End of the Age and Christ's Return

The sign of the end of the age comes right before the sign of Christ's return.  These are two distinct signs.

• End of the Age: sun, moon, and stars go dark.
• Christ's Return: He will come on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.

From The Sign by Robert Van Kampen

Sign of the End of the Age 
The cataclysmic and terrifying changes in the sun, moon, and stars, when all the natural lights of the world will be extinguished, plunging the earth's atmosphere into total darkness.  This sign will accompanied by worldwide earthquakes, most likely destroying all man-made light sources on earth, and will occur at the opening of the sixth seal, immediately before the sign of Christ's second coming is seen by all the inhabitants of the world.

Matthew 24:29
But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.  And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.  And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

A Message of Hope and a Warning of Judgment

Isaiah 9 is comprised of two sections: 1) a prophecy of the Christ to come 2) a judgment of arrogance and oppression.  For context, here are some quotes taken from the introduction to Isaiah in the Reformation Study Bible.

Isaiah ministered to Judah, the southern kingdom for a period of more than forty years, from 740 until after 701 B.C.  It was an era of great political turmoil due to Assyrian imperialism.  During the second half of the eighth century the prophet railed against the leaders for their hypocrisy (1:10-15); greed (5:8), self-indulgence (5:11), and cynicism (5:19).  With these sins they were bringing the nation to moral ruin.  God raised up Isaiah to announce their fate (6:11-13).  As Isaiah predicted, Israel was exiled in 722 B.C. and Hezekiah barely escaped the Assyrian destruction (36:1-37:37).

And the passage of Isaiah 9:6 is a common verse and as it should be remembered and proclaimed.

Isaiah 9:6 (NASB) 
For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

Likewise, when I visit Isaiah 9, I tend to gravitate to this section of the chapter on the prophecy of Christ to the neglect of the second section concerning the judgment.  Recently, I read the Harbinger, and I was overwhelmed by the significance of Isaiah 9:10.  Granted the book leans heavy on Replacement theology, of which I'm not a fan.  However, the events proceeding 9/11 and the proclamations made by our leaders are sobering.  Forthcoming is a breakdown of the events that followed 9/11.  Amazing.  But first meditate on Isaiah 9:10.

Isaiah 9:10 (KJV)10The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: The sycamores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars.

Here is the passage in sequence overlaid with video footage of the events from September 11, 2001.

"The bricks are fallen down..."

Tom Daschle Speech on September 12, 2011 quotes Isaiah 9:10 in ignorance.  Reading the context of Isaiah 9:10 it is certainly not a passage about which to boast.

"...but we will build with hewn stones" (seen in the first two minutes)

"The sycamores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars."

Ben Franklin's Religious Musings

While Benjamin Franklin may by definition been a deist, he was certainly no secularist by today's standards.

Here's an excerpt quote of Benjamin Franklin, from the debates in the Constitutional Convention, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, June 28, 1787.

Mr. President The small progress we have made after 4 or five weeks close attendance & continual reasonings with each other-our different sentiments on almost every question, several of the last producing as many noes as ays, is methinks a melancholy proof of the imperfection of the Human Understanding. We indeed seem to feel our own want of political wisdom, since we have been running about in search of it. We have gone back to ancient history for models of Government, and examined the different forms of those Republics which having been formed with the seeds of their own dissolution now no longer exist. And we have viewed Modern States all round Europe, but find none of their Constitutions suitable to our circumstances.

In this situation of this Assembly, groping as it were in the dark to find political truth, and scarce able to distinguish it when presented to us, how has it happened, Sir, that we have not hitherto once thought of humbly applying to the Father of lights to illuminate our understandings? In the beginning of the Contest with G. Britain, when we were sensible of danger we had daily prayer in this room for the divine protection.- Our prayers, Sir, were heard, & they were graciously answered. All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a superintending providence in our favor. To that kind providence we owe this happy opportunity of consulting in peace on the means of establishing our future national felicity. And have we now forgotten that powerful friend? or do we imagine that we no longer need his assistance? I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth- that God Governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings, that "except the Lord build the House they labour in vain that build it." I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without his concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better, than the Builders of Babel: We shall be divided by our little partial local interests; our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a reproach and bye word down to future ages. And what is worse, mankind may hereafter from this unfortunate instance, despair of establishing Governments by Human wisdom and leave it to chance, war and conquest.

I therefore beg leave to move-that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business, and that one or more of the Clergy of this City be requested to officiate in that Service.

Copenhagen Treaty

Here's an actual link to a draft of the treaty:
http://wattsupwiththat.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/un-fccc-copenhagen-2009.pdf

In summary, you will find language that talks about:

• This is a global problem, which requires a global response and cooperation
  
  
• Developed nations are the cause behind the problems, so they need to show ambitious leadership in the solution
  
  
• Transfer of wealth to developing nations
  
  
• Verbiage of covenantal nature (think Ten Commandments, U.S. Constitution, and Declaration of Independence): "shall", "shall not", "right to", "legally binding", etc.
  

Excerpts
PP.6 Intending to renew and strengthen the global partnership through the creation of new levels of cooperation among Parties, according to the principles of the Convention.

PP.7 Affirming a Shared Vision of a long-term goal to equitably, successfully and coherently integrate the ambitious efforts of all Parties.

PP.8 [Recognizing that] sustainable development is the first priority for developing countries. Therefore, [that] our commitment to a low carbon society would have to be linked to our development priorities, in accordance with the provisions of the Convention.

PP.9 [Recalling that] the Rio principles, particularly the principles of [equity], common but differentiated responsibilities and respective [capabilities] [capacities] should guide the debates on shared vision.

PP.13 Recognizing that current and potential climate change impacts require a shift in the global investment patterns and that criteria for financing allocation shall clearly respond to the priorities identified by the international community, with climate change stabilization being one of these priorities.

PP.14 Acknowledging that current atmospheric concentrations are principally the result of historical emissions of greenhouse gases, the most significant share of which has originated in developed countries.

PP.15 Further acknowledging that developed countries have a historical responsibility for their disproportionate contribution to the causes and consequences of climate change, reflecting their disproportionate historical use of a shared global carbon space since 1850 as well as their proposed continuing disproportionate use of the remaining global carbon space.

1. [[[As assessed by the IPCC in its Fourth Assessment Report] Warming of the climate system, as a consequence of human activity, is unequivocal. [Global atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases have increased significantly because of human activities since 1750.]

2. Current atmospheric concentrations are principally the result of historical emissions of greenhouse gases, [the largest share of which has originated in] [originating from] developed countries [Parties].

3. ...In order to build up their coping or adaptive capacity, developing countries must pursue these overriding priorities to the best of their abilities. The maintenance of healthy ecosystems and their services is necessary to maintain the life support system on earta. h in the face of climate change, providing food and livelihoods, contributing to human welfare and enabling sustainable economic development.

10. Led by developed country Parties, [an economic transition is needed [that shifts] [in order to adjust] global economic growth patterns towards a sustainable [low-emission economy] based on
development of innovative technologies, more sustainable production and consumption, promoting sustainable lifestyles and [climate-resilient] [sustainable] development [while ensuring a just transition of the workforce]. The active participation of all stakeholders in this transition should be sought [, be they governmental, including subnational and local government, private business or civil society, including the youth and addressing the need for gender equity].] Those developing countries that were and are low carbon economies need sufficient financial incentives and appropriate technology transfer to keep avoiding GHG emissions in their path to sustainable development and to prevent adopting the high GHG emission trajectories of developed countries.

