Saturday, December 30, 2006

Bank scam

1. I do not have an account or dealings with this bank.

2. I would not respond to a threat of suspension of an account via the internet.

3. In the comments are two links, and it appears TD is aware of this problem and has warned the public.



Dear Valued Customer,

Financial institutions around the world have always been subject to attempts by criminals to try and defraud money from them and their customers. These attempts can occur in a number of ways (e.g. credit card fraud, telephone banking or Internet scams).

As a part of our ongoing commitment to provide the "Best Possible" service and Protection to all our Members in the year 2007, we are now requiring each member to validate their accounts using our new secure and safe SSL servers. To validate your online banking account click on Log In To Online Banking.

This Email has being sent to all our Bank customers, and it is compulsory to follow as failure to verify account details will lead to account suspension.

Thank you.
Online Banking Security Team
Canada Trust (EasyWeb) Online

© 2006 TD Group Financial Services site - Copyright © EasyWeb

Thursday, December 28, 2006

My take on New Year's Eve


Melbourne

My take on New Year's Eve

I have never been a heavy drinker or been drunk. I do not state this arrogantly as I have other problems to deal with, as we all do. In the early 1990's for New Year's Eve I attended a few house parties of a friend of a friend. A possible problem with these types of parties is that the person throwing the party may like your friend but not you. This happened to me as this above average looking Christian young woman did not like me for some reason over the course of two consecutive New Year's Eve parties and decided that she would scowl at me whenever our eyes met. I think she perhaps disliked satirical, theologians, that looked like doormen and not Brad Pitt. She claimed to be a Christian, and I thought to myself, how Christ-like of her to act in such a fashion. I therefore nicknamed her "Vampira" and shared this idea with Chucky who agreed it an accurate name. Fortunately for her she never turned the scowls into a full frontal verbal attack because the term "Vampira" may have sneaked out of my mouth.;) Also in the 1990's for a few years I did the First Night supposedly dry New Year's Eve evening. Yes, the actual events were dry as in non-alcoholic, but between shows many of the people on the streets were hammered. I remember being in downtown Vancouver with a crowd of 100,000-300,000 people, many of them drunk and one female member of our group who previously almost completely ignored me (no not Vampira) grabbed onto my arm for protection. After we got through the crowd she let go and ignored me again. Oh what fun it was to be downtown with six figures of people, many of them wasted, hardly being able to move, people throwing up, and fights breaking out. In the last few years I have settled into usually associating with a few good friends on New Year's Eve. I can listen to a wife lovingly nag her husband, and it is entertaining and a good time.

From the New American Standard Bible,1 Corinthians 6:10 points out that drunkards will not inherit the Kingdom of God. This does not mean that Christians do not sometimes become drunk, but that those who live a life of a drunkard are in general terms not living with God and will not experience God's everlasting Kingdom. This type of lifestyle must eventually cease in order to please God. I therefore see no reason to live as one who will not inherit God's Kingdom, although I humbly admit to share the sickness of sin with all of humanity. It is by God's grace and not works that I am saved as it states in Ephesians 2 from the same Bible.

Sunday, December 24, 2006

Rush: December 10, 1976


New official video as replacement: July 20, 2016

I am a Rush music fan, not necessarily in agreement with lyrics.
---
For fans of old Rush this may sound incredible, but for others it may range in sound from okay to worse.;) I enjoy the complex, innovative, nature of the music. Although Rush is a secular band I have learned from listening to them. I have tried to put complexity and innovativness into my writing. I am not necessarily in agreement with the lyrics of Anthem, although I have not broken them down philosophically.

Merry Christmas,

Russ

Friday, December 22, 2006

The supposed national sport


Denmark

This is a short follow up to my article that I originally posted on a former blog 'kingpinned' but reposted on here in September. The link below is to the original article on this blog:

http://satireandtheology.blogspot.com/2006/09/why-i-gave-up-on-nhl.html

Just to be clear here, I am in general terms both pro-American and pro-Canadian. I disagree with some things with both countries but overall think that North America is the best place in the world to live. The above article and my related comments are in the context of professional sports and in particular the National Hockey League. Below are some comments I made on another blog yesterday. I think the post has merit, although the concept of hate is too strong.

http://hamiltontigers.blogspot.com/2006/12/its-official-bettman-hates-canadians.html

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

European Union



The map which can be clicked on shows European Union members. Candidates are Croatia, Macedonia, and Turkey.

I recently renewed by European Union and United Kingdom passport. I found this link and information helpful:

From

http://www.euimmigration.org/eu_passport.html


EU Passport

Myth I: It is a common misperception to believe that there is an "EU Passport" which cover all EU member countries. An "EU Passport" is only a term used to describe a passport from any EU country and does not exists in reality. Any citizen from any EU member country have same rights to travel visa free within EU / Schengen and to work in any EU country of their choice.

Myth II: Being and "EU citizen" and "EU resident" is the same. This is not the case. An EU citizen is an individual who has a passport from one of the EU countries. An EU resident can be an individual who has obtained the right to work and live in one of the EU countries, but who still holds the citizenship of his or her home country.

In order for an individual to take advantage of all the benefits of EU, he or she would want to become a citizen of any EU country by obtaining a second passport. The process of obtaining citizenship with an EU country is a formal process. Individuals most frequently obtain a second citizenship, also called "Dual Nationality", based upon family relationships, marriage, or investment. However, obtaining legal residency through work or studying can also make the citizenship process easier at a later stage. The advantage is that you are residing in the country you want to live in.

Visit the EU Resource Center to gain direct access to different countries' passport forms, immigration and work forms, information, and application procedures. All information provided is based upon you taking advantage of our research and start your own application process for an "EU Passport" or "EU residency" right now.


The benefit as a potential theology professor would be the possibility of working in any one of those countries. I therefore have more options than working in Canada or trying to immigrate to the United States. A question that would arise is if there are any Universities in the European Union that would employ a conservative philosophical theologian.

Monday, December 18, 2006

Recent comments



Some recent paraphrased comments:

a) thekingpin68 (me): "Well I need to go over my two chapters I have revised and add some more liberal sources perhaps".

Person X: "Oh come on you need to show some integrity".

Please see my article on my other blog on this subject:

http://thekingpin68.blogspot.com/2006/12/theological-tension.html

As a conservative philosophical theologian I can accept the well meaning advice of this senior and well educated person. However, I do not think that in any way by following my secular University advisor's advice to add some mainline Christian perspectives to counter my conservative ones, am I risking not showing integrity. If I want to pass my dissertation I need to follow the rules of the institution I attend and their standards. By including liberal views in my work in no way means I sanction them. In a secular UK research degree I cannot create my own gospel orientated work. In the beginning with a different advisor I tried to write a dissertation with many somewhat original conservative philosophical arguments with little time spent on counter arguments, but this was deemed unacceptable. In my present situation I do not have the time and money to attempt to enter a theology program at a conservative Christian institution and I do not want to be working on a PhD in my forties. My theodicy (theory of dealing with the problem of evil) has not been challenged and I shall be pleased to succeed in passing my PhD with my own theodicy embedded within.

b) "It is better to be alone, than be with the wrong person". Co-host Jeff from the Doc Love program, a secular internet dating show:

I have been in the Christian community for a number of years and have never met someone special. Genesis 2:18 states that it is not good for a man to be alone and in 1 Corinthians, Chapter 7 it notes that each man should marry his own wife to avoid immoralities. The Apostle Paul was single and content as he wrote in 7:7 and therefore many Christians I have heard seem to assume that a Christian will either be blessed with a mate or be content. I think that is too simplistic of an idea. This is where theodicy is important and I reason that I am neither blessed with a mate, nor content and that is God's will, at least for now, and there is no guarantee things will change. I agree with Jeff that it is better to be alone than to settle for what will not fulfill me spiritually, intellectually, and physically as a Christian.

Saturday, December 16, 2006

The problem of evil, questionnaire


Siegen, Germany

Greetings, and thanks for reading.

I have two PhD chapters revised with two more to follow. Once these are accepted by my new advisor I will be sampling the questionnaire which he basically approves. The topic is the problem of evil.

If anyone is interested in receiving this confidential questionnaire by email when it is ready, please let me know by leaving a comment with this post or with the post Questionnaire Assistance in the archives. Most of my surveys will be collected locally, but I will accept email ones from people that attend Christian churches.

