Israel will destroy Hamas!

Less than two and a half years since the second Lebanon war, and here we are again. Israel is forced to take drastic and swift military action against the Hamas controlled Gaza strip. Israeli spokespersons inform us that they are committed to the total destruction of the Hamas regime in the Gaza strip, which will more than likely require an IDF ground force invasion and occupation of Hamas territory. 

Let me tell you, Gabriela Shalev, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, is one courageous women. To stand up in one of the most anti-Semitic, anti-Israel organizations in the world and declare that the Jewish state, this time, refuses to bend to international pressure and defend its citizens from the Hamas cockroaches. That takes just a small amount of GUTS! As she essentially tells the 5 most powerful nations, the UN security council, USA included, to go to Hell with their requests for a ceasefire. Situations like that fill me with a new sense of hope for humanity. 

Meanwhile, Hamas claims that it has 20,000 “soldiers” (throat clearing) …terrorists… to defend the strip from an IDF invasion. Well, we all know that a small battalion of IDF Soldiers could probably take down the entire Hamas “army.” Aided by IAF air support and possibly some special ops beat downs. LOL! 

However, this is what usually happens with any conflicts involving Israel: First, an anti Israel entity (hamas, hezbollah, whoever) disregards a ceasefire truce or some other agreement and continues its terrorist campaign against Israel. Second, Israel petitions the UN to do something about the renewed attacks from above mentioned entity. Third, the UN does nothing….Fourth, Israel gets fed up and attempts to use military force, usually with the intention of giving a serious beat down to the offending entity. Fifth, the UN comes alive, UN security council resolutions condemning Israel for a ”disproportionate” use of force. (Which, btw, is a completely ridiculous notion…. That warfare should be a science of proportionate destruction. We would still be fighting WW1 if that Idiotic, bleeding heart, ideology was allowed to take hold.) Anyway… fifth…riots in the Muslim sectors of European cities, protests and marches in every useless Arab/Muslim country on Earth. Every nation on earth screaming at Israel to halt Her justified retaliation. Sixth, Israel tries to continue as long as she can, but, unfortunately, succumbs to international pressure to sign a ceasefire that She knows will be ignored by the Palestinian scum within three years, forcing Her to do this all over again. She sighs, and signs the paper, written by the evil scum that are to stupid, spineless, and concerned with the overwhelming moral relativism of today’s generation. 

The above is what Hamas is counting on happening. Hamas is praying to the “almighty Allah” that the world helps them beat Israel again. I dont know if that is going to be the case this time though. Based on the UN ambassador’s comments, I think it might be the end for Hamas. At least I pray it will be.

Israel is used to watching her flag being burned in the streets of major cities by fiery eyed Muslims chanting “ALLAH AKBAR” and other such primitive nonsense. However, I don’t think She is used to seeing her flag waved in the streets by jubilant supporters chanting “Am Yisrael Chai.”

Perhaps, this time, that is exactly what She needs to complete her mission. She needs anyone that supports her to defend her to the upmost of their abilities. Anything…Fly an Israeli flag in front of your house…organize a pro-Israel rally or something…I am going to do my best. I hope that anyone who reads this will do the same. She needs you, and the world needs Her… am Yisrael chai!!

Salvation: What is that?

B”H

This note is a expose on something that came to me after my last note. I was asked how the Jewish faith accounts for the concept of Salvation, and subsequently, the afterlife. This topic, is very appropriate for me, as I recently experienced a death in my family. So everything I espouse here is what I truly believe to happen postmortem. That being said, again, if my beliefs happen to conflict with yours, no offense is intended.

Well, to begin, Jews have never really been concerned with the afterlife. This is evident in the relative silence concerning the matter in Torah,Writings and Prophets; when compared to the Christian New Testament, and Islams Koran, the silence is deafening. In fact, many Biblical Scholars are of the opinion that early, pre-Rabbinic, Judaism did not maintain any dogmatic concern about the afterlife. To some extent this has carried over to traditional Rabbinic Judaism as well. There is a interesting speculation that I have come across, which may explain part of this lack of concern.

