I See No Evil

A couple of weeks ago, I heard two people on the radio engaged in the old debate on the existence of God despite the existence of evil. On one side, an agnostic professor said that a loving, omnipotent God cannot exist. He believes a loving God would destroy evil and stop suffering, and if God is omnipotent, He obviously would have the power to do this. On the other side, the Christian said that without evil, pain, and suffering, you cannot have good. Nothing makes me more hostile than someone who is supposed to represent my side of an argument that doesn't know what they are talking about. We all probably know people who are angry with God over some personal pain or loss like the death of loved ones, disease, or disaster. Now, I'm not a schooled theologian or a pastor. Heck, I don't even go to church that often. But I do occasionally pray, read the Bible, and sing hymns. I may not be the most qualified to settle this issue, but I do write the Truth on occasion. Of course, there is plenty of pain and suffering in this world. I used to work with a guy whose mother died of cancer when he was about 12 years old. She wasted away for years doing chemotherapy and radiation treatments. She suffered. She died. That's a pretty rough thing for a child to experience. Now, this lady was a Christian and told her kids should pray that she gets well. When she didn't get well, she said God was calling her home. After telling me all this, my coworker said to me, "I refuse to worship a God that would take away someone's parent like that." You see, he prayed for the health and the life of his mother. God answered no, and he hates God for it. My first (unspoken) thought was, "Who the hell are you to hate God for this?" I remember a story (they later made it into a movie) about a man who was born and lived without sin. He lived the only holy life ever on this earth. He was in fact God's only begotton son. Surely, God in the flesh, living without sin, wasn't subject to death and suffering. Or did he actually die in one of the most cruel and humiliating methods of death man has ever devised? I recommend you watch the Passion of the Christ to get a visual answer to that question. So, if God's only son suffered this way, what gives us the right to hate or deny God for cancer? Or any other thing we call evil. When we talk about evil, we talk about pain and death. People die by the millions for an endless list of reasons. Let's take the ultimate example of suffering and evil in the twentieth century: the Holocaust. Millions of people suffered and died in cruel and unspeakable ways. Here are God's chosen people being singled out and exterminated by the Nazis, and does God put an end to it? The agnositc says no, humanity allied against this evil ended it. While I see the hand of God in the Allied victory, I will accept the argument that it was not God. This must prove that He either doesn't love us or doesn't have the power to help us, right? The problem with sinners explaining the ways of God is that we only do it from our perspective. We say that the pain, suffering, and death in this world are evil. When we try to see this world from God's eternal perspective, we begin to understand the solution to this problem. It is not that God doesn't love us. It is not that God can't help us. It is not that God needs evil to distinguish Himself as good. It is to give us the only choice that matters in the world. Imagine that you go outside on a cold morning. You breathe in some fresh cold air and let it out. Have you ever looked at your breath? As it leaves your mouth, it rises and swirls for just a brief moment, then it just goes away. The molecules that left your lungs still exist, but they have ascended into the atmosphere. That breath has left you and disappeared in an instant. You have just seen your life. It is a vapor. We are on this world very briefly, then we go away. But our soul lives on forever. Now, consider this: Does it matter how long that vapor lasts? Or what that vapor does? When we breathe on a cold, windy day, that vapor is very short and very violent. That vapor is tossed and turned on itself then it ends, as all vapors must. So, no matter what afflictions or sufferings we have on this earth, it will all pass. It will all pass very quickly, in fact. Take the very worst event you can imagine. Let's say the superflu kills 99% of the world's population. That's billions of people who suffer and die in a single event. When you consider that everyone will die regardless of how hard we fight to extend our vapor, is it really "evil" to let it dissipate? Would it shock you if your breath actively struggled to persist? Or would you laugh at its futility of spending its whole existence trying to prolong itself for just another microsecond? Suffering is short and death comes for us all. God understands this more than we do. After all, He is the one who is breathing in the cold wind. He sees life for what it is. Can you imagine your breath trying to understand you? It was warm and happy in your lungs, then you turned it out into the harsh, cold world all by itself. It is being torn apart by the wind. Sleet or snow may punch right through it. Imagine how angry and bitter it must feel. Does your breath hate you? If it did, would you be offended? If your breath loved you, would you love it back? Probably not. That's what makes God so different from us. We are so insignificant, yet he loves us so much. Earlier I said pain and suffering must be so that we can make the one choice that matters in this world. Remember that perfect man I mentioned who suffered and died? There was a reason for that. It was for you. You see, when Jesus' vapor dissipated, Jesus came back. He came back so you also could return to God's warm loving lungs. Without accepting Jesus as your savior, you are scattered molecules that will forever be apart from God. In fact, you will find the atmosphere to be quite hot and painful for all eternity. Don't damn yourself to an eternity of fire just because someone you love suffered through cancer treatments for three years. Even if you lived a thousand years suffering this world's worst tortures, it would be nothing compared to your first day of hell. In conclusion, I must say that I see no evil in this world's death and suffering. It is just how things are. The real evil is what comes between us and God. The things that result in souls rejecting God. That is the work of the adversary, Satan. So my message to the agnostic professor is this: you will regret working your whole life to come between people and God when you finally realize that your life is an insignifcant vapor.

