JPF Home Page Forums Lyric and MP3 Feedback Lyric Feedback Forum 3 "ONLY KNOWLEDGE CAN SET YOU FREE"

{Waal, It's 3:30 AM, I'm tired, but I just caught the broadcast of "Oprah's Roots"..where her Great-Great (Enslaved) Grandparents were tracked down by a team of Hard-workin' Geneologists, WITH the assistance of a DNA Sample she'd provided. Thanks to one out of every 2 slaves taking the last names of their Former-Masters in Missisippi, when they were all first-ALLOWED to HAVE Last Names..AND the (think it was 1870) Census {Which had a Side-Schedule for listing a Slave-Owner's Slaves..(by NUMBER, not by Names!)..by age & sex..a great Detective Job was done.

"Knowledge is Power" said Oprah at the end of a Brilliant Interview.}


You can Live Deep in The Darkness
You can Live Out in The Cold
You can Live Like All Your Fathers
Dying in Their Days-of-Old

You Can Perpetuate More Ignorance
Superstitious-as-can-Be
Or You Can Learn..How..
KNOWLEDGE CAN SET YOU FREE


You can Parrot All The Platitudes
Ignoring All The Facts
Pretend Life is Just a Play
Perform Presumptuous Holy Acts

You Can Enslave Your Future
With Selective History
Until You Learn..How..
KNOWLEDGE CAN SET YOU FREE


(BRIDGE)
There's a God Who Sent Us Here
With an Endless, Seeking Mind
Moving Mankind Towards a Future
When He Leaves The Past Behind
You Must Move Beyond "Tradition"
To Unlock-Each-Mystery
& ONLY KNOWLEDGE..CAN SET YOU FREE


So Seek Beyond This Planet
Expand Beyond This Place
There's a Universe of Knowledge
Every Atom Bears God's Face

Don't Let Old Men Hold You Back
As You Seek Your Destiny
While You Learn..How..
KNOWLEDGE CAN SET YOU FREE...

(TAG)
ONLY KNOWLEDGE..CAN SET..YOU FREE~

(C) 2007 by Stan Good, BMI
All Rights Reserved.

Ah Stan that steel trap mind of yours never stopped runnin there ol fella.....even when ya'll was tired.....LOL!

This just came together for ya and it's jus as thought evoking as they come and any one who can sneak these into a lyric, Perpetuate...Superstitious-as-can-be
....Platitudes....Presumptuous....etc......<G>........ Well ya gotta have sumpin goin fer ya!
Yep, knowledge is so important....ACCURATE KNOWLEDGE......that is!

Little smoothing out here and there and this'n a good'n. Might jus be a winner..


Have a good one and send me up some weather in January...<G>..

Eric

Good write there ol Florida bro

Stan

Truth of knowlege can really set us free. That is the best way we can reach enlightenment or probbaly we can see god face.

How the ruler in the past manipulate history and erase some important things that can benefit humanity in the future.

Here we are with a faster computer speed and a wikipedia that can give us unbiased knowledge we are nearing the stage of enlighthenment. Just keep yourself healthy and follow Skip Johnson suggestion for long life and wait for the computer to solve the basic flaw of humanity "growing old"

Lynman


HEy Blade Runner is one of my favorite movies. Like the story there and even the minority report by tom cruise cannot surpass it in my own taste.

Hey Stanamigo

Yup couldn't agree with you more. Knowledge can set you free. Often times it's living in the dark and not wanting to see the truth that leads people in the wrong direction. I think honestly most people can agree with the sentiment being spoken here and truthfully even though they may agree for different reasons this one is bursting with Universal appeal. And Christians, Muslims, Buhdists and all other sorts will certainly be able to agree with it great job. And done when ya was tired man you should write more often when your sleepy!
Derek

G'Mornin' Brother Eric!

As my Ol' "Steel Trap" slowly-turns-to-Rubber, I was in the mood to give it One Last Shot for The Creationist Crowd.

Living in the South, I'm too-aware that that "Old Time Religion" allowed MANY a Hangin'..turned a Blind Eye to the Deplorable Conditions foisted upon the "Emancipated" Slaves..while Kindly Allowing them to Share in a Religion that kept 'em docile..as long as-possible..100 Extra YEARS of Servitude...

WILL Credit MLK with Hastening Changes..but Malcolm X didn't do too bad a job, either. Us White Folks finally Got The Message...and it's Laudable that Oprah's one of the World's Wealthiest Women, just 4 generations after one of her ancestors was whisked away to Slave Life, USA.

So, where was I...oh, bringin' up the Bad Side of Organized Religion...vs the Good Side of a Good Education. One of Oprah's ancestors had the GOOD Fortune to be educated at one of the LAST Integrated Classes as Reconstruction after the Civil War died down. Soon after, about a Decade-After the Civil War Ended, the good Church Goin' Folks in Mississippi reverted back to Segregated Schools, so they were assured of a Good Cheap Labor Force to help 'em work what was left of the Plantation Lifestyle.
(Their Tax Dollars somehow had a hard time tricklin' down to the Black Schools.) By the 1950's Mississippi was the Poorest Overall State in The Union..tho there were of course, a fair share of Rich White Folks. "Find yourself a good white couple to work for" was advice from one of Oprah's older aunts.

What's I think Interesting was Old Courthouse Records of the Earlier Periods Down-South. In 1830, Mississippi was Indian Land. By 1850, ENORMOUS Numbers of Slaves were imported to create the Plantation System, as Cotton became King. Even SMALL Farmers, with a complement of slaves could rapidly become rich men. One set of Census Records shows a White Farmer, with I think, 4-8 slaves, I forget, making $250 the year he started out.
Next Census, (Think it was 4 years later) he made $2500 that year. Guess who made him a rich man? & guess which religion that became Southern Baptists thought this was all Well-&-Proper?

By the time of The Civil War, The "Equity" in Slaves (& they WEREN'T cheap, relatively-speaking) was MORE than all the Money held by US Banks, according to the Narrator of the Oprah piece.

Thus, the South fought as hard as possible to maintain their (Evil) Way of Life. I'm sure even today Many of the remaining Bigots STILL think they have "God on Our Side"...(& can quote you Chapter and Verse.)

But it's nice to know folks Like Oprah CAN get to Where They're Goin'...thanks to a Father who insisted "Don't come home with LESS than a B on your Report Card" and she did so.

REALLY Enjoyed your take on the 4 Forces, Amigo!

Gotta Scoot.."it's 12 O'Clock" sayeth La Femme, & I have Birds To Feedeth, Clocks to Fixeth, And Bills to Payeth!

Thanks for your Kind Visit & Very Accurate Words, Amigo!
Big Guy-Hug,
Stan

G'Mornin' My Favorite Chum!

I think it's still possible for ALL the world's Religions & People to Live-Together, peacefully.

I think we no longer have Much Choice..weapons get ever more-accurate, and constantly are easier to get. More & More loot's available to the Bad Guys, as-well.