11. The structure of the global economy has undergone profound changes since the entry into force of the Convention, and Parties’ individual responsibilities and capabilities with it. Emissions and sources of capital are increasingly global, necessitating that all countries take action to achieve a low-emissions trajectory in order to meet the objective of the Convention.

14. [In reflection of] [Because of] their historical responsibility for the accumulation of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere, [developed country Parties [and other Parties included in Annex I of the Convention] [must] [should] [show leadership] [in the global effort to build a low-carbon economy that ensures continued growth and sustainable development and strengthens capacity to adapt to the impacts of climate change] [shall take the lead in combating climate change] [and the adverse effects thereof] [in] [by] [in particular on taking corresponding measures in] [mitigation] [in taking on ambitious economy-wide quantified emission limitation and reduction] commitments [immediately implementing ambitious and legally binding emissions reductions] [through deep reductions in their emissions.]...

18. ...It is also particularly important to provide adequate, predictable, stable, sufficient and timely funding for adaptation purposes particularly by developed countries. Developed country Parties shall support these developing countries in meeting the costs of adaptation.

20. In order to fulfill this shared vision, Parties have agreed to establish a coherent, cohesive and integrated system of financial and technology transfer mechanisms under the Convention and a follow up/compliance mechanism. These institutions are robust and effective.

21. .. ensuring that global crises, such as the financial crisis, should not constitute an obstacle to the provision of financial and technical assistance to developing countries in accordance with the Convention.

Alternative 1

a. fully recognize that the shared vision is to be pursued “in accordance with the provisions and principles of the Convention” (para. 1 a of the BAP), as contained in its Article 3, in particular Articles 3.1 (protection of the climate system for the benefit of present and future generations of humankind, on the basis of equity and in accordance with their common but differentiated responsibilities) and 3.3, and shall take into account “social and economic conditions and other relevant factors”, through the full consideration of the economic and social impacts on developing countries, including impacts on the eradication of poverty, of any long-term global goal for emissions reductions;

Alternative 2

a. The guiding principles and objective of the agreed outcome, including the scientific basis for decision making,

The guiding principles of the Convention should support items b) and c) of the previous paragraph, in terms of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities; historical responsibilities in greenhouse gas emissions and the related historical ecological debt generated by the cumulative greenhouse gas emissions since 1750 and the most recent scientific information. The objective of the shared vision should be expressed as guidance to integrate the global cooperative action to enable the full, effective and sustained implementation of the Convention, from now, up to and beyond 2012. The previous should be linked to a series of more specific and mutually coherent agreements on the mitigation, adaptation, technology and financing issues, which should be respectively included in a series of COP decisions so as to complement the framework decision on the shared vision.

Alternative 3

The shared vision is to establish a global approach to addressing climate change through enhancing action by all countries to mitigate emissions of greenhouse gases and to provide adequate support for vulnerable countries to the impacts of climate change. Actions taken shall play a significant role in ensuring that global greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere must be stabilized as far below 350 parts per million of carbon dioxide equivalent as possible, with temperature increases limited to as far below 1.5 degrees celsius above pre-industrial levels as possible. Action taken shall be a major contribution towards moving to a low greenhouse gas emission society that is compatible with sustainable development objectives and consistent with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities. The right to survival of all nations is a paramount objective.

Alternative 4

The discussion on a shared vision for long-term cooperative action is an exchange of views or ideas about how to enable the full, effective and sustained implementation of the Convention, focusing on the way to implement long-term cooperative action under the framework of the Convention. A shared vision is for long-term cooperative action, such a vision should be guided by the ultimate objective of the Convention, which consists of the following three aspects:

[1.] to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system;

[2.] to adapt to the impacts of climate change;

[3.] and to realize sustainable development.

A shared vision for long-term cooperative action should be comprehensive and include mitigation, adaptation, finance, technology as well as sustainable development.

23. [Recalling Article 3, paragraphs 1 and 5, and Article 4, paragraphs 3 and 7 of the Convention, developed country Parties shall not resort to any form of unilateral measures, including countervailing border measures, against goods and services imported from developing countries on the grounds of protection and stabilization of climate.]

Creation Science References

Links
www.AnswersInGenesis.org
www.arn.org
www.icr.org
www.crev.info
www.leaderu.com
www.creationresearch.org
www.trueorigin.org
www.creationsafaris.com
www.creationscience.com/onlinebook/
www.discovery.org
www.crsc.org
www.allaboutcreation.org
www.allaboutphilosophy.org

Book List
The list of books contains sufficient information to permit any bookstore to order copies.
Books marked with (*), however, may be obtained directly from ICR (Institute for Creation
Research), Santee, CA., and books marked with (#) may be obtained through Answers in
Genesis, Florence, KY. Books not so marked must be obtained through the publisher listed.

*Evolution: A Theory In Crisis (1985), by Michael Denton, Adler & Adler, Bethesda, MD, ISBN: 0917561058

*Darwin’s Black Box (1996), by Michael Behe, The Free Press, NY, NY, ISBN: 0684827549

*Of Pandas and People, 2ed., (1993), by P. Davis and D. Kenyon, Haughton Pub. Co., Dallas, TX, ISBN: 0914513400

*The Mystery of Life’s Origin: Reassessing Current Theories (1984), by C. Thaxton, W. Bradley, and R. Olsen, Lewis & Stanley Publishing, Dallas, TX, ISBN: 802224474

Evolution: Possible or Impossible (1993), by James F. Coppedge, Probability Research in Molecular Biology, Northridge, CA, www.creationsafaris.com

*The Creation of Life (1970), by A.E. Wilder-Smith, The Word For Today Publishers, Costa Mesa, CA, ISBN: 09367281C

#The Biotic Message, (1993), by Walter ReMine, St. Paul Science, Minnesota, ISBN:
0963799908

*In The Minds of Men, 3rd ed., (1991), by Ian T. Taylor, TFE Publishing, Minneapolis, MN, ISBN: 0969178867

*Darwin on Trial, 2ed., (1993), by Phillip E. Johnson, Intervarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL., ISBN: 0830813241

*Reason In The Balance, (1995), by Phillip E. Johnson, Intervarsity Press, Downers Grove, ISBN: 0830816100

*Defeating Darwinism, (1997), by Phillip E. Johnson, Intervarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL., ISBN: 0830813608

*What is Creation Science?, (1987), by H.M. Morris and G.E. Parker, Master Books, Green Forest, AR, ISBN: 0890510814

True Science Agrees With the Bible, (1998), by M. Bowden, Sovereign Publications, Box 88, Bromely, Kent, BR2 9PF, ISBN: 0950604240

*Origins, (1998), by Ariel Roth, Review & Herald Publishing Assoc., Hagerstown, MD, ISBN: 0828013284

Shattering The Myths of Darwinism, (1997), by Richard Milton, Park Street Press, Rochester, VT, ISBN: 0892817321

*The Natural Sciences Know Nothing of Evolution, (1981), by A. E. Wilder-Smith, The Word For Today Publishers, Costa Mesa, CA, ISBN: 09367281A

*The Scientific Alternative to Neo-Darwinian Evolutionary Theory, (1987), by A. E. Wilder-Smith, The Word For Today Publishers, Costa Mesa, CA, ISBN: 09367281B