The Jews, especially after the Egyptian enslavement, desired to distance themselves from their pagan surroundings. I personally believe that G-d commanded them and subsequent generations to do so. Pagan obsession with the afterlife was a common and very marked phenomenon in the ancient world. Obsession with death reigned in most ancient religious realms. The Egyptian society from which the Hebrew slaves emerged was obsessed with death and afterlife. The holiest Egyptian literary work was called The Book of the Dead, while the major achievement of many Pharaohs was the erection of the giant tombs called pyramids, which served as giant physical conduits for the god-kings to reach the afterlife. In contrast, the Torah is obsessed with this world, so much so that it even forbids its priests from coming into contact with dead bodies (Leviticus 21:2).

Now, we must remember, when we are talking about the Jewish beliefs about the afterlife a “lack of dogmatic concern” is not analogous to a “lack of belief.” That must be made very clear. Judaism just has the bad habit of not obsessively, in my opinion selfishly, concerning itself with the idea that one will receive great reward in the afterlife. Someone made the dangers of this obsession painfully and irritatingly clear to me when they suggested that we receive “perfect bodies’ in the afterlife. Bodies void of any 20th century conception of a defect, that is. Well here is my answer to that: Our bodies are a conduit for the soul to engage itself with this world. It is a tool or capsule that allows the G-dly soul to interact, change, and bring light into the world. Once the tool breaks down and is eventually deceased, its purpose is discontinued. Therefore, any concept of possessing a body in the world after is plain ridiculous, unless you believe that the world after is merely another place that requires the soul to interact with it in a concealed manner….OK, I have somewhat strayed from my objective.

Anyway, the lack of any scriptural concern with the after world in Judaism’s sacred texts leaves the individual up to the task. Many movements have had their own conceptions of the afterlife. I will relate a view that predominates Jewish thought. At least my Jewish thought…

What is understanding? Yeah, what is that? Well, In my opinion understanding is salvation! Not belief, understanding. Yep, its that simple. Also, in this belief system 99.99999% of souls will be in some sort of pain for a period of time in the world after. The only exception is in the case of a true Tzadik, of which there have been very few. Here is the explanation: When one dies and comes for Judgement before Hashem, they are played, essentially a vidoe tape of there life. What they did, everything from the greatest Mitzvah to the most horrible transgression, is played out right before them. Nothing is concealed. Olam HaEmes–the World of Truth. This is when we truly begin to UNDERSTAND our shortcomings and in some cases lack of faith. What make a person feel true remorse, a punishment or knowing that their action has caused and inflicted pain on another. Unless you are a sociopath, I hope it is the knowledge of the destruction you may have caused. Remember remorse is pain. Now, after the first viewing a second “video” is played. This video depicts how the individuals life could have been. The good deeds squandered, the light that could have been. Again, upon seeing this, the soul is in a state of great pain. The pain I describe is not the emotional pain that we all can imagine. It is a pain that is so targeted,the Truth being made so clear, that the soul begins to be purified through this suffering. The purifying process, the pain inflicted allows the soul to break down the barriers and truly connect to G-d.

Instead of the unbelieving/evil individual being punished in a “lake of fire” they are brought to a deep understanding of there misdeeds. As one can Imagine, the worse the life lead, the more painful the purifying process. Alot of people have asked: Why would G-d want the souls of the wicked to come back to him. Well for one, he is a loving and merciful G-d (yes Jews believe that too) and for scriptural purposes, the soul of man is breathed into him by G-d (Bereshies 2:7) ). “On this verse, the Zohar states that “one who blows, blows from within himself,” indicating that the soul is actually part of God’s essence. Since God’s essence is completely spiritual and non-physical, it is impossible that the soul should die.” So, what happens to the soul that is a part of the one true G-d, it logically must return: “The dust will return to the ground as it was, and the spirit will return to G-d who gave it.” (Ecclesiastes 12:17)

Understanding as Salvation. Leading to a spiritual return to G-d.

Analysis of an Evangelical Christian

I recently engaged in a friendly dialogue with a Evangelical Christian, the worst kind at that. The kind that subscribe to the belief that the world is 6,000 years old, dinosaurs roamed the earth at the same time as man, and the flood of Noah was literally global in scale. This person who recently posted a comment on their facebook page referring to Ben Stein’s movie Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, sent me a message after I asked the following question:

Expelled is a pretty good movie isnt it? Ben argues the exact points that I argued! Did you find yourself agreeing with him. That the world is, yes, older than 10000 years and intelligent design and not creationism is the only rational way to explain the complexity of organisms on earth. Or did you just view it as atheist bashing?

