A Sign of the Times

Read these two links:

http://www.religiouscoalitionformarriage.org/

http://lds.org/newsroom/showrelease/0,15503,3881-1-23448,00.html

I'm pretty sure everyone who reads is a member of the church and will most likely hear on Sunday what these links say. I just want to add my emphasis, though. Write your senators. You have no idea the effect of a few, hand-written letters in the politics of this nation. Though one of my views is that representatives should vote with their own convictions of what is right, perhaps they lack the courage to vote their own will, if they think their constituents don't back them.

Maybe our letters won't make a difference. But, maybe they will. Maybe our senators have been blinded by the media onslaught against marriage. Maybe all they need is a few voices in support of what is right and they will awaken to the truth. Maybe our letters will make the difference in a vote that will change the course of this nation for all of history.

And have no doubt that it will. What the Congress of the United States of America decides about marriage will affect the future of this world. It will affect, for better or for worse, our futures, the future of our children, and the future of every child in this world. Have no doubt that if this amendment is not passed, marriage will continue crumble in this country. Have no doubt that as marriage crumbles in this land, the beacon to all the world, the city on a hill, it will crumble around the world. Families will fall apart, children will grow up, in the words of Ma Joad in Grapes of Wrath, "wild, like animals." Without reteaching this nation what marriage is, there is no hope for this world.

Write your senators and play your part in the flow of history, help restore this nation to a place where people can look to for hope, inspiration and refuge. Remind our senators that freedom and liberty, safety and security is not about us, it's about our children and the future of the human race.

Me, as seen through DOM and Dune

I've been thinking the last few days about me. It may seem a little self-centered, but since I'm stuck for eternity as me, there are a few questions I need to answer. Well, more accurately, there are questions that need asking and I need to figure out which questions these are.

One thing I've particularly noticed is a love of reading things on the net. I love to explore sites with information. For example, yesterday when I got home from class I thought about something that I had heard about during the day called the Dominion of Melchizedek. It intrigued me and I proceeded to find out all I could about it.

First I learned that whoever ran the DOM had gone to the trouble to make a website with several links and a "constitution." They had a fancy seal at the top of the main website and the constitution copied many ideas from the U.S., with a few tweaks from the political and ideological leanings of whoever wrote it. From reading that constitution, I learned that they liked the U.S. system of government, or at least the appearance of it. Their personal tweaks concentrated all power into the hands of 24 men, who made all the laws and chose the president of the DOM. So, I had a feeling they wanted the appearance of democracy, but wanted the power to be concentrated in a few hands. Kind of like most European nations. I also learned that these guys didn't understand, first, economics, and second, the cost of running a government. They banned taxes (except an "inflationary tax," interpret that as you may).

Next I discovered a link to the "Melchizedek Bible." From here I read their introduction, which included a biography about the "translators" of the MB, who also happened to be the founders of the DOM. This was the fun part. It turns out the translators and founders are two men who have spent a great deal of their time in jail and in court, mainly on things related to schemes to make money. This biography kept saying there was no proof to any of the convictions, however, never were they jailed without going to trial, and every trial they had "wrongly" convicted the "innocent" men. Why they put so much obviously condemning information on this page, I don't know. They never explain exactly how two innocent men can be wrongly convicted so many times and they never explain how these men's schemes were legal.

I didn't bother finishing this "introduction" and went straight to the MB, their modern-day translation of the King James Bible. It was a joke. Literally, it made me laugh. They just made up their own meanings for what the Bible said, turning it into a laughable attempt to provide legitimacy to their crime-filled lives.

Finished with this website and its attempt to turn this absurd criminal tale into a story of misunderstood "prophets" stuck in a corrupt nation, I went to the web. I quickly discovered that the DOM was well known by the US government - as an attempt to legitimize phony schemes to fool people out of their money. My favorite story is of a man sold loans in Texas from an agency licensed by the DOM and funded by a bank licensed by the DOM and a University he had founded in Louisiana. The bank, of course, had no assets and neither did the university. Also, his company was never registered to make loans in Texas. Somehow he managed to get thousands of dollars from people, though. Amazing.

