Now and then I encounter someone who holds very strong opinions that are different than mine. That is OK with me but sometimes it is not OK with the other person. If an opinion is contrary to their opinion then it is all wrong and a barrier goes up. One must be able to listen to contrary opinions and carefully compare the facts with ones own opinion. A change may be in order.
My eldest darling daughter wrote a note expressing her opinion in response to one of my puns and then added “In point of fact, the combination of my mother and father could only lead to children not afraid to voice any opinion, on anything.”
I am very pleased that both of my darling daughters have excellent logical minds that are able to form opinions and then defend their positions. They are both loquacious and competent communicators. Their father is very proud of their abilities.
As one who loves a good turn of words, including puns, I am not surprised that they also enjoy reading and exploring ideas. I firmly believe that learning is a life long occupation in an effort to expand our minds.
Our own opinions are important but we need to be able to examine new information and if it warrants a change of opinion be willing to make the change. It has been said that where three are gathered there are four opinions. There is the opinion of each person and the group opinion. I always believe that my opinion is correct or I would not hold it. I have always been willing to reflect on new information and reconsider my position. I have to admit that it is not always an easy process.
Saturday, July 12, 2014
Thursday, July 10, 2014
The Real Atlantis
Lately I have watched three different so called documentaries about Atlantis. They each place the fabled city in a different place, one was near Japan. They can not all be true and I suspect that none of them are true. Even the original story by Plato was likely a fabrication.
The story of the Isle of Atlantis first occurs in Plato's two dialogues the "Timaeus" and the "Critias." Plato's story centers on Solon, a great Greek legislator and poet who journeyed to Egypt some 150 years before Plato. While in the Egyptian city of Sais, Solon received the story of Atlantis from some priests. According to Plato the priests respected Solon's reputation and cordially welcomed him. They also respected the Athenians, whom they regarded as kinsmen, because they believed their deity Neith to be the same deity as the Greeks called Athena. Therefore, she was believed to be the patroness and protector of both Greece and Egypt.
The story that the priests told Solon was unknown to him. According to ancient Egyptian temple records the Athenians fought an aggressive war against the rulers of Atlantis some nine thousand years earlier and won. These ancient and powerful kings or rulers of Atlantis had formed a confederation by which they controlled Atlantis and other islands as well. They began a war from their homeland in the Atlantic Ocean and sent fighting troops to Europe and Asia. Against this attack the men of Athens formed a coalition from all over Greece to halt it. When this coalition met difficulties their allies deserted them and the Athenians fought on alone to defeat the Atlantian rulers. They stopped an invasion of their own country as well as freeing Egypt and eventually every country under the control of the rulers of Atlantis. Shortly after their victory, even before the Athenians could return home, Atlantis suffered catastrophic earthquakes and floods until it disappeared beneath the sea. All of the brave men were swallowed up in one day and night of horror according to legend. This is why the Egyptians were ever grateful to the Athenians. Also in the story Plato gives is a history of Atlantis that shows how the rulers eroded to such a state were they wanted to conquer everyone. This history had been recorded by Solon in notes that were handed down through his family.
Today the best archaeological site for the fabled Atlantis is the island of Santorini which is essentially what remains of an enormous volcanic explosion, destroying the earliest settlements on what was formerly a single island, and leading to the creation of the current geological caldera. Some of the houses in ancient city of Akrotiri are major structures, some amongst them three stories high. Its streets, squares, and walls were preserved in the layers of ejecta, sometimes as tall as eight meters, and indicating this was a major town. In many houses stone staircases are still intact, and they contain huge ceramic storage jars, mills, and pottery. Noted archaeological remains found in Akrotiri are wall paintings which have kept their original color well, as they were preserved under many meters of volcanic ash. The town also had a highly developed drainage system and, judging from the fine artwork, its citizens were clearly sophisticated and relatively wealthy people.
Pipes with running water and toilets found at Akrotiri are the oldest such utilities discovered. The pipes run in twin systems, indicating that the Therans used both hot and cold water supplies; the origin of the hot water probably was geothermic, given the volcano’s proximity. The dual pipe system suggesting hot and cold running water, the advanced architecture, and the apparent layout of the Akrotiri find resemble Plato’s description of the legendary lost city of Atlantis, further indicating the Minoans as the culture which primarily inspired the Atlantis legend.
