Abortion

Yesterday, CNN was carrying the report that Donald Trump had “changed his position on abortion.”  The report was that Mr. Trump said that if abortion was made illegal, then women should be subject to criminal prosecution if they have an abortion.

QUESTION:  How should we determine as individuals, and as a society, if and when a pregnancy can be ended by any means other than by natural causes such as a miscarriage?

Not a Socialist

COMMENT SUMMARY: Happy Easter!

MY COMMENT:

The late 19^th, and the 20^th, centuries saw the development of social movements, political parties, and violent revolutions that sought to establish socialist systems in which the means of production and distribution were owned and controlled by the people, (read by the government.)  Socialism is an attempt to bring about social justice, equity, and fairness through government control of centralized production and distribution systems, the elimination of private ownership of property, and the equitable distribution of wealth.  It was often coopted by Totalitarianism.

Most pure Socialists fall into two groups.  Some, like the Communists, believe that a socialist society can best be achieved through violent revolution. Others, like the original Social Democrats, seek to achieve a socialist society peacefully, by democratic means.

It is easier conceive Socialist ideas than it is to make them work.  In short, centrally planned economies have failed everywhere they have been tried.  True equity has never been achieved, and systems of social organization controlled by one movement or political party lend themselves to the abuse of power.  The reader is referred to George Orwell’s books, Animal Farm” and 1984, and to the failure of Socialist economic systems in Russia, China, North Korea, and Viet Nam.

In the United States today, some Americans, like Bernie Sanders, find the policies of today’s European Social Democrats attractive.  These policies amount to a modified form of social democracy that provides for government intervention within the framework of a capitalist economy. They like the idea of a “big government” that provides “cradle to the grave” programs to help people to support themselves; funded by higher taxes on business and industry, and higher taxes on their fellow citizens who are relatively well off.  They also want aggressive government regulation of the private sector of the economy to ensure that it operates in the public interest.  Many self-avowed Socialists see the above as incremental, evolutionary movement toward a truly socialist society.  These include some college professors, the students they influence, and very likely Bernie Sanders himself.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie Sanders and/or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social democracy

Some opponents of European-style Social Democracy point out that it’s costs exceed the revenue that may be realized by higher taxes on the rich, and that in Europe everybody is taxed heavily to support the “welfare state.”  They point out that European-style Social Democratic policies are only possible there because the United States bears much of the cost of their national defense.  Further, even without heavy defense spending, some European countries are in economic trouble, due to the high cost of their social programs.

  

The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other peoples' money. (Margaret Thatcher)

Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_government.html

I personally believe that we have a social responsibility to our fellow man.  To that end, I support basic programs that provide a “safety net” for the poor and a base upon which people can plan for their retirement.  In the same way, we should have programs for the support of those who are genuinely unable to work, due to disability, and for our disabled veterans.  To the extent possible, the “safety net” programs for the poor should be structured so that they do not break up families and do not create economic dependency.  That the government has mismanaged these kinds of programs now, speaks to the inability of the government to do bigger and better things without bankrupting the nation.

Be thankful we're not getting all the government we're paying for. (Will Rogers)

            Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_government.html

I believe that if the government controls your medical care, education, at least some of your income, has the power of eminent domain, and the power to tax, then the government can control you.  Listen up, Big Brother is alive and well in Washington, D.C.  For example, the government is already restricting the clergy from endorsing candidates or political parties by threatening the tax exempt status of their churches.  Those nonprofits, including “faith based programs,” that accept government money find that it comes with strings attached.  The Obama IRS has attacked the tax exempt status of organizations they are opposed to, and this during an election year.  The more that the government can control your quality of life, the more they can control you.  That is one reason why I oppose all forms of socialism.

A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government

 big enough to take from you everything you have. (Gerald R. Ford)

Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_government.html

I have learned that the only security we have is that which we obtain when we trust in Jesus Christ for our salvation, and surrender to the Holy Spirit the direction of our lives. Jesus said:

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.  Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not much more valuable than they?

