Quotations From The Answer to question (22) of the " 100 Tough Questions about God And The Bible " By Stephen M. Miller.

By Sodium

Re-citing Question (22):
==============================
" Fire and brimstone destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah--and Lot's wife turned into a pillar of salt ?  Eidence ?

Quotation One:
==============================
" Twin sin cities Sodom and Gomorrah got themselves scorched off the planet, as the Bible tells it."

Quotation Two:
==============================
" The Lord made burning sulfur and fire rain out of heaven on Sodom and Gomorrah. He destroyed those cities, the whole plain, all who lived in the cities.... Lot's wife looked back and turned into a column of salt "  ( Genesis 19:24--26 ). "

Quotation Three:
==============================
At this point, Stephen Miller raised the question: " What kind of rain could do that ? "
And he answered his own question: " Not acid rain. " And he goes on to add that " no one would describe acid rain as " sulfur and fire. "  And acid rain doesn't wipe out entire cities. At least not yet. "

Stephen Miller discusses the following theories
(A) Snap, crackle and pop theory.
(B) Surfing turf theory.
(C) Fire and flood theory.
(D) It was a miracle Theory.

The following quotations are taken from the theories listed above, in the order they are listed.

Quotation Four, From Theory (A)
==============================
" An earthquake snapped open pockets of natural gas, according to this theory, Add flames from crackling campfires or village lamps and you get a big pop.

Quotation Five, From Theory (B):
==============================
" Ditto the snap, apcrackle, pop--but add a slide into the sea.
If the villages were built on sand beside the sea, an earthquake could have loosened the ground just long enough for gravity to pull the villages down the beachside slop and into the water.
That's a theory suggested by geologist Graham H. Harris and reported in the Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology, November 199. "

Quotation Six, From Theory (C):
==============================
" Again ditto snap, crackle, pop. But add a flash flood afterward, erasing the villages.
This theory puts the villages on a plain inside what is now the southern Dead Sea shallows. As this theory goes, the earthquake dropped the populated plain enough to allow the Dead Sea water to rush in from the north--almost doubling the size of the sea.

Quotation Seven, From Theory (D);
==============================
" Many Christians have never heard of any of these theory.
And some would not like them if they heard them.
For many believers, if not most, God did  a supernatural miracle when he seared Sodom and Gomorrah off his planet. No natural explanation would do."

Final Words:
==============================
No Comments.

 

A salute to Ms. Margot Wellstrom, Foreign Minister of Sweden.

By Sodium

The writer of this blog wishes to publicly salute Margot Wallstrom, the current Foreign Minister of Sweden, for what she has stated lately about the roots of the problems in the Middle East. She has hit the real score when she has said recently that the real cause of the violence and bloodshed in the Middle East has been the failure of finding a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. I certainly could not agree with her more on what she has advocated. Reasons:

(1) Since the arrival of the destructive and fascist ideology of Zionism to the shores of Palestine from Eastern Europe and Russia initially, in late 19th century and early 20th century, the Middle East has been geared into the current violence and wars, ever since. Using the the seven words, " destructive and fascist ideology of Zionism " has not come from void, but from a life time knowledge of what has been taken place in Palestine. A bunch of hard core adherents to Zionism arrived to the shores of Palestine with determination to force the vast majority of Palestinians to leave their homes, lands and businesses into permanent exiles in the neighboring countries and across the globe. The writings of some Zionist founders and knowledgeable historians of Israel attest to this undeniable facts

(2) Balfour Declaration has committed Great Britain, whose military power of its navy in 1916 ruled the world then, to the establishment of what the world knows now as Israel. For deeper knowledge about what actually had taken place to extract this declaration from Great Britain in 1916, please review an essay that was titled ," Thoughts On Edward Said and T. E. Lawrence, " published on March 19, 2010, on this website.

(3) Sykes--Picot Accord has been the fundamental factor in keeping the Arab World and its people divided and weak and unable to find a solution for their manufactured disunity.For more depth on this accord, which was established secretly between Great Britain and France, in 1916--1917, could be found in an essay entitled, " Balfour Declaration And Sykes--Picot Accord are Roots Of Violence / Wars In Middle East, " published on July 13, 2014, on this website.

There are other reasons, which have to do with Arab political leaders who have failed to overcome their differences and, which, in turn, have made their Arab League ineffective and almost useless organization. But the main reasons remain those that have been cited above.

