The quote in the title is attributed to the Apostle Thomas, aka Doubting Thomas, because he didn’t believe Jesus actually rose from the dead. At least Jesus gave him the opportunity to assuage his doubt when Jesus said to Thomas — “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.”
Why doesn’t God do that for people today?? Why allow people to not believe, when he darn well CAN provide proofs for us doubters and/or unbelievers? It would be so easy since, well, you know … GOD! But, noooo, rather than provide some quick and easy proof, what what we get is <Poof!!>, go straight to hell, do not collect $200.
Of course, a Christian will tell you that God has already provided all the proof you’ll ever need. Here are the Biggies:
—1) An enormous complex universe that is designed must have a Designer … the earth is just the right distance from the sun … the sun is just the right size … the solar system is just in the right spot in this galaxy … earth’s rotation is just the right speed … the moon is in the right place and right size .. etc. etc. and hundreds of other variables that if there was even a slight change in any one them then the universe would have collapsed right after the big bang. Now, if you mapped out the probabilities of each of these events happening just in the right amounts, at the right place, and the right time, and of their own accord …… well, that number would be five bazillion hoolagooeygagglebits to one! In other words, an impossibility in actuality.
—2) Life itself exists and human life is exceedingly complex …. life cannot start from non-life …. evolution is deeply flawed and leaves key questions unanswered … that to evolve by a series of totally random accidental beneficial mutations from a single celled organism swimming in some primordial soup a few million years ago, and into one having a self-aware brain, arguable the most complex thing in the universe … is the same number as above, only raised to itself. (Although I’m not sure why God put men’s testicles in such an open easy-to-attack location. He could have at least made them retractable … and less itchy. This would greatly have helped my unbelief.)
—3) DNA is the fingerprint of God … consisting of just four chemicals that scientists abbreviate as A, T, G, and C …. there are three billion in every human cell …. it is basically a detailed instruction code, like a computer program, which makes you, you …. and natural, biological causes can not explain the who, how, when, or what involved in this programmed information …. to think the process is accidental is absurd … someone must have intentionally constructed (programmed) it.
—4) You don’t really need proof …. God will reveal himself, in his own way, to every individual who truly seeks God … from the billionaire in the White House to the aborigine in an Australian desert … “Since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities…have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made.”
—5) Jesus Christ is the ultimate revelation of God … he IS God … God in the flesh … the truth, the light, the door, Alpha and Omega … he died for us …. he rose from the dead … he sits at the right hand of His Father … he can do no more for you … he knocks on the door of your heart, and it is up to you to answer.
Ultimately, the best proof offered by virtually all theologians is a philosophical one (or, theological/logical, depending on how you classify such things).
I will quote my favorite Christian writer of the current age, Philip Yancey. (I’ve read all his books, and will read anything new he publishes.) In his fabulous book “The Jesus I Never Knew” he answers the question regarding why God doesn’t use His Power to convince by referring to Dostoevsky’s “the miracle of restraint“, saying;
“More amazing is his refusal to perform and to overwhelm. God’s terrible insistence on human freedom is so absolute that he granted us the power to live as though he did not exist, to spit in his face, to crucify him. I believe God insists on such restraint because no pyrotechnic displays of omnipotence will achieve the response he desires. Although power can force obedience, only love can summon a response of love, which is the one thing God wants from us and the reason he created us.”
Well, that’s just a bunch of hooey! He’s constructing an argument which an honest Doubting Thomas does not make. We’re not talking about “forcing” obedience! By his definition one could say Christ being nailed to the cross is an attempt to “force” — via either love or guilt — people to believe. All we want is a little better quality of evidence.
Now, after a believer has given you all of the above typical evidences, and if the unbeliever remains in their unbelieving state, then this will be their final response; — “for people like you who willfully refuse to believe, no amount of proof will convince you!“.
This also is a bunch of hooey! Here are 9 things God could have EASILY done to bring many man more people to believe in Him.
= ==================================================== =
1)- He would have preserved an ORIGINAL copy of the entire Bible. What one question do Christians ask ten thousand times ten thousand times, or more, in their lifetimes? Even non-believers ask this question; “What does God require of me? What shall I do?”. Great question. And where do they tell you to find the answer? The Bible … God’s WORD to humanity! If God has all the vast powers attributed to him, I would expect that he would willingly and gladly make available for all time an unedited perfect ORIGINAL text of His Word.
