World Magazine editor Marvin Olasky used to consider himself pretty smart. In school he had very high SAT scores and was a top chess player. In only three years he graduated from Yale with a Ph. D. in American Culture and wrote several books. He impressed all his professors. However his intelligence led him to accept the philosophies of Marxism at age 22. He married at age 21 and split up at 23 due to his disagreeing with the concept of marital fidelity. His studies of religion led him to athiesm.
        
However, God was working to humble him. In graduate school he needed to improve his Russian and "accidentally" selected from his book shelf an unopened Russian New Testament someone had given him as a novelty item. Many of the truths hit home as he was slowly practicing his Russian. More godly conviction came when he was assigned to teach a course in early American literature and had to study many Puritan sermons. Soon he discovered the perceptive minds of C.S. Lewis and Francis Schaeffer and their recognition of true wisdom. 

 

Olasky writes: "Once I understood that God is smarter than me, it made sense to follow the Bible rather than my own playbook. It made sense that a civilization based essentially (although imperfectly and sinfully) on biblical teaching would have wisdom that deserves respect." Olasky admits that claiming to be wise, he was a fool, as Romans 1:22 puts it. He also cites Psalm 92 - the stupid man can't know God's works or his thoughts. As editor of World, an elder at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Austin, Texas, an advisor to many organizations and author of books on several topics from a biblical perspective, God has given him a new wisdom and a new mission.

 

Citation: Marvin Olasky, "Smart and Stupid", December 25, 2003, Http://www.townhall.com/columnists/marvinolasky/mo20031225.shtml

Workaholism is considered by many experts to be an addiction. However, it is one addiction most people condone. Isn't it a good American value to be ambitious, work hard, feed your family, buy a nice home, save up for your kid's college and your retirement?

 

In recent years the temptation - and expectation - to overwork has increased dramatically. Thanks to new technology, many people now have access to their work any time of the day and anywhere - including their home. Cell phones, Palm Pilots, two-way pagers and the internet has made work a 24/7 possibility. "The line has blurred between your work life and your home life," says Mark "The Stress Doc" Gorkin, sociologist, psychologist, and AOL online humorist.

 

Americans enjoy the distinction of being among the world's hardest workers: "Studies show that workers in America spend more hours on the job than counterparts in every other industrialized country. It's no wonder we are often defined by what we do professionally."                                     

 

All this work doesn't just have the obvious adverse effects on family life. Mark Gorkin and other medical researchers have seen negative health effects: "...too much working can lead to headaches, high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes, stomach ulcers, ulcerative colitis, gray hair, hair loss, rashes and even warts.Prolonged stress makes you susceptible to all types of viruses."
 
The motives for workaholism are varied. Many want money and/or fame. Others use their work to get away from their problems. Others rely on their work to achieve self-worth and meaning. If they do take a vacation, they usually experience guilt and anxiety.
 
Citation: Dan Kadison, "Are You Working Your Life Away?", New York Post Online, May 13, 2001
Http://www.newyorkpost.com/business/30346.htm  (link archived).

 

 

(A New York Times Letter to the Editor) 

 

To the Editor:
As a social worker in an elementary school, I've witnessed firsthand the heartbreak and despair that children experience when their parents divorce, as well as the additional reality of having their mothers and fathers live far apart ("Divorced Parents Move, and Custody Gets Trickier," front page, Aug. 8).

The only word that accurately describes the psychological impact on a child's sense of emotional well-being is catastrophic.

 

These students are unable to function academically, have difficulty with peer relationships and are always sad, feeling a chronic sense of longing but are often unable to say, "I miss my mom'' (or dad) - it seems too painful to utter these words.

 

Children aren't equipped with the strength necessary to face having their universe split apart. While aware of the economic hardships involved in single parenthood, I would beg parents to do everything in their power to remain geographically close and to regard their children's mental health as their first priority.

 

You have your children for 18 years. Parents should be willing to make heroic efforts to ensure that this relatively brief time is as conducive as possible to ensuring the well-being of their offspring.

 

Amy Brauner Korn, Dix Hills, N.Y., Aug. 8, 2004

Citation: Letters To The Editor, "Children of Divorce: The Heartache Stays", August 11, 2004, http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/11/opinion/l11divorce.html

 

 Millions Of American adults are hooked on online activities, to the detriment of the American family.  "Whether internet abuse involves cybersex, gaming, gambling, shopping, chatting, or pornography, the consequences for families can be devastating. At the very least, all of these activities divert huge amounts of time away from home life. Some parents actually neglect essential responsibilities because of their online compulsions."

