I'm currently a part of a large messageboard that has recently started a new dicussion which basically tries to disprove the Bible, specifically the Old Testament.
These people will bring up laws created in 1400 B.C. and then use them as 'proof' of the Bible's irrelevance today. A very popular argument has been brought up time and time again - God's commandment to abhor pigs in many a different circumstance. You can read his laws re this in several O.T. books, including Dueteronomy and Leviticus.
People - please - read very carefully. God's laws always had and always will have a purpose!
The command to not consume meat from, or touch pigs was a huge revelation at the time the books of Exodus, Dueteronomy and Leviticus was written, around 1445 B.C.. Why was this such a huge revelation? Well, as you can imagine, 'medicine' at that time was very immature. Blood-letting had begun around 3000 B.C and that stuck around longer than anyone could have ever imagined. So you can picture the confusion and awe that was created from God's commandment to abhor swine.
Why the commandment and why was it so special? Pigs were and are today known scavengers. They will eat practically anything, which then causes them to ingest tapeworms and develop parasites. Those people who had/have regular contact with pigs are at a heightened risk to acquire these parasites and tapeworms and as a result, develop liver and lung tumors and trichenosis. Pig farmers today still have to be incredibly careful in certain farming practices in order to prevent attaining these diseases.
Considering that many Jews at the time of their exodus from Egypt were shepherds of livestock, (including pigs) that commandment was an absolute divine protection from an unseen harm. Also consider that NO ONE at that time, except the Israeli Jews themselves, received and then practiced this law! It was a huge milestone in public health hygeine practices.
Several Old Testament books provide more of a historical and social backdrop than suggestions to alter our current laws and commandments. Practicing Jews and specific Christian denominations choose to abide by the past laws to ignore swine, shellfish and other meats as a source of food even today. Whether we decide to do this or not, (I do not) the important thing is to practice it not for the sake of tradition alone, but to show it as our personally chosen practice to honor God.
Romans 14:6-8a addresses this-
"Those who have a special day for worshiping the Lord are trying to honor him. Those who eat all kinds of food do so to honor the Lord, since they give thanks to God before eating. And those who won't eat everything also want to please the Lord and give thanks to God. For we are not our own masters when we live or when we die. While we live, we live to please the Lord."
Monday, February 27, 2006
Saturday, February 18, 2006
I Need This!
Ever seen the movie, "The Jerk"? It was made in the 70's and it stars Steve Martin as, well, a "Jerk". His character came from the slums and as a result of a bizarre set of circumstances, eventually became a multi-millionaire. However, when the very product which turned him into a rich man, the "Opti-Grab", a sort of nose handle for eyeglasses, turned out to be a literal eye magnet, he became bankrupt and ended up on the streets. Before he left his mansion, he decided to make a rant aimed at his wife. He stormed out, yelling "I don't need you! I don't need anything!", until he spotted an ashtray. He began to pull random items from his home and ended up alone on the street dragging his pants and holding an elegant chair, a paddleball, ashtray, and a lamp.
I wonder why we as a people decide what we 'need'. And why do these 'needs' differ so much from person to person? We all start out the same way, in the womb. We had our sources of life in that one tiny little bubble; food, oxygen, silence. Now I can understand how needs will differ based on location and living arrangements, but where do the following 'needs' come from?
"I need a BMW"
"I need an $80,000 dress"
"I need a TV in every other room in my house"
"I need a sensor that e-mails my phone when the mail arrives at my house" (These things DO exist!)
"I need a remote for the lights in my house"
"I need a movie theater in my house"
A need should be something required for survival. A want is a want, no matter how diligently you strive for it. The 'needs' listed above are extravagant, yes. The majority of people, even in America, could not see or possibly afford those luxuries. However, middle-income earners can have special 'needs', too.
-Daily coffee from any other place besides the tin can you bought at the grocery store
-Weekly pizza deliveries
-CD's and DVD's
-Cable TV
-Cigarettes and Alcohol
-Jamba Juice
-Eating out at restaurants/fast food places
-Relatively expensive vacations
Now I'm guilty of 'needing' most of the items in that second list. But I'm making the following resolution : To pray daily about one thing I can let go, one 'need' I can do without, if even for just one day. Here's the question, though - What will you do with the money you save by refraining from any item in any list? Save it up for bigger 'needs'? Or to use it for someone, some idea, or some place that actually has legitimate needs they cannot afford?
