Sunday Bullets: Fast commute

• Image one: Facebook 

• Cited: Hypersonic sled travels at 6,599 mph (Mach 8.6) at Holloman Air Force Base. (You Tube)

• Video one: The light is visible from the beginning of the video. There is approximately three to four seconds until the hypersonic sled arrives and passes. From supersonic bang one to supersonic bang two.

• With some visual awareness and warning, there would only be a few seconds to remove self from the tracks. 

• A weapon at like speed, that tracked a target would be extremely difficult to avoid or have armour, shelter or protection against.

• Fast commute.

• Video two: Imagine a car crash at 2, 000 miles per hour. 

• LinkedIn might be Facebook for boring people, but I have decided that it might be at times, more beneficial to me in regards to career (s) than Facebook. My links are to the right for those who appreciate my work and wish to connect. 

• Reaffirmed to a good friend, sharing his troubles to me the other evening, that an aspect of life is managing misery and suffering.

• 1 Peter 5: 6-7 New American Standard Version (NASB) 6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time, 7 having cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares about you.

Zombie Bullet Saturday

• Image one: KA Ellis, LinkedIn

• Tolle Lege 

"Secularism, materialism, and the intrusive presence of things have put out the light in our souls and turned us into a generation of zombies. We cover our deep ignorance with words, but we are ashamed to wonder, we are afraid to whisper ‘mystery.'” –A.W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy (New York: HarperCollins, 1961), p. 18.

• Interesting opinion...By mystery, I still support reasoned theology.

• Image two: LinkedIn

• I struggle with this next issue myself....

• Within my Reformed theological view, in my humble opinion, my desires, goals and agenda in Christ, should not be at the expense of loving my neighbour as much as I love myself (Mathew 22, Mark 12, Luke 10); nor should my desires, goals and agenda in Christ, be at the expense of loving others in the Church. See below in fellowship:

• King James Version (KJV) 

• John 13: 24: A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

• John 15: 12 :This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. 

• 1 John 2: 9-10:  He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.

• 1 John 4: 20-21:  20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

• New American Standard Bible (NASB)

• Back to love one's neighbour as self...

• James 2:8: 8 If, however, you are fulfilling the [a]royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.

a. James 2:8 Or law of our King

Duck

Duck

God's Sovereignty and the Human Will by A. W. Pink

Cited

Why does the sinner choose a life of sinful indulgence? Because he prefers it — and he does prefer it, all arguments to the contrary not withstanding, though of course he does not enjoy the effects of such a course. And why does he prefer it? Because his heart is sinful. The same alternatives, in like manner, confront the Christian, and he chooses and strives after a life of piety and virtue. Why? Because God has given him a new heart or nature. Hence we say it is not the will which makes the sinner impervious to all appeals to “forsake his way”, but his corrupt and evil heart. He will not come to Christ, because he does not want to, and he does not want to because his heart hates him and loves sin: see Jer 17:9! 

PINK, ARTHUR W. (1968) The Sovereignty of God, London, The Banner of Truth Trust.

Saturday, June 18, 2016: Brief On Sovereignty From Arthur Pink (PhD Edit)

The Christian is regenerated (John 3, Titus 3) through God the Holy Spirit and the applied atoning and resurrection work of God the Son, as God incarnate, that prayed to and followed the will (see the gospels) of God the Father.

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I do not need a chatbot, my websites will hopefully still be online for those still in this realm. According to the New Testament, the rest can chat with me in paradise (Luke 23, 2 Corinthians 12: 4, Philippians 1) awaiting the restoration of creation with the new earth and new heaven (Revelation 21-22, 2 Peter 3, 1 Corinthians 15, 1-2 Thessalonians). 

This will be the restoration from any results of the fall, especially human sin (Genesis 1-3, Romans, Hebrews, key examples) for our present material creation. The effects on time, space and matter in the new realm, yet to be empirically observed, scientifically, of course, or fully documented, as the New Testament is religious history and not a science text.

Friday Bullets: Failed predictions, but still as good as gold?

Photo: Wisconsin, by @kochphil, Facebook-The Earth Page

• Most of my friends and family are politically more right of centre, than left of centre, in my humble opinion. 

• No one, I know of, is an outright communist, on the left, or an outright fascist, on the right.

• Some of these friends and family read and listen to conservative, alternative, new sources.

