Monday Brief
Overcoming Adversity
The Foundation
"The value of liberty was thus enhanced in our estimation by the difficulty of its attainment, and the worth of characters appreciated by the trial of adversity." --George Washington
Inspiration
13-year-old Anna with daughter Josey Ann"I received an amazing email from Anna, who gave me permission to post her story and her name. ... 'When I was little I was molested for eight years by my stepfather. ... I got pregnant the first time when I was 12. I was scared and told him. He hit me and then loaded me up on drugs, telling my mom that I had been injured while out playing with some other kids. He killed my baby. ... When I was 13, I became pregnant again. This time I did not say anything to him. My mom noticed that my body was changing, even though I was only about two months along at the time, and asked me about it. ... I finally got the courage and told her everything. She immediately packed up my brother, sister, and I and took us to our Aunt's house. From there she called the police. ... In the end, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for molesting not only me but my sister. ... I was told by therapists, friends, teachers, family, and even strangers, that it would probably be best if I had an abortion; but I couldn't. ... It was harder than I have words to describe. But there are some things in life that are worth fighting for, and she was one of them. ... I decided to name her Josey Ann, after a character in a book I had read. On Friday, July 28, 1995, roughly six weeks before my due date, I went into labor. ... Words cannot express the joy I felt when we got to bring her home the day before I started the 7th grade. ... My mom was amazing, she watched my daughter so that I could finish school. I did graduate and was my class historian. I met a wonderful man who loves both me and my daughter, and we now have four children. ... It wasn't until I was 26 that I truly found a relationship with Jesus Christ. A wonderful neighbor of ours showed me how much Jesus loves me. Because He loves us, He gave us free will. My stepfather abused that gift when he abused me. But like Romans 8:28 says, God used something horrible to bring me one of the greatest blessings in my life. ... To anyone who is where I was, please hold on. You can make it, and your child will bring you more joy than you can imagine. It will be hard, but it is worth it.'" --LifeNews' Jill Stanek
Essential Liberty
"I was in surgery when the first Columbine victims arrived in our emergency room. As I was working to improve one child's life, my friends were downstairs trying to save others -- one cracking a chest and another tending a girl whose breast had been partially blown off by a shotgun. Trust me; I get it. ... Trashing our individual constitutional rights is not the answer to mass shootings. ... A society so denied becomes one obsessed not with doing the right thing, but with figuring out how to break the law. The inevitable result of violent misconduct is howling for the state to immediately pass more laws that restrain individual freedom to act, the diffusion of power away from the individual and to the state, and the increased risk that the state will become tyrannical and precipitate violence. When we ask our elected representatives to restrict our rights and our freedom of conduct, we are asking them to diminish our chances of becoming good and happy citizens. There once was a king who had only two laws -- 'Do as you please, and harm no one.' This is the simplest expression of liberty and of good governance. It is also the only regime under which citizens can fully learn the difference between right and wrong." --Patriot Post Grassroots contributor Cameron S. Schaeffer
Opinion in Brief
"Let's take one more step with the cry for stricter gun control laws. What would happen if our lawmakers were able to push through a bill ordering the confiscation of all firearms? Who would they immediately go after? You can bet your life it would be the law-abiding citizen. Why? Because they obeyed the law requiring registration of their firearms, government officials know where they reside and the good citizen will, in all likelihood, offer the path of least resistance. The criminals? Well, the criminals would get a free pass because they did not obey the law. So, it would be gun crime as usual on the streets of Chicago, Baltimore, New York, Washington, D.C., Houston and Los Angeles, while a mentally unstable person loads his guns and plans a mass shooting at a mall, church or school in your neighborhood. Welcome to the real world of Obama, Feinstein, Bloomberg and O'Malley gun control." --Patriot Post Grassroots contributor James H. Lilley
Government
"I think most people are missing the liberal thought pattern which is the biggest threat to our Liberty. The liberal argument to ban ... weapons is based on two and only two arguments. First argument is that 'no one really needs a rifle like the AR-15.' The second is that 'for the safety and common good, it is necessary to remove the right to own a weapon with military type features or a magazine that holds more than 10 rounds.' So let me make something perfectly clear: At no time are we required to justify our 'need' of anything to the federal government. As big of a threat to individual liberty that a ban on some particular weapons is and as bad a precedent that it sets for further gun grabbing by the federal government, it pales in comparison to the concept that the government can begin to base policy on the government deciding what the American citizen 'needs.' ... Really, when you come to think about it, removing a citizen's rights based on government defined needs is about as good a description of socialism as you can find and in reality, is the best explanation why citizens need the ability to defend themselves." --Patriot Post Grassroots contributor Scott Treichler
Insight
"Governments do not make ideals, but ideals make governments. This is both historically and logically true. Of course the government can help to sustain ideals and can create institutions through which they can be the better observed, but their source by their very nature is in the people. ... It is not the enactment, but the observance of laws, that creates the character of a nation." --President Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933)
Political Futures
"[T]he emotional heart of the State of the Union comprised three issues: immigration reform, climate change and gun control. ... How can it be springtime for liberalism when liberalism's top priorities aren't the public's top priorities? The remainder of Obama's agenda was fairly pathetic boilerplate. Hike the minimum wage! Redesign America's schools! Manufacturing hubs! Make-work programs! This is supposed to be liberalism reborn? Lame ideas cribbed from a playbook with 60 years of dust on it? Slogans hatched by pols who needed a few more nouns to round out Obama's sentences? Legislative initiatives that will cost Democrats seats in 2014 and beyond? Obama's State of the Union had the lowest ratings in 13 years for a reason -- and it's not that America is excited for a new golden age of liberalism. The momentum Obama feels is the pull of gravity, as he starts his fall." --columnist Jonah Goldberg