If you do not wish to leave a comment but would like to fill out the survey, you can email me at:

rnmwales@shaw.ca

Thanks again,

Russ:)

Friday, December 15, 2006

British lottery email scam


London

BRITISH CHARITIES LOTTERY PROMOTIONS.
UNITED KINGDOM.

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the MEGA JACKPOT LOTTO WINNING PROGRAMS. Your company or personal e-mail address, is attached to a Ticket number 644-701-836-872, with a serial number 64483-72 drew the Lucky Winning Numbers 06-14-17-28-30-41.

You have therefore been awarded the total lump sum pay out of
£420,000.00 credited to File Ref No: CLP/ 24-FB-426253.

You must contact the claims department by e-mail;

E-mail: bristishpromolottery@yahoo.co.uk

Congratulations once again from all our staff for being a part of our
Promotions program.

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© Charities Lottery 2006.

___________________________________________________________________________
PL:: E-mail wys³any za pomoc± us³ugi WebMail oferowanej przez http://www.Problemy.PL/
EN:: Mail sent from WebMail service at http://www.Problemy.PL/

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Christianity in summary

Versailles, France from trekearth

The following article is the third I have produced with the assistance of religionfacts.com. I provide the links below and so therefore if you would prefer to look at the originals and forget this site that is of course your option. However, those of you that wish to bother reading my hopefully wonderful article, please read on.:) Generally I like the information provided by this link, but some comments come to mind though.

I do not pretend to be able to judge the human spiritual condition, but with the rather secular state of our world, I seriously question if there are actually approximately 2 billion out of 6.5 billion people following the Biblical Christ through the power of God's Spirit. In Matthew 7: 13-14 Jesus states that many people take the wide road in life that leads to destruction, while only a few take the narrow way that leads to life. Now of course approximately 2 billion out of 6.5 billion of the world's population is still approximately 31%, but I question if this is really the idea of few that Christ was discussing. If there are that many Christians in the world I seriously wonder why Western civilization for example, seems to be becoming increasingly secular. I would deduce that the number of church adherents for the United States of America, and United Kingdom may include many people who are born into a Christian faith, and may not actually believe in and follow the Biblical Jesus Christ.

Used by permission from http://www.religionfacts.com/

http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/fastfacts.htm

Date founded:
c. 33 AD

Place founded:
Palestine

Founder:
Jesus of Nazareth

Adherents:
2 billion {1}

US adherents:
159 million in 2001 {2}

UK adherents:
51 million in 1997 {3}

Size rank:
largest world religion

Main location:
Europe
North America
South America

Major sects (denominations):
Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Protestant

Sacred texts:
The Bible, comprised of the Old Testament and New Testament

Original languages:
Aramaic, Greek, Latin

Religious professionals:
Priest; bishop; archbishop; patriarch; pope; pastor; minister; preacher; deacon

House of worship:
Church, chapel, cathedral, basilica, meeting hall

Type of theism:
Trinitarian Monotheism

Ultimate reality:
One God (a Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit)

Human nature:
Created good but now born sinful

Purpose of life:
Know, love and serve God

How to live:
Have faith in the true God and Christ's resurrection, do good works, participate in sacraments

Afterlife:
Resurrection of body and soul, purgatory (Catholic and Orthodox), and eternal heaven or hell

Symbols:
Cross, dove, anchor, fish, alpha and omega, chi rho

Major holidays:
Advent (Nov. 30 - Dec. 24)
Christmas (Dec. 25)
Epiphany (Jan. 6)
Lent (40-day period prior to Easter)
Good Friday (last Friday before Easter)
Easter (date varies)
All Saint's Day (Nov. 1)

Books of the New Testament :
Gospel of Matthew
Gospel of Mark
Gospel of Luke
Gospel of John
Acts of the Apostles
Romans
1 Corinthians
2 Corinthians
Galatians Ephesians
Philippians
Colossians
1 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians
1 Timothy
2 Timothy
Titus
Philemon Hebrews
James
1 Peter
2 Peter
1 John
2 John
3 John
Jude
Revelation

Two Greatest Commandments
1. Love God with your heart, soul and mind.
2. Love your neighbor as yourself. {4}

Four Last Things
1. second coming
2. judgment
3. heaven
4. hell

Seven Deadly Sins
1. pride
2. greed
3. lust
4. envy
5. gluttony
6. anger
7. sloth

Seven Ecumenical Councils
1. Council of Nicea (325 AD)
2. Council of Constantinople (381)
3. Council of Ephesus (431)
4. Council of Chalcedon (451)
5. Second Council of Constantinople (553)
6. Third Council of Constantinople (681)
7. Second Council of Nicea (787)

Twelve Apostles
1. James, son of Zebedee
2. John, son of Zebedee
3. Philip
4. Bartholomew
5. Thomas
6. Andrew (Peter's brother)
7. Simon Peter
8. Matthew the tax collector
9. James, son of Alphaeus
10. Simon the Zealot
11. Judas Iscariot
12. Thaddaeus {5}

Fourteen Stations of the Cross
1. Jesus is condemned to death
2. The cross is laid upon him
3. Jesus' first fall
4. Jesus meets Mary
5. Simon of Cyrene bears the cross
6. Veronica wipes Jesus' face
7. Jesus' second fall
8. Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem
9. Jesus' third fall
10. Jesus is stripped of his garments
11. Jesus is crucified
12. Jesus dies
13. Jesus' body is taken down
14. Jesus's body is laid in the tomb

References
1. adherents.com
2. adherents.com
3. adherents.com
4. Mark 12:28-31.
5. Matthew 10:2.

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

$250,000


Not the original video which was pulled by YouTube

I thought I would present this quick article, as I am off to bed taking a break from my PhD revisions. Apparently the late Dr. Eugene Scott wanted $250,000 for his ministry. I have heard of this preacher before as the late Dr. Walter Martin criticized him for his use of foul language while preaching. I do not claim to always avoid the use of foul language, as in this frustrating world sometimes I do swear, but I prayerfully ask God for forgiveness and help to avoid wrong actions. I would have to agree with Dr. Martin's criticism of Dr. Scott, as from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, in Colossians 3:8, followers are told to get rid of abusive, or filthy as it says in the footnote, language. James, Chapter 3 states that the tongue can both bless and curse, and points out in verse 10 that cursing should not occur.

I think that this clip is both satirically amusing, as all this ranting and swearing seems to be largely about a plea for $250,000 and educational, since as observers we can see that this language, and more importantly the disrespectful tone he uses with his audience is not generally a good way to influence people with the gospel message. Some of my friends may satirically joke that this is how I would be if I was a preacher! Well, no I would have more restraint that Dr. Scott, but I do admit to calling people morons in the past, although it has often been in a joking fashion.:)

According to:

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

William Eugene Scott AKA Dr. Gene Scott ™, August 14, 1929February 21, 2005, was a United States-based and world-renowned pastor/teacher/televangelist and author of thirteen booklets on various topics ranging from Christianity to the stamps of the Colombian States. During his long career Dr. Scott served as a traveling evangelist for the pentecostal Assemblies of God, served as the president of the Full Gospel Fellowship of Churches and Ministers International for nine years and served for a combined total of 35 years as the pastor for the non-denominational Protestant Wescott Christian Center and Faith Center. For the last fifteen years of his career Dr. Scott held weekly Sunday gospel services at the Los Angeles University Cathedral in Los Angeles, California.

Gene Scott graduated from Chico State in 1952 with a degree in history and stayed on for a master’s in social science. In 1953, Scott enrolled in Leland Stanford Junior's School of Education, where he analyzed Proof of the Resurrection for Professor Alexander “Lex” Miller, an agnostic. He earned his Ph.D. in Philosophies of Education in 1957. The subject of his 394-page doctoral dissertation was Neo-Orthodox theologian Reinhold Niebuhr. In 1992 he was the featured cover story for the Stanford Alumni Magazine and his obituary was published in the May/June 2005 issue of the same publication. While Scott held undergraduate degrees in other subjects, he did not have a degree in theology. After receiving his Ph.D., he briefly taught at Evangel College (now Evangel University), then assisted Oral Roberts in establishing Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. For many years he was a pastor in the Assemblies of God denomination before establishing his independent Protestant ministry.

