2012 was a busy year for us. I finished up my algebra and chemistry classes, we packed up and moved across the country, Nick got flown out to the ship and I unpacked a house full of stuff by myself. We've made some new friends out here in BFE, Virginia, and the kids are getting used to their new school. It was rough at first, but things are settling down. (Go knock on some wood for me. I don't want to jinx it.) This year flew by so fast I can't even believe it. Every year seems to go faster and faster.
Abby's going to be 9 in a couple weeks, and in a few months, I'll be 30. I feel like I skipped a few years or something to get here because there's no way I graduated high school more than a decade ago. It's been almost 2 years since Tim passed away, which still sounds so weird to me. I think this New Year's Eve I'll finally break out the Harley Davidson glass and see if I can recreate what he tried showing me a couple years ago with the fizz. Adios and vaya con dios, Tim. Listening to that cd still brings a tear to my eye.
To all my friends and family, enjoy the time you have here on this planet because it is so short and it goes by so fast. Don't worry so much about what's going to happen next, because you'll miss out on everything that the people you love have to offer. Be happy, but don't take away others' happiness in the process. If you have to make other people miserable for you to be happy, then you are on the wrong path and I truly hope you will find your way again. Cherish your children, take lots of pictures (something I need to work on too), and do something crazy every once in a while. Get a tattoo, take a spontaneous road trip to the Grand Canyon, splurge on something for yourself. Be safe, be smart, and think of others before yourself. Stop thinking about your resolutions and get off your butt and accomplish some of the goals you have for yourself. Know that I love you all and wish you all love, peace, and happiness.
Happy New Year.
Monday, December 31, 2012
Saturday, December 22, 2012
What's more interesting than the bible? The parts that got taken out!
I don't believe in the bible. I do not believe it is the word of God. I do not believe that Jesus is my savior, or that the only way to have a decent afterlife is to believe that he died for my sins. However, I do believe that the bible is a very interesting book. It is not a history book, but it is a part of history. It was the first book to be mass distributed, and it still is a mystery to many people.
What truly fascinates me the most about the bible, though, is not the KJV that can be bought in any bookstore. It's the books that were taken out.
Like the Book of Enoch, for example. Why was this book taken out? In the book I just got for Christmas, Banned from the Bible: Books Banned, Rejected, and Forbidden, there's an introduction to the Book of Enoch that says, "It is hard to avoid the evidence that Jesus not only studied the book, but also respected it highly enough to allude to its doctrine and content."
So, what you're telling me is that the book was good enough for your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, but it's not good enough for modern-day Christians to put in their bibles?? What kind of sense does that make?!? That makes me want to read these banned books even more because it makes them more interesting.
The introduction also talks about.... wait for it..... MISTRANSLATIONS! You know, those things I keep going on and on about? People keep saying that the bible is the inerrant word of God, even though MEN, not GOD took out all these books, then translated the ones that were left (and would become the bible that so many people have right now in their living rooms) over and over and over again. Some of the things were mistranslated on purpose. The mistranslation that my book talks about is in Luke. The book says, "Other evidence of the early Christians' acceptance of the Book of Enoch was for many years buried under the King James Bible's mistranslation of Luke 9:35, describing the transfiguration of Christ: 'And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, "This is my beloved Son. Hear him."' Apparently the translator here wished to make this verse agree with a similar verse in Matthew and Mark. But Luke's verse in the original Greek reads: This is my Son, the Elect One (from the Greek ho eklelegmenos, lit., This is mine, the elect one. Hear him.)"
So, you mean that the King James Version of the bible is really just the version that was changed to match the beliefs they already had at the time, rather than an actual, accurate, direct translation the way "God" intended everyone to read it? YEP! The King James Version of the bible is the version he liked the best. They changed things on purpose, they took books out (even the books that Jesus himself approved of!!!!!), and they altered it so much that no one in their right mind could possibly say that it is the INERRANT word of GOD. It's full of errors! That is a FACT. It's not my opinion, and it's not something I'm making up to piss people off. It is a verifiable FACT.
No amount of BELIEF can make these things wrong. That's why they're called facts. You can believe all you want that grass is purple. You can sing, "THE GRASS IS PURPLE" from every rooftop in the world, and write it down in books and even have a following of millions of other people that are convinced that grass is purple. But the FACT still remains that grass is green, and nothing you believe will change that fact.