Anyway, this whole journey took a couple hours and thinking about it later, I think it's interesting that I invested so much time reading about this fake country. Really, I find many aspects of what I read fascinating, though I won't write any more here, out of respect for those of you who would like to return to your normal lives. But I have a thirst for knowledge and not just any knowledge. I know there is a specific type....I'm just trying to figure out what type it is. I like to read about countries, ideologies, corporations and the effects they have around the world. I like to see the trends of people and nations. Not trends as in fashion trends and who their favorite celebrity is, though in certain cases that may factor in, but...well, perhaps an example would be best.

Let's take religion. Religion shapes nations and nations shape religions. That is a trend I would love to explore. Think about the United States. Each trend is obvious. We are shaped by Christianity, specifically, Protestant Christianity. Look at the debates over prayer and Bible study in public schools. But at the same time, we have shaped Protestant Christianity. Evangelism is largely a US phenomenon. And commerce also factors into the equation.

A book that may define me is Dune. I've read a few books exploring how religion, politics, and economics intertwine, and this one has been definitive to me. It tells of a man who goes far beyond being a popular hero, but shapes the future of the entire universe. The hero, Paul Atreides, begins as a political figure. He is the son of a powerful Duke in the future Empire of man. But he and his father quickly become economic figures when they are given control of Arrakis, the economic center of the universe, as it is the sole source of spice, the stuff that allows interplanetary travel. Following an attack and defeat by a rival house, Paul is chased into the desert and becomes a religious figure. The book focuses all these factors onto this single man, in the process, allowing an exploration of how these forces interact.

Ok, anyway, I'm just babbling now. If anyone is still reading, I'm impressed. Maybe I'll continue this later, but for now, I need to do homework.

Redemption

WanderingScribe

This is not a typical story. A woman finds herself homeless and jobless, living out of her car at the edge of some woods near London. Barely scraping enough together to feed herself, she walks into a public library to check her e-mail and decides to start a blog. Within a few months, she has readers around the world and is interviewed by BBC. Now she has a home and a book deal. Besides it being a fascinating story, her blog is a great read, thanks to her ability to write. That book deal is not just because of her sudden fame. Read it and, as she suggests, start from the beginning, as it is a story about her life and, as with any proper story, will have the greatest impact if you start from the beginning.

The Bible - In Chinese

On the topic of the Bible: Immigrants Hear God's Word, In Chinese, via Conference Call. There really is a great deal of good being done outside the church.

The Bible in School

In today's Wall Street journal, there is an article entitled Saving Souls at School. Two court rulings have made it possible for elementary schools to have Bible clubs on campus led by teachers. The article focuses mainly on those who support the idea, so the reaction against it isn't conveyed clearly, but it does mention a few who oppose the idea. Throughout the article, I wasn't exactly sure where I stood, but after reading it and thinking it through, I don't have any objection and think it is an excellent idea.

First of all, the clubs are after school hours and many of the teachers make it clear to the students that they are doing this not as teachers, but as private citizens. This distinction I don't believe is really that important. After all, the idea that public employees and representatives should separate their public lives from their private beliefs is a. impossible, b. unnecessary, and c. dangerous. Separating private beliefs from your public life means you must represent the majority view, or whatever view is common in the government at that time. This is not the idea of representative democracy. The idea is to select men and and women who the public believes are morally straight and mentally capable of the task. And no person can make any decision without considering using their own moral beliefs. It is not possible and should never be asked of anyone. Therefore, Christian teachers, or Jewish, Muslim, etc., should never be asked to leave their religion at the door. Though they should not proselytize, it is not a criminal act for them to speak about their religion in the classroom. Nothing is being forced upon anyone. It is up to the children to decide. And the parents will ultimately have a larger sway on the child's mind, if they are giving as much attention to the child as they should. If not, in most circumstances, that is their own fault and they are the ones who must change, not the teacher.