Scott's broadcasts, which, despite his passing continue to be broadcast 24/7 via an Internet Stream, shortwave radio, and TV satellites, fall into two distinct categories. The first category is the broadcast of the Sunday service in a loose format, opening and closing with music from a country-rock band known as the Un-Band and followed by an hour long or more teaching lecture from the pastor. The second category is a broadcast of what Scott named the Festival of Faith. The Festival of Faith was a very informal, non-traditional broadcast which featured Scott sitting alone in a chair, often smoking a cigar or a pipe, telling jokes, reading books on both Biblical and arcane topics, interacting with the crew and volunteer phone operators (known as Voices of Faith), berating his staff and/or his congregation when he felt they were not responding with enough faith, and making remarks that were often considered to be quite off-color (for a pastor) by many listeners. He often spiced up his speech with what some would consider profanity, although his remarks, with very rare exceptions, were within FCC guidelines if not always within conventional churchgoers' guidelines of good taste. He also was well known for constantly engaging in the nervous habit of cleaning out his nose with a handkerchief while on camera (both during Sunday services and during the Festival of Faith), and for never using cue cards and fearlessly allowing dead air to make a point. These Festival of Faith broadcasts also featured Scott reading from books on UFOs, Demonology, The Great Pyramid of Giza, Earth mysteries, the lost tribes of Israel and similar viewer-grabbing topics. He quite often called out, "Am I boring you?" to which his staff and the volunteers responded, "No sir!” He frequently exhorted his viewers to "Get on the phone!" to make a monetary pledge and encourage him to keep reading and teaching.

Sunday, November 26, 2006

Little Book of Dating: tip 2


I shall continue with my review of the book, The Worst-Case Scenario: Little Book for Dating.

Pick up lines to avoid

First of all, why should one use pick up lines? I think an honest, confident approach is better.

Hey I lost my number, can I have yours? page 67.

Are you okay? That must have been a long fall from heaven. page 67.

Both of those lines are funny and lame.

On a related issue, I received an email today from a woman that contacted me through a Christian website. For the sake of some context I will add that she lives many thousands of miles away on another continent! She asked what I thought about free sex. I stated something along the lines of the following.

I suppose if I really believed in free sex I would spent my Friday and Saturday nights in Downtown Vancouver at clubs until I found an attractive young woman to ask me home. That would be physically pleasurable, but by God's guidance I place spirituality, and intellect above sexuality in romantic relationships, although mutual attraction is important.

I don't believe in free sex, but I realize in our free society people have the right to indulge in it. My thinking is that free sex is contrary to a spiritual, intellectual, and committed marriage relationship, and is therefore largely empty and a waste of time. Free sex is also not a Biblical concept as can be seen from studying Scripture.

J.T. Mueller notes that in Scripture 'adultery' is any voluntary cohabitation of a married person with any other person other than a lawful spouse. The Bible in places also designates this as 'fornication' as in 1 Corinthians 5:1. Mueller (1996: 15).

MUELLER, J.T. (1996) ‘Adultery', in Walter A. Elwell (ed.), Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, Grand Rapids, Baker Books.

Sunday, November 19, 2006

Little Book of Dating: tip 1


Last night at the 40th birthday party of Chucky and Philosophy Man, I won a book entitled, The Worst-Case Scenario: Little Book for Dating. The authors state that some of the book can be reprinted in the context of a review, and so this is a review. It is a humourous, entertaining book and I wish to paraphrase some of quotes. Perhaps you can consider purchasing the book.

How to determine if your date is a con artist

The book states that one should be concerned about a date that misses meetings, changes plans, avoids a discussion of life history, frequently receives mysterious phone calls, and asks for a loan or short-term investment. page 9.

Sounds like good advice...

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Pardew vs. Wenger



According to: http://www.soccerway.com/news/2006/November/8/wenger-pardew-to-explain-to-fa/

Wenger, Pardew to explain to FA

Written by: Michiel van Blommestein

LONDON, Nov 8 (Sw) - The FA has charged both Arsene Wenger and Alan Pardew for their bust up during last weekend's West Ham vs Arsenal game.

The incident took place when West Ham's Marlon Harewood scored the winner right before full time. Pardew's celebrations visibly irritated Wenger, who lashed out at West Ham's manager.

Wenger refused to shake hands with Pardew afterwards, and left without addressing the gathered press.

The FA will now look into the matter, and are planning to charge both coaches with improper conduct.

Pardew has since apologised to Wenger for his conduct. The Managers' Association are currently mediating in the conflict.

The West Ham board are adamant about Pardew's innocence in the tussle. "Alan Pardew has the full backing of the board with regards to this charge, which will be defended vigorously," said Paul Aldridge, the managing director to the BBC.


I can relate to the events in this somewhat humourous clip, which could be considered a satirical look at football. Like Arsene Wenger, I hate to lose. As a child I was not very confident and not as successful as I should have been. As a result, if I failed in some type of sport or game I could not handle the loss well. However, as a young adult God has guided me to be somewhat successful, and quite successful academically, although I do not quite have my PhD as of yet, and I am not a professor, although I believe this shall happen.

Learning how to handle failure and defeat is an important lesson in life. As I continue to study the Bible, and theology I realize daily that I am a finite, and sinful person, like every other person who has ever existed other than Christ who was both infinite God, and finite man without sin. Since I am finite, the best I can do is ask for God's help in all things, and understand that I am average at many things, and excellent at a few things, therefore if I have done my intellectual and physical best in a sport or game I need not become too angry if I fail or lose somehow. I was not on the sideline so I do not know if Alan Pardew was acting like a sore winner or not. However, I despise the actions of sore winners more than sore losers, but even if a person acts like a sore winner in my life, I should realize that I have trusted in God and done my best as a human being who is both finite and sinful.

I appreciate the New Revised Standard Version translation of James 3: 2 where it states:

For all of us make many mistakes. Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is perfect, able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle.

I too make mistakes, some of them moral, because of sin, and others because of limitations as a finite being. I can therefore expect failure in life, although I hate it. Thankfully God is there to guide me in his will despite my mistakes.

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

New Testament Manuscripts


Saint Paul's Cathedral, London

My comments are after the religionfacts.com article.

Used by permission from http://www.religionfacts.com

http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/features/new_testament_manuscripts.htm

The Importance of Ancient Manuscripts

As seen in the section on Christian texts, the New Testament plays a very central role in Christianity. For most Christians, the New Testament is not only a precious record of the life of Jesus and the apostles, but a divine revelation to mankind on matters of salvation. Christians of all denominations consider the Bible to be the primary authority in determining doctrine, ethics, church structure, and all other religious issues.

This strong reliance on the New Testament is based in part on the religious belief that it was divinely inspired. But it also based on the belief that it is an accurate historical record written by eyewitnesses (and associates of eyewitnesses) who experienced the lives of Jesus and the apostles firsthand. But some have challenged this traditional view, arguing that it was written much later, long after Jesus' original followers were dead and Christianity had transformed into a different religion than the one taught by Jesus of Nazareth.

The debate really comes down to the question: When was the New Testament originally written? And this question leads to another important question: Even if it was written at an early date, how do we know the New Testament that exists today is the same as the original? How do we know the modern translations aren't full of human errors, additional content, or the interpretations of countless human scribes?

Both of these questions are answered within the fields of paleography and textual criticism, which seek to analyze ancient manuscripts of the New Testament to determine their date and accuracy.

The article that follows provides an overview of the most important New Testament manuscripts that have been discovered and outlines the process used to analyze those manuscripts.

The Role of Textual Criticism

No original manuscripts of the original Greek New Testament have been found. However, a large number of ancient manuscript copies have been discovered, and modern translations of the New Testament are based on these copies. As one would expect, they contain some scribal errors. In fact, "there is not a single copy wholly free from mistakes."

It is the task of textual criticism, therefore, to study and compare the available manuscripts in order to discern which of the variations conforms the closest to the original. Bruce Metzger of Princeton University, a prominent modern textual critic, describes the role of textual criticism this way:

The necessity of applying textual criticism to the books of the New Testament arises from two circumstances: (a) none of the original documents is extant, and (b) the existing copies differ from one another. The textual critic seeks to ascertain from the divergent copies which form of the text should be regarded as most nearly conforming to the original. In some cases the evidence will be found to be so evenly divided that it is extremely difficult to decide between two variant readings. In other instances, however, the critic can arrive at a decision based on more or less compelling reasons for preferring one reading and rejecting another.

