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Monthly Archives: March 2014


Let us discuss the uproar about Russia and Ukraine. The U.S. is busy working towards a disengagement in a war in Afghanistan and the Russo-Ukraine issue is all the Congressional war hawks can talk about. Wars cost money and lives and we cannot afford it. It is well that they feel so strongly about the issue in Ukraine but not so much about American issues of equality, global warming  and government reform (of all sorts). It is an amazing thing to see all of the rhetoric that emerges near election time (all of them). Here in Illinois we have several (too many) candidates for State and Federal offices who all claim to be the one we should select to represent us. Keeping in mind that no one candidate is perfect or can aspire to be perfect but these aspirants continue to make these claims until they actually get the office then  all their rhetoric  is just talk! It is impossible for anyone to determine what they will do once in office, they can only talk about what they want to do but they seem to forget that the person they are looking to replace has said similar things when running for the office. Politics is a dirty business that will soil the hands of all who are in it, the survival will  depend on what things they can get done with the least amount of fanfare and rise above the guano pile that swallows so many. We do not hear much about these things but we certainly hear about what wasn’t done and what should have or could have been done. The Affordable Care Act which was labeled as “Obamacare” has helped more that it hurt in spite of a rocky start and has shown that the “cancelled” insurance policies were in fact substandard. It is unfortunate that politics has become the way legislature works instead of the way it should, members presenting bills for the good of the country and discussions on them to make them the best they can be. Instead what we have are presentations that become arguments and political fodder along party lines. I have decided to continue my practice of voting against long term servers in an attempt to renew the political “gene” pool. I urge everyone to do the same and dismiss the hundreds of political ads that elevate or denigrate a political aspirant. Remember the old saw still applies” If it quacks like a duck, walks like a duck, then it must be a duck!”

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I have tried to make my blog accessible but away from the obvious and  “normal” outlets. I apparently have a few followers and I thank them, I would like to receive comments good or bad from any readers, no profanity or non standard comments. Reasonable is great but stupid is not.

Thank you

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Guilt and fear are the result of deceit and lies. Modern times have given us more access to deceit and lies than the past. These “tools” have  been the staple in many countries including our own (slavery). If there was only trust and bravery  where would we be? Would we be enjoying safe renewable energy, a promised chicken in every pot? Maybe no Crusades, no WWI-WWII, no Korean conflict, no Vietnam and the follow ups, No Mau Mau, No SDS and on and on. It takes just one person to sow these seeds of discontent by taking  reasonability out of the argument just to have “their ideology” take the forefront. These usurpers of the common good have created chaos and mayhem on the scale of a Vesuvius eruption and have met with no more punishment than a quick (and merciful?) death.    As reasonable people and I believe most of us are, we have to ignore what appears obvious and look behind the curtain Deceit and lies. Until we question all accounts aired and read we will continue to be slaves of manipulative factions that have brought to the brink many times and hindered progress towards a real modern world of peace.

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There has been so much print and air time about Religions and the differences among them. I have downloaded several charts showing some of the differences between the many religions. Many Western religions (many with European and Eastern beginnings) have an assortment of sects that believe the basic premise of the root religion but have deviated due to their own perception of how they interpret the bible along with the overall teachings of the root group. This doesn’t mean that any of the many are more right or more wrong than the others. It does not mean that any of their “Bibles or Quran’s” are incorrect or correct. Keep in mind that all of these religious “guides” are thousands of years old and have been translated millions of time and perhaps altered due to translation and sometimes sect preference. After looking at the attached charts, it became clear to me that aside from personal interpretation most major and minor religions have at one time or another have been co-opted by the breakaway sect. So it appears that religions all have the same goal in general but have been used in the name of  justice to murder, maim and oppress many. I have put below as a first line a brief history of Islam naming the two main sects along with a quote from the Quran.

Major sects and denominations Sunni and Shiite Twelvers – Majority Shi’ite denomination that reveres the Twelve Imams Seveners – Shi’ite denomination holding that the legitimate line of imams ended with the seventh Sufi is a mystical branch Sacred text.

“Righteous is he who believes in Allah and the Last Day    and the Angels and the Scriptures and the Prophets.”    — Quran 2:177

Six Articles of Faith

There is no official creed to which one must adhere to be considered a Muslim. All that is required is to believe and recite the Shahada: “There is no God but God, and Muhammad is his Prophet.” Beyond this core belief, however, Muslim doctrine is often summarized in “Six Articles of Faith.” Many Muslims believe that one must adhere to the six articles to be considered a Muslim.

Muslim Beliefs about God

The single most important belief in Islam, and arguably the central theme of Islam, is that there is only one God. The name of God is Allah, which is simply Arabic for “the (al) God (ilah).” The term is related to Elohim, the Hebrew word for God.

