Tag Archives: Christian

The Tragedy

Posted in Christian values, Crime, Gun Safety, Immigration, Important things, Lawyers and Representation, News media, Our Legal Systems, Uncategorized by

There will be many that will disagree with me. Then again, as I have said before. I try to be honest in my posts in the way I think and feel. I do believe, frequently, I do have proper and or logical reasons for what I write.

There has been a recent news story about a 13 year-old shot by police in Utica. To be sure, I cannot claim I know everything about the situation other than it was a tragedy and that should never have happened. Yet, it happens all the time. As I said in one of my first posts, sometimes decisions are made that cannot be undone. I did so by saying that life does not have “undo” functions. There are no backspace keys. I used the case of an old woman shooting her own son thinking that he was a burglar. Certainly that woman would have done anything to reverse the last ten minutes. But, sometimes, it is just impossible to change the past.

Sometimes, while driving, I take a wrong turn. It can have consequences, but generally, I think little of it. On the other hand, I have made mistakes, big ones that I will never be able to change. It does happen. I am sure most others have too.

Going back to the shooting and what I know and what I suspect. I would think right now, the officer that shot that boy would do just about anything if he could hit that backspace key. When he left for work that day, I am pretty sure he did not say to himself, You know, I think I will just shoot a 13 year-old-boy today. It was not part of his plan. It was likely the farthest thing from his mind.

In one of my books, a detective told a woman that his greatest fear was to look down the barrel of gun being held by some 14-year-old. The book is fiction. However, I am sure many policemen do live in that fear for real.

As near as I can tell, he saw the pellet gun and thought it was real. So I ask, one and all. If you were a policeman and some thirteen-year-old was pointing a gun at you, would you shoot him or would you let him shoot you and others.

As I said, it was and is tragic. It should have never happened. As with most tragedies, there were likely many things that led to the time the officer pulled the trigger. Now, I am going to guess at some of it. They said he was an alien. I would suspect he and his parents were here illegally.

Does that make it alright to shoot him. Of course not. However it is part of what led to what happened. He ran from the policeman. Why? Maybe because he was illegal and didn’t want to be caught. No one will really know the reason he ran.

The instant the policeman confronted him, he should have told the officer he had a pellet gun and then followed the instructions. Regardless, run or not, he should have never pulled the gun out. He had to know the policeman would have thought it was real.

Running was a mistake. Pulling the gun was a mistake. Then again, 13-year-olds do make mistakes. I certainly did. It just so happens, the mistakes he made became fatal.

And now, the shooting will have repercussions. It will change the life of the officer who shot him. It will likely change the city and the police department. I guess it can be said that there are and will have repercussions throughout the country.

There will be those who will say the officer should not have shot. There will be those who will rush to the officer’s defense. I suspect that few will consider that which led up to the tragedy.

In the end, as bad as it is, we the public will have to face it. It was a horrible accident. However, it was an accident. It was one that did result in a death, which I hate and I’m sure most others dislike it too.

Now, let’s get realistic. As the official observer of Memphis, I notice that there are shootings about everyday in the city. It seems there is an average of a murder a day and most go unsolved. There are just so many they don’t have the manpower.

Where is the concern for those lives. And I might mention, many of those people killed are not running from the police. Sometimes we are talking of children lying in their bed at the time the bullet hits them. Where is the concern for them? Where is the outrage? Why are we releasing people guilty of crimes involving guns without bond?

Sorry. I don’t understand the outrage of a policeman doing his job and the lack of outrage at real murders and murderers.

Also, let’s take another look at the media. Why do they like to make the officer the villain before the investigation is started, while making the criminal just an unfortunate man down on his luck. To me, that in itself is a tragedy.

…Who’s Got You?

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I have enjoyed watching Superman since as long as I can remember, which was before I was five. Considering I am now officially old (76), that was a long time ago. Naturally, even though at the time, I was grown, I had to go to see “Superman the Movie,” the one in 1976 with Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder.