The story of the Isle of Atlantis first occurs in Plato's two dialogues the "Timaeus" and the "Critias." Plato's story centers on Solon, a great Greek legislator and poet who journeyed to Egypt some 150 years before Plato. While in the Egyptian city of Sais, Solon received the story of Atlantis from some priests. According to Plato the priests respected Solon's reputation and cordially welcomed him. They also respected the Athenians, whom they regarded as kinsmen, because they believed their deity Neith to be the same deity as the Greeks called Athena. Therefore, she was believed to be the patroness and protector of both Greece and Egypt.
The story that the priests told Solon was unknown to him. According to ancient Egyptian temple records the Athenians fought an aggressive war against the rulers of Atlantis some nine thousand years earlier and won. These ancient and powerful kings or rulers of Atlantis had formed a confederation by which they controlled Atlantis and other islands as well. They began a war from their homeland in the Atlantic Ocean and sent fighting troops to Europe and Asia. Against this attack the men of Athens formed a coalition from all over Greece to halt it. When this coalition met difficulties their allies deserted them and the Athenians fought on alone to defeat the Atlantian rulers. They stopped an invasion of their own country as well as freeing Egypt and eventually every country under the control of the rulers of Atlantis. Shortly after their victory, even before the Athenians could return home, Atlantis suffered catastrophic earthquakes and floods until it disappeared beneath the sea. All of the brave men were swallowed up in one day and night of horror according to legend. This is why the Egyptians were ever grateful to the Athenians. Also in the story Plato gives is a history of Atlantis that shows how the rulers eroded to such a state were they wanted to conquer everyone. This history had been recorded by Solon in notes that were handed down through his family.
Today the best archaeological site for the fabled Atlantis is the island of Santorini which is essentially what remains of an enormous volcanic explosion, destroying the earliest settlements on what was formerly a single island, and leading to the creation of the current geological caldera. Some of the houses in ancient city of Akrotiri are major structures, some amongst them three stories high. Its streets, squares, and walls were preserved in the layers of ejecta, sometimes as tall as eight meters, and indicating this was a major town. In many houses stone staircases are still intact, and they contain huge ceramic storage jars, mills, and pottery. Noted archaeological remains found in Akrotiri are wall paintings which have kept their original color well, as they were preserved under many meters of volcanic ash. The town also had a highly developed drainage system and, judging from the fine artwork, its citizens were clearly sophisticated and relatively wealthy people.
Pipes with running water and toilets found at Akrotiri are the oldest such utilities discovered. The pipes run in twin systems, indicating that the Therans used both hot and cold water supplies; the origin of the hot water probably was geothermic, given the volcano’s proximity. The dual pipe system suggesting hot and cold running water, the advanced architecture, and the apparent layout of the Akrotiri find resemble Plato’s description of the legendary lost city of Atlantis, further indicating the Minoans as the culture which primarily inspired the Atlantis legend.
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Civil and Religious Weddings
There are many religions in America and they each have their own traditions concerning the wedding ceremony. There is also the civil wedding ceremony to consider.
In the civil service a couple needs a license and an authorized person to sign the document. The authorized person only has to verify that the two people before them are the ones on the license and ask them if they want to be married. When they answer in the affirmative the license is signed and they are married. All cut and dry and legal. This is the type of marriage that does not involve religion and is a civil right according to law.
A Christian Wedding and weddings of most religions is quite different and in the United States it involves having the same license of the civil wedding but also much more. In my church a groom and a bride come to make vows to each other and God. They come seeking a blessing on their marriage and home. It is the making of vows that makes all the difference.
When a marriage vow is made the couple actually make two vows at once. They make vows of commitment and fidelity to one another and they make those same vows to God! It is this act that makes the wedding ceremony sacred in every religion. Each religion sets its own standards for weddings and are not bound by equality under the law as civil weddings are.
In a Christian wedding the vows are binding until death do us part. Jesus made only one excuse for divorce and that was adultery. When a person breaks the marriage vow a double sin is committed. The first sin is against the spouse and the second is against God. I count it a very serious event to make a vow to God. Breaking a vow to God is not something one does lightly and I always stress that to couples about to get married in the church. There is an eternal aspect to a vow made to God and it stays with you that long.