For the Record
"The president gives a performance [in his SOTU address], extremely animatedly, head swiveling from left-side prompter to right-side prompter, continually urging action now: 'Let's start right away. We can get this done. ... We can fix this. ... Now is the time to do it. Now is the time to get it done.' And at the end of the speech, nothing gets done, and nothing gets fixed, and, after a few days' shadowboxing between admirers and detractors willing to pretend it's some sort of serious legislative agenda, every single word of it is forgotten until the next one. In that sense, like Beyoncé lip-synching the National Anthem at the Inauguration, the State of the Union embodies the decay of America's political institutions into a simulacrum of responsible government rather than the real thing, and a simulacrum ever more divorced from the real issues facing the country." --columnist Mark Steyn
The Gipper
"The most dangerous myth is the demagoguery that business can be made to pay a larger share, thus relieving the individual. ... Business doesn't pay taxes, and who better than business to make this message known? Only people pay taxes, and people pay as consumers every tax that is assessed against a business." --Ronald Reagan
Faith and Family
"A healthy marriage culture helps the gold standard prevail, wherever possible, that children are raised by the parents who brought them into this world. ... The Supreme Court itself has repeatedly noted that marriage and the family are necessary foundations of a free and properly functioning democratic republic. This is why the state, although it did not create marriage, has consistently supported and encouraged its flourishing. In contrast, until very recently, no government in human history has ever officially recognized same-sex relationships as marriages, precisely because they do not further society's important interest in the natural procreation of the next generation of citizens. ... The erosion of marriage and the breakdown of the family in America have unleashed social problems that are all too real and must be remedied. But the remedy will not come by accepting same-sex 'marriage' as valid, necessary, or constitutionally required. Marriage does not need redefinition, but rededication to its core meaning, the union of one man and one woman, and to its core purpose, uniting children to their own mother and father." --columnist Ken Connelly
Culture
"The difference between Barack Obama and [Dr.] Ben Carson couldn't be more stark. Obama feeds class warfare and rails about growing up in America in a single parent home, without ever bothering to thank an America that bestowed him a life of privilege. Carson was goaded on to success by a mother whose motto is: 'Do your best and God will do the rest'. In his poverty-challenged youth, with a mother who steadfastly refused victim status, Carson was reading books, not writing them. Even with all odds stacked against him, Ben Carson went on to turn poverty into celebrated success. Meanwhile, there's a pall cast over [last week's] State of the Union address. It's the Hope & Change Americans see in Mrs. Sonya Carson's little boy, Benjamin Carson." --columnist Judi McLeod
Reader Comments
"Mark, thank you for easing my conscience in your column Obama's Progressive State of Disunion with your admission that you had better things to do than watch the SOTU last Tuesday. I wasn't going to; then I thought I should; then as I watched the Cabinet members file in my husband and I looked at each other and silently agreed that we would rather do something -- ANYTHING -- else. I couldn't allow myself to get worked up (again) over all the blatant lies and deception while the ignorant and sycophantic applaud their Emperor." --Christi in Georgia
"The SOTU address given by the impostor in chief was at best a punch line best delivered by a real comedian. The president has told most of these lies before and he still thinks we are going to believe him. The Democrats make me ill when they attempt to use the bodies of children to promote their anti-gun agenda. And I would remind them that the last time attempts were made to disarm the citizens of this country it didn't go as they planned. I would refer them to the history at Concord, known as 'The Shot Heard 'Round the World.' Oh but I forgot they don't teach History anymore do they?" --Kelly in Blue Springs, Missouri
"This disgraceful president uses semantics to convince himself he's not a liar. When he says his proposals won't add one dime to the deficit he isn't lying because it's not one dime, but far more than one. And when he took his oath he figures doing everything he can to undermine the Constitution is the best of his ability since he thinks the Constitution is bad for America." --Reed in Flint, Michigan
"We don't have a spending problem? HA! How can Obama, Pelosi, and the other NeoComs actually maintain a straight face while babbling such astoundingly stupid statements? Their insatiable appetite to tax and spend is driving our nation to destruction! Of course that's how they buy their votes. They promise everybody everything, and unfortunately, far too many voters are either freeloaders or completely out of touch with reality. But nothing is free." --Travis in Texas
"Let the sequester happen! Something has to wake the Democrats to the fact that the spending has to stop!" --Del Ray in Clearbrook, Minnesota
The Last Word
"Right now, politicians have the power to suddenly decide to tax us all at 100% and then spend the money replacing all of our roads with a high-speed rail system. What keeps them from doing that? Common sense? Come on, look at the morons we have in government -- Congress is filled with idiots who couldn't run a lemonade stand and who have grand visions to transform the nation. No, the only thing stopping them is that they're divided into two parties who viscerally hate each other. If they ever got along, a big new government overreach like the Patriot Act or a giant boondoggle like Obamacare would be passed every couple weeks. ... We American citizens have nothing protecting us -- except the two-party system. Playing half the government against the other half is the only thing keeping its power in check. ... If we ever see the parties start to get along, we have to come up with some completely made-up issue to keep them fighting, like climate change. ... So right now we should hope for headlines about a bipartisan agreement that was broken up when the senators started to bite each other. Then we'll know our country is safe." --columnist Frank J. Fleming
Semper Vigilo, Fortis, Paratus et Fidelis!