I must admit that I was a little disappointed with it. After all, Christopher Reeve was not really the Clark Kent I grew up with. Still, I did enjoy the movie. It did have its moments. To be sure, the one line I found the best was when Superman reassures Lois that he had her. She snaps back, “You have me. Who’s got you?”

I must admit that it caught me completely by surprise. Not only that, the expressions were perfect.

I admit, it was not realistic. The movie’s ad told us that we would believe a man can fly. Truthfully, it was not that successful. When I walked out of the theater afterward, I had my feet planted firm on my earth, physically and mentally. I did not believe a man can fly. They failed in their goal.

Regardless, it was Superman and I would pay the price to see it again, especially for that one line. I must admit, that was priceless.

I got to thinking of the movie yesterday (Wed) and decided, there aught to be a good post there. If I thought about it while, maybe I could write something both entertaining and thought provoking. Now all I need is to figure out a way to write it, in which I have very little expertise.

Okay. She is falling and Superman rescues her. It is all she needs for the moment to be safe. There must be an object lessen there somehow. All right. I suspect a few are already ahead of me. I mean, who is it that can take hold me and provide absolute security, both now and forever.

The really neat part is that God is real, Superman is a character someone dreamt up so as he can make a living off kids with great imaginations. Even more, if Superman were real, he still has time limits. Even the imaginary character of Superman has no power over aging. We all grow old and die. I am one who can attest to that firsthand.

Still, God has me. When I have to give up this body one day, and I will, God will still have me. That is far more reassuring than to know Superman just rescued me from falling 100 stories off a building.

But, let’s face it, if there were a Superman, if I did fall off a tall building, if a Superman did come by and rescue me, I wouldn’t turn it down. After all, I am afraid of heights. Incidentally, I have learned my lesson to be grateful. I would make sure to tell him, “Thank you.”

Be Grateful, For Those With the Courage

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I have a challenge for those who are convinced there is no God. Be grateful. Is the request that horrible. Just each time you have a meal, for three months, thank God for it. Tell Him you appreciate the food. I must admit, it will take courage. If, as you say, there is no God, no harm. On the other hand, if there is a God, and, because you start thanking Him, He just might make his presence known to you.

Then, what do you do? You will have to make a decision. Will you admit the presence of God or will you continue to deny Him in spite of knowing of Him.

As I say, it takes courage. You just might not like the results. Then again, in the long run, you just might really like it.

I don’t know. I have no idea what the results will be. I have not asked God in advance and He has not said anything to me that I know of. It’s totally my idea, an experiment.

Regardless, isn’t it a good idea to be thankful to others, even if you refuse to thank God.

Personally, when I learned to thank God, I also learned to be thankful to others. It didn’t really take all that much courage. I just thought it would.

1989 Plus or Minus a Year or Two

Posted in Advertising, Awkward Situation, Christian values by

Why in the world do I bring up the year? What would be the significance? Most folks weren’t even around then or are aware of what all is going on in the world beyond their own home or school. Approximately at that time, a news announcement that bras would be advertised on TV with models wearing them OVER their clothing.

It wasn’t long after that, I remember seeing one of the commercials. Before that time, they did not model bras on TV. They did advertise them but no one ever wore them on TV. It seems a few weeks later, they lowered the standards and started modeling the bras without the clothing. Indeed, nowadays, they model underwear, both genders, with just the underwear.

However, it is more than that. It is a matter of frequency. It used to be that the underwear ads weren’t all that frequent. Now, it seems that we are treated to undergarment shows at least once every commercial break.

I guess we can thank the TV industry to the fact that all children past the age of 4 knows what a woman looks like in her underwear. I don’t know about others, but I really don’t think that is much of a progress. I mean, as they say, we can turn the TVs off, which I am tempted to do. However, that is not really an answer. Do we really want to deny the entertainment to 4 year-olds just so the world of lingerie can display their wears any time any day, and by the way, without forewarning. No one makes any remark, “The following ad might not be suitable for children.”

