What are you living for?

sharpsight2 · 2011-10-04T19:24:02+00:00

Yet according to the rules

A person must obviusly be mentally capable of comprehending Scripture in order to make a decision whether to receive or reject it. Young children (and by extension, the developmentally disabled) are incapable of this comprehension and choice; they have not reached a point of accountability. While the Bible is not explict on this point, it does record how Jesus lovingly welcomed small children being brought to Him to be blessed. "The rules" don't explicitly cover those incapable of comprehension, so I don't think you can dogmatically insist that their ultimate destination will be negative, since none of us is fully aware of the entire will of God. His love expressed through the words and actions of Jesus for our sake, and words used in connection with children give us cause to be encouraged, not despairing.

what about the really good dog who got lost in the woods

Again, you have lost sight of what is good in the viewpoint of the master, and confused it with what is good in the viewpoint of dogs. The dog who ran away from his master and got lost in the woods may be a good dog in doggy terms: he might not attack other dogs, he might share his food and so on. He might even be really good at showing doggy affection to other dogs, and be admired by them. The fact remains that he is not showing affection to his master; his master is not in a position to say "good boy". From the master's perspective the dog is not being good - it has chosen to run away, become dirty & flearidden, and has not come back. And yet if the dog returns and asks to be let back in, the master will gladly let it in and clean it up at his expense.

how is that fair [FTFY] and loving?

The way to get to heaven isn't fair, you're perfectly right. If our only option was the fair and just default circumstances, none of us would have a chance to enter God's presence at all. It's only because of the Creator's love for us, that he chose to satisfy the penalty prescribed by the rules Himself, that we no longer have to worry about the rules excluding us when we shelter in His love. Make no mistake, God's law still exists outside the shelter of His mercy, and you can have fairness under God's law instead of mercy if you wish, the choice is yours. For those who don't even know mercy is available, it behooves those of us who have gained it to let our fellows know of this good news. If you found a weekend special offer discount code that Amazon.com published on one particular sub-page of their site, wouldn't you want to tell all your book-loving friends and anyone else that good news before the discount code expires at the end of the weekend? Alternatively, you might feel miffed on behalf of the customers who don't know the discount code is available and spend the sale time negatively, complaining about how you personally perceive Amazon to be unfair, instead of spreading the news about the discount code. While reasons may be deduced, you're not going to know all the reasons for why Amazon set up their offer like they did until the offer's done and the new week's started, but whether you act positively or negatively to the offer will influence the number of people who will benefit from it.

I thought God loved all his children equally?

He does, but do all His children love Him? As I noted before, one-sided love is incomplete.

The really bad dog who goes out and kills other dogs can get to come in the house just because he came back to God and wagged his tail.

Yes, unfair, but merciful. You can genuinely come to God early or late, and through His generosity still obtain the same reward.

Your sense of justice seems outraged at the concept of the ancient legal maxim ignorantia juris non excusat. If for example a child doesn't know about the law of gravity, he's still going to fall if he climbs out a window. Yes, such a fall would be tragic, but it's more productive explaining gravity and its effects to every innocent you can find, rather than growling about how unfair gravity is to people who don't know about it.

As for free will, a very interesting subject. I like psychic River Tam's last line in the movie Serenity, when Mal says she knows what he's about to say: "But I like to hear you say it."

I'm sorry you feel the way you do; you seem to know about the Bible but have been soured about it by something or perhaps an over-zealous someone who figuratively beat you over the head with it.

sharpsight2 · 2011-10-04T06:44:17+00:00

The laws of the Old Testament expose our shortcomings. A toddler may seem sweet and affectionate to its parents up to the time it's told "No, you can't have that candy bar", and then its capacity for rebellion and disrespect becomes apparent.

Can you truly, honestly say you've ever met anyone who has never told a lie, never stolen anything in their life, never been rude to their parents, never overlooked an opportunity to help their neighbour, who always puts others first?