Nate Jackson for The Patriot Post Editorial Team
139 Comments
Bill DeFelice in McKeesport,PA.
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 11:12 AM
Anna,a true patriot,and wonderful Christian. Every one urged abortion,because of troublesom burdens. Anna chose to be a mother,out of love. At the age of 12,she showed remarkable maturity. Not like some Fluke broad,we heard from.
Howard Last in Wyoming
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 8:21 PM
How come the child molester was only given 10 years instead of a swift execution?
John in Texas
Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at 10:29 PM
Good question! In Israel, he would have been stoned to death. In early America, he would have been hanged. In early South Africa, he would have been shot. In modern day U.S.A., he gets free housing for ten years at the expense of taxpayers? What in the world?
Rifleman in Nawth Jawja
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 11:29 AM
Irena Sandler used her position as a "social worker" to secretly rescue 2,500 Jewish children from the Warsaw ghetto during WWII.
She was eventually discovered and captured by the Nazis who tortured her by breaking both of her arms and legs. They beat the bottoms of her feet with a steel bar.
She narrowly escaped execution. With help from partisans, she was spirited to safety.
After the War, she returned to Warsaw where she lived out her life, dying in 2008, well into her 90s.
For her heroism and personal sacrifice, she was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
The Prize was awarded instead to algore for his "save the planet" video.
Rifleman in Nawth Jawja
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 11:33 AM
Please excuse the typo.
It's SENDLER, not SANDLER.
Georgia Tiger in Georgia
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 11:33 AM
Were you aware of this law? DICK ACT of 1902 - CAN'T BE REPEALED (GUN CONTROL FORBIDDEN) - Protection Against Tyrannical Government It would appear that the administration is counting on the fact that the American Citizens don't know this, their rights and the constitution. Don't prove them right. The Dick Act of 1902 also known as the Efficiency of Militia Bill H.R. 11654, of June 28, 1902 invalidates all so-called gun-control laws. It also divides the militia into three distinct and separate entities. ** SPREAD THIS TO EVERYONE ** The three classes H.R. 11654 provides for are the organized militia, henceforth known as the National Guard of the State, Territory and District of Columbia, the unorganized militia and the regular army. The militia encompasses every able-bodied male between the ages of 18 and 45. All members of the unorganized militia have the absolute personal right and 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms of any type, and as many as they can afford to buy. The Dick Act of 1902 cannot be repealed; to do so would violate bills of attainder and ex post facto laws which would be yet another gross violation of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The President of the United States has zero authority without violating the Constitution to call the National Guard to serve outside of their State borders. The National Guard Militia can only be required by the National Government for limited purposes specified in the Constitution (to uphold the laws of the Union; to suppress insurrection and repel invasion). These are the only purposes for which the General Government can call upon the National Guard.
http://www.fourwinds10.net/siterundata/government/usconstitution/gun_control/news.php?q=1237163642
WarzoneB52 in Abingdon, MD
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 12:24 PM
Georgia Tiger, I did a search of the link you provided at the end and came back with no results? I will research the bill number you gave and see if that yields anything more. Hopefully it will, but you understand why none of this has seen the light of day thus far? If in fact that bill is still in effect the whole argument of the left is negated and we can't have that no can we? Also, if the ages are between 18 and 45 of "able bodied males" the left would still make the argument for gun control of men under and over the age of 45 and females.
Georgia Tiger in Georgia
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 1:21 PM
That was the site I found when I googled "Dick Act of 1902" I don't know why it didn't take you there!
Anton D Rehling in Olympia, WA
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 1:04 PM
just google Dick act 1902 and you can start with wiki info.
Anton D Rehling in Olympia, WA
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 1:23 PM
also the act is "Militia Act of 1903", google that and you will see the complete act by congress
Anton D Rehling in Olympia, WA
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 1:46 PM
found it http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=llsl&fileName=018/llsl018.db&recNum=357 copy and paste in address bar and there it is The Dick act
Anton D Rehling in Olympia, WA
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 1:48 PM
http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=llsl&fileName=018/llsl018.db&recNum=357
Tom Stark in Parkersburg, WV
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 8:51 PM
Yeah, and where was Congress when countless NG soldiers were sent overseas to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan? Asleep or knowingly playing dumb....or perhaps so ill-informed that they didn't even know.
Tom Perrett (real name) in Melbourne Australia
Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at 3:44 AM
I don't see no three classes in it
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MilitiaActof_1903
Frank in Fredericksburg, VA
Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 11:50 AM
You may want to check this site: http://www.snopes.com/politics/guns/dickact.asp. Says this is false.....
Hermit in Hazelhurst, WI
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 11:35 AM
What courage! She did the right thing! Truely a saint in the making!
Leslie R Steffen in Reedsburg
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 11:43 AM
What Strength, the moral fabric was a gift from God as her real introduction was later in life. She did more than I could have, May God Bless continue to bless this young lady and her family.
CB Jackson in Lexington KY
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 11:46 AM
"The administration's proposals will not add one dime to the deficit". Very accurate. They will most likely add a quarter, fifty cents, a buck, MORE!
RayC55 in Glen Head. NY
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 11:51 AM
God Bless you Jill. You are an example to all young woman who are beingd coerced into abortions.
Marc in Atlanta
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 11:56 AM
It is unfortunate that Anna, who already has suffered grossly, has been duped by lies to find comfort in medieval mythology. Why do we keep lying to our children? And why does a newsletter about American patriotism print a story about the abuse, then duping of this poor child? Why is such brainwashing inspirational and how does it belong in TPP?