— What we have. Kibbles ‘n bits, bits ‘n pieces (see above). The oldest book in the Bible was written over 3000 years ago. The oldest complete copy is dated around 200BC, a copy of a copy ad infinitum two thousand years removed. The first full Old Testament manuscript in Hebrew, the Leningrad Codex is dated 1008, about 1300 years after the last book of the OT was written. The oldest text from the Gospel of John is from about 100 years after the death of Christ … and it is but just a small fragment. Christians can’t even agree on what which books are biblical; Protestants say 66 books, Catholics have 73. The books we now call the Bible were determined to be canonical by that awesome fail-safe method of …. voting. In fact, were it not for Bishop Athanasius, a pugnacious church leader who lived 300+ years after the death of Christ, the book of Revelation wouldn’t have even made the cut! What a mess! Does God creates messes? It certainly seems that constructing this Bible was entirely a human affair.
2)- He would have given us a Bible without errors. Christianity claims the Bible is the inerrant (freedom from error or untruths) word of God …. yet come up with myriad explanations to explain away the errors they know are there. This is crazy because, logically, a perfect God must be incapable of authoring (even though the human writers were “inspired”) an imperfect work.
— What we have. A plethora of errors; scientific, historical, error of large numbers (exaggerations), and contradictions from beginning to end. Again, Christianity KNOWS these exist … and are reduced to just explaining them away. As for me, I would find it much easier to believe in God if he didn’t make so many mistakes.
[NOTE: Here is hands down the very best site I’ve ever found on the internet regarding the study of inerrancy. It allows you to sort contradictions by color, by any book in the Bible, and by type of contradiction, and allows you to drill down via cross reference. It’s an amazing piece of work. http://bibviz.com/ ]
3)- Jesus would have written ….. something! At least Jesus could have written down something that would have prevented Paul from starting a new religion (something Jesus never talked about, or wanted.) “The Art Of Salvation” by JC …. would have been the best seller of all eternity. God becomes human, and doesn’t have time to write a few words himself? Utterly inconceivable.
— What we have. Total Silence. Jesus came armed with words. He should have brought a pen. Hearing Jesus’ message directly from him, rather than hearing ABOUT him, would go a long way to convincing many that he was who he claimed to be. As it stands, heathens can only guess whether he is fact or fiction.
4)- There would be intelligent life on the moon, and perhaps even Mars. I fully agree with the idea that the universe is amazingly complex and ordered, the human body (DNA and brain, especially) even more so, and the chances of all this arising from nothing, and then by a serious of fortuitous accidents is truly astounding, and if calculated as a probability it must be near zero. Yet, here we are. It seems the probability is 1. It can (did) happen just that once. But, the chances of intelligent self-aware life happening one or two other times? ZERO!! Let me tell you, if Neil Armstrong took one small step, and then tripped over an electric can opener … I am IMMEDIATELY a God-fearing Believer!!
— What we have. A cold dead universe (as far as we know). And don’t give me that garbage about microbes. We. Are. Alone. And to me, alone means “without God”.
5)- He would have made Mohammad a genius. There is evidence that Mohammad had an extra third chromosome 21, known as Trisomy 21. This is the chromosome responsible for retardation. Too bad, so sad. Because, God could have made sure that Mohammad had an IQ of 205 … way above Mensa territory. A Mensa intellect would have said ….
— What we have. We have this one solitary illiterate child rapist and goat fucker, with an IQ lower than that goat, who invents a religion that winds up having killed and/or enslaved millions upon millions for well over a millennium, and whereby all its followers will wind up burning forever in hell. That this despicable scum of humanity was allowed to exist, when he could have so easily been eradicated, neutralized, or made smart – makes me wonder if God is a fantasy.
6) There would be just ONE basic world-wide religion, ever. Because this is how it would work out; Ein Gotta, Ein Volk, eine Religion.
— What we have. Through the ages, it is estimated man has concocted over 5000 religions. All but ONE of them are wrong. Which is the right one? Why … the one YOU believe in! Few stop to think WHY there have been so many religions. And those that do, inevitably blame it on Satan … which really answers nothing. A Deep Thinker should come to the conclusion that there are 5000+ religions for the simple reason that humans like to make shit up, including quite possibly the one you like.
