Hello good evening Br **.
17 years ago it was hard for me to adjust to new life in Ireland. I hope you are well in new environment. Although I started a new life here..anyway,
>In the Hebrew scriptures(or the Tevrat)we are told that when an important matter must be established,there should be more than one witness. Deuteronomy 19:15 says "...At the mouth of two witnesses or at the mouth of three witnesses the matter should stand good"
I'm not sure it was here though, I recall Bible says one mustn't be guilty from only one witness. I have never noticed this can apply to Gospels.
>You might say though:"Suppose these 4 witnesses contradict eachother?"
I read carefully four gospels at age 15 and I found no contradictions among these.
Today I found minor 'contradictions' as in who carried the torture stake, or the date Jesus was executed, etc.
Remember difference is natural if a different author describes someone's life independently, so it's natural there's a difference between first three synoptic gospels and the fourth one.
I don't believe we normally say them contradictions.
Rather what I found strange was that the first three gospels are very similar, almost the same and I recall I just wondered why similar books had to be written and still this question remains to be my enigma.
I learned from what I read that Mark was written first then Matthew and Luke were written based on Mark with reference to another lost document. John was written from completely different point of view.
All books started being written after at least 30 years passed from the death of Jesus.
I suppose three synoptic gospels were written and used independently in different congregations among early Christians. Three similar gospels were taken as canonical Bible intending for followers to believe God gave similar accounts of Jesus in three different evangelists, which itself is a work done by God.
Probably early editors of Bible knew what Deuteronomy 19:15 says and applied in most effective way.
My next question is were really Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego saved from furnace?
Thank you very much for taking your time.
Best wishes,
Mer
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Four Gospels
Hello, good evening Br **..
I was unable to attend the meeting regularly for about a year. Today I felt very happy, I met many friends there. In Kingdom Hall, almost all people are Jehovah's Witnesses, while I am not. Yet I am where I'm supposed to be. I feel very happy. I started attending English congregation three years ago.
>Furthermore, 1 corinthians 3:19 says "The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God"...
In today's world we find more and more secular people, but still we have many people who have faith but without accurate knowledge. Jehovah's Witnesses are one of rare exceptions who have faith and accurate knowledge. That's why I like to attend the meeting.
Our wisdom is ignorable in comparison with Almighty God Jehovah, that's why we like to get closer to him through everyday Bible study.
>Infact it is only from the time of Israel having been chosen as Gods people in the book of EXODUS to the book of MALACHI that its written mainly for the Jewish nation. From MATTHEW to REVELATION in our Bibles..this is for any people regardless of race ..it is for those to examine the truth and choose whether they too want to become followers of Jesus.
Greek Scriptures consist of mainly four parts, that is Gospels, Acts, Letters, Revelations.
Gospels describe the life of Jesus four times. Acts describes Paul's journeys, almost all letters were thought to be written by Paul, and Revelations are full of metaphoric scenes.
All are written in fifty or sixty years time. In comparison with the very lengthy time Hebrew Scriptures were written, both the portion and period are significantly small and short.
Hebrew Scriptures were written in State sponsorship, while Greek Scriptures were actually a work done by each individuals. What I mean is Christianity was probably a new religion started by Johns the Baptizer. At that time it had been quite a long since Jewish people lost their independence. They had needed a new religion.
I don't disagree with you as to this point - Greek Scriptures were not only for Jewish people, but Gentile, too. But I mean all writers must be Jewish.
>Their health was perfect ,their food was perfect, they were both perfect in everyway. yet they sinned or missed the mark.
Here lies an eternal riddle -why perfect humans made a mistake.
The answer is Jehovah gave humans both freedom to do good as well as freedom to do evil.
Some say humans were made with free will. Therefore humans are perfect.
We can choose good or bad freely. Only mistake we made was we chose to do evil. But it's not a sign of imperfection. If we can only do evil or do good, we must be imperfect.
What I mean here is we'd better affirm human nature more positively. I feel very pessimistic when they say humans are imperfect.
Thank, Br Carlos..my query this time is why the life of Jesus was written four times by different authors.
See you soon,
With Christian Agape,
Mer
I was unable to attend the meeting regularly for about a year. Today I felt very happy, I met many friends there. In Kingdom Hall, almost all people are Jehovah's Witnesses, while I am not. Yet I am where I'm supposed to be. I feel very happy. I started attending English congregation three years ago.
