an instrument of torture. His grandiose sense of entitlement allows him to believe that it belongs to him. It doesn’t, but that won’t stop him from keeping it.
His mother called me and asked that I return the camera. I was in the bathroom putting on my make-up when I heard my phone ring, the familiar area code that appeared on the screen made me shake with fear. I kept the conversation short; in reality I only answered it because I thought something terrible might have happened. I couldn’t have done anything to prevent it, so I’m not sure why I thought knowing would help. I could tell by her rapid speech and high-pitched tone that this conversation was making her uncomfortable. I don’t like knowing I make people uncomfortable. She’d sent me quite a few messages on Facebook after we had our day in court. I knew she wasn’t reaching out to console me, but I responded out of respect. I don’t know why she or anyone else thought contacting me after the fact would be helpful, after the judge signed the order, after it went into the public records.
She was careful to tell me that he didn’t know she was contacting me, because that would violate the order. She even said that if I wanted to speak to him, I’d have to call him. She knew he wasn’t allowed to call me. I didn’t want to speak with him; I wanted to be left alone.
It was done then…we were done. In theory he has to stay 500 feet away from me….in practice, it’s a sheet of paper. I didn’t protest when she called me a drunk, accused me of pitting my son’s father and her son against each other. There was no changing her mind; she was his first enabler. The very first woman to look deeply in his eyes, brush off his stinging insults…and make excuses for him. She set the bar incredibly high; no one would ever be able to replace her.
I never thought I’d hear from her again. Having only seen her twice, I don’t believe she can accurately assess the content of my character. I was once very fond of her, I was wrong. Her messages let me know she’s just as insane as him. She didn’t live in our house, how in the hell would she know what was going on? Her opinion of her son’s actions is understandably skewed. Consider the messenger.
As I read her emails, I lost faith. She said her son was protecting us. Defending his reporting me to Child Services, claiming he called out of concern. I am an excellent mother; I knew that my parenting skills were not suspect. I have my own theory: the report was made to show he still had control and even from afar, he could be a nuisance. He did it for the same reason he repeatedly emailed my boss from a fake email account, threatening to have my company audited by the IRS. Manipulation brought him great joy. The only person he’s concerned about is him. He simply isn’t capable of concern. That’s not an excuse or embellished fiction. He’s of the opinion that his reaction is justifiable, no matter how extreme it is. He can control himself, I’ve seen him do it…but it didn’t suit him at this juncture.
Crazy was what he was going for. I witnessed control when he backed me into a corner, yelling at me at a volume so loud it made the skin on my face ripple. As I made myself small and prayed for easily hidden bruises and not broken bones, he stopped himself from striking me with the fist he’d made ready. I don’t know who I was kidding with this request, there was no way I was going to survive the blow. He’s a foot taller and one hundred more pounds than me; there would have been damage to my internal organs. I listened as he kept himself from calling me unspeakable names in the heat of an argument, nervousness made me laugh with relief when his mouth would not cooperate. Yes, he was very much in control and aware of the venomous words he spewed. He claimed he blacked out when he reached a certain level of anger, I knew it was a load of crap…his mother did too.
He did so much to hurt me, and yet this sickness, this emotional cancer still eats away at me. “Why?” you may ask. I asked my therapist the same question. He has a way of answering a question with another question…I hate that. “Why do you think you miss him?” he said, looking all therapisty in his high backed, brown leather chair. “Because, I miss the turmoil taking up space in my life.” Dr. D. smiled, sometimes I feel like I’m his favorite patient. “That’s very honest”. Yep, that’s me…honest. “You need to move on. You need to take your life back. Strip the sheets and burn ‘em.”
I’m fairly certain the good Dr. isn’t advocating arson as a means of healing a broken heart, if he were…that’d make him…awesome. Metaphorically speaking, that’s exactly what needs to happen. How? I don’t rightly know. I got me into this mess; can I be trusted to extract myself? I was stupid, is stupidity forgivable? This isn’t my first offense; I’m guilty of multiple counts. My sentence…time served…good behavior, that should all factor in. I shouldn’t have to pay for this forever.
You’d think I would know better by now. I do, but knowing better doesn’t fill up the emptiness. Knowing better keeps me from going back, it stops the cycle of violence…on my part at very least. It doesn’t stop him; it doesn’t get him help or ease my guilt. I can only go halfsies on this one. I was going to keep my mouth shut. I promised his sister that I would…but I can’t, that route is reserved for victims and the deceased. I intend on being neither.
Yes, there are two sides to every story. He could probably recite a litany of disparaging things I’ve done, but that matters very little to me. I did what I needed to do to survive. He no longer exists. The fear is still very real, but I see him for what he is now. He’s not strong. He’s not wise. Most importantly, he’s not in control. That was the first step. –By Paula Carrasquillo/Washington Times/December 29, 2012
See Part I Here
Yesterday I went into the home we once shared, I checked at least three times to make sure I’d locked the deadbolt behind me. Everything is as I left it: the bed in the master bedroom is still partially unmade, waiting for someone to curl up under the comfort of the Egyptian cotton sheets. Strands of his long, dark hair peek out from between the folds. I don’t usually go in there. It makes me question my sanity.
I went in the bedroom to look for the camera…the thing was cursed…it went missing almost immediately after taking possession. It’s his; he wants it back. I want to give it back, it’s one of the last few material possessions that ties me to him…that and the laptop he took from me. It’s the laptop that keeps him connected to the outside world; he’s used it in his creative ventures, for his schoolwork, and most recently as an instrument of torture. His grandiose sense of entitlement allows him to believe that it belongs to him. It doesn’t, but that won’t stop him from keeping it.
His mother called me and asked that I return the camera. I was in the bathroom putting on my make-up when I heard my phone ring, the familiar area code that appeared on the screen made me shake with fear. I kept the conversation short; in reality I only answered it because I thought something terrible might have happened. I couldn’t have done anything to prevent it, so I’m not sure why I thought knowing would help. I could tell by her rapid speech and high-pitched tone that this conversation was making her uncomfortable. I don’t like knowing I make people uncomfortable. She’d sent me quite a few messages on Facebook after we had our day in court. I knew she wasn’t reaching out to console me, but I responded out of respect. I don’t know why she or anyone else thought contacting me after the fact would be helpful, after the judge signed the order, after it went into the public records.
She was careful to tell me that he didn’t know she was contacting me, because that would violate the order. She even said that if I wanted to speak to him, I’d have to call him. She knew he wasn’t allowed to call me. I didn’t want to speak with him; I wanted to be left alone.
It was done then…we were done. In theory he has to stay 500 feet away from me….in practice, it’s a sheet of paper. I didn’t protest when she called me a drunk, accused me of pitting my son’s father and her son against each other. There was no changing her mind; she was his first enabler. The very first woman to look deeply in his eyes, brush off his stinging insults…and make excuses for him. She set the bar incredibly high; no one would ever be able to replace her.
I never thought I’d hear from her again. Having only seen her twice, I don’t believe she can accurately assess the content of my character. I was once very fond of her, I was wrong. Her messages let me know she’s just as insane as him. She didn’t live in our house, how in the hell would she know what was going on? Her opinion of her son’s actions is understandably skewed. Consider the messenger.
As I read her emails, I lost faith. She said her son was protecting us. Defending his reporting me to Child Services, claiming he called out of concern. I am an excellent mother; I knew that my parenting skills were not suspect. I have my own theory: the report was made to show he still had control and even from afar, he could be a nuisance. He did it for the same reason he repeatedly emailed my boss from a fake email account, threatening to have my company audited by the IRS. Manipulation brought him great joy. The only person he’s concerned about is him. He simply isn’t capable of concern. That’s not an excuse or embellished fiction. He’s of the opinion that his reaction is justifiable, no matter how extreme it is. He can control himself, I’ve seen him do it…but it didn’t suit him at this juncture.
Crazy was what he was going for. I witnessed control when he backed me into a corner, yelling at me at a volume so loud it made the skin on my face ripple. As I made myself small and prayed for easily hidden bruises and not broken bones, he stopped himself from striking me with the fist he’d made ready. I don’t know who I was kidding with this request, there was no way I was going to survive the blow. He’s a foot taller and one hundred more pounds than me; there would have been damage to my internal organs. I listened as he kept himself from calling me unspeakable names in the heat of an argument, nervousness made me laugh with relief when his mouth would not cooperate. Yes, he was very much in control and aware of the venomous words he spewed. He claimed he blacked out when he reached a certain level of anger, I knew it was a load of crap…his mother did too.
He did so much to hurt me, and yet this sickness, this emotional cancer still eats away at me. “Why?” you may ask. I asked my therapist the same question. He has a way of answering a question with another question…I hate that. “Why do you think you miss him?” he said, looking all therapisty in his high backed, brown leather chair. “Because, I miss the turmoil taking up space in my life.” Dr. D. smiled, sometimes I feel like I’m his favorite patient. “That’s very honest”. Yep, that’s me…honest. “You need to move on. You need to take your life back. Strip the sheets and burn ‘em.”
I’m fairly certain the good Dr. isn’t advocating arson as a means of healing a broken heart, if he were…that’d make him…awesome. Metaphorically speaking, that’s exactly what needs to happen. How? I don’t rightly know. I got me into this mess; can I be trusted to extract myself? I was stupid, is stupidity forgivable? This isn’t my first offense; I’m guilty of multiple counts. My sentence…time served…good behavior, that should all factor in. I shouldn’t have to pay for this forever.
You’d think I would know better by now. I do, but knowing better doesn’t fill up the emptiness. Knowing better keeps me from going back, it stops the cycle of violence…on my part at very least. It doesn’t stop him; it doesn’t get him help or ease my guilt. I can only go halfsies on this one. I was going to keep my mouth shut. I promised his sister that I would…but I can’t, that route is reserved for victims and the deceased. I intend on being neither.
Yes, there are two sides to every story. He could probably recite a litany of disparaging things I’ve done, but that matters very little to me. I did what I needed to do to survive. He no longer exists. The fear is still very real, but I see him for what he is now. He’s not strong. He’s not wise. Most importantly, he’s not in control. That was the first step. –By Paula Carrasquillo/Washington Times/December 29, 2012
See Part I Here
The Truth About The Popes Resignation
Pope Benedict’s resignation is actually about much more than just his declining health. There has been a Machiavellian power struggle more riveting than any soap opera, writes Vatican watcher Michael Hewitt-Gleeson.
Many news commentaries on the Pope’s resignation seems to be largely ill-informed, naive or perhaps both. One newspaper’s online cover story even featured a 12-second video of lightning striking St Peter’s in Rome shortly after the Pope’s announcement which has very little, if anything, to do with the Pope's resignation?
The truth is: more than 1,000 years of well-documented history shows that, in the salons of the Vatican, there has always been the infamous libido dominandi, the insatiable lust for power.
Think The West Wing meets The Da Vinci Code meets The Borgias, where power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. There is secrecy and blackmail, power and survival, sex and rape, bribery and murder — contrasted with brilliance, virtuosity, bravery, humanity and love. What a story!
This is high human Machiavellian drama played out by sophisticated princes (note that there are no princesses), pampered and refined in sumptuous Baroque gem-encrusted costumery, gold-plated chalices, priceless art collections and all the trappings of fabulous wealth. Politics in the rest of the world seem to lack a certain lustre by comparison.
In modern history, since Mussolini gave Pope Pius XII the Vatican (some buildings and gardens and even a stunning marble-encrusted private railway station), it has operated as a sovereign state with its own elected sovereign, its government, its laws, its famous Swiss army, its infamous bank and its international diplomatic corps with which many nations swap residential diplomats.
The key insight which few commentators seem to understand is that, there have been two separate and historical rival entities in the Vatican: the Holy See and the Roman Curia. The Holy See is the office of the Pope. The Roman Curia is the government - the ministries and the bureaucracy - which also controls the cash. Think of the deep rivalry between the White House and Capitol Hill in The West Wing and you begin to get the idea.
If you connect the recent dots, there’s a power struggle going on (as usual) between the Roman Curia and the Holy See. The Curia is led by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone who is backed by the Salesians, (the fastest growing order in the Roman Catholic Church and on an ascending path for consolidating its power). Bertone is Secretary of State and also the Camerlengo which means he controls the Curia and will run the Church when the Pope becomes too old or too ill to do his job. He would then, in effect, be the de facto pope. Papal doctors could keep an ailing pope alive for ten years which means that Bertone could run the Church for a decade before the pope finally dies and there is an election. This is a very tempting and powerful proposition to an ambitious Roman prince. Bertone is the Pope’s nemesis in the Vatican.
Pope Benedict (who as Cardinal Ratzinger himself ran the church when pope John Paul II was too old) knows exactly what this means and has been trying to thwart Bertone’s stalking grab for power. The recent Vatileaks episode was evidence of all this. It was all about the Pope’s loyal butler trying to stave off Bertone and trying to protect his master, but Bertone got him anyway.
So we are left with an aging Pope, a virtual prisoner of the Holy See, running out of personal protectors, who has only one move left to keep the Holy See from the hands of Bertone and the Roman Curia. He can put the future of the Church back into the hands of the College of Cardinals by resigning! Checkmate.
“A clever, courageous, strategic and game-changing move from an old and embattled man to protect his Chair of Peter from those who would covet its power.”
Benedict has warned his Vatican nemesis of this for at least a couple of years. Rome’s diplomatic corps was abuzz with this in 2010. Former Australian ambassador to The Holy See, Tim Fischer, has referred to the fact of rumours of resignation in his own recent commentaries.
Many news commentaries on the Pope’s resignation seems to be largely ill-informed, naive or perhaps both. One newspaper’s online cover story even featured a 12-second video of lightning striking St Peter’s in Rome shortly after the Pope’s announcement which has very little, if anything, to do with the Pope's resignation?
The truth is: more than 1,000 years of well-documented history shows that, in the salons of the Vatican, there has always been the infamous libido dominandi, the insatiable lust for power.
Think The West Wing meets The Da Vinci Code meets The Borgias, where power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. There is secrecy and blackmail, power and survival, sex and rape, bribery and murder — contrasted with brilliance, virtuosity, bravery, humanity and love. What a story!
This is high human Machiavellian drama played out by sophisticated princes (note that there are no princesses), pampered and refined in sumptuous Baroque gem-encrusted costumery, gold-plated chalices, priceless art collections and all the trappings of fabulous wealth. Politics in the rest of the world seem to lack a certain lustre by comparison.
