It's not surprising that it's confusing to you. Join the club. This was one of the principal arguments during the 325AD Council of Nicaea, and the first major doctrinal conflict of the new church. In the end, not everyone agreed, but the concept was forced through (amid violent coercion), and became part of the definition of Christian orthodoxy. There remain denominations that refute the Trinity or Jesus' divinity, and/or embrace different perceptions, including the Arianists, Adoptionists, Binarists, Modalists, Unitarianists, etc., etc.. There are many informative articles written on this subject on the web, as well as literary works in print.

No one major epiphany occurred for me; more like a long series smaller ones. Starting at about age 12, a growing awareness of the multi-faceted, multi-cultural world around me motivated me to take interest in other major religions. I soon deduced that they were all very similar in basic structure & moral code, and that no one belief system could lay valid claim to being "the One".

It, of course, didn't help any that I was forced, against my will, to attend Christian churches in my youth. Being the inquisitive child that I was, I soon grew weary of the atmosphere of traditional acceptance, endless pontification & widespread conflictive interpretations created by the "study" of the biblical texts. I distinctly remember thinking, as early as age 7, that it all seemed to be very contrived, and feeling slightly amused. Over the years, that amusement grew into perplexity, then grave concern, and finally pity & sadness, for the poor captives of organized religion. I will never be able to forget the countless incidents of rampant hypocrisy & willful ignorance of the world's cultures, religions and history displayed by the congregations & clergy of the 111 churches, which I have had the dubious honor of attending. Lesson learned: Organized Christianity breeds willful ignorance, passive arrogance, and the discountenance of logic & reason.

After 35 years of avid study in the fields of archaeology, theology, philosophy, world religions, metaphysics, pre/ancient/revisionist history, astrology, and astronomy (in addition to performing in-depth analyses of all available versions of related religious texts, and taking part in many enlightening conversations with various clergy of different denominations, who happened to possess a rare penchant for the Truth), I remain a steadfast believer in a spiritual God, but not one defined by any religious dogma spawned by the contrivances of man.

Sounds like the basis for a strong relationship to me.

A most profound & accurate observation, and one of my own favorites.

Not unless they could give some reasonable explanation for it. I try to remind myself that love really is, too often, blind, and to always consider the possibility that they may discern something which I do not.

Unfortunately, the elevator's design doesn't meet that requirement. The Giant Space Slingshot would be more useful (and entertaining):

http://www.defensetech.org/archives/002387.html

One of best write-ups on this subject that I have found:

http://www.thehouseofcards.com/playing-card-history.html

Hard-disks made in the last 5 years don't normally make sounds like that during failure. If you have a desktop or mini-tower type system, and it truly sounds like a vacuum cleaner, then it's more likely either your CD/DVD drive spinning up constantly, or the main power supply fan bearings. Neither of these is high cost to correct. Check for good air-flow from the fan exhaust on the back of the system. If it is weak (barely felt) and noticeably warm, I would have the power supply replaced. To check the CD/DVD drive, remove any media from it, and see if you still hear the noise.

As I have one Aries and one Leo, I preferred, for my boys, what worked best for me:

Ignoring direction = Small hedge-bush switch applied liberally to the bare legs. When I was a toddler, I think the ones they used were about 1.5 ft and pretty flimsy, but, hey, it's the thought that counts. It only takes once or twice to get their attention.


As a result, throughout their 16 & 17 years, I've rarely found it necessary to administer corporal punishment, and not once in the last 5 years.
Of course, when they reached about 14, I had to go buy boxing gloves. I've never had to put mine on (only mention that they're hanging by the back door), but they've certainly used theirs.


I completely agree with all of the tantrum treatments posted so far. I either removed them (in public), ignored them (in private), or started singing Old MacDonald, or something of the like, being especially careful to harmonize with the howling.

You should add that to your profile; I can't imagine any decent man not being deeply moved by your heart-felt words.

No cave exploration escapades for you then, Mirror?

You should try it sometime. It's another world down there.

Who's done it, who's doing it, where are you doing it, where have you done it?

Stories up!!

Just to clarify...So, if you hadn't written that $1,000.00 donation check, then the ROI check (that very likely already existed) would have either been lost in the mail, suffered some other mysterious calamity, or just "poofed" out of existence?
Help me here...I'm struggling.

Absolutely.



Absolutely not. That behavior would reveal a lack of respect and fundamental morality, neither of which, someone I love, and truly loves me in return, would display. Time to say you made a big mistake if you find yourself in this situation.




If they run up your credit card and allow you to go to prison for them, then you are being used...Big time. Wake up. I would sacrifice my life for someone I loved, but not for that other person you've described.

Underwater, yes...Outer space, no. Sound requires a medium of transfer (molecular particles). Space is a vacuum (for all practical purposes).

All in light-hearted jest, Goodly Sir.....Forgive me, I just couldn't resist.

They're pretty quiet...After all, their little root-feet don't move very fast, but they're stealthy.....Could probably sneak up on you pretty easily. Don't even get me started on the Dire Pansy or Dread Peony.

I'm not religious, but I do consider myself spiritual in nature. I will only kill an animal for self-preservation - to survive - if that animal has selected me as prey, or I have selected it, or it endangers my environment in some way. I believe that sport killing is inherently wrong. All living things serve a purpose. Some animals, and plants as well, are obviously here, primarily, to be utilized as food. Some are here to be part of the control process (predators, scavengers); others perform more aesthetic roles.
In addition, any of these creatures can also be selected as a companion; one of the great paradoxes of mankind.
The general rule seems to be, the more intelligent and/or the more similar to us, the less likely we are to consider them as a food source.
Plants scream, by the way, when they are injured. We just can't hear them.

You're correct - an "honest" illegal alien can get no public benefits, legally. Nevertheless, I watch them everyday in Wal-Mart, whip out a Visa with someone else's name on it (at least she didn't look like a Howard T. Willingham), WIC card, and EBT card, and successfully purchase 20 times more groceries than I could ever afford to.
Of course, it also takes them 15 minutes to check-out, since they seem apparently unable to understand a single word of English.
(May I see your ID? Your ID? Do you have an I-D? Identification? I-d-e-n-t-i-f-i-c-a-t-i-o-n? Driver's License? Anything?)
Personally, I'm sick of it, and you should be too.

Yum, but definitely not a convenience food. Hardly anyone knows how to prepare them anymore. To get 'em right, you gotta pressure cook 'em, and then fry 'em up in an iron skillet with a little flour.

Eats so good you'll wanna lay down and roll in it.