Please note, Church of the Holy Spork has now been filed under Preserved Sites.
Along with the Church of Spork, you may now enjoy Theologica (dot) net and Behind the Myth of Jesus of Nazareth.
These are two of the websites that led me to investigate Paul’s influence over the Christian faith as we know it today.
Why Do Men Not Read As Much As Women? « Man Vs Books Club!
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Why Do You Think Men Don’t Read As Much As Women? We welcome your comments!
For the most part, I see reading has been something the modern male doesn’t get much out of. Set them down in front of a football game or the latest episode of Top Gear and they are happy, give them a copy of the newest Stephen King novel and they would rather have a beer. If it takes to long to get to the punch line, men tend to loose interest.
We could use the old argument that men are more visual than women, but some studies are starting to say that this is pure bunk.
In the end, I think it might have something to do with our culture. Men are encouraged at a very young age to be more physical and athletic, whereas, for the most part, women are encouraged to be more cerebral. Most guys that read are quickly labeled nerds and geeks.
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The New Complete Works of Josephus
Translated by William Whiston (1662-1752)
Commentary by Paul L. Maier
William Whiston “was an English mathematician and historian who succeeded Isaac Newton as the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge.[1]“ While this is the most well known translation of Antiquities of the Jews, it is not the most preferred version in academic circles. This said, it is still a good rendering of the text into English. It has been in constant print since 1737 and is the version most have encountered.
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Paul L. Maier “is the Russell H. Soibert Professor of Ancient History at Western michigan University.[1]” He is noted for his Josephus: the Essential Works, which appears to the source for much of the commentary. His illumination of the translated text provides interesting insights and clarifications that make reading this volume less cumbersome and more enjoyable. Continue reading
First of all, let me say that as a guy I don’t have much to say when it comes to abortion. I believe that is the right of the individual to make up their own mind on carrying a pregnancy to term. As far as abortion being murder, that is between the individual and their god. But if a woman is going to have an abortion, I would like to see them have the ability to go to a sanitary, fully functional, and licensed clinic with out having to resort to back alley operations that could extinguish the life of the mother due to infection or botching of the procedure.
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That being said, here is some interesting tidbits about earlier Christian views of when the soul or life begins in an unborn fetus.
My Take: Bible condemns a lot, so why focus on homosexuality? – CNN Belief Blog – CNN.com Blogs
The community opposed to gay marriage has also departed from the Christian tradition on another issue at the heart of its social agenda: abortion.
Unbeknownst to most lay Christians, the vast majority of Christian theologians and saints throughout history have not believed life begins at conception. Although he admitted some uncertainty on the matter, the hugely influential 4th and 5th century Christian thinker Saint Augustine wrote, “it could not be said that there was a living soul in [a] body” if it is “not yet endowed with senses.” Continue reading
“The Spirit of Albion” Featuring music from Damh the Bard.
I feel kinda iffy about this movie. I love Damh the Bard and his music but…I Dunno guys. I dunno.
Looks interesting. Will have to see what else is out there about it. Wonder if PCP has anything on it?
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The media is great at coining words and phrases in an effort to make them stick in the minds of the public, but these get to be totally annoying after awhile. One example of the press doing this, ”STICKS NIX HICK PIX” found as the headline for Variety 17 July 1935, has become the most remembered headline in history. Unfortunately, some words found in these headlines make their way into our every day vocabulary and begin to clutter our language. Continue reading
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The 20th century is considered to be the most fateful of all centuries with its tragedies in two world wars, the rise of communism as well as the triumphs in technologies that remain unparalleled against all of man s existence in recorded history. It is also a period that saw the most prophetic apparitions ever made in a small Portuguese town of Fatima in 1917.
Much of the visions contained in three distinct secret messages known as the Three Secrets of Fatima have been revealed, notable the first two messages which predicted the 2nd World War and the doctrinal threat of Communist totalitarianism that engulfed Russia.
These have been committed to paper by the lone surviving visionary, Sister Lucia Santos and deposited in the Vatican at the time. They were revealed by the Pope John Paul II in 2000 though many dispute that the third secret was accurate.
Not as Apocalyptic as Speculated Excerpting the text of the 3rd secret, we can read and see that while the message provides some disturbing imagery, it fails to live up to all the speculated third world war, church apostasy, or end of the world scenarios that the secret has created in the minds of many.