Anyway, back to Bible clubs. The Moab, Utah school district has allowed the meetings, but is concerned that they blur the line between church and state. The concern is that Christianity is being promoted over other religions. My question is, if a Jewish teacher started a Jewish club, would people have the same concerns? What about a Muslim teacher? Or a Buddhist? Some parents may have a concern, but I doubt anybody with any authority would. These clubs would promote diversity. Yet there is no, I repeat, no difference between these clubs and the Christian clubs, except that Christianity is the majority religion. The fact of the matter is, the state is not promoting the religion, the individual teachers are. And they are not claiming the school supports this religion, they are only saying that they, as individuals do. The school giving permission for this to happen does not constitute an endorsement for the religion, it constitutes an acceptance of people's religious beliefs, which is a fundamental part of the Constitution. Banning the clubs would be the exact opposite: it would be repressing individual citizen's rights to share with others their beliefs.

The claim that this blurs the line between state and religion is further proven baseless by the fact that no other religions are banned from starting clubs. This is the right of every Jew, Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu out there. The Founding Father's intent was not to ban religion from the public sphere, an idea unthinkable at the time, but to allow everyone to freely practice their religion. By allowing "religious diversity" clubs to abound and banning Christian clubs, the state is repressing religion, something that is unarguably unconstitutional. Therefore, these Bible clubs, far from blurring any hypothetical line, are showing why our Constitution was written with that clause: to protect our ability to practice any religion.

Also, parents are required to give their permission. The strongest argument against these clubs is that these kids will be taught something their parents don't approve of. This is taken care of by the permission slips. If the parents are uncomfortable with it, they don't have to sign the permission slip and the matter is over. Since the clubs are afterschool affairs, the parents don't have to worry about the teachers "indoctrinating" their children during school hours. Some parents might fear that if all of their child's friends are in the club, the kid might not be able to escape talk of the Bible. Any parent that fears there child will give in to peer pressure regarding something so "dangerous" as beliefs about the bible, should be scared stiff about peer pressure regarding things that represent real dangers later on: drugs, alcohol, sex.

And finally, there is the fact that these teachers are teaching something that no one should be opposed to : good moral conduct, loving one another, being accepting, forgiveness. This is the message of Christ and the Bible. If anything wrong is taught, such as intolerance of non-Christians or other things that Christians are accused of, this is the fault of the specific teacher and the parent should complain about the teacher, not the Bible club. These Bible clubs, if they survive, will do a great deal in improving the morality of Americans. There are few things better than teaching children the words of Christ. At this time in their lives, when they are the most impressionable, there is nothing that could do a better job of countering the trash that fills the modern media, except the parents teaching the Bible. But, since many parents seem to decline the responsibility of this, then the next best place is in these afterschool clubs.

Here's to the future. May it be filled with millions of Bible reading and loving children.

The Actor

Venezuela stages mock foreign invasion Reuters.com

Hugo Chavez really is a clever actor. In efforts to stoke anti-American sentiment and unite his people behind him, he holds mock invasions. He points to this as preperations for a future U.S. invasion that he claims is almost certain. Maybe to the poor and illiterate in Venezuala this works, or to those who will believe anything that is anti-U.S., but to anyone who can read the news and pays attention to the real U.S. government, rather than the imperial phantom Chavez has created, this idea is irrational and absurd.

With all the problems the U.S. is facing, why would we invade Venezuela? North Korea is a potential threat, with its likely nuclear weapons and the growing capability to launch them at the U.S. So is Iran, with its insistence on enriching uranium and its threats to Israel. And if it was all about oil, Iran seems like a much better target, since we would have reasons for invading Iran that would mask the drive for oil.

And besides all this, we are still having enough difficulties as it is with Iraq. Unless we had a compelling reason to invade any other country, such as the threat of nuclear reasons, I don't believe there is any possibility of it happening. Chavez is overplaying his own importance. I'm sure if he weren't using all this anti-American rhetoric, the government and media would largely ignore him. He's an actor who is using the stage effectively to solidify his grip on the country and though he is a threat to his own people, our country's best and most likely policy is to do nothing.