Tom H. in Rock Island, IL
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 12:20 PM
And how is it any different from your modernistic scientistic lies? You know the one that states ... "In the beginning was nothing and that nothing exploded and then coalesced in to something which then evolved from the ooze to you by means of the zoo". But then again maybe I just ain't as smart as you think you be.
Marc in Atlanta
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 12:59 PM
Tom, referring to science as "modernistic scientistic lies" puts your ignorance on full display. So, yes, you probably "ain't as smart as I think I be."
Tom H. in Rock Island, IL
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 1:04 PM
No response -- merely name calling? How am I ignorant? Which part of your "modernistic scientistic creation myth" was untrue?
Marc in Atlanta
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 1:15 PM
Correct, no response. If you believe in the supernatural and reject modern science, then there is nothing I can say in these brief comments to break you free from your brainwashing. I would suggest education and rational thought are good places to start, but, I suspect you will not pursue either; ignorance is bliss, right?
Tom H. in Rock Island, IL
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 1:17 PM
You're not only smarter than most you are also arrogant. Have a nice day.
Marc in Atlanta
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 1:27 PM
No. Claiming exclusive knowledge of the thinking of a supreme being is arrogant. Believing that a supreme creator of the universe has personal interest in you and listens to your prayers is arrogant. Believing that the universe and all in it was created to support your existence is arrogant. Conversely, not holding those silly beliefs, but, rather, recognizing our insignificance, and drawing conclusions about the universe based on evidence, is both humble and honest.
Tom H. in Rock Island, IL
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 1:38 PM
Ah yes. The humble claiming great humility.
John in Texas
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 8:38 PM
Marc, we can only know God to the extent that He has revealed Himself to us through His Word the Bible, and through all the amazing things He has created. Concerning prayer, it would be arrogant to belittle or ignore prayer, because God's Word says this: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 4:6-7 I agree that the idea that the universe centers around mankind is arrogant, but I would go further and call such an idea blasphemous. The universe was primarily created to glorify the Creator. It belongs to Him, and it exists for the glory of His Holy Name. Of course, even a casual reading of Scripture makes it obvious that God gave Man authority over the earth and told him to take dominion of it, but this is for His glory, not ours. You mentioned the importance of "recognizing our insignificance," but to reject Jesus Christ is to elevate yourself to the very significant position of Moral Judge. When this fatal step is taken, truth becomes a relative term that means absolutely nothing, and Man gets to decide what's right and what's wrong. Many of our terrible political problems exist because of this mindset. If you're really serious about using the evidentiary method (as I am), here's a good place to start: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." -Genesis 1:1
Marc in Atlanta
Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at 8:48 AM
John, I respect your right to believe whatever you choose. However, when you base your beliefs on one book that is demonstrably full of historical inaccuracies, contradicts itself, has been edited and revised repeatedly to suit the politics of the time, was written by many unknown sources through eras of heavy superstition, is riddled with repugnant immorality, and contradicts much of the latest thinking in science and logic, then your beliefs are subject to be questioned.
John in Texas
Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at 10:03 PM
Marc, by God's grace I have been spared from ever basing my beliefs on whatever it is you are describing. My faith in Jesus Christ is based upon His own integrity. I take Him at His Word. In stark contrast to the book you were talking about, His Word the Bible is demonstrably full of historical, impeccable truth, is internally coherent throughout all of both Testaments, "lives and abides forever," cannot be destroyed, was written by the Holy Spirit of God through His people, is vividly distinct from contemporary writings, displays the mighty works and perfect holiness of God, shows human depravity for what it is, contradicts pagan superstition from age to age, serves as a foundation for the very existence of reason, logic, and science, warns mankind of our due punishment, and tells how we can be saved from the lake of fire by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. Herein rests my faith: in the character of Christ Jesus the King. If you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, you will be saved.
Marc in Atlanta
Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 10:11 AM
John, if you could only step out of your delusional state, you would see how utterly ridiculous you sound. Really. Its comparable to me insisting that Santa Claus is real. I have all the evidence I need and there is just nothing you can say to make me change my mind. Unfortunately, you surround your delusional worldview by those similarly deluded. This provides reinforcement and comfort, such that you never need to look elsewhere for possible truths. And so you wont. Sad.
John in Texas
Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 5:11 PM
May the Lord bless you, Marc, with a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." -John 14:6
Lisa in MD
Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at 9:48 AM
Very well put. Nice post.
Lisa in MD
Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at 9:49 AM
This post was to John post.
John in Texas
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 8:52 PM
"Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have departed from the faith.
Grace be with you all."
1 Timothy 6:20-21
WTD in AZ
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 10:06 PM
Texas John and other Christians responding to Marc. Knowing that faith is a gift of God (EPH 2:8), wouldn't it be a great "told you so" moment for us, and the Heavenly Host to have the glorified Christ do to Marc what He did to Paul on that road to Damascus !
WTD in AZ
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 10:22 PM
Texas John and the other Christians responding to Marc. He doesn't know it but he is being biblical; to the natural man the Cross is foolishness
Marc in Atlanta
Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at 8:55 AM
To the thinking man, the cross is a tool the Romans used to torture and execute. The cross is not foolishness. But having a blind superstitious faith that a supreme creator of the universe would create man, impregnate man with himself, have himself be tortured and killed by his creation, then raise himself from the dead to reunite himself with himself, all without a single shred of evidence... now that's foolishness.
Bruce R Pierce in Owensboro, Ky
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 10:41 PM
There are two questions that can not be explained; 1 How nothing can create something? 2 How intelligence comes from non-intelligence?