7)- Miracles: Do just ONE Big Miracle every generation. Miracle meaning “an event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws” which, by default, means a Deity is involved.
— What we have. The “argument from miracles” is a rather weak one, with some serious flaws. Hence, this is actually the weakest of the arguments presented here. We’re talking about doubters/skeptics here, and for many of them ALL miracles can be explained away, or doubted. Nevertheless, we find this in Joshua 10:13; — “So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.” Let me tell you something, pal. If the earth stops spinning just-like-that for 24 hours and without ripping it to shreds , and then some big ol’ finger starts it spinning again —- then I’m going to church every day of the week, and six times on Sunday! And so will you.
8) Direct Brain Repair. Everything that I am and know is the result of my brain synapses firing away. Data entered into my brain either purposefully or randomly from the external world; family, schooling, church, culture, televisions, books, internet, etc. The vast majority of the time I had very little control of what came in. Once in, that same brain attempts to turn raw data into information; it calculates, categorizes, analyses, evaluates, cross references, compares, and stores everything. And it makes conclusions. It always thinks it’s conclusions are truth but, sometimes it is not truth. Sometimes, it just has no way of knowing its truth is a lie.
And that’s where God comes into the picture. Christians universally believe God knows our thoughts. He who created all there is, created our brains, and if he can change hearts he can also change brains. If I believe God does not exist, then whatever those reasons are, God could most easily reprogram the faulty hijacked synapses. This is NOT forcing me to believe! All I now have is real truth. I am still a free agent with free will, not a robot, and I can still reject him. What would be the result of such an intervening and caring God? Instead of the vast majority of humans going to hell, most would be saved. That’s a God I can accept.
— What we have. Billions of people alive today are destined for hell even though God could fix their hacked brains. We have a God who does not intervene directly. You’re on your own. Even the Bible states — ” … continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling …”. And if you were born to Muslim parents in a strict Muslim country, and you went to Muslim schools, and attended mosque weekly, and you never had the opportunity to even once hear the Gospel message … well, to bad, no soup for you! The death of billions over the eons, and their subsequent torture for eternity, is a pretty good reason why skeptics think this god stuff is all made up nonsense.
9) He would NOT want people to worship him. Let’s imagine this analogy is true, even though the scale in the latter half isn’t nearly great enough: God is to man as a man is to an ant. Would YOU want an ant to worship you? Would you want the ant to build little ant-hill houses of worship? It’s a preposterous idea, isn’t it? God gets billions of praises each and every day regarding how super great and terrific he is, not only from humans, but angels and other spiritual beings .. and we are to think he wants, needs, or enjoys this?? What do we call a human who displays such qualities (on a human scale)? Narcissist? Psychopath? “Dear God, should I worship you?“. If I got this response, that would be a God which makes sense; “Frankly, Stucky, I don’t give a damn!”
— What we have. A psychopath narcissistic God? Hey, I’m just asking.
None of the above, individually or collectively, are Absolute Proofs. But, I’m not looking for absolute proofs! I’m merely looking for better evidence than typically provided.Give us Doubting Thomas types just half of the above evidences, and most of us would believe, believe me.
The Bottom Bottom Line: After all is said and done, proofs given and either rejected or accepted, it inevitably is reduced to these simple and powerful six words; — “You just need to have faith.” But, how does that help my unbelief? I feel like we’ve just made a long journey and arrived right back at the starting point ………………
.
Extra reading An alternate view from a Christian perspective. Nice short little article on why God can’t prove his existance
To summarize the answers to the nine questions.
Q1: Not one person addressed why God didn’t choose to give humans the opportunity to see his original words unedited … or the fact that having such would go a very long way towards validating the legitimacy/authority of the Bible, especially for non-believers/doubters.
We got the same old stuff we always hear … that oral tradition can preserve the original words for hundreds of years … and all those pieces and fragments really do reflect the original words almost perfectly ….. which is pure bunk. GRADE: D
———
Q2: Received the most answers. The answers were a clear case of sticking one’s head in the sand. Lots of chest-pounding and insisting the Bible contains no errors … as if repeating a falsehood over and over eventually makes it true.
At my 12:39 post I provided two clear cut examples. The first was that God claims he tempts no man, but then tempts Abraham. The second was where Baasha dies, and nine years later builds a temple.