I know I've said he is a threat, but upon learning more about him, my opinion is changing. He is democratically elected and there is little we can complain about there. He may be misusing his power, but only Venezuelans can do anything about that. I pity them, but they seem to have brought it upon themselves. As long as his only tool is oil money and as long as all he does is use inane rhetoric, we are safe. We should, however, keep a close eye on him.

Um...logic?

Vote in House Seeks to Erase Oil Windfall

So, I'm curious about something. We're facing a couple major problems. The first is that we are far too dependent on foreign oil. The second, which is partly a result of the first, is that gas prices are at a record high. So what's the House's reaction? Raise taxes on gas companies and continue the ban on further drilling. How is this a solution for anything? Sure, reactionists are happy because the "evil" oil companies profits are cut a little, but how does this affect the average American? Gas prices will go up even more. Yes, something needs to be done about tax cuts to the oil industry, but not now. Not when gas prices are the highest and not before we've found a way to decrease the pressure on the oil supply. The House is asking for one result: permanently higher gas prices.

Unbias

Comment is free: Chavez is a populist, not a socialist

Here is an intelligent look at Chavez, less biased than my tirade below. Don't pay attention to the comments after the article, though. They are a joke.

My Rant

CNN.com - Chavez: Imprison 'genocidal' Bush - May 15, 2006

Chavez continues to scare me. The fact that anyone listens to him with any seriousness whatsoever is surprising to me. This man calls the President of the United States an international criminal and genocidal. Hold on, exactly how is Bush genocidal? What people in the US have been killed as part of this genocide? Exactly what group of people have US troops been wiping out in Iraq or Afghanistan? How can anyone listen to this tripe? I can't believe the mayor of London sat down with this man! He doesn't use logic! Everything he says in sensational, designed for one purpose: to catch the media's attention. He doen't care about people. He offers low-priced oil to people in the US and Europe. To what purpose? To help people? There are thousands in his own country who are poverty-stricken! If he cared about anyone, he would help his own people first, not the far more wealthy Americans and Europeans.

Chavez, if he weren't such a danger, would be a joke. He claims he and the Iranians want peace. Right. So the Iranians, who have said Israel should be wiped off the map, want peace? The Iranians, who have sent men over to help the Iraq terrorists, want peace? Venezuela hasn't done anything to further any war, as far as I know, but I don't see anything that Chavez is doing to help any peace effort.

If anything, he's trying to incite war. He doesn't want any part in the goals of America. We want peace. We want freedom for others. But he claims not to see this. He claims that capitalism doesn't work and we are imperialistic. But where does the evidence lie? Capitalism vs. populism, socialism, communism, call it what you like. US vs. Russia. Who's left standing? US vs. China. Which country adopted the economic modeol of the other? US vs. Cuba. Which one are people fleeing out of? US vs. North Korea. Which one are people starving in? Now, tell me again that capitalism doesn't work.

And if we are imperialistic, we are the worst impirialists of all time. Conquering countries and then setting up parliaments and letting them choose their own leaders? Letting them train, no, training their troops. Hold on, what empire in all of history has ever done this? Name one.

Chavez...I can't use the words for what Chavez is, but he is wrong. Use a little bit of logic and all his arguments fall apart. He is after one thing: power. And he will do anything to get it.

Inspiration

Just finished reading Rocket Boys, or October Sky, as it's now known. Rocket Boys was a better title. Anyway, I practically bawled. It's strange. I've read a lot of books already in my short life, many of them touching. I don't know if any single one of them has touched me the way this one has. Several times, my eyes teared up. More than once, those tears escaped down my cheeks. For heaven's sake, its a book about boys launching rockets! But at the same time, it's the journey of a boy trying to find his place in the world and trying to find out if his father really loves him, trying to earn his father's love. If there is something that gets to me, it's a father-son story.

Read it.

America's Potential

Despite everything wrong in this world, there is good. Governments may be corrupt, beauracracies bloated, cities ridden with crime and families crumbling, but there is hope.