 

One wife and mother says concerning her husband: "He thinks he's a good husband because he's at home and not doing cybersex. It's true that he's physically here, but he's not mentally available." When their daughter made a drawing of her father, the drawing was just the back of his head and a computer screen. Kids are made to feel they don't matter.

 

In 1995, a Columbia University psychiatrist coined the term "Internet Addiction Disorder" as a joke. In an extensive 1999 survey, 85% of mental health professionals said they were treating patients who were addicted to the internet.

 

For many, online friendships have an obvious enticement. "Parents who have to cope with whining children, hostile teens, or cranky spouses may be especially vulnerable to the lure of online relationships, which often seem less demanding and more supportive." A simple click ends a disappointing online relationship. Real life is not as simple.

 

Finding people with similar problems is easy online, including those with marital problems. Al Cooper Ph.D., a San Jose sex and marital therapist,  explains: "If you're having trouble with your spouse, you can find people online who are phenomenally good listeners. So instead of going to your spouse ... you tell someone else."

 

Cyberaffairs - participating in fantasy sex with others online - are believed by many not to harm marriage because it's just fantasy.  However, research by David Greenfield, Ph.D., director of The Center for Internet Studies in West Hartford, Conn., has found that "between 13% and 30% of all virtual affairs lead to real-life adultery."  Even if there is no adultery, a 1999 study by another researcher discovered that cyberaffairs and online pornography have a devastating effect on a couples' sex life. One victim writes: "Our bed is crowded with countless faceless strangers."

 

Carolyn Jabs,  "Addicted to the Net", FAMILY PC, March 2001, page 72-78.

    

A wise old gentleman retired and bought himself a modest home near a junior high school. He spent the first few weeks of his retirement in peace and contentment. Then a new school year began.

   

  The very next afternoon three young boys, full of youthful, after-school enthusiasm, came down his street, beating merrily on every trash can they encountered. The crashing percussion continued day after day, until finally the wise old man decided it was time to take some action.

     

The next afternoon, he walked out to meet the young percussionists as they banged their way down the street. Stopping them, he said, "You kids are a lot of fun. I like to see you express your exuberance like that. In fact, I used to do the same thing when I was your age. Will you do me a favor? I'll give you each a dollar if you'll promise to come around every day and do your thing." The kids were elated and continued to do a bang-up job on the trash cans.

 

         After a few days, the old-timer greeted the kids again, but this time he had a sad smile on his face. "This recession's really putting a big dent in my income," he told them. "From now on, I'll only be able to pay you 50 cents to beat on the cans." The noisemakers were obviously displeased, but they did accept his offer and continued their afternoon ruckus. A few days later, the wily retiree approached them again as they drummed their way down the street.

       

 "Look," he said, "My prescription expenses have gone way up, so I'm only going to be able to give you 25 cents from now on. Will that be okay?" "A lousy quarter?" the drum leader exclaimed. "If you think we're going to waste our time, beating these cans around for a quarter, you're nuts! No way, mister. We quit!"

 

        And the wise old man enjoyed the rest of his retirement in peace.

 

Source:  Http://www.comedy-zone.net/   (All items given permission to be used as long as web address of Comedy Zone is given).

The Dangers of Privilege

 

Darryl Henley had it all. A former All-American in college, star player for the NFL's Los Angeles Rams (before their move to St. Louis), he was making more money than he knew what to do with. Today he languishes  in the Maximum Security Federal Prison in Marion, Illinois.

 

 Henley was convicted of drug trafficking and conspiracy to kill a federal judge and a former associate. He is serving a 41 year sentence - he'll get out at the age of 65.

 

Henley admits he's made some pretty serious "mistakes", but won't take full responsibility. Approximately 21% of NFL players have been charged with a serious crime. Henley argues that the message given to star athletes, starting from high school and all through college, is that they can get away with almost anything. The athletes are given special treatment and develop a sense of entitlement. School authorities limit their punishment so that they can play in the big game. Beating up a security guard or drunken and destructive behavior are only mildly punished. Even the L.A. Rams paid his $2 million bond for drug trafficking (before his murder attempt) so he could keep playing football.