…at the left of Our Lady and a little above, we saw an Angel with a flaming sword in his left hand; flashing, it gave out flames that looked as though they would set the world on fire; but they died out in contact with the splendour that Our Lady radiated towards him from her right hand: pointing to the earth with his right hand, the Angel cried out in a loud voice: Penance, Penance, Penance! . And we saw in an immense light that is God: something similar to how people appear in a mirror when they pass in front of it a Bishop dressed in White we had the impression that it was the Holy Father . Other Bishops, Priests, men and women Religious going up a steep mountain, at the top of which there was a big Cross of rough hewn trunks as of a cork tree with the bark; before reaching there the Holy Father passed through a big city half in ruins and half trembling with halting step, afflicted with pain and sorrow, he prayed for the souls of the corpses he met on his way; having reached the top of the mountain, on his knees at the foot of the big Cross he was killed by a group of soldiers who fired bullets and arrows at him, and in the same way there died one after another the other Bishops, Priests, men and women Religious, and various lay people of different ranks and positions. Beneath the two arms of the Cross there were two Angels each with a crystal aspersorium in his hand, in which they gathered up the blood of the Martyrs and with it sprinkled the souls that were making their way to God.
Controversial Secret:
The Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) declared that the third secret must be a disappointment to many expecting more revealed mystery or dire prediction. The revealed third Fatima secret has since spawned controversy as many critics argue it is not the original one as what was revealed was handwritten on 4 pages instead of the original single page revelation that contained the words of the Blessed Virgin and not from a mere narrative description.
It also came originally in the form of letter to the Bishop of Leira which the revealed handwritten secret was not and should have contained information about the Apocalypse, and the Satanic infiltration of the Catholic Church. The Vatican remains firm that nothing of that sort is contained in the 3rd Fatima secret.
I respect you for having your beliefs.. but in the Bible… it’s a sin to try and have power. Christian means following in God’s footsteps and trying to please him. Mixing the two just seems strange. (some bits removed)
It is a sin to have power?
James 1:5-8 If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open. - Bible Gateway
If you believe that Wisdom is equal to power, then by this verse alone you are allowed to ask for power. When Solomon was offered anything in the world to be given him by God, he asked for Wisdom.
2 Chronicles 1:12 God answered Solomon, “This is what has come out of your heart: You didn’t grasp for money, wealth, fame, and the doom of your enemies; you didn’t even ask for a long life. You asked for wisdom and knowledge so you could govern well my people over whom I’ve made you king. Because of this, you get what you asked for—wisdom and knowledge. And I’m presenting you the rest as a bonus—money, wealth, and fame beyond anything the kings before or after you had or will have. – Bible Gateway
Because he mad an excellent choice, the God of Israel granted him even those things he did not ask for, or so the story goes.
Being a Christian has many meanings:
adjective: 1. Professing belief in Jesus as Christ or following the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus. 2. Relating to or derived from Jesus or Jesus’s teachings. 3. Manifesting the qualities or spirit of Jesus; Christlike. 4. Relating to or characteristic of Christianity or its adherents. 5. Showing a loving concern for others; humane.
noun: 1. One who professes belief in Jesus as Christ or follows the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus. 2. One who lives according to the teachings of Jesus.
The confusion here lies in that people are always equating Jesus to a supreme God. Jesus was a great teacher and claimed to be about the business of his Heavenly Father. Notice it says, “Jesus as Christ”; which means believing that Jesus was an anointed one. In the Jewish tradition, this anointment signified the person was either a Priest or a King.
One can follow a religion that is based on the life and teachings of Jesus and still call themselves Pagan. Jesus healed the sick and helped the poor. All qualities a person ignoring a narrow definition of the term Christian can posses without the trappings involved in what most people think of as mainstream Christianity.
Mixing the two paths sounds strange when you approach the concept with preconceived notions that they always cancel each other out. There are many out there that have found and embraced a way to mingle the two paths, most call this path The Trinitarian Tradition of Wicca.
Do not let our bias cloud your view of others, make sure your foot is true on our path and let others travel their’s.
Walking a Blended Path: A Brief Overview of Christo-Paganism » Online Pagans Magazine:
Great article on Christo-Paganism. It covers some aspects of Christo-Wicca.
Any system of religion that has anything in it that shocks the mind of a child, cannot be true.
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Belief in a cruel God makes a cruel man.
Every religion is good that teaches man to be good; and I know of none that instructs him to be bad.
Of all the tyrannies that affect mankind, tyranny in religion is the worst.
That God cannot lie, is no advantage to your argument, because it is no proof that priests can not, or that the Bible does not.
There are matters in the Bible, said to be done by the express commandment of God, that are shocking to humanity and to every idea we have of moral justice.
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