Merry Christmas

“In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled.

This was the first enrollment, when Quirin’i-us was governor of Syria.

And all went to be enrolled, each to his own city.

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.

And while they were there, the time came for her to be delivered.

And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear.

And the angel said to them, “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!”

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”

And they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

And when they saw it they made known the saying which had been told them concerning this child; and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.

But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart.

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

And when the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”

Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.

And inspired by the Spirit he came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

“Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word; for mine eyes have seen thy salvation which thou hast prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to thy people Israel.”

And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him;

and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed.”

And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phan’u-el, of the tribe of Asher; she was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years from her virginity,

and as a widow till she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.

And coming up at that very hour she gave thanks to God, and spoke of him to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

And when they had performed everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth.

And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.

Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover.

And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom; and when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, but supposing him to be in the company they went a day’s journey, and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintances;

and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking him.

After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions; and all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.

And when they saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously.”

And he said to them, “How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”

And they did not understand the saying which he spoke to them.

And he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart.

And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and man.” -John 2:1-52

Mandatory organ donation? Not quite, but ...

The Wall Street Journal reports that there are now 100,000 people on waiting lists for organ donations. 6,000 will die this year, waiting. The Journal suggests modifications to current law which would make clear that the payment of certain expenses wasn’t deemed “buying” an organ. I suggest something more fundamental.

We currently have an “opt-in” organ donation policy. Your organs will not be donated unless you act affirmatively to do so. Why? Why is the presumption that each of us would withhold this life-saving gift? I suggest that we reverse this presumption and adopt an “opt-out” policy. In other words, each of us is an organ donor unless we affirmatively decline. Our driver’s licenses would have a colored dot if we were NOT donors.

The problem with the current policy is obvious. Human nature being what is, potential donors don’t think about the issue until it’s too late, resulting in the loss of thousands of viable organs. The danger of an opt-out policy is that organs might mistakenly be taken from those with religious or other objections. However, no policy is risk-free and, given that the family could object, this risk seems small, especially when weighed against the thousands of lives that would be saved.

For The Love Of Scripture

A new article in popular magazine regarding the issue of gay marriage and the Bible continues to stir the controversial waters of the gay marriage issue in America. However, I am disturbed by the seemingly irreverent treatment of Scripture in the article and in America today. In secular America it is becoming increasingly evident that the Bible is used, at best, as a supplement to our already morally superior and intellectually advanced culture, and often reduced to a neat historic book that has some nice things to say, but is overall out of touch with the world today. 

 

Of particular offense to me personally (and many other Christians, I hope), is a secular worldview that claims to have a superior understanding of the Bible over those who faithfully adhere to its teachings and look to it as the living and life-giving word of God for their soul. Those who wish to homogenize religion into a peaceful unity that fits comfortably with the culture actually do violence to the individual religions and those who follow them by failing to honor, respect, and appropriately understand each unique religion, each unique religious expression, and the unique individuals who practice them. 

 

Opponents of conservative Christians who claim that conservatives take the Bible too literally fail to practice what they stand against as they take certain passages literally when making a point about the offense of scripture. If the literalness of the passage is nullified, then the argument that takes it literally to make a point is nullified as well. 

 

One must also consider the difference between prescriptive and descriptive passages, as well as the difference between principals and rules. Opponents of a literal interpretation of Scripture often fail to see the principals behind the rules, and take the rules at face value, claiming they can be thrown away as archaic practices or irrelevant ways of living. 

 

I argue that no passage of Scripture can be thrown out as if it is used trash, regardless of how we view its relevancy. What is needed is an understanding of the underlying principals and broader contexts that inform the rules, and faithful and responsible methods for creating new rules and ways of living without violating the principals behind the rules. 

 

If one has a problem with a certain passage of scripture, one must not throw it out, but seek to understand why it says what it does, what principals are informing what it says, and what that means for us today. This goes beyond literalism, story, or metaphor.  This is the way of honoring and respecting any beliefs considered sacred by any religion and any religious text. Anything else does violence to religion, and ultimately, the world.

12/4- PCW Newsline: It's Official- Coleman v. Franken III Steel Cage Ladder Deathmatch Set for 12/18, Alaska Preview, Chambliss vs. Martin

12/4- PCW NEWSLINE:

Breaking News: Norm Coleman and Al Franken will conclude their epic series of matches on 12/18 in a Steel Cage Ladder Deathmatch.

If the first two encounters took political extreme to a different level, what’s going to happen when Coleman and Franken step into a steel cage to finish off their feud with an extreme ladder match? The match has been signed according to PCW CEO-designate Barack Obama who worked with the PCW competition committee and current PCW CEO George W to put the match together.