The fact of the matter is, none of us can dive for the remote fast enough keep our children from seeing such things.

I guess, there is nothing to be done. We must actually live in a world where modesty is disappearing at lightning speed.

Just one last question. Is this really the sort of thing we want want our children watching? Does this really improve their environment during their formative years? Okay. I know. Two questions. Still, sort of a different way of asking the same thing.

Blaise Pascal’s Wager

Posted in Christian values, Religion, Uncategorized by

Among other things, Pascal has lent his name to perhaps the best high level programming language ever. I have become pretty good at it, which is easy. It is so similar to English that it is easy to pick up in an afternoon.

Moreover, it is very modular. I can write a module for one program and use it with any other program it is useful for. It sort of means I don’t have to keep re-inventing the wheel every time I write a program. Another benefit is that the programs can be very easy to read and or modify. That becomes important when modifications need to be made 3 or 4 years later, after the guy who wrote it has moved out of the state.

If I had to say it lacked one thing, it is an interface to audio, especially text-to-speech and speech-to-text. That aspect of it did cause me a little frustration. It would have been nice to write programs that would be able respond to voice commands and or provide audio alerts.

I am sure there are such interfaces that are available for a price. Given I am living on Social Security, I figured I’d not have the asking price. Still, it would have been nice to make a spreadsheet that would not require a mouse or keyboard.

Actually, I started this post completely on a rabbit trail. I didn’t get off on one. What I wanted to write about is something called Pascal’s Wager.

First, a short word about Pascal. He was a mathematician and theologian who lived during the 1600s. Also, he was a pretty a confirmed Catholic, and pretty much believed that Catholicism was the one true way to God, which is one of the things he and I would have disagreed with, should we speak face-to-face.

Nonetheless, he did come up with an interesting concept, which is called Pascal’s Wager. Hopefully, at the least will cause the atheist to reconsider his position a little. It is a very long article and it is worth a person’s time to take a look at it. However, I will attempt to give you the short version with some of my own personal views.

Let’s consider the flip of a coin. When it comes down, it will either land on heads or tails. I have heard of cases where they come down on their edge but let’s ignore that. Before the coin is flipped, we have three choices, heads, tails or no choice at all. We have the option of not participating.

Let’s change the rules. You must participate. We have just taken that choice away from you. You must chose heads or tails. If you are right, you live forever. If you’re wrong you die, though maybe not immediately.

Such is the way it is in real life, with a few variations. The Christian has chosen the one way. By choice or by default, the atheist has chosen, no God. The choices are exclusive. At least one of the choices has to be wrong. If there is no God, the Christian is wrong. If there is a God, the atheist must be wrong.

So, it would appear we are looking at the proverbial coin toss, right. Wrong. According to Blaise Pascal, the Christian has the least to lose. He will have given up smoking drinking and wild women. He might even lose that fortune that he gave to that church. Then look at all the time and work he provided for the church. Nonetheless, it is finite. The losses are tolerable.

On the other hand, if the atheist is wrong, he will lose everything, throughout infinity. There would be no do overs, no Mulligans. Invariably, there would be pleas for a second chance but there would be none. The punishment for not accepting Jesus doesn’t last just a lifetime, but forever.

So, that is the thumb-nail sketch of Pascal’s wager, based loosely on the toss of a coin. I’m just trying to get you to think about it. We are talking eternity here, not just flip of a coin. As I’ve said many times. I cannot ever make the decision for anyone. All I can present is the truth. Everyone must make their own choice.

I’d like to add just one more little thing. Maybe Bill Cosby has fallen from the graces of most, but he did say something that is very likely true, though it is not exactly biblical. The Bible does say that when Jesus returns, every eye will see Him and every knee shall bow. (Philippians 2:10)

Bill Cosby said there ain’t no such thing as an atheist. On my copy of the routine, he repeated it 4 or 5 times, each time more emphatically. Then, finally he said, “The difference between the Christian and the so-called atheist is that the atheist will be the first ones on their knees when Jesus returns.”

