Issue 495 Assisted suicide: My Re-evaluation December 31 2014

My cats recent death has actually made me re-evaluate my stance on assisted suicide.  The reason being was that I had to put my cat to sleep or she would have died a slow agonizing death from cancer, or starved due to the cancer preventing her from eating, or toxemia in the blood from the cancer shutting down her kidneys (not to mention she could barely move anymore).  As you can see, my decision was made for me, despite how painful it was.  Now I loved my cat dearly, and I can only imagine what it is like for some people to go through something like this, but with a human being.  Thus, my re-evaluation. 

My new thoughts:  At first I thought that people who commit suicide in general were week.  That they had to simply realize that they, no matter the pain and suffering, they could overcome it.  I even thought that a doctor was violating their oath if they aided in the suicide.  But, unfortunately or fortunately we are not the same people we were when the oath was first written up in ancient Greece.  So now I have looked at the issue again, and have determined that there are helpless situations (obviously) and then there are situations where people just can't see, find, or afford a way out.  So if you have not figured it out already, I am now in favor of assisted suicide despite my wishing and hoping that the individual will do everything in their power to try and live.

Conclusion:  Many things that occur in life can change a person’s mind.  In my case, my dearly departed cat Cassie was the one who caused me to have an epiphany and thus shock me out of being so naive.  So I will not tell you however that you have to support a person committing suicide, but know that we all really do not have a say in their doing it, for it is unfortunately a part of their right to live. 

Issue 494 The killing exceptions December 30, 2014

In the Bible there are only three exceptions to killing.  While modern law adds numerous nuance to this, we sometimes have to remember the basics of when it is acceptable.  So let us begin.

Exception 1, Self Defense:  Self-defense is one of the easiest to remember as even the law recognizes this as a right.  You are basically defending yourself from impending doom.  The reason this exception exists is because we have a right to live.  As such, the Ten Commandments makes this one of the primary exceptions to killing another human being.

Exception 2, protecting another:  For a similar reason to the first exception, we also have a right to protect our fellow man from physical harm.  So if a group/mob is about to attack another person, by God's own rules, we are allowed to kill in defense of that individual being attacked.  Obviously, this one is a bit harder to do than with the first exception as we may end up defending a villain.  So in this case use your judgment on how to solve or if to even interfere with the situation.

Exception 3, War, the final exception:  This exception, war, encompasses the first two.  Via war (and that is if we are attacked first) we are defending ourselves, our families and our fellow countrymen.  This exception was very important for before God even came into people’s lives and was recognized as our savior (assuming you believe in God) genocide and slavery was a key component of war and unfortunately may be so again.  So by fighting back, you stop the annihilation of yourself and all those around you.

Conclusion:  I am sure I have mentioned these exceptions before, but I feel that given the current situation in the Middle East and the issues surrounding Ferguson and similar situations, that we may be forgetting that we are allowed to defend ourselves and loved ones.  I will not say I support violence, but we are now more likely than ever to be placed into a possible life and death situation.  So for me, I wanted to at least prepare you for the possibility and that you are in the right with respect to resorting to killing another if left with no viable alternative.  So stay safe my readers.  Stay safe.

Issue 493 Are pets worth it? December 29, 2014

A pet is a commitment.  For those who know, a pet can be equivalent to raising a second child.  So here and now I will tell you why pets are the best thing to happen to a person.

The love they show:  A pet as I stated is a commitment. You raise them with love and care for they are your friends who do not judge you based on your habits, your vices, or your problems.  They support you when you are said, and they comfort you when you are sick.  Some would argue that people should not have a pet because of the pain of losing a pet in the first place.  However, that pain you feel is love.  You cherish the memories of the animal you cared for, and that cared about you in return.  How could all the memories with your pet not be worth it in the end?  Sure they can stink, eat like no tomorrow and poo sometimes on the carpet, but those are all part of the memories you remember about your pet.  For a child growing up, a pet is a great starter for them learning responsibility, all the while having a supporting friend.  So pets are worth it.

Conclusion:  I dedicate this issue to my cat Cassie.  She was with me for 16 long years, and passed away from pancreatic cancer a few weeks ago.  She was with me through my first and second girlfriend, and when I struggled with bullies at school.  Cassie simply came up to me whenever I felt sad so as to comfort me as much as she could, because she somehow saw me as family.  I miss her greatly, but I would not change anything with respect to her being in my life.  

Issue 492 Jesus Sacrifice December 26, 2014

I just felt like there was one aspect missing from our celebration of Jesus's birth.  That aspect was why he was given to us by God in the first place.  Allow me to tell you for those who do not know.