The match will be held in Minnesota as part of a house show event to be called PCW-Completely Deranged.

More info to follow…

PCW in Alaska 12/7

The card is set for the special PCW Extreme Political TV event in Juneau, Alaska. ‘No Frills’ Chris Escondido will defend his Television title against Dave the Mechanic…formerly FUBAR. FUBAR is the former PCW TV champion whom Escondido defeated at PCW Extreme Election Night in November.

The second match will debut two new women wrestlers to PCW. Emily List of the Progressive Alliance will meet Kalee Jones, the Eskimo Queen with Sarah Palin in her corner.

The main event will be a battle for the number one contender spot for the PCW Title: former champion Starz N. Stripes (Independent) vs. Quadruple R (Domination Inc.) The winner gets a title shot against PCW Champion O’Beck Bahama from the Progressive Alliance.

PCW in CARTERSVILLE, GA

Tuesday night, PCW held a house show in Cartersville, GA. The main event: Saxby Chambliss (American Patriots) vs. Jim Martin (Progressive Alliance). Things got a little interesting at the end…

REPLAY: SAXBY CHAMBLISS w/ John McCain (American Patriots) vs. JIM MARTIN (Progressive Alliance) at PCW HOUSE SHOW in CARTERSVILLE, GA

The voice of PCW- Johnny Suave, is on commentary.

Crowd: “PCW!…PCW!” Chambliss in control with an armbar on Martin. Kicks by Chambliss. Northern Lights Suplex. Martin rolls and manages to get to the ropes. Chambliss backs off and Martin scoots under the ropes. He looks to the back for help.

A Barack Obama video begins to play: Obama’s voice: “Hey, Jim. Sorry I couldn’t be there tonight. Good luck and…take it to him!” Suave: “Guess he’s not coming, eh?” Martin seems a little put off. Chambliss pulls him back into the ring and rolls him up. 1…2…no. Martin kicks out. Slingshot drapes Martin’s throat on the top rope. Again, Chambliss covers. Again, 2 count.

The music of Fleetwood Mac’s “Don’t Stop” suddenly starts. Suave: “HOLY CRAP! IS THAT WHO I THINK IT IS?” The crowd explodes. A spotlight points out a plaid shirted man with a Singapore cane and a cup of mocha. Next to him is a white haired gentlemen in a suit. Suave: “IT’S HIM! HE’S HERE! HE’S BACK!” Sununu can’t believe it. Suave: “HE’S BACK! IT’S THE TREE HUGGIN’, MOCHA CHUGGIN’, TOBACCO COMPANY BUGGIN’ ALPHA MALE AND ENVIROMENTAL EXTREME HARDCORE ICON- AL GORE! AND HE’S WITH BILL CLINTON!” The crowd sings the chorus “Don’t stop, thinking about tomorrow.” Clinton watches impatiently as Gore holds up his mocha, inside an environmentally friendly biodegradable container of course, and chugs it down. Then he spews it out of his mouth into the crowd and then crushes the paper container on his forehead in a manly fashion. Suave: “HE’S BACK HERE IN PCW!” Clinton starts to run down but the Environmental Extreme Hardcore Icon walks down the steps to the main floor.  Clinton has to turn around and go back. At the bottom of the steps, Gore pulls out another container of mocha, guzzles it down, spews it into the crowd, and then smashes the container on his forehead while Clinton stews.

In the ring, Martin is looking out at Clinton and Gore wading through the main floor crowd to the bar area.  Martin is looking for any help.  Gore suddenly stops and Clinton has to double back to him.  Gore climbs up on the bar, pulls out yet another cup of mocha, guzzles that one down, spews it into the crowd, and then smashes the container on his forehead.  Clinton’s itching to go.  Gore throws down the container and finally heads to the ring.  Clinton and Gore almost reach the ring and suddenly disappear.  Suave: “Okay, what’s going on?  It looks like someone or something tripped up Clinton and Gore as they were- SARAH PALIN!  IT’S SARAH PALIN!”  Gore, hacked off, turns to cane the person who tripped him and realizes it’s Sarah Palin.  He’s ready to cane her but in the end doesn’t.

Martin’s distracted.  Chambliss gets a chair and comes up behind Martin.  *CLANG*  Suave: “HOLY CRAP!  HE NEVER SAW THAT ONE COMING!”  Martin to the canvas.  Chambliss covers.  1…2…3

WINNER: SAXBY CHAMBLISS

Suave: A huge win for the American Patriots.  Sarah Palin at the end helps Chambliss defeat his challenger!

——–

Martn Pescador, Hembra. Common Kingfisher, Female. (Alcedo atthis) -- Angel Pulido Domnguez