Matthew 6:25-26 (NIV)

And, again He said:

Then give unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.

 Luke 20:25 (NIV)

So then, since God gives us the faith through which we believe (Romans 12:3), and it is by faith that we are saved (John 3:16); and it is by the same faith that we live the Christian life (Hebrews 10:35-39, Hebrews Chapter 11); let us give to God what belongs to God.  Trusting the government to meet all our needs is giving to government what belongs to God.

Socialism

One of the Democratic aspirants to be their candidate for president is a self-identified Socialist.  It has been reported that up to 20 percent of persons who say they are likely to vote in the Democratic primary elections say that they are Socialists.

QUESTION:  What are your thoughts about that?

I'd Rather be Fishing

COMMENT SUMMARY:  No bites.

MY COMMENTS:  When my daughter was little, my father-in-law and I took her fishing right after ice out.  We were fishing on a man-made lake at about 8,000 ft. in elevation.  We were using night crawlers on leaders behind clear plastic bubbles, with just enough retrieve to keep the slack out of the line.  She quickly limited out, and my father-in-law took a picture with me holding up a stringer of fish.  I was kneeling, and my daughter leaning on my shoulder.  She still has the picture framed at her house.  It doesn’t get any better than that.

When I was a kid, my father taught me to fish on the streams near Aspen.  He was strictly a fly fisherman.  He only fished on rivers, and that was all I knew.  He died when I was still young, and I couldn’t go fishing until I was older.  Then some cousins showed me how to fish high mountain lakes using the “spin-fly” method.  It involves fishing a fly or two on a leader behind a clear plastic bubble.

For years, I backpacked into wilderness areas, and I did primarily spin-fly fishing.  You catch more fish using a standard fly fishing rig, but the spin fly method makes it possible to switch to bait or lures with less trouble.  I release what I can’t eat immediately, anyway.

I used to take fishing too seriously, and it was not as relaxing as it could have been.  I learned to quit focusing on the end result, and to let myself enjoy the process.  Also, I enjoy the outdoor surroundings more now.

These days, I am a little too old for backpacking to be enjoyable.  I got a small boat, and I’m fishing lakes and large rivers with it.  I am also getting back into fishing rivers and streams with a fly rod.

No matter what stage of life you are in, there is a way you can enjoy fishing.  It can be a restful and even spiritual experience, if you let it.  It is in the outdoors that I feel closest to God.  Try fishing, if you like.  The excise taxes on fishing equipment, and the fees from fishing licenses, are an important source of revenue for wildlife conservation.

Fishing

I once saw a t-shirt with the logo, “Old fishermen never die, they just smell that way.”  One of my very first memories is of a day fishing with my father and his aunt on the Fryingpan river near Aspen, Colorado.  I believe I was around three years old at that time, and I caught my first fish that day.

QUESTION:  Please share a good fishing memory, and let me know your favorite way to catch fish.

A Gift from God

COMMENT SUMMARY: No comments were received on this subject.

MY COMMENTS:

To paraphrase dictionary definitions of faith, it is a strong or complete belief or trust in something or someone.  Faith is also described in dictionaries as a strong belief in God, or a system of religious belief, that is based upon spiritual insight rather than proof.

Faith consists in believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe. (Voltaire)

To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible. (Thomas Aquinas)

Faith is different from proof; the latter is human, the former is a Gift from God. (Blaise Pascal)

Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/search_results.html?q=faith&pg=3

I see faith in two categories: spiritual faith and faith in worldly things.  Like it or not, we all have some degree of faith in material things and the ideas of mankind.  When we vote, we are placing our faith in the ideas and programs espoused by a candidate.  We trust that he or she will do in office what they say they will do before they are elected.  We trust that the money we get paid for our work will have value when we exchange it for goods and services; even though our money really is just pieces of paper and base metal. We trust our friends to act in ways that will not hurt us. We swear to uphold the Constitution of the United States because we believe in it and our country.  Sometimes, worldly faith is well placed, and sometimes it is not.