HOWEVER, IF we hurry up & Educate People so they don't behave like Fanatics..(& KILL for Their Version Of God)..maybe they'll have more to Live FOR. (Of course, if you're a desperate Subsistence-Farmer in India, & your landlord's squeezing ya for more than your crop's worth, & you don't know any better WAY to grow MORE Crops, and Global Warming's just created a Drought, killing your Year's BEST Efforts...it's a bit LATE for Education to step in & save ya.)

Very Little Changes Overnight. Took Oprah's folks 5 generations to show LOTS can get done, given The Chance.

Gotta Scoot...THANKS Amigo!
Big Guy-Hugs,
Stan

Whoops, Sorry BIGTIME, Doc-Migo...I'm Rushed this AM..

Man's SUCH a Smart Amimal, I have Faith we'll all figure it out, given enough Time.

But I DO get a big kick outta those 3-Channels-worth of TV Evangelists. Instant Oxymorons. (Hard to preach Humility drivin' a Rolls, I allus say.)

"Blade Runner" oughta be Required Watchin' at the next Christian Conference, wherever it's held. Prolly wouldn't change Much, tho...you're either Kind-hearted or ya aren't, no matter What Denomination ya profess.

Gotta Scoot, but BIG Thanks for the Kind Words & Visit, My Kind-Hearted Amigo!

Big Guy-Hug,
Real Late Stan!

Stan,

I think it's all been said by those above me here, but truth has never been spoken better than you....just an awesome write..
Can't say enough good things about it. Loved so many of the great lines....how did you get so many in one song though..or should I say...anthem to all of humanity....You said it all..

Sis from Mich.

Jan

HIDee Mich-Sis!

I'm indebted to Neil's Song. And response.

Said he's a Science Teacher..but doesn't trust Empirical Data.
Prefers "Creationism".

Me, I been around Journalism off-&-on for Decades. Find I can't really Trust Somethin' that's been Edited for Over 2 Millenniums.

I'm NOT really "Down" on Christians. NOT the ones who Read BEYOND the Bible, AND keep an Open Mind.

In Fact, I'm currently writin' one titled "IF JESUS COMES BACK (I'LL BET HE'S WEARIN' BLUEJEANS)". I'm kinda FOND of the REAL Examples Christ Set..(& the ones Rev Skipper's pretty dern GOOD at, I'll humbly add.)

I'm the First to mention I DON'T have all the answers. But it's Good Therapy to Ask The Questions...then Read Up!

Ignorance ISN'T Bliss...it's the Reason there's so much WRONG with this place..but next-to-nothin's "Incurable".

Thanks for your Very Kind Words & Visit, 'LadySis!
Major Hugs,
BB Stan

Stan,

This title reminds me I need to drop your books in the mail. You are entirely correct in saying knowledge is crucial. Some knowledge is even more crucial than others--though all knowledge is power to its possessor.

Which is why I memorized the first seven verses of the third chapter of the book of Daniel this morning before beginning my day. I'm (God willing and the creeks don't rise) planning on setting the whole 12 chapters to memory. That particular knowledge is that essential to know thoroughly. Only way I'll be able to dig deeper than I am doing in the Good Old Book is to go back to the original Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic--which I haven't worked with since I was in my seminary training years ago. I've about maxed out the possibilities in an English translation.

Governor Bradford, the long time, repeatedly elected leader of the Mayflower Pilgrim colony here in New England, was known for the fact he was as likely to discuss a particular passage of the Bible as he was to discuss such civic matters as reroofing the main common house or opening a new field for crops. As he grew older, he came to the same place I'm finding myself: He'd maxed out what he was able to get from an English translation of the Bible, and felt a hankering to "view the ancient oracles in their native grandure and beauty". That meant as an aging man, for the first time in his life, he learned both Hebrew and Greek. I've got a bit of a head start, having studied both in the past. But it seems once I get these books to the level of memory in English, that's my only direction for giving that most essential knowledge base the further attention it most certainly merits.

Those who know the Good Book best hold it in highest regard.

I share an appreciation for the real examples of Jesus with you, Stan. He was simply the most astonishingly vital human who ever walked this planet. All that has been done to His teachings and all that has happened in misrepresenting Him by His followers since cannot unlive that most admirable Life. We find out about that life almost entirely through the pages of the New Testament eye-witnesses, as there are only four fairly brief contemporary witnesses to Jesus in the extra-Biblical literature of His day. If you want to know Jesus as He really was and is, the only place you'll find that out is in the Bible.

I'll send you one along with the other book I promised which is sitting here beside me as I speak. Just got to drop it in the mail--addressed and stamped, of course! Time to go for the gold and round out your knowledge base, Stan. You've got a good mind. Why not have the best stuff possible in it? I think your reading will answer a great many questions I've seen you ponder over for a good many years. I have confidence you will be able to see the value in what you will read.

I'll be watching for the "If Jesus Comes Back (I'll Bet He's Wearin' Blue Jeans)" lyic. After reading the evidence, I'd alter the lyric only slightly to "When Jesus Comes Back (I'll Bet He's Wearing Blue Jeans)". I think the evidence of His return--and that in the foreseeable future--perhaps our own lifetimes(particularly if I live out my next half century)--is very strong.

The Man was not a liar, and He plainly and repeatedly said He's coming back to our planet. Seems a bit far fetched? So did His repeated advanced claimed that after He would be arrested, handed over to the non-Jewish authorities, scourged, crucified, and buried in the grave, He would rise again from the dead on the third day. Seemed a bit far fetched. But it convinced even His bitterest enemies enough so that they went to Pilate and asked for a contingent of soldiers to be posted guard at the tomb of Jesus (which had been sealed by the authority of Rome itself) to make sure He stayed there. These very soldiers later bore witness to the fact He had, in fact, risen from the dead. So when it comes to Jesus--the guy who walked on water, changed water to wine, raised at least three people from the dead, fed 20,000 people with five small loaves and two small fishes, and did any number of other things that lie outside of the ordinary laws of nature before hundreds and even thousands of eye witnesses--it is only good sense to listen carefully when He says He's going to do what seems frankly impossible. On the last page of the Bible, He says three times He's coming back to planet Earth for His own. I want to be among them. I want you to be also. Sound knowledge for decision making is absolutely essential for this to occur.

I'll send those books.

Keep writing.

Skip

P.S. I've got a blind theologian friend my own age--who is teaching at our Seminary in Berrien Springs, Michigan, last I heard--who memorized Song of Solomon, Genesis, and several other books of the Bible in their original language. His limitation on sight meant he went for a total recall of some of the most provocative and debated volumes in the library of books bound together that we call the Bible--and that from the original language texts. He knew his stuff so well as a student that he was correcting his proffessor's interpretations in the advanced studies of these books.

So I don't think I'm anywhere near as advanced as some of my contemporaries--at least in their depth of knowledge of particular books--though I know of none of them who have hand copied the whole Bible, as I have. That gives me an overall view that allows the more indepth study of certain passages to have its complete context. Now that I've gone as wide as it is possible to go with this knowledge base, I'm ready to go as deep as I can as well. Knowledge is power. Especially this most essential knowledge. Especially now, as things so long predicted are unfolding around us on every side.