I think maybe Mr. Cosby is right.

If There Were No God

Posted in Abuse of Power, Biden, Christian values, Religion by

It is an outlandish idea, but Voltaire said that if there were no God we would have to invent one. It makes me wonder if he had the lies that the FBI told when he said that. To be sure, religion right or wrong, to some degree has kept the human race from destroying itself.

However, it has done some damage too. I have already mentioned the Spanish Inquisition. There were the crusades and the attempts by Arabs to take over Europe. Oh, by the way, they still are. They also destroyed a couple of large buildings in NY, NY, not to mention the thousands of lives in the name of their ala.

Old Joe claims to be religious, a Catholic, but he was very responsible for deaths in Afghanistan and Ukraine. He would like us to forget all the death by abortion he encourages, though he claims Catholicism as his belief. Makes me wonder why the Pope has such a wonderful relationship with him.

Nonetheless, maybe all these pseudo-religions have done some good from time to time.

However, if a person makes up his own religious beliefs, it’s going to cause more harm than good. Certainly any religion that ignores the 10 Commandments won’t help. And by the way, as a nation we have virtually outlawed the 10 Commandments everywhere but The Supreme Court. I guess they will soon be removed there as well.

Then in the hearts of most Americans, there will be no God in this country. Or maybe most will simply invent their own to meet their own convenience.

People Intentionally Spreading the Wrong Info About God and Salvation.

Posted in Christian values, News media by

Try as I may, I cannot make a person accept Jesus as his savior. All I can do is present the truth and people seem determined to believe the lie they were told earlier. By the way, while I am on the subject, salvation is a gift. It is a lie that it can be earned. That’s right. It must be accepted or lost forever. No one, not even Moses or Abraham will be able to say they earned their spot in Heaven. No one told me as much, but it does seem a good way to keep pride out of God’s presence. No man, woman or child will be able to say to God that he is there because he earned it, or even partially earned any of it.

Yet, today, people are walking this earth proclaiming a person must be good to go to heaven, which is a lie from Hell. The fact is no one, but no one has, is, or will be good enough to be able to say to God he made it by being good.

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[Let’s Add a Title] (Oops) Our Castles, Our Castles, Our Homes

Posted in Advertising, Christian values, Crime, Deceit, Lawyers and Representation, Priorities by

Just finished watching the news, which was followed by an infomercial of hometitlelock.com. I would suspect that at any time of the day or night, I can find a station that is or soon will be advertising it or something similar.

I have no idea how much that advertising costs, but it has to be a bunch.

Do you know what that tells me? That tells me that protecting homes is a very profitable business. Otherwise, there is no way they could afford all that advertising.

So, I think we can safely say, thieves stealing homes are not the only ones who make their fortunes from the thievery. It would seem, the aforementioned corporation, the advertising companies as well as the radio and TV stations are likely making their bundles of wealth from it too.

We can stop all this, you know. We can change the laws and we can change the priorities of law enforcement. We need laws that make it much more difficult. That alone would cause a drop in stolen homes. However, if we zero in on and throw as many house stealers as we can and put the in prison, as well, the aforementioned corporation will no longer be able to afford all the advertising.

My personal opinion is, that is a good thing, though some will need to go looking for other means of earning money, maybe something of more purpose.

I Had a Dream

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I knew it had to be a dream, cause I was doing things I knew I couldn’t do. I dreamed I was playing baseball as well as I ever did.

I was running and jumping, throwing and catching, and I was hitting the ball like a pro. Now let me tell you, that is one of those dreams that I would just as soon never end.

It does make me wish I had some control over my dreaming. Maybe before going to sleep I could set my mind on what I want to dream and I would dream it.

I suppose it is a good thing I can’t. I would likely sleep as much as I could. I guess I would spend entirely too much time dreaming that I was playing first base professionally.

It does cause me to speculate. Could it possibly be better in heaven than my little dream? I mean I did so love to play baseball. I wonder how it could possibly be better in heaven. I have not the answer but the Bible does. And God does assure me that it is better than my dream. Even better, I’ll never have to wake up.