Not. One. Response. Even more stunning is that not one believer would even acknowledge scribal errors in the Bible … a very minor concession, and one acknowledged by ever theologian ever, even the staunchest of conservatives. GRADE: F
———
Q3: Not one person addressed why Jesus, God himself in the flesh, left no written record himself, or the logic of God deciding second hand sources made more sense … or, that words directly from Jesus himself would be exceedingly powerful in bringing many more into his kingdom. GRADE: F
———–
Q4: No one addressed the hypothetical question of intelligent life on the moon, and how that would be significant evidence of a creator God, since life springing from nonlife TWICE is realistically ZERO. Except for Earth, no one cares or wonders why God created a dead universe. GRADE:C. (only because the question is hypothetical, and not that strong)
Stucky- I got no answer to my question either. It happens……
Oh yeah. Forgot.
Q1: Because without doubt there can be no faith. Without and certainty there could be no victory.
Q2: test is separate from tempt. The difference is in the motive.
Q3: same as Q1
Q4: this only adds to God’s credibility. But if you ever see an alien you better be sure of what you believe in. Faith has motives too that make all the difference. Beware of signs in the heavens and all that.
Have to break for now but will try to get to your other ones below later in the day.
“Have to break for now but will try to get to your other ones below later in the day.”
Thanks, but don’t bother.
I generally don’t read or interacting with Anons. I made an exception, or two, here. But, that ship sailed this morning.
You don’t deal with anons because you’re a fucking pussy. In your case, I was just trying to be nice. Not like Llpoh and Dr. Suckass. So you didn’t see who was kicking your ass. But that ship has sailed this morning too.
Continuing … Zz
Q5: Only a couple answers regarding Mohammed … to let me know it was a stupid question. I responded as follows;
“Why is it illogical to wonder why God didn’t terminate a man who would be responsible for the eternal death of Billions of souls …. especially since it is recorded in the Bible that He has killed people, either directly or indirectly, for far far lesser sins?”
It was totally ignored. GRADE: F-
———–
Q6: Another hypothetical question regarding why there are 5000+ religions. But, I bolded the key part of that section …. we have many religions because humans like to make shit up.
GRADE: C
————-
Q7: Miracles. Lots of answers … most deriding me for wanting a miracle … or that God already provided many miracles … or that I’m such an asshole that I wouldn’t believe any miracle, ever. Typical tripe. No one could admit that repeating a miracle god already did once — stopping Earth’s rotation for 24 hours — would convince billions that he exists. GRADE: F
————-
Q8:. Fact: God could provide each and every human who ever lived all the information necessary for that human to accept God voluntarily. Because He is God. No one wanted to tackle that. GRADE: F
————-
Q9: Christians avoided this one like The Plague. Why does an all-knowing, all-powerful, all-everything, totally self sufficient God who NEEDS NOTHING …. need puny pissant humans to tell him how great, awesome, powerful, wonderful he is a trillion times a day? GRADE: F–
————
————
Doubting Thomas came to visit TBP looking for some help with his doubt. You just confused him more than ever. Doubting Thomas asked me to give you believers a message: —- . THANKS FOR NOTHING!!!
Stucky
To sum up your questioning, which is actually assertion of doubt:
You are uncomfortable with many of the accounts and claims of the Bible
You don’t like God as defined by the Bible because he doesn’t operate in a way that is acceptable for you
Thus, essential Christian doctrines are invalid, since they are based on the stories and the God
I get it, you don’t like the religion or its churches. That’s cool and you have lots of company.
What I don’t get is why you are so preoccupied with the whole topic. Things seem pretty settled in your mind and yet you frequently post articles that openly or subtly mock the Word. Why are you on this mission?
As to your unanswered questions, there are answers to all, but I don’t have the time to get into them, especially when it seems as though the arguments will dissolve into a “my scholar vs. your scholar” stalemate.
I will address your question about inerrancy. I don’t imagine many Christians take this to mean every word, jot and tittle. Scribal errors are well-documented. The case you put forward about Asa and Baasha is referenced in two separate OT books of history, Chronicles and Kings. These were written at least a hundred years apart so a discrepancy in timelines is a likely error. The more interesting question for me is why, over the long centuries of Bible translation and transcription, did no one fix the problem to cover up a weakness in the sacred text? Is it from an absolute dedication to accurate preservation of original texts?