The last thing the New England mystic whose volume I am sending you said before her death was spoken to a group of college students at the same college in California I attended as an undergrad. She had finished her prepared remarks and was slowly making her way back to her chair. Half way there, she stopped, turned around and retraced her steps. She lifted her well-worn Bible high, looked the students in the eye, and said, "Young people, I commend to you this Book!" A short time later, she fell, broke her hip and died.

What a way to go. I agree with her last words entirely. And, God willing, I've still got a half a lifetime to go.

Dang it, I guess I can't keep quiet after all. If all this turns out to be the truth, then Jesus knows the love in my heart as well as my lack of belief, and, evidently, he will most certainly leave me behind because I didn't follow what my heart and mind tells me is not correct. I always wondered why he would choose to do that. Rather than save myself, I will stand with those that weep and wail and are left behind...I figure will be among many good people who will deserve company and sympathy in their despair.

Sorry, that's just how I feel about it.

Lyle,

Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. The Word of God is the Bible itself, and also the Jesus whose life it records from before His birth in Bethelehem to things still to come which will affect us all.

Do you know the evidences for the things your current knowledge base doesn't allow you to credit as true? Have you examined the 300 plus prophecies that drew an intimate, one-of-a-kind portrait of the Messiah which were written anywhere from 1,500 to 400 years before Jesus was born (exactly as predicted by one of the prophets) in Bethlehem of Judea beneath the star (predicted by another prophet) that led the wise men to His manger? Do you know the evidences from history that trace the great empires of mankind from ancient Babylon to our own day, and beyond to Jesus' Second Coming?

I just set the second chapter of the book of Daniel to memory that recorded all these great events that have shaped human civilization and history. It was written nearly six hundred years before the time of Christ, yet has been unfolding with great accuracy down to our own day. Very, very little is still left to occur. Then Jesus will most certainly return to our world.

No need at all for you to be left out. No need for anybody to be left out. God wants you on the inside. He wants us all on the inside.

I know you are a man with a good heart, same as Stan. You need good teaching in your mind so that your mind can match that heart. That essential information cannot be obtained second hand. You need to examine it for yourself. I recommend the same two volumes I am sending Stan--the Bible in a contemporary language translation and the book The Great Controversy. Between the two, many questions you now have that are preventing the good in your heart from including your mind may be answered to your satisfaction.

Right now you are somewhat sidelined from the full practice of your training and profession. It would be an excellent opportunity to devote the same degree of intensity of study to these matters as you did in obtaining your medical degree. Why not be able to assist those who come to you in the realm of the spirit as truly as you do in the realm of their physical well-being? Surely you see that there are malajustments in these matters as troubling to people's well-being as any physical disease.

This is the truth. I am convinced if you only see the evidences you will know that it is so as well for yourself--not simply on the basis of someone else's testimony.

Do you have a Bible? I'll send one along to you when I send Stan his books if you'd like. I know your humanitarian work does not leave much extra. But you would do well to omit any number of meals necessary in order to use the money to obtain a Bible--short of death, of course, which would rather defeat the purpose!

Thanks for weighing in. No need to apologize for what your training up to this point has provided for you, or how you feel about things. Unless we know for certainty where we are, we cannot take steps to go somewhere else. It wasn't until I could say, "I am not a Christian" that I was in a position to consider these matters openly and profitably. I was where you now are at one point. Now I'm a place I believe you'd like to be.

Skip

You're a good man too, Skip. But even if I do gain full faith one day, I'm the sort of person who could never leave while other good-hearted people are left behind. It would strike me as selfish. No, if possible, maybe someone else could take my place. I would feel better about sticking around with the abandoned.

Hey Stan
Good write. No Doubt nothing is more powerful than Knowledge.
I do wonder though, could you have written this without reference to God, or a Deity, and still have it be as powerful.
Just a thought.

I'm kinda with Lyle on this subject.
I still wonder why a God with so much power would have need of a planet full of such insignificant creatures as we are in the scheme of things. What could we possibly offer him that he doesn't already have?

Lemmie Start by going Backwards tonight..with Bro Bill Robinson's Pretty Good Question, "What do we have to offer God that he doesn't already have?"

I think He wants us to be Apprentices.

So far No OTHER Species (Here) has figured out So Many of His Methods of Creating The Universe, Putting Life on it, and figuring out How Those Little Atoms (& Microbes) end up So-Important in His Scheme of Things.

Assuming His Wisdom IS Infinite, He has a Good Idea what we WILL Come Up With...(Even tho, with our "Free Will", we DO seem Hellbent on our own Destruction.) Of course, that's Assuming that this Planet IS "Important" to Him...& Ya Never Know..maybe Life Somewhere ELSE is lots further-along on HIS Plans, & maybe WE'RE Expendable IF we don't "Wise Up".

As Eric pointed out on The Other Thread, God's done HIS Part in making this a Very-Habitable Universe..for Life Such as Ours.
(It's like You or I set up a nice Aquarium...NOW..ya either filter it & feed the Inhabitants sufficiently...or ya got a dead tank fulla slime.)

The Life here is Beautiful & Diverse...yet OUR Species threatens Many..if not MOST..of ALL the Other Species that are already Here.

Hell, we even threaten Our OWN Kind...Daily.

So..we MAY already provide The Deity with ENTERTAINMENT..on a Daily Basis..while we continually Sort-Out that which Matters, and That which Doesn't. Learn..& We Survive. REALLY Learn..and we Flourish. REALLY, REALLY Learn..& God seems to Share Secret after Secret of his...not ALL That-Begrudgingly..we just have to LOOK for These Answers. (It never hurts to Acknowledge "The Favor" when we GET some Answers, too, I add.)

The Human Brain's Cerebellum's where ALL of our Memories, Learned-Behaviour, Etc. that makes up "Conscious Decisions" comes from. IF you UN-Folded the Surface's Convoluted Topography, you'd end up with something under 1/4 inch thick and 2-feet-square..about the size of a Cloth Table Napkin. That is ALL you GOT to "Think With", in Physical Dimensions.

Not a Bad "Miracle" to start off with..IMO. ;-)> So, far as I'm concerned, we've owed The Deity from Day One for the ABILITY to absorb Knowledge.

Back to tidyin' up the Aquarium!

Thanks for your Kind Visit & Words, Amigo!
Big Guy-Hug,
Stan

HiDee Brothers Skip & Lyle!

Enjoyed reading all your Replies here...(& again, Thanks for the Books Skipper..will read 'em as Time-&-Life permits, but won't let 'em sit gathering dust.)

