Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Father Tryphon Vs Starbucks

I'll let the following video speak for itself.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Christ is Risen!!


Truly He is Risen!!

Those are the words that have echoed throughout the parish since midnight Saturday. In the services leading up to Pascha, there is so much humbleness given to our Lord, which is the way it should be. Warts and all, we give ourselves to the redeemer on the Cross. During the midnight vigil I spent a long time praying and reading Psalms. When one prays in front of Christ's tomb and really sees the solemnity surrounding his crucifixion, do you even begin to get a glimpse of what He has done for us.

Up until now, I've only lived and understood Christianity/the Bible as a 2 dimensional thing. Easter has been just this one day I celebrated with fake grass in a basket, white patent leather shoes, a purple frilly dress and egg hunts. Sure I knew what it was but I never really LIVED it. Until you fast, really reflect on your blessings, your trials, and take that inward critical look at yourself, you'll never understand the true meaning of Easter/Pascha. Orthodoxy truly makes it 3 dimensional, gives it depth and has breathed new life into me, something I probably would not have had, had I not rediscovered it.

I can't tear myself away from the monastic chants and Divine Liturgy celebrated in different languages.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Ben Stein's New Movie

Well I went to see "Expelled" last night after Bridegroom Matins. Since I'm not a pro I will do my best to provide an analysis of the film. I'm sure that if any atheists read my blog, it won't be educated according to their standards and I'm just another idiot creationist buying into the hype. That's fine. But at least I saw the movie.

First, the film is saturated with images and pictures surrounding the holocaust and Jewish persecution. As I have read on youtube and other blogs, many people either hated that aspect or thought it was brilliant. Since Ben Stein is Jewish this makes sense to me that this would be the backbone of the film. The opening scenes of Nazi soldiers patrolling the walls on one side and the prisoners on the other would prove to be a pivotal point later on.
Going in I knew what this would be about so I expected it to be maybe just a little bit biased. But as the movie went on and more and more scientists were interviewed, not just the ones who lost their jobs, it became apparent that the research done was more complex and thorough than I imagined.
Of course I have read the criticisms of Richard Dawkins and PZ Myers of the 2nd rate quality of the film and that they were interviewed under "false pretenses." I also heard their stories about how they got in to see the previews. Funny how none of the other scientists interviewed claim this. Maybe because these fellows were finally shown in their true light stacked up to some of these other guys and they can't stand it? Have to resort to the atheist handbook for dealing with dissenters??

I didn't think Ben Stein would actually be allowed to interview Richard Dawkins. But he was. That's what helped solidify the film for me. Instead of using a bunch of hyberbole and Michael Moore techniques, he actually did his homework and didn't try to portray something in a different light. If Michael Moore had made this movie with his stylish slant, the Darwinist crowd would have been ready to send him to the Oscars. But I digress.

To quote PZ Myers: "Religion needs to be treated as a fun thing that people do on the weekends and it doesn't affect them their lives as it has up to this point. Greater science literacy>erosion of religion>positive feedback mechanism>religion fades away>more and more science to replace it>displaces religion>more science>religion will then become an appropriate side dish instead of main course."

Sorry, PZ Myers, I don't want your type of utopia imposed on me. I'll keep my God and my Bible and my religion that I practice DAILY. And you can enjoy that as a side dish or main course, however you prefer. Ok?

Along with PZ Myers and Richard Dawkins, Ben Stein interviewed such notables as:
Paul Nelson, PhD, Biola Univ
Steven C Meyer PhD
Steve Fuller PhD, Sociology Prof Univ of Warwick
Dr. Michael Egner, Neurosurgeon Stony Brook Univ Hosp
Jeffrey Schwartz, MD Research Psychiatrist UCLA School of Medicine
Maclaj Giertych, Phd Population Geneticist European Parliament Poland Rep (This guy was amazing. He says that academic freedoms are more open there than in the U.S!)
David Berlinski, PhD
Philosopher and Mathematician (If you see the movie for no other reason, see it to hear this man. He is absolutely incredible. Of course I haven't heard a peep out of Richard Dawkins or PZ Myers for the comments made by Dr. Berlinski. And we probably won't, that's why you need to see the movie.)

The parallels drawn between atheism and Darwinism are pretty spot on. If you're going to be a true Darwinist, you pretty much have to abandon all your religious beliefs and join up in the Church of Darwin. This will get you the jobs, the promotions, the prestige, the honors, the awards, the tenure....and the respect of your peers.