For me, inerrancy is found in the major themes and doctrines that are comprehensively intertwined in the OT and the NT. The Bible testifies to its own credibility, which many a doubter has discovered when careful study is undertaken.
As for the historicity of Jesus, yes it’s too bad he didn’t take a sabbatical to write his memoirs. He was probably too busy teaching, healing people, and fending off attacks from the Pharisees and Saducees. The Romans would not have considered this religious rebel in one of their far-off outposts to be more than a gnat, and anyway, they speedily took care of the problem. I don’t imagine the other two guys crucified with him were the subject of reports sent to headquarters either. A close reading of the book of Luke might reassure some of the historical context of Jesus and the first stirrings of what came to be known as the church.
So, my friend, I appreciate the time you put in on all your posts. You always get me to thinking and I appreciate that. Have a great year ahead.
Yeah. Some of what Gayle said. Forgive us Stucky. For we know not what we do.
Actually, this piece inspired me to write a comparison-contrast piece of the Bible vs. other religious books. I spent several hours piecing it together Sunday and yesterday. So far, it has been the only essay in the last year and a half that I have started and not finished/posted.
Like writing on economics, theology is also not my strong suit.
The only thing I will say is this for now: Regarding the New Testament only – most of the scholarship, disagreements, and errors, seem to be over minor considerations as opposed to doctrine. I may come back to finish the piece someday, but right now I am just going to keep thinking about it all.
Thank you for provoking the considerations and discussion.
I am embarrassed that I referenced the book of Luke in my last comment to Stucky. I meant the book of Acts, written by Luke. (I am regularly reminded to be humble.)
You pretend to know that which you cannot . Faith and free will are gifts .
There will not be a make -up test.
Ephesians 6:12
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
“The Book of Non-Contradiction: Harmonizing the Scriptures”, by Phillip Campbell reintroduces the classical method of harmonizing difficult scriptural passages, showing how the skeptics’ claim of a “Bible full of contradictions” is completely unfounded. Proceeding from the axiom that truth cannot contradict truth, “The Book of Non-Contradiction” follows in the footsteps of great Catholic exegetes like St. Augustine and Tatian who demonstrated the harmony of the Scriptural narrative.
“It’s God that’s worrying me. That’s the only thing that’s worrying me. What if He doesn’t exist? What if Rakitin’s right -that it’s an idea made up by men? Then, if He doesn’t exist, man is the king of the earth, of the universe. Magnificent! Only how is he going to be good without God? That’s the question. I always come back to that. Who is man going to love then? To whom will he be thankful? To whom will he sing the hymn? Rakitin laughs. Rakitin says that one can love humanity instead of God. Well, only an idiot can maintain that. I can’t understand it. Life’s easy for Rakitin. ‘You’d better think about the extension of civic rights, or of keeping down the price of meat. You will show your love for humanity more simply and directly by that, than by philosophy.’ I answered him: ‘Well, but you, without a God, are more likely to raise the price of meat if it suits you, and make a rouble on every penny.’ He lost his temper. But after all, what is goodness? Answer that, Alyosha. Goodness is one thing with me and another with a Chinaman, so it’s relative. Or isn’t it? Is it not relative? A treacherous question! You won’t laugh if I tell you it’s kept me awake for two nights. I only wonder now how people can live and think nothing about it. Vanity!”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov
That was really excellent Flash.
It seems frivolous and trite for those who’ve experienced so little pain to write off the complete existence of God because of it.
“There are things in the old Book which I may not be able to explain, but I fully accept it as the infallible word of God, and receive its teachings as inspired by the Holy Spirit.”
Robert E. Lee
When you guys figure all this out, just write a short synopsis and let us know. Thanks in advance.
If God is real, he clearly doesn’t give a shit about us.
If God is not real, I should stop posting this shit.
Not a synopsis, just a conclusion. Best I can do, so solly.
you can do way better than that. try defining “real”
you can’t just say “is god real?” and then whine about the answer.
it seems to me like you only have one way of defining “real”
when in fact, there are many ways to define real.
do you really think “god” is a discrete entity capable of creating physical objects in the objective world?
You do very well IMO.
The greatest trick Moriaty/the devil ever did was to convince Stucky that he did not exist.
Let’s not forget to give the devil his due. But then he ain’t real is he? But we sure label lots of folk the devil or worse. Spawn’s of satan and so forth.