In modern history, since Mussolini gave Pope Pius XII the Vatican (some buildings and gardens and even a stunning marble-encrusted private railway station), it has operated as a sovereign state with its own elected sovereign, its government, its laws, its famous Swiss army, its infamous bank and its international diplomatic corps with which many nations swap residential diplomats.
The key insight which few commentators seem to understand is that, there have been two separate and historical rival entities in the Vatican: the Holy See and the Roman Curia. The Holy See is the office of the Pope. The Roman Curia is the government - the ministries and the bureaucracy - which also controls the cash. Think of the deep rivalry between the White House and Capitol Hill in The West Wing and you begin to get the idea.
If you connect the recent dots, there’s a power struggle going on (as usual) between the Roman Curia and the Holy See. The Curia is led by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone who is backed by the Salesians, (the fastest growing order in the Roman Catholic Church and on an ascending path for consolidating its power). Bertone is Secretary of State and also the Camerlengo which means he controls the Curia and will run the Church when the Pope becomes too old or too ill to do his job. He would then, in effect, be the de facto pope. Papal doctors could keep an ailing pope alive for ten years which means that Bertone could run the Church for a decade before the pope finally dies and there is an election. This is a very tempting and powerful proposition to an ambitious Roman prince. Bertone is the Pope’s nemesis in the Vatican.
Pope Benedict (who as Cardinal Ratzinger himself ran the church when pope John Paul II was too old) knows exactly what this means and has been trying to thwart Bertone’s stalking grab for power. The recent Vatileaks episode was evidence of all this. It was all about the Pope’s loyal butler trying to stave off Bertone and trying to protect his master, but Bertone got him anyway.
So we are left with an aging Pope, a virtual prisoner of the Holy See, running out of personal protectors, who has only one move left to keep the Holy See from the hands of Bertone and the Roman Curia. He can put the future of the Church back into the hands of the College of Cardinals by resigning! Checkmate.
“A clever, courageous, strategic and game-changing move from an old and embattled man to protect his Chair of Peter from those who would covet its power.”
Benedict has warned his Vatican nemesis of this for at least a couple of years. Rome’s diplomatic corps was abuzz with this in 2010. Former Australian ambassador to The Holy See, Tim Fischer, has referred to the fact of rumours of resignation in his own recent commentaries.
Maybe Bertone and company thought the Pontiff was bluffing. Anyway, the Pope made his move. A clever, courageous, strategic and game-changing move from an old and embattled man to protect his Chair of Peter from those who would covet its power.
Everything now depends on the new pope. Bertone won’t get it but will be trying to get “his man” elected. We can assume that Ratzinger will be trying to get one of his men to succeed him, too. That’s where George Pell of Australia might have a chance as he is one of the Pope’s loyal men. But there are other powerful factions who now have a chance, too. Brazil is one of the biggest Catholic countries, a rich and powerful country with a growing economy and the site of the next Olympic Games. Africa or Asia are also growth areas for the Church. The Italians haven’t had a pope for a while and Berlusconi can not only buy an election but he can probably buy a papacy. It wouldn’t be the first time the Holy See has been bought by a political leader or even an outlier. A “good” pope in the tradition of a John XXIII.
Imagine if the cardinals elected a pope with an impeccable scandal-free record in the handling of child molestation. One who had the gravitas and the vision to heal the Church of its current crimes. This could capture the imagination not only of the Roman Catholics around the world but also of the entire world which has watched this sordid episode in long-suffering dismay.
Everything now depends on the new pope. Bertone won’t get it but will be trying to get “his man” elected. We can assume that Ratzinger will be trying to get one of his men to succeed him, too. That’s where George Pell of Australia might have a chance as he is one of the Pope’s loyal men. But there are other powerful factions who now have a chance, too. Brazil is one of the biggest Catholic countries, a rich and powerful country with a growing economy and the site of the next Olympic Games. Africa or Asia are also growth areas for the Church. The Italians haven’t had a pope for a while and Berlusconi can not only buy an election but he can probably buy a papacy. It wouldn’t be the first time the Holy See has been bought by a political leader or even an outlier. A “good” pope in the tradition of a John XXIII.
Imagine if the cardinals elected a pope with an impeccable scandal-free record in the handling of child molestation. One who had the gravitas and the vision to heal the Church of its current crimes. This could capture the imagination not only of the Roman Catholics around the world but also of the entire world which has watched this sordid episode in long-suffering dismay.
In this new game-change there will be lots of potential opportunities and unexpected consequences. For example, after the election there will be a big new problem: two popes.
This means the Church is vulnerable to a split. For example, if ultra-conservatives don’t like the new man (especially a “good pope”) they can refuse to recognise him, and say they still believe Benedict is the real pope and vice versa. This has happened many times before in history.
Forget The Bold and the Beautiful and stay tuned. It’s a fascinating and unfolding story urbi et orbi with something for everyone. –Michael Hewitt-Gleeson
About the Author: Michael Hewitt-Gleeson is the founder and principal of the School of Thinking and has studied theology and Vatican affairs for 30 years.
This means the Church is vulnerable to a split. For example, if ultra-conservatives don’t like the new man (especially a “good pope”) they can refuse to recognise him, and say they still believe Benedict is the real pope and vice versa. This has happened many times before in history.
Forget The Bold and the Beautiful and stay tuned. It’s a fascinating and unfolding story urbi et orbi with something for everyone. –Michael Hewitt-Gleeson
About the Author: Michael Hewitt-Gleeson is the founder and principal of the School of Thinking and has studied theology and Vatican affairs for 30 years.
The Blond And The Lawyer
There was a blonde who was sitting next to a lawyer on an airplane. The lawyer was naturally bored, so he kept bugging the blonde to play a game of intelligence with him.
The blonde was reluctant, so the lawyer offered her 10 to 1 odds. He told her that every time she could not answer his question, she owed him $5, but every time he could not answer hers, he’d give her $50. The lawyer figured the blonde was so dumb, he could not lose, and the blonde thought for a few minutes and reluctantly accepted to play his game.
The lawyer fires his first question “What is the distance between the Earth and the nearest star?”
Without saying a word the blonde handed him $5. The blonde then asked the lawyer “What goes up a hill with 3 legs and comes back down the hill with 4 legs?”
The lawyer’s face looked extremely puzzled. He spent several hours, looking up everything he could on his laptop and even placing numerous air-to-ground phone calls trying to figure out the answer. Finally, the angry and frustrated lawyer handed the blonde $50.00.
The blonde put the $50 into her purse quickly without saying a word. The lawyer was outraged at this point and asked, “Well, what is answer?”
The blonde glanced at him with a smirk on her face and handed him a $5 bill.
Author Unknown
The blonde was reluctant, so the lawyer offered her 10 to 1 odds. He told her that every time she could not answer his question, she owed him $5, but every time he could not answer hers, he’d give her $50. The lawyer figured the blonde was so dumb, he could not lose, and the blonde thought for a few minutes and reluctantly accepted to play his game.
The lawyer fires his first question “What is the distance between the Earth and the nearest star?”
Without saying a word the blonde handed him $5. The blonde then asked the lawyer “What goes up a hill with 3 legs and comes back down the hill with 4 legs?”
The lawyer’s face looked extremely puzzled. He spent several hours, looking up everything he could on his laptop and even placing numerous air-to-ground phone calls trying to figure out the answer. Finally, the angry and frustrated lawyer handed the blonde $50.00.
The blonde put the $50 into her purse quickly without saying a word. The lawyer was outraged at this point and asked, “Well, what is answer?”
The blonde glanced at him with a smirk on her face and handed him a $5 bill.
Author Unknown
Top lawyer: Politicians Scared To Say Marriage Is Important
Politicians are too frightened to admit family breakdown is causing major damage, a senior family lawyer has said.
Baroness Deech said marriage issues are as important to the future of the nation as climate change and poverty.
She made the comments at a meeting of the Marriage Foundation, a think-tank that aims to reverse the trend of marital breakdown.
Conspiracy
Lady Deech said: “We live in a world where we are encouraged to take care of our own and our children’s health: we are constantly admonished to take exercise, eat healthily, wear a cycle helmet, study the side of the package, stop smoking, recycle, combat global warming, brush our teeth, control our drinking habits and have health checks.”
But she added that when it comes to the absence of fathers in families, there is “a conspiracy of silence”.
She said: “Politicians fear to address it, for they themselves or their constituents may be implicated.”
Speaker
Lady Deech is Chair of the Bar Standards Board, which regulates barristers in England and Wales, and is an eminent speaker on family law.
At the meeting, she highlighted the importance of marriage being more than just a piece of paper: “The wedding ceremony highlights the fact that marriage is the strongest bond ever invented to link together two people and two families, for now and posterity – intimately, legally, politically, religiously, civilly and publicly.”
A recent study showed that children whose parents divorce after they turn seven are more likely to misbehave and perform badly at school.
And the shadow public health minister Diane Abbott has said that family breakdown causes society’s biggest health issues. –By Baroness Deech/The Christian Insitute/February 26, 2013
Baroness Deech said marriage issues are as important to the future of the nation as climate change and poverty.
She made the comments at a meeting of the Marriage Foundation, a think-tank that aims to reverse the trend of marital breakdown.
Conspiracy
Lady Deech said: “We live in a world where we are encouraged to take care of our own and our children’s health: we are constantly admonished to take exercise, eat healthily, wear a cycle helmet, study the side of the package, stop smoking, recycle, combat global warming, brush our teeth, control our drinking habits and have health checks.”
But she added that when it comes to the absence of fathers in families, there is “a conspiracy of silence”.
She said: “Politicians fear to address it, for they themselves or their constituents may be implicated.”
Speaker
Lady Deech is Chair of the Bar Standards Board, which regulates barristers in England and Wales, and is an eminent speaker on family law.
At the meeting, she highlighted the importance of marriage being more than just a piece of paper: “The wedding ceremony highlights the fact that marriage is the strongest bond ever invented to link together two people and two families, for now and posterity – intimately, legally, politically, religiously, civilly and publicly.”
A recent study showed that children whose parents divorce after they turn seven are more likely to misbehave and perform badly at school.
And the shadow public health minister Diane Abbott has said that family breakdown causes society’s biggest health issues. –By Baroness Deech/The Christian Insitute/February 26, 2013
Inspiration
In order to better yourself, and live your best life, you must be willing to learn, and grow to appreciate and care for yourself from the inside out. ~ Andrieka Austin
If I could share 500 words of wisdom to summarize what I've learned so far in life, these are the important things I'd want to pass along to others…
Sometimes the uncertainty of life can seem to be a bit of a challenge. Existing in an environment where you may have little to no access to things like excessive amounts of money or material wealth may make you question the meaning of your very existence. But, I want to tell you not to worry.
One of the most motivational and memorable messages from a sermon that I can remember came from the following seven words, "You have everything you need to succeed."
These quoted words were (and still are) music to my ears, and have since stuck like glue to my heart. Once you get to a place in your life where you can stop, be still, listen, and most of all, take a good look around you, you will find this statement to be true to its very core.
Whether in natural or spiritual possessions, you will always have what it takes to make it through life. Often times the things you thought you needed have been right in front of you all along. Just take a look around.
My mom always said that life is FULL of choices. It's all about how, when, and what you choose to do. Speak the language of embrace by choosing to have a positive attitude and seeking out the best in any given situation.
Always imagine the possibilities. I encourage you to seek self-care and nourishment. The care and keeping of you is of the utmost importance. Take time to focus on what your soul needs, what brings you joy, peace, happiness, and love.
In order to better yourself, and live your best life, you must be willing to learn, and grow to appreciate and care for yourself from the inside out. By doing so, you place yourself in a position to attract and allow the benefits of all that life has to offer. As an immediate result, you are then able to be a benefit to others. When seeking answers, the beauty of your courageous journey should come from deep within your heart and soul in love.
My ultimate advice to you is to be confident in who you are. Each day that you look into the mirror, know that you are an original, one-of-a-kind, and everything that God has created you to be. Give yourself credit for the positive things like being creative and intelligent (because you are). Have confidence and trust in yourself, and never second-guess the wise decisions that you make daily.
Take a step each day on the journey to follow your dreams, as you strive to be any and everything that you someday hope to be. Practice your God-given gifts and talents daily, as this builds confidence and increases your self-esteem. Seek out books and information designed to help you be the best YOU that only you know how to be.
Continue to reach for your dreams, fight for what you believe in, and stand up for what's right. I wish you well on your Journey. -Andrieka Austin/Inspire Me Today
If I could share 500 words of wisdom to summarize what I've learned so far in life, these are the important things I'd want to pass along to others…
Sometimes the uncertainty of life can seem to be a bit of a challenge. Existing in an environment where you may have little to no access to things like excessive amounts of money or material wealth may make you question the meaning of your very existence. But, I want to tell you not to worry.
One of the most motivational and memorable messages from a sermon that I can remember came from the following seven words, "You have everything you need to succeed."
These quoted words were (and still are) music to my ears, and have since stuck like glue to my heart. Once you get to a place in your life where you can stop, be still, listen, and most of all, take a good look around you, you will find this statement to be true to its very core.
Whether in natural or spiritual possessions, you will always have what it takes to make it through life. Often times the things you thought you needed have been right in front of you all along. Just take a look around.
My mom always said that life is FULL of choices. It's all about how, when, and what you choose to do. Speak the language of embrace by choosing to have a positive attitude and seeking out the best in any given situation.
Always imagine the possibilities. I encourage you to seek self-care and nourishment. The care and keeping of you is of the utmost importance. Take time to focus on what your soul needs, what brings you joy, peace, happiness, and love.
In order to better yourself, and live your best life, you must be willing to learn, and grow to appreciate and care for yourself from the inside out. By doing so, you place yourself in a position to attract and allow the benefits of all that life has to offer. As an immediate result, you are then able to be a benefit to others. When seeking answers, the beauty of your courageous journey should come from deep within your heart and soul in love.
My ultimate advice to you is to be confident in who you are. Each day that you look into the mirror, know that you are an original, one-of-a-kind, and everything that God has created you to be. Give yourself credit for the positive things like being creative and intelligent (because you are). Have confidence and trust in yourself, and never second-guess the wise decisions that you make daily.