>Furthermore, 1 corinthians 3:19 says "The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God"...
In today's world we find more and more secular people, but still we have many people who have faith but without accurate knowledge. Jehovah's Witnesses are one of rare exceptions who have faith and accurate knowledge. That's why I like to attend the meeting.
Our wisdom is ignorable in comparison with Almighty God Jehovah, that's why we like to get closer to him through everyday Bible study.
>Infact it is only from the time of Israel having been chosen as Gods people in the book of EXODUS to the book of MALACHI that its written mainly for the Jewish nation. From MATTHEW to REVELATION in our Bibles..this is for any people regardless of race ..it is for those to examine the truth and choose whether they too want to become followers of Jesus.
Greek Scriptures consist of mainly four parts, that is Gospels, Acts, Letters, Revelations.
Gospels describe the life of Jesus four times. Acts describes Paul's journeys, almost all letters were thought to be written by Paul, and Revelations are full of metaphoric scenes.
All are written in fifty or sixty years time. In comparison with the very lengthy time Hebrew Scriptures were written, both the portion and period are significantly small and short.
Hebrew Scriptures were written in State sponsorship, while Greek Scriptures were actually a work done by each individuals. What I mean is Christianity was probably a new religion started by Johns the Baptizer. At that time it had been quite a long since Jewish people lost their independence. They had needed a new religion.
I don't disagree with you as to this point - Greek Scriptures were not only for Jewish people, but Gentile, too. But I mean all writers must be Jewish.
>Their health was perfect ,their food was perfect, they were both perfect in everyway. yet they sinned or missed the mark.
Here lies an eternal riddle -why perfect humans made a mistake.
The answer is Jehovah gave humans both freedom to do good as well as freedom to do evil.
Some say humans were made with free will. Therefore humans are perfect.
We can choose good or bad freely. Only mistake we made was we chose to do evil. But it's not a sign of imperfection. If we can only do evil or do good, we must be imperfect.
What I mean here is we'd better affirm human nature more positively. I feel very pessimistic when they say humans are imperfect.
Thank, Br Carlos..my query this time is why the life of Jesus was written four times by different authors.
See you soon,
With Christian Agape,
Mer
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Common sense
Other queries
Saturday, April 25, 2009 4:58 PM
Hello, good afternoon, Br **..
I read whole Bible five years ago as a secular person. Still I am secular, but I evaluate Christian values a lot. In my impression Bible is basically a book of historic record of Jewish people and their activities, so faith is very different from what this record says. Faith is a matter of our mind, not knowledge.
Christianity in general starts from one premise which is humans are imperfect. This thought derives from what Adam did, so-called an original sin. But every time I hear humans are imperfect, I feel very dubious if they are.
I think humans are perfect. Yes, they often make a mistake. But making a mistake is not a sign of imperfection, rather a hope to further development in future.
Everlasting life doesn't mean individual's immortality at all. Rather it means humans' prosperity will last forever. In today's world our life expectancy is expanding thanks to a development in medicine and organ transplant, etc. , but immortal is nothing but a fear. We live limited lives, therefore we strive.
So here's my questions. Are really humans imperfect? and what is the real meaning of everlasting life?
Best wishes,
Mer
In reply to --- On Sat, 4/25/09, Carlos wrote
Dear Mer,
Yes sometimes I find things in the Bible that I never knew were there.
But I guess part of education and learning is finding new points to add to our already existing knowledge.
In fact, a scripture you might know very well is recorded at John 17:3...these words are Jesus' words, and he said :"
This means everlasting life, there taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one you sent forth, Jesus Christ".
So Bible knowledge through study and APPLICATION of what we learn equates to everlasting life for us individually in the future.
Thus I implore you to carry on your studies of the Bible with a view of applying what you learn.
Please ask me any other question at anytime that you may have in your mind.
Carlos
Saturday, April 25, 2009 4:58 PM
Hello, good afternoon, Br **..
I read whole Bible five years ago as a secular person. Still I am secular, but I evaluate Christian values a lot. In my impression Bible is basically a book of historic record of Jewish people and their activities, so faith is very different from what this record says. Faith is a matter of our mind, not knowledge.
