History: Truth, Fiction, or what?

Some people take history at face value as literal truth. Some believe it is a tool of propaganda to influence a culture's beliefs. From one stance you can understand the path without error and its implication on modern thought. Or, you can't believe anything about history as true but can deduce from its narrative the intended influence on belief and the underlying effect on culture. I believe individual works of history are a compilation of experience, and sources, into a narrative told from a biased position. It is the sampling of multiple sources and works, comprehending them and then pulling the shared common threads out to try and piece together a representation of fact that produces a better picture of what happened.  I don't now if 100% accuracy is possible pre-modern technology and even with modern tech I think it's only theoretically possible to approach 100% accuracy.

The majority know the Story of Christopher Columbus as taught in schools and tradition, and most accept it as true at face value.

Here is one account written in 1828, that supports the traditionally accepted story. History of the life and voyages of Christopher Columbus by Washington Irving. It's of significance to note many academics have classified this work in the style of romantic history or historical fiction, containing elements of both history and fiction. By the way, Washington Irving was the author of the fiction books "Legend of Sleepy Hollow", and "Rip Van Winkle" Who's, in my opinion, biography and writing career reads more like some one more suitably labeled in the category of satirical fiction and political commentary (like today's Cracked, and the Onion) than as an academic minded historian.

Here is a contradictory account written in 1874. A History of The Character and Achievements of the So-Called Christopher Columbus by Aaron Goodrich.

Once you realize the history lessons taught by tradition and many schools may be just one view of many regarding possible historical narrative you have to decide if you care to know more about the topic from different views. If you are interested in history and wish to use it as a source of knowledge to back up your arguments you need to expand your comprehension of the different perspectives and hypotheses in the academic field of history.  Here is the book I recommend for getting a start on understanding the process while exploring American History from what may most likely be a new perspective. Barron's E-Z American History.

Give God the Glory, but make sure to do the work.

I read the comments from the original source from which I first viewed this video at the Godvine website. When I read through those comments I see that yes, the faithful are giving all the Glory to God as it should be. Glory as an action by mankind is the highest honor, the ultimate highest praise and respect that can be paid in response to some action or deed. What gets overlooked so many times, though, is the honor and praise for those working behind the scenes in moving situations like this video shows. God moves through mysterious ways, through people and through the faithful who follow his will. We give God the glory but should not forget how God's will moved through everyone involved to make this miracle happen.

Greg's cancer went into remission, praise the Lord! It is a miracle, I agree and witness to such as many do. But I see God's hand at work all the way up to remission of the cancer, not just in the final result. Greg has no saliva glands, no teeth, and a feeding tube. For those who have eyes, let them see, and for those who have ears let them listen.  Greg has had a feeding tube for 3 years at the time that interview was done.

Come see. For Greg to have a feeding tube, he needed a surgical procedure done by medical doctors and staff in a hospital. For Greg to get approval from hospital administration he needed coverage for the expense of the procedure, either through insurance or by having enough money to put a down payment on the procedure and good enough credit to assure a payment plan on the balance.

Come see. Before the hospital administration  would approve the procedure they would submit a request for coverage to Greg's health care provider, insurance, and the provider would review the procedure and decide if it was medically necessary or not. In this case Greg either had insurance that covered the procedure, enough money to pay for his own medical care costs, or people donated enough to cover his costs.

Come see. Before all this, Greg had to at some time get tested and diagnosed with cancer and do so with time enough so treatment could begin before the cancer became too bad. Most people who go to the doctor, either routinely or when they feel ill, have medical coverage. Greg was able to afford the expenses involved in testing, diagnosis, chemo treatment, surgery, recovery, and maintenance.  That's just addressing the money in the medical side of this issue. Greg had home, food, and pet care expenses at the very least. He was able to afford equipment and had the skills to do maintenance, repair, and restoration on that church.

In short, Greg was not a poor man. God was able to take care of Greg without the involvement of the Church and, again, all Glory goes to God for this man's healing.

In the Clinical Drug and Alcohol treatment field I worked in a rehab center. I met, worked with, and developed relationships with patients in treatment. I was the lowest employee on the totem pole, a residential technician. I would be the one to help a sick man up out of their own mess, to help clean them up and change their clothes, and to check on their well being throughout my shift.