Take a step each day on the journey to follow your dreams, as you strive to be any and everything that you someday hope to be. Practice your God-given gifts and talents daily, as this builds confidence and increases your self-esteem. Seek out books and information designed to help you be the best YOU that only you know how to be.
Continue to reach for your dreams, fight for what you believe in, and stand up for what's right. I wish you well on your Journey. -Andrieka Austin/Inspire Me Today
Shilo Find May Show It was Sacked By Philistines
Evidence of destruction confirms conjecture that Shilo was destroyed after Even Ha'ezer war.
A new archeological find at ancient Shilo fits in with the Biblical narrative regarding the war at Even Ha'ezer, and could confirm scholars' conjectures as to how Shilo was destroyed.
The First Book of Samuel does not say when and how Shilo, which served as the Israelite capital for 369 years, was destroyed. The latest archeological find at the Shilo site – a broken vase and remains of ashes from a fire – indicate large scale destruction. The remains are from the same period in which the War of Even Ha'ezer against the Philistines was waged.
Israel suffered a crushing defeat in that war, which is believed to have been waged near present-day Afek. The two sons of Eli the High Priest were killed, and Eli himself died upon hearing the news. Worst of all, the Holy Ark, which the Israelites had brought to the battleground, was taken by the Philistines.
Archeologists and scholars now have more evidence to back the assumption that after defeating the Israelites at Even Ha'ezer, the Philistines advanced upon Shilo and sacked it.
Other Biblical passages, in Psalms and Jeremiah, confirm that Shilo was destroyed by Phlistines. -By Gil Ronen/Israel National News/January 7, 2013
A new archeological find at ancient Shilo fits in with the Biblical narrative regarding the war at Even Ha'ezer, and could confirm scholars' conjectures as to how Shilo was destroyed.
The First Book of Samuel does not say when and how Shilo, which served as the Israelite capital for 369 years, was destroyed. The latest archeological find at the Shilo site – a broken vase and remains of ashes from a fire – indicate large scale destruction. The remains are from the same period in which the War of Even Ha'ezer against the Philistines was waged.
Israel suffered a crushing defeat in that war, which is believed to have been waged near present-day Afek. The two sons of Eli the High Priest were killed, and Eli himself died upon hearing the news. Worst of all, the Holy Ark, which the Israelites had brought to the battleground, was taken by the Philistines.
Archeologists and scholars now have more evidence to back the assumption that after defeating the Israelites at Even Ha'ezer, the Philistines advanced upon Shilo and sacked it.
Other Biblical passages, in Psalms and Jeremiah, confirm that Shilo was destroyed by Phlistines. -By Gil Ronen/Israel National News/January 7, 2013
Path Is Found For The Spread Of Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s disease seems to spread like an infection from brain cell to brain cell, two new studies in mice have found. But instead of viruses or bacteria, what is being spread is a distorted protein known as tau.
The surprising finding answers a longstanding question and has immediate implications for developing treatments, researchers said. And they suspect that other degenerative brain diseases like Parkinson’s may spread in a similar way.
Alzheimer’s researchers have long known that dying, tau-filled cells first emerge in a small area of the brain where memories are made and stored. The disease then slowly moves outward to larger areas that involve remembering and reasoning.
But for more than a quarter-century, researchers have been unable to decide between two explanations. One is that the spread may mean that the disease is transmitted from neuron to neuron, perhaps along the paths that nerve cells use to communicate with one another. Or it could simply mean that some brain areas are more resilient than others and resist the disease longer.
The new studies provide an answer. And they indicate it may be possible to bring Alzheimer’s disease to an abrupt halt early on by preventing cell-to-cell transmission, perhaps with an antibody that blocks tau.
The studies, done independently by researchers at Columbia and Harvard, involved genetically engineered mice that could make abnormal human tau proteins, predominantly in the entorhinal (pronounced en-toh-RYE-nal) cortex, a sliver of tissue behind the ears, toward the middle of the brain, where cells first start dying in Alzheimer’s disease. As expected, tau showed up there. And, as also expected, entorhinal cortex cells in the mice started dying, filled with tangled, spaghettilike strands of tau.
Over the next two years, the cell death and destruction spread outward to other cells along the same network. Since those other cells could not make human tau, the only way they could get the protein was by transmission from nerve cell to nerve cell.
And that, said Dr. Samuel E. Gandy, associate director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, was “very unexpected, very intriguing.”
Although the studies were in mice, researchers say they expect that the same phenomenon occurs in humans because the mice had a human tau gene and the progressive wave of cell death matched what they see in people with Alzheimer’s disease.
One study, by Karen Duff and Dr. Scott A. Small and their colleagues at the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain at Columbia University Medical Center, was published on Wednesday in the journal PLoS One. The other, by Dr. Bradley T. Hyman, director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, and his colleagues, is to be published in the journal Neuron.
Both groups of researchers were inspired by the many observations over the years that Alzheimer’s starts in the entorhinal cortex and spreads.
But, said Dr. Small, “what do we mean by ‘spreads?’ ”
Researchers knew that something set off Alzheimer’s disease. The most likely candidate is a protein known as beta amyloid, which accumulates in the brain of Alzheimer’s patients, forming hard, barnaclelike plaques. But beta amyloid is very different from tau. It is secreted and clumps outside cells. Although researchers have looked, they have never seen evidence that amyloid spreads from cell to cell in a network.
Still, amyloid creates what amounts to a bad neighborhood in memory regions of the brain. Then tau comes in — some researchers call it “the executioner” — piling up inside cells and killing them. If some cells take longer than others to succumb to the bad neighborhood, that would explain the spread of the disease in the brain, and there would be no need to blame something odd, like the spread of tau from cell to cell.
Studies in humans, though, could not determine whether that hypothesis was correct. They involved autopsy and brain imaging studies and were “indirect and inconclusive,” Dr. Small said.
Looking at the brains of people who have died of the disease, Dr. Duff said, is like looking at a wrecked car and trying to figure out the accident’s cause. Faulty brakes? Broken struts?
The question of which hypothesis was correct — tau spreading cell to cell, or a bad neighborhood in the brain and cells with different vulnerabilities to it — remained unanswerable. Dr. Hyman said he tried for 25 years to find a good way to address it. One of his ideas was to find a patient or two who had had a stroke or other injury that severed the entorhinal cortex from the rest of the brain. If the patient developed Alzheimer’s in the entorhinal cortex — and it remained contained there — he would have evidence that the disease spread like an infection. But he never found such patients.
The solution came when researchers were able to develop genetically engineered mice that expressed abnormal human tau, but only in their entorhinal cortexes. Those mice offered the cleanest way to get an answer, said John Hardy, an Alzheimer’s researcher at University College London who was not involved in either of the new studies.
There is another advantage, too, Dr. Hyman said. The mice give him a tool to test ways to block tau’s spread — and that, he added, “is one of the things we’re excited about.”
But if tau spreads from neuron to neuron, Dr. Hardy said, it may be necessary to block both beta amyloid production, which seems to get the disease going, and the spread of tau, which continues it, to bring Alzheimer’s to a halt.
He and others are also asking if other degenerative diseases spread through the brain because proteins pass from nerve cell to nerve cell.
Dr. Hardy thought he saw provocative human evidence that it might be happening in Parkinson’s disease. Two Parkinson’s patients being treated by a colleague had fetal brain cells implanted to replace dead and dying neurons. When the patients died, years later, autopsies showed they still had the fetal cells, but they had balls of a Parkinson’s disease protein, synuclein, inside. The most obvious way that could happen, the researchers reasoned, was if the toxic protein had spread from the patient’s diseased cells to the healthy fetal cells. But they could not rule out the bad-neighborhood hypothesis.
Now, Dr. Hardy said, with the mouse studies, the issue of a bad neighborhood is settled. The answer in Alzheimer’s disease, he said, “is that isn’t possible.”
“That is what is different between these papers and all the others,” Dr. Hardy said. “It isn’t a bad neighborhood. It is contagion from one neuron to another.” -By Gina Kolata/NY Times/February 1, 2012
The surprising finding answers a longstanding question and has immediate implications for developing treatments, researchers said. And they suspect that other degenerative brain diseases like Parkinson’s may spread in a similar way.
Alzheimer’s researchers have long known that dying, tau-filled cells first emerge in a small area of the brain where memories are made and stored. The disease then slowly moves outward to larger areas that involve remembering and reasoning.
But for more than a quarter-century, researchers have been unable to decide between two explanations. One is that the spread may mean that the disease is transmitted from neuron to neuron, perhaps along the paths that nerve cells use to communicate with one another. Or it could simply mean that some brain areas are more resilient than others and resist the disease longer.
The new studies provide an answer. And they indicate it may be possible to bring Alzheimer’s disease to an abrupt halt early on by preventing cell-to-cell transmission, perhaps with an antibody that blocks tau.
The studies, done independently by researchers at Columbia and Harvard, involved genetically engineered mice that could make abnormal human tau proteins, predominantly in the entorhinal (pronounced en-toh-RYE-nal) cortex, a sliver of tissue behind the ears, toward the middle of the brain, where cells first start dying in Alzheimer’s disease. As expected, tau showed up there. And, as also expected, entorhinal cortex cells in the mice started dying, filled with tangled, spaghettilike strands of tau.
Over the next two years, the cell death and destruction spread outward to other cells along the same network. Since those other cells could not make human tau, the only way they could get the protein was by transmission from nerve cell to nerve cell.
And that, said Dr. Samuel E. Gandy, associate director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, was “very unexpected, very intriguing.”
Although the studies were in mice, researchers say they expect that the same phenomenon occurs in humans because the mice had a human tau gene and the progressive wave of cell death matched what they see in people with Alzheimer’s disease.
One study, by Karen Duff and Dr. Scott A. Small and their colleagues at the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain at Columbia University Medical Center, was published on Wednesday in the journal PLoS One. The other, by Dr. Bradley T. Hyman, director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, and his colleagues, is to be published in the journal Neuron.
Both groups of researchers were inspired by the many observations over the years that Alzheimer’s starts in the entorhinal cortex and spreads.
But, said Dr. Small, “what do we mean by ‘spreads?’ ”
Researchers knew that something set off Alzheimer’s disease. The most likely candidate is a protein known as beta amyloid, which accumulates in the brain of Alzheimer’s patients, forming hard, barnaclelike plaques. But beta amyloid is very different from tau. It is secreted and clumps outside cells. Although researchers have looked, they have never seen evidence that amyloid spreads from cell to cell in a network.
Still, amyloid creates what amounts to a bad neighborhood in memory regions of the brain. Then tau comes in — some researchers call it “the executioner” — piling up inside cells and killing them. If some cells take longer than others to succumb to the bad neighborhood, that would explain the spread of the disease in the brain, and there would be no need to blame something odd, like the spread of tau from cell to cell.
Studies in humans, though, could not determine whether that hypothesis was correct. They involved autopsy and brain imaging studies and were “indirect and inconclusive,” Dr. Small said.
Looking at the brains of people who have died of the disease, Dr. Duff said, is like looking at a wrecked car and trying to figure out the accident’s cause. Faulty brakes? Broken struts?
The question of which hypothesis was correct — tau spreading cell to cell, or a bad neighborhood in the brain and cells with different vulnerabilities to it — remained unanswerable. Dr. Hyman said he tried for 25 years to find a good way to address it. One of his ideas was to find a patient or two who had had a stroke or other injury that severed the entorhinal cortex from the rest of the brain. If the patient developed Alzheimer’s in the entorhinal cortex — and it remained contained there — he would have evidence that the disease spread like an infection. But he never found such patients.
The solution came when researchers were able to develop genetically engineered mice that expressed abnormal human tau, but only in their entorhinal cortexes. Those mice offered the cleanest way to get an answer, said John Hardy, an Alzheimer’s researcher at University College London who was not involved in either of the new studies.
There is another advantage, too, Dr. Hyman said. The mice give him a tool to test ways to block tau’s spread — and that, he added, “is one of the things we’re excited about.”
But if tau spreads from neuron to neuron, Dr. Hardy said, it may be necessary to block both beta amyloid production, which seems to get the disease going, and the spread of tau, which continues it, to bring Alzheimer’s to a halt.
He and others are also asking if other degenerative diseases spread through the brain because proteins pass from nerve cell to nerve cell.
Dr. Hardy thought he saw provocative human evidence that it might be happening in Parkinson’s disease. Two Parkinson’s patients being treated by a colleague had fetal brain cells implanted to replace dead and dying neurons. When the patients died, years later, autopsies showed they still had the fetal cells, but they had balls of a Parkinson’s disease protein, synuclein, inside. The most obvious way that could happen, the researchers reasoned, was if the toxic protein had spread from the patient’s diseased cells to the healthy fetal cells. But they could not rule out the bad-neighborhood hypothesis.
Now, Dr. Hardy said, with the mouse studies, the issue of a bad neighborhood is settled. The answer in Alzheimer’s disease, he said, “is that isn’t possible.”
“That is what is different between these papers and all the others,” Dr. Hardy said. “It isn’t a bad neighborhood. It is contagion from one neuron to another.” -By Gina Kolata/NY Times/February 1, 2012
Italy's Mosque Wars
The southern Italian island of Sicily is about to become the proud new owner of a multi-million euro mega-mosque.
The mosque, to be built in the medieval town of Salemi in southwestern Sicily, is being paid for by the oil-rich Persian Gulf Emirate of Qatar. Supporters of the mosque hope it will become a reference point for Muslims in Sicily as well as the rest of Italy.
Construction of the mosque reflects the growing influence of Islam in Italy, which is now home to an estimated 1.5 million Muslims.
In an interview with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, the mayor of Salemi, Vittorio Sgarbi, said: "Sicily is excited about hosting Islam. Nothing is more important than finding common feelings and beliefs in the different religions that believe in a single God. This is one of the reasons that, just as our cities have Christian places of worship, I think it is important for a mosque to be built in Salemi for citizens of Arab culture and language. History imposes it upon us."
Sicily is, of course, a highly symbolic location for Italy's multiculturalists, who often tout the island as the quintessential interfaith utopia. Never mind that Christians and Jews were famously persecuted during the two centuries that Sicily was dominated by Muslim rule.
The Muslim occupation of Sicily came to an end in 1222, when the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II de-Islamicized the island in response to an ill-conceived revolt by Ibn Ibbad, the last Emir of Sicily.
Muslims began returning en masse in the 1970s, thanks to immigration from North Africa and the Middle East. They also began building mosques.