Lyle, I admire your Sentiment. I, too, feel yearning for "Heaven" is a wee bit selfish..THIS life's been a Major Gift (& Big Surprise)..but anything beyond "Startin' Over HERE Again" seems WAY too-greedy a Yearning. "Fading to Black" seems the Most-Logical...BUT I think even Basic Physics deals with as many as 11 DIFFERENT Dimensions to explain "Matter" now...(& we Humans can barely make out 4 of 'em)...so sure, Heaven may very well exist Somewhere We've got No Idea Of....yet.

But that doesn't mean I can't cast a Skeptical Eye on the Reportage of Jesus' Life, Skipper. The "Water-to-Wine" thing I remember doin' with my first Gilbert Chemistry Set...(& if some Archaeologist turns up a Scroll referrin' to Jesus' "Long-Forgotten TWIN Brother", The Pope's got a LOT of Explainin' to do....) ;-)>

Thanks for Your Kind Words, Books, & Visits Amigos!

Big Guy-Hugs,
from Stan (Lookin' over his shoulder for the Eventual Lightnin' Bolt..)

You hit the nail right on the head Stan.....We have it there but it's a matter of how we use it....We all have a choice and we have to stop blaming God because he gave us this marvelous gift.

For years man’s brain has been likened to a computer, yet recent discoveries show that the comparison falls far short. “How does one begin to comprehend the functioning of an organ with somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 billion neurons with a million billion synapses (connections), and with an overall firing rate of perhaps 10 million billion times per second?” asked Dr. Richard M. Restak. His answer? “The performance of even the most advanced of the neural-network computers . . . has about one ten-thousandth the mental capacity of a housefly.” Consider, then, how much a computer fails to measure up to a human brain, which is so remarkably superior.

What man-made computer can repair itself, rewrite its program, or improve over the years? When a computer system needs to be adjusted, a programmer must write and enter new coded instructions. Our brain does such work automatically, both in the early years of life and in old age. You would not be exaggerating to say that the most advanced computers are very primitive compared to the brain. Scientists have called it “the most complicated structure known” and “the most complex object in the universe.” Consider some discoveries that have led many to conclude that the human brain is the product of a caring Creator.

Use It or Lose It

Useful inventions such as cars and jet planes are basically limited by the fixed mechanisms and electrical systems that men design and install. By contrast, our brain is, at the very least, a highly flexible biological mechanism or system. It can keep changing according to the way it is used—or abused. Two main factors seem responsible for how our brain develops throughout our lifetime—what we allow to enter it through our senses and what we choose to think about.

Although hereditary factors may have a role in mental performance, modern research shows that our brain is not fixed by our genes at the time of conception. “No one suspected that the brain was as changeable as science now knows it to be,” writes Pulitzer prize-winning author Ronald Kotulak. After interviewing more than 300 researchers, he concluded: “The brain is not a static organ; it is a constantly changing mass of cell connections that are deeply affected by experience.”—Inside the Brain.

Still, our experiences are not the only means of shaping our brain. It is affected also by our thinking. Scientists find that the brains of people who remain mentally active have up to 40 percent more connections (synapses) between nerve cells (neurons) than do the brains of the mentally lazy. Neuroscientists conclude: You have to use it or you lose it. What, though, of the elderly? There seems to be some loss of brain cells as a person ages, and advanced age can bring memory loss. Yet the difference is much less than was once believed. A National Geographic report on the human brain said: “Older people . . . retain capacity to generate new connections and to keep old ones via mental activity.”

Most neurons in the outer layer of the brain, the cerebral cortex, are not linked directly to muscles and sensory organs. For example, consider the billions of neurons that make up the frontal lobe. Brain scans prove that the frontal lobe becomes active when you think of a word or call up memories. The front part of the brain plays a special role in your being you.

“The prefrontal cortex . . . is most involved with elaboration of thought, intelligence, motivation, and personality. It associates experiences necessary for the production of abstract ideas, judgment, persistence, planning, concern for others, and conscience. . . . It is the elaboration of this region that sets human beings apart from other animals.” (Marieb’s Human Anatomy and Physiology) We certainly see evidence of this distinction in what humans have accomplished in fields such as mathematics, philosophy, and justice, which primarily involve the prefrontal cortex.

Why do humans have a large, flexible prefrontal cortex, which contributes to higher mental functions, whereas in animals this area is rudimentary or nonexistent? The contrast is so great that biologists who claim that we evolved speak of the “mysterious explosion in brain size.” Professor of Biology Richard F. Thompson, noting the extraordinary expansion of our cerebral cortex, admits: “As yet we have no very clear understanding of why this happened.” Could the reason lie in man’s having been created with this peerless brain capacity?

Unequaled Communication Skills

Other parts of the brain also contribute to our uniqueness. Behind our prefrontal cortex is a strip stretching across the head—the motor cortex. It contains billions of neurons that connect with our muscles. It too has features that contribute to our being far different from apes or other animals. The primary motor cortex gives us “(1) an exceptional capability to use the hand, the fingers, and the thumb to perform highly dexterous manual tasks, and (2) use of the mouth, lips, tongue, and facial muscles to talk.”—Guyton’s Textbook of Medical Physiology.

Consider briefly how the motor cortex affects your ability to speak. Over half of it is devoted to the organs of communication. This helps to explain the unparalleled communication skills of humans. Though our hands play a role in communication (in writing, normal gestures, or sign language), the mouth usually plays the major part. Human speech—from a baby’s first word to the voice of an elderly person—is unquestionably a marvel. Some 100 muscles in the tongue, lips, jaw, throat, and chest cooperate to produce countless sounds. Note this contrast: One brain cell can direct 2,000 fibers of an athlete’s calf muscle, but brain cells for the voice box may concentrate on only 2 or 3 muscle fibers. Does that not suggest that our brain is specially equipped for communication?

Each short phrase that you utter requires a specific pattern of muscular movements. The meaning of a single expression can change depending upon the degree of movement and split-second timing of scores of different muscles. “At a comfortable rate,” explains speech expert Dr. William H. Perkins, “we utter about 14 sounds per second. That’s twice as fast as we can control our tongue, lips, jaw or any other parts of our speech mechanism when we move them separately. But put them all together for speech and they work the way fingers of expert typists and concert pianists do. Their movements overlap in a symphony of exquisite timing.”

The actual information needed to ask the simple question, “How are you today?” is stored in a part of your brain’s frontal lobe called Broca’s area, which some consider to be your speech center. Nobel laureate neuroscientist Sir John Eccles wrote: “No area corresponding to the . . . speech area of Broca has been recognized in apes.” Even if some similar areas are found in animals, the fact is that scientists cannot get apes to produce more than a few crude speech sounds. You, though, can produce complicated language. To do so, you put words together according to the grammar of your language. Broca’s area helps you do that, both in speaking and in writing.

Of course, you cannot exercise the miracle of speech unless you know at least one language and understand what its words mean. This involves another special part of your brain, known as Wernicke’s area. Here, billions of neurons discern the meaning of spoken or written words. Wernicke’s area helps you to make sense of statements and to comprehend what you hear or read; thus you can learn information and can respond sensibly.