Christianity in general starts from one premise which is humans are imperfect. This thought derives from what Adam did, so-called an original sin. But every time I hear humans are imperfect, I feel very dubious if they are.
I think humans are perfect. Yes, they often make a mistake. But making a mistake is not a sign of imperfection, rather a hope to further development in future.
Everlasting life doesn't mean individual's immortality at all. Rather it means humans' prosperity will last forever. In today's world our life expectancy is expanding thanks to a development in medicine and organ transplant, etc. , but immortal is nothing but a fear. We live limited lives, therefore we strive.
So here's my questions. Are really humans imperfect? and what is the real meaning of everlasting life?
Best wishes,
Mer
In reply to --- On Sat, 4/25/09, Carlos wrote
Dear Mer,
Yes sometimes I find things in the Bible that I never knew were there.
But I guess part of education and learning is finding new points to add to our already existing knowledge.
In fact, a scripture you might know very well is recorded at John 17:3...these words are Jesus' words, and he said :"
This means everlasting life, there taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one you sent forth, Jesus Christ".
So Bible knowledge through study and APPLICATION of what we learn equates to everlasting life for us individually in the future.
Thus I implore you to carry on your studies of the Bible with a view of applying what you learn.
Please ask me any other question at anytime that you may have in your mind.
Carlos
Friday, April 24, 2009
Strange ideas
Humans are imperfect - this is a dangerous idea. Humans are imperfect so they deserve to be nil. Humans are sinful - it's also a strange idea. Humans are sinful so they ought to be punished.
Both ideas are very selfish idea. Humans are perfect and free from sin. I accept humans as they are now.
Both ideas are very selfish idea. Humans are perfect and free from sin. I accept humans as they are now.
Humans are perfect
Humans are imperfect. Many times Christianity starts from this point of view.
Strange. It claims humans are imperfect because they make a mistake.
Make a mistake, this is a first step to development. If we don't make a mistake, no development we have.
We humans are perfect because we make a mistake.
Strange. It claims humans are imperfect because they make a mistake.
Make a mistake, this is a first step to development. If we don't make a mistake, no development we have.
We humans are perfect because we make a mistake.
Aim of prophesies
Hello good afternoon, Br **..
I was in Kokura for one year and three months. I started attending the meeting for the first time in more than one year last night. My former partner left Japan for America, so he is unable to resume our Bible study as we promised before.
I read almost all publications the society issued in the past and I don't want to use such publications in our Bible study. In the past we didn't use any books, everytime I raised a question as I asked last night and he answered the question from quoting verses in Bible, so no particular day and time is needed, just twenty minutes after the meeting, that'll be fine.
And now we are in Bible study already. We can use on line in effective way for it. Please send me attachments, etc. you want me to read. I will read and examine them.
My question last night was..History tells Cyrus conquered Babylon and released Jewish people from Babylonian captivity. He allowed them to rebuild Palace in Jerusalem. In yesterday's meeting they said this was predicted in Bible.
Ummm, many prophecies were written in lots of metaphoric words, but is there any description as ' A king in Persia will conquer Babylon and release Jewish people there.'
At that time prophets were in Babylon. Did Daniel prophesy so?
Sure I recall lots of prophecies that predicted Jerusalem's downfall by Nebuchadnezzar. Prophesies were often issured from the point of view of warning to rulers or as just a fabourable future many people hope.
Best regards,
Mer
I was in Kokura for one year and three months. I started attending the meeting for the first time in more than one year last night. My former partner left Japan for America, so he is unable to resume our Bible study as we promised before.
I read almost all publications the society issued in the past and I don't want to use such publications in our Bible study. In the past we didn't use any books, everytime I raised a question as I asked last night and he answered the question from quoting verses in Bible, so no particular day and time is needed, just twenty minutes after the meeting, that'll be fine.
And now we are in Bible study already. We can use on line in effective way for it. Please send me attachments, etc. you want me to read. I will read and examine them.
My question last night was..History tells Cyrus conquered Babylon and released Jewish people from Babylonian captivity. He allowed them to rebuild Palace in Jerusalem. In yesterday's meeting they said this was predicted in Bible.
Ummm, many prophecies were written in lots of metaphoric words, but is there any description as ' A king in Persia will conquer Babylon and release Jewish people there.'
At that time prophets were in Babylon. Did Daniel prophesy so?