This person responded with the following emotionally filled rant:

the world is not older than 10,000 years. it’s about 6,000 or 7,000 years old. the Intelligent Design or Designer would be God. He created the world and everything in it.
i always thought u did not believe in intelligent design…
did u like the crystal part? about molecules on the backs of the crystal?
oh yeah and did u like the part about natural selection? cuz hitler believed in natural selection… yeah…natural selection sure is fun!
so tell me again how u argued the same points as ben…cuz i sure don’t remember that!
and what about the guy who said there was SO much evidence for evloution that someone would have to be stupid or ignorant not to believe it? he NEVER gave any proof or evidence for it?
and what about the guy who said u have to make urselfbelievethere is no God and that there is nothing after death? oooooiwant to live like that!! evolution sure is fun…nothing to live and die for…just an accident…

Ok…uhh…WTF… I don’t see how any of this is relevant to my inquiry, yet, it revealed an incredible amount about the psychiatric disorder known as Evangelical Christianity. First, that these subjects/patients lack the ability to answer serious questions with a reasoned response. Instead, a flurry of emotion and self-righteous indignation rushes from the brain, to the nervous system where it is compressed and transferred to the vocal chords, or fingers, as in this case.

Let’s disect this response shall we…as any proper analysis would require. Here is my clinical analysis.The patients statements are presented in bold type:

“the world is not older than 10,000 years. it’s about 6,000 or 7,000 years old.”

The most readily obvious fact is that these subjects/patients, in order to make a full recover, must first be placed in an intensive english composition course. The most startling part of this statement is that the patient was able to place the comma in 10,000, 6,000, and 7,000. Yet, neglected to enact the easy keystroke to capitalize the letters at the beginning of each sentence…..OK fine, Ill get to the serious stuff. By this statement the patient denies the following: the dinosaurs existed, the Neanderthals existed, the agricultural revolution took place in about 8,000 BCE, the ancient Egyptians; if converted into the patients time line, the ancient Egyptians rose to their apex and dissolved at about 4:30pm est, last Thursday. Obviously, we are dealing with a very severe case.

“the Intelligent Design or Designer would be God. He created the world and everything in it.”

Yep…uh huh… not arguing with that, the patient seems to be displaying a relapse of clear cognitive functions…

“did u like the crystal part? about molecules on the backs of the crystal?”

Hmmm…..the patient seems to be experiencing a recall of a segment of the movie where a scientist describes a theory of how life began on earth. The theory suggest that inorganic molecules somehow react with crystals to produce organic chemicals. I responded to the patient… “Yes, I do recall that part, ridiculous and scientifically ungrounded.” We seem to making progress here, the patient is displaying a tremendous improvement in cognitive function…

“oh yeah and did u like the part about natural selection? cuz hitler believed in natural selection… yeah…natural selection sure is fun!”

Someone call the f—ing nurse!! The patient has digressed to a state of clinical stupidity! We need tranquilizers ASAP!! The patient is suffering from a severe case of logical fallacy. This is a prime indicator of Evangelical Christianity Disorder. (ECD) The patient has suggested that all those who subscribe to biological evolutionary theory, must, without any doubt, subscribe to the radical social Darwinist theory of Hitler and the Nazi scum…this is bad…the patient may require a mental strait jacket! …… the patient seems to be enjoying the whole idea “this is fun!!!” Wow… I haven’t seen a case like this in a while….

“so tell me again how u argued the same points as ben…cuz i sure don’t remember that!”

The patient is now displaying signs of amnesia, people that suffer from ECD tend not to remember things that dont fit into their tightly restricted view of the world…sad….

“and what about the guy who said there was SO much evidence for evolution that someone would have to be stupid or ignorant not to believe it? he NEVER gave any proof or evidence for it?”

The patient, perhaps due to the drugs administered by the nurse, has started to relax and seems to be displaying, yet again, a relapse of proper cognitive function…However, my evaluation thus far indicates that the patient may need many years of treatment before making a partial recovery at best. The patients also seems to be suffering from another symptom of ECD, double standarditis. The symptom is clearly evident in that the patient requires evidence of evolution, and at the same time is not required to have any for the young earth theory.  