I am something therefore something created me; I am intelligent therefore whatever created me is intelligent. I am all the proof I need that an intelligent being created me. It takes more faith to believe that we humans let alone the entire Universe came into being by accident than it does to accept the fact that something with intelligence created us. What we believe that intelligent being is between us and that intelligent being that gave us Life and the Liberty to live it as we choose.
Marc in Atlanta
Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at 8:51 AM
Bruce, then who created god? If nothing, then your own logic fails. If something, then god is not really ultimate.
Bruce R Pierce in Owensboro, Ky.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at 2:10 PM
God being and infinite being was always there and always will be. You will be given a chance to meet Him someday, what you decide then will determine how you spend the rest of your days.
Marc in Atlanta
Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 10:14 AM
Bruce, how can you be so certain that an invisible supernatural intelligence, (for which there is no evidence) is infinite, but that everything else (for which there IS evidence) had to have been created by said invisible supernatural intelligence?
wjm in Colorado
Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at 10:18 AM
Wow Marc, ignorance is bliss? You must be one happy ignoramus. You can spout your atheist drivel all you want, but don't denigrate those who belive in a power higher than man and government, and have reason to celebrate life. Their facts are as provable as yours..
Marc in Atlanta
Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 10:21 AM
wjm - 1) I celebrate life because it is rare, precious, and will end soon. Those are very good reasons. 2) I denigrate anyone who draws conclusions about existence based on one book of dubious origin, full of dark ages superstition, gross immorality, and demonstrable error. Their facts are NOT "as provable as mine". I make no claim to knowledge about origins or meaning of life. I only can know the current limit of human knowledge, which has not resolved those questions. Where we differ, is that I do not take the illogical next step and assign what is beyond the limit of current human knowledge to a supernatural entity of my own design. That is folly.
Paul B. in Minnesota
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 1:57 PM
Marc, in your chronistic snobbery, you dismiss Anna's worldview as "medieval mythology" while failing to realize you profess ancient Grecian philosophers' superstitions such as spontaneous generation (today dressed up with pseudoscientific trappings and relabeled evolution) and a universe limited to solely material phenomena, with no plausible source for the information required to form life. Indeed, you have fallen for literally the oldest lie in the book, "Yeah, has God said? ..." I am concerned that in your pride you continue to let your beliefs go unexamined; they are not as rational or consistent with reality as you think they are. Why do you keep lying to yourself? Why do you continue to deprive yourself of the Light?
Marc in Atlanta
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 7:11 PM
Forming my worldview based on science, logic, reason, and common sense is hardly snobbery. Forming a worldview based on a book written in the dark ages by a haphazard group of susperstitious men, riddled with contradictions and historical errors, and repugnant morality, is folly. Tricking a traumatized child to do so is tantamount to child abuse. You fall into the trap known as "god of the gaps". Just because science does not yet have all of the answers does not make it reasonable to insert supernatural explanations into those gaps in knowledge. Ancients attributed eclipses, volcanoes, the rising and setting of the sun, tides, etc. to the supernatural because they did not understand. Over time, science explained all of these. You are doing the same thing that the ancients did; you are drawing conclusions for which there is no evidence, out of ignorance.
R.K Sprau in L.C. N.M.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at 1:45 AM
Interesting point. to bad you are correct. We take Bible based on faith. In the Bible it even says faith is evidence of things not seen, You say the Bible inconstant that it is for if it wasn't edited and re-edited thousands of times then there would be more inconstinicies. An example would be Lord Prayer, KJV, (For thine is the power and the glory forever Amen.) This isn't Gods word, it is King James who added the doxology and since he was the king and no one wanted a red hot poker rammed where the sun didn't shine, they all agreed he had the divine right to change and add to the Bible. I have no clue who you are yet you don't know the half of it. Last year I made a specific point of all the different ways people translated the Bible, omitted words, deliberately translated words, (Yes we have very technical terms for each one). What they have, we have, you have is faith for this is all we have. If we didn't have faith then we would degenerate as a person and as a society, into self serving barely intelligent life forms. They believe, for belief is all what most of us have. For the rest of you, the term is "Deistic Evolution."
Marc in Atlanta
Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at 9:03 AM
RK, the best thing about fiction is that you can make it up and change it at will to suit your needs. Men would definitively NOT degenerate without a blind faith in the stories that other men tell them. And that is really what your faith is... it is not faith in god or the bible, it is faith in what other men tell you. Men that have agendas and authority over you. Men who do not want their power, their social order, their culture to be disrupted or overturned. So they make it a virtue to not question their stories, and they reinforce it with threats of eternal punishment and social ostracization. If there was truly a supreme creator of human intelligence, it seems highly unlikely that he would punish our inquisitiveness and demand blind obedience and worship. Think about it.
JtC in TX
Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at 8:56 AM
Marc, Show me one of those "contradictions" you mention.
Marc in Atlanta
Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at 9:07 AM
http://www.thethinkingatheist.com/page/bible-contradictions http://www.thethinkingatheist.com/page/bible-atrocities
JtC, please don't summarily dismiss these links because they are on an atheist site. Check it out with an open mind! The author of that site was once a devout Christian. He did not create the pages about biblical contradictions because he is an atheist; he became an atheist because he recognized the biblical contradictions.
JtC in TX
Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at 9:17 AM
First, the so-called contradictions are nothing new -they are pointed out by all who are in denial and without understanding. In order to argue against something you have to be learned in the subject. It is obvious that the "thinking atheist" has very little understanding of scripture. I'm not even a Pastor-Teacher and I could dismantle, line by line, every point he thinks he makes. But alas I'd be wasting my time as these things are spiritually discerned. Outside of the Gospel Message, which God has put on the hearts of all men, a non-believer cannot understand the scripture.