*The Origin of Species Revisited Vols. I & II (1991), by W. Bird, Regency, Nashville, TN, ISBN: 0840768451 & 0840768486

#Not By Chance, (1998), by Lee Spetner, The Judaica Press, Inc., Brooklyn, NY, ISBN:
1880582244

#Refuting Evolution, (1999), by Jonathan Sarfati, Master Books, Green Forest, AR, ISBN:
0890512582

#Refuting Evolution 2, (2002), by Jonathan Sarfati, Master Books, Green Forest, AR, ISBN: 0890513872

*Origins, Icons, and Illusions, (1998), by Harold R. Booher, Warren H. Green, Inc., Saint Louis, MO, ISBN: 087527515X

*Tornado in A Junkyard, (1999), by James Perloff, Refuge Books, Arlington, MA, ISBN:
0966816005

The Creation Hypothesis, (1994), J.P. Moreland, editor, Intervarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL., ISBN: 0830816984

Mere Creation, (1998), William A. Dembski, editor, Intervarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL., ISBN: 0830815155

*Man’s Origin Man’s Destiny, (1968), by A. E. Wilder-Smith, The Word For Today Publishers, Costa Mesa, CA, ISBN:

*Origin by Design, (1983), by Harold Coffin, Review & Herald Publishing Assoc., Hagerstown, MD, ISBN: 0828001324

*Evolution: The Fossils Still Say NO!, (1995), by Duane T. Gish, ICR Press, El Cajon, CA, ISBN: 0890511128

*Creation Scientist Answer Their Critics, (1993), by Duane T. Gish, ICR Press, El Cajon, CA, ISBN: 0932766285

*The Biblical Basis for Modern Science, (1984), by Henry M. Morris, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, MI, ISBN: 0801061784

*The Long War Against God, (1989), by Henry M. Morris, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, MI, ISBN: 0801062578

*Creation and Change, (1997), by Douglas F. Kelly, Christian Focus Publications, Geanies
House, Fearn, Ross-shire, IV20 ITW, Great Britain, ISBN: 1857922832

*Creation and the Modern Christian, (1985), by Henry M. Morris, Creation Life Publishers a Master Books Division, ISBN: 089051111X

*Evolution and the Modern Christian, (1967), by Henry M. Morris, Presbyterian and Reform Publishing Co., Phillipsburg, NJ, ISBN: 0875523374

*The Genesis Flood, (1961), John C. Whitcomb and Henry M. Morris, Baker Book House,
Grand Rapids, MI, ISBN: 0801095018

*The Natural Limits to Biological Change, (1989), by Lane P. Lester and Raymond G. Bohlin, Probe Ministries International (Distributed by Word Pub.), ISBN: 0945241062

#The Lie: Evolution, (1987), by Ken Ham, Master Books, Green Forest, AR, ISBN:
0890511586

#Creation Evangelism for the New Millennium, (1998), by Ken Ham, Master Books, Green Forest, AR, ISBN: 0890512477

#Did God Use Evolution?, (1993), by Werner Gitt, Christliche Literatur-Verbreitung e.V.
Postfach 110135 . 33661, Bielefeld, ISBN: 3893977252

#In the Beginning was Information, (1997), by Werner Gitt, Christliche Literatur-
Verbreitung e.V. Postfach 110135 . 33661, Bielefeld, ISBN: 3893972552

A Case Against Accident and Self-Organization, (1997), by Dean L. Overman, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., Lanham, Boulder, N.Y., Oxford, ISBN: 0847689662

*The Young Earth, (1994), by John D. Morris, Master Books, Green Forest, AR, ISBN:
0890511748

*Creation Compromises, (1995), by Bert Thompson, Apologetics Press, Inc., 230 Landmark Dr., Montgomery, AL, ISBN: 0932859178

The Wedge of Truth, (2000), by Phillip E. Johnson, Intervarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, ISBN: 0830822674

Icons of Evolution, (2000), by Jonathan Wells, Regnery Publishing, Inc., Washington, D.C., ISBN: 0895262762

Handbook: Creation, The Flood, and Historical Dating, (2000), by John G. Read,
Apocalypse Press, ISBN: 0970115301

How Blind is the Watchmaker? (2001), by Neil Broom, Intervarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, ISBN: 0830822968

*Variation and Fixity in Nature (1976), by Frank L. Marsh, Ph.D.,Pacific Press Publishing Assoc., Mountain View CA.

*Darwin’s Enigma: Fossils and Other Problems 4th Revised edition, (1988), by Luther D. Sutherland, Master Books, El Cajon, CA, ISBN: 089051108X

Faith, Reason & Earth History (1997), by Leonard Brand, Andrews University Press, 213Information Services Building, Berrein Springs, MI, 49104-6915, ISBN: 1883925150

*Did God Use Evolution to “Create”?, (1993), by Christopher K. Chui, Ph.D., Logos Publishers P.O. Box 9264, Canoga Park, CA 91309

#When Christians Roamed the Earth, (2002), by Ken Ham et al., Master Books, Green
Forest, AR, ISBN: 0-89051-319-8

Faith, Form and Time, (2002), by Kurt P. Wise, Broadman & Holman Pub., , ISBN:
080542462-8

Dismantling Evolution, (2003), by Ralph O. Muncaster, Harvest House Pub, Eugene, Oregon., ISBN: 0-7369-0464-6

Fatal Flaws, (2003), by Hank Hanegraaff, W Publishing Group, Nashville, TN., ISBN: 0-8499-1795-6

Darwin’s Proof (2003), by Cornelius G. Hunter, Brazos Press, Grand Rapids, MI., ISBN:
1-58743-056-8

Doubts about Darwin, (2003), by Thomas Woodward, Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI., ISBN: 0-8010-6443-0

Genesis for today-In the beginning (1997), by Andy McIntosh, Day One Publications, ISBN: 0-902548-78-6

Darwin Retried: An appeal to reason (1971), by Norman Macbeth, The Harvard Common Press, Harvard and Boston, MA, ISBN: 0-87645-048-6

Darwin’s God-Evolution and the Problem of Evil (2001), by Cornelius G. Hunter, Brazos Press, Grand Rapids, MI, ISBN: 1-58743-011-8

#Refuting Compromise, (2004), by Jonathan Sarfati, Master Books, Inc., P.O. Box 726 Green Forest, AR 72638, ISBN: 0-89051-411-9

The Evolution of a Creationist (2002), by Jobe Martin, Biblical Discipleship Publishers, 2212 Chisholm Trail, Rockwall, TX 75032, ISBN: 0-9643665-0-9.

#The Great Turning Point, (2004), by Terry Mortenson, Master Books, Inc., P.O. Box 726 Green Forest, AR 72638, ISBN: 0-89051-408-9

*Something from Nothing, (2004), by Kurt P. Wise and Sheila A. Richardson, Broadman & Holman Publishers, Nashville, TN, ISBN: 080542779-1

Science and Evidence for Design in the Universe, (2000) by Several Authors, The
Proceedings of the Wethersfield Institute, NY, NY, Ignatius Press, S.F., CA, ISBN: 0-89870-809-5.

Monkey Business: The True Story of the Scopes Trial, (2005) by Marvin Olasky & John Perry, Broadman & Holman Publishers, Nashville, TN, ISBN: 0805431578.

Jim's Oatmeal

Here's my oatmeal recipe. I will add a picture of it here this weekend.

