The Community is Morally Superior Christians are sinners just like everybody else. If you’re expecting a perfect utopian environment of honesty, generosity, kindness, respect and inclusive love within Christianity—prepare yourselves for heartbreak. Churches, Christian organizations, spiritual leaders and the people representing Christianity will eventually fail you. Christian communities are far from ideal. Many enter churches assuming that everyone is going to be supportive, wonderful and your new best friend—but the reality is harsh. This is the seventh post on the misconceptions about Christianity as reported by Stephen Mattson. It should be obvious to any of you who have been following … Continue reading Christianity is a Morally Superior Community…

A few months after I came to America, one of my American friends showed me a picture of her sister. “Isn’t she precious?” she said. I was taken aback ; her sister had Down’s syndrome. On another occasion, when I first met my new neighbor, she revealed that she had a mentally retarded son who was sixteen but had the mental capacity of a five-year-old. I admire Americans’ openness about disability…. In Asia, the disabled are treated as less than fully human… Mental retardation or physical disability is a stigma to a family, partly because of the influence of Buddhism. … Continue reading Yin/Yang and American Culture…. Disabilities

86 percent of strident conservatives think the poor ‘have it easy’ Illustrating the deep divide between GOP versus Democratic support for policies most benefiting the poor, a new Pew survey finds that a whopping 86 percent of steadfast conservatives think the poor “have it easy.” Similarly, business-minded Republicans 77 percent and young Republican-leaning adults 81 percent feel the same way.   That sentiment underpins Republican arguments that programs like food stamps and unemployment benefits should be cut because they disincentivize work. And indeed, the same survey finds that at least eight in 10 Republicans from all three aforementioned demographic subgroups … Continue reading 86% of strident conservatives think the poor ‘have it easy’

“Republicans are mad at me for taking these actions. They’re not doing anything and then they’re mad at me for doing something. I’m not sure which of the things I’ve done they find most offensive, but they’ve decided they’re going to sue me for doing my job,” Obama said in his speech at picturesque Lake Harriet…. Obama likes to joke that he is like a bear breaking out of his cage. On Friday, he said Republican inaction “drives you nuts … and it drives me nuts.” “Sometimes I’m supposed to be, you know, politic about how I say things, but … Continue reading Driving Me Nuts…..

This is part of the continuing series about the misconceptions of Christianity by Stephen Mattson. Christianity Causes Prosperity Some treat Christianity as a cash cow, a way to become “blessed,” “rich” and “successful.” But this was never Jesus’ intention. Becoming a Christian doesn’t guarantee financial, relational, physical, intellectual, emotional or professional gain. Many have used the allure of “being blessed” and “getting rich” as a way to manipulate and motivate people into following Christ, but in reality faithfully loving God demands giving of yourself—and your possessions. If you’re looking for peace, prosperity, success, fame, fortune and personal glory—Christianity isn’t for … Continue reading Christianity Causes Prosperity…

“I love America more than any other country in the world and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.”  – James Baldwin I am so encouraged to read in my Bible that there have always been people of God who have chosen to be prophetic over being patriotic. I am part of a tradition that has always had prophets to speak out against the evils of war, injustice, and poverty. Although I love this country, if I have to choose, I would rather be a prophet than a patriot. I refuse to let my … Continue reading Prophet or Patriot ….

This is a continuation of my Friday posts about the book “Yin/Yang and American Culture” by Kim Eun. It is a book well worth reading about the differences between American and much of the rest of the world. This post is about American Women… “There are two kinds of women in the world: American women and women.” This is a joke among Asian men doing business internationally. American women have been liberated and empowered to such a degree that they belong in a category all their own among the women of the world. Compared with their counterparts in other countries, … Continue reading Yin/Yang and American Culture…. Women

Nobody wants to be called Common People, especially common people.” – Will Rogers, 21 June 1925 Ain’t that the truth Will, even in the 21st century. It is always surprising at how many people claim themselves to be middle-class versus those who really are. According to Wikipedia most researchers put the middle class in two categories: Upper Middle Class – Those are folks who earn an annual income of between $75,000 and somewhere between $100,000 and $200,000 depending on the study. These folks are typically highly-educated (often with graduate degrees), most commonly salaried, professionals and middle management with large work … Continue reading Common People….

The GOP brand has become a foul-tasting stew of wars against women, insults against seniors, alienation of Hispanics, dog-whistle undertones of racism against blacks, abusive congressional hearings and internecine warfare of Republican against Republican. Thank you, Karl Rove. May pundits extol your brilliance and Republicans applaud your sleaze. SOURCE:  Rove, Benghazi Lift Dems | Brent Budowsky. It seems that the Republican party is hell-bent on becoming extinct. Fox News is the face of the GOP for most of us. We know that the median age of viewers of that channel is above seventy years of age. We also know that the viewers … Continue reading The GOP Brand….

