Repent or Perish

I have just read a disturbing article about how Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas has expressed its excitement about particular events such as the hurricanes, and 9/11. The church also has deemed that the cure for homosexuality is AIDS. Question: Why would anyone say something SO STUPID!?

Since this issue is regarding the Church, I'll take the biblical approach. Self-righteous Christians (or Christians who believe that because of our beliefs we are superior) have completely forgotten that we are only right with God because of the sacrifice of Jesus. Does that mean that we should compromise our beliefs? NO! But it does mean that we should approach every issue with compassion and love.

Whenever God judged a nation in the Hebrew Bible, he always longed for their return to him. In fact, mercy triumphs over judgment 100% of the time. That said, organizations like the ACLU and others who are anti-Christian are this way because such churches have given Jesus the wrong name. Christ makes a name for himself, and we as Christians have the privelege of representing him.

It's sad to see that the church has lost it's vision. We have resulted to hatred and name-calling because we have not been taught how to love and embrace. I make no excuses for the lifestyles of people who are sexually immoral, homosexuals, liars, uncontrollable, slanderers, gossips, etc. Yet, I do say that our solution is to serve our community and let Jesus change the lives of those whom we come in contact with. Let's not be foolish. Remember we were not born Christians; that's why we had to be born again.

Away

I'm out of the web log loop right now because I have been traveling to different cities: Charlotte and now Raleigh. I'll try to keep up though.

I-RAN should RUN and hide! Iran claims now that they are not looking to build nuclear weapons, they simply need nuclear power for the rising demand. This sounds great until the WMD Grand Opening that I'm sure Iran will host once their nuclear program is complete.

That said, now I must prepare to go to Raleigh. Have a good weekend.

The Forming Alliance

It has come to my attention that there is a pending alliance that is occuring with our South American neighbor Venezuela. Intelligence shows that President Chavez has found it necessary to form alliances with Iran and Cuba's own Castro. Along with these alliances, Chavez deems it necessary to advance Venezuela's nuclear technology (a decision that I would not disagree with).

I have a brief assessment of this situation since I am need to go to Charlotte today. Chavez is making a costly decision. Nothing good can come out of such an alliance. The one set back is that Venezuela owns many oil reserves which our nation will be panting hungrily for in the coming years. That said, we need to ensure that we institute a domestic policy that will put energy conservation in the forefront while researching costly and effective alternate energy sources. When the US becomes self-sufficient in these areas, we can truly live out our role as the global police officer. That said, Chavez, you're under arrest.

Therefore Choose Life: The Letter I am Going to Send to My Elected Officials

I am writing to you because I am concerned about the legislation concerning abortion in our state and in our nation.

Countless mothers become pregnant unexpectedly. Fearing the worse for their lives and the lives of their unborn children, many of these mothers in our nation choose to abort these children. When their child faces poverty, an unsafe environment, and perhaps even the absence of a father, why would abortion not be a viable option?

Believing that life is a better alternative, I am convinced that government intervention is imperative. Am I suggesting that these pre-mothers be compelled to choose life for their unborn child? No, such is not the case at all. Yet, I am certain that more effective programs and legislation should be in place for mothers who desire to keep their babies.

What should such programs include?
1) Mothers should be given substantial tax breaks – not simply right offs for dependents.

2) Mothers should only be left to fend for themselves ten years after the birth of the child. That said, we should remember that children do not simply need life’s necessities, but they need school utensils as well as school clothing, etc. Now, I know that welfare programs are set up for this purpose. Yet, single moms are barely able to get by with the current government allotment of resources.

3) Classes should be available for mothers who want to pursue entrepreneurial careers and occupations of that nature. These mothers should be trained in the stock exchange as well as lucrative professions such as real estate.

4) Classes should be available for healthy parenting which would also include psychological training and adjustment for these mothers.

5) Classes should be available teaching the importance of marriage when raising children so that a lifestyle of unplanned pregnancies is not perpetuated.

