How I Use Gemini Gems for Genealogy

Christmas Approaching

"A Hallelujah Christmas" by Cloverton from Ross Wooten on Vimeo.

Christmas is about family and time spent with loved ones. Here's a video of the holiday season years ago with family members. My sister and brother (Susan & Dennis) loved to joke around and we still do to this day! My wife (Holly who is on the sofa) were married right out of high school.  We came home "on leave"  while I was a medical corpsman at the Air Force Academy working in the hospital emergency room  (some 37 years ago). My plan was to register at the university the following summer, but it was really only a dream based on a few years of saving for college and living on the GI bill.

God has a way of guiding us through the years. Our daughter was less than 2 years old when this video was taken. It's a rare look at my grandfather (Louie Sukup), mom (Adella White) and in-laws (Vic and June Honeck).

I remember the last scene of this segment, it was 5AM we were leaving to drive back to Colorado in our Ford Maverick. My mother-in-law is still in her bathrobe and she made coffee to warm us up. It was a cold winter morning and a sad time; we just wanted to move back home.

The Lord has a way of revealing the total picture of what we saw so dimly years ago. Holly and I  are blessed today with 8 grandchildren and we about 20 miles from campus. Susan and Dennis lives in Arizona, we "face time" often on our iPads. My daughter lives in Texas and her children come up every summer to swim in the lake behind our house.

Do look forward to the joy of the holiday season and if you are going through hard times right now, don't lose heart! God loves us and reveals the bigger picture in time, today is just a fleeting moment in history.

Legacy For the Next Generation

I joined the Air Force in 1973 while still in high school. At the time I was working at a $2.60 hour job. Neither my father nor my grandfather had finished high school, at least I would do that.

The world was changing when I inherited it. Vietnam was winding down; Richard Nixon was impeached. But, there was opportunity. I could still buy three gallons of gasoline for a dollar bill and some guy with a greasy shirt pumped it. He also checked under the hood.

Life was good. A pizza and a movie were a casual night out. A new Ford Mustang when I graduated from Sheffield-Chapin. The economy was good.

Fast forward 40 years.

My grandson Charlie visits a veteran memorial in the park and finds a different future. I wonder what choices he will make in his lifetime. Will our country be at war? Will he get a college education like his mom and dad?

Doses of reality set in as I ponder these questions. Think about our legacy to the next generation for a moment.  Will he will pay taxes for our mistakes?  Billions of dollars went to banks that made unsecured, risky loans to businesses and individuals who falsified their income. A war we couldn't afford. Medicare fraud.  We subsidize housing for people who could pay rent. We pay out unemployment benefits for years to people who could move to a new city and find a job. Congress debates over sexual orientation.

One crisis after another; flooding, fires and tornadoes. Terrorism in Boston, a gun fight at a house of worship. Student loans to for profit schools that mainly purchase commercials during daytime television. We subsidize the oil industry get a spill in return. Antibiotics are poured into animal feeds and we get infections in people we can't treat.  An epidemic of diabetes and heart disease.

So what does Charlie inherit from this generation? It is not too late for us to act responsibly. We can make his future brighter.

Christian Narcissism

Тhe myth of Narcissus is an old and varied tale, one story depicts Narcissus gazing at his own reflection (becoming transfixed by his beauty). A painting created by Italian Baroque master Caravaggio, painted circa 1597-1599 conveys a bit of the concept: the figure of Narcissus is enamored with his own reflection, surrounded by darkness, so that he sees nothing of the world around him. However, to be clear the nacissist is an individual who is described as being excessively preoccupied with issues of personal adequacy, power, prestige and vanity.

So has narcissism crept into evangelical christianity? My non-religious friends are quick to point out spiritual insincerity and narcissitic thinking in my own thinking. In fact, I wonder if my even having a blog is a narcissit activity? I don't know. In any case, I am grateful for the feedback from wherever it comes really. It is important to listen to critics of the faith and to be challenged in our thinking.


Normally, we think of TV preachers as "narcissist" when all they are interested in is money. This encampasses a number of organizations and generally include the distribution of various books and video tapes that promote personal benefit in exchange for giving a large gift. One minisistry in the 1980s was a husband and wife televangelist team Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker. They promised donors a lavish hotel room for a week if they gave at a certain dollar level.

But, is a spriritual narcissism popularity surfacing in christianity? Is it affecting the church? Is it blinding our leaders? Is it paralyzing our call to service? 

Sometimes narcissim invades my own thinking. I come to church and sit there thinking, why doesn't the pastor shake my hand after the service? Or,  I critique the music or the sermon and wonder why it didn't fit my needs. Why do I have to sit next to this loud child, isn't he disturbing my worship experience?

So, I've discovered that even in evangelical Christianity, it is invading us subconciously. OK, I know we need to have self-esteem and self-control. Those are biblical concepts.  And... we do need to personalize the gospel and have a personal identity for what the cross means. But, sometimes it goes too far.

Consider how it has crept into the contemporary christian music industry with lyrics from the music group FFH:

One of these days I'm gonna see the hands
That took the nails for me
One of these days I'm gonna hold the keys
To the mansion built for me
One of these days I'm gonna walk the streets of gold
That were paved for me

I guess this song is catchy and indeed I enjoy the melody. In fact, I've even purchased this group's music and CDs and do believe the total message of this group is a positive one of Christianity. But,  is it indeed true that paradise was only created for me? Isn't that what some proponents of Islam also teach....  that in paradise one will die and be surrounded 72 virgins?  

A quick view of the new testament reveals some interesting contradictions to what we've come to accept in Evangelical circles. Didn't Jesus say.. “I did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give my life as a ransom for many;” “Whoever wants to be first must become last;” “Whoever wants to be great among must become the slave of all;” and then bowed in submission to the Father and said, “Not my will, but yours.”

What do you think? Are Christians becoming absorbed in the culture of narcissism?

Knowing Him in Secret

Nicodemus knew Jesus was some sort of prophet, or at least a catalyst for morality. He was perplexed by what to do with this information so he followed his teaching secretly. To acknowledge any impact of his theology publicly would be embarrassing.

Nicodemus was a skeptic of sorts, not willing to take action on this new instruction from this young country preacher, but at least willing to go and see what he has to say.

There is a reason for a night time consultation. A clandestine meeting would not be seen by the others in the Sanhedrin (the ruling council in the synagogue), so Nicodemus isn't taking much of a risk.

A low impact encounter, that was all he wanted. To warm himself by the fire, watch the flames in the night air, and sip a cup of hot cocoa with Jesus. Isn't that what we all want? A comfy little religion, an unchallengeable sermon in the third row from the back, a private audience with a few sleeping disciples scattered around?

He has reached the conclusion, in his private thoughts, that Jesus would certainly agree that a little chat with him would benefit both of them. To Nicodemus, a quick little visit was all he needed. Maybe he could come once a week, discuss the latest teaching for 30 minutes or so, go back home. The little sessions would be fun! He could write a homily for Saturday worship with the inspiration of his young friend.

After all, Nicodemus was an old man. He was entering the senior years of his career and everyone respected him. Tenure in academia has it rewards, one of which is to embrace brave, revolutionary commentary.

As an elder rabbi, he is shocked to see that Jesus is excited by his visit!

Jesus' face lights up as he approaches. "Why Nicodemus, you came my old friend. All along, I've wanted you to come. Even if you are ashamed to meet me in daylight. It is OK, you came."

Nicodemus is saddened by his motives, Jesus saw right through him.. He feels the pull of his words, his compassion. All his life he loved people, but never had he been so welcoming to another person. So why was Jesus so anxious for him to come?

"Only you can even remotely understand what I am about to say, the others will get it after class. Since you want a little one on one, here it is."

The wrinkled rabbi trembles.

"This whole thing about why I came, Nicodemus, why you are here tonight. It is about a new, everlasting life. You don't think that, but it is true. In fact, it was probably lurking in your mind the entire time, you didn't know it, but it is there. To turn back the hands of time, to understand, means to start life over again, like a newborn."

His old mind is playing tricks on him. Did he say something about "we" and "our" just a minute ago? He isn't seeing double. There is only one young man sitting across from him.

"We bear witness to these things, so it is important to clear this up tonight. In order to receive insight into life, eternal life, to clearly understand why I am here, you need to gasp for air again like when the midwife slapped your bottom."

How can this be? The years flash before him. He spent decades reading and studying the scriptures, he worked hard to sit on the high council. A newborn, what?