The same goes for the bible. You can believe all you want that it's the inerrant word of God, but that will never change the fact that it's not.
It was written, and edited by MEN. It was written by men to give people inspiration and hope, and to help other people be good people, but it is not perfect. It has helped people, it has saved people, but does it read exactly the way it did when it was first written? Nope.
I'm very much looking forward to reading the banned books to see what exactly could be good enough for Jesus himself, but not good enough for the people who believe he is their savior.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
The history of the Christmas tree
http://www.history.com/topics/history-of-christmas-trees
Long before the advent of Christianity, plants and trees that remained green all year had a special meaning for people in the winter. Just as people today decorate their homes during the festive season with pine, spruce, and fir trees, ancient peoples hung evergreen boughs over their doors and windows. In many countries it was believed that evergreens would keep away witches, ghosts, evil spirits, and illness.
In the Northern hemisphere, the shortest day and longest night of the year falls on December 21 or December 22 and is called the winter solstice. Many ancient people believed that the sun was a god and that winter came every year because the sun god had become sick and weak. They celebrated the solstice because it meant that at last the sun god would begin to get well. Evergreen boughs reminded them of all the green plants that would grow again when the sun god was strong and summer would return.
The ancient Egyptians worshipped a god called Ra, who had the head of a hawk and wore the sun as a blazing disk in his crown. At the solstice, when Ra began to recover from the illness, the Egyptians filled their homes with green palm rushes which symbolized for them the triumph of life over death.
Early Romans marked the solstice with a feast called the Saturnalia in honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture. The Romans knew that the solstice meant that soon farms and orchards would be green and fruitful. To mark the occasion, they decorated their homes and temples with evergreen boughs. In Northern Europe the mysterious Druids, the priests of the ancient Celts, also decorated their temples with evergreen boughs as a symbol of everlasting life. The fierce Vikings in Scandinavia thought that evergreens were the special plant of the sun god, Balder.
Germany is credited with starting the Christmas tree tradition as we now know it in the 16th century when devout Christians brought decorated trees into their homes. Some built Christmas pyramids of wood and decorated them with evergreens and candles if wood was scarce. It is a widely held belief that Martin Luther, the 16th century Protestant reformer, first added lighted candles to a tree. Walking toward his home one winter evening, composing a sermon, he was awed by the brilliance of stars twinkling amidst evergreens. to recapture the scene for his family, he erected a tree in the main room and wired its branches with lighted candles.
Most 19th century Americans found Christmas trees an oddity. The first record of one being on display was in the 1830s by the German settlers of Pennsylvania, although trees had been a tradition in many German homes much earlier. The Pennsylvania German settlements had community trees as early as 1747. But, as late as the 1840s, Christmas trees were seen as pagan symbols and not accepted by most Americans.
It is not surprising that, like many other festive Christmas customs, the tree was adopted so late in America. To the New England Puritans, Christmas was sacred. The pilgrims' second governor, William Bradford, wrote that he tried hard to stamp out "pagan mockery" of the observance, penalizing any frivolity. The influential Oliver Cromwell preached against "the heathen traditions" of Christmas carols, decorated trees, and any joyful expression that desecrated "that sacred event." In 1659, the General Court of Massachusetts enacted a law making any observance of December 25 (other than a church service) a penal offense; people were fined for hanging decorations. That stern solemnity continued until the 19th century, when the influx of German and Irish immigrants undermined the Puritan legacy.
In 1846, the popular royals, Queen Victoria and her German Prince, Albert, were sketched in the illustrated London News standing with their children around a Christmas tree. Unlike the previous royal family, Victoria was very popular with her subjects, and what was done at court immediately became fashionable - not only in Britain, but with fashion-conscious East Coast American Society. The Christmas tree had arrived.
By the 1890s Christmas ornaments were arriving from Germany and Christmas tree popularity was on the rise around the U.S. It was noted that Europeans used small trees, about 4 feet in height, while Americans liked their Christmas trees to reach from floor to ceiling.