Sure I recall lots of prophecies that predicted Jerusalem's downfall by Nebuchadnezzar. Prophesies were often issured from the point of view of warning to rulers or as just a fabourable future many people hope.
Best regards,
Mer
Irma:
hello eiko
Me:
Hi, how are you?
Irma:
i'm fine thank you
how's your church service last night?
Me:
The contents are how important to have a good friend. I agreed with that. I met a lot of good people, especially a guy from London who started living in Fukuoka -my home town few days ago. We will see in other occasions.
Irma:
oh ok
did you take your lunch?
Me:
It was two hours service, all were held in English. Lunch? No, not yet..
Irma:
its lunch time already
Me:
Will you make sandwiches on line?
Irma:
hahahaha how is that?
lunch just sandwich?
Me:
Difficult.. what are you going to have at lunch?
Irma:
i will cook first
because we just have our lunch at 10am
rice and fish
talk to you later eiko i will cook lunch first
Me:
Ok, I'll be on line, see you again!
hello eiko
Me:
Hi, how are you?
Irma:
i'm fine thank you
how's your church service last night?
Me:
The contents are how important to have a good friend. I agreed with that. I met a lot of good people, especially a guy from London who started living in Fukuoka -my home town few days ago. We will see in other occasions.
Irma:
oh ok
did you take your lunch?
Me:
It was two hours service, all were held in English. Lunch? No, not yet..
Irma:
its lunch time already
Me:
Will you make sandwiches on line?
Irma:
hahahaha how is that?
lunch just sandwich?
Me:
Difficult.. what are you going to have at lunch?
Irma:
i will cook first
because we just have our lunch at 10am
rice and fish
talk to you later eiko i will cook lunch first
Me:
Ok, I'll be on line, see you again!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Water & oil
OK, the economy is now invading my dreams"
1 Comment -
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And the nightmare of a response is- fraud will happen until draconian punishment is applied to stop it.
posted by Ted Seeber at 10:56 AM on Apr 22, 2009
Eiko Onoda said...
Fraud is hard to prove. You'd better not have religious or moral obligation in market and no one have it.
April 23, 2009 2:39 AM
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And the nightmare of a response is- fraud will happen until draconian punishment is applied to stop it.
posted by Ted Seeber at 10:56 AM on Apr 22, 2009
Eiko Onoda said...
Fraud is hard to prove. You'd better not have religious or moral obligation in market and no one have it.
April 23, 2009 2:39 AM
Having a chat with a good friend
Irma is Available
Irma:
hello eiko
Me:
Did you finish working today?
Irma:
i'm not working anymore
i just resigned last feb 15
Me:
Not working now?
Irma:
no i'm at home
Me:
I see. You must be looking for a new job.
Irma:
yes i am looking for abroad
Me:
abroad? For example in which country?
Irma:
like canada or china
Me:
What type of job, nursing?
Irma:
no any job related to my job experience
Me:
Accounting, etc..
Irma:
yes
Me:
Was there any job offering in these countries?
Irma:
yes there is
Me:
I see. Do you hope to work in Hongkong or Shanghai?
Irma:
If there is an apportunity there why not
?
Me:
By bthe way.. I'm going to evening service today on Thusday from 8pm to 10.
Irma:
on what service?
Me:
Church
Irma:
what church are attending?
Me:
Christian church service, what denomination is not sure or I don't care.
Irma:
oh oh
ok
Me:
I read whole Bible, many denominations are based on its interpretation. Interpretation is different in each individual. I enjoy getting together in a place.
I just moved to a bigger city, so I can attend. I hope you find a job in Tokyo, how about the cases in Japan?
Irma:
i think i could go there only if i will marry a japanese my sister told me
Me:
I see.
Is your sister in Tokyo?
Irma:
thats why its difficult..i have to find my prince charming first hahahaha..joke
yes my sister is in tokyo
Me:
I hope I marry pretty Philipina as you. Serious..
Irma:
hahaha i thought you don't want to marry?
Me:
Did I say so? It depends...
Irma:
oh ok
i will ask my sister's address and maybe you can visit them there..she is married to a japanese
i think the name of his husband is hide
Me:
Hide is first name, what's their surname?
Irma:
i will check first her email
miyokawa
they are in Hanasaki
Me:
I want to marry a woman who has similar mental quality as me. I like to have a chat with you more so that we can see one another. I think if you don't smoke, drink and like Bible study, that'll be fabulous!!