Nicodemus ponders the premise, entertains the notion. He has an open mind, he prides himself in being willing to listen to others.

Not now though, this is to hard. In fact, it seems like foolishness really. But, maybe in another secret meeting. He'll find out more. He walks back home for now, stumbling along the path at night. How can he sleep after hearing these words?

King of The Dunghill

This is the time of year when we return from the holiday vacation and get back in the daily grind. In the last few days there's been some serious mistakes I've personally made, mostly in the area of ungratefulness to those around me and also in the area of my work at the University. The dunghill of academia.

Speaking of dunghills, I was reading about David this morning.  The "bible" David. He was a scrawny teenager at the time, the little "pouty brat" according to his brothers.

The bible "David" had brothers similar to me as I was the eldest in our family of six.  Today my brother (who is also David) are really close. It wasn't always that way. Back in the 60s we had to share a bedroom. We drew an imaginary line between our twin beds and I looked him straight in the eye one day, "don't you dare cross it, bro!"

As the story goes, the bible David was sent to the Israeli front lines to deliver a picnic lunch for his brothers.

David wasn't old enough to go to war or be a soldier. He was a shepherd. In the scheme of life, he was the lowest ranking shepherd. He probably stepped in sheep "poop" lots of times. It was a mundane task, "keep the sheep here" his dad would say. It was a boring job.

In my mind, David was sort of like the actor Michael J Fox in "Back to the Future."  He was looking for adventure!

So, as the story goes, one day a lion stops by for a lamb chop. God whispers in his ear. "Go after that lion, I'll protect you."

David reaches for a stone and places it in his slingshot. "Why not, what have I got to lose?"

Most teens wouldn't do what David did. I wasn't too excited as a teenager when dad asked me to wash the car, mow the lawn or take out the garbage.

Fast forward a few months.

David shows up with his sack of cheese burgers and fries for his brothers. There's this loud verbal exchange going on between the Philistines and the Hebrew soldiers.

"God doesn't exist, you peons! You are idiot chickens. Israel doesn't exist, you are not a nation and you crossed our borders.... scram ... I am warning you... we will send in terrorists to blow you up if you don't stop."

David hears this and wonders, why doesn't somebody do something about this? As the story goes, Goliath was a big man. Some scholars estimate his height about 9 feet. In those days, it seems there were some big people. Not obese people, BIG PEOPLE.

King Saul has offered a prize to anyone who would fight Goliath. Saul feels a tug on his robe. He looks down and sees David.

Can you imagine what does through Saul's mind? Here is the commander of all the Israeli military. The great general who doesn't know what to do. 

His brothers weigh in. "Send him home, our dad will be so ticked off and .. besides... these cheesburgers don't have pickles and onions on them. Where's the ketchup?"

Saul knows he doesn't have too many options. Maybe David could go in.  He could try and protect this kid if he's going to go out. The best armour on David is placed on him. He is a scrawny teen can barely walk around.

This whole situation calls for modern warfare, doesn't it? Ballastic missles or nuclear warheads!

David goes to the stream and collects 5 smooth stones.

Today, some bible scholars assign great theological meaning to these five stones. I don't see it that way. I think it was more practical. Goliath had 4 brothers and he knew they would be the first men to attack after their brother was slaughtered.

You know the rest of the story. If you don't ..... call up your childhood Sunday school teacher.

Anyway, I got to thinking. I need to appreciate the dunghill more and maybe I need to have excitement when I undertake the simple tasks in life. Make it an adventure! Is there some boring thing you do everyday? Stop and listen. Is there a small, quiet voice  whispering in your ear to go about it differently?

Mary, was it one of Herod's soldiers?

It really doesn't matter what your position is on the ancient Christmas story, ok? Over the years, I've learned the importance of this historical account isn't about me.  On the contrary, whatever your mental process is on this "story" be it skeptic, rationalist, agnostic or atheist, this account exists and stands firmly in the conviction of many people. I would venture to say the vast majority of anyone subscribing to a "religion" have a position on what happened 2000 years ago. Their perspectives may surprise you. Islam and Christianity are actually unified on the account, that this young girl, Mary, was a virgin. There is nothing else shared between Islam and Christianity, but I have a deep respect for the beliefs of my Muslim friends. The other major religion, Judaism, is of the opinion that the key character in our story was a Semite and somewhat of a deluded victim of extreme poverty. To many Jews, Mary was the mother of a misguided rabbi. Nevertheless, this "ancient superstition" stands.

We all know the story, most likely because we are influenced by it in some way. We may not admit it, but we are influenced by it. In fact,

Some time ago, I wrote a similar perspective on this topic entitled  "Was that Jewish Peasant Girl Lying? " and I wonder if you would be a patient reader and allow me to propose some other perspectives on my first narrative?

First of all, these traditions about the first Christmas could be entirely false or this could be a infallible account of actual events. Also, it could be an embellishment of a story. It doesn't matter that a prophet, hundreds of years earlier,  talked about a virgin birth of the Messiah (see Isaiah 7:14). Maybe Isaiah was mistaken though, probably that old text could be translated "young girl" and not a virgin. Or maybe it was translated and copied wrong, written after the account of these things (we should mention here the Isaiah papyrus known as the Dead Sea Scrolls).

Who was this teenage girl, Mary? Did she even exist?  Where did this story come up about being a virgin?

 

At the outset, as you come to this story there are angels. In our minds, there may or may not have been angelic visitations - most of us fall into one of those two camps. In our current culture we may dismiss these heavenly visitors, but in the text there were two such visitations. One to the father of the man who would later become "John The Baptist" (a rather extreme fundamentalist in the Baptist-sense) and this young teen girl.

On Zechariah, he was a Hebrew disbeliever. Now, if you are a disbeliever in Mary's account, please ponder Zechariah skepticism for a moment. It doesn't matter what the angel says to him, he doesn't believe it. A  very religious man and a priest going about this act of religiosity, he was interrupted in one of the most important duties assigned to ancient priests of his day - the annual rite of offering a sacrifice to atone for the sins of the people.  The angel is saying his "older wife - Elizabeth" will have a son.

For the record, the Qur'an references and Elizabeth, Zachariah and John the Baptist as exalted doers of good. In essence, Islam recognizes the angelic visitation to Zachariah.

Anyway, Zechariah chokes. He's never heard a voice in the sanctuary before. He is scared and maybe not thinking correctly. It is usually quiet in here, this is a sacred place.  All he says is, "how can this be?" Folks, my wife and I are similar in age, both in our mid-50s. We have been married 34 years, raised 3 daughters and now have 6 grandchildren. I could easily cut this guy a break, most likely I would have the same response. However, the angel rebuffs him. Zechariah is not to speak until the baby is born.

Now we have Mary. Same angel, but a more preposterous claim. I'd  be the first person to dismiss the possibility of a virgin birth. After all, how can a woman become pregnant when she has never had sexual intercourse? She plainly asks the angel this very question. An explanation is given.

At this point, the jury is out. What will Mary say to this angel?

I've wondered through the years, what ran threw her head at that precise moment in time.

She can hear her father going ballistic when she presents the urine strip test results to her family.

"Mary, was it one of Herod's soldiers?"

Or, he might be thinking "that Joseph.. he has ruined the reputation of our family."

 
She is a scared young girl, but replies to the angel "let it be done according to your word."

Let's be clear here, ok? Mary was not raped by a man or by a spiritual  being or a "Holy Spirit" or whatever else we can conjure up. What happened to her was by her consent.

Did she immediately tell her family or Joseph about this visitation? I don't know. It isn't clear. They did find out though, either by her explanation or by the obvious shape of her physical appearance. The bible text does say that she went to visit her cousin Elizabeth's house. This visit was purposeful. Elizabeth is obviously pregnant by this time. This woman also validates any doubts Mary would have about her own spiritual journey in this matter.

Now, for the record, I don't deify Mary. She was a person just like you and I. She is an example of faith in a faithless age, both then and now.

If you are interested in what I am writing about here, can I encourage you to read the original text account of these things?  Read Luke 1:1-45.

Virtual Reality

There are lots of a tech talk these days of a 3D virtual world where people occupy avatars and inhabit electronic environments via digital cameras and other technical interfaces. Players put on special gloves that allow them to feel and touch their virtual environment, one turns their head and it is like looking around inside the virtual world while sitting on the sofa.