In the civil service a couple needs a license and an authorized person to sign the document. The authorized person only has to verify that the two people before them are the ones on the license and ask them if they want to be married. When they answer in the affirmative the license is signed and they are married. All cut and dry and legal. This is the type of marriage that does not involve religion and is a civil right according to law.
A Christian Wedding and weddings of most religions is quite different and in the United States it involves having the same license of the civil wedding but also much more. In my church a groom and a bride come to make vows to each other and God. They come seeking a blessing on their marriage and home. It is the making of vows that makes all the difference.
When a marriage vow is made the couple actually make two vows at once. They make vows of commitment and fidelity to one another and they make those same vows to God! It is this act that makes the wedding ceremony sacred in every religion. Each religion sets its own standards for weddings and are not bound by equality under the law as civil weddings are.
In a Christian wedding the vows are binding until death do us part. Jesus made only one excuse for divorce and that was adultery. When a person breaks the marriage vow a double sin is committed. The first sin is against the spouse and the second is against God. I count it a very serious event to make a vow to God. Breaking a vow to God is not something one does lightly and I always stress that to couples about to get married in the church. There is an eternal aspect to a vow made to God and it stays with you that long.
Monday, July 7, 2014
Math Terror
I know people who freeze up when told to do some math. Balancing a check book is more than they can do. Math is a life skill that escapes them and they must rely on others to do it for them.
There are other people – most of us who develop math skills as part of our education and consider it just part of life. We may not of have majored in math at collage but we understand the concepts enough to get by in life. Math does not scare us nor does it entice us to do more than necessary.
Then there are those rare people for whom math is their first love. Not only does it come easy for them but they are truly gifted when it comes to numbers. It starts early in life when they learn to count and actually play with numbers the way other children play with toys. Strange as they may seem society needs these math gifted people.
So my friends are you gifted, skilled or in abject terror when it comes to math?\
There are other people – most of us who develop math skills as part of our education and consider it just part of life. We may not of have majored in math at collage but we understand the concepts enough to get by in life. Math does not scare us nor does it entice us to do more than necessary.
Then there are those rare people for whom math is their first love. Not only does it come easy for them but they are truly gifted when it comes to numbers. It starts early in life when they learn to count and actually play with numbers the way other children play with toys. Strange as they may seem society needs these math gifted people.
So my friends are you gifted, skilled or in abject terror when it comes to math?\
Thursday, July 3, 2014
Life, Liberty and Pursuit
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness…”
These words for the Deceleration of Independence are often quoted on the fourth of July and should be. They are declared to be our God given rights for all humans even though the “men” who wrote them thought of them as rights for only men and at that did not cover their slaves. Still it was a beginning for the idea of God given rights of individual people.
LIFE: We have the right to be born and live out our lives with out threat from the government. Life itself is sacred and should be protected. There are times when governments do take lives when a jury of our peers convicts someone of murder or other capitol crimes and inflicts the death penalty.
LIBERTY: We have the right to move about at our own discretion with out hindrance of our government and to do as we please unless it interferes with the rights of other citizens. That right can be curtailed by the courts if we violate the law and are convicted of it.
PURSUIT: We have the right to pursuit of happiness but that does not mean we have to find happiness. We can look for it in what ever way we choose as long as we do not violate the law or the rights of others in the process.
All of our God given rights are precious but come with responsibility for our actions in exercising them in a civilized society. Lives were given in the past for the support of these rights and are being given even now. Let us dedicate our selves on the forth of July to preserve them for ourselves and our fellow citizens now and in the future.
These words for the Deceleration of Independence are often quoted on the fourth of July and should be. They are declared to be our God given rights for all humans even though the “men” who wrote them thought of them as rights for only men and at that did not cover their slaves. Still it was a beginning for the idea of God given rights of individual people.
LIFE: We have the right to be born and live out our lives with out threat from the government. Life itself is sacred and should be protected. There are times when governments do take lives when a jury of our peers convicts someone of murder or other capitol crimes and inflicts the death penalty.