“and what about the guy who said u have to make urselfbelieve there is no God and that there is nothing after death? oooooiwant to live like that!! evolution sure is fun…nothing to live and die for…just an accident…”

The patient has finally, unfortunately, displayed the most malignant symptom of ECD. I am afraid that this individual will live with this for the rest of their life. The symptom, known as faithofemotionalandpsychologicalcomfortitis, is the primary symptom of ECD. The patients faith in G-d and, anything for that matter, is only there to satisfy their emotional needs. No curiosity or wonder is required, no questions may be directed to any aspect of their belief. Whether internal or external. Any inquiry will cause a state of discomfort for the patient, resulting in the patients cerebral cortex oozing out the ear and nasal cavities. This symptom is also found in patients suffering from severe selfishnessitis as well as narcisismofthesoulitis. The only option we have now is to let the patient exist as comfortable as possible.  We must continue to maintain the patients existence for moral reasons, while at the same time, we must make sure that the patient remains in a state of little consequence, for the sake of the rest of humanity. This truly is a terrible disease. So many victims…

G-d help us. Maybe one day there will be a cure…….

End of Evaluation

Sean DeGan

Psychiatrist of Soul and Mind Disorders.

Israel’s 60th

 

 

 

May 14, 1948, Tel Aviv. David Ben-Gurion stepped onto the stage and positioned himself behind the podium. He spoke….

 The Land of Israel was the birthplace of the Jewish people. Here their spiritual, religious and political identity was shaped. Here they first attained to statehood, created cultural values of national and universal significance and gave to the world the eternal Book of Books…..the People’s Administration, shall be the Provisional Government of the Jewish State, to be called “Israel.”
The State of Israel will be open for Jewish immigration and for the In gathering of the Exiles; it will foster the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants; it will be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel; it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture; it will safeguard the Holy Places of all religions; and it will be faithful to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.

  -The Declaration of the Establishment of Th State of Israel, Read By David Ben-Gurion. May 14, 1948.

          …and the State of Israel was born. For the first time in 3000 years there was a unified Jewish State. Less than 24 hours following the declaration of the establishment of a democratic state in the region, based on the values of western enlightenment, freedom, equality, and the idea that there is a certain set of universal ethics, the Muslim Arab states of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq simultaneously attacked the small Jewish State. Forcing the Jews to defend what they had already lost so much to attain. Freedom!

Here we are. The world 60 years later. Most of which allows the anniversary of this event to slip past, unnoticed. Others mourn this day as a catastrophe, al nakba in Arabic. As it should be called; a day of mourning for the arab nations. It should be known as the day when the Arab states, and all the Muslim world for that matter, had an opportunity to live in peace with the Jews, and they blew it. They should be mourning the fact that they were so arrogant as to declare that they would “force the Jews into the sea.” As history relates to us, they failed in their attempt, and subsequently, for lack of a better phrase, got the shit kicked out of them. Now, they mourn this day as the day that an evil, tyrannical, and racist state has tarnished once Muslim lands. Let us again look at the Declaration of Independence:  

…it will foster the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants; it will be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel; it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture; it will safeguard the Holy Places of all religions; and it will be faithful to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.

This is what they mourn? The idea that there might exist a state on Muslim lands that is based on these values? This tells us a monumental amount about the Muslim ethic…. Kill all forms of Justice and righteousness that are not Islamic in origin; for the only universal truth, is the brutal implementation of Sharia Law.

Today Israel still survives, a beacon of democracy in a region plagued by authoritarian and theocratic rule. She stands as a lighthouse of accomplishment…. The most high tech patents per- capita in the world. The only country in the world with a net gain of trees…. She can feed all her people, they really have made the deserts bloom…. One million Muslim residents are allowed to freely practice their faith within her borders…. She has no oil, but is one of the most viable economies in the region. While, at the same time, the leaders of her oil rich neighbors live in opulence at the sacrifice of millions of fellow Muslims, starving and struggling to survive.Yet, they blame the Jews for their own failings. If the Arab countries want the world to take them seriously, apart from the fact that they have enormous oil reserves, they should educate their children in math and science instead of Sharia Law. Perhaps instead of teaching their children to hate the Jews and Israel, they should make Israel into a role model for what can be accomplished in the region. Perhaps, they should stop mourning that Israel exists and learn something from their defeat. Unfortunately, this is all wishful speculation. Israel will continue to defend itself against Islam, and recently, the ivory towers of liberal academia.