Personally, I am a fan of some of these developments. From a therapeutic perspective, speaking as a clinician who has absolutely no competence in the area of psychiatry - so please excuse any claim of knowing what I am talking about - virtual reality has proven effective in treating some people with post-traumatic disorders. Combat veterans, for example, return to the battlefield and immerse themselves in war games that allow them to bridge reality with their emotional pain of a experience from the past.

Virtual reality also has a social significance. It allows people to be someone they are not. For example, there are 3D worlds where people can put on bodies and faces that in no way represent their true identity. They can meet people and appear to have a beauty about them when, in reality, they are a little overweight or have a mole on their chin.

I wonder sometimes if in the matter of spiritual things we also experience a type of virtual reality. We are shielded sometimes from knowing who we really are, our moral identity is inflated by attitudes of self-righteous behavior. Our actions and words shield us from the real world of pain, suffering, or just how depraved we really are. For example, we might not think anything is wrong by viewing pornography or meeting a sexual partner for our fantasy world.

Indeed, the picture of he sultry woman on the web page may not be all you think she is. Could she be a victim of child molestation? Was she forced into the world of prostitution to escape an abusive father? Is this the victim of drugs, the pornography being the only way to cope with the cost? Could she have been taken off the streets as a runaway and litterally have no place else to go but in front of a camera?


Is our viewing these pictures a type of "virtual reality" ?

I sometimes wonder, especially as we celebrate Christmas , if we think the whole "CHRISTMAS THING" is a virtual reality.

After all, this is really God we are talking about. Certainly God's own Son didn't leave paradise and enter the world born into a poor carpenter's family. Maybe electronically he "beamed" himself down under that north star, right?

So, was this "God" protected from the real-world experience?

While wealthy women today give birth in expensive hospitals with epidural anesthesia, 2000 years ago a Hebrew woman cries out in pain. This town of Bethlehem, foretold more than 500 years  before the selected date by the prophet Isaiah, could it be real? Is this really happening? Is God visiting man and his world?

Let's contine to ask the hard questions.

Why would God occupy the body of a frail Jewish infant and fall asleep in a cattle trough? Surely this child is insignificant, after all Herod would not send soldiers a few days later to slaughter hundreds of babies just to kill this one?

Jesus' appearance must be a myth or maybe the story is inflated a bit! Perhaps over the years many would embellish the story of this Christ child.

God really doesn't want to visit us, does he? Isn't God removed from the affairs of men? Why would we come into the world we inhabit?

Surely if God did come, he was shielded from the true experience of being human. Perhaps God put on some of the virtual electronic glove when he reached up and touched the hand of Mary!

In John 1, there's a different account from the virtual reality one.

Incarnate literally means embodied in flesh or taking on flesh. God took us "on," he wanted to know what it was like to experience lust, hunger, pain and suffering.

From the beginning he knew the ancient Hebrew law - not to commit adultery, not to steal, and not to even covet  - could not be fulfilled on our own. He also knew that there was a consequence for disobeying the law, a penalty to be paid. So why not just look the other way? Let man live his or her sinful life and just excuse it?

If you been wondering this year what sets Christianity apart from other religions or philosophical belief systems, consider this moment in Bethlehem  as the starting point in your inquiry.

OTHER VIEWPOINTS

Many of the world's religions respect this Jesus as a great teacher or a prophet, but not as equal to God. According to Islam, Jesus was born to a virgin. In fact, many Muslims count themselves more faithful to the teachings of Jesus than Christians! Indeed, I've met Muslim people more moral than I am! Indeed, if we are to be  saved by our religiosity than there would be many more Islamic friends that would enter paradise rather than me. I openly admit it, I have no power to save myself no matter how good I want to be.

So who is Jesus under Islamic teaching?

He is not God. God sent Jesus as a prophet maybe, but the great prophet would not accept this Jesus as God's son.  In Islam, it is possible that God allowed the prophet Jesus to go through a trial under Pilate. But, God would not allow people to spit on him or call him names. Many of my Muslim friends believe that God spared Jesus the prophet from death on a cross. He left his body, only a spiritless Jesus died on the cross.

Maybe you are of the Eastern religious viewpoint, to you Jesus is a great moral teacher. By his example we learn to love others and to love God. We may perceive him to have a more powerful "chakra" than other people. Indeed, there are six chakras and many believe this is the spiritual energy or the spiritual "portals" of a person. I do not say this in a mocking way, don't interpret what I am writing as silly. However, Jesus is not just had more energy than anyone else. This is not why he healed people. In any case, the chakra exists in Hindu and other Westernized forms and, for some, fits the modern definition of health science as we seek to manipulate energy fields through therapeutic touch to bring about healing.

VIRTUAL - NOT

This child , who was he? Chakra personified by healing or prophet defeated by crucifixion?

The bible says that Jesus represents all we need to know about God. Through Jesus, he knows all about our world.  Not a virtual reality world, but the real world. Read Luke 2:1-7 and discover for yourself the identity of Jesus. Ask the hard questions, did this really happen? Would a census have been taken? What is the historical context for his birth? Is the birth of Jesus a myth? Is it all imaginary, inflated by years of copying ancient text filled with errors? Are the main characters also imaginary - Caesar Augustus? Wise men? Why was it unorthodox for a Jewish man (Joseph) to attend a woman in labor? Why was there no room in the "hotels" of the day? What significance do these things have in understanding the identity of Jesus of Nazareth? Tell me what you think!

Best Father

There are lots of images of fathers in our minds from both our own experiences with our dads and also from television. Growing up in the 60s, one of my favorite dads was Ben Cartwright on Bonanza (played by Lorne Greene). The series ran from 1959-1973 and Ben had this neat ranch, affectionately named the Ponderosa, near Virgina City. He had 3 adult sons - Adam, Hoss, and Little Joe. Seems like only yesterday when our neighbors bought a color TV and we all were invited over the their house to watch the program in LIVING COLOR!

There was always a bad guy to wrestle with when you watched Bonanza. Hoss or Little Joe was most commonly involved, seems like in the later years Adam made only cameo appearances. In fact, Adam was hardly ever on the show after 1965. Anyway, can't tell you how much I loved cowboys when I was little. My grandmother bought us cowboy boots, cowboy shirts and cowboy hats whenever she could. Here's a pic (below) of my brother (left) and I (right) all dressed up in our outfits. When I was a little older, we got Hopalong Cassidy (another cowboy hero) watches and our TV interests expanded into "The Lone Ranger" and "Roy Rogers."

I wonder why I needed a cowboy hero? Why did I love to watch Ben Cartwright hand out advice to his sons and ultimately watch good would win out over bad? This image of the perfect father certainly doesn't exist today. The examples most of our kids watch on TV is Homer from the" Simpsons", the ultimate bumbling idiot. There is Al Bundy from "Married With Children" and the bad guy Tony Soprano.

My own dad wasn't a cowboy hero, but I still saw him as my hero. Just not the white-hat kind. I did love him and missed him when he was gone.

In 1959, he went to a remote missile base with the Air Force and was gone for a year. My mom was left with raising 2 boys by herself.  I was three years old and quit eating. My mother put me in the hospital for a condition we call "failure to thrive" today, it includes pronounced protein malnutrition and weight loss due to dehydration.

For some reason I have retained memories of that hospitalization, the needles plunged into my legs with IV fluids and a dark room with a hard, cold table when they took X-rays. They were just about ready to start tube feedings when my behavior changed. Mom had drove to the hospital after picking up the mail. She had just collected a letter from my father. Back at that time, air mail was completely different in appearance. Actually, there wasn't much junk mail in those days. If you got letters, it was a happy occasion. These were letters from people. In retrospect, I came to know the letters from my dad at this tender age. It had light blue had a flag-type logo around the edge.

Anyway, when she opened the letter to read it to me I guess my eyes lit up. She remembers them bringing in some jello and I ate it. No vomiting. The letters made a difference. After about 3 weeks in the hospital, they let me go home.

Growing up you would think my dad and I had a fantastic relationship. But, we didn't. My dad was around physically, but not always mentally.  In 1968-69 he went to Vietnam. When we got him back, he wasn't the same. Maybe I had changed too, I don't know. We grew apart and argued a great deal. He and mom didn't get along and ultimately they divorced after 22 years of marriage. When I went in the Air Force, he never came to visit. About 15 years ago he died in loneliness, after years of smoking and drinking.