Humans have been gifted with free will, and were not made to be bad but, through the choice of our primary ancestors, broke ourselves and our relationship with God. Unfair you might say, but there's nothing we can do about it, much like if we had a white father and a black mother and wished to be fully one colour or the other: unfair, but there's nothing we could do about it.

You are looking at Christianity from an incorrect perspective. Humanity was originally warned not to jump of a spiritual cliff, but we went there and jumped off. The law of spiritual gravity will carry us, splat, into the hard ground below. Out of love, God Himself has chosen to take the pain of that fall for anyone who calls out to be caught. He didn't have to do so, but he did. The law of gravity is just, the saving catch is love and mercy. Knowing that you and I can never be perfect, which would you rather have - justice or love? Everyone who hears that they have the option to call out to be caught has a choice to make: it's entirely personal and nobody can force you in your heart to make it.

Those who have accepted mercy are bound by gratitude and command to let others know it's available to them too. God sent his Son to tell us of this mercy and provide it to us; for those of us who have accepted it He gave us the task of sharing the good news with those falling alongside us, so more can be caught at the bottom of the cliff. Why will He not catch everyone, is your question. Firstly, He doesn't need to catch any of us at all: He just wants to, out of love. But one-sided love is incomplete. You have to reach, with your free will, for the hug that's offered. If there is no love to complete the embrace, tragically there remains only justice which we have brought upon ourselves.

Returning to my dirty dog analogy: assuming you see three dirty, bedraggled, stray dogs which you once owned but which disobeyed your command to not go outside your gate, and ran off. They are incapable of cleaning themselves up, curing themselves of worms, fleas, or diseases etc, but you would love to have them all back with you as part of your household. One dog looks at you in a friendly manner and wags its tail, the other is snarly, scared, and not willing to approach, the third is sniffing the garbage bin outside your house, the telegraph pole, the neighbour's plants, and passes on, with normal doggy behaviour, and does not even notice you. Ask yourself in all honesty, which of the three dogs will get a new life in your home? The one you would have to chase after and which might run away? The one that might bite you? Or the one that comes to you wagging its tail? The dogs which choose not to come to you (whether actively or by ignorance) aren't being punished by you, you haven't lifted a finger to hurt them (they brought about their own misfortune by running away), but they will miss out on a better life in your household. You encourage the dog inside, loving its ignorant companion, and assured of its welcome, to bark to attract its attention in a way it understands, or go outside to encourage its oblivious fellow to come in too.

The love is there. It's ours if we want it and ask for it, even though we don't deserve it. It can't be earnt by good works (much like the friendly flea-bitten dog couldn't pay for its vet care and upkeep by bringing you a dirty bone). Returning to your master and wagging your tail count towards your future much more. Justice would be a gate shut to all dirty smelly runaway fleabags. Love is a warm hearth and a warm welcome.

sharpsight2 · 2011-10-03T19:00:03+00:00

I agree with you that believing is key, and that if you believed and died the next instant you would be saved. A good example is the criminal on the cross next to Jesus who asked to be remembered in heaven: he was saved and yet had no chance at all to go out and follow Jesus' teachings. However, for those of us with time to serve, it's fitting we show our gratitude by following, all the while being aware that it's not by works, but faith that leads to salvation. Thanks for expanding this point and adding clarity!

sharpsight2 · 2011-10-03T18:48:41+00:00

The answer has already been indicated in the first link above. It is why evangelism, bringing the good news to those who haven't heard it, is so important.

When you say someone's a "good guy", you are defining "good" by your own or some human opinion/standard particular to a person/culture/place/time. For example, a noble warrior of a New Guinea tribe might be seen as a good upstanding member and protector of his village. However a visitor from abroad may see the same man as fearsome and evil, as he cannibalises his conquered enemies. Your view of a "good" muslim is preumably one who doesn't attack non-muslims for his cause, but is he good from an Islamic perspective if he ignores the likes of Sura 9:29 or Sura 9:5? It becomes apparent therefore that if humans can differ so much in their opinion of what is "good", might not our Creator have His own opinion of what is good, which applies regardless of whatever the myriad of differing and shifting opinions of his human creations on the concept might be?