 

ABC News PrimeTime Thursday, "Above the Law", December 28, 2000. Reporter: Chris Wallace. Producer: Joan Martelli

 

 According to veteran broadcast journalist Bill Moyers, the Baby Boom generation has begun to think about death more than they ever have. Both the realization that they are getting older and the AIDS epidemic have forced their attention on death and caring for the dying. Mainly due to the fact that Americans live much longer today than they did just 100 years ago, the subject of death has been pushed aside and made into a taboo. More and more people have been opting for memorial services instead of funerals and wakes. Moyers explains:

 

 "In recent years, we've started to realize that we are not taking care of our dying. As children, growing up in the South, we were present for all the deaths in our family. When our grandparents died, we were there in the room, probably sitting up on the bed. We were very connected."

 

 Both Bill Moyers and his wife Judith have explored this issue in depth in the PBS four-part series On Our Own Terms: Moyers On Dying. By speaking to many dying people for the series, both Bill and Judith have come to the same important insight: Facing death can make life more precious. Judith comments: "Several people told us that this was the best time of their life. One of the men on the program told us that it was not until he could come into contact with the 'skeleton' that he was becoming, that he began to realize how every day is so precious."

 

Mark Matousek, "The Last Taboo", Modern Maturity  Sept.-Oct. 2000, page 49-50, 59

 

 

 So called "spirit mediums", those who supposedly channel information from the "spirit" of a client's deceased relative, have been exposed as frauds in recent years. Critical thinkers have wondered at most people's overall satisfaction with their medium's paranormal abilities. Exactly how are they led to believe that contact with their deceased loved one is actually taking place?

 

 While contact with a demon is a definite possibility, critics have discovered manipulative strategies that account for the medium's perceived success. Some of the main ones are:

 

 1) Making general statements about the deceased  that have a good chance of being true. For example, the medium reveals to the client that her deceased husband  had been skeptical about spiritualism, that he had been having trouble with his back, or a non-specific reference to someone they know who has been divorced. Most people are skeptical about spiritualism, most older people have a back problem of some sort,  and almost everyone knows someone who has been divorced.

 

 2) Bluffing their way out of a negative response. For example, the medium asserts that the deceased husband sometimes swore. When the client responds that he never did, the medium responds that the deceased husband is saying that his wife would never let him, even though he often wanted to. The medium would then explain that the husband was just trying to be funny, and immediately changes the subject to the husband's sense of humor.

 

3) The medium will subtly shift the responsibility for his own success to the client's ability to find a connection to what the deceased husband has "said". For example, the medium asks the client if the name "David" means anything to her. When she responds in the negative,  the medium asserts that this was one of her husband's acquaintances and that he knew a lot of people. The medium has subtly implied that the client failed to recognize one of his acquaintances, gets the client to agree that he knew a lot of people, and moves on.

Peter Greasley, "Management of Positive and Negative Responses in a Spiritualist  Medium Consultation" Skeptical Inquirer,  September / October 2000, pages 45 - 49   http://www.csicop.org/    

 

Hank Greenberg played major league baseball from 1933 to 1947 and was baseball's first Jewish star player. He helped the Detroit Tigers win two World Series and was named the American League's Most Valuable Player both years.

 

 Jackie Robinson made it into the major leagues and broke the color barrier in 1947, the last year of Greenberg's career. Greenberg had experienced a lot of prejudice during his playing days, but admitted he didn't know what having it bad really was until he observed what Robinson went through in 1947.

 

 Sports columnist Ira Berkow comments, "Greenberg was appalled by some of the things the players in his own dugout were hollering at Robinson." In a game between the Brooklyn Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates (to whom Greenberg had been traded), Robinson and Greenberg collided during a play at first base. Greenberg helped him up. Pirate teammate Ralph Kiner recounts what happened: "He really talked to Jackie and helped him in some ways. He said, I went through this as a Jew and they used to give me a terrible time because I was Jewish. You'll make it. Hang in there. Keep going like you're going." When reporters asked Robinson what Greenberg had said to him, he told them Greenberg gave him encouragement. The Associated Press headline read, "Greenberg Is Hero Of Jackie Robinson."

 

 Often the trials God allows us to go through is to enable us to empathize with and as a result effectively minister to the many needy among us.

 

Citation: "The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg" (1998) from Fox Home Video. Written and directed by Aviva Kempner. Produced by the Ciesla Foundation. Rated PG for thematic elements.