Comparison of Statistics and Basics

 

 
Islam
Judaism
Christianity
adherents called
Muslims
Jews
Christians
current adherents
1.3 billion
14 million
2 billion
current size rank
2nd largest
12th largest
largest
major concentration
Middle East, Southeast Asia
Israel, Europe, USA
Europe, North and South America, rapid growth in Africa
sacred text
Qur’an (Koran)
Bible
Bible (Jewish Bible + New Testament)
other written authority
Hadith
Talmud, Midrash, Responsa
church fathers, church councils, papal decrees (Catholic only)
religious law
Sharia
Halakhah
Canon Law
clergy
imams
rabbis
priests, ministers, pastors, bishops
house of worship
mosque
synagogue
church, chapel, cathedral
main day of worship
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
church and state
integrated
separate
separate

Comparison of Origins and History

 

 
Islam
Judaism
Christianity
date founded
622 CE
unknown
c. 33 CE
place founded
Saudi Arabia
Palestine (def)
Palestine
founder
Muhammad
Moses or Abraham
Jesus
original language(s)
Arabic
Hebrew
Aramaic, Greek
early expansion
within 12 years, entire Arabian peninsula; within 100 years, Muslim world stretched from the Atlantic to China
little expansion; mostly confined to Palestine
within 60 years, churches in major cities in Palestine, Turkey, Greece and Rome (map); entire Roman Empire by end of 4th cent.
major splits
Shia/Sunni, c. 650 CE
Reform/Orthodox, 1800s CE
Catholic/Orthodox, 1054 CE; Catholic/Protestant, 1500s CE

Comparison of Religious Beliefs

 

 
Islam
Judaism
Christianity
type of theism
strict monotheism
strict monotheism
Trinitarian monotheism
ultimate reality
one God
one God
one God
names of God
Allah (Arabic for God)
Yahweh, Elohim
Yahweh, the Holy Trinity
other spiritual beings
angels, demons, jinn
angels and demons
angels and demons
revered humans
prophets, imams (especially in Shia)
prophets
saints, church fathers
identity of Jesus
true prophet of God, whose message has been corrupted
false prophet
Son of God, God incarnate, savior of the world
birth of Jesus
virgin birth
normal birth
virgin birth
death of Jesus
did not die, but ascended into heaven during crucifixion
death by crucifixion
death by crucifixion
resurrection of Jesus
denied
denied
affirmed
second coming of Jesus
affirmed
denied
affirmed
divine revelation
through Muhammad, recorded in Qur’an
through Prophets, recorded in Bible
through Prophets and Jesus (as God Himself), recorded in Bible
view of sacred text
inspired, literal word of God, inerrant in original languages
views vary
inspired, some believe inerrant in original languages
human nature
equal ability to do good or evil
two equal impulses, one good and one bad
“original sin” inherited from Adam –  tendency towards evil
means of salvation
correct belief, good deeds, Five Pillars
belief in God, good deeds
correct belief, faith, good deeds, sacraments (some Protestants emphasize faith alone)
God’s role in salvation
predestination
divine revelation and forgiveness
predestination, various forms of grace
good afterlife
eternal paradise
views vary: either heaven or no afterlife
eternal heaven
bad afterlife
eternal hell
views vary: either eternal Gehenna,  reincarnation, or no afterlife
eternal hell, temporary purgatory (Catholicism)
view of fellow Abrahamic religions
Jews and Christians are respected as “People of the Book,” but they have wrong beliefs and only partial revelation.
Islam and Christianity are false interpretations and extensions of Judaism.
Judaism is a true religion, but with incomplete revelation. Islam is a false religion.

Hopefully these charts and the introduction will allow some of us to realize we are not so far apart religiously and can conceivably move forward to ease world tensions.


Today after I arrived home there was a note on the bathroom faucet-No Water”. This not left by my personal assistant ( my boss). After checking the usual areas for a possible reason  for this stoppage, I called several of the neighbors and found out that there is a water main break which was being addressed as I spoke to one neighbor. Think about the inconvenience of having no water: Nothing to drink, no ice, can’t flush, can’t wash clothes or dishes. Last but not least No shower or bath for as long as it takes to repair.  Now there is a weather warning for  3 to 9 inches of snow beginning after 6PM today. So there’s not much chance of having soup today, cocktails only as long as the current ice supply lasts. Why did I not get a rain barrel but wait the barrel would be solid ice by now and probably un moveable due it’s being frozen to the ground and quite heavy (about 440 pounds). For now water is judicially used (what little there is) and drinking kept to a minimum since  we can’t flush!

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