• I am not intellectually opposed to considering a proposition (conclusion), and arguments (premise (s) and conclusion) that are unproven. That are not mainstream. 

• The truth is the truth and at times, what is true, requires prayerful, rational, consideration within my worldview.

• I acknowledge that there are reasonably, government (s) secrets withheld from public knowledge.

• When a particular source of conspiracy theories makes predictions and most of them do not come true, and the source of these conspiracy theories adjusts the theories, often without repentance, that is a red flag. 

• None of us ultimately, completely, know a human mind and heart other than God, but if a source  keeps changing predictions when previous ones are proven wrong; consider that there are possible financial reasons for the source to promote conspiracy theories.

• Not just ideological reasons, but also financial reasons. 

• Especially when this 'reshuffling' continues on for years.

• I recently watched an online presentation  which revised  recent failed predictions, that were not really acknowledged as such. But the source still claimed to be usually correct. The source also promoted a book by that source and provided a visible set link to buy gold on the website.

• Not just ideological reasons, but also financial reasons. This can be true in both political and prophetic religious contexts, as examples.

Burned eye/A little on Fideism

Image one: VGH/UBC

Last evening on Zoom, as our home group/bible study leader asked how we were; I informed the group that my one eye was recovering from the most recent steroid injection with the 27 gauge needle, My surgeon opined that some of the steroid had leaked onto the eye causing the burning on the eye and eye lid.

Oh, that explains it (getting better). I was wondering why under my eye was burned a bit. But our home group/bible study leader did not want to hear about it... 

The sclera (white) of the eye is still recovering. It looked like it was growing into the iris with three white spots on my green/blue iris, but rather the sclera was swollen and is less is so now. I can barely see one white spot at this point, in the mirror.

I think I have a found a social way to end conversations, that is even better than mentioning lame conspiracy theories with no significant, evidential support. (I look normal)

Image two: Twitter

Blackburn

Blackburn writes that fideism takes a pessimistic view concerning the role of reason for achieving divine knowledge. The emphasis is instead on the merits of acts of faith. Blackburn (1996: 139).

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

Stanford

'The term itself derives from fides, the Latin word for faith, and can be rendered literally as faith-ism.'

'Fideism” is the name given to that school of thought—to which Tertullian himself is frequently said to have subscribed—which answers that faith is in some sense independent of—if not outright adversarial toward—reason. In contrast to the more rationalistic tradition of natural theology, with its arguments for the existence of God, fideism holds that reason is unnecessary and inappropriate for the exercise and justification of religious belief.'

According to R.K. Johnston, fideism is a term used by Protestant modernists in Paris in the late 19th century. It is often used as a pejorative term to attack various strands of Christianity as forms of irrationalism. Johnston (1999: 415). Fideists, following Kant, who noted that reason cannot prove religious truth is said to base their religious understanding upon religious experience alone. Reason is believed to be incapable of establishing faith's certainty or credibility. Johnston (1999: 415). Grenz, Guretzki and Nordling note that fideism states religious and theological truth must be accepted without the use of reason. Grenz, Guretzki and Nordling (1999: 51). An extreme form of fideism states that reason misleads one in religious understanding. Grenz, Guretzki and Nordling (1999: 51).

Johnston explains that the concept of fideism has little value as most theologians would not deny the use of reason. The term fideism is useful when it describes an excessive emphasis on the subjective aspects of Christianity. Johnston (1999: 415).

Agreed. My approach is the use of practical reason, academic reason, including revelation from the biblical scripture while prayerfully seeking God's guidance.

Search Fideism

Kant explains in The Critique of Practical Reason that the noumena realm is the theoretical department of knowledge denied, while the phenomena realm is one’s own empirical consciousness. All positive speculative knowledge should be disclaimed for the noumena realm according to Kantian thought. Kant concludes the text by noting that the phenomena realm is the external realm where consciousness has existence. The noumena realm is invisible and has true infinity where Kant believes one can reason that contingent personality is dependent on the universal and necessary connection to the invisible world. Kant (1788)(1898)(2006: 100).

Search Kant

BLACKBURN, SIMON (1996) Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy, Oxford, Oxford University Press.

GRENZ, STANLEY J., DAVID GURETZKI and CHERITH FEE NORDLING (1999) Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms, Downers Grove, Ill., InterVarsity Press.