Ingredients
1-1/3 cup of water
1 cup of oats (the thick kind, non-instant)
1/4 cup Ezekiel cereal (preferably Almond kind)
1/4 cup raisins
1 T cinnamon
1/8 cup of brown sugar
1/8 cup of milk (organic, carton, preferably whole but 2% will pass)

Directions

1. Bring water to a boil in a 3 quart sauce pan.
2. Reduce heat to low.
3. Pour oats into saucepan and let steep (covered) for about 10 min (stirring every 3 min) or until desired consistency.
4. Turn off the stove.
5. Pour in Ezekiel cereal and stir.
   
6. Pour in raisins and stir.
7. Let sit covered in the saucepan for about 5 min.
8. Pour in the cinnamon & brown sugar and stir.
9. Pour in the milk and serve.
   

Yield: 2 servings

Commentary on Moral Relativism

Recently I had the pleasure of reading three articles (Philosophical Problems with Moral Relativism, Deconstructing Liberal Tolerance, Any Absolutes, Absolutely!) about ethics and morals in the context of our postmodern world. Below, I have provided a brief commentary on these articles.

Since these three articles provide much overlap in their principals, I chose to combine my commentary into a single train of thought.

Agreement

First of all, I agree that Christianity absolutely represents the standard upon which everything else is judged (refer to the references below for more study in Christian apologetics)^1,2,3.

Proponents of Moral Relativism (herein referred to as Relativists) convey their message with passivity using a technique of persuasion called “bait and switch”. Meaning, on the one hand, Relativists present the lofty claim that everyone’s ideas and beliefs have equal value and are due equal respect in public discourse. Yet orthodox Christian rhetoric is given no such veneration and is often ruled intolerant by public officials and media outlets.

Collectively, the articles provide a descent coverage for how Relativists are intolerant of those that make assertions in support of Christianity. The articles describe in detail the confusion that lies between the Relativists ears concerning tolerance. I concur that the problem of today is a misunderstanding of terms.

It used to be that the term tolerance suggested for a "Person B" to allow a "Person C" to exist in deference to "Person C's" belief system in spite of differences of beliefs. For example, Christians that live in San Francisco tolerate homosexuals insofar as Christians are not running around San Francisco exterminating homosexuals. By contrast, Hitler and his followers did not tolerate Jews in Europe and elsewhere around the world. Webster’s second meaning of the word seems to fit with, “sympathy or indulgence for beliefs or practices differing from or conflicting with one's own”.

The issue is that Relativists equate Christian rhetoric with the absence of tolerance or intolerance. It is as if Christian rhetoric were a force that could control another’s behavior. The irony is that the Relativists are violating Christians from the First Amendment in the U.S. Bill Rights! It should be no surprise that Relativists would resist Christian thought. Indeed, the Bible says the gospel is foolishness to the unredeemed.⁴

Disagreement

I took little issue with these articles as they present a descent argument against the ideas of Moral Relativism of which I am adamantly opposed. One principle that I believe could have been conveyed better, as with many other writings, was in making the distinction between ethics and morals.

The primary difference between ethics and morals is that ethics is more abstract and appeals to a higher authority. Ethics is concerned with the oughtness of behavior. The root of the word ethics is the Greek word “ethos”. In the Greek, ethos is a technique used in debate that appeals to a higher authority to strengthen an argument. Alternatively, morals are concerned with social standards and codes, hence the phrase moral code. Something can be morally acceptable, yet ethically wrong.

For instance, it is morally acceptable in America for an unmarried couple to be sexually active. However, the Christian ethic, transcending time and culture, prohibits sex before marriage. Just because a society accepts a set of moral principles does not make it ethically right. In other words, ethics are about what people think is right. Morals are about actual behavior.

To expand on why it is important to make this distinction, we often hear the distinctively postmodern phrase, "be who you are". However, the problem with that statement is in what the grammar of the sentence is saying. The word "be" is normative; it is ethical; it is about oughtness. But the phrase "who you are" is descriptive; it is moral; it is about behavior. So essentially, the phrase, "be who you are" is asserting that people should determine their oughtness based on behavior.⁵ That my friend is a dangerous idea, given the track record of humanity that has been given over to act according to their own desires.

Instead of saying, "be who you are", a better mantra is, "be who God has called you to be". Because in being who God has called us to be, we are deriving our behavior from the Creator who is the author of righteousness. Therefore, I close with Galatians 5:13, which says, "For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another."

References

¹McDowell, Evidence for Christianity.

²Geisler, Christian Apologetics.

³Morris, Biblical Basis for Modern Science.

⁴New King James Bible, 1 Corinthians 1:18.

⁵Sproul, R.C., Christian Ethics CD Collection.

On Edwards' Departure from His Presidential Bid

Two points to make on this story about Edwards Ending His Presidential Bid.

First, in Edwards' exit speech, he says what is needed is a "little backbone" to affect change. But little is his word, and that is precisely their problem. The Dems have little backbone.

Secondly, Edwards makes a pledge to end poverty, which we know from his recent speeches, via handouts, increasing minimum wage, etc. This only makes matters worse for two reasons. One being it communicates the idea to people that they can make more money without changing their habits. Second, all increasing minimum wage does to the level Edwards is talking about is inflate prices.

The way to end poverty in an absolute sense is through exercising the dominion mandate. Meaning, the standard of living is improved through innovation in technology which encourage more spending and commerce. For example, the principle of free enterprise in America has enabled the poor and middle class to have a standard of living equal or better than the rest of the world.

However, relative poverty will never end this side of glory in a large "free" society such as America. That is to say, there will always be a gradient of wealth.

Countries like Switzerland can claim such high standards of living because, being a smaller nation, much of their populace import goods and exports innovation and services. A lesser percentage there is relegated to menial tasks that involve minimum wage.

Science Curriculum

When should a child begin learning about science?

I say, as soon as the child is able to experience their senses--probably a few months after conception.

But in terms of a curriculum, I found a really good book to provide some early guidance. It is called: 365 Simple Science Experiments with Everyday Materials

Of course, every child is different and learns at varying rates, but whenever a child demonstrates curiosity about the world around them, encourage exploration in the early years. They will appreciate the hands-on experiences they had when they were younger once they get into the later years of grade school.

I believe it is better to focus on formal language skills early (along with Math). Strong reading/writing skills built during the early years will enable science concepts to be grasped more effectively down the road.

Easy Okra

Easy Okra

Ingredients:
2 c. Okra (maybe frozen)
1/2 c. Corn
1/8 c. canned tomatoes (with chilies)

note: feel free to modify proportions to suit taste

Directions:
1. Put canned tomatoes in mixing bowl
2. Steam the okra and corn together
3. When okra mixture is done (a few minutes), pour into mixing bowl, stir, and serve

yield: 2-3 servings

Healthy Lemonade Beverage

All of the ingredients here should be adjusted for taste. I prefer less than the official amount of Maple Syrup. But that is just my preference.

More commentary on the effects of this lemonade later. But for now, here's the recipe:

• Juice of one fresh lemon (not the equivalent from lemon concentrate)
  
  
• 1/5th teaspoon of Cayenne pepper
  
  
• 4 T Grade B Maple Syrup (Must be true Grade B Maple Syrup. Corn syrup based syrups such as Log Cabin is not the same thing. Grade B can be hard to find sometimes. Look for it at grocers such as Whole Foods Market.)
  