During my time working in the drug and alcohol treatment center I met many Godly men and women, prayerful and sincere in their faith. Yes, I met far more who that description wouldn't apply to but I loved them as well and most of them were lovable, very few were not a pleasure to serve and even then I served them to the best of my abilities.

I met faithful, prayerful, suffering men and women who were poor and had no health care before coming to the clinic for help. The clinic would apply for Tenncare and go through the process with them, walk them through it, getting them coverage before they could be admitted into the residential treatment program. I never met anyone who was uninsured, unless they could pay out of pocket, because if Tenncare didn't cover them and they didn't have insurance then they were not admitted for treatment. The end, good luck with that alcohol problem, good bye I hope that crack doesn't kill you or make you kill some one else. See you later alligator, after a while crocodile, don't forget to write.

There are those so poor they cannot get access to medical treatment and die from ailments that would otherwise been treated and healed. When they pray in faith for a miracle God answer that prayer every single time. Even if their ailment overtakes them and they die huddled under cardboard in an alley, God had already answered their prayer for help, and God was faithful to them, Amen!

How is this possible? Because God sent Jesus to save the world. Jesus made disciples to follow the His commands, His will, and to spread the gospel and to make disciples in his name who will do the same until all Nations are disciples of Christ. Amen! We, the church, proclaim faith in Christ and are his disciples. Our sins are washed clean in our baptism in the Spirit and in response to God's grace in salvation we stand up anew and swear to follow Christ and follow his commandments. Amen! We are the disciples of Christ who swear to follow Christ, obedient not because compelled but because we are loved by God and we love God and wish to do His will. Amen!

So, how can a poverty stricken man die homeless after praying in faith to God for help and healing? I'll tell you the truth. I'll feed it to you with your Sunday dinner.

Whenever one of God's lost sheep, whenever one of the sick and poor, cry out to God for help, we are here.  We, the church, are here and we are to be listening and watching for the call to help those who call out to God in their need. We are the body of Christ, it is our hands that reach out to do something for those crying out to God for help. The church is not the building where we worship and the church is not the pastors who give us our daily bread once a week, no the church is us; you and I and all the faithful are the body of Christ. What is worse than a poor man dying homeless after reaching out to God in prayer? What is worse is a faithful member of the body of Christ dying homeless after praying, with all his faith and heart, for God's help.

Every time some one reaches out to God for help and they suffer without relief , that is not God's failure that is ours.  God is faithful and He answered that prayer, he sent us. If no help arrives, God did not fail, we did. Every time this happens God is faithful, we are not.

Any time someone poor in resources, skill, or ability is in need and unable to assist themselves reaches out to God for help and then waits in faith, every time their call for help goes unanswered and the consequence is their death... if there were any members of the Church who crossed their paths, who saw them in their need and walked on, who talked to them and heard their need, who was merely living in the same community as they when they prayed for help... well, their prayer for help to God was answered but God's call to the servants to go and help wasn't heard or it was ignored. Thus sayeth the Lord. Amen.

What can we do?  What can I do? I am almost poor myself. I barely make enough to pay my bills, to afford health care, and to care for my family. I do what I can, which is watch and listen for God's call to help some one and to pass that call along to those who can help better than me if I am unable. To love others by getting to know them, building a relationship with them, and just intentionally making sure they are a part of my life.  To say something if those who are supposed to be helping are not doing so. And to, above all, love God with all my heart, spirit, and mind and to love others as I love myself.

Matthew 25:31 - 46 "Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

The Ideas to which we are exposed, good or bad.

Recently I have been reviewing some literature, authors, and work that I had read in my youth. Works that I have not revisited in well over two decades and did not memorize for recall and use. I realized when I reviewed these works exactly how profound and deeply the ideas to which we are exposed and choose to adopt or reject influence the way we behave.

I have faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, as the Son of God, who died to atone for our sins and was resurrected as proof of authority to forgive sins. Jesus is Lord. 

Aside from that proclamation of faith, though, there are so many ideas that have influenced the way I follow the teachings of Christ.