JOHNSTON, R.K.(1996) ‘Fideism’, in Walter A. Elwell (ed.), Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, Grand Rapids, Baker Books.

KANT, IMMANUEL (1788)(1898)(2006) The Critique of Practical Reason, Translated by Thomas Kingsmill Abbott, London, Longmans, Green, and Co. http://philosophy.eserver.org/kant/critique-of-practical-reaso.txt 

Reply to The Jeff: Final Events?

Reply to The Jeff: Final Events?

Comments from

Monday, January 18, 2021: Final Events III: Chapter 1 Review

REDFERN, NICK (2010) Final Events: And The Secret Government Group On Demonic UFOS And The Afterlife, San Antonio/New York, Anomalist Books.

The Jeff 

Cited

"Final Events: And The Secret Government Group On Demonic UFOS And The Afterlife" 

Wow, if I saw that title in a bookstore or online, to me, judging merely by the title, it would seem to scream, "CONSPIRACY THEORY!" 

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Thank you, Jeff. As noted on the entry, on this book review, I do not have any position in relative certainty.

Mr. Redfern is a full-time author, lecturer and journalist. (Back cover). 

Amazon

Cited

For decades, stories of alien abductions, UFO encounters, flying saucer sightings, and Area 51 have led millions of people to believe that extraterrestrials are secretly among us. But what if those millions of people are all wrong? What if the UFO phenomenon has much darker and far more ominous origins? For four years, UFO authority Nick Redfern has been investigating the strange and terrifying world of a secret group within the U.S. Government known as the Collins Elite. The group believes that our purported alien visitors are, in reality, deceptive demons and fallen angels. They are the minions of Satan, who are reaping and enslaving our very souls, and paving the way for Armageddon and Judgment Day. 

In FINAL EVENTS you'll learn about the secret government files on occultists Aleister Crowley and Jack Parsons, and their connections to the UFO mystery; revelations of the demonic link to the famous "UFO crash" at Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947; the disclosure of government investigations into life-after-death and out-of-body experiences; and an examination of the satanic agenda behind alien abductions. FINAL EVENTS reveals the stark and horrific truths about UFOs that some in the government would rather keep secret. 

Dr. Raymond W Boeche

Cited 

Founder and former director of the Fortean Research Center, The Reverend Dr. Raymond W. Boeche has been involved in the study of unexplained phenomena since 1965. He has served as Nebraska State Director for the Mutual UFO Network, on the Board of Advisors for Citizens Against UFO Secrecy, and in various capacities with numerous other organizations around the world, involved in the study of unexplained phenomena. 

Boeche has delivered juried papers at two MUFON International Symposia; was retained by the University of Nebraska as a consultant to organize, host, and present research papers at two major international conferences on the unexplained in 1982 and 1983. He has had numerous articles published, as well 4 books: a collection of his writings, "An Anthology of the Unexplained"; "The Collected Annals of the Journal of the Fortean Research Center"; "Bloodless Cuts: The Complete Collected Works of Thomas R. Adams"; and "A Time to Stand: When Government Turns Its Back on God." 

Boeche is well-known as one of the primary investigators of the 1980 Bentwaters (UK) UFO incident. He is also recognized for his extensive work in the areas of animal mutilations, out-of-place animal sightings, Bigfoot reports, the Men-in-Black phenomenon, and occult religions and philosophies.

His research has often been cited in national publications such as Omni and Fate magazine, and in books by researchers such as Loren Coleman, Janet and Colin Bord, Jenny Randles, Jerome Clark, Timothy Good, and others. He has contributed to the Time-Life book series Mysteries of the Unexplained, the LBS Communications production "UFO Coverup. . . Live!" for the Fox Television Network, and Guennette Productions’ Home Box Office special, "UFO’s, What on Earth is Happening?"

He helped produce and host a popular weekly radio call-in talk show, Exploring Unexplained Phenomena for three years, is a frequent guest on other talk shows, and a popular speaker on theology and the unexplained. 

Cited 

As a theologian and apologist, Dr. Boeche headed an outreach to the academic community and the 'New Age' movement called "Reasonable Defense" from 1987 through 1994.

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From my non-exhaustive research, both Mr. Redfern and Dr. Boeche appear as legitimate researchers on the subject of UFOs and their possible ontological sources. As a theologian and philosopher of religion, I find it very interesting that representatives and physicists (these two physicists were both Christians, page 2), from the US Department of Defense would consider extradimensional alternatives to extraterrestrial UFO theory.