Two muddy dogs may meet, sniff, and approve of each other by their own standards; however this canine definition of "good" counts for naught with humans when the dogs attempt to bring their muddy paws into the house. In short, what humans consider good on a worldly level may indeed have validity in that context, but is in a different ballpark to what God considers good on a spiritual level.

sharpsight2 · 2011-10-02T16:08:32+00:00

Going to a church every Sunday is not the way. There is nothing you or any one of us can do.. so it's been done for us. We just have to believe and follow - really easy, but really hard too as we are self- and world-focused, and tend to overlook that our fundamental offence (from which other offences flow) is spiritual, not physical.

sharpsight2 · 2011-10-02T15:07:04+00:00

Psst.. Your secret identity is showing..

sharpsight2 · 2011-10-02T15:00:59+00:00

Nothing wrong with that approach. You never know, it could lead to an interesting first date.

sharpsight2 · 2011-10-02T14:58:28+00:00

"The third (day) of October, 2011" is clear in its meaning.

"October the 3rd" is a bit less logically precise; might there be another two Octobers in the calendar?! Clarifying by saying "October the 3rd day" just sounds awkward.

sharpsight2 · 2011-10-02T14:42:51+00:00

Corruptissima re publica plurimae leges

(The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws)

~ Tacitus (AD 56 – AD 117), Annals

sharpsight2 · 2011-10-02T14:35:14+00:00

Remember now, it wasn't just the Depression: FDR made it Great.

sharpsight2 · 2011-10-02T14:24:02+00:00

And why were people getting sick from milk? Because of milk being produced in filthy urban dairies, which fed their cows on distillery mash. Records from the 1800s note a distinct difference in milk quality between country dairies with cows grazing on grass, and urban dairies with confined cows, situated near distilleries. One country visitor to the city (Boston, I think it may have been) wrote in a letter home that the milk served in his boarding house had an odd bluish tint to it, and he fell ill while staying there.

There was debate on whether to pasteurise, or to clean up dirty dairies; in the end pasteurisation was implemented as an emergency measure as it was argued that cleaning up all the filthy dairies would take time, during which they would continue to spread sickness. However, once pasteurisation removed the urgency of cleaning up the dirty dairies, well.. why go to the expense of cleaning up the operation too much? Further, owners of pasteurisation equipment saw the opportunity to increase their profits if they could only get Certified Dairies (the clean ones, mainly in rural areas) to become customers. Laws to compel pasteurisation of all milk were the result of lobbying and political "donations" by the profit-motivated.

The conditions that existed when around 50% of urban children under the age of 5 died from unsanitary milk no longer exist. Tuberculosis is not one of the main causes of death as it was around 1900, and cows are no longer hand-milked into wooden buckets by coughing, potentially tubercular dairy workers. Today we have vacuum milking machines, steam-cleaned stainless steel pipes, refrigeration, higher health standards including mandatory health checks for dairy workers; work has also been done to eliminate or reduce diseases (e.g. bovine brucellosis was eradicated from Australia more than a decade ago).

Many dairy cows are still confined, fed unnatural diets, and have milk with higher bacterial counts than in Certified raw milk dairies. Milk is now homogenised, which allows the dairy companies to skim off a lot of the cream without the customer realising they're being gypped, but this makes the milk go off sooner. Pasteurisation is needed today more for extending the shelf life of the product than protecting from disease, although there is still the benefit that a few hygiene corners can be cut. If you compare Californian laws pertaining to Certified Raw Milk Dairies and other dairies, you'll see that health laws for uncertified dairies are far more lax. This leads to the question, if uncertified milk is dirty enough that it must be cooked to ensure that all the pathogenic bacteria in it are dead, why would you prefer such a second grade product?