The why:  Jesus was given to us by God so that he could act as a sacrifice for mankind.  This is the whole reason why we celebrate his birth, death and resurrection.  The man known as Jesus knew that he was going to die in a very painful way, and if you read the Bible, you would know that even Jesus knew fear.  But Jesus with Gods will and support was sacrificed so that the souls of the departed can enter heaven based on how they lived their lives as individuals.  You see, past salvation was based on the collective whole, but Jesus died for the individual.  Jesus’s covenant with God allows us to be judged independent of one another.  At the same time Jesus also died so that we may achieve a kind of death and rebirth once baptized.  The baptism was and is the mark of the covenant for following generations of people so that they too may be part of this covenant with God. 

Conclusion:  These are the reasons Jesus died for us.  He was a selfless sacrifice from God and from Jesus himself for the blessing of all of mankind.  So let us never forget this sacrifice so long as we live.

Issue 491 Merry Christmas December 25, 2014

Well my readers.  Thank you for reading again this year.  Without you I probably would have ceased bothering to post.  So I mean it when I say:

 Merry Christmas and have a happy and healthy holiday.

See you all tomorrow :)

Issue 490 Santa and Christmas December 24, 2014

Ok, I may not be the first to tell you, or realize, but Christmas has been completely transformed from a religious holiday to a commercialized fiasco.  Now let us discuss.

The degradation of the day:  Well, for one, Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.  Yes, I know, some of you are like he actually was not born on that day and what not, but July 4th is not the actual independence day of America either.  So suck it up.  The entire concept behind gift giving comes in part from the notion that God gave us Jesus as a gift to his children so that they each may achieve salvation.  From their the real Saint Nicholas would many, many years later give out gifts in part to celebrate the birth of Jesus.  At that point the tradition of gift giving as a selfless act became a key component of the holiday.  Essentially, Christmas became even greater as it was about selflessly showing each other love with no expectation of a return gift.   However, Santa got a makeover.  For the first time, Santa was commercialized by Thomas Nast and further by companies like Coca-Cola to sell brands and products.  As time went on, many forgot that the day was to celebrate Jesus's birth and instead we see numerous images of children being laden with huge quantities of gifts on television.  But is that the right thing to do.  A holiday of selflessness has turned into a holiday of selfishness.  As such, I am concerned about the wellbeing of both the reason for celebrating and even the original intentions of the original Santa Claus(s) (as there are many people who contributed to this legend).

Conclusion:  I hope that we can separate the commercial aspect from the true meaning of Christmas.  I for one may not go to Church often, but I believe in God and give thanks for God and Jesus on every Christmas day.  So I write this as a reminder to everyone so that they will remember the true meaning and value of Christmas.

Issue 489 The Church is stagnant December 23, 2014

Well, have you ever felt that when you are in Church that you are simply following the motions without thinking?  Have you seen the members of your church dwindle?  Well, it is because of the same reason, the Church has become stagnant and thus people do not feel the need to go anymore.  So rather than say why the Church has become stale, I would like to discuss with you how to liven it up.  So let us begin.

Ideas to improve the Church:  

1) Music:  There are different mediums to music that can enhance the church going experience, but only so many can get you to voluntarily get up on your feet and dance.  What I propose here is that we copy a little bit of the Christian music the Baptists use so as to get everyone revved up and into the happenings of the Church.  It does not even have to be all chorus either, but a variety of music.  

2) Use the actual Bible:   I have noticed that when I do go to Church that we are not reading directly from the Bible.  This to me has not really sat well with me as it felt like we were not hearing the word of God directly.  I really cannot express the feeling well enough to describe it in words, but it just felt wrong to me.  So instead, I propose using an actual Bible when doing readings from the Gospels.  In fact, let people use their own Bibles to read from so that they get that personal feeling when readings are done.  Also, let someone other than the Priest read the Bible in the same way my Church has someone who volunteers to do the reading every Sunday.  Thus it allows people to become more involved in the mass.

3) Embrace discussions:  Set aside time to actually discuss and debate the readings and the Gospel that was read at mass that day.  Basically, let the congregation debate the morals and teachings with the Priest being the moderator.  In fact, the members of the congregation can be encouraged to bring their pens/pencils with their Bibles so that they can make notations in the Bible themselves on where our rights come from or to clarify what Jesus'/God's message is.  Again this gets people more involved in their faith and helps them find the answers they are looking for from God. 

4) Sunday mass as an all-day thing:  In the past, mass on Sunday was all day affair.  So why not bring that back.  Each Sunday the Church can hold a potluck type lunch for the congregation.  So mass would begin at around 10 and stop for an intermission around 12, and then pick up again at about 130, and finish at 3pm.  Thus, this would allow members of the church a break and also have time for all these other suggestions.  This also provides time for more one on one type sessions with fellow members of the congregation to discuss the happenings in the Church as well.

Conclusion:  I believe that all these will enhance the Church going experience and allow the Church to become a place for conversations on morality, law and news.  The Church has always been meant to be a community gathering place that people can go to, to be with one another while embracing one's faith.  It has lost that ability as masses became shorter to accommodate the faster pace of life, but can become something more if allowed to freely embrace different methods of enhancing people’s desire to worship.