I wonder why we as a people decide what we 'need'. And why do these 'needs' differ so much from person to person? We all start out the same way, in the womb. We had our sources of life in that one tiny little bubble; food, oxygen, silence. Now I can understand how needs will differ based on location and living arrangements, but where do the following 'needs' come from?
"I need a BMW"
"I need an $80,000 dress"
"I need a TV in every other room in my house"
"I need a sensor that e-mails my phone when the mail arrives at my house" (These things DO exist!)
"I need a remote for the lights in my house"
"I need a movie theater in my house"
A need should be something required for survival. A want is a want, no matter how diligently you strive for it. The 'needs' listed above are extravagant, yes. The majority of people, even in America, could not see or possibly afford those luxuries. However, middle-income earners can have special 'needs', too.
-Daily coffee from any other place besides the tin can you bought at the grocery store
-Weekly pizza deliveries
-CD's and DVD's
-Cable TV
-Cigarettes and Alcohol
-Jamba Juice
-Eating out at restaurants/fast food places
-Relatively expensive vacations
Now I'm guilty of 'needing' most of the items in that second list. But I'm making the following resolution : To pray daily about one thing I can let go, one 'need' I can do without, if even for just one day. Here's the question, though - What will you do with the money you save by refraining from any item in any list? Save it up for bigger 'needs'? Or to use it for someone, some idea, or some place that actually has legitimate needs they cannot afford?
Why Do I Live Here?
It's cold up here.
How cold is it, Ellie?
Well, it's so cold that while walking outside for a maximum of maybe 2 minutes, my eyelids were beginning to freeze shut.
It's so cold, that when walking by a movie theater last night, a spilled glass of pop had frozen so quickly that you could see the physical carbonation stuck to the ground.
And speaking of movies, it's so cold that when my friend and I went to see, "The Second Chance", during what was possibly the last few minutes of the film, the theater's spinkler system froze and cracked open, spewing water everywhere at the front entrance. This caused all the films to stop and the emergency lights to flip on. We never did get to see the end of it.
It's so cold that even if you were to lather lotion on your hands and then stand outside for a minute or so and come in, your skin would look like the bark on a tree.
It's so cold that your nasal cavities freeze in a matter of seconds.
It's so cold that I've now decided to become a hermit for the remainder of winter and into the first month of "Spring". I've made up some imaginary friends and we're going to watch movies, play board games, and have a rousing rendition of "truth or dare". And you're not invited!
All because it's so cold.
How cold is it, Ellie?
Well, it's so cold that while walking outside for a maximum of maybe 2 minutes, my eyelids were beginning to freeze shut.
It's so cold, that when walking by a movie theater last night, a spilled glass of pop had frozen so quickly that you could see the physical carbonation stuck to the ground.
And speaking of movies, it's so cold that when my friend and I went to see, "The Second Chance", during what was possibly the last few minutes of the film, the theater's spinkler system froze and cracked open, spewing water everywhere at the front entrance. This caused all the films to stop and the emergency lights to flip on. We never did get to see the end of it.
It's so cold that even if you were to lather lotion on your hands and then stand outside for a minute or so and come in, your skin would look like the bark on a tree.
It's so cold that your nasal cavities freeze in a matter of seconds.
It's so cold that I've now decided to become a hermit for the remainder of winter and into the first month of "Spring". I've made up some imaginary friends and we're going to watch movies, play board games, and have a rousing rendition of "truth or dare". And you're not invited!
All because it's so cold.
Monday, February 13, 2006
Doggie Duet - Happy Valentine's Day!
I promise to get back into actually writing on this blog soon, but in the meantime, here's something to wish you a Happy Valentine's Day. This cracked me up.
http://www.hallmark.com/ECardWeb/ECV.jsp?a=0114491724316M95813378Y
http://www.hallmark.com/ECardWeb/ECV.jsp?a=0114491724316M95813378Y
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