Roadmaps to Heaven or Hell
Roadmaps to Heaven or Hell
I’m of the opinion that throwing out opinions with a scoop shovel doesn’t increase their weight. Take this from an expert on the subject. You’re probably and expert, too, since the standard equipment for delivering lots of opinions is open ears and an open mouth. At the very least, we can give an opinion about blather. Psychobabble and gobbledygook also qualify. Most of us have guilty lips and we live in a country of guilty lips, and we know that some people should be more ashamed than others. Of course, we minimally guilty ones have an excuse: all those people who have itching ears to hear what we say about things we know next to nothing about.
A Fit to Print
I know scripture avers
Where you find many words
There’s bound to be sin,
But there’s still ink in my pen.
Most of us know how important an informed opinion can be. We take our toothache to the dentist rather than to Uncle George who says he can yank it out with a string and a doorknob. We prefer a vet for our pets; an M.D. for ourselves. Who wants to doctor with someone who puts patients to “sleep?” A good tax man or woman may get us the return we crave if we have complex financial circumstances. No matter how much she insists, Aunt Nelly can’t do it for us with her short form. She might only succeed in earning us an audit or the slammer. Cook us a delicious dinner? Maybe. It depends how much time she has spent in the kitchen.
A big name pumps heads. People may accept big names as on a par with deity, but I’m of the opinion that a good breath of fresh air is better than breathing in the fumes of a pompous eclectic guru. I want to find out whether they majored or minored in what I want to know. Not just academic credentials, but life experiences, careers, personal passions, research, long-standing avocations; these signify the true expert.
Dr. Phil will never hear me ask him about the Christian faith. He assiduously avoids the subject. Same for Oprah. Actually, I wouldn’t even ask them what constitutes a good marriage or how to raise nice children until I looked at their success on these two fronts. I once had speech therapists on staff, and could generally tell parents what they did in public schools, but the finer points of therapy were beyond me. Just as well ask Elmer Fudd with his r/w confusion and Daffy Duck with his lateral lisp . . . or Tom Cruise. By the way, would you seek out Cruise or Ron L. Hubbard for directions to the Celestial City? How about a roadmap to Hades?
Some rather exotic ideas about the poor, sex, the war in Iraq, motherhood, and personal fulfillment come out of Hollywood. Please pass the slop bucket! Funny that the art of acting or the sweat of sports can transform a human being into an encyclopedia exhaustive of morals and religion! Somehow that miracle takes place when the celebrity is watered with money and fame. They spread like kudzu. Just basking in their light imparts to their devotees a duffel bag of secondhand opinions. Big experts engender lots of little faux experts.
For those unconvinced that TV and movie-star saturation of children may be harmful to their mental and moral growth and development . . . wait . . . I don’t have an opinion powerful enough. It’s something like staring at a great boulder to try and make it move a la Yoda. I powerfully raise my hands to loft the granite monster and wind up banging my head against it till I see lightening flashing and stars shooting. At least I tried. The pump-knot on my head must mean something.
The Veggie Tales pirates “who don’t do anything” are cute. They admit they haven’t been anywhere, yet sing out their naive opinions as if they are truths. We don’t expect to hear any false statistics or unsubstantiated opinions from a talking cucumber. How many of us who forgot exactly what percentage of Eskimos now have kerosene lamps instead of blubber oil will take a shot at it, anyhow, when push comes to shove. When you do this, don’t round it off to the nearest ten. It impresses more people when you say with the utmost assurance, “Thirty-four percent as of August 1998 according to National Geographic. Don’t quote me on that.