 

 

Josh McDowell, in "Evidence That Demands A Verdict, Volume 1", gives 3 reasons why most people reject Jesus Christ:
1) Ignorance, often self imposed
2) Pride
3)Moral problem

 

 McDowell cites Aldous Huxley (1894 -1963), influential athiest and author, as someone who exemplifies the second and third reasons. Huxley wrote in his book "Ends and Means":

 

 I had motives for not wanting the world to have a meaning; consequently assumed that it had none, and was able without any difficulty to find satisfying reasons for this assumption. The philosopher who finds no meaning in the world is not concerned exclusively with a problem in pure metaphysics, he is also concerned to prove that there is no valid reason why he personally should not do as he wants to do, or why his friends should not seize political power and govern in the way that they find most advantageous to themselves.... For myself, the philosophy of meaninglessness was essentially an instrument of liberation, sexual and political.  

 

Citation: McDowell, Josh, "Evidence That Demands A Verdict, Volume 1", Here's Life Publishers, 1972,  page 11. 

 

Scientists today are doing a great deal of soul searching. Literally.  Many now believe that man must have a soul, or consciousness, that is somewhat connected but still a separate phenomena from the regular workings of the brain. Strictly materialistic scientists, on the other hand, believe that all consciousness can be explained only by the normal and largely undiscovered functioning of the brain itself. In other words, man has no soul.

 

 Just in the last decade scientists have formed associations (the Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness), published journals (Psyche and Journal of Consciousness Studies), and books (An Anatomy of Thought and The Physics of Consciousness are just two). Once associated only with religion, the study of consciousness has gained a major foothold in the scientific community. Many are trying to find answers to question like: What makes it possible to experience a color? How do strong emotions like love produce the most mysterious and abstract thoughts and reflections?
 

What has also motivated much of the study is the rapid development of computer technology and the possibility of developing computers that are "conscious".

          

     U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT, "Who Am I?" June 12, 2000

 

            As scientists learn more about the human brain, it seems many have come to a "dead end" from a materialistic point of view and have been forced to search for more transcendent answers. (J.D.L.)

 

From Deepak Chopra to Anthony Robbins, James Redfield (The Celestine Prophecy) to Marianne Williamson, the last twenty years has seen a dramatic increase in the pervasiveness and popularity of "gurus". These modern day gurus are here "not to teach us about their divinity but to teach us about our own." Most will teach that the true measure of our spiritual and psychic abilities is our openness to their teaching. Each one dogmatically explains the mysteries of the universe and rarely has time for challenges to their views. Their skeptics are crippled by fear and rely on their intellect - they should trust their heart and not their head. Most gurus tell us that death is not real - and relief from fear of death is easily obtained. "The spiritual peace and enlightenment offered by pop gurus doesn't require a lifetime of discipline. It requires only that you suspend your critical judgement, attend their lectures and workshops, and buy their books and tapes".

 

    NEWSWEEK, October 20, 1997

 

 

How close are we to the great pestilences and plagues as foretold for the last days in Luke 21:11 and Revelation 6:7,8?
    

Smallpox, a disease that took the life of 300 million people in the twentieth century alone, was completely eradicated by 1980. New vaccines dramatically reduced the incidence of polio in the 1950's. In 1967 the U.S. surgeon general, William H. Stewart, announced the day would soon come when all infectious diseases were totally eliminated. This optimism has been replaced by gloom and foreboding.

 

 In recent years deadly new diseases such as AIDS and Legionnaires' disease have come into existence. "Deaths from infectious diseases in the United States rose 58% between 1980 and 1992. Twenty-nine new diseases have been reported in the past twenty-five years."

 

Tuberculosis, once thought to have been under control, is now mutating into strains that defy previously effective treatments. More than 80 million Americans annually become ill from bacteria and viruses in foods like chicken and strawberries.

 

 An unprecedented rush toward globalism in the last four decades has greatly facilitated the spread of old and new diseases. "Burgeoning population growth and urbanization, widespread environmental degradation, including global warming and tropical deforestation, and radically improved methods of transportation have given rise to new ways of contracting and spreading disease."