G-d Bless Israel. The Guardian neither slumbers nor sleeps.   

 

Documents of Common sense

In the years preceding the first battles of the Revolution, which resulted in the independence of the thirteen British colonies from the Mother Country, the idea of independence was not always on the agenda in the governing bodies of the colonials.  The idea of independence was preceded by the idea of reform, in terms of the authority granted to Parliament in enacting legislation which affects the individual colonies. The colonies wanted to attempt to maintain relations with Britain, but were becoming despondent at the Parliaments attempts to infringe on their rights as British citizens. The evolution from reform to revolution can be traced out in documents of the era. Four Documents will be examined here: Letters from a Pennsylvania Farmer, which describes the discontent of the common citizen with the Parliaments conduct; Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms, which illustrates the growing animosity of the colonies towards the British Government, and justifies their use of force as the last antidote against the poison of despotism; The Declaration of Independence, which asserts their rights of independence and directly assaults the king; and The articles of confederation, which becomes the predecessor of The Constitution of the United States of America. These documents chronicle the shift in attitudes of the colonies in respect to the situation with Britain, beginning with the Farmer’s Letters in 1767 to the Articles of Confederation in 1777. 

 

            In 1767 a man by the name of John Dickenson Authored The Letter’s of a Pennsylvania Farmer, he was, in reality, a Lawyer who decided to fashion himself as a farmer. The letters are expositions of discontent of the Townshend acts, which effectively suspended the legislative authority of New York as a counter to New York’s refusal to execute the Quartering act, which required colonists to quarter British Soldiers. The Letters expresses the idea that the Parliament of Britain has superseded the Kings authority over the colonists:

It was not necessary that this suspension should be caused by an act of parliament. The crown might  have restrained the governor of New York even from calling the assembly together, by its prerogative in the royal governments. This step, I suppose, would have been taken if the conduct of the legislature  of New York had been regarded as disobedience to the crown alone.

 

The argument is against parliament not the King. The colonists still uphold the king as their ruler, and, at this point, remain relatively loyal to him. There indignation is directed at the Parliament. The letters further state that the colonies must be concerned with each others welfare if they are have the strength to effectively combat the imposition by Parliament on their rights. In summation, the letters in no way indicate the assertion that the colonies should be independent, they also are very moderate on the actions to be taken in order to combat this enemy. (Parliament)

            By July 6, 1775, when the Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking up Arms was penned, the war between the colonies and the British had been raging since April of that same year. This Document illustrates the militant attitude that had manifested itself in the collective minds of the colonies in the eight year period since the Farmer’s Letters had been published.  Although, they indicate that the action of taking up arms are their last resort in the defense of liberty. The document is document of justification of the use of force. It also maintains that the objective of the fighting is not to become independent, but to establish new grounds for future governance of the colonies, governance that is just, and implemented for the betterment of its citizens. Within this document there is very little mention of the King, the animosity is still directed at Parliament and, therefore, it contains in it a list of actions by Parliament which have been defined as oppressive. The Declaration of Independence was less than a year away, where we will see a drastic shift in whom the colonists hold accountable for the oppressive conduct.

            The Declaration of Independence was drafted less than a year since the Declaration of Arms, yet the attitude of who the true enemy was had significantly shifted. The object of assault was now the British Crown. This shift is partially due to the publication of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense pamphlet earlier that year. Paine is the first to initiate a full frontal attack not on the Parliament, but on the Crown. This idea caught on and the attitude shifted quickly. The argument was that the Crown had allowed all these oppressive actions to take place and, therefore, was the responsible party. The Document refers to the King not as His Majesty but as a tyrant. In the list of oppressive actions perpetrated by the crown he is referred to as He. As if the British Crown was no longer a seat of legitimate government, the pronoun “he”, denotes a man of equal status to all other “he”, not a King. This is a central tenet of the Declaration of Independence, the idea that all men are created equal.