Paleography: Dating Ancient Manuscripts

Of course, the reliability of a given manuscript is based in large part on its age: earlier manuscripts are more likely to be accurate reflections of the original, so they are given more weight than later copies. It is therefore important for textual critics to know the dates of the manuscripts they are analyzing.

Interestingly, carbon dating and other chemical methods are rarely used in determining the age of manuscripts. Instead, a paleographer analyzes the handwriting of the text, which yields a much more precise date than carbon dating would. A paleographer "cannot establish the exact date but he can confidently place one handwriting in the 30's and another in the 80's."

The Earliest Extant Manuscripts

Fortunately, textual critics and paleographers have a large number of ancient manuscripts at their disposal, many of which have been found within the last century. Nearly the entire New Testament exists in manuscripts dated to before 300 AD. Other important manuscripts date to the fourth and fifth centuries.

The manuscripts dating from 100 to 300 AD are almost entirely papyrus fragments. These fragments are named with a "P" followed by a number. The vast majority of them were found in Egypt in the twentieth century, and are now kept in various museums and libraries throughout the world, including at Dublin, Ann Arbor, Cologny (Switzerland), the Vatican and Vienna.

The earliest manuscript of the New Testament was discovered about 50 years ago. P52 is a small papyrus fragment of the Gospel of John (18:31-33 on the front; 18:37-38 on the back), and it has been dated to about 125 AD. This makes it a very important little manuscript, because John has been almost unanimously held by scholars to be the latest of the four gospels. So if copies of John were in circulation by 125, the others must have been written considerably earlier. Moreover, the Gospel of John's greater theological development when compared with the other three gospels has led some scholars to conclude it was written as late as 120 or even 150 AD. The P52 fragment seems to make such late dates impossible.

In addition to the early papyrus fragments, a large number of parchment manuscripts have been found that date from 300 AD onward. These are usually named for the place in which they were discovered and are abbreviated by a letter or sometimes a number. The manuscripts A/02 (Codex Alexandrinus), B/03 (Codex Vaticanus), and Sin./01 (Codex Sinaiticus) contain nearly complete sets of the New Testament. By comparing these to the earlier papyrus fragments, they have been shown to be quite reliable.

Codex Vaticanus (B), the earliest of the great parchment manuscripts at about 300 AD, has resided in the Vatican since the middle ages and remains there today. It is one of the most important manuscripts for textual criticism.

Codex Sinaiticus (Sin.) dates to about 350 AD. It was discovered in 1844 in a monastery on Mount Sinai by a Russian. After some resistance, he persuaded the resident monks to allow him to take it to St. Petersburg. On Christmas Eve, 1933, the Soviet government sold it to the British Museum for 100,000 pounds. It was put on permanent display in the British Library, where it still resides, along with other early biblical manuscripts.

Codex Alexandrinus (A), dating to circa 450 AD, was transferred from the Christian library in Alexandria to the British Library in the seventeenth century, where it still resides today. The Catholic Encyclopedia details its history:

Codex A was the first of the great uncials to become known to the learned world. When Cyril Lucar, Patriarch of Alexandria, was transferred in 1621 to the Patriarchate of Constantinople, he is believed to have brought the codex with him. Later he sent it as a present to King James I of England; James died before the gift was presented, and Charles I, in 1627, accepted it in his stead. It is now the chief glory of the British Museum in its manuscript department and is on exhibition there.

British Museum Pamphlet on the Codex Sinaiticus
Philip W. Comfort, The Text of the Earliest New Testament Greek Manuscripts.
C.C. Edgar, Select Papyri.
Bruce M. Metzger, The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration (1992). Full text is available online at Questia Online Library.
Bruce M. Metzger, Manuscripts of the Greek Bible: An Introduction to Paleography.
E.G. Turner, Greek Manuscripts of the Ancient World (1987).
G. Cavallo & H. Maehler, Greek bookhands of the early Byzantine period, A.D. 300-800 (1987).
Leighton Reynolds, Scribes and Scholars: A Guide to the Transmission of Greek and Latin Literature.
C.H. Roberts, Greek Literary Hands (1956). On the dating of manuscripts with the aid of contemporary documents.
J. Finegan, Encountering New Testament Manuscripts: A Working Introduction to Textual Criticism (1974). W.H.P. Hatch, The Principal Uncial Manuscripts of the New Testament (1939).
H.J.M. Milne & T.C. Skeat, Scribes and Correctors of the Codex Sinaiticus (1938).
D.C. Parker, Codex Bezae: An Early Christian Manuscript and its Text (1992). On the idiosyncratic manuscript D.
C.H. Roberts, Manuscript Society and Belief in Early Christian Egypt (1979).
G. Zuntz, The Text of the Epistles (1956): on P46

This article is helpful as it provides a scholarly, objective perspective on the issue of New Testament manuscripts. I am a philosophical theologian working on finishing his PhD, and I do not claim to be an expert of the origin of New Testament texts, however, here are some of my thoughts based on this article.

The divine inspiration of Scripture was noted as important. The New Testament is not full of mythological stories of clearly fictional characters, but actual people that existed. The same group of people discussed within the New Testament, is also the group that produced the Scripture. Therefore, the New Testament is historically grounded on eyewitness testimony, and associates of eyewitnesses.

Since every manuscript contains scribal errors, we can conclude the copies are not equal to the original inspired letters. This does not mean that we have to abandon the Biblical idea of inspired Scripture. I firmly hold to the concept of 2 Timothy 3:16 that all Scripture is inspired by God for teaching, and training. I think we can deduce that scribal errors do not equate with theological errors, and therefore scribal errors do not eradicate or change the New Testament’s essential doctrines. There are enough New Testament documents extant that scholars would know if certain schools of manuscripts contained serious differences in theology from other schools. This is why as Christians we do not need to take seriously the claims of critics that state that lost or hidden New Testament era documents from the group of eyewitnesses contradict the ones found in the New Testament. The manuscript evidence supports the fact that there are scribal errors in the documents, but does not support the idea of major theological differences between different groups of manuscripts.

My theory of inspiration would include the idea that God inspired the original New Testament documents written by those within the group of Christ and the Apostles. Since the documents would eventually physically disintegrate, God would have to use supernatural means to maintain the original documents. The idea of God using some kind of supernatural force field to maintain the documents as good as new does not seem in line with how God works in our world over a long period, and so it is not surprising that God allowed the originals to be destroyed or lost, and instead maintained his Scripture through copying. The copying mistakes did not affect any major doctrine, but we do have related issues like with the ending of Mark.

Mark 16: 9-20 does not appear in Codex Vaticanus (B),or Codex Sinaiticus (Sin), the two oldest groups of manuscripts. Marlowe (2006: 1). The manuscripts have Mark ending at 16: 8. However, 16: 9-20 does appear in Codex Alexandrinus (A), which is a slightly newer manuscript. Miller (2005: 1).

It is possible a scribe or scribes added 16: 9-20, which became part the majority of New Testament texts, but it does not change the essential message of the Gospel or New Testament. We have copies from the two older groups of manuscripts which allow scholars to speculate that it is possible that Mark 16: 9-20 was not written by Mark, but written by a scribe at a later date. God has therefore not allowed a corruption of New Testament theology at its core even if he did allow an uninspired scribe to write 16: 9-20 and allowed it to become part of the majority text. It is also possible that Mark died and God inspired an associate who had known Mark to complete the book which appears in the majority text.

My essential Christian theology is not changed whether or not Mark ends at 16: 8 or 16: 9-20. If Mark died and the book ended at 16: 8, I do not see any need to place demands upon the Markan text and state that it had to have contained an actual resurrection appearance. The ending of the book does make it clear that Christ was no longer in the tomb and was resurrected. The tomb was empty, and a man, likely of supernatural origin in 16: 6-7 made it clear that Christ had risen. My hope is that a scribe or scribes did not think that the lack of a resurrection appearance and an abrupt ending meant that another ending had to be created. My New American Standard Bible has two different additional endings after 16: 8. However, if endings were added by scribes, God has still provided the Church with evidence of this from Codex Vaticanus (B),and Codex Sinaiticus (Sin). The Church could therefore take anything stated in these verses as less than Biblically authoritative, but these verses do not influence major Christian doctrines. I therefore can view our present New Testament as an essentially accurate copy of the original inspired word of God.