This is going to be one of my soapbox posts so be warned. Iraq is back in the news now with the latest insurgence. It seems the Shiite Muslims just don’t want to go down without a fight and the Sunni Muslims who now have most of the power don’t want to give their rivals any breathing room. Civil war is the logical conclusion where one religious group is battling another. History has certainly seen a lot of these type of wars. Let’s flash back to the year 2000 when Saddam Hussein had iron fist control of the country. There … Continue reading The Thing About Iraq….

I heard a comment recently that has stuck to me. It went like this You can’t just say you have rights, you have to use them to prove you have them” I know of so many people who scream about the first amendment right to free speech but then villainize those who speak out against things that they don’t agree with. It seems, at least from their standpoint, that freedom of speech is a one-way street going only the way they go. Some of the most vitriol comments I get on this blog is for saying things that others don’t … Continue reading You Have To Use Them…

This is a continuing post based on the Stephen Mattson’s post over at Red Letter Christians on the misconceptions of Christianity. 5. It Solves All Your Problems Christianity isn’t a magic cure for sickness, broken relationships, abuse and injustice. It’s not meant to be a quick-fix solution to everything that’s wrong in your life or the lives of others. Unfortunately, many interpret Christianity as a form of escapism, a way to avoid the harsh realities of life. Christ’s message isn’t about avoiding difficulties or preventing them from happening, but confronting them. Following Jesus means embracing the hardships of humanity and … Continue reading Christianity Solves All Your Problems….

This is another post based on the book “Yin/Yang and American Culture: The Paradox”. This one will be about our obsession with winning and competition. No doubt competition has produced for the United States some of the best professionals, the best products, and the best business practices in the world. Nevertheless, there is a downside to Americans’ emphasis on winning at any cost. The pressure to win can be overwhelming in America, where only winners are cheered and remembered and the winner takes all, including multimillion-dollar advertising contracts. Tonya Harding, the figure skater who arranged to have her Olympic competitor, … Continue reading Yin/Yang and American Culture….Winning…

As youth we all want to grow up or at least grow as fast as we can.  We desperately want to get there. We grab as many opportunities as we can.  But growing up means we have to leave some people behind. Sometimes we make the choice not to grow up for that reason. We just don’t want to end up alone. Some people can’t seem to leave their high school years. They simply don’t want to leave all those cherished friends behind in order to venture out into the vast unknown. For some of us that happens when we … Continue reading Growing Up…

I wonder how many people know the requirements to be a member of the U.S. congress? I must admit that I didn’t until I looked them up for this post.  As usual here is what Wikipedia says about this topic. U.S. House Qualifications: Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution sets three qualifications for representatives. Each representative must: (1) be at least twenty-five years old (2) have been a citizen of the United States for the past seven years (3) be (at the time of the election) an inhabitant of the state they represent. Members are not required to live … Continue reading Requirements….

This is part 3 of my series based on a post by Stephen Mattson on the seven misconceptions of Christianity.  It’s Always Fun and Happy Christianity can be full of joy, but it can also be really hard.Following Christ demands sacrifice. It involves giving, helping, volunteering and participating in difficult work. The main tenant of loving others is hardly ever easy, and the Christian life is often filled with trials, pain, suffering, heartbreak and struggles—often requiring large amounts of grace, forgiveness, patience and energy. It’s not easy, comfortable or effortless—it’s incredibly demanding. But in the end, it’s worth it. I … Continue reading Christianity is Always Fun and Happy…

This is the next segment in my series of yin/yang and how that relates to American culture.  These initial posts are for the most part the positive aspects of our culture. It is appropriate that I start here so that you can understand that later I am not attacking our culture so much as showing were we could improve even more. This post is about our almost unique sense of equality. Here is a quote to get us started: In the American workplace, most people make their own coffee and clean up their own desks. The person who takes the … Continue reading Yin/Yang And The Idea Of Equality…

A TV-streaming device. All this talk about canceling your cable is great — if you still have a way to watch TV on your TV. Thankfully, there are now several options for streaming devices that bring services like Netflix and Hulu to your living room TV. Apple TV, Roku and Amazon Fire are all options to check out. Each requires a one-time initial investment, usually between $50 and $100. According to the research company NPD Group, cable bills might reach $123 a month by next year. With prices for Netflix and Hulu Plus hovering around $8 each, getting one of … Continue reading Giving Up Cable/Satellite….