There is even more to your fluent speech. To illustrate: A verbal “Hello” can convey a host of meanings. Your tone of voice reflects whether you are happy, excited, bored, rushed, annoyed, sad, or frightened, and it may even reveal degrees of those emotional states. Another area of your brain supplies information for the emotional part of speech. So, various parts of your brain come into play when you communicate.

Chimpanzees have been taught some limited sign language, but their use of it is essentially limited to simple requests for food or other basics. Having worked to teach chimps simple nonverbal communication, Dr. David Premack concluded: “Human language is an embarrassment for evolutionary theory because it is vastly more powerful than one can account for.”

We might ponder: ‘Why do humans have this marvelous skill to communicate thoughts and feelings, to inquire and to respond?’ The Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics states that “[human] speech is special” and admits that “the search for precursors in animal communication does not help much in bridging the enormous gap that separates language and speech from nonhuman behaviors.” Professor Ludwig Koehler summarized the difference: “Human speech is a secret; it is a divine gift, a miracle.”

What a difference there is between an ape’s use of signs and the complex language ability of children! Sir John Eccles referred to what most of us have also observed, an ability “exhibited even by 3-year-old children with their torrent of questions in their desire to understand their world.” He added: “By contrast, apes do not ask questions.” Yes, only humans form questions, including questions about the meaning of life.

Memory and More!

When you glance in a mirror, you may think of how you looked when you were younger, even comparing that with what your appearance could be in the years to come or how you would look after applying cosmetics. These thoughts can arise almost unconsciously, yet something very special is occurring, something that no animal can experience.

Unlike animals, who mainly live and act on present needs, humans can contemplate the past and plan for the future. A key to your doing that is the brain’s almost limitless memory capacity. True, animals have a degree of memory, and thus they can find their way back home or recall where food may be. Human memory is far greater. One scientist estimated that our brain can hold information that “would fill some twenty million volumes, as many as in the world’s largest libraries.” Some neuroscientists estimate that during an average life span, a person uses only 1/100 of 1 percent (.0001) of his potential brain capacity. You might well ask, ‘Why do we have a brain with so much capacity that we hardly test a fraction of it in a normal lifetime?’

Nor is our brain just some vast storage place for information, like a supercomputer. Biology professors Robert Ornstein and Richard F. Thompson wrote: “The ability of the human mind to learn—to store and recall information—is the most remarkable phenomenon in the biological universe. Everything that makes us human—language, thought, knowledge, culture—is the result of this extraordinary capability.”

Moreover, you have a conscious mind. That statement may seem basic, but it sums up something that unquestionably makes you exceptional. The mind has been described as “the elusive entity where intelligence, decision making, perception, awareness and sense of self reside.” As creeks, streams, and rivers feed into a sea, so memories, thoughts, images, sounds, and feelings flow constantly into or through our mind. Consciousness, says one definition, is “the perception of what passes in a man’s own mind.”

Modern researchers have made great strides in understanding the physical makeup of the brain and some of the electrochemical processes that occur in it. They can also explain the circuitry and functioning of an advanced computer. However, there is a vast difference between brain and computer. With your brain you are conscious and are aware of your being, but a computer certainly is not. Why the difference?

Frankly, how and why consciousness arises from physical processes in our brain is a mystery. “I don’t see how any science can explain that,” one neurobiologist commented. Also, Professor James Trefil observed: “What, exactly, it means for a human being to be conscious . . . is the only major question in the sciences that we don’t even know how to ask.” One reason why is that scientists are using the brain to try to understand the brain. And just studying the physiology of the brain may not be enough. Consciousness is “one of the most profound mysteries of existence,” observed Dr. David Chalmers, “but knowledge of the brain alone may not get [scientists] to the bottom of it.”

Nonetheless, each of us experiences consciousness. For example, our vivid memories of past events are not mere stored facts, like computer bits of information. We can reflect on our experiences, draw lessons from them, and use them to shape our future. We are able to consider several future scenarios and evaluate the possible effects of each. We have the capacity to analyze, create, appreciate, and love. We can enjoy pleasant conversations about the past, present, and future. We have ethical values about behavior and can use them in making decisions that may or may not be of immediate benefit. We are attracted to beauty in art and morals. In our mind we can mold and refine our ideas and guess how other people will react if we carry these out.

Such factors produce an awareness that sets humans apart from other life-forms on earth. A dog, a cat, or a bird looks in a mirror and responds as if seeing another of its kind. But when you look in a mirror, you are conscious of yourself as a being with the capacities just mentioned. You can reflect on dilemmas, such as: ‘Why do some turtles live 150 years and some trees live over 1,000 years, but an intelligent human makes the news if he reaches 100?’ Dr. Richard Restak states: “The human brain, and the human brain alone, has the capacity to step back, survey its own operation, and thus achieve some degree of transcendence. Indeed, our capacity for rewriting our own script and redefining ourselves in the world is what distinguishes us from all other creatures in the world.”

Man’s consciousness baffles some. The book Life Ascending, while favoring a mere biological explanation, admits: “When we ask how a process [evolution] that resembles a game of chance, with dreadful penalties for the losers, could have generated such qualities as love of beauty and truth, compassion, freedom, and, above all, the expansiveness of the human spirit, we are perplexed. The more we ponder our spiritual resources, the more our wonder deepens.” Very true. Thus, we might round out our view of human uniqueness by a few evidences of our consciousness that illustrate why many are convinced that there must be an intelligent Designer, a Creator, who cares for us.

Art and Beauty

“Why do people pursue art so passionately?” asked Professor Michael Leyton in Symmetry, Causality, Mind. As he pointed out, some might say that mental activity such as mathematics confers clear benefits to humans, but why art? Leyton illustrated his point by saying that people travel great distances to art exhibits and concerts. What inner sense is involved? Similarly, people around the globe put attractive pictures or paintings on the walls of their home or office. Or consider music. Most people like to listen to some style of music at home and in their cars. Why? It certainly is not because music once contributed to the survival of the fittest. Says Leyton: “Art is perhaps the most inexplicable phenomenon of the human species.”

Still, we all know that enjoying art and beauty is part of what makes us feel “human.” An animal might sit on a hill and look at a colorful sky, but is it drawn to beauty as such? We look at a mountain torrent shimmering in the sunshine, stare at the dazzling diversity in a tropical rain forest, gaze at a palm-lined beach, or admire the stars sprinkled across the black velvety sky. Often we feel awed, do we not? Beauty of that sort makes our hearts glow, our spirits soar. Why?

Why do we have an innate craving for things that, in reality, contribute little materially to our survival? From where do our aesthetic values come? If we do not take into account a Maker who shaped these values at man’s creation, these questions lack satisfying answers. This is also true regarding beauty in morals.

Moral Values

Many recognize the highest form of beauty to be fine deeds. For instance, being loyal to principles in the face of persecution, acting unselfishly to relieve others’ suffering, and forgiving someone who hurt us are actions that appeal to the moral sense of thinking people everywhere.