Irma:
yes
beacause my parents raised un going to church
us*
Me:
Is Hanasaki in Tokyo? I've never heard the name.
Irma:
yes Narashito City Chiba ken
Me:
I see. Is he a cook? How did they know each other?
Irma:
yes he is a cook
my sister husband is a cook
sister's
*
Me:
Was your sister working in Tokyo?
Irma:
yes
Me:
I see. I'm going to prepare for the evening service, I'll check email later tonight, talk about what church service had later tonight. Thanks for sparing your precious time for me!
Irma:
ok thanks too..take care!
Irma:
hello eiko
Me:
Did you finish working today?
Irma:
i'm not working anymore
i just resigned last feb 15
Me:
Not working now?
Irma:
no i'm at home
Me:
I see. You must be looking for a new job.
Irma:
yes i am looking for abroad
Me:
abroad? For example in which country?
Irma:
like canada or china
Me:
What type of job, nursing?
Irma:
no any job related to my job experience
Me:
Accounting, etc..
Irma:
yes
Me:
Was there any job offering in these countries?
Irma:
yes there is
Me:
I see. Do you hope to work in Hongkong or Shanghai?
Irma:
If there is an apportunity there why not
?
Me:
By bthe way.. I'm going to evening service today on Thusday from 8pm to 10.
Irma:
on what service?
Me:
Church
Irma:
what church are attending?
Me:
Christian church service, what denomination is not sure or I don't care.
Irma:
oh oh
ok
Me:
I read whole Bible, many denominations are based on its interpretation. Interpretation is different in each individual. I enjoy getting together in a place.
I just moved to a bigger city, so I can attend. I hope you find a job in Tokyo, how about the cases in Japan?
Irma:
i think i could go there only if i will marry a japanese my sister told me
Me:
I see.
Is your sister in Tokyo?
Irma:
thats why its difficult..i have to find my prince charming first hahahaha..joke
yes my sister is in tokyo
Me:
I hope I marry pretty Philipina as you. Serious..
Irma:
hahaha i thought you don't want to marry?
Me:
Did I say so? It depends...
Irma:
oh ok
i will ask my sister's address and maybe you can visit them there..she is married to a japanese
i think the name of his husband is hide
Me:
Hide is first name, what's their surname?
Irma:
i will check first her email
miyokawa
they are in Hanasaki
Me:
I want to marry a woman who has similar mental quality as me. I like to have a chat with you more so that we can see one another. I think if you don't smoke, drink and like Bible study, that'll be fabulous!!
Irma:
yes
beacause my parents raised un going to church
us*
Me:
Is Hanasaki in Tokyo? I've never heard the name.
Irma:
yes Narashito City Chiba ken
Me:
I see. Is he a cook? How did they know each other?
Irma:
yes he is a cook
my sister husband is a cook
sister's
*
Me:
Was your sister working in Tokyo?
Irma:
yes
Me:
I see. I'm going to prepare for the evening service, I'll check email later tonight, talk about what church service had later tonight. Thanks for sparing your precious time for me!
Irma:
ok thanks too..take care!
Rewarded means do good
Ted Seeber said...
Yes, but we mustn't do evil, because it restricts itself -the freedom to do evil. As long as we do good, we keep on having two freedoms -freedom to do good or evil. Therefore we need to do good.Not always true, look at the evil done during the credit crisis in the United States- the majority of those doing the evil have actually been *rewarded* for the behavior.
April 21, 2009 3:20 PM
Eiko Onoda said...
Let's try to think about the matter from slightly different point of view.Some ordinary people sometimes do evil out of the feeling he has a right to do evil, observing many others do the same thing. For example, ignoring traffic signal, speed limit, or tax evasion, etc. People sometimes do evil as these. They have been rewarded from those acts. In this case we notice law is not an absolute rule that regulates what is right or wrong. People are actually doing the right thing by violating the written code. It is not evil what people did in the credit crisis and rewarded from that. Because they thought it a right - entitlement to do something.Really bad people do evil not from the feeling of entitlement, but an obligation. Very different.
