Beholding the Beauty

I encountered the following on Facebook. Make everyone's vote count equally. Eliminate the Electoral College. Do you agree? The answer I gave is as follows, reblogged here for those who won't see it there: No, I do not. I actually propose restoring the electoral college to it's original glory, first by removing the state-by-state requirements that have cropped up requiring all electors from a State to vote according to the popular vote in that State, and secondly by requiring the national vote to be for the electors in each State (as far as the People can appoint them -- some would be appointed by the Legislatures, of course), and NOT for the Presidency. This would cause the national vote to work as intended originally -- a Republic, not a Democracy. I also, of course, advocate for the repeal of the 16th and 17th Amendments -- again, to restore the Republic to functioning AS a Republic. Of course, I'm also of the mind that the South was right when they

If you are not familiar with Scott Adams' How To Identify the Brainwashed , in which he goes over the "tells" that a brainwashed person will display when discussing a topic, you should be. One of the tells listed is "OMG", followed by either sarcasm or no argument at all. Well, in a debate last night, I saw this in action first-hand, and it was interesting to see exactly how accurate Mr. Adams' article was: Earlier in the debate (here is the  full debate , for reference), I had been using variations on Mr. Adams' techniques for How To Un-Hypnotize a Rabid Anti-Trumper , so it doesn't surprise me that I got a result he has encountered, but it was still thrilling to see it "in the wild". And of course, my interlocutor immediately took it as a personal insult that I would point this out to him, in spite of the fact that we are all brainwashed in one way or another. I guess I hit a nerve?

The older I get, the less patience I have when it comes to theological discussions, at least online. I was recently reminded of this. For some odd reason, I was under the impression that a particular forum I'm part of online was a Christian group, and so I was participating in the various discussions with a basic understanding that we were all at least working from the same fundamental worldview. However, in one particular discussion, one of the moderators jumped into remind everyone (particularly me) that this was NOT a Christian group per se. Upon this revelation, I realized that I really don't care to participate in the group anymore. (This sort of surprised me as somewhat uncharacteristic of me.) I wrote up a private reply for the moderator, but I don't think I'm going to send it to him, considering that it might be a little "too much". Nevertheless, in the writing I gained a little insight into my newfound curmudgeonliness: [Redacted], I was unaw

Introduction Icons, images, idols. Do you know the difference? Many today do not know the differences among these three words, and so they either avoid such things, or fall into idolatry. Let me give a brief explanation of the history and meanings of these three words. WARNING : What you are about to read may alter the way you think in ways you cannot reverse and cannot ignore. If you'd rather just not know, close the page now. Proceed with caution. Images There is a whole long discussion that can be had over how the human mind is a pattern recognition engine, and how this allows for symbols to be. There is another whole long discussion about what symbols are in the first place. But I will skip both of those and simply say that an image is fundamentally a composition of components such that they form a recognizable pattern. An image is always an pattern evocative of some other pattern, whether assembled with intent (as in a building, or some such), or by "nature

Theory: That Adam and Eve were not  created with the power to choose between  good and evil, but were granted this power subsequently, and that this power is not, therefore, part of our nature, but something added.  (Therefore, the resolution of this power, or its removal entirely, is not a violation of our nature.) Such a choice has as prerequisite the knowledge of the two, and since they were created innocent -- without that knowledge -- they did not therefore have the power to choose between them. ------- Option A: They were not even created with the power to choose the knowledge.  This was a gift of God, and the beginning of His tutelage of them as children, with an eye toward bringing them to full sonship.  He planted the garden, and placed them in it, and only then  did He cause the trees to grow, including "the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil".  And only then did He give the commandment, thus giving them, b

( Part 1 ,  Part 2 ,  Part 3 ,  Part 4 ,  Part 5 ,  Part 6 ,  Part 7 ) (Note: This sermon reproduced from it's translation as found on page 33 of "The Lamentations of Matins of Holy and Great Saturday", translated from the Greek and published by the Holy Transfiguration Monastery,  Boston, Massachusetts , 1981 © Copyright  Holy Transfiguration Monastery ,  Brookline, MA , used by permission. All rights reserved.) NOTE: All OT references taken from the Septuagint. Cf. Ps. 2:1 Ps. 73:13 Cf. Hab. 3:3 Cf. Matt. 27:57, 58; Mark 15:43 Cf. John 19:38, 39 John 5:8 John 1:9 Ps. 87:4 I.e., on the earth. The Greek, although being a play on "below," can also mean "formerly." Cf. Jonas 2:2. Ps. 129:1. Ps. 79:4. Ps. 79:2. Ps. 79:3. Ps. 78:8. Cf. Ps. 85:12. Cf. Ps. 29:3. Cf. Ps. 15:10. Jonas 2:6. I.e., subdued. Ps. 75:3. The Greek word also means "bow-string." Cf. Eph. 2:14. Cf. Matt. 26:53. Ps. 23:7. Ibid. Cf. Ps. 67:4,