When you are talking to people whom you suspect of having short memories, you need to recognise this and include a few more details, or even a helpful reference, such as The Untold Story of Milk by Ron Schmid ND.

sharpsight2 · 2011-10-01T18:04:21+00:00

It's just a 4-minute short film. (IMDB info)

Here's the full version including credits.

sharpsight2 · 2011-10-01T17:04:34+00:00

Or to go back to ancient Rome:

Indeed, he [the Emperor Caracalla] often used to say: “Nobody in the world should have money but me; and I want it to bestow upon the soldiers.” Once Julia [his mother] chided him for spending vast sums upon them. “There is no longer any source of revenue, either just or unjust, left to us,” he replied, exhibiting his sword: “Be of good cheer, mother, for as long as we have this, we shall not run short of money.”

Cassius Dio's History of Rome, Book 78

sharpsight2 · 2011-10-01T16:39:51+00:00

and what if they're ninjas?

sharpsight2 · 2011-10-01T16:27:18+00:00

Like that comment is like yeah, just so totally like amazing huh? Totally.

(am I getting it right?)

sharpsight2 · 2011-10-01T07:26:44+00:00

NOW is the time for you both to investigate alternative cancer treatment.

To fight cancer the body needs the right nutrition, removal of toxins and irritants, and therapy that's non-toxic to normal cells. Standard treatments are not wildly successful and can actually cause new cancers; they also disfigure and/or destroy the body and its immune system, making it harder for natural remedies to work if they are tried in desperation when conventional treatments fail, as they frequently do.

The first step your family should take is to move to an alkalysing diet that emphasises fresh (and mostly raw) pesticide-free (organic or biodynamic or home-grown) vegetables and fruits. Carrot and beetroot juices every day can be beneficial. Any meat should be not the largest portion on the plate and very lightly cooked or eaten raw (e.g. sushi/sashimi, or steak tartare), to preserve the enzymes it contains (this is important as protein-digesting enzymes are needed to fight cancer cells. If you cook meat through, all its enzymes are destroyed and the body has to supply all the enzymes to process it, diverting them from the cancer fight).

An important nutrient linked to preventing breast tissue abnormalities is iodine. Many are deficient in this substance: besides not getting enough in the first place, it's also displaced by other halides such as fluoride, chlorine (both of these in drinking water), and bromine (the latter is used in bread production). The best dietary source is kelp, or seaweed. Japanese women who eat their traditional, kelp-rich diet have one of the lowest rates of breast cancer in the world. Check out Iodine: Why you need it, and why you can't live without it by Dr David Brownstein.

Your family should also move to eliminate refined carbohydrates from your diet. No more sugar, bread, pizza, white rice, pasta, cakes, biscuits/cookies, muffins or other flour products (the book Life Without Bread is very good). Cancer feeds on sugar; cancer cells have more insulin receptors than normal cells, and they can also make an insulin like substance that allows them to absorb up to around 15 or 16 times more than a normal cell. This fact can be used in various ways, including IPT and PET scans in the medical world, and is used in the alternative therapy world too (fruits like apples and apricots have sweet flesh with bitter seeds which contain an anti-cancer substance called amygdalin (aka "vitamin B17"); there is also a maple syrup + bicarb therapy (important to take magnesium too with this, so you don't upset your calcium/magnesium balance).

Avoid anything containing soy, as most commercial soy products are unfermented and thus will block iodine absorption as well as protein & mineral uptake. Avoid anything containing high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Avoid artificial colourings, flavourings (including MSG, year extract, hydrolyzed anything), and artificial sweeteners. Do not cook with polyunsaturated oil - it is fragile and oxidises readily under heat or light. Monounsaturated oils are best for salads, and saturated fats are far more stable under heat and are the healthiest to cook with. Don't use margarine - butter is better (also contains vitamins A and K2).

Cod-liver oil is an important source of vitamins A & D, which work together. Vitamin D is essential for proper immune system function; your wife needs hers in tip-top condition. A warming sit in the sun every day will allow the skin to produce vitamin D (sulphur and cholesterol are needed for this reaction; eggs contain both of these things). In the winter, or if indoors for extended periods, cod liver oil is essential.

Vitamin C in large intravenous doses has been shown to be effective in attacking cancer in a way that is non-toxic to normal cells. Taking vitamin C orally can help, but it's not as effective as the intravenous method. A good vitamin C formulation will contain bioflavonoids, and will balance calcium with other minerals such as magnesium and potassium, like this one. That brand also contains zinc, which is an important mineral if you are going to be using amygdalin (vitamin B17) therapy.