Marlowe, Michael D. (2006) ‘Mark 16: 9-20’, Bible-Researcher.com, Ohio.
http://www.bible-researcher.com/endmark.html

Miller, Dave (2005) ‘Is Mark 16: 9-20 Inspired?’, Apologetics Press.org, Montgomery, Alabama. http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/2780

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Exit Stage Left medley



Rush performing By-Tor & Snow Dog/In The End/In The Mood/2112 Grand Finale Exit Stage Left, The Forum in Montreal, Quebec on March 27, 1981

The medley itself is one of my favourite pieces of music, and is also featured on the Red Barchetta unofficial CD. I especially appreciate the guitar solos on By-Tor and Grand Finale which are very impressive. I like the rhythmic nature of the Grand Finale solo which is played fast, but still slower than the version on All the World's a Stage, the official live album from 1976. The red star in the video is one of the band's logos and is not directly related to the occult, but rather is the Red Star of the Solar Federation from the 2112 album.

It must be mentioned that symbols and words should always be understood in their context. 

According to: http://www.answers.com/topic/2112 In the year 2062, a galaxy-wide war results in the union of all planets under the rule of the Red Star of the Solar Federation. The world is controlled by the Priests of the Temples of Syrinx, who determine all reading matter, songs, pictures . . . everything connected with life during the year 2112 ("The Temples of Syrinx").

Saturday, October 21, 2006

Kim Jong Il and martial arts bodyguards

Photo: June 15, 2021 from the Globe and Mail and The Associated Press

Original video deleted by You Tube!

I have worked out in the martial arts for around twenty years with the martial arts bag and some sparring which includes weapons defence, and some judo and grappling, but I have never done anything like in the video. I am not sure how much breaking bricks will help one in a fight, but the ability to take physical punishment and pain is beneficial for bodyguard work I suppose. However, if North Korea ever does use a nuclear weapon against the West, martial arts will not do them much good I would think. 

Romans, Chapter 13:1-4 in the New American Standard Bible states that every person should be under subjection to the authorities, which have been given power by God. These authorities have the right to use the sword, or force for the purpose of maintaining the good, which would be law and order. Romans 13 is likely primarily speaking in terms of maintaining internal law and order, but I think that a state or states would have the right to protect citizens from external evils as well. The West has the right to defend itself against North Korea if in the end it is a legitimate military threat, and that would include if it is a legitimate nuclear threat.

Friday, October 20, 2006

One Hundred Thousand




On Wednesday I met with my surgeon that performed my two sleep apnea related surgeries. In March I had my uvula and tonsils removed which is known as Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, and in July I had nasal reconstruction called Septal and tip reconstruction, right turbinate debridement. As noted in 'The Bionic Man?' article these surgeries bring me to a 70% cure.

My surgeon had stated before that there was jaw surgery available for a few thousand dollars which included the need for dental work, but this week he informed me that if I really wanted my sleep apnea potentially cured, I would have to go to Stanford University and pay $100,000 for perhaps two jaw surgeries which move the jaw forward. These are known as maxillomandibular osteotomy or advancement (MMO or MMA) and the two-part inferior sagittal mandibular osteotomy and genioglossal advancement with hyoid myotomy and suspension (GAHM). My surgeon did not recommend that I save up for these operations as he thought it was really people that drove around in Ferraris that could afford that kind of medical work done. Oh well, I guess a 70% cure is a good as I am going to get.

Thursday, October 12, 2006

Angry Professor? Do you agree with his actions?

Proverbs 14:17: A quick-tempered man acts foolishly, and a man of evil devices is hated.

Ephesians 4:31: Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be out away from you, along with all malice.

From the New American Standard Bible (1984)

Yes, a man of evil devices was perhaps hated in this clip;).

This clip is available in many places on the net. I did not see anything posted to definitively show that the incident was theatrics, so perhaps it was actually non-fictional. For the sake of discussion, assuming the event was non-fictional, I disagree with how the professor acted, as it was very unprofessional and he lacked composure. As well he should have to pay for a new phone if needed and, in my view the professor should be criticized by the head of the academic institution.

I can see the humourous and satirical side of this clip as it could represent a backlash against our technological culture where many people spend so much time on the phone, internet, video games and in front of the TV that face to face human dialogue is often neglected. I realize that it can be irritating trying to have a discussion with someone who keeps yakking away on their phone. However, even if the professor and academic institution had warned students to have cell phones turned off while in class previously the professor simply could have stood in front of the student on the phone and asked him to turn the phone off in a loud and firm voice.

I admit that I have a healthy, but controlled temper, but once my PhD is completed and by God's will I become a professor, I will definitely not want my anger demonstrated in an uncontrolled violent manner. We are all angry at times and think this should be respectfully shared with God, but I think that it is dangerous to unleash it on others in public as it creates relationship difficulties and other potential problems. Comments?

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

The Bionic Man?



With all my surgeries the last few years, including three this year so far, a few of my friends such as Bobby Buff, Richard X, and Dallas N, and others perhaps, have called me "The Bionic Man". These clips are my response! I have to admit that my health problems and surgeries have had me down mentally many times, and there are still some things bothering me that I would like to have dealt with. However, God has been good in the healing provided so far. I realize from a Christian perspective that this is a fallen world (Genesis 3), and that I will suffer and die like everyone else. There is no room for arrogance on my part, since as a human being I can neither significantly heal my spirit or body. The resurrection described in 1 Corinthians 15 is my only ultimate hope from these annoying sufferings, as a perfected immortal spiritual body is provided. I did have life threatening sleep apnea, but that has been approximately 70% cured this year. Other than that I have some annoying problems, but I understand that many people in this world suffer with greater health problems than I do.