Knowing the jargon and buzzwords really helps those of us who haven’t the faintest idea what we are talking about—some call this talking out of school. The poor old evolutionists spin out some of the most awesome stuff. In a movie by NOVA about a troupe climbing Mt. Kilamanjaro, the narrator liberally salts the steeps manifesting plants and animals with “evolved.” No explanatory notes, just “evolved.” The NOVA and the National Geographic people obviously have a quota to fill. If an animal has size, shape, coloration, habits –surprisingly, all of them do—then the blessed things “evolved.” Here comes a lizard! Wow! Look how it “evolved!” That monkey up there “evolved” a tail to swing on limbs. This big three- armed plant that looks a little like a southwestern cactus “evolved.” Now that’s not so tough. A freshman college student majoring in modern dance can talk about how the art has evolved. You can be anything at all and a scientist at the same time with the right scientific buzzwords.
If the “evolved” key to social repartee grows old, more mathematical types of evolutionists can throw in a few billions of years worth of trade goods. That alluvial plain was formed a million years ago during the moronthesubjek age. Each blade of the grasslands that succumbed to global warming convalesced for a thousand years before dying and then took another four-hundred to turn into loam. Then the next blade died. Give a good evolutionist an old bone and he’ll date it. Older the better and most impressive. Why are many paleontologists and anthropologists single? Most women they meet are too young to date.
How to Miss Heaven Without Really Trying Someone is going to steal this original title for a book or play. Some famous Christian lady author, I’ll warrant. Well, she can have it. It’s used now, anyway. Seriously, though, a blade of grass, a tree, or a flower knows more about God than an evolutionist. These innocent creations say, “Look up.” Ask an atheist how to find God and he’ll chortle, “I didn’t know he was lost” or he will say, “Don’t bother.” The evolutionist will direct us to go stick our heads in the fossil record. These, and selective short answers like them, reveal something totally expected. Most confirmed atheists, agnostics, evolutionists, and cultists have not bothered to examine the written revelation of God. (Not all of them, of course. Isaac Asimov knew more scripture than most Christians. He wrote extensively on religious subjects. Many others, such as Joseph Campbell, have thoroughly studied and then rejected faith in Christ. We may reject their conclusions, but they, at least, had informed opinions based upon a great deal of familiarity with the Word. Charles Darwin once intended to enter the ministry; he probably knew his Bible. Without the Holy Spirit it may not have been saving knowledge . . . but that is God’s turf.)
Few of us think independently about everything. We accept much that we suppose is “a given.” After all, reading our electric meters is the electric company’s business. They are the experts. Why should we read them? Wait! Maybe we’d better do a little independent thinking about that, after all. True. We scrutinize money matters, since money matters matter. How about foreign and domestic policies coming out of Washington DC? The current hubbub is about wiretapping civilians. Why can’t we just trust “Big Brother” to do the right thing by us? I really like my current president,” and we had better get the lowdown on terrorists before they strike again. Problem is, the liberals aren’t the only ones talking nervously about wiretapping. When my current “big brother” leaves office, we may get a bad “big brother” or—woe to America—a certain big sister. Thinking independently means examining everything that presents itself as indisputable, especially if it whacks you in the head if you talk back.
Finally to the upshot. Opinions aren’t equal. We hear informed ones, misinformed and uninformed ones. Respectively, we could call these good ones and bad ones. The old adage holds: Consider the source. When the opinions focus on what life means, where we go after we die, what truth is, who God is, we ought to interact with senses all aquiver. Consider it the same with our reading or perusal of websites. Any Larry, Curly or Moe can give an opinion about existential issues. What is the opinion worth? Does the spokesman know his or her stuff? If the historical accuracy of the Bible is at issue, is it a good use of time to listen to someone who rejects it out of hand without reading it? Same with the Koran. Same with the Book of Mormon. No use to ask D. R. Daniels about them. Those who have researched these books are better sources of that kind of information.
If a reader of this article chooses to talk with someone committed to spending his life for the Kingdom of Christ, who regards the Bible more highly than any other book ever written, who has studied it as much as many other Christian teachers, then I’d enjoy sharing Biblical insights with that reader . . . or I can refer her or him to a host of others who employ their faith to more avail. Better still, read the Christian Bible (with an open mind) for yourself.
Don’t be duped by some opinionated super duper. You can know the truth that will set you free. Try God’s Word. Taste it and you will see the difference. John 1 is a good place to start.