The Jeff

 I knew a guy years ago who thought that the Knights Templar, other groups and individuals (i.e., the "Black Pope," and ultimately Satan), controlled all world events. He was not a Christian (I think he was a non-practicing Catholic), and one time when I mentioned the word "Satan," he became terrified and told me, "Don't say that name!!" He was paranoid for sure. 

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Right, and we just need solid, reasonable, evidence and proof. That one reads more like a fictional book/film than reality.

Note: "Black Pope" -contrasted with the white garb of the Pope Title: Superior General of the Society of Jesus First holder: Ignatius of Loyola The thirty-first and current Superior General of the Jesuits is Arturo Sosa from Venezuela, elected by the 36th General Congregation on October 14, 2016.

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I do not support the idea of any Pope...

The Jeff 

"Quote: 'And part of this effort was to try and control the NHE's and use their powers in military weapons applications and in intelligence areas, such as remote-viewing and psychotronic weapons.' (2)." That is so bizarre and crazy. 

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Sad commentary on the United States of America and the Western World, if significantly true.

The Jeff 

If I remember correctly, in Billy Graham's book, "Angels: God's Secret Agents," which I read many years ago, Billy Graham states that UFOs (other than the ones that have been shown to be weather balloons, fakes, etc.) are demons in disguise, apparently, I would guess, trying to deceive human beings into believing falsehoods...presumably to lead them to something other than the gospel and biblical truth. 

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Well-stated, Saint Jeff of Florida.

Chuck followed the video--It did not work

East Tennessee State University

Actual quote cited 

The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. speaks from the pulpit on courage, Selma, AL, March 8, 1965. 

Deep down in our non-violent creed is the conviction there are some things so dear, some things so precious, some things so eternally true, that they're worth dying for. And if a man happens to be 36-years-old, as I happen to be, some great truth stands before the door of his life--some great opportunity to stand up for that which is right. 

A man might be afraid his home will get bombed, or he's afraid that he will lose his job, or he's afraid that he will get shot, or beat down by state troopers, and he may go on and live until he's 80. He's just as dead at 36 as he would be at 80. The cessation of breathing in his life is merely the belated announcement of an earlier death of the spirit. He died... 

A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right. A man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice. A man dies when he refuses to take a stand for that which is true. 

So we're going to stand up amid horses. We're going to stand up right here in Alabama, amid the billy-clubs. We're going to stand up right here in Alabama amid police dogs, if they have them. We're going to stand up amid tear gas! 

We're going to stand up amid anything they can muster up, letting the world know that we are determined to be free!

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As a biblical Christian of the Reformed tradition, I am opposed to racism. The gospel is open to all ethnic groups of all origins.

Galatians 3: 28: English Standard Version 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

1 Corinthians 12: 12-13 English Standard Version 12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves[d] or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. d 1 Corinthians 12:13 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface (Of the ESV)

δοῦλος/doulos

Bible Hub: 1 Corinthians 12:13 

Cited

δοῦλοι

1 Corinthians 12:13 N-NMP GRK: (Noun-Nominative, Masculine, Plural)

Ἕλληνες εἴτε δοῦλοι εἴτε ἐλεύθεροι 

NAS: Greeks, whether slaves or free, 

KJV: whether [we be] bond or 

INT: Greeks whether slaves or free

End citation 

Nominative is the subject of the sentences. 'Whether slaves or free'.

The gospel is available to all ethnic groups through knowing God within regeneration salvation (justification, sanctification), through God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, via the atoning work of Jesus Christ on the cross, and his resurrection, applied to believers.

Racism should not be an issue or problem within the Christian Church where people are actually regenerate (Titus 3, John 3) and reasonably understand the love and truth of God.

Recent comments & replies to The Jeff on Satire Und Theology (Blue) and Dr. Russell Norman Murray (Red)

 

Facebook: January 8, 2021

Brief Tuesday Bullets: British Columbia, Alberta, Florida, Norway and Australia

• The discomfort and suffering of my one, amblyopic, myopic eye, from a 27 gauge needle and its affects, three times and counting, is made worth it  by slightly improved vision, in comparison to before the injection.