( Part 1 ,  Part 2 ,  Part 3 ,  Part 4 ,  Part 5 ,  Part 6 ,  Part 8 ) (Note: This sermon reproduced from it's translation as found on page 33 of "The Lamentations of Matins of Holy and Great Saturday", translated from the Greek and published by the Holy Transfiguration Monastery,  Boston, Massachusetts , 1981 © Copyright  Holy Transfiguration Monastery ,  Brookline, MA , used by permission. All rights reserved.) As these things, therefore, and more than these were coming to pass, were proclaimed and made known, and all things were in an uproar, and the Master's presence was about to reach the very bottommost realm of the nethermost regions, then Adam, the first of men to be created, the first-fashioned and first-mortal, who lay in the innermost recesses bound with great security, heard the sound of the Master's feet as He came to the imprisoned, and he recognized His voice which sounded in the prison as He walked. Thereupon Adam turned towards all his fello

( Part 1 ,  Part 2 ,  Part 3 ,  Part 4 ,  Part 5 ,  Part 7 ,  Part 8 ) (Note: This sermon reproduced from it's translation as found on page 33 of "The Lamentations of Matins of Holy and Great Saturday", translated from the Greek and published by the Holy Transfiguration Monastery,  Boston, Massachusetts , 1981 © Copyright  Holy Transfiguration Monastery ,  Brookline, MA , used by permission. All rights reserved.) The God of tender mercies verily heard all these cries, and so Christ judged that it was not right that His love for man should only be shared with them that lived in His days and after Him, but that those also that before His coming had gone down to Hades and that sat in darkness and the shadow of death should be partakers of the same as well. Thus God the Word visited with body and soul men who were still in the flesh, but to the souls which were bereft of bodies He manifested Himself in Hades with His Divine and blameless soul, bereft of a body but not o

( Part 1 ,  Part 2 ,  Part 3 ,  Part 4 ,  Part 6 ,  Part 7 ,  Part 8 ) (Note: This sermon reproduced from it's translation as found on page 33 of "The Lamentations of Matins of Holy and Great Saturday", translated from the Greek and published by the Holy Transfiguration Monastery,  Boston, Massachusetts , 1981 © Copyright  Holy Transfiguration Monastery ,  Brookline, MA , used by permission. All rights reserved.) Whither does He go? Where comes His path, He Whom death cannot dominate? What is the reason [of these things]? What the means? What is the intent of His descent into Hades? Perhaps He descends so as to bring up Adam the condemned, our fellow servant? Verily, He goes to seek out Adam, the first-created, the lost sheep. It is certain that He wishes to visit those sitting in darkness and the shadow of death; it is certain that He goes to loose Adam the captive and his co-captive Eve from affliction, He that is both God and her Son. ¶ But let us descend

( Part 1 ,  Part 2 ,  Part 3 ,  Part 5 ,  Part 6 ,  Part 7 ,  Part 8 ) (Note: This sermon reproduced from it's translation as found on page 33 of "The Lamentations of Matins of Holy and Great Saturday", translated from the Greek and published by the Holy Transfiguration Monastery,  Boston, Massachusetts , 1981 © Copyright  Holy Transfiguration Monastery ,  Brookline, MA , used by permission. All rights reserved.) When these things Joseph spake to Pilate on this wise, Pilate commanded that the all-holy body of Jesus be given him. And he went to the place called Golgotha and took God in the flesh down from the Cross and laid Him on the earth, naked God in the flesh, Him that was not merely a man. Lo, He is beheld lying low Who drew all men on high. And He for a brief time is bereft of breath Who is the Life and Breath of all. He is seen bereft of eyes Who created the many-eyed beings. He lies prostrate Who is the resurrection of all. And God is slain in the flesh

( Part 1 ,  Part 2 ,  Part 4 ,  Part 5 ,  Part 6 ,  Part 7 ,  Part 8 ) (Note: This sermon reproduced from it's translation as found on page 33 of "The Lamentations of Matins of Holy and Great Saturday", translated from the Greek and published by the Holy Transfiguration Monastery,  Boston, Massachusetts , 1981  © Copyright  Holy Transfiguration Monastery ,  Brookline, MA , used by permission. All rights reserved.) But as to how Christ, our Life, was placed in the tomb, and when, and by whom, let us listen to the sacred words. ¶ "When even was come," he says, "there came a rich man of Arimathaea named Joseph, and went boldly unto Pilate and begged from him the body of Jesus." 4  A mortal went in before a mortal, asking to receive God; the God of mortals he begs; clay stands before clay so as to receive the Fashioner of all! Grass asks to receive from grass the Heavenly Fire; the miserable drop seeks to receive from a drop the whole Abyss! W

( Part 1 ,  Part 3 ,  Part 4 ,  Part 5 ,  Part 6 ,  Part 7 ,  Part 8 ) (Note: This sermon reproduced from it's translation as found on page 33 of "The Lamentations of Matins of Holy and Great Saturday", translated from the Greek and published by the Holy Transfiguration Monastery,  Boston, Massachusetts , 1981 © Copyright  Holy Transfiguration Monastery ,  Brookline, MA , used by permission. All rights reserved.) And these things, where did they take place? In Sion, the city of the great King, where He "wrought salvation in the midst of the earth." 2  In the midst of two living beings was Jesus, the Child of God, known, 3  in the midst of the Father and the Spirit, two living Beings; Life from Life, he says, known as a living Being, and in the midst of angels and men He was born in a manger. In the midst of of two peoples He lies as the Cornerstone; in the midst of the Law and the prophets He is preached; in the midst of Moses and Elias He is seen upo