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Timeline of Christianity


York Minster Cathedral

Used by permission from http://www.religionfacts.com

http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/timeline.htm

c. 4 BC Birth of Jesus
c. 26 AD John the Baptist begins ministry
c. 27 AD Jesus begins ministry
c. 30 AD Crucifixion of Jesus
c. 35 Conversion of Paul
c. 44 Martyrdom of James
c. 46-48 Paul's first missionary journey
c. 49 Council of Jerusalem
c. 50-52 Paul's second missionary journey
c. 51-52 First and Second Thessalonians written
c. 53-57 Paul's third missionary journey
c. 57 Letter to the Romans written
c. 59-62 Paul imprisoned in Rome
c. 60 Andrew martyred by crucifixion in Achaia (Greece).
c. 66-67 Second Timothy written
c. 68 Martyrdom of Paul
70 Fall of Jerusalem
c. 90-95 John exiled on island of Patmos
c. 95 Book of Revelation written
c. 96 Clement of Rome's Letter to the Corinthians written
c. 120 Didache written
202 Christians persecuted under Septimus Severus
211 Christians tolerated under Emperor Antoninus Caracalla
222 Christians favored Emperor Alexander Severus
230 Origen's On First Principles
235 Christians persecuted under Emperor Maximin the Thracian
238 Christians tolerated under Emperor Gordian III
244 Christians favored under Emperor Philip the Arabian
251 Cyprian's Unity of the Catholic Church
254 Death of Origen
303 Diocletian orders burning of Christian books and churches
312 Emperor Constantine's conversion to Christianity
313 Edict of Milan establishes official toleration of Christianity
325 Council of Nicea
336 Death of Constantine
354 Birth of Augustine
367 Athanasius lists all 27 books of NT
379 Basil the Great dies
380 Christianity made official religion of Roman Empire
381 Council of Constantinople
386 Augustine converts to Christianity
389 Gregory of Nazianzus dies
395 Gregory of Nyssa diesc.
400 Jerome's Vulgate (translation of the Greek Bible into Latin)
407 John Chrysostom dies
411 Council of Carthage condemns Donatists
417 Pope Innocent I condemns Pelagianism
420 Death of Jerome430 Death of Augustine
431 Council of Ephesus
451 Council of Chalcedon
787 Second Council of Nicea
950 Olga of Russia converts to Christianity
1054 Great Schism between East and West
1093 Anselm becomes Archbishop of Canterbury
1095 Council of Clermont: Pope Urban II proclaims First Crusade
1098 Crusaders take Antioch from Turks
1099 Crusaders recapture Jerusalem from Turks
1122 Concordat of Worms1141 Peter Abelard condemned
1144 Fall of Edessa (crusader state)
1187 Fall of Jerusalem to Turks
1215 Fourth Lateran Council1309 "Babylonian Captivity" (until 1377)
1337 Hundred Years' War (until 1453)
1378 Great Western Schism (until 1423)
1409 Council of Pisa1413-14 Lollard rebellion
1415 Council of Constance. Martyrdom of Jan Hus.
1420 Crusade against Hussites
1431 Joan of Arc martyred
1431-49 Council of Basel
1438-45 Council of Ferrara-Florence
1453 Fall of Constantinople to Turks
1478 Spanish Inquisition founded by Ferdinand and Isabella
1483 Birth of Martin Luther
1492 Expulsion of Jews from Spain by Ferdinand and Isabella
1505 Luther becomes a monk
1517 Luther posts 95 Theses
1521 Luther excommunicated
1530 Augsburg Confession
1534 Henry VIII's Act of Supremacy
1536 Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion
1541 Colloquy of Regensburg
1555 Peace of Augsburg
1559 Elizabeth I's Act of Uniformity
1590 Michelangelo completes the dome of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome
1609 Baptist Church founded by John Smyth
1611 King James (Authorized) Version of the Bible produced
1729 Beginnings of Methodism, led by John Wesley
1738 John Wesley feels his "heart strangely warmed" during a reading of Luther's preface to Romans on Aldersgate Street in London
1775 American Wars of Independence begin
1783 America wins independence from Britain
1793 Louis XVI executed
1797 Second Awakening begins
1798 Pope Pius VI is prisoner of France
1799 Schleiermacher writes Speeches
1801 Cane Ridge Revival
1804 Napoleon becomes emperor
1807 Hegel writes Phenomenology of the Spirit
1808 French occupy Rome
1810 Mexico wins independence
1812-14 British-American War
1814 Reorganization of the Jesuits
1816 American Bible Society established
1822 Schleiermacher writes Christian Faith
1826 American Society for the Promotion of Temperance founded
1830 Joseph Smith produces Book of Mormon
1834 Spanish Inquisition officially abolished
1838 Abolition of slavery in the British Caribbean
1841 David Livingstone to Africa
1845 Methodists and Baptists split over the issue of slavery
1846 Pope Pius IX (until 1878)
1854 Dogma of Immaculate Conception of Mary
1859 Darwin publishes Origin of the Species
1861-65 American Civil War
1861 Presbyterians divide over the issue of slavery
1869 First Vatican Council1870 Dogma of Papal Infallibility
1872 Moody begins preaching
1875 Mary Baker Eddy writes Science and Health
1882 Neitzsche declares "God is dead"
1895 Five Fundamentals
1900 Freud's Interpretation of Dreams
1906 Azusa Street revival
1908 Henry Ford introduces the Model T
1910 World Missionary Conference, Edinburgh
1914 Assemblies of God founded
1914-18 World War I
1917 Russian Revolution
1919 Prohibition passed into law
1925 Scopes "Monkey" trial
1932 Barth's Church Dogmatics
1939 Hitler invades Poland and sparks WWII
1945 Nag Hammadi Library discovered in Egypt; US drops atomic bombs on Japan
1947 India wins independence from U.K.
1948 World Council of Churches founded
1950 Papal encyclical Humani generis
1956 First issue of Christianity Today
1960 Birth control pill approved by FDA
1961 First human in space; Papal encyclical Mater et Magistra
1962-65 Second Vatican Council
1963 MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech
1968 Papal encyclical Humanae vitae
1969 First man on the moon
1971 Intel introduces the microprocessor
1973 Roe vs. Wade
1987-88 Televangelist scandals
1989 First woman ordained in an apostolic-succession church (the Protestant Episcopal church). Fall of the Berlin Wall.
1997 Birth of the internet

Earle E. Cairns, Christianity Through the Centuries (Zondervan, 1996).
Justo Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity (Prince Press, 1999).
Kenneth Scott Latourette, A History of Christianity, Vol. I: to A.D. 1500 (4th ed., Prince Press, 2000).
Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service, 2004

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Questionnaire Assistance

Fire Lake, BC 

I am Russ Murray, a PhD candidate at the University of Wales, although I am working by distance learning and live in the Greater Vancouver area. My dissertation topic is the problem of evil, and this is a continuation and progression of my MPhil. I have tentatively completed PhD chapters on Free Will Theodicy with Augustine, and Alvin C. Plantinga, Sovereignty Theodicy with John S. Feinberg (and yours truly), Soul-Making Theodicy with John Hick, and Practical/Empirical Theology and Theodicy from Dutch Roman Catholics. 

My questionnaire will be based on these approaches to the problem of evil and a few feminism questions which my original advisor wanted included. I am working on a questionnaire and once it is accepted by a new advisor I will be looking for people from local churches to assist me by filling out the questionnaire, but I am also willing to send the form out via the internet. If you are attending a Christian church and desire to fill out a questionnaire for me when I have it ready, please let me know, by leaving a comment here, or by emailing me at: rnmwales@shaw.ca The survey results are anonymous and completely confidential. Although I am looking for assistance from people attending Christian churches, I will have 'other' listed as a denominational option. I can email a copy of the completed questionnaire results upon request to a person who has participated in the survey. Your assistance would be greatly appreciated as I will probably need a sample in the hundreds. 

Thanks Russ

Sunday, September 24, 2006

Should Islam be beyond criticism?



I do not claim to be an expert on Islam, I have studied Christian Theology and Biblical Studies for 15 years, in particular the problem of evil, free will and determinism, please see my philosophical theology blog, thekingpin68 under links. I have taken a few courses that deal with Islam,and am aware that there are some key differences between Christianity and Islam.

A brief comparison between the two religions from by Garry K. Brantley.

http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/225

From a Christian perspective, and from an Islamic one, there is plenty of disagreement on key issues. I would state that clearly that although both religions are monotheistic, the same God is not being worshipped. If God is triune, yet one is substance and nature as in Christianity, then Islam which denies the trinity has a different concept of God, and a different God. Brantley (1996: 1). Matthew 28:19 demonstrates that God is triune in his call to make disciples in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In Acts 5:3-4 the Holy Spirit as God is described as being lied to. If Christ is God, then he is more than a prophet as with Islam, and Islam worships a different God. Brantley (1996: 1). In Hebrews 1:3, Christ is explained as the exact representation of God's nature who upholds all things by the word of his power.

Contrary to Islam, if Christ did atone for sins and was resurrected, then to deny this would be to deny God's key work within humanity, and would indicate that within Islam a different God is worshipped. Brantley (1996: 1). Christ is stated to have died for sins in Hebrews 10:12, and is documented as being resurrected in Matthew 28, Luke 24, Mark 16, John 20-21, and Acts 1.

The Pope by quoting Emperor Manuel II Paleologos of the Byzantine Empire, was pointing out a difference between Christianity and Islam, at least radical Islam on the matter of promoting their religion by violence. Sadly, Christianity has been promoted through violence in the past, including through the Roman Catholic Church and some Reformers, but this approach was not a New Testament teaching. In John 18:36, Jesus stated that his Kingdom was not of this world, and that was why his servants were not fighting with authorities. As well, Christians in the New Testament era were known for being martyrs by the hands of the Roman Empire and were not attempting to overthrow their rulers. The BBC quoted the Pope as follows:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5347876.stm

"Stressing that they were not his own words, he quoted Emperor Manuel II Paleologos of the Byzantine Empire, the Orthodox Christian empire which had its capital in what is now the Turkish city of Istanbul.

The emperor's words were, he said: 'Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.'"

Since some within Islam believe in exporting their religion by the sword, Christians, adherents of other religions, and secularists alike have the right to criticize people within Islam, or any other philosophical movement that believes in spreading ideals through force and the murder of opponents. I discussed religious tolerance on thekingpin68 in my article here

http://thekingpin68.blogspot.com/2006/09/religion-ethics-and-blogging.html

Tolerance is defined by J.E. Wood Junior, as the indulgence of belief or conduct other than one’s own. This would include respect for the opinions and practices of others when they are in conflict with one’s own. Wood (1996: 1098). This tolerance in no way means that all religious philosophies must be viewed as true, rather people are respected for holding a religious view even if views are considered false by others on several points.