JtC in TX
Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at 9:22 AM
In Genesis 1:3-12 we see what is incorrectly taught to be the creation of the earth. In fact, it is the reparation/restoration of the earth. The creation of the earth is documented in Genesis 1:1 –“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” God created the earth fit to be dwelled upon, not chaotic and uninhabitable as Genesis 1:2 states as incorrectly translated from the Hebrew --“The earth WAS formless and void (Hebrew: chaos and vacancy (of angels)) . . .” [emphasis added] Reference Isaiah 45:18 –“For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens (He is the God who formed the earth and made it, He established it and DID NOT create it a waste place, but formed it to be inhabited)” [emphasis added]. Is this a contradiction in scripture? No! It is a mistranslation of the Hebrew text. The correct translation of Genesis 1:2 is –“The earth BECAME formless and void . . .” NOT “was” formless and void. In Genesis 1:1 God (actually Jesus (John 1:1-3, 14) but that’s another lesson!) created the earth at some point in eternity past (millions, billions, trillions of years ago?) to be inhabited by the angels (who inhabited it for an unknown to mankind period of time –millennia perhaps). Then, something happened between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2 to cause God to make the earth BECOME “chaos and vacancy”. What happened was the fall of Satan and ALL (not 1/3) of the angels. All angels rebelled with Satan but 1/3 of them rejected the reconciliation offer of God (Revelation 12:4; Colossians 1:19-20) –that also is another lesson. When Satan and the angels rebelled God caused the earth to become “chaos and vacancy” –vacant of the angels for an indeterminate period of time before the restoration of the earth in preparation for it to be inhabited by man (Genesis 1:3ff). The reason for the creation of man is also another lesson! THAT lesson teaches us the answer to the age-old “unanswerable” question, “what is the meaning of life?”
JtC in TX
Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at 9:22 AM
Ezekiel describes Satan and his fall: Ezekiel 28:11-18 –“Again the word of the LORD came to me saying, 12 “Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre (Satan) and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “You had the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 13 “You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The ruby, the topaz and the diamond; The beryl, the onyx and the jasper; The lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald; And the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets, Was in you. On the day that you were created They were prepared. 14 “You were the anointed cherub who covers, And I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked in the midst of the stones of fire. 15 “You were blameless in your ways From the day you were created Until unrighteousness was found in you. 16 “By the abundance of your trade You were internally filled with violence, And you sinned; Therefore I have cast you as profane From the mountain of God. And I have destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the stones of fire. 17 “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I put you before kings, That they may see you. 18 “By the multitude of your iniquities, In the unrighteousness of your trade You profaned your sanctuaries. Therefore I have brought fire from the midst of you; It has consumed you, And I have turned you to ashes on the earth In the eyes of all who see you.” Isaiah also describes Satan’s fall: Isaiah 14:12-15 – 12 “How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations! 13 “But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north. 14 ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ 15 “Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, To the recesses of the pit.
R.K. Sprau in L.C. N.M.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 3:20 AM
As a Historical Theologian I can show you 15,000. Actually I can probably come up with more. This does not negate God, what it does negate is what we think we know.
Marc in Atlanta
Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 10:34 AM
RK, you are a Christian apologist and will find ways to make sense (to you) about every illogical contradiction in the bible. I cannot change your mind. However, I will say that, if your all-knowing, all powerful god's goal was to convey his message to humanity in a clear, concise, understandable way, he did a crappy job. I agree with your last two sentences - the confusion of the bible does not negate god and it does negate what we think we know. I don't know if a god exists, and neither do you or anyone else. But, since there is no evidence for anything supernatural, I cannot draw the conclusion that a god exists. If such evidence is ever provided, I would be happy to draw a new conclusion. As far as the second part of your sentence, that is my main point. I am frequently called "arrogant" because I cannot share your conclusions about a god. But, I submit to you that staunchly defending as absolute truth, the bible as the inerrant word of god, is both arrogant and unreasonable. Hating and fighting wars based on the bible (or koran or any other "holy" book) is simply an excuse for doing bad things. The Nazi's belt buckles read "Gott Mit Uns" (God With Us). Really?! I treat all such claims with skepticism.
Edmund Ruffin in Augusta, GA
Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at 2:00 AM
Belief that all you see in your universe is pure coincidence and random happenstance is soon to be classified as a form of religion. If life, even at the most rudimentary level, is random, adaptable, and resilient, we should have some evidence of that on Mars. None so far. Dood... explain to your significant other that their significance is no more than a chemical reaction to your scientific brain. Should they depart, your random existence shall suffer none. There will be, at least, no logical reason to feel bad about it.
Marc in Atlanta
Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at 9:11 AM
Not really. Just because life is a product of a series of actions does not mean it is "random" and it does not mean that every environment is suitable to sustain life. I would also contend that we have substantial significance. Intelligent life appears to be rare and, therefore, is significant and precious. No need for superstitions about zombies rising from the dead to create significance or value.
Craig in Emeryville, CA
Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at 7:28 PM
I applaud the young woman for choosing life for her child. She shows character, which her assailant lacked. But how sad to imagine a god who would use or tolerate that kind of abuse in order to provide offspring. Such a god is incompetent, cruel, or both.
A healthier attitude would be to say that no child should have to suffer for the poor choices of his or her parents. Just because this child's father was a monster doesn't mean that the child should have been killed.