Many of us live our lives longing for a father, the one we never knew. I have hurt feelings about my own dad, no doubt about it. But, I still try and remember those times when we were close. What amazes me though, is how could a letter from dad saved me from near certain death as a child. Why would that light blue airmail envelope have such a deep and lasting impact in my mind, even today?

Listen, maybe you are reading this thinking you had a great dad. Maybe you had a lousy dad. Maybe you were sexually, physically or emotionally abused by your father. If you were really blessed, maybe you have a Ben Cartwright father.

Why do we have this notion of God as a father? Your view of your father, without a doubt, influences your view of God. I didn't make that connection for many years, but it is true.


I guess the reason I am writing this is rather simple. You have a letter waiting. It doesn't matter how sick you are, even if you can't stand the idea of a loving God or even deny that he exists. A visitor has brought you a letter. If you are lying on a theological hospital bed wondering if there really is a father who loves you, at least open the envelope to find out if he is still there. These are love letters and the message is found in the bible. Hey, maybe you don't believe all the hype about "a bible" and think it is full of errors and misprinted information. It is OK, still check it out. You don't have to "buy" everything written there. Just start with God's letter to you. I recommend the book of John in the new testament. Also, check out Hebrews 12:9-10 if you had an abusive father. Let me know what you think.

Mad Men and Glad Men

Don Draper is a fictional character on AMC 's television series "Mad Men" as many American viewers know. This program is about the 1960's, and Don is an advertising executive on Madison Ave, hence we see a glimpse of sexism in the workplace about this time period. If you follow the TV show you know that "Don Draper" is an alias; his real name is Richard Whitman.

Why is Don hiding his past? For starters, his birth mother was prostitute who died giving birth to him and his biological father didn't want much to do this him as he was growing up. His father and stepmother regularly abused him and he was eager to join the Army during the Korean war. After combat fatigue set in, Richard (Don) had an opportunity to place his dog tags on a dead soldier (the real Don Draper) and return home with a new identity. Arriving back in the states, be began work as a used car salesman when he was tracked down by Anna Draper, the real Draper's widow. He subsequently felt an obligation to her and wanted this woman to keep his secret. As his income rose, he purchased her a home and took care of her throughout her life.


Don's business contacts took off and over the years concealing his identity mad business sense. You see, he was a high school drop out, son of a prostitute and a US Army deserter by taking the new name. As a highly paid business executive in the advertising firm Sterling Cooper, he married and lived the happy materialistic life of the 60s.

Keeping that secret about the past was only half of it though, Don Draper is also a womanizer. In fact, nearly every woman he meets gets an invite to a hotel. He has one golden rule though, that he doesn't "bed" his women colleagues, especially his mentee Peggy Olsen. Nevertheless, each episode of the TV is fascinating. On the one hand you really care about Don, he is obviously hurt and acting out with his promiscuity, and on the other had you see the deep pain he inflicts on his wife and children by living a lie.

 
Indeed, the fictional "Don Draper,"  lives an absolutely depressing life. Constantly trying to bury his guilt in alcohol, sex, money and influence, he very seldom opens up to anyone. One minute he is in bed with a strange woman and the next minute he walks into the living room and cuddles his children in front of the TV set sipping on a martini. He is a master at changing roles. His only gift is deceiving or telling people what they "want" rather than what they "need" as an advertising guru. No one really knows much about him, he doesn't talk up the past. He is ashamed of it and if any of his clients found out about his identity the firm could lose business.

This "covert" Don Draper is a lot like many people. Attractive on the outside, cunning, and even admirable in a business sense. But on the inside, conniving.   Maybe we don't open up to everyone and we try to live like someone else. It is really hard to reveal everything about our past when we have something we are ashamed of. We would like to "bury" that terrible thing and leave it behind on the Korean war front or at least wrap a dog tag around our neck of someone more successful, more educated or more charismatic than we are.  We  couldn't get a role on the TV show, but nevertheless we truly live the life of "Mad Men" in the way we hide part of ourselves from others.

There is one person though who might make us "come clean." He was there when we were hurt. He was a witness to all those times of pain in our lives. He didn't stand idly by, but knew something had to be done about all the evil we experienced and all the evil WE perpetuate (just like you were hurt from someone in your past, you deliver pain to someone in the present). It is an endless cycle. Maybe you are angry God never did anything right when it happened to you in the past, you don't think God can do anything now. God can't exist because he didn't do anything to stop the hurt you felt and anyone who believes in God, this God who didn't do anything when you were hurt, is like a child believing in Santa Claus. God is a fantasy, a big fat elf on a sleigh. 


What are we to do? Live our lives in despair? Hate God or deny that he exists? We think we are happy, just like Don, or do we go on living as "Mad Men" in our daily lives?

The bible says that we can become a new person if we acknowledge our creator and confess our wrongdoings. In fact, in so doing we can be healed from all the hurt in the past.

You see, Jesus of Nazareth, a son of a carpenter and the born into the least influential family in ancient Palestine was  God incarnate in the flesh. He had no formal education and wore homespun. He had no debate instruction, but argued with the most influential men of his time. He was God intervening in the history of man. He intervened in the past, and he can intervene in the present if you want him to do so.

Matt 4:23 says ... And Jesus went round the whole of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the glad tidings of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every bodily weakness among the people.

Before you close the book on Don Draper and slap the bible shut as a text full of fairy tales, try and take a few minutes to explore who this man "Jesus" really was and is. Leave all the baggage and preconceptions you have  about religion or church steeples, get to know the historical person of  Jesus Christ as recorded in the scriptures. Start with the gospel of John, it is easy to read. I would love to hear from you!

A Stumbling Block

The Iron Cross is a distinctive symbol that represents bravery and courage; it was a medal awarded to soldiers and sometimes civilians in Germany. This Iron Cross signifies power, military strength, a country at war would use the cross similar. Interesting, since the historical perspective indicates the original cross was one of wood. Anyway, the war was often annotated with the year indicating the era in which it was issued. For example, an Iron Cross from the First World War bears the year "1914", while the same decoration from the Second World War is annotated "1939".

The pop singer  Madonna was criticized for being "offensive" in 2006 while performing with a large hanging mirrored cross wearing a crown of thorns on the stage. In her song "Live to Tell," advocate "interpreters" say she is performing "a woman's right to stand in Jesus's place."

Even if you are not a Christian, do you find this artistic expression offensive?  As a follower of Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism) and as a person who doesn't believe in the historical Jesus, should we care if she offends anyone or any religious group? Would a symbol like this have been tolerated in the Muslim world? PLEASE DON'T MISUNDERSTAND, I DO NOT ADVOCATE THAT IT SHOULD AND DO NOT WISH TO OFFEND ANY ISLAMIC PERSON. But, isn't it interesting that there is a freedom to do this for the Christian religion?

Like Madonna, the line is somewhat blurry on other manifestations in society. For example, crosses are used as tattoos as body decorations. Are these for religious and spiritual reasons? Does the location of the tattoo have a special meaning? Is it a mockery or an expression of faith? If the cross is inked on your skin and you are marked, are you ever ashamed to display the tattoo?

 

In some ways the church is a lot like popular culture, especially when it comes to displaying the cross. It is a decoration. Something to hang behind the pulpit or in the hallway leading to the Sunday school rooms. It goes nice with the yellow paint or perhaps it provides symmetry to the wall hangings. It is a "no-brainer" for the most part. It does it's job, a symbol of Christianity. Nothing more.   


In fact, for many reading this the cross is fine. What gives? It is nice to put on jewelry or whatever, but please don't talk about the meaning of the cross. Is it repulsive to go into the real meaning behind it. Perhaps even to even mention the cross brings up past experiences of being proselytized.

Perhaps you remember a "Catholic" school moment with a nun with a big cross hanging from her neck slapped a ruler across the rear seam of your jeans.

The cross seems too, well.... infantile. The cross, such a child thing. Any dummy would know what the cross is, so why go into it? After all, you are an intelligent human being and just reading this blog is rather insulting. We know what the cross is, so what talk about it?

OK, a disclaimer. I am not meaning to insult anyone's intelligence.I am not superior in my understanding of the cross, so I am not looking down my "religious nose" pointing fingers as to why we need to talk about the cross. In fact, often times I find it terribly uncomfortable to do so. It is just not the "social thing" not to do it.

No proselytizing here.  All I ask is for an open mind.

However, (oh gosh, you knew that was coming) what is the real meaning of the "cross" and why is this particular symbol so polarizing?