These radical Islamic groups are intolerant of any world-view that opposes their own and for this reason Christians, adherents of other religious, and secularists should unite in criticism, and unfortunately if needed, support military actions by Western governments against Islamic states and terrorist groups that are intolerant of views that oppose their own and wish to bring death to their chosen enemies. The Pope was correct in originally mentioning this criticism of Islam, or at least those within Islam that believe in the use of spreading the faith by the sword, I realize that not all in Islam agree with the concept of using force to spread the faith. As a Christian, I respect the right of Islam to exist in this present age, yet disagree with key central tenants of Islamic theology. I can agree with those of other philosophical views that radical Islam is a danger to tolerance and democracy in our present age and join in criticism of radical Islam and any philosophical movement that believes in murdering opponents. Clearly Islam should not be beyond criticism despite the protests and sometimes violent actions of some of its adherents.

BRANTLEY, GARRY K. (1996) 'Christianity and Islam: Points of Tension', Apologetics Press, Montgomery, Alabama, http://www.apologeticspress.org.

WOOD J.E. JUNIOR. (1996) ‘Tolerance’ in Walter A. Elwell (ed.), Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, Grand Rapids, Baker Books.

Sunday, September 17, 2006

Don't state it unless you are going to stand by it


A statement from the Vatican has failed to quell criticism of Pope Benedict XVI from Muslim leaders, after a speech touching on the concept of holy war. Speaking in Germany, the Pope quoted a 14th Century Christian emperor who said the Prophet Muhammad had brought the world only "evil and inhuman" things... Stressing that they were not his own words, he quoted Emperor Manuel II Paleologos of the Byzantine Empire, the Orthodox Christian empire which had its capital in what is now the Turkish city of Istanbul. The emperor's words were, he said: "Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." Benedict said "I quote" twice to stress the words were not his and added that violence was "incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul". "The intention here is not one of retrenchment or negative criticism, but of broadening our concept of reason and its application," he added in the concluding part of his speech. "Only thus do we become capable of that genuine dialogue of cultures and religions so urgently needed today." 

In my view, if a religious teacher critiques another religious philosophy or leader, the religious teacher must make it as certain as possible that the comments are accurate. However, once the comments are made the religious teacher must not back down and apologize for them because of pressure from the group that is being criticized. 

If Pope Benedict XVI agreed with what Emperor Manuel II Paleologos said about Muhammed, he could have remained silent on the issue, but once he made the comments, for the sake of credibility as a Christian leader he cannot appear to back down and apologize because of pressure from people within Islam, whose founder he was criticizing. If the Pope did not agree with the comments of Paleologos, then he should have realized that in quoting the Emperor he would cause confusion in regard to his personal view. I am not by any means an apologist for the Roman Catholic Church, but if the Pope is going to criticize Islam, he must stick to what he says for the sake of integrity. If the Pope actually made an incorrect comment he should apologize, but should not apologize because of political pressure.


Pope Benedict XVI has not apologised enough for making comments offensive to Muslims, Islamic leaders in the UK say. In a statement, the Vatican said the Pope was "very sorry" for using a quote saying the Prophet Muhammad brought the world only "evil and inhuman" things. 

The apology he has made seems to amount to him giving in to political pressure, and we need Christian leadership stronger than this example.

Monday, September 11, 2006

"Miami Christ"?, hmm not according to the Bible

Miami Beach: trekearth

Thanks to Chucky, for finding out about the "Miami Christ" on another blog. Catholic apologetics.org quotes verses which state that for the Second Advent, Christ shall return in the clouds, Mark 13:26-27, with his angels Matthew 16:27, and shall do so with obvious signs, Matthew 24:27. Clearly this does not allow for the "Miami Christ" to be the one.

He has not demonstrated himself to be the Biblical Christ, with a Biblical return. As well with the Second Advent, Christ shall gather believers as in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18. This of course has not occurred either! Perhaps Jan Hammer should write a "Miami Christ" theme song.

The website of cult expert Rick Ross describes some of José Luis De Jesús Miranda's theology. I will discuss some of the things mentioned briefly. The site notes that sin is viewed as being abolished, when Jesus died on the cross.

Interesting from 1 John 2:2 in the NASB, John states that Jesus was the propitiation (atonement for the wrath of God) for our sins, not for ours only, but the whole world. Earlier in the same book John states in 1:8 that we deceive ourselves if we say we have no sin, and in 1:9 he writes that if we confess our sins God will forgive and cleanse us from unrighteousness. Biblically, Christ has atoned for sin, yet sin still remains presently.

Here José Luis De Jesús Miranda, who states he does not read the Bible according to the site, is clearly theologically wrong. Paul mentions also from the NASB in 1 Corinthians 15:43, that the old body was sown in dishonour and weakness, and the new resurrected body shall be raised in glory and power. In verses 15:55-58 Paul makes it clear that sin had been defeated through Christ. Sin has been atoned for by Christ on the cross, and will be completely eliminated in followers at the resurrection.

Concerning José Luis De Jesús Miranda's claim that the Devil does not exist, this is also not in accordance with the Biblical theology. Satan is shown to be thrown into the lake of fire in Revelation, Chapter 20. From the NASB, in 20:10, the Devil is thrown into the lake of fire, and this takes place after the resurrection of believers and the thousand year millennium according to a chronological understanding of Revelation, Chapter 20. It seems clear that Satan will exist after the resurrection of Christians, and since the resurrection and the millennium have not occurred, Satan and his demons still work in our realm.

http://www.catholicapologetics.org/ap090500.htm

http://www.rickross.com/reference/creciendo/creciendo3.html

Friday, September 08, 2006

Old news but still relevant: James Randi Debunks Peter Popoff



Like James Randi, I want to stay in the real world. I don't want to be influenced by poor reasoning. I think that God has revealed himself historically and supernaturally in Scripture, and I depend on divine guidance. There are thousands of Biblical manuscripts which speak of the same God dealing with his creation, and it is reasonable to accept his inspired word.

As stated with my comments on Hinn and Angley, in the Bible healing and the supernatural did take place. I myself have witnessed the power of the supernatural by seeing an exorcism of a person I know. However, personal experience is not my primary reason for being a Christian, rather I trust in God's guidance, and revelation, and I accept that God is hyper-rational, not illogical, and able to make truth known to me.

Clearly, in the case of Popoff and his wife, deception has taken place. Is his wife going to claim that the Holy Spirit guided her to know the information that she passed on to her husband? I never want to judge the inner motives of anyone, but from both the Randi clip and the wikipedia article in the comments, it can be seen that the Popoff's have made a lot of money from their racket, and this is likely an obvious motivation.

Although these healing ministries appear fraudulent, they still preach some type of gospel message. Philippians mentions in 1:17-19 that some preach Christ out of selfish ambition, and not from pure motives, but Paul rejoices that Christ is still being proclaimed. To many in the Church perhaps these phony healing ministries are fraudulent, but not the threats to Christianity that pseudo-Christian cults are. In posting Hinn, Angley, and Popoff, I hope to share a satirical laugh, but also point out that these type of ministries are not in line with the Biblical New Testament model. Jesus and the Apostles did not attempt to perform phony healings for selected people, but from Scriptural evidence were empowered by God. I believe that God can empower someone to perform a healing, but so often I think certain people want to make supernatural things happen and for this reason I think scepticism is healthy in regard to healing and miracles.

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

Pointless?



San Marino 0 - 13 Germany
Euro 2008 Qualifiers Wed, 06 Sep 06 19:45

Venue: Stadio Olimpico
19:45, Wednesday, 6th September 2006
Euro 2008 Qualifiers
Attendence: 5019

San Marino

Population

January 2005 est.
28,117 (212th)

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

Germany

Population

2005 est.
82,438,000(ultimo) (14th)

The photo from Germany pretty much represents the soccer pitch in the match. The field decline favoured Germany. The highlights were classic.

I can understand UEFA wanting all European countries and UEFA members to participate in Euro 2008 qualifying, but in my opinion certain countries with small populations should be excluded. It seems pointless for certain national teams to beat on a clearly inferior opponents.

Heal!



According to the New Testament, God healed certain people, and as an eternal, almighty being he would have that same ability today. I would not be surprised if a few people have been healed through Christ over the years while watching Angley, despite the televangelist's shenanigans. However, Angley presumes much in thinking that God would heal and recreate a child's brain via the television, just because Angley thinks it should happen. Perhaps God has other sovereign purposes in the suffering of an individual apart from the ideas of Angley. I therefore generally think these types of healings are bogus, as would many in the Christian Church.