 

            The United States, as it shall now be called, had been tormented by acts of legislation perpetrated by a governing body with unimpeded powers. They had been taxed, oppressed, and infringed upon to the point of open conflict. The establishment of the Articles of Confederation, as the framework for the future Constitution that was soon to be erected, is a testament to the fear of government with abundant central authority. The fact that the Articles of Confederation left the United States severely deficient in any central authority was not perceived to be inadequate. On the contrary, it was professed to be a virtue. It was seen as the only viable application of government that would not digress to a state of despotism like so many young nations had throughout history. The majority of the power was delegated to the states. The War was still being fought when the Articles were ratified and many feared, including Washington, that the confederation would dissolve unless it was allowed some degree of authority. This sentiment gave rise to the Constitution of the United States of America, and the beginning of democracy in the New World.

            These four documents are a relatively accurate chronological testament of the attitudes, beliefs, and political orientation of the majority of the colonial populace during the years just prior and after the Revolution. Documents this eloquently written have been preserved and cherished for a reason. They remind us, the citizens of this country where we were then, and how we can use that knowledge to effectively administer our country today. The people that authored these documents didn’t pine for war, they desired peace and freedom. They were fighting for peace and freedom, as paradoxical as that might sound. That mind-set of peace and freedom is a lasting legacy that endures to this day.

The ultimate deficit of reason

The creationist forces have been attempting to reconcile scientific observation with their conviction that the earth, and subsequently the solar system, is thousands, not billions of years in age. In their attempt, they have produced several arguments, which at a fleeting look, seem too have the credibility of scientific theory. However, even under the scrutinizing gaze of an amateur, the lack of scientific understanding is displayed in creationist arguments. The Rev. Nelson Price in his article in The Marietta Daily Journal argues two points: 1. Since the earth’s magnetic field is decaying at an exponential rate, its strength would have been unrealistically high 25,000 years ago. Thus, Earth is less than 25,000 years old. 2. The sun is shrinking at 5 feet/hour which limits the earth-sun relationship to less than 5 million years. The intention of this essay is to refute, using scientific data, the two mentioned arguments of Rev. Price.

            The logic (or illogic) that is used in the first point resembles that of a person observing the ocean tide receding, and deducing, by the rate it which the water level falls, that just two weeks ago the earth would have been covered in water. The magnetic field is a much more complex phenomenon that requires some description. Scientists speculate that the magnetic field is generated deep inside the Earth where the heat of the planet’s solid inner core churns a liquid outer core of iron and nickel. According to Earth’s geologic record, our planet’s magnetic field flips, on average, about once every 200,000 years. The time between reversals varies widely, however. The last time Earth’s magnetic field flipped was about 780,000 years ago. This flip is the result of heat building up at the boundary with earth’s liquid outer core causing the fluid there to expand. When it expands the liquid becomes less dense and, therefore, more buoyant which is also called convection. Hot Fluid rises then cools off and sinks again. This convection current generates an electric current and its consequences are a magnetic field. All of these currents constantly replenish the magnetic field, a maintenance process that prevents it from decaying.

            Typically each newly generated field lines up in the direction of the existing magnetic field. But every now and again, some force will cause the new field to line up in the opposite direction. This process can lead to a net weakening of Earth’s magnetic field. As time passes the new field continues to propagate and reduces the original field’s strength, this can lead to the eventual point where the two fields neutralize each other and what results is a flip in the direction of the magnetic field. Most scientists agree that the original field is more likely to become stronger again and overcome the instability. So the argument that the rate of the decay of the magnetic fields accounts for the earth’s age is pure scientific irresponsibility. On a cosmic time scale, these variations in the strength of the magnetic field have been fluctuating for billions of years. Just as the level of the ocean tides fluctuate with the position of the moon.