The Great Contraceptive of Innovation

Throughout history, humanity has had many problems and made many mistakes. Our ability to solve these problems and correct our mistakes have made our country great. It may take years of work and pain to arrive at a solution, but in the past we have had a lot of success. Why is it that we can't seem to overcome even the most trivial problems today? Turn on the news and everything's a crisis. We've got a housing crisis, health care crisis, immigration crisis, everything is falling apart and it's all getting worse. Today, I'm casting my hostile eyes on the fuel cost crisis. You should all know about the global food shortage caused by high food prices. Of course, these high food prices are caused by governments around the world subsidizing and mandating the use of ethanol. The U.S.A. spent a grand total of $7 billion in 2006 on ethanol subsidies. That doesn't count the $11 billion in tax incentives for ethanol. It also doesn't count the extra money people around the world are spending for basic food items. This money was spent to reduce our energy dependence on foreign oil and decrease greenhouse gas emissions. I will admit it has done that. At the cost of billions of dollars and possibly hundreds of thousands of lives, we have become 1.1% more energy independent and decreased greenhouse gas emissions by .002%. However, if we continue to spend $7 billion each year and hand out more tax incentives we could become 2.8% more energy independent and decrease greenhouse gas emissions by .13% by 2017. Total cost: only $93 billion. Again, not counting the world's increase in their grocery budget. And the price at the pump continues to climb. Talk about a great rate of return. It looks like our central planners have made an error. If only someone like a founding father had written something to give us some guidance on this issue. Wait, maybe Thomas Jefferson wrote something in 1784 in Notes on Virginia. Let me check. He wrote about governments that allowed free inquiry. These governments made it possible for advancements in physics and to start Christianity. They made it possible by allowing people like the Apostles and Sir Isaac Newton to reason and experiment on their own without government interference, such as Galileo faced when he proposed the world was round. "Reason and experiment have been indulged, and error has fled before them. It is error alone which needs the support of government. Truth can stand by itself." To put it in modern terms, if you need billions of taxpayer dollars to be a viable energy source, you do not have a viable energy source. Private citizens and businesses can deliver proper solutions and lower prices if only the government would stop interfering. With subsidies, tax incentives, and over-regulation, the government is the barrier that prevents the conception of truly innovative ideas.

Happy Freaking Earth Day

Hooray! Let's celebrate our planet! Behold our loving mother! She's a cold, heartless bitch of a mother. Here are some statistics that show her love for us. Isn't she grand? She brings forth all manner of pestilence. Disease, drought, flood, hurricane, tornado, earthquake, wildfire, it's all in love. Pop quiz: Who has killed more people, every genocidal maniac in history combined, or Earth? Google that crap. When do we celebrate genocidal maniac day? Now, in our planet's defense, not all disasters are its fault. Take the worldwide famine that has started and is getting worse. It's not because of drought. It's because of biofuel decreasing the supply of corn, which supplies almost every other type of food, such as beef, pork, and poultry. Now it's not the Earth that's killing millions, it's those who love the Earth more than their fellow man. Now that I've written this blasphemy, I must now seek the Goracle to seek forgiveness.