If I have taken away anything from this film it is that Darwinism and atheism are powerful peer pressure tools in the academic world, and this bleeds down into the rest of the culture. When PZ Myers said religion should become a side dish, he didn't just mean that as some idle thought, he means it as something that should actually be done with society, otherwise we all just remain stupid and they (the Darwinists) sit on their humanistic pedestals. As long as we let religion poison our minds, we don't get to sit on the pedestal. We don't get to enjoy the fruits of humanistic utopia. Well for me, since science still doesn't have all the answers, I have to ask myself this question: Do I abandon my faith and embrace the Church of Darwin, all so that my self esteem can be redeemed and my peers will accept me? Is that really what this boils down to? If so, that is a very very small box to put everything into, isn't it?

And I thought science, exploration, the thirst for knowledge were all about making the box bigger. Boy am I wrong!

Recently I saw a youtube video marking fetuses as "parasites." Some are good, some are bad. Some turn out to be hideous siamese twins and with insufficient organs. Since they are basically parasites, we can rid ourselves of the bad ones and promote the good ones. (Take out the humanity of it and it makes it a lot easier to do that.) I scratched my head. Darwinism>humanism>atheism>no God>eugenics>social engineering>eugenics>euthanasia>abortion>cremation.....no respect for life. I believe that what the film portrays about the killing of humanity in the name of Darwinism and social engineering is dead on.



I don't think that is a Church I want to belong to.

"Science is a gift from God so we can better understand His Creation." ME

Monday, April 21, 2008

Chrismation and Pascha

April 27 (Pascha) is upon us, and this begs for some reflection. My own life is so insignificant compared to people like Jesus, Moses, King David, the Apostle Paul, Mary, Lazarus, the list goes on and on.
I am trying to attend every Liturgical service this week that I can, and my priest told me yesterday that I may get chrismated before I move in June. That would be so awesome. We are setting up a "tomb" of Christ in front of the icon and will keep vigil from Good Friday into Saturday.
A big feast is planned on Sunday, not to be missed!!!
I've been able to give up a lot during Lent season. Not everything, but I have certainly had my cross to bear over the last few weeks.
As far as choosing my "patron saint" goes, I think the Apostle Paul would be a good fit. Haven't decided 100% though.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Another old friend

Well I finally caught up with another friend from the old days, this one a tenor sax player named Geoff Torres that's featured in the Brad Bietry jazz group out of Colorado. The guy is so talented, writing his own solos since he was about 14 or 15.
I had the pleasure of playing trombone/bass trombone with him back in our Oklahoma highschool when we used to take state all the time. :)
And who says Okies are dumb????
http://www.gigmasters.com/swing/BradBietryJazzGroup/

Another guy, Brian Gorrell and Jazz Company, is a regular feature now in Oklahoma City's jazz scene. An alto sax and piano player, he's also a tremendous success.
http://www.briangorrell.com/

And David Gibson, trombonist extraordinaire, went on to become an Eastman School of Music graduate and is now living in New York promoting his CD's and playing with famous greats such as Slide Hampton and teaching at Columbia University.

Wow, what 20 years can do. I never took my musical talents past college, unless you count castanet playing in a flamenco group actual music. LOL

Thursday, April 17, 2008

The Cult of Obama

I posted something several months ago about Barack Obama's views on religion. It had to do with a 7/23/07 article in Time Magazine about the various Democrat's views on their faith.
Barack Obama said at that time that, "If we scrub language of all religious content, we forfeit the imagery and terminology through which millions of Americans understand both their personal morality and social justice. Secularists are wrong when they tell believers to leave their religion at the door before entering the public square."

Look at how carefully that statement is crafted. Not really endorsing God but certainly not avoiding the issue altogether.

I didn't see the ACLU going after him on that. Didn't see the leftist media doing anything about it. So it gave me pause that they would just let it slide. I mean, how could this man be ostracized for his "faith" if he is to be their favorite in the upcoming campaign???

Let's take Mike Huckabee for example and put him in front of the press saying this:
"If we scrub language of all religious content, we forfeit the imagery and terminology through which millions of Americans understand both their personal morality and social justice. Secularists are wrong when they tell believers to leave their religion at the door before entering the public square."

The media would be all over it wouldn't they? Ostracizing him for his radical religious views and they would saturate the headlines with "Mike Huckabee pushes God on the American public." He'd be demonized. Unfit to be president and compared to George Bush.