 

            His second argument is a representative of the same ocean tide logic, the big picture is dismissed. Not to mention the fact that the mathematical data does not in any way support his conclusions. The Sun sends out about 4 x 10^33 ergs/sec of

energy.  Einstein’s mass-energy relation is E = m c^2.  Thus the equivalent mass loss of all this energy loss is m = 4 x 10^33 ergs/sec divided by the speed of light squared, (3 x 10^10 cm/sec)^2.  This gives a mass loss of 4 x 10^12 grams/sec or about 4 million metric tons per second. This quantity has the appearance of a substantial amount of matter on a human-scale. However, on a cosmic scale it is diminutive; the sun is an immense body. In fact today the sun weighs about 2 x 10^33 grams. So if the Sun lost mass by radiation at this rate it would lose 1% of its mass in (0.01)(2 x 10^33 grams)/(4 x

10^12 grams/sec) = 5 x 10^18 seconds, or about 160 billion years. The best estimate for the sun’s age is about five billion years, therefore, mass loss at that rate is not going to compromise that limit at all.

            The other suggestion that requires explanation and refutation is the question of how big the sun must be to come close to the orbit of the earth. The suns radius is 421200 miles. The distance to the earth is about 93 million miles. Therefore, the current radius would have to be increase by a factor of 200 to come close to the earths orbit. That would correspond (according to scientists) to the sun increasing its volume and hence it’s mass by a factor of 10,000,000. There is no obvious mechanism which could possibly cause this kind of reduction in the suns size. I have no idea where he derived the rate of 5 feet per hour.

            Even mentioning any of the arguments cited by the creationists is likely to make you look foolish, considering the mathematical data provided above. These kinds of suggestions are not to be incorporated into the field of the sciences. They are mere wishful thinking. I find it entertaining that the religious right has reduced and simplified G-d’s creation down to a few thousand years, and have completely made a mockery of the complexities of his creation. The Marietta Daily Journal should be ashamed for allowing the publication of such nonsense, unless this is from an editorial page, in which anyone can make an idiot of themselves.

The Worldview

My worldview could best be described as a synthesis of providential, and enlightenment reason. I subscribe to the providential view that there is a Divine presence that is active in this world, the enlightenment view of reason is the way in which we, as human beings, blessed with such cognitive faculty, should approach problems of science and society.

            The providential view of world history is nothing new. It has been around as long as humans have believed in a higher power. However, many providentialists today take very interesting and somewhat passive views towards their ultimate involvement in the world. My providential view is based on the idea that Human beings are intrinsically good, they just happen not to manifest that good intent all the time. Instead of asserting that all humanity is intrinsically evil and the world requires a god to save us from our present state of evil, I suggest that the ultimate G-d of truth is one that allows us to take an active role in our own salvation. Thus, the world so far has not been a total failure produced by the inequities of humans; it has been a great success. The fact that we are still here in the age of nuclear weapons is a testament (no pun intended) to that. Action, being a good person, brings about salvation, and truly changes the world for the better. Instead of faith based on our evil, I have faith based on our good. The way in which humanity can best display morality is in our use of reason. This brings me to the enlightenment aspect of my thinking.

            I believe the best way we can bring about G-d’s ultimate plan is by way of action. Instead of leaving the whole of human affairs to the idea that G-d is guiding it all, which may be the case but we will never be able to know for certain, humanity should strive to act as they would perceive G-d to act, with intelligence and reason, based on compassion and love.  Many in the providential camp are so enamored with their state of being in the Divine will of the world, that they allow evil, stupid events to take place on the account that it is G-d’s will.

This is very dangerous, as is evident in the rise of fascism in the middle part of this last century.

            There is no doubt that the rise of Nazism was partly due to the fact that there were a number of people, specifically all of Germany, that instead of yielding to rational ideas about how to get out of a troublesome situation they took the emotionally and psychologically pleasing position that there was a scapegoat that must be severely punished. In this case it was the Jews, who were blamed by Hitler and the Nazi ideology for Germany’s run of bad luck. Otherwise loving people were seduced into Hitler’s terrible plan because of their own inability to think and act. This is what fascism and ultimately WW2 was about, a failure of reason. Many people still proclaim that this evil which was the Holocaust was an act of the forces of evil against G-d. That is, in my worldview, not the case. The cause was irrationality, lack of free thought, emphasis on emotions, and an emotionally satisfying answer…blame the Jews. As such I take the view of Voltaire when I proclaim that a populace that has a significant reason deficit is always susceptible to tyranny. Thus, if the greatest crime committed in world history was the result of the lack of reason, the society that turns a blind eye to rational discourse is committing the greatest evil and sin ever.