LIBERTY: We have the right to move about at our own discretion with out hindrance of our government and to do as we please unless it interferes with the rights of other citizens. That right can be curtailed by the courts if we violate the law and are convicted of it.
PURSUIT: We have the right to pursuit of happiness but that does not mean we have to find happiness. We can look for it in what ever way we choose as long as we do not violate the law or the rights of others in the process.
All of our God given rights are precious but come with responsibility for our actions in exercising them in a civilized society. Lives were given in the past for the support of these rights and are being given even now. Let us dedicate our selves on the forth of July to preserve them for ourselves and our fellow citizens now and in the future.
Thursday, June 19, 2014
A Long Church Fight
In 1054 AD The two main parts of the Christian Church had been squabbling for years and then the fight began. The Greek speaking Greek Orthodox and the Latin speaking Roman churches could not settle their differences and excommunicated each other. The each declared that they were the only true church. It was not the first church fight nor was it the last.
The fight lasted for almost a thousand years when Patriarch Athenagoras and Pope Paul VI met in Jerusalem and thawed things a little. In May Patriarch Bartholomew and Pope Francis also met in Jerusalem fifty years later and settled the fight. They removed the excommunications and lifted the Anathemas directed at each other and made peace.
Perhaps if these ancient theological enemies can love each other so can some of the newer splits in the church. The United Methodist have started their fight and may split so we can pray that they will heal the wounds. Many other church groups have split over the years over truly tiny differences of opinion like having musical instruments in the worship service or not.
I pray for the unity of the church every day! Will you join me?
The fight lasted for almost a thousand years when Patriarch Athenagoras and Pope Paul VI met in Jerusalem and thawed things a little. In May Patriarch Bartholomew and Pope Francis also met in Jerusalem fifty years later and settled the fight. They removed the excommunications and lifted the Anathemas directed at each other and made peace.
Perhaps if these ancient theological enemies can love each other so can some of the newer splits in the church. The United Methodist have started their fight and may split so we can pray that they will heal the wounds. Many other church groups have split over the years over truly tiny differences of opinion like having musical instruments in the worship service or not.
I pray for the unity of the church every day! Will you join me?
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Living in Grace
When Paul wrote to the Church in Corinth, in second Corinthians Chapter eight verse 1-7, he spoke to them about the Generosity of the Christian Churches in Macedonia. It seems that the First Christian Church in Jerusalem was in trouble and needed help. Now the Christian churches in Macedonia were made up of mostly poor people with big hearts and they lived Gracefully.
But they had a generous spirit for they were rich in love. They gave Paul money to take to Jerusalem to help them in their time of need. They understood the stewardship of graceful living. This may be the first evidence of Christian outreach. Paul encouraged the wealthier First Christian Church of Corinth to be as generous. The told them of the First Christian Church of Macedonia, "... Begging us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in the ministry to the saints.
And not merely as we expected; they gave themselves first.” Our stewardship is one of first giving ourselves whole heartily to Serving Jesus the Christ. Gracefull living in God’s presence. The second is to accept our personal ministry as part of our gift and take action on it as a high priority to notice Lazarus.
People need to beware of worshipping Jesus as the professing of your faith in Him as Savior of the World and then on the other hand blaspheme Him by the actions and evidence of your daily life with poor stewardship. Witness with Grace FULL living in the presence of others.
But they had a generous spirit for they were rich in love. They gave Paul money to take to Jerusalem to help them in their time of need. They understood the stewardship of graceful living. This may be the first evidence of Christian outreach. Paul encouraged the wealthier First Christian Church of Corinth to be as generous. The told them of the First Christian Church of Macedonia, "... Begging us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in the ministry to the saints.
And not merely as we expected; they gave themselves first.” Our stewardship is one of first giving ourselves whole heartily to Serving Jesus the Christ. Gracefull living in God’s presence. The second is to accept our personal ministry as part of our gift and take action on it as a high priority to notice Lazarus.
People need to beware of worshipping Jesus as the professing of your faith in Him as Savior of the World and then on the other hand blaspheme Him by the actions and evidence of your daily life with poor stewardship. Witness with Grace FULL living in the presence of others.
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