As a side note, I will have something to say about it. Because I have accepted Jesus as my savior I will spend eternity with him. It is far better than what the alternative would have been.

And here’s the neat part. There will be no pain, no suffering, and I will be able to run better than my high school days. That, in itself would make it heaven. However, it is just a small part of it.

Worse Than Hitler

Posted in Abuse of Power, Being woke, Cease fire between Israel and Gaza, Communism, Communist Takover, Deceit, experience, FOC, Israelites, Obama, Planned Parenthood, Politcal Opinion, President Trump, Religion, Schools, Socialists, Vaccine, Vietnam war by

It is a phrase commonly used by the dems, very erroneously I might add.  It is the dems who have cost the lives of millions, not Trump.  It is the dems who hate the Israelis, not Trump, who returned to the capital of Israel to Jerusalem after many failed before him.  If anyone deserves the title of Nazis, it’s the dems who insist on the cease fire in Gaza.

Nonetheless, there are two men who were worse than Hitler, Marx and Darwin.

To be sure, Darwin was an inspiration to Hitler.  It was he who inspired the concept of ‘survival of the fittest.’  It was Darwin who gave Hitler the idea of eliminating inferior races.  It is why he wanted to destroy the Jews and the blacks as well as anyone who had any disabilities.  Also, it is Darwin who inspired the Scopes monkey trial, which initiated driving God out of our schools and the teaching of evolution.

So, when you talk of the 6 million Jews killed by Hitler, let’s remember it started with Darwin.  Moreover, Hitler began the WWII on the basis of the theory of evolution.  For this reason, you can pretty well accredit every life lost in the European theater to Darwin, though he never pulled a trigger. (not that I know of)

On the other hand, Marx inspired the likes of Stalin and Lenin.  While neither ever really wanted Marxist communism, they used it to sell their leadership, while justifying the killing and imprisoning untold millions in the process.  Between the two of them, they killed over ten million in the name of communism.  Thanks to Mr. Marx, millions of Jews were forced from Russia and right into the waiting arms of Hitler.

I have found it odd, but it is possible that Hitler saved the world from the likes Stalin and Linen.  Hitler put a stop to communism in Europe and might have slowed communism long enough to keep them from taking over the world.  I don’t know.  Just a thought that I won’t confirm this side of eternity.  Perhaps it is the reason to the oft asked question of why God did not kill Hitler.

Of course, Mao, another Marxist, killed, perhaps as many as 50 million while establishing his kingdom.  Then to make matters worse, after his revolution, even more were dying of starvation, which caused him to turn to Indochina for food.  That, in turn resulted in problems in Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia.  Therefore, we can ultimately thank Marx for the loss of American armed forces in Korea as well as Vietnam.  However, it did not stop there.  Pot killed just about one forth of the population of Cambodia while establishing his kingdom there, though it was in the name of communism.

So, oddly, after all this history, you’d think we would know better.  You’d think people would learn.  However, it is true, people are quick to believe the lie and slow to accept the truth.

The biologists all over the world worship evolution and the economists bow down before the god of communism.  It would seem they worship the same gods as Hitler, Lenin and Stalin did.  Moreover, they come down hard on anyone that refuses to accept their religion beliefs.  At first, they made fun of us.  Now, those of us who refuse to follow their unproved and unworkable beliefs are apt to end up in prison or, in some cases, dead.

It is how they love to work.  Remember, they have no fear of God.  Their religion is communism.  They want us too, to fear and follow communism, though they know it will never work.  Indeed, it is about power.  It is all about the power and they don’t like it when we fear God more than them.

There is no telling how many will die because of the writings of Marx and Darwin, but God already knows.  And He will see to it that the 2 of them pay for the every one of those deaths especially children.  It will make them wish they never picked up a pen and paper.  Also, He will make sure those who spread the false religion will pay for it too.  He really does know how to do that.