We all know that some people, and even groups, ignore or trample on elevated morals, but the majority do not. From what source do the moral values found in virtually all areas and in all periods come? If there is no Source of morality, no Creator, did right and wrong simply originate with people, human society? Consider an example: Most individuals and groups hold murder to be wrong. But one could ask, ‘Wrong in comparison to what?’ Obviously there is some sense of morality that underlies human society in general and that has been incorporated into the laws of many lands. What is the source of this standard of morality? Could it not be an intelligent Creator who has moral values and who placed the faculty of conscience, or ethical sense, in humans?

You Can Contemplate the Future and Plan for It

Another facet of human consciousness is our ability to consider the future. When asked whether humans have traits that distinguish them from animals, Professor Richard Dawkins acknowledged that man has, indeed, unique qualities. After mentioning “the ability to plan ahead using conscious, imagined foresight,” Dawkins added: “Short-term benefit has always been the only thing that counts in evolution; long-term benefit has never counted. It has never been possible for something to evolve in spite of being bad for the immediate short-term good of the individual. For the first time ever, it’s possible for at least some people to say, ‘Forget about the fact that you can make a short-term profit by chopping down this forest; what about the long-term benefit?’ Now I think that’s genuinely new and unique.”

Other researchers confirm that humans’ ability for conscious, long-term planning is without parallel. Neurophysiologist William H. Calvin notes: “Aside from hormonally triggered preparations for winter and mating, animals exhibit surprisingly little evidence of planning more than a few minutes ahead.” Animals may store food before a cold season, but they do not think things through and plan. By contrast, humans consider the future, even the distant future. Some scientists contemplate what may happen to the universe billions of years hence. Did you ever wonder why man—so different from animals—is able to think about the future and lay out plans?

The Bible says of humans: “Even time indefinite [the Creator] has put in their heart.” The Revised Standard Version renders it: “He has put eternity into man’s mind.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11) We use this distinctive ability daily, even in as common an act as glancing in a mirror and thinking what our appearance will be in 10 or 20 years. And we are confirming what Ecclesiastes 3:11 says when we give even passing thought to such concepts as the infinity of time and space. The mere fact that we have this ability harmonizes with the comment that a Creator has put “eternity into man’s mind.”

Drawn to a Creator

Many people, however, are not satisfied fully by enjoying beauty, doing good to fellowmen, and thinking about the future. “Strangely enough,” notes Professor C. Stephen Evans, “even in our most happy and treasured moments of love, we often feel something is missing. We find ourselves wanting more but not knowing what is the more we want.” Indeed, conscious humans—unlike the animals with which we share this planet—feel another need.

“Religion is deeply rooted in human nature and experienced at every level of economic status and educational background.” This summed up the research that Professor Alister Hardy presented in The Spiritual Nature of Man. It confirms what numerous other studies have established—man is God-conscious. While individuals may be atheists, whole nations are not. The book Is God the Only Reality? observes: “The religious quest for meaning . . . is the common experience in every culture and every age since the emergence of humankind.”

From where does this seemingly inborn awareness of God come? If man were merely an accidental grouping of nucleic acid and protein molecules, why would these molecules develop a love of art and beauty, turn religious, and contemplate eternity?

Sir John Eccles concluded that an evolutionary explanation of man’s existence “fails in a most important respect. It cannot account for the existence of each one of us as unique self-conscious beings.” The more we learn about the workings of our brain and mind, the easier it is to see why millions of people have concluded that man’s conscious existence is evidence of a Creator who cares about us.

Like you're bringing out here Stan it's simply so sad that man has used religion the wrong way and has dominated his fellow man to the extent that hypocricy has become the main element in the make up of most mainstream religions today..And, in the past like you point out in the slave trade..

But like you've mentioned here ol Florida fella the brain is there but let's give credit where credit is due and respect the source...AND! What the source requires of us to be showing loving kindness to our fellow man.

Eric

HIDee Bro Eric!

Wow, It's always Reassuring to read the Words of Someone who's an Even FAR-Deeper Reader & Thinker than yers truly.

& Downright Humbin' to get Backpats from ya, too!

Thanks for addin' Major Depth to all this Questioning, Amigo!

Very Impressive Research..& Sharin', My Friend!

Best Thanksgiving Wishes, &
A Big Guy-Hug,
Stan

Ha!
Don't give me too much credit Stan.
The net makes it easy for those who want to take the time to research things and transfer the KNOWLEDGE from other sources as a compliation of thoughts.

Always appreciate your work my friend..

Eric

Bill,

Quote: "What could we possibly offer him that he doesn't already have?"

Ourselves.

Skip

Just a little humor here...well, sort of...but there ARE certain people in this world, that if they were to offer themselves to me, I have to say, I would run away screaming...

Lyle

You are my kind of people brother. We oughta collab on something or at least just talk! Sorry for when I compared your lyric to Kenny Rogers when we first met lol. Hope that won't strain the relationship. Loved your beggar on the road song by the way!
Derek

Lyle,

LOL! In nearly 30 years of marriage, I've been sexually accosted by 10 women and 2 men, or maybe one more. I'm beginning to lose count. They were from all kinds of backgrounds and of varying degrees of physical attractiveness.

One was a millionaire's girlfriend. She'd heard me preach a sermon that touched on sexual purity that morning. I knew her well, as she was a member of a Bible study group that met weekly around another pastor's table. She came up behind me when I was sitting and pressed up against me in a plainly provocative fashion. I played stupid, as though I hadn't a clue she had done anything. When she saw I wasn't going to respond, she withdrew. Her millionaire boyfriend had bedded her before she became a Christian, then became a Christian himself, yet had refused to marry her to date. Though they were both in the same eight person Bible study with us. I figured I was simply catching some of the emotional crossfire for what was going on in her life that had nothing at all to do with my charming good looks, hunky abs, and such. That was such a dangerous situation that I never even told my wife about it until after we had moved from the church. You have to protect people who are vulnerable and could be hurt trying to help themselves to you.

One was a lonely doctor's wife who laid hands on me suddenly when I stopped by for a pastoral visit. I simply didn't respond in kind. I saw her 20 year old son a few years ago. Seems strange to be thinking, "Young man, your Mom wanted to make the pastoral visit I made to your house when your Daddy was at work operating on people a thing that happened in their bedroom rather than in their living room." I refrained from mentioning it to him. Didn't seem like useful information.

One was a 17 year old oozing sex high school temptress who asked me if I would be the father of her as yet unconceived baby. ("Thanks for asking. But I'm already taken," I told her.) I drew on her in the "Don't Rob the Cradle" piece I posted here a month or so ago.

One was a hitchhiker beauty who tried to take off my tie and showed me the sheer nightgown in her bag she'd brought for a party with a former alter boy turned drug dealer. (I'd seen her out in the middle of the roadway up there in the redwoods along the river when I was coming home late one night. I'd let her in--contrary to my usual rule of not giving female hitchhikers a lift--fearing she might have driven her car off the road and be in need of assistance. I'd given a guy a lift who had rolled his pickup down a bank drunk two weeks earlier. So that was the first thought in my mind.)