Those who know me personally and have a close relationship need only see this piece by Miyamoto Musashi, whos work "The Book of Five Rings" I first read when I was 16 years old to see how it has shaped my personality.

"1. Accept everything just the way it is.

2. Do not seek pleasure for its own sake.
3. Do not, under any circumstances, depend on a partial feeling.
4. Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world.
5. Be detached from desire your whole life long.
6. Do not regret what you have done.
7. Never be jealous.
8. Never let yourself be saddened by a separation.
9. Resentment and complaint are appropriate neither for oneself nor others.
10. Do not let yourself be guided by the feeling of lust or love.
11. In all things have no preferences.
12. Be indifferent to where you live.
13. Do not pursue the taste of good food.
14. Do not hold on to possessions you no longer need.
15. Do not act following customary beliefs.
16. Do not collect weapons or practice with weapons beyond what is useful.
17. Do not fear death.
18. Do not seek to possess either goods or fiefs for your old age.
19. Respect Buddha and the gods without counting on their help.
20. You may abandon your own body but you must preserve your honour.
21. Never stray from the Way." 
― Miyamoto Musashi

For good or ill these behaviors listed and many other ideas I've been exposed to have become part of my personality and part of my life. My faith remains unchanged and is strong but the way I practice my faith and see the world has been shaped by the ideas to which I have been exposed.  I see this as neither a phenomenon good or evil in and of itself, but it is certainly something all Christians should be aware of and to vigilantly pay attention to the ideas that are making their way into the Church and how they effect our mission.

Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, and why it's no good for the Church.

This will be a short summary in order to raise awareness in some very important issues regarding Ayn Rand's  ideaology Objectivism and why it not only does not follow Christian ethics but is directly against the teachings of Jesus Christ and the commandments we are given to follow as the Church.

First, what is a philosophical system? It's a defined way of thinking that has been developed by a group using logic and reason for the purpose of guiding those who follow the methods and education of the system in making correct choices in right action and discerning what is wrong action.  What makes a philosophical system special is it was designed using logic and reason in order to make sure there were no contradictions in the system that would cause confusion and so the system could be defended against criticism from those who don't follow it.  Many Christians feel philosophical systems of thought aren't necessary and I will admit for those in the Spirit and with Christ in their heart following His commandments always in a loving manner will not need the guidance of any philosophical system.  I would, however, say it is necessary for those in Christ to study and understand the philosophical systems of the world in order to better understand those following them in order to love, serve, and cooperate with them.

Ayn Rand's system of Objectivism is not a philosophical system because it does not meet the requirement of being designed using logic and reason. This makes Objectivism an ideaology, which is a system of rules in how to think and methods for behavior in order to support an idea. Other examples of ideologies are rarely positive or beneficial for those outside the ideological system. In the modern world, examples of ideaologies are the Taliban, Hamas, the IRA, NAMBLA, and in all fairness many of the fundamentalist religious organizations within our Church operate as ideologies sometimes to the overall detriment to the Church Universal's mission.

Ayn Rand developed Objectivism and wrote the books "The Fountainhead" and "Atlas Shrugged" to communicate her ideas to the world. The book "Atlas Shrugged" has been made into a film, which is a more popular media venue to the majority of the public than books.

The ideas put forward by Rand's work are as follows:

An individual person is able to perceive reality in the world using only their senses and their mind. That was an individual senses is an accurate view of reality and is the only reality that exists.  There is that exists beyond the senses of man and the conscious mind is sufficient to interpret the senses perfectly.

An individual's mind is sufficient to reason what is good or bad without reference to any external knowledge.

External systems of knowledge and morals are invalid and not to be followed or respected. Objectivism's perspective views religion as untrue and unnecessary but is not particularly hostile to religious institutions. Objectivism is hostile to all other philosophies and systematically identifies them and disputes them as invalid. The consequence of this invalidating all other philosophical systems is Objecivists, seeing themselves as part of a philosophical system, no longer are obligated to listen to or respond to other philosophical systems' criticisms because they are not valid. A philosophical system's claims can only be challenged and changed using logic and reason, so systems deemed invalid aren't considered to operate using logic and reason.

Individual rights, or the right of an individual to govern their own thoughts and behavior free from any influence or consideration of outside sources and groups. The individual is capable of seeing the whole of reality and equipped to reason right from wrong so should not listen to or follow any external influence that contradicts their own choices of what is right.