I understand the human tendency to give god the credit for what goes right, but giving him a pass on cruelty is beyond me.
Marc in Atlanta
Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 10:42 AM
Craig - agreed! I was recently unfriended on Facebook by a devout Christian who I challenged. She thanked god that a tree branch that fell on a car spared her nearby in her car. But, a young child was killed. So, I asked the question of why god chose to smite a 6 year old child. I was met with rage and disgust that I would pose such an insensitive question. Of course it was not insensitive of her to credit god for intervening to spare her life in the very event in which the child was killed. The fact that she, in her blind faith, could not even see her inconsistency is precisely the problem.
Todd Fowler in Colorado Springs, CO
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 12:00 PM
Anna, your willingness to be used by God is to be cherished and adopted by others. Thank you for braving the thought and bearing your soul to strangers. Then again you have to come to expect nothing less of yourself and the power of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Craig in Emeryville, CA
Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 2:56 AM
Am I the only one creeped out by the phrase "used by God"? Used? Used by anybody seems antithetical to the idea of liberty.
Marc in Atlanta
Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 10:45 AM
Yes. I am also creeped out by the concept of an all-powerful entity who watches everything I do, hears my every thought, and will punish or reward me based on that. I am creeped out by the Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation in which wine and bread are actually converted into blood and flesh and then consumed during mass. If the bible is the inerrant word of god, he is one creepy dude!
Bud in Colorado
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 12:01 PM
Our Colorado General Assembly is right now considering gun "control" measures. The liberal majority will pass these measures and go home feeling very smug and happy with themselves. But they will have accomplished nothing except take us further down the road to government controlling all aspects of our lives & no freedom & no Constitution. Reminds me of a "South Park" episode where all the people that bought hybrid cars were so smug that they liked the smell of their farts. These are the people that the low-information voters put ijn office for us.
Marc in Atlanta
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 12:03 PM
Dr. Ben Carson's repeated (ad naseum) references to the supernatural, and arrogant claiming to have knowledge of the will of the supernatural, completely undermines his otherwise-sound message. The man belongs in a church, but hopefully never a public office.
Tom H. in Rock Island, IL
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 12:35 PM
Why? Because he doesn't pass YOUR religious test?
Marc in Atlanta
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 1:02 PM
No. Because in 2013, anyone who continually references his imaginary invisible friend has a few screws loose; not to mention being terribly annoying and distracting from his otherwise-sound message.
Tom H. in Rock Island, IL
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 1:05 PM
So he doesn't pass YOUR religious test then.
Marc in Atlanta
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 1:17 PM
No. He doesn't pass any test of logic, evidence, reason, science, education, or common sense.
Tom H. in Rock Island, IL
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 1:19 PM
But of course you pass all of them. How very hubristic. Have a nice day.
Marc in Atlanta
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 1:31 PM
I make no arrogant claims here. It is Dr. Carson who makes claims to knowledge of the thinking, goals, and behavior of a supreme being, that is the height of arrogance.
MNIce in Minnesota
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 2:01 PM
Dr. Carson is only repeating what he heard from the God you deny. You can find it out for yourself, if you are brave enough to read a Bible with an open mind to its message. There's nothing arrogant about it; the Bible is very humbling, which is probably why you are afraid of it and do not understand people who subscribe to its teachings.
Marc in Atlanta
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 7:18 PM
I'm not afraid of mythology. Thor, Zeus, witches, demons, Jesus, Allah, zombies, ghosts, and the Great Pumpkin all make for great stories, but there is zero evidence for any of them. If Dr. Carson believes he is hearing things from the supernatural, it may be time for him to seek professional help. Basing your worldview on one ancient book of questionable origin, and in contradiction to libraries full of human knowledge, is ignorant and foolish.
WTD in AZ
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 9:55 PM
We certainly could use a lot more like Dr. Carson. Intelligent, industrious individuals working to benefit mankind; in his case, in the field of medicine.
R.K Sprau in L.C. N.M.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at 1:48 AM
The medical term is Schizophrenia
Marcus-Atlanta in Sautee Nacoochee
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 2:03 PM
There are "origin and development" theories. None factually can explain where matter came from; not logic, evidence, reason, science, education, religion, or common sense. It is absolutely arrogant for anyone to assume he knows the answer; it is beyond human comprehension. Darwin's theories, including the distorted versions prevalent today, seem to be the best ones around; to those who cling to religion, possibly an explanation of how God caused it. Attacking historical texts of the Old Testament to ridicule Christian beliefs of the New is an infantile argumentum ad ignorantium.
Marc in Atlanta
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 7:31 PM
Can't you see that I am not the one who claims to know the answer? This is not difficult folks. When you attribute things to god, when you claim to understand god's will, when you claim to know what god wants and what god will punish, it is you who are arrogantly claiming to know the answer. I question how you attained such profound knowledge, and the answer I get is "the bible". Then I am accuse of arrogance for asking the question or challenging the dubious source of your claim to knowledge. I don't know the answers, and neither do you. But, where we differ, is that I acknowledge that we don't know and I look forward to the day when human knowledge achieves those answers. You, on the other hand, insert a supernatural explanation, for which there is absolutely zero evidence. It is that that flies in the face of logic, science, and reason.
R.K Sprau in L.C. N.M.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at 1:53 AM
I need to concur, who knows the mind of God. earlier I read about science. In Hosea it plainly says, "I as will cause you to have an Abortion. In Joshua, God commanded the king of AI (Which was destroyed and abandoned around 1,0000 years prior to Joshua,) to be crucified. Not to long ago I quoted the Bible where the husband via the High Priest can cause an abortion. That one ticked a few people off. When we speak for God, are we hearing from God or hearing from ourselves? Is it a higher morality we claim or is it ours?