  
• 16 oz. Water
  

History Lesson

Here is a post from a California lawyer that seems to present the "Big Picture" in just the right manner. This is something all Americans should read!!

A California Lawyer's Perspective on Iraq War:

Sixty-three years ago, Nazi Germany had overrun almost all of Europe and hammered England to the verge of bankruptcy and defeat, and had sunk more than four hundred British ships in their convoys between England and America for food and war materials.

Bushido Japan had overrun most of Asia, beginning in 1928, killing millions of civilians throughout China , and impressing millions more as slave labor.

The US was in an isolationist, pacifist, mood, and most Americans and Congress wanted nothing to do with the European war, or the Asian war.

Then along came Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and in outrage Congress unanimously declared war on Japan , and the following day on Germany , which had not attacked us. It was a dicey thing. We had few allies.

France was not an ally, the Vichy government of France aligned with its German occupiers. Germany was not an ally, it was an enemy, and Hitler intended to set up a Thousand Year Reich in Europe . Japan was not an ally, it was intent on owning and controlling all of Asia . Japan and Germany had long-term ideas of invading Canada and Mexico , and then the United States over the north and south borders, after they had settled control of Asia and Europe .

America 's allies then were England , Ireland , Scotland , Canada , Australia , and Russia , and that was about it. There were no other countries of any size or military significance with the will and ability to contribute much or anything to the effort to defeat Hitler's Germany and Japan , and prevent the global dominance of Nazism. And we had to send millions of tons of arms, munitions, and war supplies to Russia, England, and the Canadians, Aussies, Irish, and Scots, because NONE of them could produce all they needed for themselves.

All of Europe, from Norway to Italy, except Russia in the east, was already under the Nazi heel.

America was not prepared for war. America had stood down most of its military after WWI and throughout the depression, at the outbreak of WWII there were army units training with broomsticks over their shoulders because they didn't have guns, and cars with "tank" painted on the doors because they didn't have tanks. And a big chunk of our navy had just been sunk and damaged at Pearl Harbor .

Britain had already gone bankrupt, saved only by the donation of $600 million in gold bullion in the Bank of England that was the property of Belgium and was given by Belgium to England to carry on the war when Belgium was overrun by Hitler - actually, Belgium surrendered one day, because it was unable to oppose the German invasion, and the Germans bombed Brussels into rubble the next day anyway just to prove they could. Britain had been holding out for two years already in the face of staggering shipping loses and the near-decimation of its air force in the Battle of Britain, and was saved from being overrun by Germany only because Hitler made the mistake of thinking the Brits were a relatively minor threat that could be dealt with later and turning his attention to Russia, at a time when England was on the verge of collapse in the late summer of 1940.

Russia saved America's butt by putting up a desperate fight for two years until the US got geared up to begin hammering away at Germany.

Russia lost something like 24 million people in the sieges of Stalingrad and Moscow , 90% of them from cold and starvation, mostly civilians, but also more than a million soldiers. More than a million.

Had Russia surrendered, then, Hitler would have been able to focus his entire campaign against the Brits, then America , and the Nazis would have won that war.

Had Hitler not made that mistake and invaded England in 1940 or 1941, instead, there would have been no England for the US and the Brits to use as a staging ground to prepare an assault on Nazi Europe, England would not have been able to run its North African campaign to help take a little pressure off Russia while America geared up for battle, and today Europe would very probably be run by the Nazis, the Third Reich, and, isolated and without any allies (not even the Brits), the US would very probably have had to cede Asia to the Japanese, who were basically Nazis by another name then, and the world we live in today would be very different and much worse. I say this to illustrate that turning points in history are often dicey things. And we are at another one.

There is a very dangerous minority in Islam that either has, or wants and may soon have, the ability to deliver small nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons, almost anywhere in the world, unless they are prevented from doing so.

France, Germany, and Russia, have been selling them weapons technology at least as recently as 2002, as have North Korea, Syria, and Pakistan, paid for with billions of dollars Saddam Hussein skimmed from the "Oil For Food" program administered by the UN with the complicity of Kofi Annan and his son.

The Jihadis, the militant Muslims, are basically Nazis in Kaffiyahs - they believe that Islam, a radically conservative (definitely not liberal!) form of Wahhabi Islam, should own and control the Middle East first, then Europe, then the world, and that all who do not bow to Allah should be killed, enslaved, or subjugated. They want to finish the Holocaust, destroy Israel , purge the world of Jews. This is what they say.

There is also a civil war raging in the Middle East - for the most part not a hot war, but a war of ideas. Islam is having its Inquisition and its Reformation today, but it is not yet known which will win - the Inquisition, or the Reformation.

If the Inquisition wins, then the Wahhabis, the Jihadis, will control the Middle East, and the OPEC oil, and the US , European, and Asian economies, the techno-industrial economies, will be at the mercy of OPEC - not an OPEC dominated by the well-educated and rational Saudis of today, but an OPEC dominated by the Jihadis.

You want gas in your car? You want heating oil next winter? You want jobs? You want the dollar to be worth anything? You better hope the Jihad, the Muslim Inquisition, loses, and the Islamic Reformation wins.

If the Reformation movement wins, that is, the moderate Muslims who believe that Islam can respect and tolerate other religions, and live in peace with the rest of the world, and move out of the 10th century into the 21st, then the troubles in the Middle East will eventually fade away, and a moderate and prosperous Middle East will emerge.

We have to help the Reformation win, and to do that we have to fight the Inquisition, ie., the Wahhabi movement, the Jihad, Al Qaeda, the Islamic terrorist movements. We have to do it somewhere. We cannot do it nowhere. And we cannot do it everywhere at once. We have created a focal point for the battle now at the time and place of our choosing, in Iraq .

Not in New York , not in London , or Paris , or Berlin , but in Iraq , where we did and are doing two very important things.

(1) We deposed Saddam Hussein. Whether Saddam Hussein was directly involved in 9/11 or not, it is undisputed that Saddam has been actively supporting the terrorist movement for decades. Saddam is a terrorist.

Saddam is, or was, a weapon of mass destruction, who is responsible for the deaths of probably more than a million Iraqis and two million Iranians.

(2) We created a battle, a confrontation, a flash point, with Islamic terrorism in Iraq . We have focused the battle. We are killing bad guys there and the ones we get there we won't have to get here, or anywhere else. We also have a good shot at creating a democratic, peaceful Iraq , which will be a catalyst for democratic change in the rest of the Middle East, and an outpost for a stabilizing American military presence in the Middle East for as long as it is needed.

The European nations could have done this, but they didn't, and they won't. The so-called "Coalition Forces" are, in most cases, little more than a "Token Force" to keep face with the US . And once attacked, like the train bombing in Madrid , they pull their forces and run for home. We now know that rather than opposing the rise of the Jihad, the French, Germans, and Russians were selling them arms - we have found more than a million tons of weapons and munitions in Iraq . If Iraq was not a threat to anyone, why did Saddam need a million tons of weapons? And Iraq was paying for French, German, and Russian arms with money skimmed from the UN Oil For Food Program (supervised by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and his son) that was supposed to pay for food, medicine, and education, for Iraqi children.

World War II, the war with the German and Japanese Nazis, really began with a "whimper" in 1928. It did not begin with Pearl Harbor . It began with the Japanese invasion of China . It was a war for fourteen years before America joined it. It officially ended in 1945 - a 17 year war - and was followed by another decade of US occupation in Germany and Japan to get those countries reconstructed and running on their own again ... a 27 year war.