One was a prostitute at Waikiki before they knew me well enough to realize I was a serious threat to business as usual on the islands Main Street. (The pimps should have killed me when they had the chance, before I cloned myself about 200 fold and put them out of business--along with the drug runners who preyed upon the same river of international tourists. I hear the route of the vice peddlers is still holding a decade later. So it looks like the gain was more than a passing one.)

One was a hitchhiker with a suitcase with "Jesus is Lord" written on its side. (He turned over the magazine with the picture of Jesus looking up that lay on the seat between us before putting his hand over in my lap. I removed it, and told him he was welcome to ride with me as far as he wished--but that he would be keeping his hands in his own lap while that happened. He began speaking gibberish and wanted out as quickly as I could find a place to pull over. I think he was well and truly demon possessed. I haven't heard that kind of tongues coming out of a person any other place than in certain religious groups' prayer sessions in places I've visited. I always wonder if they realize not every spirit that goes around with a "Jesus is Lord" on the side of his luggage is necessarily what it makes itself out to be.)

One was a lady who knew Judi was very ill, was having a difficult time getting along with her third husband, and dressed like a fashion model. She proposed we dump both of them and take up together on the phone one day when she called. Judi was sitting right beside me on the bed. I said to the woman, "The only reason you think I'm better than Bill is because you don't have to live in close quarters with me." (Never take up with a woman who will cheat with you. She will also cheat on you.)

One was a guy who followed me out of a strangely crowded late night restroom I'd stopped to pee at one night at St. Thomas Square in Honolulu. I went over to sit on the dark bench beneath some banyan trees by the fountain. I'd spotted a great praying place up in one of those big multi-trunked trees and was fixing to go over and climb up there in the dark. The guy who had followed me from the rest room came and sat on the edge of the rather small bench. I have noticed not all nationalities have the same sense of personal space as my own culture, so I made allowances for how close he was choosing to sit. He talked for a half hour or so, then reached over and began running his fingers through my hair. Suddenly it occured to me why six guys could be in the same small public restroom in the park at 11:30 p.m. By this time, I knew who I was sexually solidly enough that I had no inclination to either pop him in the eye with my fist, or run the 100 yard dash in four long leaps. I sat and told him about my life, and asked him about his and his family. He was not very forthcoming about his family. I pointed across the street to the largest public meeting house in the islands--the Blaisedale Auditorium--and said, "I preached there two days ago to 3,000 people." I told him I had never had sex with anyone except my wife and that I had come there intending to pray. In the end, I prayed with him and walked away.

I can't remember who the others were just now, God bless 'em all. I hope they find satisfaction somewhere. But it won't be with me. Mrs. Bush's idea of "Just Say No" to drugs has worked very well in preserving the sanctity of my marriage for nearly three decades. I've just said "No" twelve times, but not to Judi even once. All she's got to do is wink at me, and she's got me. I work very hard to preserve the dignity of folks I refuse to have sex with. You'll notice I've omitted names above, except for my own lawfully wedded wife. That is to protect the guilty, the strugglers, the ones who can't protect themselves from themselves. That's how God protects my dignity, too. So I can afford to pass on the favor.

Only time I nearly ran away screaming was when a naked man sitting knee to knee with me in a secluded hot tub down by Kern River near Bakersfield, California looked across and asked, "Are you a Christian?" I said, "Yes, I'm a pastor." He said, "I'm gay!" I nearly did the run screaming thing--bolt to the river and swim the icy torrent to the safety of the far shore. But when I looked, I could see he was at least as terrified of me as I was of him. It was like a strange dog and cat being dumped suddenly nose to nose. We were alien to each other.

To both of our credits, we resisted the urge to flee. We sat knee to knee in the sulphurous waters and discussed our different world views and life styles instead. Four hours later, we climbed the trail from Remington Hotsprings to the dirt parking area above. By then we were friends, though plainly not lovers. He looked at me and opened his arms toward me, questioningly. So I hugged a homo for Jesus' sake, figuring that's what He'd do if He were standing in my shoes. If there is such a thing as an errection in reverse, that's how my body reacted. He had invited Judi and I to come dancing at the gay bar club where he was a dance instructor. She was game, but we left for Hawaii before we could take him up on it. He isn't one of the 12 mentioned above. That hug was purely platonic.

These things occurred over the course of 27 years. So it isn't like I'm a Tom Jones on stage with ladies flinging their panties at me in the streets. This sort of intrusion into my life only occurs occasionally. I do not consider myself proof against temptation--particularly of this kind. But I do love my dear wife like my next breath, and I have never wanted anyone else nearly as much as I did her during the several months leading up to our marriage. I think the white hot flame of desire that burned in the full flush of youthful hormones then, but wasn't satisfied physically until our wedding night, proved an excellent means of anchoring my desires to the same lady I'm still married to. She's the reason I can write what I do, and go where I go. I've ministered in many highly charged sexual hot spots without ever seeking them out in the leading of God in my life in the years since. He was doing His own work in me to fit me to help others in these areas, I believe. If you don't listen when the Voice says "No", you can't hear It when It says "Go". Then you end up being a repressed sort of individual, or someone without proper boundaries to preserve your own, or other's, respect. Honor, self-respect, and one's sexual behavior are closely linked. That's why we use sexual slurs to insult people.

The fact that I've never slept with anybody except Judi and she's never slept with anybody except me is the absolute sexiest thing possible. There is a certain sense of utter rightness about it that makes even thinking of any other arrangment distressing. It gets me going just thinking about my one and only lady ever--forever and ever, Amen. Even after nearly 30 years. I'm a raging hot heterosexual monogamist of the Biblical sort. We love our ladies like Jesus loves His church--and He loves His church enough to die for her. That's why they call the whole thing "The Passion". It is passion to love enough to suffer for the one Beloved in such a way. Sex inside a marriage like mine is truly "holy matrimony"--a spiritual experience of the highest order and utmost purity. When was the last time you prayed while having sex? I do it all the time--though I must admit God gets put "on hold" for a minute here and there.

I learned this praying to God while having sex thing from my high school principal--a 6 foot 4 inch lumberjack of a businessman, who was very open in speaking of his own most satisfying marriage to his wife, the kind-faced lady we all knew as the school nurse. Once in my hearing, the principal told a boy who was being raised by his Grandma and had just got caught with pornography for the third time, "Sex is a holy and good thing. It is a gift from God Himself. That's what's wrong with those magazines. They don't tell you the whole truth. They cheapen something beautiful and make merchandise of it. Sex is so holy you can pray while you're doing it. I wish all of the students on this campus could have as wonderful a life in this area as I share with my wife." He was a great role model. When he died, I wrote an email that I understand was read at his funeral. I told some of the things he had said, and how openly and frankly he admired and valued his wife sexually. I told what a great benefit that had been to me before I was married, and how it steeled me to want the same for my own life--and that by God's help, I had achieved that. Then I wrote, "Sanctified testosterone is powerful stuff." I understand when they read that line, the whole church of mourners errupted into laugher. They knew I told the truth about what made that highly revered and honored educator tick. He loved God. He loved his wife. He loved his teachers. He loved his students. And we all loved him, too.