WoW I just received a bunch of gospelish (go spell-em with witching words) thoughts reading all this.
You did good Stucky with another thought provoking Sunday Sermon. Thanks.
I repeat my poetic prose from 200 or so posts ago.
The catechism
Of heady catholicism
Has a decipherable cause
That describes an indecipherable cause
That sublimes
Divine
Gradually
Eternally
‘Till the end of Time
Is that a crime?
Christians and fucking Boomers, most overlapping as these are, can go ahead and die the hell off with overdue celerity.
As a Christian Boomer, I am working on it as fast as I can. And cheer up, Chandi! A bunch of Nigerian Christians were slaughtered the other day going home from church services.
Do proceed apace.
Twenty dollars on pump four.
EVERYBODY sees what you did there.
Gallows humor is something I can always appreciate, Gayle.
The purpose for a God outside of the construct is that humans would question who created this shitshow Stucky. Religion was created to answer our questions about the creator with a few guidelines for living thrown in.
Could you accept your visit here to this plane without asking who created this? Few would.
Experiencing human emotion is the point, love is the ultimate emotion.
Stucky, your Indian name should be Pounding Sand.
******* MY MOM IS HEALED !!! *********
Regulars here may recall …. for the past 68 Tuesdays I’ve had to take my mother to a specialized Wound Center due to a severely ulcerated leg. For a while it looked very iffy, including the possibility of the “A” word, amputation, due to the massive infections which seemed to be uncontrollable. Well, this morning I see the doc come to see me …. oh shit, usually bad news … but not this time. He said mom is healed, and today was her last visit!!
You have no idea how relieved we all are. We’re in the car, and mom is all teary eyed, and says to me … I am NOT bullshitting … “Thanks God, this is a miracle.” Really. She’s not even religious … not in the traditional sense.
I wanted to tell her to just shut up, and give her a little speech that she was healed because of some of the best wound doctors in the tri-state area … and don’t give me any crap about God giving them wisdom and guidance their hands.
It was but a fleeting thought. I just said, “Yea mom, I do believe you’re right about that.” And smiled while saying it.
I am not always an asshole when discussing God!
That is great news. Relieves some of your stress I have to believe.
Look to India. The West has less than no fucking idea about real spirituality and occultism.
Yeah I’m going to look to a country where people shit, piss and push burnt bodies into the river upstream of where I get my drinking water.
No fuckin’ thanks.
Merry New Year Dawg! You are in your usual fine spirits I see.
Also found out today …
One of the nurses stopped by to see Mom. She’s 10 years younger than me … but our families have known each other for 30 some years (from the German club).
She informed me about one of my best friends, when I was in my 20s. We lost contact when I moved to IN. When I finally came back, he had moved to Virginia.
Anyway …. he died last week, the day before Christmas. Brain aneurysm.
I’m more shocked than sad. He was two fucken years younger than me! Crap Fuk shit. I am now at an age where people die on a regular basis.
Makes one think.
The nurse is VERY VERY religious. So, I say to her, “Wow, what a shock. Makes one think.” She probes a little bit, and I tell her I mean one ought to appreciate the brevity of life. And then she says, really, “Why don’t you come to my church? I think you’d really like the minister.”
I might think about it. Give Jeebus a chance. Get me my heavenly insurance policy. What if I wind up in hell? Makes one think.
A lot of very meaningful discussions of faith were inspired by my caring for my father-in-law during his last months. And, Chandi is right about the East having a greater appreciation for the potential for many viewpoints concerning the cosmogony and afterlife being correct simultaneously.
That spiritual connection continues to this day in the peace and tranquility we feel on this land. I’m glad I waited to visit this article until the new year.
Maybe it’s just His way of saying thanks.
Tell your Moms I said ‘Hey’.
That’s great news. My mom had the same thing, and I know firsthand the suffering that results. Enjoy the happy day.
Stucky-That is really wonderful news, best wishes for the new year to your parents.
Relief. Great feeling.
Back in the hotrod phase\days, we’d relieve cylinder heads. Port & polish. Smooth away rough edges. Improve flow. Better combustion, more hp – great feeling, too.
But of course, too much relieving screwed the pooch, ruined the head.