In 1980, Catania, a city on the eastern coast of Sicily, became home to Italy's first modern mosque. Also known as the Omar mosque, the mosque in Catania was financed by Libya's Muammar Gaddafi.
The Catania mosque was followed by the mosque in Segrate near Milan (1988), and run by the Muslim brotherhood. This was followed by the mega-mosque in Rome (1994), financed by Saudi Arabia.
The Mosque of Rome, which can accommodate more than 12,000 people, is one of the largest mosques in Europe. The imam of the mosque, an Egyptian Islamist unable to speak Italian, was suspended after preaching Jihad to Rome's 90,000 Muslims.
Fast forward to 2012: there are now an estimated 500 mosques in Italy, not to mention thousands of informal Islamic prayer centers and Koranic schools, most of which are housed in basements, garages and warehouses.
Many of the mosque projects in Italy have been promoted by leftwing politicians, who are waging an ideological war with the Roman Catholic Church. As in many other European countries, multiculturalists in Italy hope that by promoting Islam, they will eventually succeed in destroying the country's Judeo-Christian heritage.
Not surprisingly, most Italians are opposed to the idea of turning Italy into an Islamic republic. Polls show that many Italians view mosques as a "symbol of occupation" and more than a third do not want a mosque in their neighborhood.
Public backlash over the construction of mosques picked up steam in 2006, when the multicultural mayor of Colle di Val d'Elsa, a picturesque Tuscan town situated on the road between Florence and Siena, decided his town would be the perfect location for Italy's second-biggest mosque.
The town council, dominated by leftwing do-gooders, donated the land for the mosque, which is linked to the Muslim Brotherhood. Funding to the tune of €500,000 ($650,000) came from Monte dei Paschi di Siena, the oldest bank in Italy.
Local residents were livid and have repeatedly succeeded in postponing the opening of the mosque. The activism prompted citizens in other parts of Italy to block the construction of dozens of new mosques in towns and cities across the country.
In 2007, the mayor of the northern Italian city Bologna postponed the construction of a mega-mosque (described as a "massive 6,000 square meter mosque inside a 52,000 square meter Islamic citadel") after it emerged that it was being financed by L'Unione delle Comunità e Organizzazioni Islamiche in Italia (UCOII), the largest Muslim Brotherhood organization in Italy.
After it came to light that an estimated 60% of the mosques in Italy are controlled either directly or indirectly by the Muslim Brotherhood, Italian Interior Minister Roberto Maroni called for a moratorium on the building of new mosques until a new national law could be written to regulate the phenomenon.
According to Manes Bernardini, a politician with the Northern League in Bologna, "Mosques are springing up like mushrooms, and mayors can do nothing about it because there is no national law to regulate the proliferation of these structures."
After years of complaints from local residents, the Italian government in July 2008 ordered the closure of the infamous Viale Jenner mosque in central Milan. Thousands of Muslims attending Friday prayers spilled out onto the streets, creating an "unsustainable situation."
Although the mosque's imam, the Egyptian-born Abu Imad, was jailed on terrorism charges in April 2010, the mosque remains open.
In another act of defiance described by some as "an incredible provocation," more than 5,000 Muslim immigrants occupied the central piazza in front of the Duomo of Milan to pray toward Mecca.
According to Mario Borghezio, an Italian MEP, "The prayer to Allah recited by thousands of fanatical Muslims is an act of intimidation, a slap in the face for the city of Milan, which must remain Christian."
Many Muslims do not see it that way. In 2010, a group calling itself the Association of Italian Muslim Sisters sponsored a conference called "Islam in Italy: Fulfilling the Prophecy" which focused on Islamic eschatology and the belief that Islam will one day conquer Rome.
Another reason Italy's anti-mosque activism is unlikely to succeed over the long-term is that Italy no longer has enough Italians.
Speaking at a conference in Rome in July 2011, Emma Bonino, a leftwing Italian politician and militant euthanasia activist who founded the Milan-based Information Center on Sterilization and Abortion, said (without a hint of irony) that in order "to respond to the demographic decline, Italy will need at least 260,000 immigrants per year over the next ten years, almost three million new immigrants by 2020."
Most of these new immigrants will be Muslims. –By Soeren Kern/Gatestone Institute/February 3, 2012
About the Author: Soeren Kern is Senior Fellow for Transatlantic Relations at the Madrid-based Grupo de Estudios Estratégicos / Strategic Studies Group. Follow him on Facebook.
The mosque, to be built in the medieval town of Salemi in southwestern Sicily, is being paid for by the oil-rich Persian Gulf Emirate of Qatar. Supporters of the mosque hope it will become a reference point for Muslims in Sicily as well as the rest of Italy.
Construction of the mosque reflects the growing influence of Islam in Italy, which is now home to an estimated 1.5 million Muslims.
In an interview with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, the mayor of Salemi, Vittorio Sgarbi, said: "Sicily is excited about hosting Islam. Nothing is more important than finding common feelings and beliefs in the different religions that believe in a single God. This is one of the reasons that, just as our cities have Christian places of worship, I think it is important for a mosque to be built in Salemi for citizens of Arab culture and language. History imposes it upon us."
Sicily is, of course, a highly symbolic location for Italy's multiculturalists, who often tout the island as the quintessential interfaith utopia. Never mind that Christians and Jews were famously persecuted during the two centuries that Sicily was dominated by Muslim rule.
The Muslim occupation of Sicily came to an end in 1222, when the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II de-Islamicized the island in response to an ill-conceived revolt by Ibn Ibbad, the last Emir of Sicily.
Muslims began returning en masse in the 1970s, thanks to immigration from North Africa and the Middle East. They also began building mosques.
In 1980, Catania, a city on the eastern coast of Sicily, became home to Italy's first modern mosque. Also known as the Omar mosque, the mosque in Catania was financed by Libya's Muammar Gaddafi.
The Catania mosque was followed by the mosque in Segrate near Milan (1988), and run by the Muslim brotherhood. This was followed by the mega-mosque in Rome (1994), financed by Saudi Arabia.
The Mosque of Rome, which can accommodate more than 12,000 people, is one of the largest mosques in Europe. The imam of the mosque, an Egyptian Islamist unable to speak Italian, was suspended after preaching Jihad to Rome's 90,000 Muslims.
Fast forward to 2012: there are now an estimated 500 mosques in Italy, not to mention thousands of informal Islamic prayer centers and Koranic schools, most of which are housed in basements, garages and warehouses.
Many of the mosque projects in Italy have been promoted by leftwing politicians, who are waging an ideological war with the Roman Catholic Church. As in many other European countries, multiculturalists in Italy hope that by promoting Islam, they will eventually succeed in destroying the country's Judeo-Christian heritage.
Not surprisingly, most Italians are opposed to the idea of turning Italy into an Islamic republic. Polls show that many Italians view mosques as a "symbol of occupation" and more than a third do not want a mosque in their neighborhood.
Public backlash over the construction of mosques picked up steam in 2006, when the multicultural mayor of Colle di Val d'Elsa, a picturesque Tuscan town situated on the road between Florence and Siena, decided his town would be the perfect location for Italy's second-biggest mosque.
The town council, dominated by leftwing do-gooders, donated the land for the mosque, which is linked to the Muslim Brotherhood. Funding to the tune of €500,000 ($650,000) came from Monte dei Paschi di Siena, the oldest bank in Italy.
Local residents were livid and have repeatedly succeeded in postponing the opening of the mosque. The activism prompted citizens in other parts of Italy to block the construction of dozens of new mosques in towns and cities across the country.
In 2007, the mayor of the northern Italian city Bologna postponed the construction of a mega-mosque (described as a "massive 6,000 square meter mosque inside a 52,000 square meter Islamic citadel") after it emerged that it was being financed by L'Unione delle Comunità e Organizzazioni Islamiche in Italia (UCOII), the largest Muslim Brotherhood organization in Italy.
After it came to light that an estimated 60% of the mosques in Italy are controlled either directly or indirectly by the Muslim Brotherhood, Italian Interior Minister Roberto Maroni called for a moratorium on the building of new mosques until a new national law could be written to regulate the phenomenon.
According to Manes Bernardini, a politician with the Northern League in Bologna, "Mosques are springing up like mushrooms, and mayors can do nothing about it because there is no national law to regulate the proliferation of these structures."
After years of complaints from local residents, the Italian government in July 2008 ordered the closure of the infamous Viale Jenner mosque in central Milan. Thousands of Muslims attending Friday prayers spilled out onto the streets, creating an "unsustainable situation."
Although the mosque's imam, the Egyptian-born Abu Imad, was jailed on terrorism charges in April 2010, the mosque remains open.
In another act of defiance described by some as "an incredible provocation," more than 5,000 Muslim immigrants occupied the central piazza in front of the Duomo of Milan to pray toward Mecca.
According to Mario Borghezio, an Italian MEP, "The prayer to Allah recited by thousands of fanatical Muslims is an act of intimidation, a slap in the face for the city of Milan, which must remain Christian."
Many Muslims do not see it that way. In 2010, a group calling itself the Association of Italian Muslim Sisters sponsored a conference called "Islam in Italy: Fulfilling the Prophecy" which focused on Islamic eschatology and the belief that Islam will one day conquer Rome.
Another reason Italy's anti-mosque activism is unlikely to succeed over the long-term is that Italy no longer has enough Italians.
Speaking at a conference in Rome in July 2011, Emma Bonino, a leftwing Italian politician and militant euthanasia activist who founded the Milan-based Information Center on Sterilization and Abortion, said (without a hint of irony) that in order "to respond to the demographic decline, Italy will need at least 260,000 immigrants per year over the next ten years, almost three million new immigrants by 2020."
Most of these new immigrants will be Muslims. –By Soeren Kern/Gatestone Institute/February 3, 2012
About the Author: Soeren Kern is Senior Fellow for Transatlantic Relations at the Madrid-based Grupo de Estudios Estratégicos / Strategic Studies Group. Follow him on Facebook.
Mar 10, 2013
You Are Not A Religion
In Habits of the Heart, written almost 30 years ago, sociologist Robert Bellah and his co-authors came up with a term to describe a new American religion: “Sheilaism.” The phrase comes from an interview Bellah conducted with a woman called Sheila, who described her religion as follows:
I believe in God. I am not a fanatic. I can’t remember the last time I went to church. My faith has carried me a long way. It’s Sheilaism. Just my own little voice. . . . My own Sheilaism . . . is just to try to love yourself and be gentle with yourself. You know, I guess, take care of each other.
You don’t have to be a sociologist to appreciate how well Sheila’s comments reflect the mindset of millions of Americans. You can dismiss that mindset as empty and self-indulgent, but in the land of postmodern individualism, Sheilaism has powerful rhetorical appeal. It is preached relentlessly in advertising, books, movies, music, TV programs, even presidential politics (“We are the ones we’ve been waiting for”). It is the effective religion of the “Nones”– the rapidly increasing cohort of Americans who claim no formal religious affiliation–and, one imagines, many churched people as well.
Yet Sheilaism is not a constitutionally recognized religion, at least in the Fourth Circuit. That’s one lesson of the recent, fascinating Psychic Sophie case that Marc described in his post this week. In the case, a Virginia fortune teller, “Psychic Sophie,” argued that local licensing and zoning rules violated her First Amendment right to freely exercise her religion. She described her religion this way:
I am very spiritual in nature, yet I do not follow particular religions or practices, and “organized” anythings are not for me. I pretty much go with my inner flow, and that seems to work best.
She didn’t use the phrase, but Psychic Sophie’s religion is Sheilaism. And, as Marc notes, the Fourth Circuit held that this worldview does not constitute a religion for purposes of the First Amendment. For constitutional purposes, the court reasoned, religion means some organizing principle or authority other than oneself. Going with one’s inner flow does not qualify.
That makes a good deal of sense. Sheilaism is a very useful concept in sociology, but it doesn’t really work in constitutional law. Recognizing Sheilaism as a religion for constitutional purposes would create all sorts of problems. We’d have millions of religions in America, each of which could claim a right to free exercise. We’d be courting anarchy.
Or would we? The really interesting thing about the Psychic Sophie case is that it’s so unusual. With so many Sheilaists in America claiming to follow their own paths, surely we should be seeing many more claims for religious exemptions from generally applicable laws. There should be much more friction in American life. But there isn’t. All these free spirits wind up believing pretty much the same things and acting in pretty much the same ways. Perhaps Sheilaism isn’t really about following one’s inner voice, but the voice of the mainstream culture. In which case, Sheilaism isn’t really about individualism, but conformity. Like the guy said, you can have a car painted any color you like–as long as it’s black. –By Mark L. Movsesian/CLRForum/March 1, 2013
I believe in God. I am not a fanatic. I can’t remember the last time I went to church. My faith has carried me a long way. It’s Sheilaism. Just my own little voice. . . . My own Sheilaism . . . is just to try to love yourself and be gentle with yourself. You know, I guess, take care of each other.
You don’t have to be a sociologist to appreciate how well Sheila’s comments reflect the mindset of millions of Americans. You can dismiss that mindset as empty and self-indulgent, but in the land of postmodern individualism, Sheilaism has powerful rhetorical appeal. It is preached relentlessly in advertising, books, movies, music, TV programs, even presidential politics (“We are the ones we’ve been waiting for”). It is the effective religion of the “Nones”– the rapidly increasing cohort of Americans who claim no formal religious affiliation–and, one imagines, many churched people as well.
Yet Sheilaism is not a constitutionally recognized religion, at least in the Fourth Circuit. That’s one lesson of the recent, fascinating Psychic Sophie case that Marc described in his post this week. In the case, a Virginia fortune teller, “Psychic Sophie,” argued that local licensing and zoning rules violated her First Amendment right to freely exercise her religion. She described her religion this way:
I am very spiritual in nature, yet I do not follow particular religions or practices, and “organized” anythings are not for me. I pretty much go with my inner flow, and that seems to work best.
She didn’t use the phrase, but Psychic Sophie’s religion is Sheilaism. And, as Marc notes, the Fourth Circuit held that this worldview does not constitute a religion for purposes of the First Amendment. For constitutional purposes, the court reasoned, religion means some organizing principle or authority other than oneself. Going with one’s inner flow does not qualify.