Under Roman tradition the cross was not only a way to cause death, but to punish one with intense pain and suffering. The "gnash your teeth" type of suffering.  The nails went through a certain part of the hand in order to support the body, but nails were also put in the feet. A person had to push himself up to get a breath of air on these feet or ankles with the nail (crucifixion caused one to basically die of suffocation because of the intense pain of doing this). One would ask, why would the historical Jesus even have to do this? I guess that is a deep theological question, one that I am not really qualified to answer. With that preamble, my answer would be that "he didn't have to do it."    

We have a number of places in the bible where Jesus certainly had a opportunity to run. He didn't need to die on a cross or go through a trial (both a religious one and a civil one). Actually, the fact there was both a civil and a religious trial point to the fact that men don't do well with justice by either religious or judicial standards. This while "God is the Judge" thing or "Jesus paid for my sins" is a silly rationale to you.  I hear you, ok? So why do we have a judgment anyway? God is a loving God and he wouldn't want to hurt anyone.

Why couldn't Jesus just preach a simple message like that? Isn't that what Christianity is all about? God loves us just "Let it Be" like the Beatles used to sing.

So, why didn't Jesus just take off? In the garden, that would have been a great place to say "Asta laveista, baby." Good luck with all that warm, fuzzy "God loves ya messages" I preached about the last 3 years.

OH, I know another place he could have taken off. When all the crowds gathered in Jerusalem for the Passover!  What a strategic time for this carpenter to "take a fiesta." In fact, didn't his parents fill out a "missing persons" report in Jerusalem when he was 12 years old? After all, his disciples disappeared for the most part (although John was there). It could have been a remarkable end to this whole "good news" and "stop sinning" preaching if Jesus would have just disappeared. 

As an academic, I really don't want to talk about the cross. In fact, you wonder why it is so central in the "gospels" as recorded in the bible. Why did the bible say it would be a "stumbling block" for many? Why is the cross so central that the Apostle Paul warned that if the Christian were to leave it out .. it would empty the message of gospel of all it's power?

We know this "leaving it out"  happens today in modern churches. If a pastor doesn't want to talk about the cross, he or she just does a message on "getting healed" or "praise the Lord." Let's get the latest popular psychology textbook and base the sermon on that! Positive thinking, maybe something on "releasing negative energy" this week? That is what the people need to hear - a "feel good" gospel!  Give everyone a smile and a healthy dose of self esteem!  In fact, you are loved no matter what. Christianity should be about sin or hell or a judgment.

So, what does the cross mean to you?  If you have" no spiritual interests," what do you think it means for Christians? Should we just leave it out? How does the cross, as you know it, conflict with these modern media messages?

Were You lost in "Lost"?

If you are like me and millions of other Americans, you've been watching the ABC hit series "Lost." In fact, last week 13.5 million viewers tuned in to watch the American airing of the 2.5-hour Lost finale. Anyway, most of the time I felt like the characters in the plot with those bewildered looks on their faces. Did you feel that way too? When we first started watching it the first year, I was rather bored. I couldn't follow the plot that well and it seemed to ramble on and on (sort of like this blog).

How did it all get started? What is all the fuss about this program?

Lost opened with a group of passengers on Oceanic Airlines Flight 815 who were on a scheduled flight  from Sydney, Australia to Los Angeles, California when the plane crashed over the sea. Strange things started happening to the surviving passengers who were stranded on the island. For example, a paralyzed man named John Locke suddenly gained use of his legs and began walking around. 

What finally aroused my curiosity in the program though was something called the The DHARMA Initiative (Department of Heuristics And Research on Material Applications).  Supposedly this was a scientific research project that had a large presence on the island and started to flirt with "time travel" based on a magnetic force hidden deep in the earth. Most of the Lost plot went in different directions, to the 50s when an atomic bomb was discovered when an eccentric physics professor from present day tried to help them disarm it.  Anyway, the DHARMA "scientific" group came into conflict with another group known as the "Hostiles" who were island natives. They resented the scientific expeditions and accused DHARMA group of murder and mayhem through their many years as island inhabitants.

Hostiles frequently stayed on their side of the island and the DHARMA initiative erected complex electronic fences around their compounds. The two groups finally formed a "truce" in the 70s, but DHARMA occasionally violated the peace accord.

Survivors from Oceanic Flight 815 became even more confused by these two groups, each making what appeared to be valid accusations about the other people. Some survivors of the crashed airplane sided with the DHARMA group and some survivors took up the cause of the Hostiles. Did I forget to mention "Jacob" was a mysterious figure of authority of the Island who was "in charge" of the Island. Jacob would appear at various time points in history - sometimes dating back to the childhood of survivors of the "future" airline crash. The characters vaguely remembered him in their "flashbacks" in time, but this was also confusing. Who was Jacob? Who was his fraternal twin (the man in black) as he was portrayed as "evil" and why was Jacob going back in time to bring the survivors together on the island?  

What does all of this "taking sides" have to do with the "Lost" passengers aboard Oceanic Flight 815?

I guess this isn't easily answered in the short take I am doing here. It certainly wasn't always clear in the plot. I think sometimes both the actors and the audience began to feel "Lost." It was fun, I guess.

For the characters "Lost" was part delirium, part time travel and part confusion in discovering "truth." I was particularly amused at some biblical themes in the plot as the story aired. There was a resurrection (really, a dead person coming back to life), good and evil, a false prophet, lies, alcoholism, violence and murder, justification for doing wrong, struggles with guilt, and a sense of wanting to do something right given a second chance.

We were all entertained, watched faithfully (if you were hooked) and we ate our popcorn in front of the television. In essence, we were allowed to determine what the "door of light" at the end meant and could leave it to our own interpretation. This was designed to be a humanistic ending, encompassing all religious viewpoints and perhaps even embracing agnosticism.

What was the door of light to you? What is beyond our human experience; our lifetime of experiences? Do you ever feel lost like the characters on Oceanic Flight 815? Is life simply a "mindless wandering" through time?

The last thing I want to do here is get all religious here, but the film really took the "pot shot" at discussion spiritual things. What happens when you die? Will there be a reconciliation with long, lost friends? A reunion with a deceased father? A self-realization that you actually died? A casket in the back room?

If you are searching for answers, there are lots of places to begin from a religious perspective. For me, I found the answers in Christianity a long time ago. Some will say it was because I was born Caucasian, in Western culture and simply followed the direction my parents taught me. It isn't so, my embracing Christianity has everything to do with free will and making my own decisions.  I would love to share my own journey there, it had many curves in the plot just like the Lost film series. I also made many mistakes and hurt people in trying to get to that point in my life where Christ became a real person. Not a fantasy like John Locke, but a real person as revealed in the book of John. Better yet, find out what John has to say for yourself. Pick up a bible, just start reading John Chapter 1.   

Or, go back to eating popcorn. Really, it is all up to you....

Beer Can Parable

In the fall of 1973, anxious to leave home, I enlisted in the Air Force and was to report to active duty immediately after high school graduation. Confident that I was now economically secure, I went to Melvin's Ford in Hampton and ordered a Mustang with my new found freedom. The new car in 1973 came to $3329 (I have the invoice in front of me as I write this). I traded in a 1967 Pontiac for this car, so it helped a little bit. Just like the hit single by Everclear, we only listened to the "AM Radio" back in 1973. It was also during this time that gas prices went up. During my junior year, a gallon of gas was 32 cents, if you were lucky and could drive into Mason City you might get gas for 30 cents. Sometimes there would be a "gas war" and it might dip down to 28 or 29 cents and you thought you were lucky. It wasn't uncommon for us at all to pull up to a full-service station and say "put in 2 dollars worth" and you would easily have a half tank of gas!

With the oil embargo gas shot up to 39 cents a gallon in January of 1974. I didn't know how this was going to work out, and since the economy was "shot" new for sure that I wasn't going to college and the Air Force was the best option. My parents were not at all excited about my career plans, but on June 3 put me on the bus and off I went to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas for basic training.

We got our heads shaved a day or so later. As we were in-processing, the "experienced" Airman called us "rainbows" as we still had our civilian clothes and hadn't been issued anything more than the haircut. We came from all walks of life. No sooner had we checked into the barracks, the same buildings my father stayed in during the Korean War (he was retired Air Force), that I discovered we had people without a high school diploma to guys that had been in college.

One guy in particular had been "simple minded" and there was always somebody like that in the Air Force. We were learning to march and the drill sergeant would yell "COLUMN-RIGHT" and this guy would turn left. He did it every time.