April 23, 2009 1:33 AM
Yes, but we mustn't do evil, because it restricts itself -the freedom to do evil. As long as we do good, we keep on having two freedoms -freedom to do good or evil. Therefore we need to do good.Not always true, look at the evil done during the credit crisis in the United States- the majority of those doing the evil have actually been *rewarded* for the behavior.
April 21, 2009 3:20 PM
Eiko Onoda said...
Let's try to think about the matter from slightly different point of view.Some ordinary people sometimes do evil out of the feeling he has a right to do evil, observing many others do the same thing. For example, ignoring traffic signal, speed limit, or tax evasion, etc. People sometimes do evil as these. They have been rewarded from those acts. In this case we notice law is not an absolute rule that regulates what is right or wrong. People are actually doing the right thing by violating the written code. It is not evil what people did in the credit crisis and rewarded from that. Because they thought it a right - entitlement to do something.Really bad people do evil not from the feeling of entitlement, but an obligation. Very different.
April 23, 2009 1:33 AM
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Juth is Available
Me:
How are you, Juth?
Juth :
hi
Me:
Is today off?
Juth :
im fine thank u
yah
Me:
How's Omuta? Is it fine now?
Juth :
always same
im not working the night
Me:
Are you working daytime now?I understand Omuta has lots of factories, is that correct?
Juth :
yes
right
Me:
So you are working in a boutique or something?
Juth :
kaishiya
a company
dress maker
Me:
Fantastic!
It's better to work in daytime.
Juth :
yess
Me:
What do you plan to do in holidays, I mean 'Golden Week'?
Juth :
n u hows ur life?
i dont have a rest time day
Me:
I see. I have no girl to go with right now, so I feel very lonely.
Juth :
ohhh
lonely
Me:
Preferably I'd like to see you either in Omuta or Hakata.
Juth is Offline
Juth will receive your Chat message after signing in.
Me:
How are you, Juth?
Juth :
hi
Me:
Is today off?
Juth :
im fine thank u
yah
Me:
How's Omuta? Is it fine now?
Juth :
always same
im not working the night
Me:
Are you working daytime now?I understand Omuta has lots of factories, is that correct?
Juth :
yes
right
Me:
So you are working in a boutique or something?
Juth :
kaishiya
a company
dress maker
Me:
Fantastic!
It's better to work in daytime.
Juth :
yess
Me:
What do you plan to do in holidays, I mean 'Golden Week'?
Juth :
n u hows ur life?
i dont have a rest time day
Me:
I see. I have no girl to go with right now, so I feel very lonely.
Juth :
ohhh
lonely
Me:
Preferably I'd like to see you either in Omuta or Hakata.
Juth is Offline
Juth will receive your Chat message after signing in.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Sit beyond good & evil
"Morality is impossible without Religious Devotion To Duty"
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John Kavenaugh wrote this intriguing article for that left-wing Catholic magazine America. In it, he states that the real problem with moral relativism is that you end up demanding that Other people follow rules that you won't follow yourself- and that the Philosopher Kant argues against this, while arguing for freedom.I find this fascinating, because I myself have a basic philosophical problem with freedom: Political and Religious Freedom contains the Freedom to Do Good, but it also contains the Freedom to Do Evil.Immanuel Kant counters this with the idea that if you're going to hold to a principle, you should hold it yourself as a religious duty to the greater good. After all, what good is having a rule if you won't follow it yourself?This, to me, is the core of morality- to do what is right in the service of the greater good. It's also the core of just about every major religion on the planet, save Protestantism, which has the concept of being saved by Faith Alone (despite the Biblical pronouncement against this in the book of James- which claims we are saved NOT by faith alone, but by good works).September 2008 taught us that free markets, in the absence of strict ethics and moral code, will fail- that freedom contains the freedom to do evil. Only by adhering to a duty to do good, can we overcome this.
posted by Ted Seeber at 12:22 PM on Apr 20, 2009
Eiko Onoda said...
>Political and Religious Freedom contains the Freedom to Do Good, but it also contains the Freedom to Do Evil.Yes, but we mustn't do evil, because it restricts itself -the freedom to do evil. As long as we do good, we keep on having two freedoms -freedom to do good or evil. Therefore we need to do good. >which claims we are saved NOT by faith alone, but by good works). Paul once said a guy who doesn't work is worse than the guy who doesn't have faith. Spiritual civilisation stands on the firm material civilisation.