6) Before an abortion is final, the father of the unborn child should have to co-sign with the abortion agreement except in the case of special circumstances (i.e. rape which only constitutes a small portion of abortions). As a male, I have rights to a child just as much as a female who may be carrying the child. It seems to be an infringement upon the rights of the father for such legislation not to be in place.

7) Abortion clinics and doctors who perform abortions must be responsible for laying out the advantages and disadvantages of having a child vs. not have a child. A mother cannot make a rational decision without truly having all of the consequences – positive and negative – of her decision laid out before her. Fathers of these unborn children should receive the same analysis since he too will be agreeing or disagreeing with the abortion.

8) Parents of children under the age of 18 should be notified both from the potential mother’s family and from the potential father’s family.

These suggestions, in my opinion, are more than necessary if we desire to see lives saved while assisting single moms in their efforts to raise their children. If our legislation encourages life, then potential mothers and potential fathers would be more apt to choose life.

Your influence on our legislation in this effort is greatly warranted. Life and death are in your hands; therefore choose life. Thank you for you time and your consideration. Our state and our nation depend on you, and I have faith that your decision will be a wise one.

'Electronic Opium'

I confess. I am a recovering gamehead. I recently read an article entitled 'Are Multiplayer Online Games More Compelling, More Addictive?.' In the article Gregory Lamb discusses the phenomenom of the Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Player Game (MMORPG). Lamb states that literally tens of millions of people worldwide have become addicted to MMORPG because such games allow for the player to live vicariously through their created character.

Now in my case, I have played Star Wars Galaxies, Final Fantasy XI, and World of Warcraft. I would say that my total play time for these three games would definitely be the equivalent of at least one month (and that is extremely modest). Now that's frightening. One month of my life was poured into these games of which have absolutely NO long-term value.

Why are these games so compelling? Nick Yee who has studied online gaming since 1999 and is a graduate student at Stanford University says the following: "For a lot of people, in their real lives they don't get to be a hero. Suddenly, [in the game] they're a cleric who can resurrect a warrior, can save other players. [Or they're a] a wizard who can cast out a rain of fire ... someone with great powers."

It appears that MMORPG grant people some of their greatest desires. It's not about the sorcery, nor is it necessarily about the game itself. It's about the heroism and the respect. It's about the prestige and the opportunities that are available.

I can remember playing World of Warcraft as a Warlock. I used to marvel at the higher leveled Warlocks who were exponentially stronger, and they had obtained their character's high-leveled weaponry. It was definitely an interesting experience. The games are so consuming that I would be in class thinking of what I needed to do on the game for that day. The situation had gotten so bad with these MMORPG for me that I literally prayed to God apologizing for the time that I had lost on such a meaningless kill-time (kill-time because it far surpasses a pass-time).

So what does it appear that millions of people are looking for? People want adventure. They want to be heroes. They want to develop and grow socially. They want to achieve status in groups, yet they want the glory of being an individual. They want responsibilty, and they want a tangible means for the procuration of goods and services.

One thing is certain about these games: they grant the player a sense of purpose. Once we have found our purpose, we will undoubtedly forsake all that is sacred to us in order to obtain this purpose. I used to turn my friends down for outings, I used to skip certain meals, and I would ration my sleep only so that I could achieve more in whichever game I was engulfed in. Show a person purpose, and that person will unquestionable go to great lengths to fulfill his/her destiny.

Pandemic or Pandeceit

It appears that the avian flu virus is a pending peril that may pose a greater threat than the Spanish Flu of 1918 (which killed over 50 million worldwide). Due to the threat of the influenza flu virus, our federal government has posed an extensive 381 page plan to quarantine citizens while also restricting travel.

Ethically and constitutionally I am opposed to such measures. However, there is a huge part of me that would desire that cities known to have the virus be quarantined. Unfortunately, that idea would be unfair for those people in that area who are not ineffected which means that quarantining and travel restrictions are absurd. That said, I wonder if our government feels compelled to be proactive in disaster prerelief even if it means submitting such heinous ideas.

I hate that I do not have an answer because I am left only to complain about the proposed response of our current administration. The good news is that we can always pray fervently that such a disaster will never happen....