Rational self-interest, which is the belief in Objectivism that an individual is to do what is best for them in every situation. They are to reason out their choices and pick the ones most beneficial to themselves without any other considerations.

The moral ethic of Objectivism follows that there is only one moral concept, which is only actions that benefit the individual are moral. The consequence of those actions to others are not relevant and intentionally doing actions that do not benefit self but do benefit others are considered immoral.  Altruism is defined as immoral. This means, according to Objectivism, the sacrifice Christ made for our sins was immoral unless that sacrifice somehow benefited Christ.  Since they do not believe Christ to be other than a man then his actions were immoral.

Unrestricted Free Market Capitalism: Rand believed and advocated that unrestricted free market capitalism is the best and only economic system that maximizes the potential benefits for every one participating. Her reason is as follows; since the only moral action is to do things that benefit yourself then Capitalism where a supplier is benefited by money in exchange for a good that benefits a consumer which is facilitated by investors and businesses that get a profit and labor works for a wage.  Everyone is doing something for their own benefit and so everyone has the opportunity to be moral actors while participating in society.

The poor, disabled, elderly, infirm, and any disadvantaged person has the freedom and moral obligation to act in their own interest to better their own situation. If they are unable to better their situation through their own efforts then that's just how it is and it is no other person's fault.  It's natural selection applied to society. Those able to benefit themselves will prosper, those unable will not; the end.

The principle of non-aggression: This states it is immoral to use violence to try and force some one else to do something that benefits yourself. An individual is morally obligated to persuade others to do what they want by any means not involving violence (including threats). While it is immoral to be the first aggressor it is moral to use violence to defend oneself from aggression. This whole moral concept is the central linchpin that forms an Objectivist system's laws, if there are any, which would forbid theft of property and violence.  Any other action that do not fall under theft or violence to compel action are allowed.  Persuading others to do what you want or to cooperate towards common goals can be achieved by any method including lying, deception, manipulation, or any action short of aggression. This concept, here, this ethic is what makes the entire system of Objectivism and those who claim to be Objectivists completely untrustworthy and their reasons and methods should be held in suspicion for anything they want from anyone because the only motivation is self-interest.

Methods of influence include literature, books, media, propaganda, lying, reasoning, arguing using logic, and the list could go on for several pages describing methods of influence allowed to an Objectivist that are commonly held by most systems to be immoral.

These ideas are being sold separately by different means. Whether directly through "Atlas Shrugged" or individually by other means, the ideas are being persuasively given in various audiences and they are taking root. Objectivist ideas are appearing in the church congregation members.  What is worst, though, is it would be a perfectly moral action for an Objectivist to join and participate in a church if it benefited them.

I will be writing more regarding this topic.

Freedom as a right

In both the secular and Christian perspective freedom is recognized as a basic human right, meaning just by existing in the world we should expect and demand to use our will to make choices without being compelled by threats or force.  Whether we are given freedom just by being self aware (secular view) or it is a gift of grace from God (Christian), we all agree we are free and it is our right.

However, people from all systems misunderstand the difference between freedom and liberty.  Liberty is the ability to act and make decisions that effect other people without restriction or restraint. Freedom is given and liberty is earned.  To have liberty we are required to be submissive to an authority that teaches us right from wrong, good from bad, how we should act and how we shouldn't act in order to make decisions that do good to ourselves and others while avoiding decisions that harm ourselves or others.  Once we have been  taught the lessons we need then we are asked to enter into a covenant in which we agree we will, with deliberate intention, try to do good and seek to avoid doing harm. Once we enter into this covenant, intentionally in Christiandom, and by implication in the secular world; we are given liberty and trusted to uphold our end of the covenant. Liberty can be given and it can be taken way.

We are free, at all times, to do whatever we wish for whatever reasons we wish without constraint or interference. We are free to do good or evil as we wish at any time we wish. It is the actions we choose to take, the choices we freely make, that determine whether or not we are permitted to keep our liberty and be self governing within a community. There will always be consequences for breaking a covenant, be it with society or with God, but we will always be free to break that covenant at will without interference.