April 21, 2009 6:49 AM
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John Kavenaugh wrote this intriguing article for that left-wing Catholic magazine America. In it, he states that the real problem with moral relativism is that you end up demanding that Other people follow rules that you won't follow yourself- and that the Philosopher Kant argues against this, while arguing for freedom.I find this fascinating, because I myself have a basic philosophical problem with freedom: Political and Religious Freedom contains the Freedom to Do Good, but it also contains the Freedom to Do Evil.Immanuel Kant counters this with the idea that if you're going to hold to a principle, you should hold it yourself as a religious duty to the greater good. After all, what good is having a rule if you won't follow it yourself?This, to me, is the core of morality- to do what is right in the service of the greater good. It's also the core of just about every major religion on the planet, save Protestantism, which has the concept of being saved by Faith Alone (despite the Biblical pronouncement against this in the book of James- which claims we are saved NOT by faith alone, but by good works).September 2008 taught us that free markets, in the absence of strict ethics and moral code, will fail- that freedom contains the freedom to do evil. Only by adhering to a duty to do good, can we overcome this.
posted by Ted Seeber at 12:22 PM on Apr 20, 2009
Eiko Onoda said...
>Political and Religious Freedom contains the Freedom to Do Good, but it also contains the Freedom to Do Evil.Yes, but we mustn't do evil, because it restricts itself -the freedom to do evil. As long as we do good, we keep on having two freedoms -freedom to do good or evil. Therefore we need to do good. >which claims we are saved NOT by faith alone, but by good works). Paul once said a guy who doesn't work is worse than the guy who doesn't have faith. Spiritual civilisation stands on the firm material civilisation.
April 21, 2009 6:49 AM
Saturday, April 11, 2009
To Juth
Juth; How are you?
Me; Thank you Juth.
I'm fine and nothing to do right now.
It's hot today. I'm going on a beach for evening airing.
I like a woman who wears a T shirt which reads 'New York'.
Giving off a noble ambience.
Me; Thank you Juth.
I'm fine and nothing to do right now.
It's hot today. I'm going on a beach for evening airing.
I like a woman who wears a T shirt which reads 'New York'.
Giving off a noble ambience.
Cheese cake ? or tiramisu?
Eiko Onoda said...
We used to talk about the impossiblity of marriage between same sex several years ago.I asserted so because definition of marriage is a legal connection between different genders and because of the economic perspective as longs as females were economically dependent on males generally. It invites confusion since marriage is a legal matter. Law ought to be made from the eyes of majority. So I say homosexuality and hetero sexuality don't make any difference when it comes to wrong or right. Both sexualities are normal. Some like cheesecake while others like tiramisu. It has something to do with reproductions certaily since many heterosexuals have babies, but that's not all. Some heterosexuals don't have babies on account of infertility and aging, of course. Some homosexuals have babies in test tube, surrogate mother or adoptation just as heterosexual infertiles do. In short marriage is a legal matter, but whether we like males or females are just a matter of personal preference. Sex is fun. It belongs to personal freedom whichever gender we like.
April 11, 2009 12:51 AM
We used to talk about the impossiblity of marriage between same sex several years ago.I asserted so because definition of marriage is a legal connection between different genders and because of the economic perspective as longs as females were economically dependent on males generally. It invites confusion since marriage is a legal matter. Law ought to be made from the eyes of majority. So I say homosexuality and hetero sexuality don't make any difference when it comes to wrong or right. Both sexualities are normal. Some like cheesecake while others like tiramisu. It has something to do with reproductions certaily since many heterosexuals have babies, but that's not all. Some heterosexuals don't have babies on account of infertility and aging, of course. Some homosexuals have babies in test tube, surrogate mother or adoptation just as heterosexual infertiles do. In short marriage is a legal matter, but whether we like males or females are just a matter of personal preference. Sex is fun. It belongs to personal freedom whichever gender we like.
April 11, 2009 12:51 AM
The aim of war
Eiko Onoda said...
In peace time an economic gap between the rich and the poor keeps on widening incessantly without fail. War was the natural consequence to banish this deviation instantly.History ought not to repeat itself in this regard in our nucleic age. Our wisdom counts a lot.
April 10, 2009 11:55 PM
In peace time an economic gap between the rich and the poor keeps on widening incessantly without fail. War was the natural consequence to banish this deviation instantly.History ought not to repeat itself in this regard in our nucleic age. Our wisdom counts a lot.