I am glad to say my younger son and his wife chose the same course of Biblical matrimonial monogamy themselves. They are quite happily married these four years now. My older son did not, unfortunately. He has been divorced and is now living with a girl he's not married to. I love them both, of course. We'll all be sitting at the same table tomorrow eating from the same bounty of our good God together. Every good and perfect gift--even those we misuse to our own pain, comes down from the Father of Lights in whom there is no shifting shadows. That plainly includes sex. I have heard that in the military men who chose to never sleep with anyone except their wife, and that not until their wedding call this practice "Semper Fi" (Always Faithful). It is considered the mark of rare personal discipline and respected highly. I recommend it, too.

These are the things I taught to the students in my classes during my years as a high school Bible teacher and Marriage and Family teacher. I answered the questions they put annonymously into the hat on my desk whenever we got bored of the other curriculum. About half were about sex. We talked about sex until they got tired of it and didn't mention it again for weeks on end. Once a year, I would bring a professional sex educator in from the Womens' and Childrens' Hospital to give a blow by blow on sex and condoms and stuff. (I'm more interested in shaping attitudes. The mechanics is simple enough. Dogs do it in the alley all the time. Having sex is easy. Loving for the long haul is the tough part--but the place where it all pays off.) After talking with five of my classes one morning and having considerable questions and answers from the students, the sex educator came to me. She said, "I do this for a living. I've never seen young people with such healthy attitudes toward sexuality." The Bible and honesty before God, Man, and yourself does that, Mam. In my classroom, that's the curriculum on these matters.

Skip

Aren't we all somethin'?... What a crew. Before I go to bed with my wife of 17 years, and look forward to the feast I'm gonna cook, I just have to say that Stan has a good point with his song...Knowing is a Good Thing. Know God, Know Love, Know each other, Know how to add and subtract, Know Laughter, Know Shinola from the other thing... But all I know right now is that I love this here world and all these wildly different people who post here. Very grateful for this conversation. Happy Thanksgiving.

Whee...What a Fun, Diverse, & Loveable "Cast of Characters" we all Share here at JPF! I Thank You ALL for Your Kind Visits & Honesty, Folks!

In my Mail, day before Thanksgiving, came a card sayin' "It's Nice to Keep in Touch with You", wishin' me a "Happy Thanksgiving" & remindin' me this year is almost over & visiting days are 8 AM-3PM, weekends & holidays. Rubber-Stamped on the envelope is "Mail Originated at a State Correctional Institution"..& Return Addy's
Hubert Lovingood DC#134184-1-15U, Marion Correctional Institution, PO Box 158, Lowell, FL 32663-0158.

It's from my good friend, Hoby Lovengood, who's now served 4 years of a 10 year sentence for Child Molestation. He's one of the More Devout of my Christian Friends & I personally KNOW he's incapable of the Crime his wife & her sister ginned-up. (He WAS Facing LIFE Sentencing, took plea bargain for 10 years, NO Character Witnesses were called at the Trial.) This is a guy who personally BELIEVES in his Bible, BELIEVES theres a Heaven and HELL, BELIEVES there's a Devil A-waiting Wrongdoers, and took his then 7-yr-old Daughter to Church EVERY Sunday, & believed in the Value of Family Life. (He of course NEVER Believed his Never Held a Job a Day in Her Life wife'd conspire against him.)

I PLAN on Finally Visiting Hobie...before Christmas..tho it's so far been next to impossible to take any Time Off to get up there & see the fella. KNOW he'd appreciate hearing from Anybody Who'd Like To Write Him..& KNOWLEDGE that There ARE "Folks Who Care" Out There would, in its way, Set Him Free...as Free as it gets when you're Wrongly Condemned.

Thanks Folks!

I'm Free to Head Off To Work again..heh!
Big Hugs to Ya All,
Stan

Eric,

I'm going to clip that post and save it for later reference.

Lyle,

Congradulations for your 17 years. May you be married to your lady so long she's forgotten when you met.

Stan,

You're the master at tapping into all of us and getting us thinking. That is a gift in itself.

Happy Thanksgiving, all at JPF.

Skip

G'Mornin' BBStan,

How did I miss this'n? Wow! It's your best in this genre' so far I believe. STRONG writing.

This is genius---

You can Parrot All The Platitudes
Ignoring All The Facts
Pretend Life is Just a Play
Perform Presumptuous Holy Acts

Reminds me of this quote: "...My people perish for lack of knowledge..." Maybe Pastor Skip has enough knowledge not to assume the title of Reverend.

This is my favorite single line---

"Every Atom Bears God's Face"

Hope and pray the clock sales pick up for you and LaFemme.

big lsh,
Vanessa

G'Mornin' & Thanks Skipper!

Hope You'n's all had a Happy Weekend, & Thanks for the Backpat, Amigo!

Big Monday Guy-Hug,
Stan

HiDee Li'l Sis!

(Think I'm the one who calls Skip "Rev"..{as in "Revered"}..heh-heh!)
&..it's Not said-in-jest, I'll add.

Yeah, that Atom Line was on the Powerful Side. I'll always think Science SUPPORTS a belief in The Deity..tho it may not exactly bolster the Biblical Interpretation LITERALLY.

But, God started out a "Great Unknown"..& we Mere Mortals kept narrowing "Him" down...from Fire, Earth & Water "Deities"...down to "One"..(or a Current-Threesome, if you insist.)

I'm fascinated by what we DO know of the "Natural Processes" that brought & keep Life on this Planet. I could care less about Leavened & Unleavened Bread Rules. But I am interested in what ARE "Universal Threads" that unite not only Men, but All Living Things..(& Not Just Here.) Interestingly, we continue to find The Answers..but most fail to pay-attention.

Saw the movie "The Mist" over the weekend..Steven King kinda milked the Believers-vs-Science for the Horror Angle, but it's a very Thought-Provoking Movie, one I'd recommend..since it shows both Science and Religion in their Worst Lights. (The Monsters look pretty Rubbery, but the Controversial Aspect is Night-&-Day.) Scarriest Moment: The Whole Movie...since this Sci Fi COULD really happen, someday! (The Man Who Discovered Fire prolly burned-himself, too..eh?)

Waal, got yet-another goodie to post, then it's off to another "Day-Off" movin' stuff outta the Pink Place.

Thanks for Your Kind Sisterly Visit & Well-Meaning Words, Sissy!

Big Brotherly-Hugs,
BBStan

(Clock Sales remain in da Pits...but I picked up a nice tiny Pink Marble Mantel Clock, German, ca 1910..for $5..at the flea mkt in town yesterday. Restored, it'll fetch over $200, easily. The Deity's my Shoppin' Partner these days..heh!)