That makes a good deal of sense. Sheilaism is a very useful concept in sociology, but it doesn’t really work in constitutional law. Recognizing Sheilaism as a religion for constitutional purposes would create all sorts of problems. We’d have millions of religions in America, each of which could claim a right to free exercise. We’d be courting anarchy.
Or would we? The really interesting thing about the Psychic Sophie case is that it’s so unusual. With so many Sheilaists in America claiming to follow their own paths, surely we should be seeing many more claims for religious exemptions from generally applicable laws. There should be much more friction in American life. But there isn’t. All these free spirits wind up believing pretty much the same things and acting in pretty much the same ways. Perhaps Sheilaism isn’t really about following one’s inner voice, but the voice of the mainstream culture. In which case, Sheilaism isn’t really about individualism, but conformity. Like the guy said, you can have a car painted any color you like–as long as it’s black. –By Mark L. Movsesian/CLRForum/March 1, 2013
No Lost Books Of The Bible
Some people claim there are "lost books" that should have been included in the Bible. Greg says this view doesn't make sense, whether or not you think the Bible has supernatural origins.
The whole question of lost books of the Bible hinges on what the Bible is. Now the Bible can only be two things. What is it that we mean when we use the word "Bible"? Well, a Bible is either God's supernatural Word -- God supernaturally oversees its production and its care. Or it 's a statement of beliefs of the leaders of Christianity. They say "this represents what we believe." Disregarding any supernatural element, it's based on consensus. Let's just say we're the only Christians in the world. We say we believe in these things, but we don't believe these other things so throw them out because they don't reflect what we believe. Any group has the right to determine what it is they believe.
Now, notice that there are two ways of looking at this: a supernatural or natural perspective. I would contend that there are no other ways of looking at this question; no other options. No matter who you are out there you either think of the Bible as being God's inspired Word (most of the conservative Christian world holds this view, in some form), or the Bible is merely the statement of beliefs of the early church, without any supernatural content. Pretty much the rest of the world looks at it this way.
Now, the question of the lost books of the Bible comes up. But my problem is: how is it possible that there can be any lost books of the Bible?
Is it possible that in the first sense of the word Bible that the books could be lost? Wait a minute, if God is supernaturally overseeing it, then God is supernaturally involved in seeing that His book gets written down and preserved. So we have God's supernatural protection if it has a supernatural quality to it. You may say that the supernatural element is bogus, but you can see that from this sense of the definition that it's not really possible to think that God could lose His own book. "But man wrote it...." Can you make your dog sit? Of course. If you a mere man can make your dog sit, can't an infinite God oversee the care of His Word? It doesn't matter if man or monkeys were responsible for taking care of it.
Maybe the Bible isn't supernatural, it's a statement of beliefs of the leaders of the church. Okay, if that's the case then who has the final word on which books belong in the Bible? The leaders of the early church. Therefore, by very definition any books that they cast into outer darkness are not part of the Bible. It's their decision to decide which books represent their beliefs. And if they say the Gospel of Thomas isn't our book and somebody else picks it up two thousand years later and say it's a lost book of the Bible, then it's fair to ask "In what sense is it a lost book of the Bible?" It might be a lost book of antiquity, a great archaeological find, a wonderful piece of literature, but a lost book of the Bible? No.
The Bible has to be either a supernatural book, or a non-supernatural book. If it's supernatural -- if God is responsible for its writing, it's transmission and its survival -- then God, being God, does the job right. God doesn't make mistakes, he doesn't forget things, he doesn't get confused about what is true and what is false, and He isn't absent-minded -- He doesn't lose his lessons.
If the Bible is not supernatural -- as many will contend, especially those who claim to have found lost books -- we have a different problem. By what standard do we claim these are bonafide lost books of the Bible? If, from a human perspective, the Bible is that collection of writings that reflect the beliefs of the leaders of early Christianity, then those writings they discard are not parts of the Bible by very definition. It's like writing a book of your personal beliefs from a stack of ideas you've collected over the years and then have someone rummage through your trash to find other beliefs you didn't include and then claim that these were your secret or lost beliefs. You say, "No, they're not my beliefs; that's why they're in the trash. If they were were really mine, they'd be in the book.
The irony is that many of the the "lost books" advocates make the point that these books they've rediscovered, books like the so-called Gospel of Thomas, were missing because the church fathers "suppressed" them, which is another way of saying the early Christians threw them out, trashed them. And the accusation is true. They did. Critics think this strengthens their case. It doesn't; it destroys it, because it proves that these books were simply not accepted by the leaders as representative of their beliefs. So therefore it can't be their Bible.
The Jesus Seminar people are taking a little different tack. They reject the idea that the Bible has supernatural origins. They suggest that since it's just man's opinion anyway, we should have a recall vote on the Bible and fix the defects. We should reconvene and reshuffle the deck, tossing some books out and including others to reflect what the church now believes about spiritual truth, which means "what the Jesus Seminar now believes about spiritual truth." They are not using the "lost books of the Bible" tack.
So regardless of your view of the Bible -- supernatural or natural -- there is no sense in which it makes any sense to talk of lost books of the Bible. Ergo it's impossible, rationally -- nothing to do with spiritual commitments at all -- that there can be anything like lost books of the Bible. The phrase just doesn't make any sense. -Gregory Koukl/In Plain Sight
The whole question of lost books of the Bible hinges on what the Bible is. Now the Bible can only be two things. What is it that we mean when we use the word "Bible"? Well, a Bible is either God's supernatural Word -- God supernaturally oversees its production and its care. Or it 's a statement of beliefs of the leaders of Christianity. They say "this represents what we believe." Disregarding any supernatural element, it's based on consensus. Let's just say we're the only Christians in the world. We say we believe in these things, but we don't believe these other things so throw them out because they don't reflect what we believe. Any group has the right to determine what it is they believe.
Now, notice that there are two ways of looking at this: a supernatural or natural perspective. I would contend that there are no other ways of looking at this question; no other options. No matter who you are out there you either think of the Bible as being God's inspired Word (most of the conservative Christian world holds this view, in some form), or the Bible is merely the statement of beliefs of the early church, without any supernatural content. Pretty much the rest of the world looks at it this way.
Now, the question of the lost books of the Bible comes up. But my problem is: how is it possible that there can be any lost books of the Bible?
Is it possible that in the first sense of the word Bible that the books could be lost? Wait a minute, if God is supernaturally overseeing it, then God is supernaturally involved in seeing that His book gets written down and preserved. So we have God's supernatural protection if it has a supernatural quality to it. You may say that the supernatural element is bogus, but you can see that from this sense of the definition that it's not really possible to think that God could lose His own book. "But man wrote it...." Can you make your dog sit? Of course. If you a mere man can make your dog sit, can't an infinite God oversee the care of His Word? It doesn't matter if man or monkeys were responsible for taking care of it.
Maybe the Bible isn't supernatural, it's a statement of beliefs of the leaders of the church. Okay, if that's the case then who has the final word on which books belong in the Bible? The leaders of the early church. Therefore, by very definition any books that they cast into outer darkness are not part of the Bible. It's their decision to decide which books represent their beliefs. And if they say the Gospel of Thomas isn't our book and somebody else picks it up two thousand years later and say it's a lost book of the Bible, then it's fair to ask "In what sense is it a lost book of the Bible?" It might be a lost book of antiquity, a great archaeological find, a wonderful piece of literature, but a lost book of the Bible? No.
The Bible has to be either a supernatural book, or a non-supernatural book. If it's supernatural -- if God is responsible for its writing, it's transmission and its survival -- then God, being God, does the job right. God doesn't make mistakes, he doesn't forget things, he doesn't get confused about what is true and what is false, and He isn't absent-minded -- He doesn't lose his lessons.
If the Bible is not supernatural -- as many will contend, especially those who claim to have found lost books -- we have a different problem. By what standard do we claim these are bonafide lost books of the Bible? If, from a human perspective, the Bible is that collection of writings that reflect the beliefs of the leaders of early Christianity, then those writings they discard are not parts of the Bible by very definition. It's like writing a book of your personal beliefs from a stack of ideas you've collected over the years and then have someone rummage through your trash to find other beliefs you didn't include and then claim that these were your secret or lost beliefs. You say, "No, they're not my beliefs; that's why they're in the trash. If they were were really mine, they'd be in the book.
The irony is that many of the the "lost books" advocates make the point that these books they've rediscovered, books like the so-called Gospel of Thomas, were missing because the church fathers "suppressed" them, which is another way of saying the early Christians threw them out, trashed them. And the accusation is true. They did. Critics think this strengthens their case. It doesn't; it destroys it, because it proves that these books were simply not accepted by the leaders as representative of their beliefs. So therefore it can't be their Bible.
The Jesus Seminar people are taking a little different tack. They reject the idea that the Bible has supernatural origins. They suggest that since it's just man's opinion anyway, we should have a recall vote on the Bible and fix the defects. We should reconvene and reshuffle the deck, tossing some books out and including others to reflect what the church now believes about spiritual truth, which means "what the Jesus Seminar now believes about spiritual truth." They are not using the "lost books of the Bible" tack.
So regardless of your view of the Bible -- supernatural or natural -- there is no sense in which it makes any sense to talk of lost books of the Bible. Ergo it's impossible, rationally -- nothing to do with spiritual commitments at all -- that there can be anything like lost books of the Bible. The phrase just doesn't make any sense. -Gregory Koukl/In Plain Sight
Longest Password
Laugh but the ID is definitely difficult to hack and is very safe.
During a recent password audit by a company, it was found that an employee was using the following password:
"MickeyMinniePlutoHueyLouieDeweyDonaldGoofySacramento"
When asked why she had such a long password, she rolled her eyes and said:
"Hello! It has to be at least 8 characters and include at least one capital."
Author Unknown
During a recent password audit by a company, it was found that an employee was using the following password:
"MickeyMinniePlutoHueyLouieDeweyDonaldGoofySacramento"
When asked why she had such a long password, she rolled her eyes and said:
"Hello! It has to be at least 8 characters and include at least one capital."
Author Unknown
Lost Gospels
According to some estimates, early Christians wrote at least twenty gospels that weren't included in the bible. Many of these non-biblical gospels apparently disappeared later, although it's possible that copies of some of them still survive at unknown locations. Luckily, several that appeared to be missing have been found again in modern times. But some are still missing, and could be permanently lost.
Gospels that were left out of the Bible are called non-canonical gospels. Many scholars also call them apocryphal gospels, because most of them have unknown origins. This uncertainty about their origins was one reason many of them were excluded from the Bible. But some were also excluded because they expressed unorthodox or heretical views.
Scholars know about the past existence of some missing gospels because they are mentioned in other ancient writings that have survived. Parts of some lost gospels were even copied into surviving writings, so that a portion of their original content is still preserved.
In fact, people are often surprised to learn that parts of several lost gospels may have been preserved in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. This preserved material has been identified by certain characteristics which indicate that it was copied from other writings. Thus the authors of the New Testament gospels apparently got some of their information from earlier writings. Modern scholars call these earlier writings "sources", and have determined that there were probably three of them. But apparently all of them have disappeared.
These three lost sources may have been the first gospels. Their ancient names are unknown, so they are usually identified by modern names, specifically the Lost Q Source, the Pre-Markan Passion Narrative, and the Signs Gospel. Because no copies of any of them have survived, they are sometimes called hypothetical gospels. But most scholars believe that they really did exist at one time.
Actually, these three missing gospels aren't completely lost, since material from them is preserved in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. In fact, considerable knowledge about their original content has been obtained by studying this preserved material.
Some other non-biblical gospels have been discovered more directly, because actual physical remains have been found. Examples include the Gospel of Peter, the Gospel of Mary, and the Gospel of Judas. All of these were discovered in modern times. But only fragments or secondary translations have been found, so the complete original forms of all of them are still unavailable.
These three rediscovered gospels are named after Simon Peter, Mary Magdalene, and Judas Iscariot, but those weren't their real authors. Their real authors are unknown, and will probably never be identified. In ancient times anonymous authors would sometimes ascribe their books to famous people in an effort to get more publicity and authority for them.
Ancient writers mentioned a number of other gospels which they knew about, but which apparently no longer survive. These include the Gospel of Matthias, the Gospel of Perfection, the Gospel of the Seventy, the Dialogue of the Savior, the Gospel of the Twelve, the Gospel of the Hebrews, the Gospel of the Nazarenes, the Gospel of Bartholomew, the Secret Gospel of Mark, and the Gospel of Eve. Other gospels may have also existed, but even their names have been lost.
Some early gospels may have vanished because they were secret gospels and very few copies were made. Others could have been lost due to wars, conquests, upheavals, and persecutions. In addition, there have been accusations that early church leaders intentionally destroyed some gospels in order to cover up embarrassing facts about the origins of Christianity. Some intentional destruction did take place, but exactly what was lost can't be determined.
But the modern discoveries prove that a missing gospel can sometimes be found again. And there is a chance that more will be found in the future, especially since small fragments of several possible unknown gospels have been uncovered in various excavations.
Here are brief descriptions of some of the best-known lost (or rediscovered) gospels:
The Gospel of Mary
The existence of this gospel was unknown until several fragments were discovered in modern times. Since the only long fragment is a Coptic translation, most of the original Greek text is still lost. And even the long fragment may only include about half of the book.
Because the "Mary" in this gospel is depicted as a very prominent disciple, most scholars assume that she is Mary Magdalene, although in the extant text she is always just called Mary. The gospel emphasizes her prominence by presenting her as a strong leader, and by suggesting that she was the most favored disciple of Jesus and received a special revelation from him. It also suggests that this led to a conflict with Peter, who may have seen her as a threat to his position as overall leader of the disciples in the period after Jesus departed.
Indications of a rivalry with Peter are especially evident in the last section of the extant text, in which Mary gets into an argument with Peter and his brother Andrew over some private revelations that Jesus had given to her. This section may derive from memories of a historical conflict between her and Peter which eventually caused her to leave the group. Thus, although this gospel probably wasn't written until the second century, it may preserve some traditions passed down from an earlier period.
The Gospel of Mary contains some gnostic ideas, particularly in the section which describes the revelations she received from Jesus. This connection with gnosticism, together with the prominent role that the gospel gives to a female, may have led to its suppression by orthodox Christians.
The Gospel of Peter
A fragment of this gospel was discovered in Egypt in the late nineteenth century, and two more possible fragments have been found since then. But a large portion may still be missing. Hopefully the remainder will eventually be found, because the available text contains some interesting material, including the only known description of Jesus leaving the tomb after his resurrection.