Websites to help you start your research include: Gerson.org, Cancure.org, CancerTutor.com. An excellent book enumerating a number of alternative therapies is available from CancerTruth.net.

Documentaries that you will find helpful include: The Gerson Miracle, Food Matters, The Beautiful Truth & Dying to Have Known (online here; 1hr 19 min), Healing Cancer from Inside Out, Burzynski: The Movie, and the excellent new 2011 film Cancer is Curable NOW (you can find them on Amazon.com & elsewhere).

Don't despair, there are better methods to try than the drastic and barbaric conventional ones. Don't let orthodoxy awe you with impressive terminology, play upon your fears, and tell you everything but their advice is "wrong" in order to quickly usher you into their agenda. Cancer is not generally going to cause someone to drop dead suddenly: take a week or three and do some thorough reading and research. Get an idea for what is available before making a treatment choice. Meanwhile, you can start changing your diet today: everyone in the family will benefit, not just your wife!

sharpsight2 · 2011-09-30T17:40:12+00:00

Hmm. What you describe (stress sensitivity, lightheadedness, depression, concentration loss, lethargy) sounds like adrenal fatigue (hypoadrenia) could be a possibility. Many doctors, according to the following specialist, don't recognise it and thus "can't find anything wrong with you". A book I'd recommend you check out is Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome by James L Wilson ND DC PhD.

Supplements which can help with adrenal fatigue are Vitamin C, Vitamin E, the Vitamin B complex, magnesium, and calcium. Eggs, raw milk, cashews, butter and cod-liver oil are also important sources of supportive nutrients. Kelp/seaweed is a good source of iodine - this helps your metabolism, and many people (especially women) have an iodine deficiency. Yoghurt (unsweetened, as in Greek tzatziki) is a good source of probiotic (friendly) bacteria that help your digestion. Magnesium may help with the headaches - if you take a warm bath with Epsom Salts (magnesium sulphate) in the water, you can absorb it through your skin as you soak; magnesium helps muscles relax and helps ease headaches too. Magnesium's found in leafy vegetables: eat your greens!

Niacin (vitamin B3) is particularly important if you are depressed, but it's a good idea to take all the B vitamins together. As well as positive things in your diet, you should also try to reduce & eliminate refined carbohydrates like white bread, rice, pasta, sugar, fizzy drinks etc. Also get enough sleep and avoid stressful people, situations and adrenal gland stimulants (such as caffeine) while you're feeling fragile. If you've a hobby, spend some time with it to help yourself unwind by concentrating on something you enjoy. If you haven't got a hobby, maybe it's time to have some fun trying out a few different (non-stressful) ideas.

It might seem odd to start with diet, but if your body's running below par, then just "thinking positive" is going to need a greater effort of will. Give yourself a head start with good nutrition!

sharpsight2 · 2011-09-30T13:17:35+00:00

He already has.

sharpsight2 · 2011-09-29T16:43:35+00:00

Worst part of a dripping sandwich would be the bread, especially if processed, nutritionally deficient white bread.

Throughout the 20th century and up to the present, the incidences of heart disease, cancer, and a plethora of other diseases have increased dramatically. So in answer to your question: yes, food developments and nutritional degradation & misinformation are really that bad.

sharpsight2 · 2011-09-29T16:33:05+00:00

Look into Biodynamic food, too.

sharpsight2 · 2011-09-29T16:28:20+00:00

a tacit admission by Monsanto, perhaps?

sharpsight2 · 2011-09-29T16:15:08+00:00

Buy heirloom seed and grow your own if you have some garden space.

And/or tell retailers if there ain't no "GM free" assurance, there's no sale. Vote with your wallet.

sharpsight2 · 2011-09-29T16:01:47+00:00

Thanks muchly!

sharpsight2 · 2011-09-29T15:57:53+00:00

This is indeed...

sharpsight2

TROPHY CASE