Regarding religious faith, not everything that is portrayed to be of God, or from God, really is.  Some are presenting their faith as a path to world domination.  They are justifying murder, terrorism, and other crimes in the name of God, and they expect God to reward them for it when they get to heaven.

Some kinds of “Christian” faith may not be “the real deal,” as well. People go door to door with a gospel that is not the same as the gospel given to us by the Holy Bible.  The “Word of Faith” movement preachers on TV promote Christianity as a way to get rich or be healed.  Indeed, God does prosper or heal those whom he chooses to, but he is not compelled to do so, and cannot be extorted into it by ‘claiming” His promises. (2Corinthians 12:7-10)  Acts 3:16 says, “… It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through Him that has given complete healing to him …”  Some liberal theologians are even saying that there is more than one way to find God; which is antithetical to what Jesus taught.  These doctrines are condemned in the Holy Bible. (John 14:6, 1 Timothy 6:3-10, Galatians 1:6-9, 2Corinthians 12:7-9) This calls for discernment, and a careful examination of scripture.

I am a layman, not an ordained minister, and I have not been to a theological seminary.  So, I will try to confine my comments on religious faith to what can be supported from the Holy Bible.  As Paul said, “All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2Timothy 3:16-17)

The early Christian movement, and the system of belief that came to be known as Christianity, are repeatedly referred to as “the Way” and “the faith” in the New Testament.  Books have been written about faith.  To limit the scope of my comments here, I want to focus on the personal faith that leads to salvation.

Throughout history, people have always sought to know God, to fellowship with Him, to find His favor, and to gain eternal life.  Jesus said, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you shall find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7, Luke 11:9) Jesus gave His life so that anyone who believes in Him will be saved. (John 3:16, Romans 10:9) God knew from the beginning who would accept His offer of salvation, and He calls us. (Ephesians 1:11, John 15:16) He provides salvation by grace to those who accept it by believing in His Son. (Romans 10:13, Ephesians 2: 8-9) When the Holy Spirit calls us to God (Ephesians 4:4), and we deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Jesus the Spirit will give us the faith and power to believe in Him. (Mark 8:34, Romans 8:28-30)

After Jesus rose from the dead, Thomas refused to believe it until he saw him.  Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29)  The Spirit tells us, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1)  Again, He says “We will live by faith, not by sight.” (2Corinthians 5:7) This kind of faith is not something we can work up within ourselves.  “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”  (Romans 10:17), and Jesus is the Living Word. (John 1:1-2) Faith is a Gift of God. (Romans 12:3), and it is through Him that we believe. (1Peter 1:21)

It is, then, all God.  If we seek Him, he calls us.  If we yield to His calling, He gives us the faith we need to believe in Jesus, and it is by belief in Jesus that we are saved. Once we are saved, we follow Jesus, and obey him, by that same faith and the leading of the Holy Spirit.  This is a lengthy quote from Romans, Chapter 8, but I can’t do it justice by trying to summarize it:

… Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live according to the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.  The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God.  It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.  Those controlled by the sinful mind cannot please God.

You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you.  And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ …

(See also Galatians 5:16-25)

Christianity is not a system of rules and good deeds.  It is a way of living by faith to please God.  The evidence of faith in our lives is righteous living and doing the good deeds that God has prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:8-10, James 2:17-18) By faith we know with certainty that we will spend eternity in complete communion with God.  How are we so certain?  As R.W. Shambach once said, “I know it in my knower.”  That is what faith means to me.

Faith

Everyone has some degree of faith.  When you get out of bed in the morning, you have faith that the floor will support you when you put your feet down.  When you go to bed at night, you believe that that the sun will come up in the morning.  This kind of faith is supported by the repetition of reality.  The floor has always supported you, and the sun has always come up in the morning.  They always have, so it is easy to believe they always will.  Having faith in other things may be more difficult.

QUESTION:  What enables you to have faith?