“One unerring mark of the love of truth is not entertaining any proposition with any greater assurance than the proofs it is built upon will warrant.” ~ John Locke (1690)
“We should be careful to get out of an experience only the wisdom that is in it – & stop there; lest we be like the cat that sits down on a hot stove lid. She will never sit down on a hot stove lid again – & that is well; but she will never sit down on a cold one anymore, either.” ~ Mark Twain
Great news about your Mom getting better.
Great news, Stuck.
Now you got me to thinking again. If no one were asses, there would be nobody to forgive. I think it’s great how you take care of your parents. I’ve been there. Not easy, but times like you just described make the hardships much more tolerable. Happy new year…
300
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Whoohoo!!!
Nice jacket Francis, you whore. I ‘ll bet you will have stiff competition at 400.
Got 200. Got 300. If I get four I’m headed to the convenience store for a lottery ticket.
Wantin’ ain’t gettin’……..
May the best man win!
EDIT: Watch out for Maggie, she is very sneaky when it comes to these things.
Maggie didn’t stop by for even one post. Neither has El Coyote. Don’t think I haven’t noticed. I’m fucken done with those two miscreants.
Maybe got their own chatroom? EC has been very sensitive of late. Is it because of the “master tweeter” reinventing the truth on the fly? Stucky’s insinuated and improbable interlude with BW? The Ungracious sin of pride? I just don’t know. 300+ comments without the participation of either of those two. I would not have thought it possible. Could it be like a miracle or something?
Unforgettable, see my comment to Stucky. I really did have a wonderful country Holiday and the transmission issue has been expected (that head-on collision I had with that deer right after moving here almost totaled that 2-year old Tucson. If I hadn’t driven it right on “home” to that little house in the woods I was staying/camping out in, it would never have gone anywhere again. The radiator was CRUSHED and I’m pretty sure there was a lot of damage underneath the car since the deer went under the car and almost got tangled in the passenger wheel on the way out from under the car. I am also glad I am not the kind of idiot that might stop to try and help the deer.)
I hope to catch back up in a day or so, but will try to be in competition for the 400 mark for sure.
Ah, Stucky, I’ve had a busy week indeed. My AF buddy ACCEPTED my last-minute invitation to come out to the hills of Missouri for a few days of great homemade (and probably shot or slaughtered) food. We were delighted, but when my son’s transmission decided it had made its last trip with that transmission, it turned a day out sightseeing at some really amazing vistas in flyover country USA into a wonderful visit with my son at a charming little restaurant near Rolla, Missouri where they serve wine produced at a local St. James winery. With her own daughter on a Florida trip with a bestie, it was a fabulous reunion for two old friends who finally had time to visit without the kids around after 33 years.
But, the article is good and the comments provoking as I’m “catching” up with the posts here. It has been a real eye opener to back away from the gloom and doom stuff and operate in open air most of the time. I lost another 5 pounds.
THANK YOU FRANCIS MARION for #300!!
God has provided proof of his existence in prophecy. “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.”
Still, those who actually witnessed his miracles in person soon fell into disbelief. Instead of asking for proof you should be asking for his spirit to take up residence within you. Without the holy spirit you will always be in doubt.
Well all…..the diatribe was tough to consume, but I kinda get the gist of it all. In my weak mind, belief in the almighty or not issue starts with creation and that’s where I get high centered every time.
I am not a gambler, so the comprehension of gaming is remote to me except in the concept of odds. Take the example of land-based mammals [not h2o based because I can’t see them from my little hilltops]. All south forties of female mammals are generally of the same template. Generally all male land based mammals are of the same template including the swinging richards included the same south forty fenceline. Even the stance for peeing, in my noticing chronicle, females pee kinda the same and males pee kinda the same [canine alpha creative sub traits aside, on some canines or not].
What are the odds during the creation or evolution or big bang that all land based mammals would have generally the same plumbing blueprints/sex indexing, especially when created out of a random speck of dust or a green ameba or a tumbling tumbleweed? Brain-wrapping around this most basic observation, whilst taking a nip of Peddleton’s during feeding/watering/chopping ice, drooling as usual, fixing fence etc, seems to be a major hurdle in trying to escape the reality that there is indeed a way major league creator.
Hence a deduction from a rube: perhaps we should submit for once to an entity with a helluva lot more horsepower than we have, and do so unblinkingly. [Thank you lord for our phenomenal blessings even if we choose at times to be blind to them………]
Well try this one Stucky.