World War II cost the United States an amount equal to approximately a full year's GDP - adjusted for inflation, equal to about $12 trillion dollars, WWII cost America more than 400,000 killed in action, and nearly 100,000 still missing in action.

[The Iraq war has, so far, cost the US about $180 billion, which is roughly what 9/11 cost New York . It has also cost over 2,300 American lives, which is roughly 2/3 of the lives that the Jihad snuffed on 9/11.] But the cost of not fighting and winning WWII would have been unimaginably greater - a world now dominated by German and Japanese Nazism.

Americans have a short attention span, now, conditioned I suppose by 1 hour TV shows and 2-hour movies in which everything comes out okay.

The real world is not like that. It is messy, uncertain,and sometimes bloody and ugly. Always has been, and probably always will be.

If we do this thing in Iraq successfully, it is probable that the Reformation will ultimately prevail. Many Muslims in the Middle East hope it will. We will be there to support it. It has begun in some countries, Libya , for instance. And Dubai . And Saudi Arabia . If we fail, the Inquisition will probably prevail, and terrorism from Islam will be with us for all the foreseeable future, because the Inquisition, or Jihad, believes they are called by Allah to kill all the Infidels, and that death in Jihad is glorious.

The bottom line here is that we will have to deal with Islamic terrorism until we defeat it, whenever that is. It will not go away on its own. It will not go away if we ignore it.

If the US can create a reasonably democratic and stable Iraq , then we have an " England " in the Middle East, a platform, from which we can work to help modernize and moderate the Middle East . The history of the world is the clash between the forces of relative civility and civilization, and the barbarians clamoring at the gates. The Iraq war is merely another battle in this ancient and never-ending war. And now, for the first time ever, the barbarians are about to get nuclear weapons. Unless we prevent them. Or somebody does.

The Iraq war is expensive, and uncertain, yes. But the consequences of not fighting it and winning it will be horrifically greater. We have four options -

1. We can defeat the Jihad now, before it gets nuclear weapons.

2. We can fight the Jihad later, after it gets nuclear weapons (which may be as early as next year, if Iran 's progress on nuclear weapons is what Iran claims it is).

3. We can surrender to the Jihad and accept its dominance in the Middle East, now, in Europe in the next few years or decades, and ultimately in America .

4. Or we can stand down now, and pick up the fight later when the Jihad is more widespread and better armed, perhaps after the Jihad has dominated France and Germany and maybe most of the rest of Europe . It will be more dangerous, more expensive, and much bloodier then.

Yes, the Jihadis say that they look forward to an Islamic America. If you oppose this war, I hope you like the idea that your children, or grandchildren, may live in an Islamic America under the Mullahs and the Sharia, an America that resembles Iran today.

We can be defeatist peace-activists as anti-war types seem to be, and concede, surrender, to the Jihad, or we can do whatever it takes to win this war against them.

The history of the world is the history of civilizational clashes, cultural clashes. All wars are about ideas, ideas about what society and civilization should be like, and the most determined always win.

Those who are willing to be the most ruthless always win. The pacifists always lose, because the anti-pacifists kill them.

In the 20th century, it was Western democracy vs. communism, and before that Western democracy vs. Nazism, and before that Western democracy vs. German Imperialism. Western democracy won, three times, but it wasn't cheap, fun, nice, easy, or quick. Indeed, the wars against German Imperialism (WWI), Nazi Imperialism (WWII), and communist imperialism (the 40-year Cold War that included the Vietnam Battle, commonly called the Vietnam War, but itself a major battle in a larger war) covered almost the entire century.

The first major war of the 21st Century is the war between Western Judeo/Christian Civilization and Wahhabi Islam. It may last a few more years, or most of this century. It will last until the Wahhabi branch of Islam fades away, or gives up its ambitions for regional and global dominance and Jihad, or until Western Civilization gives in to the Jihad.

Senator John Kerry, in the debates and almost daily, makes 3 scary claims:

1. We went to Iraq without enough troops.

We went with the troops the US military wanted. We went with the troop levels General Tommy Franks asked for. We deposed Saddam in 30 days with light casualties, much lighter than we expected.

The real problem in Iraq is that we are trying to be nice - we are trying to fight minority of the population that is Jihadi, and trying to avoid killing the large majority that is not. We could flatten Fallujah in minutes with a flight of B52s, or seconds with one nuclear cruise missile - but we don't. We're trying to do brain surgery, not amputate the patient's head. The Jihadis amputate heads.

2. We went to Iraq with too little planning.

This is a specious argument. It supposes that if we had just had "the right plan" the war would have been easy, cheap, quick, and clean.

That is not an option. It is a guerrilla war against a determined enemy, and no such war ever has been or ever will be easy, cheap, quick, and clean. This is not TV.

3. We proved ourselves incapable of governing and providing security.

This too is a specious argument. It was never our intention to govern and provide security. It was our intention from the beginning to do just enough to enable the Iraqis to develop a representative government and their own military and police forces to provide their own security, and that is happening. The US and the Brits and other countries there have trained over 100,000 Iraqi police and military, now, and will have trained more than 200,000 by the end of next year. We are in the process of transitioning operational control for security back to Iraq .

It will take time. It will not go with no hitches. This is not TV.

Remember, perspective is everything, and America 's schools teach too little history for perspective to be clear, especially in the young American mind.

The Cold war lasted from about 1947 at least until the Berlin Wall came down in 1989. Forty-two years. Europe spent the first half of the 19th century fighting Napoleon, and from 1870 to 1945 fighting Germany .

World War II began in 1928, lasted 17 years, plus a ten year occupation, and the US still has troops in Germany and Japan . World War II resulted in the death of more than 50 million people, maybe more than 100 million people, depending on which estimates you accept.

The US has taken more than 2,000 KIA in Iraq in 3 years. The US took more than 4,000 Killed in action on the morning of June 6, 1944, the first day of the Normandy Invasion to rid Europe of Nazi Imperialism. In WWII the US averaged 2,000 KIA a week for four years. Most of the individual battles of WWII lost more Americans than the entire Iraq war has done so far.

But the stakes are at least as high. . . a world dominated by representative governments with civil rights, human rights, and personal freedoms. . . or a world dominated by a radical Islamic Wahhabi movement, by the Jihad, under the Mullahs and the Sharia (Islamic law).

I do not understand why the American Left does not grasp this. They favor human rights, civil rights, liberty and freedom, but evidently not for Iraqis. In America , absolutely, but nowhere else.

300,000 Iraqi bodies in mass graves in Iraq are not our problem. The US population is about twelve times that of Iraq , so let's multiply 300,000 by twelve. What would you think if there were 3,600,000 American bodies in mass graves in America because of George Bush? Would you hope for another country to help liberate America ?

"Peace Activists" always seem to demonstrate where it's safe, in America .

Why don't we see Peace Activist demonstrating in Iran , Syria , Iraq , Sudan , North Korea , in the places in the world that really need peace activism the most?

The liberal mentality is supposed to favor human rights, civil rights, democracy, multiculturalism, diversity, etc., but if the Jihad wins, wherever the Jihad wins, it is the end of civil rights, human rights, democracy, multiculturalism, diversity, etc. Americans who oppose the liberation of Iraq are coming down on the side of their own worst enemy.