I’m of the opinion that throwing out opinions with a scoop shovel doesn’t increase their weight. Take this from an expert on the subject. You’re probably and expert, too, since the standard equipment for delivering lots of opinions is open ears and an open mouth. At the very least, we can give an opinion about blather. Psychobabble and gobbledygook also qualify. Most of us have guilty lips and we live in a country of guilty lips, and we know that some people should be more ashamed than others. Of course, we minimally guilty ones have an excuse: all those people who have itching ears to hear what we say about things we know next to nothing about.
A Fit to Print
I know scripture avers
Where you find many words
There’s bound to be sin,
But there’s still ink in my pen.
Most of us know how important an informed opinion can be. We take our toothache to the dentist rather than to Uncle George who says he can yank it out with a string and a doorknob. We prefer a vet for our pets; an M.D. for ourselves. Who wants to doctor with someone who puts patients to “sleep?” A good tax man or woman may get us the return we crave if we have complex financial circumstances. No matter how much she insists, Aunt Nelly can’t do it for us with her short form. She might only succeed in earning us an audit or the slammer. Cook us a delicious dinner? Maybe. It depends how much time she has spent in the kitchen.
A big name pumps heads. People may accept big names as on a par with deity, but I’m of the opinion that a good breath of fresh air is better than breathing in the fumes of a pompous eclectic guru. I want to find out whether they majored or minored in what I want to know. Not just academic credentials, but life experiences, careers, personal passions, research, long-standing avocations; these signify the true expert.
Dr. Phil will never hear me ask him about the Christian faith. He assiduously avoids the subject. Same for Oprah. Actually, I wouldn’t even ask them what constitutes a good marriage or how to raise nice children until I looked at their success on these two fronts. I once had speech therapists on staff, and could generally tell parents what they did in public schools, but the finer points of therapy were beyond me. Just as well ask Elmer Fudd with his r/w confusion and Daffy Duck with his lateral lisp . . . or Tom Cruise. By the way, would you seek out Cruise or Ron L. Hubbard for directions to the Celestial City? How about a roadmap to Hades?
Some rather exotic ideas about the poor, sex, the war in Iraq, motherhood, and personal fulfillment come out of Hollywood. Please pass the slop bucket! Funny that the art of acting or the sweat of sports can transform a human being into an encyclopedia exhaustive of morals and religion! Somehow that miracle takes place when the celebrity is watered with money and fame. They spread like kudzu. Just basking in their light imparts to their devotees a duffel bag of secondhand opinions. Big experts engender lots of little faux experts.
For those unconvinced that TV and movie-star saturation of children may be harmful to their mental and moral growth and development . . . wait . . . I don’t have an opinion powerful enough. It’s something like staring at a great boulder to try and make it move a la Yoda. I powerfully raise my hands to loft the granite monster and wind up banging my head against it till I see lightening flashing and stars shooting. At least I tried. The pump-knot on my head must mean something.
The Veggie Tales pirates “who don’t do anything” are cute. They admit they haven’t been anywhere, yet sing out their naive opinions as if they are truths. We don’t expect to hear any false statistics or unsubstantiated opinions from a talking cucumber. How many of us who forgot exactly what percentage of Eskimos now have kerosene lamps instead of blubber oil will take a shot at it, anyhow, when push comes to shove. When you do this, don’t round it off to the nearest ten. It impresses more people when you say with the utmost assurance, “Thirty-four percent as of August 1998 according to National Geographic. Don’t quote me on that.
Knowing the jargon and buzzwords really helps those of us who haven’t the faintest idea what we are talking about—some call this talking out of school. The poor old evolutionists spin out some of the most awesome stuff. In a movie by NOVA about a troupe climbing Mt. Kilamanjaro, the narrator liberally salts the steeps manifesting plants and animals with “evolved.” No explanatory notes, just “evolved.” The NOVA and the National Geographic people obviously have a quota to fill. If an animal has size, shape, coloration, habits –surprisingly, all of them do—then the blessed things “evolved.” Here comes a lizard! Wow! Look how it “evolved!” That monkey up there “evolved” a tail to swing on limbs. This big three- armed plant that looks a little like a southwestern cactus “evolved.” Now that’s not so tough. A freshman college student majoring in modern dance can talk about how the art has evolved. You can be anything at all and a scientist at the same time with the right scientific buzzwords.