Yet when Obama says it, nothing happens. Poof. People scratch their heads...."what did he say?" Oh well....he says he's a Christian so what...well hey would you look at that! "Change we can believe in..." then the message switches. It's gone from their minds, a mere blip on the rearview mirror. Another thing I would like to add is Obama's views on taking the pledge of allegiance in front of the American flag. He has been quoted as saying along the lines that "taking the pledge and saying the words under God did not make him feel uncomfortable." Hmm...

I find it very interesting then when I look on youtube and watch videos of atheists claiming support for Obama. This when they know he has said things in support of Christianity and reading his Bible and taking an oath of faith. What are their reasons for supporting him? Is it his speeches? His charisma? I think that's very flawed and not the best reason to vote someone in. They should be supporting and actively trying to get a president that can't stand the thought of any religion in America and fights for the secularist win, no religion, no Bibles, no nothing.

But wait...I don't hear much about the banishing of Wicca, or of Buddhism, or even that much of Islam. Not near as much as Christianity. This tells me a lot. They don't care that much about the other religions. And IMHO I think they're afraid of Islam. So they won't speak out too much about that. Some have here and there, but not much. When you look at an atheist's website or read one of their books it is all about bashing the God of Christianity. Come on, let's not be discriminatory.


Do I believe Obama to be a true Christian? Absolutely not. Not when you say "there are many paths to God," and to imply that flyover country clings to their religious beliefs because they are bitter about what is happening in our country. It was the clinging to their faith that brought the founding fathers here to flee oppressed Europe and the fact that they were not allowed to practice their religion there. And the Treaty of Tripoli as a basis for argument is absolute nonsense.

Art. 11. As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquility, of Mussulmen; and, as the said States never entered into any war, or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties, that no pretext arising from religious opinions, shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.

It's a treaty between the US and Tripoli, not a founding document of our system of government. Just like the peace treaties we sign now, nothing more than a convenient statement to throw in there in support of atheism and to try to make themselves feel superior along with their pushing of evolution onto everyone. I'm not buying it.

No, I think atheists sense the truth about Obama, are ok with him riding the fence on his beliefs and will give the man a complete pass. Of course they will!!!!!!

They don't care who he associates with or the fact that he won't support America by wearing a simple flag lapel pin. What about all our soldiers that die every day? Can't honor them? Forget Iraq! What about all those that have died before Iraq and Desert Storm and Desert Shield? We so quickly forget those that pay the price for our freedom of speech and every other freedom we have.

If John McCain were to associate himself with Jerry Falwell or Oral Roberts or some fanatical right wing group like Obama has with Jeremiah Wright, yeah I'd have a problem with it. A BIG problem. So I don't want to hear that I'm just biased towards a liberal or a Democrat. Jeremiah Wright and his 10,000 square foot mansion are no different than Benny Hinn or Peter Popoff IMHO. Oh yeah, and I don't see him getting slapped with a fine or any discipline for continuing to use the pulpit to push his political agenda. Think Mike Huckabee would have gotten away with that when he was a Baptist minister?

I think Barack Obama stands for the erosion of America as we know it, and I think he is a dangerous man. Period.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

I hate moving

I really do hate moving. We're in the middle of a corporate relo to the upper Midwest so that's why I haven't posted in a while. Hopefully we will be done with this by the first week in June. Until then my posts may be scarce.

On the political front, haven't kept up with much over the last week except with the Clinton story coming out of Ohio with the woman she claimed was uninsured and died. Not surprised by that fabrication, and not even with her embellishments over the Bosnian trip. Mrs. Clinton has a history of saying and doing whatever it takes to get votes, even if it means lying to the American people to put us in a depressed state and to make us dependent on our government for our very existence. That is what she is basing her entire campaign on, and I believe it is part of what will be her demise. She is appearing more delusional every day. I could be wrong though.

But I really think that Obama is the media's "Golden Boy" and the spin will be so great even after this Wright controversy that he will get the nomination no matter how anti-American his circle of friends are. I have some ideas as to where our country may be headed if he becomes our president, but I will save them for a later post. Let's just say it has to do with an infiltration of a particular belief system that is slowly going to gnaw away at our identity and contribute to the dissolution of our American value system as we know it now. Folks, history is in the making and I'm just not sure it's in our best interests.

Not to say that I am that fond of John McCain. Personally, I think we need another Ronald Reagan but unfortunately we do not have that, and the future for anyone like that is looking very grim. Nobody is willing to take a true stand for our country anymore, not the Democrats or the Republicans. So I am at a true loss.