If the Jihad wins, it is the death of Liberalism. Everywhere the Jihad wins, it is the death of Liberalism. And American Liberals just don't get it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Raymond S. Kraft is a writer and lawyer living in Northern California. Please consider passing along copies of this to students in high school, college and university as it contains information about the American past that is very meaningful TODAY - - history about America that very likely is completely unknown by them (and their instructors, too). By being denied the facts and truth of our history, they are at a decided disadvantage when it comes to reasoning and thinking through the issues of today. They are prime targets for misinformation campaigns beamed at enlisting them in causes and beliefs that are special interest agenda driven

On Classical Education

This entry is devoted to helping parents understand the curriculum and philosophy behind the Classical Education tradition.

The seven liberal arts of classical education are:

The Verbal Arts (Trivium)
1. Grammar
2. Logic
3. Rhetoric

Math Arts (Quadrivium)
4. Arithmetic
5. Music
6. Geometry
7. Astronomy

Historically, western civilization built a system of education (today called Classical Education) that was made into a sequence of two schools; a lower and an upper school. The lower school (formally called the Trivium) was divided into three distinct stages (grammar, logic, and rhetoric) with each stage being applied to all other subject areas. The upper school (formally called the Quadrivium, translated four roads), was more focused in subject matter and built on the foundations learned in the Trivium. More specifically, the Quadrivium was a study of “Math Arts”. This portion of study, while it may have begun during the High School years, was traditionally relegated to the university.

Little if any of the Trivium needs to be tailored or adjusted significantly to our modern society. However, for the Quadrivium, while many of it ideas can be useful, needs to be revamped to meet the demands in our modern economy. The remainder of this post will be devoted to the Trivium. Another post will lend more time to a more modern description of the Quadrivium.

The first stage is Grammar, which is about gathering information. This stage is not limited to “English Grammar,” but is more associated with basic facts and knowledge of any subject matter. All subject areas have basic information that must be grasped before an individual would be able to move on to the next level of competency.

The next level is Logic, or understanding. Once basic facts (or content) are mastered, one must understand how facts relate to one other and affect the whole of the subject. This is the stage where all the questions are asked: who, what, when, how, why, where, to what degree, etc.

Finally, the student is prepared for Rhetoric, which is best described as original thought. Students at this level have mastered the basic facts, understand the relationships, and are ready to take the subject matter to the next level-forming their own personal interpretation or developing new applications. This is where problem solving and creative thinking emerge. In addition to developing these original thoughts, students are expected to be able to express them in a polished, well-conceived written or verbal format.

The Trivium roughly coincides to: Grammar grades K-6, Logic grades 7-9 and Rhetoric grades 10-12, although portions of each can be found integrated at all levels.

Grammar (or Poll-Parrot)

For centuries Classical Education was the standard. All educational institutions in the western world used this approach. About the turn of the last century, educational “fads” began to take over public education and the classical approach became passé. In 1947 a British mystery writer, Dorothy Sayers, wrote a short essay, "The Lost Tools of Learning" in which her major premise was that students/adults no longer knew how to learn. Schools taught in a disjointed, unconnected flow of facts, not giving the students a logical system by which to organize material and absorb it. We recommend this essay; it is brief and insightful. Copies are available in our school library.

Here we will take a closer look at the Grammar stage. Dorothy Sayers refers to this stage as “Poll-Parrot,” because the students love to share what they have learned reciting back, singing little songs and jingles, rhyming words, playing on words as with Doctor Seuss and so on. They have a wonderful ear for words, which gives rise to their ability to pick up a foreign language. The Grammar student memorizes things very easily and quickly, such as math tables, the periodic table, biological classifications, and the Preamble to the Constitution. Anything presented in an interactive, fun method they will learn and love to parrot back. The excitement of learning literally oozes from these children. Our job as educators and parents is to cultivate this passion for learning and not to extinguish it by rushing the student into the next stage.

Logic (or Pert Stage)

In about the seventh grade, the student enters into the Logic, or as Dorothy Sayers would say, the Pert Stage. The student is no longer interested in just learning facts, now he/she wants more. Students want to go deeper into the subject: what, who, where, how, why of a subject. They are no longer content to just know about the Civil War. They want to understand the issues leading up to the firing on Fort Sumter. They want to understand the economics of the war, the state rights issues, and the moral and legal factors that came into play. What was General Lee's strategy at Gettysburg? Why did General Sherman burn everything on his march to the sea? Why did some people hate President Lincoln? As you can see, they ask a lot of questions.

Often times this questioning or, as it may be interpreted, challenging, may come across as being disrespectful. In the hands of a wise teacher the pert stage is very exciting. A teacher must recognize this for what it is; the student has moved on to the next stage and is asking to go deeper. The teacher must respond and change the goals from "the student will know and be able to answer," to "the student will understand and be able to explain." This is not only challenging for the teacher but is extremely rewarding. Students are excited because this is the dawn of a new learning stage that is different, and the teacher is responding to this new demand for additional information. A rich partnership is forged between teacher and student and a new ownership of his/her education is accepted. If this fire is fed properly, students will thirst for new material.

It is during the Logic Stage that a curriculum of formal logic is introduced. This has all but disappeared from today's classrooms. We have established Logic as a formal course in our seventh and eighth grades. The desired outcome is clear: logical thinking and the ability to separate truth from fiction and fact from theory. Students will also discern what does and does not support an issue and what is relevant and is not relevant in making a correct decision.
The also sets TCA apart. Our seventh and eighth graders are doing something that most other students this age in public schools in Colorado will be doing or learning. These are special students, pioneers in raising the standards of education.

Rhetoric (or Poetic Stage)

It is during the Rhetoric Stage, or as Dorothy Sayers would say, the Poetic Stage, that we get our first glimpse of the fruits of our educational efforts. In this stage, students now hopefully express themselves in polished, well thought out, grammatically correct, spoken and written verse. The Rhetoric Stage should demonstrate the subject content from the Grammar Stage and the organized thought process from the Logic Stage and introduce the first signs of mature original thought.

Of all the stages this has to be the most exciting! We are waiting expectantly for our students to bring forth new insights to ordinary subject matter we had previously overlooked. Creative thinking, new approaches to old problems that provide more effective answers, may change the way we think and do things. Remember, creative thinking, problem solving, and new applications do not spring forth from a void but come from the foundation of content and organized thought (grammar and logic).

It is here, for the first time, that students are able and allowed to begin the process of specializing in subject matter of their interests. This does not promote the total elimination of social studies from the science/math student or visa versa. Nor does it permit the students to ignore the finer points of the spoken and written word. But, if a student's interest and ability lies either in the math/science or the liberal arts areas, an emphasis in that area is encouraged.

The Rhetoric Stage climaxes with graduation to the Quadrivium.

Top 10 reasons Not to Consume Soft Drinks

Top Ten Reasons Never To Consume Soft Drinks!

1. Soft drinks steal water from the body. They work very much like a diuretic which takes away more water than it provides to the body. Just to process the high levels of sugar in soft drinks steals a considerable amount of water from the body. To replace the water stolen by soft drinks, you need to drink 8-12 glasses of water for every one glass of soft drinks that you consume!

2. Soft Drinks never quench your thirst, certainly not your body's need for water. Constantly denying your body an adequate amount can lead to Chronic Cellular Dehydration, a condition that weakens your body at the cellular level. This, in turn, can lead to a weakened immune system and a plethora of diseases.