The early 20th century saw Americans decorating their trees mainly with homemade ornaments, while the German-American sect continued to use apples, nuts, and marzipan cookies. Popcorn joined in after being dyed bright colors and interlaced with berries and nuts. Electricity brought about Christmas lights, making it possible for Christmas trees to glow for days on end. With this, Christmas trees began to appear in town squares across the country and having a Christmas tree in the home became an American tradition.
Long before the advent of Christianity, plants and trees that remained green all year had a special meaning for people in the winter. Just as people today decorate their homes during the festive season with pine, spruce, and fir trees, ancient peoples hung evergreen boughs over their doors and windows. In many countries it was believed that evergreens would keep away witches, ghosts, evil spirits, and illness.
In the Northern hemisphere, the shortest day and longest night of the year falls on December 21 or December 22 and is called the winter solstice. Many ancient people believed that the sun was a god and that winter came every year because the sun god had become sick and weak. They celebrated the solstice because it meant that at last the sun god would begin to get well. Evergreen boughs reminded them of all the green plants that would grow again when the sun god was strong and summer would return.
The ancient Egyptians worshipped a god called Ra, who had the head of a hawk and wore the sun as a blazing disk in his crown. At the solstice, when Ra began to recover from the illness, the Egyptians filled their homes with green palm rushes which symbolized for them the triumph of life over death.
Early Romans marked the solstice with a feast called the Saturnalia in honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture. The Romans knew that the solstice meant that soon farms and orchards would be green and fruitful. To mark the occasion, they decorated their homes and temples with evergreen boughs. In Northern Europe the mysterious Druids, the priests of the ancient Celts, also decorated their temples with evergreen boughs as a symbol of everlasting life. The fierce Vikings in Scandinavia thought that evergreens were the special plant of the sun god, Balder.
Germany is credited with starting the Christmas tree tradition as we now know it in the 16th century when devout Christians brought decorated trees into their homes. Some built Christmas pyramids of wood and decorated them with evergreens and candles if wood was scarce. It is a widely held belief that Martin Luther, the 16th century Protestant reformer, first added lighted candles to a tree. Walking toward his home one winter evening, composing a sermon, he was awed by the brilliance of stars twinkling amidst evergreens. to recapture the scene for his family, he erected a tree in the main room and wired its branches with lighted candles.
Most 19th century Americans found Christmas trees an oddity. The first record of one being on display was in the 1830s by the German settlers of Pennsylvania, although trees had been a tradition in many German homes much earlier. The Pennsylvania German settlements had community trees as early as 1747. But, as late as the 1840s, Christmas trees were seen as pagan symbols and not accepted by most Americans.
It is not surprising that, like many other festive Christmas customs, the tree was adopted so late in America. To the New England Puritans, Christmas was sacred. The pilgrims' second governor, William Bradford, wrote that he tried hard to stamp out "pagan mockery" of the observance, penalizing any frivolity. The influential Oliver Cromwell preached against "the heathen traditions" of Christmas carols, decorated trees, and any joyful expression that desecrated "that sacred event." In 1659, the General Court of Massachusetts enacted a law making any observance of December 25 (other than a church service) a penal offense; people were fined for hanging decorations. That stern solemnity continued until the 19th century, when the influx of German and Irish immigrants undermined the Puritan legacy.
In 1846, the popular royals, Queen Victoria and her German Prince, Albert, were sketched in the illustrated London News standing with their children around a Christmas tree. Unlike the previous royal family, Victoria was very popular with her subjects, and what was done at court immediately became fashionable - not only in Britain, but with fashion-conscious East Coast American Society. The Christmas tree had arrived.
By the 1890s Christmas ornaments were arriving from Germany and Christmas tree popularity was on the rise around the U.S. It was noted that Europeans used small trees, about 4 feet in height, while Americans liked their Christmas trees to reach from floor to ceiling.
The early 20th century saw Americans decorating their trees mainly with homemade ornaments, while the German-American sect continued to use apples, nuts, and marzipan cookies. Popcorn joined in after being dyed bright colors and interlaced with berries and nuts. Electricity brought about Christmas lights, making it possible for Christmas trees to glow for days on end. With this, Christmas trees began to appear in town squares across the country and having a Christmas tree in the home became an American tradition.
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