 

 A dramatic increase in international trade and travel has contributed immeasurably to the problem. "More than 500 million people cross international borders each year on commercial flights." A large variety of food from all over the world is available at your local supermarket. Third-world countries can't provide adequate sanitation for large segments of their population. Biological terrorism is another dreaded possibility. "The modern world is becoming ... a viral superhighway. Everyone is at risk."    

 

THE SCIENCES, January / February 1998, Page 24 - 29.

 

Dear Marty,

 

I have been unable to sleep since I broke off your
engagement to my daughter. Will you forgive and forget?

I was much too sensitive about your Mohawk tatoo and pierced nose. I now realize motorcycles aren't really that dangerous, and I really should not have reacted that way to the fact that you have never held a job.

I am also very sure that some other very nice people live under the bridge in the park, too. Sure my daughter is only 18 and wants to marry you instead of going to Harvard on full scholarship. After all, you can't learn everything about life from books.

 

I sometimes forget how backward I can be. I was wrong. I was a fool. I have now come to my senses and you have my full blessing to marry my daughter.

 

Sincerely, Your future father-in-law.

P.S. Congratulations on winning the lottery!

 

(Note: If "Mohawk tatoo" is insensitive to natives we can just change it to "25 tatoos" or "green hair". I saw this joke at another web site so I don't think it belongs to anyone. "Money Talks" is my own title.)

Source: http://www.gcfl.net/archive/20020920.html:

 

Aliens Are Here To Help
 

Mankind never ceases to look for answers to life's biggest questions in the most bizarre of places. A large number of Americans sincerely believe that aliens from outer space have visited earth. As a result of extensive interviews, journalist Joel Achenbach, author of Captured By Aliens, has discovered that many believe we humans are just "insignificant organisms living on a speck of dust in the backwaters of the cosmos." However, this cosmic despair is alleviated for those who realize that aliens have travelled incomprehensible distances because they need our DNA to survive! Others are comforted by the belief that, at some future time, when mankind is ready, the aliens will contact us and teach us to be kind, loving, and happy.  The author believes that this fixation on aliens is filling a spiritual void due to a decline in traditional religious beliefs.  According to the author:

 

"The aliens solve problems in a world where problems are abundant. It's a puzzling fact that many people, even in an affluent society, are in psychic agony. They're confused, depressed, anxious. They're overwhelmed ... That's why people are so desperate for contact - what we really want is for the aliens to save us  from the trouble we've manufactured for ourselves." 

 

THE FUTURIST, May - June 2000

 

A little boy went over to a pastor's house, where the pastor was doing some carpentry in his garage. The boy simply stood there and watched him for quite a long time. The preacher wondered why this boy was watching him and was finally so curious that he stopped and said, "Son, are you trying to pick up some pointers on how to build something?"

 

The little boy replied, "No. I am just waiting to hear what a preacher says when he hits his thumb with a hammer."

 

Citation: Greg Laurie, "Known by Our Fruit", October 01, 2004,
http://www.harvest.org/greg/index.php/2/2004/152.html

 

 

 Recently movie critic Michael Medved has noticed that Hollywood is proclaiming its values and beliefs in "brief-but-telling-scenes". In the recent movie, The Cell, star Jennifer Lopez, playing a smart, fearless, and compassionate character, is depicted relaxing at home smoking marijuana. The scene lasts 15 seconds. The film studio was not concerned about the message such a popular and attractive celebrity was sending to young people.

 

 In another scene, the film's sadistic serial killer "flashes back to the origins of his psychic torment, focusing particularly on the moment of his baptism at age 6. The scene at a riverbank, involving a Bible-toting pastor and ecstatic, hand-waving true believers, repeatedly reappears in connection with the most monstrous cruelty. The movie suggests that the future killer's abusive father held him down too long in the water, causing him later in life slowly to drown his female kidnap victims in a huge glass tank before turning their mutilated bodies into ghastly dolls".

 

 Medved has found that several movies have portrayed serial killers as having become cruel and sick partly due to the influence of Christianity: "For characters played by Robert De Niro in Cape Fear, Kevin Spacey in Seven, Harry Connick Jr. in Copycat; and Ed Harris in Just Cause, multiple murders and brutal torture come connected with flamboyant displays of Christian religiosity. The cruel caricature of committed Christians - especially fundamentalists and Pentecostals - remains a rare form of religious bigotry not only accepted, but repeatedly promoted by Hollywood as well".

Michael Medved Jewish World Review Oct. 6, 2000  http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/medved1.asp#top