There would be a long pause as the platoon leader would yell "HALT." He went up to this guy, the sergeant stood maybe 2 inches from his nose" and said "YOUR OTHER RIGHT."

IT was really funny. We would march along again for an hour, this guy did the same thing. The platoon sergeant stops the entire squadron and spots a beer can along the side of the road. It was squashed from a car tire. He gets an idea and sends the young soldier over to pick it up.

Our drill instructor proceeded to yell at him and asked him to sniff it and let us all know if it smelled good.

"NO SIR," the young airman replied.

We chuckled. This was hilarious.  If you laughed out loud though, the sergeant would walk over to your face so one tended to keep it to a smirk he couldn't see.

"From this day forward, every time I see you, you are to carry that beer can around in your RIGHT HAND. I want you to polish it, wash it, and it is to smell like a rose every morning, DO YOU HEAR ME AIRMAN?"

"YES SIR," the shaking soldier responded.

For the next six weeks, this guy carried around the beer can in his right hand. He never left the barracks without it. It was always a joke among the rest of us, but I learned a life lesson out of it as I grew older and never forgot it.


That airman paid a price for his mistake, an embarrassing one. At times this guy was hated by all of us. He made our squadron look bad. Whenever an officer would walk by our platoon he would order us to halt, walk up to this guy and just shake his head. We became the laughing-stock on the whole base. Nobody felt sorry for this guy. The best thing we could do is "hide" him in the middle when we marched.

In the "chow line" we made this guy suffer. He would never be first when we were hungry and bumped him to last. When we hit the showers it was worse than gym class, this guy would walk into the stall with his beer can. When he went to the sink to shave, he had his beer can. We ridiculed him, naked and all. Didn't bother us.

Sometimes I think back to that hot summer day and remember that beer can. How often I should know right from wrong, the right from the left. But, I don't do it. I mess up, just like that Airman. There is a moral choice to be made, but I fail God and go the other direction. So, who gets stuck with the beer can?

I guess Jesus is sort of like that guy when we screw up.

Isaiah 53:2-5 says of Christ "We turned our backs on him and looked the other way when he went by. He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God for his own sins! But he was wounded and crushed for our sins. He was beaten that we might have peace. He was whipped, and we were healed!" (New Living Translation).

I know, you don't want to read bible verses, but if you made it to this sentence - congratulations! Most people don't think of a beer can when they look up at a "cross" in a church. That symbol just doesn't fit. But for me, I sometimes think of it that way.


Enough, ok? I won't push it. But, if you've never really saw the cross for what it was or the claim that Jesus Christ is there to pick up the pieces when you make a bad choice, would you consider that claim today?

Was That Jewish Peasant Girl Lying?

There are probably a million other things you could be doing right now rather than reading this post, I truly am humbled by the fact you visited here today.

We truly don't read much about inspiration or hope anymore and as Easter 2010 rolls around this weekend it is even less likely that you are going to hear anything positive in the news or even be reminded of what happened nearly 2000 years ago. If you turn on the nightly news on TV you might see a little video clip of the pope giving an Easter Mass in the Vatican. It is all but certain that there will be a Whitehouse Easter Egg hunt with lots of children running on the lawn. So, these things that happened long ago are mostly forgotten. This is a holiday to celebrate Spring, the new life is in nature. It is not about historical events, the historical accuracy or facts. Anti-Jewish sentiment long has influenced history, so even if you are not feeling like Easter is any different this year, I understand. Anything I write here will most likely not make any difference in how or what you believe about Easter, but can you give me a chance? Even if it doesn't work, at least you have ammunition to  get into a scholarly argument with some Christian on these talking points. Who knows, you might even talk some sense into them and they will give up this fable called Christianity.

There is a scholarly group who has studies these Easter events extensively. They formed a group called the "Jesus Seminar" and, for lack of a better word, disenfranchised evangelical Christians with their conclusions. Dr. John Crossan is an original member of the Jesus Seminar group and co-chaired it. He has excellent academic credentials and was a professor at DePaul University for 26 years. Basically, his premise is that we have a historical Jesus Christ and a second one, a Jesus hailed as the leader of the Christian religion as we know it today. So, bottom line what are his historical conclusions about the events we know as Easter? I mean only be fair and objective, it is very difficult for me to articulate his position and some of you may "blast" me for trying to do this. Anyway, here we go.

1. Jesus of Nazareth actually did exist, but the resurrection is more of an allegory than a historical event.
2. The burial story of Jesus is inaccurate; most likely Jesus was buried in a common "ditch" much like the other common criminals executed in his day. Most like his body was eaten by dogs.
3. The visit of women to an empty tomb was a fabrication made up by the gospel writer, Mark.
4. The disciples never experienced any postmortem appearances of a risen Jesus.
5. The disciples never really believed in the literal resurrection of Jesus.

These conclusions for many non-Christians will seem perfectly plausible and will carry much weight because this group, the Jesus Seminar, was based on a consensus of responsible scholarship. So, there you have it. Stripped of all the embellishments of tradition and objectively written and published by professors who know a great deal about history.

If you want to quit here, I completely understand. Maybe you don't want to read a rebuttal or some persuasive argument to the contrary of the five above points. Or maybe, in the interest of being politically correct and because you might know me, you let me have a shot at it. Fair enough, exit now or read on!

Christianity is unique from other world religions for on two key issues about their "religious leader." What are these? It all relates to Jesus of Nazareth's 1) Virgin birth and 2) Resurrected body following his death.

Got it? These 2 facts only. Now there are differences in claims and identity as well. BUT, I am trying to keep things simple.

On fact #1, I guess the real question is was that Jewish peasant girl lying? She said she was a virgin and that she was pregnant. Let me "up" the "spin" of this story, she said an angel had visited her and told her these things.  OK, right. You don't believe it. On the surface, I wouldn't either. Yes, there are some other facts on this story like "God sent an angel to Joseph in a dream to verify Mary's story." But, really an entire world religious movement dependent on this young woman's claim that she was a virgin and that this child was conceived by someone other than a human being? I could go off on so many tangents right now, but I won't. Let your imagination run wild if you wish here. Hey, I am with you. Honestly, that single fact alone doesn't convert me to Christianity and I don't expect it will you either.

On fact #2, I don't even know how to write this. It is my sole basis for being a Christian. It is a matter of faith that I accept fact # 2. Yes, and so a lot of you are going to shut me down right there. You might say, "OK it works for you." Great. To be honest, when you say it that really ticks me off. It seems like you have put me in a category of blind, stupid people who somehow believe in fables. Even though on the surface, you won't offend me with saying that out loud. You believe it, don't you. You believe something about me that is false.

What am I trying to say? No, I don't believe in the resurrection simply because I believe, I believe that I believe. Maybe you've been watching too many "Shrek" movies.

Jewish belief in a resurrection at the time of Jesus death was just about as strange a concept as it is today. According to Jewish law, the execution of Jesus proved that he was a heretic. The Messiah, as they knew it, was going to raise the dead at the end of earth MAYBE.

Bottom line, the death of Jesus was proof that the Jewish peasant girl was lying. The historical Jesus, according to Crossan, was really an ordinary man sent by God with an extraordinary message. Dr. Crossan would argue that he also believes in "a resurrection," but not the one most Christians believe in. He sees it as an "equal and important" resurrection, but one that is about the resurrection of new beginnings. He sees Easter as a embellished story of good news for everyone, that we can have a fresh start in life. But, a physical resurrection of a dead body? No.

So, there is NO REASON to my faith in the resurrection. Only a "belief" in a mystical fable that was written many times though the centuries. Thank you Dr. Crossan - that is a message of hope to me personally. I can know that I will die, maybe my friends will have a funeral for me, and what an encouragement that will be in my post-mortem unconscious existence.

Or, do we have a very detailed account of what happened. Was Joseph of Arimathea, a leader in the Jewish Council that convicted Jesus of heresy in the middle of the night, a wealthy man and did he have an unused tomb? What was the social cost of him sending a formal request to Pilate to remove the remains? We still have the clock "ticking" folks. The next day, after a hurried burial, a political theory is emerging. The religious leaders knew his teachings about "rising on the third day" and asked for a Roman Seal to be placed on the tomb. Clock is still ticking, plenty of time to prevent any misunderstanding. What else could be done, they knew the body was going to be stolen by the disciples. After all, none of them were afraid. During the crucifixion didn't you see them marching around Jerusalem with their signs "RELEASE JESUS NOW" ????