Ever since the first fragment was discovered, this gospel has been controversial. A few scholars think that it preserves some of the beliefs and views of the earliest Christians. But most regard it as a secondary work containing a mixture of fanciful elements and material copied from the New Testament gospels.
One intriguing part of this gospel is its account of the exit of Jesus from the tomb. This exit takes place during the night as some Roman soldiers stand guard nearby. Suddenly the soldiers see two men (or angels) descend from heaven and enter the tomb. A short time later the men come back out with Jesus between them. At this point the men look so tall that their heads reach to the sky, and Jesus looks even taller. They are followed out of the tomb by a cross. Suddenly the soldiers hear a voice from heaven, and the cross answers it.
The description of this scene puzzles many people, since it appears to depict a wooden cross that can walk and talk. But some scholars think that the passage is actually describing a cross-like formation of resurrected saints who have returned to life along with Jesus and follow him out of the tomb. A few scholars also see connections between this account and a passage at Matthew 27:52-53, which describes a similar resurrection of dead saints.
The Gospel of Thomas
This gospel was probably first written in Greek, but the only surviving complete text is a Coptic translation discovered in Egypt in 1945. Its initial section indicates that it contains the "secret sayings" of Jesus, and the main text then gives 114 of these sayings. In most of the passages Jesus speaks as a teacher and his disciples make comments and ask questions.
Because the initial section of this gospel refers to "secret sayings", many scholars believe that it was a secret gospel, at least originally. This means that it was thought to contain secret knowledge, and that only certain individuals were allowed to read it. Several other secret gospels, or fragments of them, have also been discovered.
The Gospel of Thomas may preserve some authentic teachings of Jesus that aren't found in the bible. For this reason, many scholars regard it as the most important surviving non-canonical gospel.
The Gospel of Judas
The only extant copy of this gospel was found in Egypt, but the time and place of its discovery are uncertain, and there are indications that it passed through the Egyptian black market at one stage.
The existing copy is a Coptic text, probably a translation of a still-lost Greek original. Unfortunately the manuscript is damaged in many places, and some pages are missing, so that translation and interpretation are difficult. However, many scholars believe that it was a secret gospel used mostly by certain gnostic sects of Christians.
This gospel is notable in that it may depict Judas Iscariot as the most loyal disciple of Jesus, and an innocent martyr instead of an evil betrayer. But because of the damage to the manuscript, and the difficulties of interpretation, there is some uncertainty about this matter. In any case, this is one of the later gospels, probably not written until the second century, and most scholars doubt that it contains any authentic information about the real Judas Iscariot.
The Lost Q Source
This hypothetical gospel is also called the Lost Sayings Gospel and the Q Document. Like other hypothetical gospels, its probable existence has been inferred from studies of the New Testament gospels. In fact, it is thought to be the original source of many of the teachings of Jesus that are preserved in Matthew and Luke. The name "Q" comes from the German word "quelle", which means "source".
Most scholars believe that this gospel was primarily a collection of the sayings of Jesus, with little narrative material or biographical information. In the earliest period these sayings must have been preserved orally, but later someone apparently collected them and wrote them down. They may have been collected for the use of early Christian missionaries as an aid in spreading the new faith.
Scholars have put together possible reconstructions of this gospel by extracting material from Matthew and Luke, but some uncertainties are involved in exactly what should be included. There is a chance that some of the original parts of this gospel have been completely lost.
The Pre-Markan Passion Narrative
Scholars have deduced the probable existence of this hypothetical gospel from careful studies of the Gospel of Mark. These studies indicate that the author of Mark obtained some material from an earlier source. This source is now lost, but the evidence suggests that it was a short narrative of the arrest, interrogation, and crucifixion of Jesus. For this reason, it is called the Pre-Markan Passion Narrative (or Lost Passion Narrative).
The unknown author of this missing work had a good knowledge of what happened to Jesus during and after his arrest. It might have even been written by a member of the first community of believers, known as the Nazarenes, who lived in Jerusalem in the years after Jesus departed.
Reconstructions of the original form of this gospel indicate that it gave a simple straight-forward account of what happened before and during the crucifixion. Because this account may be the basis for all the later accounts, whoever wrote it performed an extremely important service.
The evidence suggests that the Pre-Markan Passion Narrative ended with either the burial of Jesus or the discovery of the empty tomb, so that it probably didn't describe any post-resurrection activities of Jesus.
The Lost Signs Gospel
The likely existence of this hypothetical gospel has been deduced from studies of the Gospel of John. It is called the Signs Gospel because it apparently described some miracles of Jesus which it called "signs". Its unknown author may have regarded the ability of Jesus to perform these miracles as one of the "signs" that he was the Messiah.
These miracles include the changing of water into wine (John 2:1-11), the giving of sight to the man born blind (John 9:1-8), the healing at the Pool of Bethesda (John 5:2-9) and the raising of Lazarus (John 11:1-45). The fact that these particular miracles aren't mentioned in the other gospels indicates that their authors probably hadn't seen the Signs Gospel.
In addition to the miracle stories, this gospel may have also contained some information about John the Baptist, and about the crucifixion and resurrection. But it probably didn't have much information about the teachings of Jesus. –Gospel Ministries.net
Gospels that were left out of the Bible are called non-canonical gospels. Many scholars also call them apocryphal gospels, because most of them have unknown origins. This uncertainty about their origins was one reason many of them were excluded from the Bible. But some were also excluded because they expressed unorthodox or heretical views.
Scholars know about the past existence of some missing gospels because they are mentioned in other ancient writings that have survived. Parts of some lost gospels were even copied into surviving writings, so that a portion of their original content is still preserved.
In fact, people are often surprised to learn that parts of several lost gospels may have been preserved in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. This preserved material has been identified by certain characteristics which indicate that it was copied from other writings. Thus the authors of the New Testament gospels apparently got some of their information from earlier writings. Modern scholars call these earlier writings "sources", and have determined that there were probably three of them. But apparently all of them have disappeared.
These three lost sources may have been the first gospels. Their ancient names are unknown, so they are usually identified by modern names, specifically the Lost Q Source, the Pre-Markan Passion Narrative, and the Signs Gospel. Because no copies of any of them have survived, they are sometimes called hypothetical gospels. But most scholars believe that they really did exist at one time.
Actually, these three missing gospels aren't completely lost, since material from them is preserved in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. In fact, considerable knowledge about their original content has been obtained by studying this preserved material.
Some other non-biblical gospels have been discovered more directly, because actual physical remains have been found. Examples include the Gospel of Peter, the Gospel of Mary, and the Gospel of Judas. All of these were discovered in modern times. But only fragments or secondary translations have been found, so the complete original forms of all of them are still unavailable.
These three rediscovered gospels are named after Simon Peter, Mary Magdalene, and Judas Iscariot, but those weren't their real authors. Their real authors are unknown, and will probably never be identified. In ancient times anonymous authors would sometimes ascribe their books to famous people in an effort to get more publicity and authority for them.
Ancient writers mentioned a number of other gospels which they knew about, but which apparently no longer survive. These include the Gospel of Matthias, the Gospel of Perfection, the Gospel of the Seventy, the Dialogue of the Savior, the Gospel of the Twelve, the Gospel of the Hebrews, the Gospel of the Nazarenes, the Gospel of Bartholomew, the Secret Gospel of Mark, and the Gospel of Eve. Other gospels may have also existed, but even their names have been lost.
Some early gospels may have vanished because they were secret gospels and very few copies were made. Others could have been lost due to wars, conquests, upheavals, and persecutions. In addition, there have been accusations that early church leaders intentionally destroyed some gospels in order to cover up embarrassing facts about the origins of Christianity. Some intentional destruction did take place, but exactly what was lost can't be determined.
But the modern discoveries prove that a missing gospel can sometimes be found again. And there is a chance that more will be found in the future, especially since small fragments of several possible unknown gospels have been uncovered in various excavations.
Here are brief descriptions of some of the best-known lost (or rediscovered) gospels:
The Gospel of Mary
The existence of this gospel was unknown until several fragments were discovered in modern times. Since the only long fragment is a Coptic translation, most of the original Greek text is still lost. And even the long fragment may only include about half of the book.
Because the "Mary" in this gospel is depicted as a very prominent disciple, most scholars assume that she is Mary Magdalene, although in the extant text she is always just called Mary. The gospel emphasizes her prominence by presenting her as a strong leader, and by suggesting that she was the most favored disciple of Jesus and received a special revelation from him. It also suggests that this led to a conflict with Peter, who may have seen her as a threat to his position as overall leader of the disciples in the period after Jesus departed.
Indications of a rivalry with Peter are especially evident in the last section of the extant text, in which Mary gets into an argument with Peter and his brother Andrew over some private revelations that Jesus had given to her. This section may derive from memories of a historical conflict between her and Peter which eventually caused her to leave the group. Thus, although this gospel probably wasn't written until the second century, it may preserve some traditions passed down from an earlier period.
The Gospel of Mary contains some gnostic ideas, particularly in the section which describes the revelations she received from Jesus. This connection with gnosticism, together with the prominent role that the gospel gives to a female, may have led to its suppression by orthodox Christians.
The Gospel of Peter
A fragment of this gospel was discovered in Egypt in the late nineteenth century, and two more possible fragments have been found since then. But a large portion may still be missing. Hopefully the remainder will eventually be found, because the available text contains some interesting material, including the only known description of Jesus leaving the tomb after his resurrection.
Ever since the first fragment was discovered, this gospel has been controversial. A few scholars think that it preserves some of the beliefs and views of the earliest Christians. But most regard it as a secondary work containing a mixture of fanciful elements and material copied from the New Testament gospels.
One intriguing part of this gospel is its account of the exit of Jesus from the tomb. This exit takes place during the night as some Roman soldiers stand guard nearby. Suddenly the soldiers see two men (or angels) descend from heaven and enter the tomb. A short time later the men come back out with Jesus between them. At this point the men look so tall that their heads reach to the sky, and Jesus looks even taller. They are followed out of the tomb by a cross. Suddenly the soldiers hear a voice from heaven, and the cross answers it.
The description of this scene puzzles many people, since it appears to depict a wooden cross that can walk and talk. But some scholars think that the passage is actually describing a cross-like formation of resurrected saints who have returned to life along with Jesus and follow him out of the tomb. A few scholars also see connections between this account and a passage at Matthew 27:52-53, which describes a similar resurrection of dead saints.
The Gospel of Thomas
This gospel was probably first written in Greek, but the only surviving complete text is a Coptic translation discovered in Egypt in 1945. Its initial section indicates that it contains the "secret sayings" of Jesus, and the main text then gives 114 of these sayings. In most of the passages Jesus speaks as a teacher and his disciples make comments and ask questions.
Because the initial section of this gospel refers to "secret sayings", many scholars believe that it was a secret gospel, at least originally. This means that it was thought to contain secret knowledge, and that only certain individuals were allowed to read it. Several other secret gospels, or fragments of them, have also been discovered.
The Gospel of Thomas may preserve some authentic teachings of Jesus that aren't found in the bible. For this reason, many scholars regard it as the most important surviving non-canonical gospel.
The Gospel of Judas
The only extant copy of this gospel was found in Egypt, but the time and place of its discovery are uncertain, and there are indications that it passed through the Egyptian black market at one stage.
The existing copy is a Coptic text, probably a translation of a still-lost Greek original. Unfortunately the manuscript is damaged in many places, and some pages are missing, so that translation and interpretation are difficult. However, many scholars believe that it was a secret gospel used mostly by certain gnostic sects of Christians.
This gospel is notable in that it may depict Judas Iscariot as the most loyal disciple of Jesus, and an innocent martyr instead of an evil betrayer. But because of the damage to the manuscript, and the difficulties of interpretation, there is some uncertainty about this matter. In any case, this is one of the later gospels, probably not written until the second century, and most scholars doubt that it contains any authentic information about the real Judas Iscariot.
The Lost Q Source
This hypothetical gospel is also called the Lost Sayings Gospel and the Q Document. Like other hypothetical gospels, its probable existence has been inferred from studies of the New Testament gospels. In fact, it is thought to be the original source of many of the teachings of Jesus that are preserved in Matthew and Luke. The name "Q" comes from the German word "quelle", which means "source".
Most scholars believe that this gospel was primarily a collection of the sayings of Jesus, with little narrative material or biographical information. In the earliest period these sayings must have been preserved orally, but later someone apparently collected them and wrote them down. They may have been collected for the use of early Christian missionaries as an aid in spreading the new faith.
Scholars have put together possible reconstructions of this gospel by extracting material from Matthew and Luke, but some uncertainties are involved in exactly what should be included. There is a chance that some of the original parts of this gospel have been completely lost.
The Pre-Markan Passion Narrative
Scholars have deduced the probable existence of this hypothetical gospel from careful studies of the Gospel of Mark. These studies indicate that the author of Mark obtained some material from an earlier source. This source is now lost, but the evidence suggests that it was a short narrative of the arrest, interrogation, and crucifixion of Jesus. For this reason, it is called the Pre-Markan Passion Narrative (or Lost Passion Narrative).
The unknown author of this missing work had a good knowledge of what happened to Jesus during and after his arrest. It might have even been written by a member of the first community of believers, known as the Nazarenes, who lived in Jerusalem in the years after Jesus departed.
Reconstructions of the original form of this gospel indicate that it gave a simple straight-forward account of what happened before and during the crucifixion. Because this account may be the basis for all the later accounts, whoever wrote it performed an extremely important service.
The evidence suggests that the Pre-Markan Passion Narrative ended with either the burial of Jesus or the discovery of the empty tomb, so that it probably didn't describe any post-resurrection activities of Jesus.
The Lost Signs Gospel
The likely existence of this hypothetical gospel has been deduced from studies of the Gospel of John. It is called the Signs Gospel because it apparently described some miracles of Jesus which it called "signs". Its unknown author may have regarded the ability of Jesus to perform these miracles as one of the "signs" that he was the Messiah.
These miracles include the changing of water into wine (John 2:1-11), the giving of sight to the man born blind (John 9:1-8), the healing at the Pool of Bethesda (John 5:2-9) and the raising of Lazarus (John 11:1-45). The fact that these particular miracles aren't mentioned in the other gospels indicates that their authors probably hadn't seen the Signs Gospel.