Who would ever have guess that the title of the “Great Regulator” would be a Republican! That seems totally impossible in today’s world! But that is indeed the case. A hundred years ago Teddy Roosevelt was just that person. He was also called the “Trust Buster” as he took down many of the extremely wealthy of his day. He was also the one who put very high inheritance taxes on those in the 1% of his day.  Here is a little about that from Wikipedia: Roosevelt responded to public anger over the abuses in the food packing industry by pushing … Continue reading The Great Regulator…

  It has happened throughout humanity’s history. When our country/tribe feels threatened by one thing or another and we go to war many of our young men rush to enlist.They see adventures in war. They think it will turn back the boredom of their daily lives. I don’t think there has been a teenager in existence that doesn’t feel a lack of stimulation during those years. They all have some grandiose vision of having a uniform and fighting the bad guys.  The teenage years are vexing to most of us.  Our brains are not fully formed so we often have … Continue reading Injured Warriors….

I can’t help but think that if you’d stayed a little longer, we might have avoided the Crusades. Or the Great Schism. Or that time we used the Bible to justify slavery and invoked “Manifest Destiny” to slaughter women and children. We’ve made a mess of things, Jesus, often in your name. We could use a little micromanaging. SOURCE:From the Lectionary: An Open Letter to Jesus on this Whole Ascension Business. The words above are from an open-letter that Rachel Held Evans posted to Jesus. I never thought of it but she is right; we could have used some more … Continue reading Could Use A Little More Micromanaging…

This was taken from our hotel room on Friday night here at a hotel on Times Square. Can’t imagine what tonight will be like. Walked too much today but have more tomorrow. We will tour the 911 Memorial and museum along with Central Park.  Getting too old for this stuff but figured this is our last change… Continue reading Saturday @ NYC..

Being a U.S. history buff Williamsburg VA is one of my favorite places to visit. I first visited there during my senior trip in high school in 1965. Of course back then I was more interested in other things so even though it impressed me on some level it was “no big deal”. It would be over twenty years later that I thoroughly fell in love with the place. Most of the pictures below were from that visit. Click on any of the pictures to see an expanded view.   Continue reading Williamsburg VA….

Many of the world’s greatest inventions are credited to Americans, from the telephone to the computer. Anesthesia, the miracle of painless surgery, is among the greatest gifts that American medicine has given to humanity. The invention of the safety device on passenger elevators by Elisha Otis in 1852 led to the construction of skyscrapers and encouraged metropolitan growth around the world. Nylon , the first man-made synthetic fiber, invented by the du Pont company, has forever changed the lives of people around the world. The impact of Bill Gates’ MS-DOS is not even measurable. Some attribute Americans’ genius to their … Continue reading Yin/Yang And Creativity….

I have heard the statistic that the people in congress who represent less than 10% of the population are the ones who are stifling most of the legislative progress needed in this country.  I am thoroughly aligned with the concept of “The tyranny of the majority” where it is necessary to prevent the majority of people from doing substantial harm to a minority group simply by their majority status. But now it seems that we must fear the “tyranny of the minority”.  Did our founding fathers intend for so few of us to have so much control? I think not… … Continue reading How Did The Mostly "Empty" States Become States??

We ask all Republicans to come together to defeat extremist Hollywood liberal Allison Lundergan Grimes this fall.” SOURCE: Conservative Groups Spin a Loss in Kentucky Senate Primary – ABC News. I see where Mitch McConnell escaped the attempted siege of the Senate Minority leader recently. The words above are part of his victory speech. Even though this quote is about politics, this post is not in that vein but instead about the loaded words some choose to use in their rhetoric. With some people you can tell right up front what their worldview is all about with just a few … Continue reading Those Words…

This is part 2 of my series based on a post by Stephen Mattson on the seven misconceptions of Christianity. Everyone Believes the Same Thing Beyond a basic belief of Jesus being divine, Christians hardly agree on anything. Common practices such as baptisms, communions, confession and even worship styles are hotly debated, and Christians are divided into hundreds of denominations, thousands of churches and endless communities—each passionate about their own opinions. Christianity is made up of different cultures, ethnicities, doctrines, traditions, practices, theologians and practices—one of the most diverse religions in the entire world. Conformity and uniformity are uncommon, and … Continue reading All Christians Believe the Same Thing..

We will soon be off to another visit to New York City. It is on my wife’s bucket list to see the 911 Memorial and to visit Central Park one more time.  We lived in central New Jersey between 1996 and 2000. Over that time we made several visits escorting relatives into the city. Our last trip to the World Trade Center was in January 2000 when we ate at the “Windows to the World” restaurant at the top of one of the towers. I pulled some photos of WTC and Central Park out of our archive to commemorate our … Continue reading NYC….

Nothing is more distinctive than Americans’ disbelief in impossibilities. Every day Americans receive invitations to dream big dreams, and they give the traditional exuberant American answer, “Why not!” In contrast, many Asians believe that things happen as a result of fate: their success or failure in life, work, and marriage is determined by the year, month , date, hour, and place of their birth. Because they believe that their futures were laid out at birth, many people passively accept undesirable conditions rather than try to shape or alter their destinies. Interestingly, in Chinese, the word for destiny consists of two … Continue reading The Yin/Yang Differences Between America And Asia – Dreams