Historical credibility in what happened after, you ask? Now if Jesus appeared to the leader of the Jewish Council, the Sanhedrin, maybe you would be convinced. Wasn't that the ultimate most trustworthy person to document a risen Christ? Why not Pilate or Herod? After all, Herod was involved in the legal proceedings and hoped that Jesus would do some magical trick at this house. Pilate, all he had was his wife begging to let him let Jesus go because she had a bad dream that night.

No, again the credibility of this story lies with women. Gender is a common theme in Jewish tradition. If a you have a woman on the witness stand in court, you lost buddy. Women were prone to gossip and lies, they were not valid character references. However you feel about what I just wrote, that is the historical context. So, on Easter morning we have women as the first witnesses.

What about Jesus corpse? Was it possible he was only wounded and revived? After all it was a hurried burial. See my later blog posting on where that premise goes.

Did we have any eye witness appearances? You know, no matter what I write here many of you are going to blow it off. Not that I am being pessimistic, it is just that there is no mound of evidence that is ever going to persuade you to believe in the resurrection. So, don't review the evidence. But, all the disciples were witnesses. MAYBE THAT WERE WILLING TO DIE for an embellished tale told by Jewish women. I don't know, your call on that one. Maybe those names are not enough, or the list of eyewitnesses who were not part of the Jesus inner-twelve. Maybe you find that a member of the Jewish court, Joseph of Arimethea, a likely candidate to ask for the body of the religious leader. Maybe it is the stuff of legend, maybe 500 people didn't see the risen Christ. First-century Palestine skeptic, James (the brother of Christ and the one who tried to get him thrown in the insane asylum) was certainly not a prime candidate to know to about the risen Christ.

Oh my, what do we do with James. His own mother probably didn't talk about the virgin birth thing much while he was growing up. He had no sibling rivalry over his childhood brother, did he?

Why did Jesus specifically tell his disciples, please tell my brother James I am alive.

Jame's mother, the Jewish peasant woman. His mom.  Was she lying? Tell me what you think!

Is He Risen?

Easter is absolutely the most polarizing holiday in Western culture. Some simply anesthetize the controversy of the most remarkable claim in human history, you know, the one about a man who claimed to be the Son of God who physically rose from the dead, with Easter eggs and chocolate bunnies. Others think Christians are absolutely insane.

So what is the legacy of Easter to you? An empty tomb or an empty promise?  Is the whole notion of Jesus rising from the dead the "Frankenstein" of human religion or is it a mythological story penned by pathologically grieving disciples? Maybe there wasn't this disenfranchised Judas, the most trusted guy in the bunch who Jesus appointed as treasurer of his "band of brothers." Maybe there was no crucifixion at all, perhaps Jesus was a carpenter fellow and this whole story of death on a cross is about some guy who was deified posthumously.

What do all of these stories of the resurrection prove anyway? Is the resurrection of Jesus Christ a historical fact or is it fiction? Certainly there are opposing positions on the bible narrative. Islam claims that Christ was a prophet, not God incarnate, as no God-equal would himself to suffer the humility of persecution and death on a cross. God simply would not do this. Christ was a prophet, a notion that Muslim people at least admit openly. He was indeed mortally wounded, but suffered unconsciousness and regained cerebral perfusion after being entombed for a few hours. Besides, Christians are polytheists believing in a "trinity" or 3 gods. Pagans, infidels, lost people who worship the pope and have sex at the center of their culture.

Besides, was Jesus really dead? I mean the fact that the staff sergeant on duty broke the legs of the other two men crucified with him and shoved a spear into the thorax of this Jesus guy, well it probably means he was only wounded when he was taken down from the cross, right? A little IV fluids, some putting his legs up on a pillow, and yes - Jesus good as new in a couple of hours.

Listen, I know you don't want to hear the sublime monotheism explanation offered by evangelical Christians, do you? There are many things in the biblical narrative that defy any rational explanation -  a virgin birth. Yes, come on you don't really believe that do you? Who would claim such a thing? A risen Christ, why bother? This man, Jesus, is dead. Let him rest in peace.

Imagine you are not a Christian in first century Palestine, you are walking along a dusty road and you hear this story of this prophet or teacher or whatever you want to call him - was recently arrested for civil disobedience and that his misfit followers were all scattered because they also feared for their lives.

After all, this Lazarus story (see prior blog entry) was circulating around town and you were in a hurry to get to Jerusalem. It is early Sunday morning and this story about some women going to cemetery to put a few flowers on the grave are now reporting that he is alive again. What does it mean to you?

There are many reasons why you should not believe this story. First of all, any good Jewish man will tell you that women are not allowed to testify in a court of law. The WORST WITNESS you could have, if you were trying to prove some legal or historical fact, was to have a WOMAN testify on your behalf.  Women are naturally more charitably inclined to embellish their stories. If you were trying to popularize some story about a Messiah rising from the dead - definitely put a woman on the witness stand. Oh, also put a fisherman who denied he even knew you a few hours before on the stand. Oh, also call this fisherman the "rock" on which you build this new religion. Definitely a plus, don't you think?

Also, don't draw any attention to your funeral. In fact, die penny-less. Borrow someone's tomb as you know lots of people are going to show up for your funeral.

Speaking of funerals. Who was this Jesus, the president or something? Why post soldiers around his grave? Did we miss the parade through the rotunda or the flag-draped coffin somewhere? Besides, there's some misunderstanding about all of these Roman soldiers falling asleep on the job. I see this happening a lot at funerals, don't you?

OK, what about the state funeral procession for this Galilean? After all, wasn't he in Jeruselum the week before and thousands of people were waiving palm leaves as he rode into town on a donkey, side-saddled, like King David.  Everyone knows that carpenters from Nazareth (especially those that belong to the carpenter's union and have expanded fringe benefits)  have expensive funerals and soldiers posted by their government-sealed burial sites, right?

Also, the accounts of the resurrection are all messed up by these women. Most likely they just saw a ghost. Everyone knows that when you lose a loved one, well you just miss them so much it just sort of happens that you don't sleep well the night after the funeral and people bring all these strange foods to your house that cause you to have bad dreams.

Don't you agree? Tell me what you think.

Postmortem Destiny?

Shows like FOX's  "Fringe" show autopsies and dead bodies strung around the crime scene. I especially like Fringe because the plot line involves a somewhat "confused" Dr. Walter Bishop played by John Noble. He is sort of a professor type genius who has memory problems, but solves complex crimes other investigators won't touch. There is Walter's son, Peter, who doesn't really have pleasant memories of his childhood and has carried years of remorse over how his dad treated him. There's a tension there, Peter calls his father "Walter" rather than "dad."  Yet, Walter has moments of lucidity about he treated his son and there is a remorse in some of the things he did to Peter as a child.  Agent Olivia Dunham (played by Anna Torv) is a young FBI agent assigned to multi-agency task force that oversees Walter's (Dr. Bishop) work so he doesn't get too strange with his requests.  Agent Dunham takes on the "special" cases and immediately calls on Walter when something borders on the "weird."

Americans are obsessed with death and shows like "Fringe." We love to mix up crime and science fiction in our entertainment and speculate about death. There is something about seeing a dead body close up or an autopsy being performed with blood spattering. We also like to hear the grinding noise of a saw blade cutting into skull and the "plop" of the brain falling into a metal basin. We love it when the pathologists sips on his Coke or bite's his Godfather pizza as he lifts the liver out of a body cavity.

Most of us in the health science professions have been to an autopsy before. I took human anatomy and physiology at both the University of Colorado and the University of Iowa. Many times I've taken bodies to the morgue. When I was in the Air Force in the "70s" this happened a lot and late at night.  I have some funny stories too, but I won't tell them here. Anyway, in medicine we call an autopsy a "postmortem" exam or "post" for short. 

About 2000 years ago there was a postmortem exam on someone named Lazarus. There also was a woman like Agent Olivia who was deeply involved in the investigation into his illness and the non-arrival of help when she needed it. Her name was Martha and she was also a member of a multi-agency task force. This small family lived in Bethany, a small village about 2 miles from Jerusalem. Martha and her sister Mary were "old maids" of sorts, they argued over spiritual things. Both followed the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. They sent a message to him to when Lazarus got sick, they'd seen him cure people of illnesses like this before. Does Jesus have a memory like "Walter"?