According to a recently published study called the 2006 Index of Global Philanthropy, despite whatever problems our government faces, it manages to give $19.7 billion a year in aid. And that is only official government aid. Religious organizations give $4.5 billion in aid. Not impressed? Corporations give $5 billion in aid. Ok, not too much more, but there's more. Private organizations gave almost $10 billion. Now here's the whopper: individual remittance, or the money from individuals within the US sent to those without, adds up to $47 billion.

"Wait," some might say. "How can you count money immigrants send to their families? That's not aid." I would strongly disagree. According to the Wall Street Journal article I have gained this information from, individual remittance is "arguably the most efficient..involving little or no overhead and filling people's basic needs directly." While the aid governments, religious organizations, and corporations is sifted through by governments and partly used to pay for employees, offices, paperwork, etc., individual remittances goes straight into the hands of those who need it most. There is no better form of charity. $47 billion. That alone is an argument that perhaps one of the most charitable things we can do for development in Mexico is allow temporary workers to come here.

All of this is evidence that there is hope. There are enough people in this country who care that we send at least $86.2 billion out into the world with the hope that that money will improve the condition of the huge numbers of those suffering. Of course, there is a great deal more we can do. So much of our money goes to things that really don't matter. Billions go into video games alone, and this is a part of the entertainment industry just hitting full stride. Imagien how much more we spend on well established forms of entertainment. What about all the money wasted in casinos across the nation? Imagien what the money people spend on lotteries could do if they instead spent it to help others! This is not a call for change in government policy. This is something government cannot do. This is a change that must come directly from the people. Our hearts must change. Our desires must change. Following that, the government will change to reflect our changed desire.

There is hope and there will be a great deal more if we set ourselves aside and serve others. This will save the world. Anything else will destroy it.

To Be Alone

I guess it's been a while since I've written anything. I'd imagine not many people are checking this blog anymore. Oh well. This is for those of you who randomly happen by.

So, I'm back at college for the Spring after two awesome semesters. I can tell you, it's not the same at all. Really, it's pitiful here. It's actually kind of lonely. At the end of last semester, I was always with good friends. I never ate alone. I stayed up late talking to my roommate. We watched movies, went up the canyon, did all kinds fo things. And now I'm here and all my friends have gone home. But, I don't want to dwell on that. Life will improve. I'll make more friends.

It's interesting. Once again, the shell has been rebuilt and its ripped away, this time perhaps even more so. Yet, at the same time, this shell was closer to the real me. Though it's been painful, the pain isn't so much me having to rebuild who I am. This time its simply sorrow for what was. I miss my friends intensely. But I know who I am, to an extent.

It will be interesting to see where this term leads. Where am I going, exactly? Though I have a good idea of who I am, there are questions left, as always. Its difficult to place in words, and there's a great deal I can't say in this blog, but I am confused about certain things. Change will do that. In building that shell, you get used to one picture. You structure the world around you according to what you're used to. You organize things in your mind based on your daily experience. But then your daily experience changes. What is around you shifts. Perhaps the hardest thing is when only portions change, and not the entire thing.

I can easily remember when I first came up here. It wasn't too hard. I missed family and friends, but I was excited. And everything changed. I was in a completely new environment. There were challenges, but I was ready to meet them. I was prepared.

Things are different now. I'm not exactly sure what I expected, but I didn't expect it to be this hard. What makes it so hard is that just a portion of the picture has changed. I've moved to a different dorm, there's fewer peope on campus, but, most significantly, my closest friends, and most of the people I knew, have gone home. So much here reminds me of the great times we had, but I can't share those memories with them, but they're not here. Well, I guess I can eventually, but not in the moment.

Well, time will ease the pain. I'll get used to my new situation. I can keep in touch with my friends and I'll make new friends. And eventually I'll leave campus. I'll always miss my friends, but it will be easier when I'm not reminded daily of them and the things we did together.

TImes will be good again. Really, life is good. My friends may not be close, but I can still talk to them. They're still here. And I can always look to the future. They'll be there, in the future, always. And if anything should happen to prevent me from seeing that future with them, I pray that God will watch over us and know that we will see each other again, whether on this side of the veil or on the other.

So, here's to the future, which fills the present with light and hope.