Marc in Atlanta
Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 10:50 AM
Thank you RK. How about God commanding Abraham to kill his son (ultimately spared, but think of the trauma) or biblical commands to kill disobedient children or beat slaves? The morality of the bible clearly reflects the superstitious era in which it was written. Ditto for the koran. Most modern Christians and Muslims are moral IN SPITE OF the teachings of their "holy" books. This suggests that the source of the morality is not those books.
rippedchef in sc
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 2:51 PM
yup,you must be right,how could the head of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins pass any test of logic,science ,education or common sense.I'm sure you are far more educated and infinitely smarter than a brain surgeon-hilarious really,that you have such a high opinion of yourself and lack the ability to grant to others the same freedoms you seem to enjoy.Poor Marc,sad really,a pathetic excuse for a man who has to tear down other people in order to elevate himself and defend his opinions.It's a damn shame that you can't simply disagree,present your side and move on-you seem to have the same need as the rest of your liberal friends,that being the need to belittle those who think differently.Not really what the founders had in mind but oh well,there's one in every crowd and Marc is that one.Enjoy the freedom provided by the sacrafice of men far better than you,not that you deserve it.
Marc in Atlanta
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 7:56 PM
rippedchef, you are committing the logical fallacy of appealing to authority. Using your flawed method, I could say "Einstein, Steven Hawking, Thomas Edison, Mark Twain, and Steve Jobs were/are all atheists. I'm sure you are infinitely smarter than all of these men, so your rejection of atheism makes sense. Hilarious, really, that you have such a high opinion of yourself." Your personal attacks on me also do nothing to support your beliefs. I'm not sure what my liberal friends have to do with this discussion. Interesting that you conclude that because I recognize that there is no evidence for the supernatural, you feel I am unworthy of freedom. Seems quite intolerant.
rippedchef in sc
Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at 10:59 AM
as usual you miss the point-calling out other's views as you do with all the negative ,name calling attacks is the point.Present your case,actually type answers to questions-don't just post some website,put your actual facts in play-at least you do admit you don't "know" and nobody can "know"-thats' where faith comes in.Good luck in your quest to feel better,hope bashing others helps,meanwhile I'll continue to live my life as I see fit,taking great care to steer clear of liberal know it alls.Funny thing though,when some catastrophic event befalls you or your children,you'll be calling out to God(notice the big G)
Marc in Atlanta
Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 10:54 AM
I generally "steer clear of liberal know it alls", too, though I sometimes attempt to show them the error of their ways, much as I am trying to do here. I assure you, in times of catastrophe I will not "be calling out to God" or Santa Claus.
rippedchef in sc
Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 12:21 PM
you must be very lonely,my guess would be single and childless.Yet another amazing prediction by SuperMarc,during a time of extreme duress you know exactly how you would act-forget the fact that it takes years of training and actual experience for professionals to gain some level of control during extreme situations-no it's simply another day for SuperMarc-another amazing example of liberal pomposity-keep posting please,this is the hardest I've laughed in weeks
john in kalamazoo
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 2:14 PM
you do realize that those who have a few screws loose are the ones who will be there to pull you out of the fire or quicksand, and are the only ones who will stand up for your right to express yourself in a negative way...
Bruce R Pierce in Owensboro, Ky
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 10:53 PM
What is the supernatural but that is outside Nature? Whoever Created Nature by definition is outside Nature; that makes believing in the Creator so natural. I a finite being cannot understand the infinite let alone the whys and how’s of my being here with everything that surrounds me, but my being here is all the proof I need that something with more power and wisdom than me Created me.
Marc in Atlanta
Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 10:55 AM
Bruce, it may be all the proof you need, but blind faith in what other men tell you to believe is a poor way to attain the truth.
Frances in San Antonio,Texas
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 12:14 PM
Phenomenal testimonial for life! God bless her and her family. & how lovely that her dear mother enabled her to finish school!
Genora Brooks in Oklahoma City, OK
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 12:16 PM
Anna's story reminded me of my own face-to-face with the result of a rape. Twenty years ago, some of my co-workers and I discussed our 'right' to have abortions...after all, it was OUR bodies. A young secretary walked up and quietly listened to our self-righteous talk, and when she got the chance, she spoke up and said 'I'm so glad my Mom didn't abort me. I was the result of rape. She chose to keep me and raised me by herself.' That one statement turned me around on my idea of abortion. There stood a wonderful human being in front of me, attesting to the fact that even in rape, good comes from it.
Maureen Eaton in Alaska
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 1:08 PM
Genova, thank you for your honesty. I get so tired of women emphasizing that it is THEIR body while dismissing the right of another human being to be brought into this world. So many couples are out there who can't get pregnant and want to adopt and are willing to pay for all medical expenses. I feel so sorry for women who have aborted their babies.
Pat in Baltimore
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 12:32 PM
A true story of redemption and an example of how an innocent unborn child was not punished for the horribe sins of the father. What man intends for evil only God can glorify!
John in Texas
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 8:44 PM
Very well said! I am grieved by the number of people who think that murder is the answer to abuse. May God continue to protect the lives of babies!
A Murricun in Colorado
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 12:34 PM
The SOTU was a junior-high athletic coach's pep talk - full of sound and fury. Reminds us of Gene McCarthy's politician - smart enough to understand the game, dumb enough to think it's important.