Do you ever feel like God forgets? I know I do. When I want him to intervene in my problems immediately, it seldom happens. When the disciples saw him reading Mary and Martha's message, they sort of shrugged it off. Jesus said Lazarus was "sleeping."  They thought he had taken too much Ambien. John 11:7 says that Jesus stayed 2 more days before they departed to Bethany.

Can you imagine the scene when Jesus finally arrives? There had been a large funeral, everyone had seen the dead body, everyone had been a witness to the death. How many were there? Possibly several hundred, but it isn't recorded.  When word spread that Jesus was coming to town the number of people present rose exponentially. Some were friends of Jesus and some were not. I would venture to say there were more "NOTS" than friends. They wanted to accuse him. He healed others, doesn't he look out after his own friends?

What kind of words do you say to a widow a funeral? Do you stutter a bit? How is it that death leaves us speechless? It truly does. But, Jesus was late to his friend's aid and he was late to the funeral. The body was already in the tomb. Flowers were wilting, the women still dressed in black. Trust me, if Walter knew what was about to happen, the good doctor would wat to be there.

Second question, have you ever been late to a funeral?

Martha is a lot like Agent Olivia in the sense she always gets to the heart of the issue. She is very objective and analytical.  When we hurt, when we experience loss, we become a lot like Martha. We start to analyze and comb the evidence. Anyway, Martha comes running down the road when Jesus nears the village and she simple says to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."

Listen, if you don't know the rest of the story. I beg you to finish reading John 11. Lazarus was dead, his body did stink, his tomb was sealed, and his friends and enemies all watched what happened in plain daylight. So many, in fact, that Jesus own death was plotted that very day. It made that many people mad that he was raise up a dead man on the sabbath.

If you doubt that Lazarus was raised up, consider the "party" the following week where all the skeptics could come and ask him and his sisters questions. Would would you have asked Lazarus? I wonder what "Walter" would have said to Jesus?

It begs the question, if this even actually happened... what does it mean?  Have you ever seriously considered the notion that Jesus Christ from Nazareth is about to conquer death. It doesn't matter how smelly, how morbid, how gross you thing the topic is. Life isn't about splatters it is about what matters. Send me a note or write something here, I welcome your comments!

Is Death Simply A State of Unconsciouness?

Ancient Egyptians were obsessed with death and the afterlife. Other cultures focused on deities that either collect or rule over the dead; many polytheistic religions and mythologies have a death theme or a belief about what happens after we die.  There was such an emphasis on death in history, the people saved their entire lives and set aside an "investment" to have their bodies preserved. In fact, they did a better job than modern funeral homes do today. See for yourself, this guy is 4,000 years old.

Science seems to have replaced some of these death myths, but offers no escape from death. Many of those in my collaborations through the years in the clinical sciences feel that death is simply an eternal state of unconsciousness.

What is unconsciousness? There are a few medical explanations, mostly dealing with unconsciousness ranging from a transient state to a permanent state (comatose).  Fainting due to a drop in blood pressure and a decrease of the oxygen supply to the brain is an illustration of a temporary loss of consciousness. Several years ago I received substantial funding from the National Institute on Aging to study cognitive impairment due to poor oxygenation and medications causing changes in mentation.

There are also legal definitions of unconsciousness, sometimes related to the terminally ill and sometimes applied to the accused. This stretches things a bit, but it  may entitle the criminal defendant to argue that they should not be held criminally liable for their actions or omissions because they were not in "their right mind" or mentally insane.

Pop culture is really interested in near-death experiences, films focus on terror and calamity. While Egyptians buried their dead and spent lifetimes preparing monuments for their death, today we largely avoid funerals and visiting cemeteries. If we attend a funeral, many people don't hold the service in a church anymore. Religion has historically been a part of death, but today it is more about obtaining a "peaceful" death and grief counseling from psychologists rather than the clergy.

For many of us, death is something a long way off. We don't want to talk about it. We would rather not focus on the cold earth that consumes our remains, the dark silence inside a coffin, or the state of  our existence after death. We simply pass from being a living "BEING" to an inanimate object.

Death is concealed in our thinking really, although we love scary movies we don't like to imagine ourselves in coffins or friends attending our funeral. We live as if there is no death really, a remarkable influence of the way Hollywood has conceptualized it for us.

Death is final.


To be able to come to the conclusion there is no life after death, every single one of us defies all of the major religions and history. Ghosts, poltergeists, angels, and spirits are all mythological creatures of our imagination or there is some other explanation for the meaning of death, like getting a second chance through reincarnation.



Though everyone makes there own conclusions, I am trying here to be as objective and unbiased as possible. There is an academic side to my own inquiry, but also a spiritual one and I don't think science answers all the questions. In fact, the more I investigate this the closer I come to the conclusion that we have a soul that survives physical death. Scientists have  aimed to study what really happens to the brain and consciousness when someone is on the verge of dying, reports of a "halo" or seeing friends and loved ones in people who have lost their pulse for a short period of time and been revived have often been dismissed by the medical world as hallucinations from cerebral hypoxemia or due to metabolities from medications given during the resuscitation.

How can I try to justify death and what happens after if I have never experienced death? I can't. But, in the bible (gosh, I know I lost half of you when I wrote the "B" word) there is someone who did experience death and came back to tell his friends about it.

Some wonder, well if there is some life after death, what about life before birth? I believe that I am created, that means I had a beginning. I don't know that I existed before birth, it isn't crystal clear to me though and I am not sure. Although as a follower of Christ, I have eternal life, I am not immortal. Immortal means existing through the ages, no beginning.

There is a scene in the "B" that points to this. The disciples were walking around this temple and taking in the beautiful structure - the polished marble floors, the huge blocks of limestone, and the thick pillars that held up the portico. Jesus said nothing, walking along side them thinking about his brief time with them. Up ahead, the rulers of the temple thought if this was God's son he would surely be impressed with this "church" they had built for him.

Imagine the interaction for a minute - even if you don't believe Jesus as a "Messiah" or whatever. Go back in time and imagine the hot sun overhead, the sweat beading on his forehead. In their minds, these "pastors" thought he was nothing more than a carpenter from Galilee. A man who appreciates craftsmanship in wood, a builder in the shop of his father Joseph. But, they decided to test him. "If you are the Son of God, prove it" they said.

He looked down at his own feet. He could see the scratches on his foot from the stones on the road, the leather was dusty as it wrapped around his ankles. Nothing special about this man. His robe was home spun, probably give to him by his mother who also tried to put him away. In fact, his brothers and his family did try to take him away from the crowds and put in a "hospital" of sorts. Yes, the men in white jackets were coming to take him away. Why would any one believe him? His own family didn't. His hands were calloused from working with saws, hammers, chisels and nails. He was a carpenter, not a prophet. He was a man with body odor and a bristled, unshaven face, not any Son of God.

His accusers waited for an answer. They knew they were smarter, they'd studied the scriptures and were learned men. They wanted to trap him in his answer. Most likely they were like me, a professor, sitting on a PhD committee waiting for the student to defend their dissertation. We ask tricky questions, the theory behind their decision, the statistics used. I know the process well, it is sometimes even humiliating and I try to be gentle. But, some of my colleagues go after the student like it is pleasing to "show them" their place.

OK, before I finish the story. I don't know all the answers. I am only going to give the answer HE did to his accusers.

Jesus looked up at them and said, "tear down this temple and in 3 days I will build it up again."

Dissertation time. Defend your thesis Jesus. They looked at it him and said, "this temple took over 30 years to build and you will restore it by yourself? You are barely 30 years old, how can you say you will rebuild this temple."

In academia, this is usually when the student fidgets. It is the time when your get butterflies in your stomach and you think you are defeated. By the way, for all of you and this has been some 20 years ago and my own children may not know this. I FAILED MY DISSERTATION DEFENSE. I couldn't answer all of the questions the professors asked me. I couldn't justify the statistics I used. I came up short.

OK, back to the story. Can Jesus defend himself? Does he have an answer for his skeptics? Yes, he does. It isn't a very smart answer though if that is what you are looking for. In fact, the answer was "dumb" by human standards. It was rejected by his accusers. His answer was so far fetched his own disciples didn't get it. Do you know what it was? If fact, it took a long time for his answer to even be understood by his own followers. But, they did get it and wrote about it so you and I could understand it.

He wasn't talking about the temple, he was talking about his body. He wasn't talking about the destruction of marble, but the destruction of life. Death.

Think about it. Did he live up to his answer? Tell me what you think!