• I am thankful to VGH/UBC (the photo is of the actual needle, the previous time) for the treatment.

• Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; Save me and I will be saved, For You are my praise. Jeremiah 17:14 New American Standard Bible (NASB), I am thankful to God.

• Notice the Donation button, top right: After 17 years of website work on Blogger with two related websites, I have been informed by some in  professional ministry that my Zoom meetings and website work are ministry. 

• Pondering on it, as I provide ministry, often difficult academic work and education, receiving donations is moral, ethical and just, There is no expectation that this will now, or in the future, be my main source of income.

• Our (pandemic era) Zoom meeting is every Saturday, Please email me at rnmred@gmai.com, if interested and a nice person. Our meetings have featured people from British Columbia, Alberta, Florida, Norway and Australia.

27 gauge needle II

My special eye injection today was from a 27 gauge needle. I felt no pain, as VGH/UBC made it so, thanks to eye drops and a local anesthetic.

However, once again it is like being punched in the eye. Polysporin Antibiotic Eye Drops helps, and a dark room.

I just bought this...I should keep this in my SUV for quick washes while on the road

 

Perihelion from Arne

Arne Kaare Novik: The Norwegian Benny Hill, stated on Zoom last evening that the earth was closest to the Sun on January 2, 2021.

I looked it up.

NASA's Solar Dynamic Observatory: The Sun

Earth closest to sun on January 2, 2021 Posted by Bruce McClure in tonight | January 1, 2021

Cited 

Our planet Earth will reach its closest point to the sun for 2021 on January 2, at 13:51 UTC. In United States time zones, that’s January 2 at 8:51 a.m. Eastern Time, 7:51 a.m. Central Time, 6:51 a.m. Mountain Time, 5:51 a.m. Pacific Time, 4:51 a.m. Alaskan Time and 3:51 a.m. Hawaiian Time. Translate UTC to your time. Astronomers call this celebrated point in Earth’s elliptical orbit around the sun perihelion, from the Greek roots peri meaning near and helios meaning sun.

Cited 

At its closest point, Earth swings to within 91,399,453 miles (147,093,162 km) of the sun. That’s in contrast to six months from now, when the Earth reaches aphelion – its most distant point – on July 5, 2021. Then we’ll be 94,510,889 miles (152,100,533 km) from the sun.

Cited 

In other words, Earth is roughly 3 million miles (5 million km) closer to the sun in early January than it is in early July. That’s always the case. Earth is closest to the sun every year in early January, when it’s winter for the Northern Hemisphere. We’re farthest away from the sun in early July, during our Northern Hemisphere summer.

Cited

In the Northern Hemisphere, the summer season (June solstice to September equinox) lasts nearly five days longer than our winter season. And, of course, the corresponding seasons in the Southern Hemisphere are opposite. Southern Hemisphere winter is nearly five days longer than Southern Hemisphere summer.

Library of Congress

Cited 

It is all about the tilt of the Earth’s axis. Many people believe that the temperature changes because the Earth is closer to the sun in summer and farther from the sun in winter. In fact, the Earth is farthest from the sun in July and is closest to the sun in January! 

During the summer, the sun’s rays hit the Earth at a steep angle. The light does not spread out as much, thus increasing the amount of energy hitting any given spot. Also, the long daylight hours allow the Earth plenty of time to reach warm temperatures. 

During the winter, the sun’s rays hit the Earth at a shallow angle. These rays are more spread out, which minimizes the amount of energy that hits any given spot. Also, the long nights and short days prevent the Earth from warming up. Thus, we have winter!

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Admittedly, I am not a scientist, but I had learned, I think in grade school, that the earth's tilt and axis determined the seasons in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

Oxford Dictionary of Science, (2010), Sixth Edition, Oxford, Oxford University Press.

Cited

Perihelion

The point in the solar orbit of a planet, comet, or other solar system object, natural or artificial, at which it is nearest to the sun. (609). 

This text states that in the 21st century, the perihelion is on or about January 3. (609).

Aphelion, is defined in the same way in Oxford, but is when the earth is farthest from the sun. (50). In the 21st century, it is on or about July 4. (50).

Notice the slight difference in the dates provided from sources...

If you will have to apologize, if found out; do not commit the act in the first place

1. Facebook image: Thank you to the Norwegian Benny Hill. 

2. If you will have to apologize, if found out; do not commit the act in the first place.