3. The elevated levels of phosphates in soft drinks leach vital minerals from your body. Soft Drinks are made with purified water that also leach vital minerals from your body. A severe lack of minerals can lead to Heart Disease (lack of magnesium), Osteoporosis (lack of calcium) and many other diseases. Most vitamins can not perform their function in the body without the presence of minerals.

4. Soft Drinks can remove rust from a car bumper or other metal surfaces. Imagine what it's doing to your digestive tract as well as the rest of your body.

5. The high amounts of sugar in Soft Drinks causes your pancreas to produce an abundance of insulin, which leads to a "sugar crash". Chronic elevation and depletion of sugar and insulin can lead to diabetes and other imbalance related diseases. This is particularly disruptive to growing children which can lead to life-long health problems.

6. Soft Drinks severely interfere with digestion. Caffeine and high amounts of sugar virtually shut down the digestive process. That means your body is essentially taking in NO nutrients from the food you may have just eaten, even that eaten hours earlier. Consumed with french-fries which can take WEEKS to digest, there is arguably nothing worse a person can put in their body.

7. Diet soft drinks contain Aspartame, which has been linked to depression, insomnia, neurological disease and a plethora of other illness. The FDA has received more than 10,000 consumer complaints about Aspartame, that's 80% of all complaints about food additives.

8. Soft Drinks are EXTREMELY acidic, so much so that they can eat through the liner of an aluminum can and leach aluminum from the can if it sits on the shelf too long. Alzheimer patients who have been autopsied ALL have high levels of aluminum in their brains. Heavy metals in the body can lead to many neurological and other diseases.

9. Soft Drinks are EXTREMELY acidic: The human body naturally exists at a pH of about 7.0. Soft Drinks have a pH of about 2.5, which means you are putting something into your body that is hundred of thousands of times more acidic that your body is! Diseases flourish in an acidic environment. Soft Drinks and other acidic food deposit acid waste in the body which accumulates over time in the joints and around the organs. For example, the Body pH of cancer or arthritis patients are always low. The sicker the person, the lower the Body pH.

10. Soft Drinks are the WORSE THING you can possibly put in your body. Don't even think of taking a sip of a Soft Drink when you are sick with a cold, flu or something worse. It will only make it that much harder for your body to fight the illness.

Effects of Replacing a Childhood with Stardom

Every parent wants their child to succeed in life. But extreme success without the necessary grounding during childhood rare, if ever, results in a happy outcome.

The problem with success (in a secular sense) is that it diverts a child to such an extraordinary lifestyle there is no real opportunity for a parent to provide that proper grounding needed for maturity. Experience is the best teacher. If children are going to mature and become noble citizens, then they must be raised in an environment which can cultivate that nobility.

The article in the following link presents a sobering reality of what occurs when a child grows up without a normal childhood. Warning: The article contains another link to a video with graphic language.

Britney's Rant

Classical Science

Science properly defined is the state of knowing, which concerns knowledge as distinguished from ignorance or misunderstanding. This understanding is not limited only to the hard sciences but rather a systemized knowledge for anywhere that truth may be studied. Most supremely this understanding in science begins with the knowledge of the Creator God which is theology. All other realms of study transcend from this point.

These resources seek to guide the reader in gaining an understanding of the full spectrum of science. Naturally, this guide begins with theology.

Theology

Martin Luther

• Bondage of the Will

Jonathan Edwards

• Religious Affections
• Freedom of the Will
• Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God
• A Divine and Supernatural Light, Immediately Imparted to the Soul by the Spirit of God, Shown to be Both Scriptural and Rational Doctrine
• The Distinguishing Marks of a Work of the Spirit of God
  

John Calvin

• Institutes of the Christian Religion

Creeds and Confessions

• Westminster Confession and Catechism

R.C. Sproul

• The Holiness of God
• Chosen by God
  

Natural Sciences

• The Great Physicists from Galileo to Einstein
• Michael Faraday: Father of Electronics
• Scientists of Faith
• 100 Scientists Who Shaped World History
• Mathematics is God Silent?
• The Seven C's of History
• Answers Academy Curriculum
  

Alfred Posamentler

• Math Wonders
• Math Charmers

Usborne

• Illustrated Dictionary of Math

Euclid, Thomas Heath

• The Thirteen Books of the Elements

Newton

• The Principia

Darwin

• The Origin of Species; or The Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life

Books for Science Teachers

• Science in Faith: A Christian Perspective on Teaching Science
• A Christian Philosophy of Education
  

A Schedule for Biblical Curriculum

Here, I am proposing a schedule for teaching Bible from 4 years through adulthood.

Age Group	Curriculum
4-5 years	Selected biblical stories
6-7 years	Entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation
8-9 years	Entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation
10-11 years	Bible study methods and the application of those methods to the study of the epistles.
12-13 years	Seminary-level Bible courses on systematic theology
High schoolers	Straight Scripture with emphasis on biblical discernment. At this level many of them begin to teach children as well as their peers.
Adults	Focused on the study of Scripture, along with classes on church history, theology, and biblical living.

Mayonnaise

Most mayonnaise products bought in the store contain canola oil, which is not the healthiest oil to consume. However, these recipes provide an alternative.

Ingredients

• 3 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• pinch of sea salt
• 2 cups olive oil

Directions

1. In a medium size bowl, highly whisk yolks, mustard, lemon juice, and salt together.
2. Slowly drizzle in oil in a small steady stream while continuing to whisk. If the oil is added too quickly, the mayonnaise will not emulsify or thicken. This can be done in a blender or food processor but still add the oil slowly.
3. Adjust to taste with lemon juice and salt.

Variations
Avocado Mayonnaise
Follow main recipe, but add 1/2 teaspoon lime juice and reduce the lemon juice to 1/4 teaspoon. Add 1 pureed avocado before adding the oil.

Dill-Lemon Mayonnaise
Follow main recipe, but increase lemon juice to 1 teaspoon and add grated zest of 1 lemon. Fold in 1/ cup of chopped fresh dill after blending the oil.

Basic Mayonnaise Plus
Ingredients
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salkt
dash cayenne pepper
2/3 cup olive oil
1 oz firm silken tofu

Directions

1. In blender or food processor, place egg yolks, mustard, lemon juice, salt, and cayenne pepper.
2. Blend momentarily to mix ingredients. Then with the machine running, drizzle a thin, but steady stream of olive oil through the hole in the top, blending until mayonnaise thickens.
3. Add tofu and blend. Check consistency. Remove to covered jar and refrigerate.
4. If mayonnaise is too thick, lbend in 1-2 teaspoons of hot water. This recipe can easily be made by hand in a smsall bowl with a wre whisk. The key is to gradually add the oil to the other ingredients in a thin, steady stream.

Yield: 16 servings

New Orleans Devestation

While Katrina was a category 5 and dropped a significant amount of rain, the majority of the devestation came from the flooding. There were two primary forces which contributed to the flooding:

1. Storm surge
2. Broken Levees (see Picture #1, Picture #2, Picture #3)
   

The levees prevented floods in the past from devestating New Orleans. However, once the levees broke, getting the water out of New Orleans became the larger problem. The water continued to rise days after the huricane had passed due to water feeding into the New Orleans "bowl" (see submerged neighborhood) from the compromised levees.

It is very challenging to prevent large amounts of water and gravity working together from causing utter desolation.