April 10, 2009 11:55 PM
Beyond the borders
Eiko Onoda said...
>we need to start looking at self-sufficient regions as a new economic and governmental model.
Very good. I think it's a more realistic approach.Traffic means was closely related to the form of country, government. In the past 'sea' made a natural barrier between regions. Inside the continent 'mountains' played the similar role on them. Now sea and mountains made no significant meaning any more in defining the borderlines. Airplanes can connect the regions beyond any geographical obstacles. Means of communication goes far more. Letters are not sent by hands, but signals.
April 10, 2009 5:35 PM
>we need to start looking at self-sufficient regions as a new economic and governmental model.
Very good. I think it's a more realistic approach.Traffic means was closely related to the form of country, government. In the past 'sea' made a natural barrier between regions. Inside the continent 'mountains' played the similar role on them. Now sea and mountains made no significant meaning any more in defining the borderlines. Airplanes can connect the regions beyond any geographical obstacles. Means of communication goes far more. Letters are not sent by hands, but signals.
April 10, 2009 5:35 PM
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Branches of Literature
The big difference: Theology and Science
NO, this isn't going to be yet another screed on evolution. In fact, in my religion, evolution is an accepted fact, it's the theory of random quantum mechanics that isn't accepted.Still, though, Theology and Science do look at things in one very different way: Dogmas vs Axioms. Axioms in science can actually be disproven- just like any other theory or law or idea. Whole schools of scientific thought have, in the past, had their axioms disproven and they've had to either change or go extinct because of it. Not so with theology- in theology, Dogma is sacred. In Roman Catholic Terms it's the "Deposit of Faith" upon which all else is built. Everything else in theology is explaining the Dogma to new generations- there is never anything added or taken away.In this way, I charge that the so-called soft sciences of Psychology and Economics are not really sciences at all- but rather theologies. Their dogmas, even when apparently destroyed by an aberrant personality or an economic collapse, are held to be inviolate. Thus, we get Freudian psychologists who explain everything in terms of sexual development; and Milton Friedman economists who claim that cutting taxes is the right thing to do even when consolidation of wealth is destroying the market.
Posted by Ted Seeber at 9:57 AM 4 comments Links to this post
Eiko Onoda said...
Psychology and economics are both new academy - both were built actually by two giants Freud and Marx in late 19th century and both were not in the least sciences in the first place though they are categorised by some as a branch of human and social 'sciences'. They as well as politics ought to be dealt still to be a part of literature.Science in narrow meaning is so called natural sciences as physics, chemistry, mathematics and I still approach psychology, economics, and politics in a very literal way, in other words very theological way as such.
April 5, 2009 1:27 AM
NO, this isn't going to be yet another screed on evolution. In fact, in my religion, evolution is an accepted fact, it's the theory of random quantum mechanics that isn't accepted.Still, though, Theology and Science do look at things in one very different way: Dogmas vs Axioms. Axioms in science can actually be disproven- just like any other theory or law or idea. Whole schools of scientific thought have, in the past, had their axioms disproven and they've had to either change or go extinct because of it. Not so with theology- in theology, Dogma is sacred. In Roman Catholic Terms it's the "Deposit of Faith" upon which all else is built. Everything else in theology is explaining the Dogma to new generations- there is never anything added or taken away.In this way, I charge that the so-called soft sciences of Psychology and Economics are not really sciences at all- but rather theologies. Their dogmas, even when apparently destroyed by an aberrant personality or an economic collapse, are held to be inviolate. Thus, we get Freudian psychologists who explain everything in terms of sexual development; and Milton Friedman economists who claim that cutting taxes is the right thing to do even when consolidation of wealth is destroying the market.
Posted by Ted Seeber at 9:57 AM 4 comments Links to this post
Eiko Onoda said...
Psychology and economics are both new academy - both were built actually by two giants Freud and Marx in late 19th century and both were not in the least sciences in the first place though they are categorised by some as a branch of human and social 'sciences'. They as well as politics ought to be dealt still to be a part of literature.Science in narrow meaning is so called natural sciences as physics, chemistry, mathematics and I still approach psychology, economics, and politics in a very literal way, in other words very theological way as such.
April 5, 2009 1:27 AM
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