The New Face of Mormonism

The one story from the past few weeks that has made me hostile every time it appears is the Texas polygamy case. When it first broke, I never believed the 16 year old girl existed. Turns out I was right. Not to toot my own horn, but toot, toot.

What really gets me hostile is the fact that all it takes is one phone call to remove 400 children from their homes. Child Protective Services is the single most frightening organization in this country. Their case is based on a phone call made by a crazy 33 year old woman in Colorado. Imagine how easy it would be to take away your kids.

What abuses have been claimed? One CPS investigator testified that there may have been cases of sexual relations with children "16-17 years old or younger". Please note, 16-17 years old would be legal. Two kids have had a broken bone. That's it. No proof whatsoever. If you cruise the headlines, you'll see two arrests have been made. Both of those arrests are related to interfering with the investigation, not abuse.

The real "abuse" is that these people are trying to raise their kids the way they see fit. Every story I encounter points out that these kids are taught to be fearful of outsiders (they use the term Gentile, however). They don't watch TV. They are homeschooled. They don't go to the mall. They don't dress like hookers. They are different. I'll be honest, they are right to raise their kids this way. It may be extreme to completely remove them from society to protect them, but it's the parents' decision. I'd rather send my kid to be raised in this ranch than to be raised by Britney Spears or Rosie O'Donnell.

Now all these kids have been completely severed from their families. The temptations of the outside world are being dangled in front of them. CPS will show them a world of TV, ice cream, pizza, and lollipops. A world without bedtimes, discipline, or rules. A host of earthly pleasures could be theirs if only they would tell a little white lie about some abuse. How many kids wouldn't tell that little lie to "liberate" themselves? Not very many.

CPS scares the crap out of me.

The Great Enemy of Clear Language

"In our age there is no such thing as 'keeping out of politics.' All issues are political issues, and politics itself is a mass of lies, evasions, folly, hatred, and schizophrenia. When the general atmosphere is bad, language must suffer." -George Orwell, "Politics and the English Language" Americans don't agree on much. We are divided in all aspects of our lives, especially in politics. We are painted by the media blue or red. Whatever your politics, odds are very good that you don't disagree with Orwell's above statment. Although polls are not factual evidence, all polls I've seen indicate that our nation is declining morally and politicians are among the least trustworthy people on the planet. Since our general atmosphere is so bad, our language suffers. That is, like, so true. If you haven't already clicked on the above link to Orwell's complete essay, do it now. Don't come back to this blog until you have read, understood, and appreciated this entire essay. It will change how you listen to all political speech and news reportage. Having read this, do you realize that the polls cited above indicate that we are in a worse state than in Orwell's time? Watch your debates and commentary on the television. Attend your speeches and rallies. Whether it be a Clinton, Obama, McCain, or anyone else, you are watching some tired hack on the platform mechanically repeating the familiar phrases that we've heard for years. Soundbites, buzzwords, talking points. You can watch every news network on split screen and never hear a single fresh, vivid, homemade turn of speech. I propose that we change Election Day to February 2. With the world watching, we emerge from our cage pretending that we are important and can change the future. We dance the Pennsylvania Polka, look for our shadow, and then return to our cage until next time. People say politicians don't honor their promises. I don't blame them any more than I blame the groundhog for longer winters. It's our fault for believing them. McCain promises he will be more conservative if he is elected. Clinton promises health care. Obama promises change. Do you remember the other Clinton's promise for middle class tax cuts? The other Bush's 'read my lips' promise? No matter how great a promise sounds, it is made just to get your vote. You will vote for the candidate who promises you the most things that are the most important to you. If your candidate is elected and fails on those promises, you will vote for someone unless they promise to keep their promise the next time. The bottom line is that politicians use tired vague language because they are insincere. They don't feel our pain. They want to feel the power our votes give them. All their promises, accusations, denials, anecdotes, speeches, or even the words they mutter in their sleep will be vague and meaningless, full of dying metaphors, verbal false limbs, and pretentious diction. Let Orwell's essay be your guide to all political discourse. You will fully appreciate the effort it takes some politicians to speak so many words that mean so little.