If the “evolved” key to social repartee grows old, more mathematical types of evolutionists can throw in a few billions of years worth of trade goods. That alluvial plain was formed a million years ago during the moronthesubjek age. Each blade of the grasslands that succumbed to global warming convalesced for a thousand years before dying and then took another four-hundred to turn into loam. Then the next blade died. Give a good evolutionist an old bone and he’ll date it. Older the better and most impressive. Why are many paleontologists and anthropologists single? Most women they meet are too young to date.
How to Miss Heaven Without Really Trying Someone is going to steal this original title for a book or play. Some famous Christian lady author, I’ll warrant. Well, she can have it. It’s used now, anyway. Seriously, though, a blade of grass, a tree, or a flower knows more about God than an evolutionist. These innocent creations say, “Look up.” Ask an atheist how to find God and he’ll chortle, “I didn’t know he was lost” or he will say, “Don’t bother.” The evolutionist will direct us to go stick our heads in the fossil record. These, and selective short answers like them, reveal something totally expected. Most confirmed atheists, agnostics, evolutionists, and cultists have not bothered to examine the written revelation of God. (Not all of them, of course. Isaac Asimov knew more scripture than most Christians. He wrote extensively on religious subjects. Many others, such as Joseph Campbell, have thoroughly studied and then rejected faith in Christ. We may reject their conclusions, but they, at least, had informed opinions based upon a great deal of familiarity with the Word. Charles Darwin once intended to enter the ministry; he probably knew his Bible. Without the Holy Spirit it may not have been saving knowledge . . . but that is God’s turf.)
Few of us think independently about everything. We accept much that we suppose is “a given.” After all, reading our electric meters is the electric company’s business. They are the experts. Why should we read them? Wait! Maybe we’d better do a little independent thinking about that, after all. True. We scrutinize money matters, since money matters matter. How about foreign and domestic policies coming out of Washington DC? The current hubbub is about wiretapping civilians. Why can’t we just trust “Big Brother” to do the right thing by us? I really like my current president,” and we had better get the lowdown on terrorists before they strike again. Problem is, the liberals aren’t the only ones talking nervously about wiretapping. When my current “big brother” leaves office, we may get a bad “big brother” or—woe to America—a certain big sister. Thinking independently means examining everything that presents itself as indisputable, especially if it whacks you in the head if you talk back.
Finally to the upshot. Opinions aren’t equal. We hear informed ones, misinformed and uninformed ones. Respectively, we could call these good ones and bad ones. The old adage holds: Consider the source. When the opinions focus on what life means, where we go after we die, what truth is, who God is, we ought to interact with senses all aquiver. Consider it the same with our reading or perusal of websites. Any Larry, Curly or Moe can give an opinion about existential issues. What is the opinion worth? Does the spokesman know his or her stuff? If the historical accuracy of the Bible is at issue, is it a good use of time to listen to someone who rejects it out of hand without reading it? Same with the Koran. Same with the Book of Mormon. No use to ask D. R. Daniels about them. Those who have researched these books are better sources of that kind of information.
If a reader of this article chooses to talk with someone committed to spending his life for the Kingdom of Christ, who regards the Bible more highly than any other book ever written, who has studied it as much as many other Christian teachers, then I’d enjoy sharing Biblical insights with that reader . . . or I can refer her or him to a host of others who employ their faith to more avail. Better still, read the Christian Bible (with an open mind) for yourself.
Don’t be duped by some opinionated super duper. You can know the truth that will set you free. Try God’s Word. Taste it and you will see the difference. John 1 is a good place to start.
posted by Don Daniels at
8:46 PM
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