In addition to the miracle stories, this gospel may have also contained some information about John the Baptist, and about the crucifixion and resurrection. But it probably didn't have much information about the teachings of Jesus. –Gospel Ministries.net
Suffering Redeemed ...
"You have allowed me to suffer much hardship, but you will restore me to life again and lift me up from the depths of the earth." -Psalm 71:20, NLT
One of humankind's greatest concerns is about suffering. Why the suffering? Why did that child lose his parents? Why did that soldier lose his legs? Why did that family not have enough food to eat? Why is that girl blind?
Possibly the most famous blind person of all time, a woman who was also deaf, once said, "All the world is full of suffering. It is also full of overcoming."Helen Keller did suffer much hardship, but eventually became one of the universal symbols of overcoming seemingly hopeless circumstances to become a useful, influential, and inspirational citizen of the world. God specializes in redeeming lives affected by suffering. He is always able to lift us up and restore us, no matter what our circumstances are today.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for being with me in my suffering, for picking me up when I'm down, for fixing the broken places in my life, for healing me emotionally and physically, and for giving me new hope and joy.
Amen.
Reflection: How are you suffering today? What specifically would help to ease your pain? How can you, like Helen Keller, use your experience with suffering to help others?
Hour of Power
Catholic Education, In Need Of Salvation
CATHOLIC parochial education is in crisis. More than a third of parochial schools in the United States closed between 1965 and 1990, and enrollment fell by more than half. After stabilizing in the 1990s, enrollment has plunged despite strong demand from students and families.
Closings of elementary and middle schools have become a yearly ritual in the Northeast and Midwest, home to two-thirds of the nation’s Catholic schools. Last year, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia closed one-fifth of its elementary schools. Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, the archbishop of New York, is expected to decide soon whether to shut 26 elementary schools and one high school, less than three years after the latest closings. Catholic high schools have held on, but their long-term future is in question.
This isn’t for want of students. Almost 30 percent of Catholic schools have waiting lists, even after sharp tuition increases over the past decade. The American Catholic population has grown by 45 percent since 1965. Hispanics, who are often underserved by public schools, account for about 45 percent of American Catholics and an even higher proportion of Catholic children, but many cannot afford rising fees.
Since the early 19th century, parochial schools have given free or affordable educations to needy and affluent students alike. Inner-city Catholic schools, which began by serving poor European immigrants, severed the connection between poverty and low academic performance for generations of low-income (and often non-Catholic) minority kids.
Until the 1960s, religious orders were united in responding to Christ’s mandate to “go teach.” But religious vocations have become less attractive, and parochial schools have faced increasing competition from charter schools. Without a turnaround, many dioceses will soon have only scatterings of elite Catholic academies for middle-class and affluent families and a token number of inner-city schools, propped up by wealthy donors.
As in other areas, the church has lost its way, by failing to prioritize parochial education. Despite the sex-abuse scandals and two recessions, church revenue — which flows from parishes via Sunday donations, bequests and so on — grew to $11.9 billion in 2010, an inflation-adjusted increase of $2.2 billion from a decade earlier. Yet educational subsidies have fallen; the church now pays at least 12.6 percent of parochial elementary school costs, down from 63 percent in 1965.
Much of the money has gone to paying for a growing staff: about 170,000 laypeople, priests and members of religious orders, including some unpaid volunteers, responsible for more than 17,000 parishes. Since 2000, there has been more than a 25 percent increase in lay ecclesial ministers, who serve alongside priests and deacons in ministering to colleges, hospitals and prisons and caring for bereaved or homebound parishioners.
The church should shift its spending and also hold ambitious fund-raising drives. Instead of approaching donors with the least effective pitch — filling deficits — educators, pastors and prelates should propose new initiatives (with help from Web sites like DonorsChoose.org and Kickstarter) and new schools.
Bishops preach social justice but fail to practice it within the church. Thirty percent of American parishes report operating deficits, but there is no systemic means for wealthier dioceses and parishes to help poorer ones — and to stave off self-defeating tuition increases.
After finances, personnel is the biggest challenge. Once upon a time, a pastor and two assistant priests took care of religious duties, while nuns ran the parish schools. Now, typically, there is just a beleaguered pastor (increasingly born and trained in Asia, Africa or Latin America) without any experience in running the business side of a parish and a school. Priests’ collars and nuns’ habits have become rare sights in parochial schools.
One solution is at hand. In the late 1960s, the Vatican allowed men to be ordained as deacons, who are clergy with many but not all the powers of a priest. Today there are almost 17,000 in the United States, about the same number as active diocesan priests. Over the next decade, the diaconate will continue to grow, while the number of ordained priests is projected to decline to 12,500 by 2035.
Many deacons have valuable professional, managerial and entrepreneurial expertise that could revitalize parochial education. If they were given additional powers to perform sacraments and run parishes, a married priesthood would become a fait accompli. Celibacy should be a sacrifice offered freely, not an excuse for institutional suicide.
Without an overhaul of money and personnel, the future of Catholic education is grim. Since 1990, the church has closed almost 1,500 parishes. Most were small, but just as big-city parochial schools are being closed, thriving urban parishes may be next on the chopping block.
Closings of elementary and middle schools have become a yearly ritual in the Northeast and Midwest, home to two-thirds of the nation’s Catholic schools. Last year, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia closed one-fifth of its elementary schools. Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, the archbishop of New York, is expected to decide soon whether to shut 26 elementary schools and one high school, less than three years after the latest closings. Catholic high schools have held on, but their long-term future is in question.
This isn’t for want of students. Almost 30 percent of Catholic schools have waiting lists, even after sharp tuition increases over the past decade. The American Catholic population has grown by 45 percent since 1965. Hispanics, who are often underserved by public schools, account for about 45 percent of American Catholics and an even higher proportion of Catholic children, but many cannot afford rising fees.
Since the early 19th century, parochial schools have given free or affordable educations to needy and affluent students alike. Inner-city Catholic schools, which began by serving poor European immigrants, severed the connection between poverty and low academic performance for generations of low-income (and often non-Catholic) minority kids.
Until the 1960s, religious orders were united in responding to Christ’s mandate to “go teach.” But religious vocations have become less attractive, and parochial schools have faced increasing competition from charter schools. Without a turnaround, many dioceses will soon have only scatterings of elite Catholic academies for middle-class and affluent families and a token number of inner-city schools, propped up by wealthy donors.
As in other areas, the church has lost its way, by failing to prioritize parochial education. Despite the sex-abuse scandals and two recessions, church revenue — which flows from parishes via Sunday donations, bequests and so on — grew to $11.9 billion in 2010, an inflation-adjusted increase of $2.2 billion from a decade earlier. Yet educational subsidies have fallen; the church now pays at least 12.6 percent of parochial elementary school costs, down from 63 percent in 1965.
Much of the money has gone to paying for a growing staff: about 170,000 laypeople, priests and members of religious orders, including some unpaid volunteers, responsible for more than 17,000 parishes. Since 2000, there has been more than a 25 percent increase in lay ecclesial ministers, who serve alongside priests and deacons in ministering to colleges, hospitals and prisons and caring for bereaved or homebound parishioners.
The church should shift its spending and also hold ambitious fund-raising drives. Instead of approaching donors with the least effective pitch — filling deficits — educators, pastors and prelates should propose new initiatives (with help from Web sites like DonorsChoose.org and Kickstarter) and new schools.
Bishops preach social justice but fail to practice it within the church. Thirty percent of American parishes report operating deficits, but there is no systemic means for wealthier dioceses and parishes to help poorer ones — and to stave off self-defeating tuition increases.
After finances, personnel is the biggest challenge. Once upon a time, a pastor and two assistant priests took care of religious duties, while nuns ran the parish schools. Now, typically, there is just a beleaguered pastor (increasingly born and trained in Asia, Africa or Latin America) without any experience in running the business side of a parish and a school. Priests’ collars and nuns’ habits have become rare sights in parochial schools.
One solution is at hand. In the late 1960s, the Vatican allowed men to be ordained as deacons, who are clergy with many but not all the powers of a priest. Today there are almost 17,000 in the United States, about the same number as active diocesan priests. Over the next decade, the diaconate will continue to grow, while the number of ordained priests is projected to decline to 12,500 by 2035.
Many deacons have valuable professional, managerial and entrepreneurial expertise that could revitalize parochial education. If they were given additional powers to perform sacraments and run parishes, a married priesthood would become a fait accompli. Celibacy should be a sacrifice offered freely, not an excuse for institutional suicide.
Without an overhaul of money and personnel, the future of Catholic education is grim. Since 1990, the church has closed almost 1,500 parishes. Most were small, but just as big-city parochial schools are being closed, thriving urban parishes may be next on the chopping block.
“The school is more necessary than the church,” said John J. Hughes, the first archbishop of New York. Unless the Vatican and the American bishops heed those words, the decline in parochial education may forewarn the fate of the church itself.
Patrick J. McCloskey, a project director at the Center for Catholic School Effectiveness at Loyola University Chicago, is the author of “The Street Stops Here: A Year at a Catholic High School in Harlem.” Joseph Claude Harris is a financial analyst and the author of “The Cost of Catholic Parishes and Schools.” -By Patrick J. McCloskey and Joseph Claude Harris/New York Times/January 6, 2013
I was shocked, confused, bewildered
As I entered Heaven's door,
Not by the beauty of it all,
Nor the lights or its decor.
But it was the folks in Heaven
Who made me sputter and gasp--
The thieves, the liars, the sinners,
The alcoholics and the trash.
There stood the kid from seventh grade
Who swiped my lunch money twice.
Next to him was my old neighbor
Who never said anything nice.
Herb, who I always thought
Was rotting away in hell,
Was sitting pretty on cloud nine,
Looking incredibly well.
I nudged Jesus, 'What's the deal?
I would love to hear Your take.
How'd all these sinners get up here?
God must've made a mistake.
'And why is everyone so quiet,
So somber - give me a clue.'
'Hush, child,' He said, 'they're all in shock.
No one thought they'd be seeing you.'
~ Author Unknown ~
As I entered Heaven's door,
Not by the beauty of it all,
Nor the lights or its decor.
But it was the folks in Heaven
Who made me sputter and gasp--
The thieves, the liars, the sinners,
The alcoholics and the trash.
There stood the kid from seventh grade
Who swiped my lunch money twice.
Next to him was my old neighbor
Who never said anything nice.
Herb, who I always thought
Was rotting away in hell,
Was sitting pretty on cloud nine,
Looking incredibly well.
I nudged Jesus, 'What's the deal?
I would love to hear Your take.
How'd all these sinners get up here?
God must've made a mistake.
'And why is everyone so quiet,
So somber - give me a clue.'
'Hush, child,' He said, 'they're all in shock.
No one thought they'd be seeing you.'
~ Author Unknown ~
JUDGE NOT!!
Remember... Just going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car.
Remember... Just going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car.
Every saint has a PAST...
Every sinner has a FUTURE!
Now it's your turn...
Share this poem.
Judgment Day: A Story Of Abuse And Recovery - Part I
Inspired by recent TWTC stories (i.e., Can Facebook help us heal?, Narcissistic Personality Disorder is not harmless behavior, and Domestic violence victims are speaking out, handing out a dose of reality), a reader reached out to this columnist asking for advice on sharing her story.
“I don’t want to be silenced. Validation, I believe, is part of the healing process. I’d like to be able to help someone and make the last two years of my life count,” writes the reader who wishes to remain anonymous.
“Indefinitely.” This was the last word I uttered in his presence. Not in the romantic sense. No, not this time. We were past that. There was no going back. No amount of “I’m sorry” or “I love you” could erase the memories…they would only bleed through again. I sat in the courtroom, the Judge directly in front of me, him to my left. I had on a new dress, nothing too flashy or tight. I’d been trained to do this in my years as a paralegal. “Neutral colors, nothing that makes you memorable. Judges don’t like red.” I’d been given this advice at my first office, the day before I was to accompany my boss to trial. It’s funny what sticks with you.
He was glaring at me; I could see him in my peripheral vision. I tried not to make eye contact. I’m good at that, pretending to be unaware that someone’s gaze is following my every move. I thought I was prepared; I had coached myself. I made sure I was dressed the part. That’s the first rule. The second is to show no emotion. I was sure the only way I was going to achieve that was by keeping my mouth shut.
I had a stack of papers with me; some typed out notes, copies of emails, text messages, and private Facebook messages sent to me, my mother, and my friends. He had a stack of papers too; his were in a plastic bag. Beneath his papers, the corners of the framed tickets from our first date were visible from where I sat. I didn’t realize until I saw the familiar silhouette that he’d removed them from the wall when he left. The tender words of love written in silver on the back were obscured, I didn’t need to see them again…I had them memorized.
My notes were all carefully cataloged so that I could refer to them quickly; Judges don’t like to wait. “Don’t fidget, sit up straight, pretend you’re interviewing for a job…at the Vatican,” I reminded myself. I wished I had taken a tranquilizer, but I didn’t want to run the risk of looking medicated. The Judge can see everything from the bench. There’s a lot of psychology that goes into designing a courtroom. You never realize the amount of effort it takes to be nondescript until you’re in a situation that requires it.
He was the reason we were here; it was his unrelenting anger and jealousy, his violent outbursts. He engulfed me; I became more like him and less like me. He would never admit to that. The blame, as he saw it, rested firmly on my shoulders. I was a willing participant, I was free to come and go as I pleased. I was the problem. It was me that was crazy.
Everything was carefully orchestrated, crafted; this vignette would be no different. It would only reinforce his feelings; he was the one being victimized. The system had failed him, again.
We were together a little under two years, as the relationship progressed I got the sinking feeling that he had been through this with someone before. I had no proof; he didn’t share a lot about his former self, pre-me, pre-us. There was no one to ask. He was so adept at twisting, molding, intimidating…this game; he played to win. He made strategic errors every so often, but covered them up effortlessly. No one dared go against him, except the author of the anonymous handwritten notes left on my car. I wish they would have had the balls to sign them; just a name to go along with the bubbly script…but I probably wouldn’t have listened anyway. After witnessing his retaliation and vengeance, I’d be stupid to bring that upon myself. It’s a lifelong ordeal. I would just wait for him to end it, but he wasn’t going to do that. Being the bad guy, that was my job.
He reminded me that he had witnesses to my misconduct. No matter how many times I apologized, how sincere I was…it was never good enough. Nothing ever would be; he found fault with everything. It was no way to live, but I wasn’t living. I was dying; it was a slow painful death.