If Angley indeed has such a healing gift, I would hope he would be famous for healing in hospitals and the streets rather than with a television ministry.

In regard to the conversation at the end, I would deduce that there is no good evidence that all or most Roman Catholics molest little boys. The clip at the end should have been edited out.

Noonward Race 1972


Tuesday, September 05, 2006

The Danger of Theological Error

London: trekearth

On a British comedy T.V. program in 2004, Jonathan Ross stated that a Muslim extremist suicide bomber was expecting to be taken to heaven where he would be rewarded with 72 virgins. Instead he was given a 72 year old virgin.

The Dance of Maya



I have met John Mclaughlin in person after a concert. He is a very nice man and good to his fans. He was nice enough to send me an autographed photo by an email request, and he gave me another autograph when I met him later in person. Contrary to what some Christians think, it is possible for Christians to appreciate music from artists with different world-views, while still disagreeing with those philosophies. Christians can be guided by God and Scripture to know truth, and appreciate the good in things while recognizing the bad at the same time.

November 7, 2019

The former You Tube video was pulled, so I have updated the post with this rare clip from the limited box set, extra tracks, which I am blessed to own.

I viewed John Mclaughlin again perform as Mahavishnu Orchestra in late 2017 in Seattle. A life highlight. The Dance of Maya was one of the tracks. John's last North American tour; so if I see him in concert again, it will be in Europe.

La Villa Strangiato 1978 with electric guitar intro

The NHL needs to be more Canadian

The 2006 Stanley Cup will likely go to the United States this year, and I think that in general the United States will continue to dominate the championship.

I am not anti-American at all. As a Canadian I am glad the Americans are our neighbours. I use many American products and appreciate many aspects of their culture. I know Americans personally that I like, and have American friends. The United States is currently the greatest (most prominent) country in the world, no question. I study theology and I am very appreciative of the theological contributions the United States has made to the world, among other things.

I have been fed up with the Americanization of the NHL since 1990s. I firmly believe that most of the teams in the NHL should be located in the United States, but not with the current 24-6 ratio. That ratio makes it very difficult for Canada to win the Stanley Cup on a regular basis. Some may say that the last two finals have had Canadian teams in them, but I would reply that being in the finals and winning are not near the same. History is filled with teams that go on a run one year and never win championships in following seasons; in fact most finalists are in that category. Canada has not won the Stanley Cup since 1993, and with a 24-6 ratio it will be fortunate to win the Cup every twenty years.

Many Americans cities in the southern part of the United States are not really hockey towns. Those franchises in those cities are like the Montreal Expos, and Vancouver Grizzlies, basically sports teams that will make it if they contend, but if the teams are average they will not be that popular. Sure, winning the Stanley Cup in Tampa Bay and Carolina brings fan support, but how long will hockey succeed in areas with a non-hockey culture and a mediocre team. Like The Expos and Grizzlies in other sports, those hockey teams should be moved to cities where the sport is popular.

The NHL did nothing to save Quebec and Winnipeg from moving to the States, caused largely by out of control salaries and a weak Canadian dollar. The league did not bring in a salary cap and revenue sharing until years later. As well, many in the Canadian media at the time thought it was for the good that the NHL was focusing on the United States at the expense of Canada. However, now many in the media complain about the non-hockey markets and that Canada has not won a Cup since 1993. When talking about good for the game, whose game are we talking about? Professional hockey in Canada has suffered since the 1990s. Sometimes I just shake my head at Canadian attitudes. I lived in England for two years, I did not hear the British media stating that it was good for football/soccer that top players and teams go to the United States, at the expense of England. If the United States was to succeed in soccer, then it was good for them and the game in a sense, but England would look out for its football/soccer program first and foremost. No one is really looking out for professional hockey in Canada first and foremost. This is stupid and ridiculous.

Without a salary cap and revenue sharing only the clubs in the bigger markets would have succeeded in the future. We have three cities in Canada that with the present salary cap and revenue sharing likely could support an NHL team. Those are Winnipeg, with a new arena which is barely NHL size, Hamilton, and Quebec, that could fix up their old arenas to NHL standards, until new arenas were ready. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman states that Canada may have viable cities without clubs, but has no plans to provide them with teams. In other words, too bad, no. The NHL does not care much about the growth of professional hockey in Canada. It takes Canada for granted.

Despite the fact Canada produces the majority of NHL players, because of the draft there is no benefit for Canadian franchises. In Europe football/soccer clubs have academies which can develop and then sign young players, but the NHL has taken away any advantage for Canadian teams by producing local players. Obviously with the 24-6 ratio, and the draft, the league is primarily American focused, hoping to make it big financially in the States one day. The American national TV ratings are mediocre despite the fact the hockey is almost as old in the United States as it is in Canada. Clearly hockey is a popular regional game in the northern states, and in southern states, at least temporarily if the team is a contender. The league has basically taken Canada for granted thinking that most Canadians will support at least one team despite the lack of championship success. This lack of success will continue in the future, unless there is a movement by the Canadian clubs and the NHL to stop taking Canada for granted. Not only is the growth of the professional game important in the United States, but also in Canada. Since the professional game has been taken for granted here, they have lost one fan, as over the last few years I have become just a casual observer.

Additional

A dear relative of mine who read an earlier version of this post stated that I appeared to be anti-American, or bordered on being anti-American, and that Canadian players earned money in the United States. These statements demonstrate a misunderstanding of my writing, which I know can easily happen when one is reading the writing of another person. I shall attempt to make myself more clear concerning this post.

I supported the moves of the Vancouver Grizzlies and Montreal Expos from Canada to the United States, a place where basketball and baseball are popular national sports. I am opposed to the Americanization of the NHL, to the extent that a major emphasis has been made to grow the game in non-hockey markets. I think this philosophy generally will not work, in hockey or any other sport. I would deduce, that a look at most professional sports in the world would show that successful sports teams generally succeed over the long term where the sport has been part of the culture before the professional team existed, or the sports franchise was one of the early members of a new league and a new sport. I am in favour of the NHL providing a team for Hartford for example, which is a legitimate hockey city, but as a Canadian, my main focus in the growth of the game in Canada. If the NHL was experimenting with non-hockey markets in one or two places, I would not like it, but it would not be the same large problem it is for the NHL today, in my view.

As far as Canadians earning money in the USA, I have no problem with the concept. The draft does, however, in my mind, prohibit some of the elite Canadian players from staying in Canada. If the Canadian clubs did have academies in place, the top Canadian players would often likely play close to home, which should be their right as Canadian citizens, although as I said, I have no problem with Canadians working abroad. I am in favour of the free enterprise system, and if a hockey club can succeed in the United States in the long run, so be it, but I think the NHL has blundered by putting teams in several non-hockey markets, overlooking three Canadian cities, and at least one American one as well. This is not only an questionable approach to building the NHL, but is also stifling the growth of the professional game in Canada, and ultimately will greatly limit the number of Stanley Cups won by Canadian clubs.

It is of course necessary for Canadian cities and business people to have the money to purchase teams and renovate and build arenas. Hamilton and Quebec do not presently have updated arenas, but I reason that if the NHL made it clear it wanted to come to those markets that the support and money would come. American cities, that are sometimes non-hockey markets, are often more willing to build the arena first and try to bring in a franchise later. But according to the media, many of these cities are looking for either a NHL or NBA team, and this approach would not work in Canada where basketball is not a national sport. It would therefore be even more risky for a Canadian city to build a new NHL size arena as there is no chance of an NBA franchise.

National Hockey League
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April 2, 2016

In light of reading and listening, I provide this additional perspective as well:

I still reason the hockey business favours hockey markets, but reading and listening to more on building ownership I will add the following:

Basically it seems, if a sports team has a good stadium ownership or lease deal, it can stay in place even with a mediocre club and/or mediocre market for that sport. This allows a sports league to place teams in markets that are mainly theoretically good image wise markets (large population, large television market, corporate support), even if not very successful entities in the sport. Bad news if you are in locale or country that is not considered good image, even while a potentially profitable market. So with the NHL, Quebec City is considered by most observers a more profitable hockey market than Las Vegas, but I could see the reasonable possibility that Las Vegas being a major city for travel would have the more profitable arena. I would rather own the arena in Las Vegas than in Quebec City.