Avoid all extremes

I just finished reading Jon Ronson's "Them: Adventures With Extremists". I thoroughly enjoyed this book about various people who believe the world is controlled by a small, elite and sinister group. The extremists are so paranoid they construe everything as a conspiracy, and at the end it does seem as if world events are actually affected by a highly influential group of people who meet "in secret", but as a member of this group says, it's not a conspiracy, it's just how things are.

Anyway, it so happened that today's Quiet Time Bible Study on Ecclesiastes contained this verse:

"It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. The man who fears God will avoid all extremes." (Ecclesiastes 7:18)

Jon Ronson

film projects jonronson.com

This page lists Jon Ronson's film projects which in turn link to his very interesting and humourous Guardian articles on people with "alternative" ideas. I like his articles because he writes about "the other side of the story" from a very human perspective. I having been reading his book, "Them: Adventures With Extremists".

Heat waves set to become "brutal"

BBC NEWS > Science/Nature > Heat waves set to become "brutal"

Last related entry: "Nature 'mankind's gravest threat'" (Aug 11 04)

Nature 'mankind's gravest threat'

BBC NEWS > Science/Nature > Nature 'mankind's gravest threat': "Giant tsunamis, super volcanoes and earthquakes could pose a greater threat than terrorism, scientists claim. "

Last related entry: "The First Refugees of Global Warming" (Jul 31 04)

Sheepism

How Our Schools Create Sheeple

We are all sheeple, not just in America, but everywhere.

It's not a great conspiracy of control, I think. It's human folly, we'll never get things right; the powers set up systems for good but the best of intentions go awry, power corrupts, we and our politicians lie to ourselves about our motivations, extremism is in our fallen nature, and we know not what we do. We are lost sheeple.

At least it is not a human conspiracy, we haven't been organised enough since the Tower of Babel for that. But Jesus refers to Satan as a strong man (Mark 3:20-27) and the "prince of this world" (John 14:30), it is Satan's conspiracy. He can herd us into a holy huddle or scatter us like rabbits (1 Peter 5:8).

We have to try not to be sheeple.

Sheeple

The Word Spy - sheeple: "sheeple (SHEE.pul) n. People who are meek, easily persuaded, and tend to follow the crowd (sheep + people). "

I saw Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 yesterday. I liked the two old ladies he filmed in the later part of the show. They weren't sheeple. They seemed to be independent-minded, every-day people. I would like to be that sharp!

I wonder why the movie is called "Fahrenheit 9/11"?

Bushism

BBC NEWS > Americas > President gaffes in terror speech

Another funny line... :-)

Quoting Nicholas D. Kristof

Relooking the Quran: sign of an awakening? - AUG 6, 2004: "But Muslim fundamentalists regard the Quran - every word of it - as God's own language and have violently attacked free-thinking scholars as heretics. So Muslim intellectuals have been intimidated and Islam has often been transmitted by narrow-minded extremists.

(This problem is not confined to Islam. On my blog, www.nytimes.com/ kristofresponds, I've been battling with fans of the Christian fundamentalist Left Behind series. Some are eager to see me left behind.)"

That last line just tickled me!

Picture

This picture wasn't from the Internet. I took it recently. She doesn't seem to live in the Information Age, does she?

Position on Homosexuality

Probe Answers our E-Mail: Jesus Contradicts the O.T. Law, Especially Regarding Homosexuality!

In this piece, Probe Ministries presents what the Christian response to homosexuality should be and why. I found this useful in answering some questions I had after reading another article by a Christian pastor who seemed to support homosexual lifestyles.