His unforgivable behavior always took place in private. There was no one around to observe or opine, no one to verify the exact sequence of events. It was the way he wanted it. It made it easier to pretend it hadn’t happened at all, or worse, it could be minimized and rationalized. He could say I made him act that way. Words were chosen, almost scripted, to induce the maximum amount of damage. They bounced around in my head long after the arguments were over, ripping my sense of self to shreds. They’re still with me now, long after this…this love affair?
It was in early September when I realized that our relationship was a lot of things…but it wasn’t loving. We had only lived together a few months. I had been doing a very good job of convincing myself that everything was fine and we were a normal couple. We weren’t.
There wasn’t anything normal about the way he and I interacted. Laughter and comfort didn’t last; they were replaced by a toxic silence. It was deafening. Affection and praise, when they were doled out, were quickly retracted. Guilt became a bargaining chip. I felt isolated and grew fearful. Nothing could come between me and fear. Fear was dragging me around by the nose, it dictated where I slept, what I ate, and where I went. It was debilitating.
Sure, I had text messages that said he would never harm me, but I also had ones that said he would spend the rest of his life trying to destroy me, everyone hated me, and I was a loser. I didn’t know which to believe, I suspect that this was on purpose. He pulled the strings. I was kept in a constant state of uneasy confusion, never knowing what was a fixture and what was fleeting. This is the worst kind of abuse.
I know what I wanted to believe; I know what I wished for. The fact that I still had the will is somewhat baffling to me. Hope must be the last human emotion to crumble. I hoped that my name wouldn’t be associated with phrases like petechial hemorrhaging, blunt-force trauma, and autopsy report. I hoped that the last time my parents saw me it wouldn’t be lying on a slab in the morgue with a neatly written tag dangling from my big toe. But, I knew if I let this go any further it was a very likely end. –By Paula Carrasquillo/Washington Times/December 29, 2012
“I don’t want to be silenced. Validation, I believe, is part of the healing process. I’d like to be able to help someone and make the last two years of my life count,” writes the reader who wishes to remain anonymous.
“Indefinitely.” This was the last word I uttered in his presence. Not in the romantic sense. No, not this time. We were past that. There was no going back. No amount of “I’m sorry” or “I love you” could erase the memories…they would only bleed through again. I sat in the courtroom, the Judge directly in front of me, him to my left. I had on a new dress, nothing too flashy or tight. I’d been trained to do this in my years as a paralegal. “Neutral colors, nothing that makes you memorable. Judges don’t like red.” I’d been given this advice at my first office, the day before I was to accompany my boss to trial. It’s funny what sticks with you.
He was glaring at me; I could see him in my peripheral vision. I tried not to make eye contact. I’m good at that, pretending to be unaware that someone’s gaze is following my every move. I thought I was prepared; I had coached myself. I made sure I was dressed the part. That’s the first rule. The second is to show no emotion. I was sure the only way I was going to achieve that was by keeping my mouth shut.
I had a stack of papers with me; some typed out notes, copies of emails, text messages, and private Facebook messages sent to me, my mother, and my friends. He had a stack of papers too; his were in a plastic bag. Beneath his papers, the corners of the framed tickets from our first date were visible from where I sat. I didn’t realize until I saw the familiar silhouette that he’d removed them from the wall when he left. The tender words of love written in silver on the back were obscured, I didn’t need to see them again…I had them memorized.
My notes were all carefully cataloged so that I could refer to them quickly; Judges don’t like to wait. “Don’t fidget, sit up straight, pretend you’re interviewing for a job…at the Vatican,” I reminded myself. I wished I had taken a tranquilizer, but I didn’t want to run the risk of looking medicated. The Judge can see everything from the bench. There’s a lot of psychology that goes into designing a courtroom. You never realize the amount of effort it takes to be nondescript until you’re in a situation that requires it.
He was the reason we were here; it was his unrelenting anger and jealousy, his violent outbursts. He engulfed me; I became more like him and less like me. He would never admit to that. The blame, as he saw it, rested firmly on my shoulders. I was a willing participant, I was free to come and go as I pleased. I was the problem. It was me that was crazy.
Everything was carefully orchestrated, crafted; this vignette would be no different. It would only reinforce his feelings; he was the one being victimized. The system had failed him, again.
We were together a little under two years, as the relationship progressed I got the sinking feeling that he had been through this with someone before. I had no proof; he didn’t share a lot about his former self, pre-me, pre-us. There was no one to ask. He was so adept at twisting, molding, intimidating…this game; he played to win. He made strategic errors every so often, but covered them up effortlessly. No one dared go against him, except the author of the anonymous handwritten notes left on my car. I wish they would have had the balls to sign them; just a name to go along with the bubbly script…but I probably wouldn’t have listened anyway. After witnessing his retaliation and vengeance, I’d be stupid to bring that upon myself. It’s a lifelong ordeal. I would just wait for him to end it, but he wasn’t going to do that. Being the bad guy, that was my job.
He reminded me that he had witnesses to my misconduct. No matter how many times I apologized, how sincere I was…it was never good enough. Nothing ever would be; he found fault with everything. It was no way to live, but I wasn’t living. I was dying; it was a slow painful death.
His unforgivable behavior always took place in private. There was no one around to observe or opine, no one to verify the exact sequence of events. It was the way he wanted it. It made it easier to pretend it hadn’t happened at all, or worse, it could be minimized and rationalized. He could say I made him act that way. Words were chosen, almost scripted, to induce the maximum amount of damage. They bounced around in my head long after the arguments were over, ripping my sense of self to shreds. They’re still with me now, long after this…this love affair?
It was in early September when I realized that our relationship was a lot of things…but it wasn’t loving. We had only lived together a few months. I had been doing a very good job of convincing myself that everything was fine and we were a normal couple. We weren’t.
There wasn’t anything normal about the way he and I interacted. Laughter and comfort didn’t last; they were replaced by a toxic silence. It was deafening. Affection and praise, when they were doled out, were quickly retracted. Guilt became a bargaining chip. I felt isolated and grew fearful. Nothing could come between me and fear. Fear was dragging me around by the nose, it dictated where I slept, what I ate, and where I went. It was debilitating.
Sure, I had text messages that said he would never harm me, but I also had ones that said he would spend the rest of his life trying to destroy me, everyone hated me, and I was a loser. I didn’t know which to believe, I suspect that this was on purpose. He pulled the strings. I was kept in a constant state of uneasy confusion, never knowing what was a fixture and what was fleeting. This is the worst kind of abuse.
I know what I wanted to believe; I know what I wished for. The fact that I still had the will is somewhat baffling to me. Hope must be the last human emotion to crumble. I hoped that my name wouldn’t be associated with phrases like petechial hemorrhaging, blunt-force trauma, and autopsy report. I hoped that the last time my parents saw me it wouldn’t be lying on a slab in the morgue with a neatly written tag dangling from my big toe. But, I knew if I let this go any further it was a very likely end. –By Paula Carrasquillo/Washington Times/December 29, 2012
1910
What a difference a century makes. . .
Above is a photo of a 1910 Ford.
In 1910 ... [that is only 102 years ago] … in the United States:
- fuel (gasoline) was sold in drugstores only;
- the maximum speed limit was 10 miles per hour;
- there were only 8,000 cars nationwide;
- there were only 144 miles of paved roads in the entire country;
- the average life expectancy was 47 years;
- only 14% of the homes had a bathtub;
- only 8% of the homes had a telephone;
- the average US hourly wage was 22 cents/hour;
- the average US laborer/blue collar worker made between $200 and $400/year;
- a topnotch accountant made up to $2,000/year;
- a dentist made about $2,500/year;
- a mechanical engineer earned about $5,000/year;
- a veterinarian earned between $1,500 and $4,000/year;
- more than 95% of babies were born at home;
- 90% of "medical doctors" had no college education, but attended "medical schools" which were condemned and considered by the government and the press as substandard;
- sugar cost 4 cents/pound;
- eggs were 14 cents/dozen;
- coffee was 15 cents/pound;
- most women washed their hair once a month only, and used egg yolks or borax as shampoo;
- the U.S. flag had 45 stars;
- the population of Las Vegas, Nevada was 30;
- canned beer, iced tea, and crossword puzzles had not yet been invented;
- there was no Mother's Day or Father's Day yet;
- only 6% of all Americans graduated from high school;
- 2 out of every 10 adults could neither read nor write;
- heroin was touted by pharmacists to:
- clear the complexion;
- give buoyancy to the mind;
- regulate the bowels and the stomach;
- be a "perfect guardian of heath";
- marijuana, morphine, and heroin were all readily available over-the-counter in local drugstores;
- 18% of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help;
- there were 230 known murders in the entire USA;
- a topnotch accountant made up to $2,000/year;
- a dentist made about $2,500/year;
- a mechanical engineer earned about $5,000/year;
- a veterinarian earned between $1,500 and $4,000/year;
- more than 95% of babies were born at home;
- 90% of "medical doctors" had no college education, but attended "medical schools" which were condemned and considered by the government and the press as substandard;
- sugar cost 4 cents/pound;
- eggs were 14 cents/dozen;
- coffee was 15 cents/pound;
- most women washed their hair once a month only, and used egg yolks or borax as shampoo;
- the U.S. flag had 45 stars;
- the population of Las Vegas, Nevada was 30;
- canned beer, iced tea, and crossword puzzles had not yet been invented;
- there was no Mother's Day or Father's Day yet;
- only 6% of all Americans graduated from high school;
- 2 out of every 10 adults could neither read nor write;
- heroin was touted by pharmacists to:
- clear the complexion;
- give buoyancy to the mind;
- regulate the bowels and the stomach;
- be a "perfect guardian of heath";
- marijuana, morphine, and heroin were all readily available over-the-counter in local drugstores;
- 18% of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help;
- there were 230 known murders in the entire USA;
- the 5 leading causes of:
- death were:
- influenza and pneumonia;
- tuberculosis;
- diarrhea;
- heart disease;
- stroke.
- poor people were not allowed to enter or immigrate to Canada;
- the tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower.
Mar 3, 2013
Israel Museum Debuts King Herod Exhibit
Jerusalem's Israel Museum has unveiled the world's first exhibit on the life and legacy of King Herod the Great. It includes artifacts never before seen and shows why Herod is known as one of history's greatest builders.
If you ask most Christians who King Herod was, they will likely answer, "He was the king who tried to kill the baby Jesus by ordering the slaughter of all Jewish boys under the age of two."
Ancient historians go on to describe him as a great builder and a paranoid ruler who executed his wife and three sons.
But museum director James Snyder said there is more to the story of King Herod.
"It (the exhibit) focuses more on his achievement as a builder and it focuses more on his capability as a diplomat balancing the needs of empire with the needs of local culture," Snyder told CBN News.
"During his ruling, there was peace in the country and there was work for everyone and there was no disemployment [unemployment] and then people lived more or less in prosperity," Silvia Rozenberg, the Israel Museum's senior curator of classical archaeology, said.
King Herod governed ancient Israel for 33 years under Roman rule. His most famous building project was the enlargement of the Temple Mount and the city of Jerusalem. Many of his building blocks were monumental stone.
Snyder said discovering Herod's tomb at Herodium five years ago triggered the exhibit.
"That opened the opportunity to think across the whole of his history, the whole of his achievement -- Jerusalem, Caesarea, Jericho, Masada and of course Herodium, at first as a summer palace and then as a burial site," Snyder said.
Rozenberg explained the planning behind the exhibit.
"So in fact we like designed the exhibition like the people are going from Jericho to Herodium and talking about the person during the funeral procession and then you can say everything that you think about the king -- the good and the bad," she told CBN News.
The intricate restoration included putting together what was believed to be Herod's sarcophagus from mere fragments, many the size of gravel.
The exhibit includes mosaics, floors and décors from Herod's palaces, jugs used to import wine, apples and other food from Europe, and a VIP guest room at the top of his theater, likely used to entertain diplomatic guests. It's decorated with pictures of windows, including one that took nearly three years to reconstruct.
There is also aerial footage of Herod's construction sites with 3-D animation to show what his colossal buildings would have looked like.
Snyder said it's the most ambitious archaeological exhibition ever undertaken by the museum. The $1million exhibit will be on display until October. -By Julie Stahl and Chris Mitchell/CBN/February 19, 2013
If you ask most Christians who King Herod was, they will likely answer, "He was the king who tried to kill the baby Jesus by ordering the slaughter of all Jewish boys under the age of two."
Ancient historians go on to describe him as a great builder and a paranoid ruler who executed his wife and three sons.
But museum director James Snyder said there is more to the story of King Herod.
"It (the exhibit) focuses more on his achievement as a builder and it focuses more on his capability as a diplomat balancing the needs of empire with the needs of local culture," Snyder told CBN News.
"During his ruling, there was peace in the country and there was work for everyone and there was no disemployment [unemployment] and then people lived more or less in prosperity," Silvia Rozenberg, the Israel Museum's senior curator of classical archaeology, said.
King Herod governed ancient Israel for 33 years under Roman rule. His most famous building project was the enlargement of the Temple Mount and the city of Jerusalem. Many of his building blocks were monumental stone.
Snyder said discovering Herod's tomb at Herodium five years ago triggered the exhibit.
"That opened the opportunity to think across the whole of his history, the whole of his achievement -- Jerusalem, Caesarea, Jericho, Masada and of course Herodium, at first as a summer palace and then as a burial site," Snyder said.
Rozenberg explained the planning behind the exhibit.
"So in fact we like designed the exhibition like the people are going from Jericho to Herodium and talking about the person during the funeral procession and then you can say everything that you think about the king -- the good and the bad," she told CBN News.
The intricate restoration included putting together what was believed to be Herod's sarcophagus from mere fragments, many the size of gravel.
The exhibit includes mosaics, floors and décors from Herod's palaces, jugs used to import wine, apples and other food from Europe, and a VIP guest room at the top of his theater, likely used to entertain diplomatic guests. It's decorated with pictures of windows, including one that took nearly three years to reconstruct.
There is also aerial footage of Herod's construction sites with 3-D animation to show what his colossal buildings would have looked like.
Snyder said it's the most ambitious archaeological exhibition ever undertaken by the museum. The $1million exhibit will be on display until October. -By Julie Stahl and Chris Mitchell/CBN/February 19, 2013
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