At any rate, Ms. Margot Wellstrom and the Swedish government, which she represents as its Foreign Minister, do deserve the admiration of every self--respecting human being, who strives for justice for the Palestinians. Wellstrom and her Swedish government have a profound understanding of the root causes that hocked the Middle East to such endless violence and endless wars. The Palestinians leaders and the leaders of the Arab world must reciprocate in kind. One way to do so is to provide Sweden preferences in trade, like importing Swedish products for their needs. For example, Swedish manufactured cars, such as Saab Models are reliable and of high quality and performance. So are the Volvo Models and Scania Models.I am not trying to advertise for these models of Swedish cars, but felt that the least I could do was to suggest something constructive to express my profound appreciation for the Swedish diplomatic honesty, courage and straightforwardness. And I am not a Palestinian.

Final Words:
========================
As the United States of America has emerged as the super power which has replaced Britain and France were in the 20th century, Zionism has moved its main public relations and political activities from Britain to the U.S.A. and gradually has succeeded in controlling what policy and eventually what legislation the American Congress should adopt towards the Middle East. With very few honest and independent congress persons, the vast majority of members of U.S.Congress has become subservient to what the Israel's Lobby, ( meaning Israel's political pressure groups ), dictates, to the self--serving congress men and women, what actions they must do when any issue concerning the Middle East comes up, for discussion, in the halls of congress.

When one witnesses how the members of Congress gave more standing ovations to the speeches addressed to them by the Prime Ministers of Israel than the numbers of standing ovations they had given to speeches,addressed to them by their own Presidents, one may not avoid not getting sad. In fact very sad, indeed. The difference between the honesty of the Swedish political leaders and their self-serving American counter-parts is like the difference between enlightenment and darkness, honesty and crookedness, courage and cowardice.

Humanity needs more Swedish honesty, Swedish courage and Swedish straightforwardness of the Wellstomish type in order to put an end to all violence and wars, not only in the Middle East, but across the globe.

END.

Quotations From The Answer To Question (21) Of The " 100 Tough Questions about God And The Bible " By Stephen M. Miller.

By Sodium

Re-citing Question (21):
====================================
" How on earth could the Red Sea have parted so Moses and the Jews could escape from the Egyptian Army ? "

Quotation One:
====================================
According to Stephen Miller: " The Dead Sea has not parted lately--or ever, as far as anyone reading a history book can tell.
Stories like the one in the Bible haven't shown up in the Egyptian history. If the Read Sea ever parted for them, you'd think they'd have written about it.
But the Red Sea might not have been the body of water that parted for Moses and the Jewish refugees when they fled Egypt during the Exodus.
Many versions of the Bible identify the body of water as the Dead Sea --but with as asterisk: " God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea " ( Exodus 1:18 NIV ). The asterisk often reads something like this: " Or the Sea of Reed.. " "

Quotation Two:
==================================
" In two separate studies, scientists specializing in meteology and oceanography concluded that a strong, sustained wind could push back the beachfront water of the Red Sea's narrow Gulf of Suez--mimicking a low tide that extends the beach by about a mile ( 1,6 km ). Then when the wind stopped, the water would rush back within half an hour, and up to ten feet ( three meters ) deep.
    That sounds a lot like what the Bible described " All that night the Lord pushed back the sea with a strong east wind and turned the sea into dryground " ( Exodus 14:21 ). "

Quotation Three:
=================================
" It would also help explain why Na poleon nearly drowned while riding his horse on the Red Sea's beach.

Quotation Four:
=================================
" Many Christians read the story literally and say whatever body of water the Jews crossed, God blew a path through the water for them--just as the Bible says. "

Quotation Five:
================================
" Another option might feature a combo ( meaning combination ) of science, history and exaggeration. Perhaps, some would say, the scientific theories explain what happened. And a touch of exaggeration might explain the "walls of water. " "

Quotation Six:
================================
" However, many Christians, if not all, would take unkindly to someone arguing that the Bible writer exaggerated such a key event in Jewish history. "

Final Words::
===============================
In the 1970's and 1980's of the last century ( the Twentieth Century ), I had made countless business trips to major Egyptian cities, including, of course Cairo, Egypt's capital city. On some trips I had ended up staying for a week or so at the Nile Hilton Hotel, which was located in the middle of Cairo, and not too far from the Egyptian Museum That had made it so convenient to me to make visits to the nearby Museum, after finishing my business obligations and waiting for my flight reservation to fly back to my point of business operations, for the Middle East and part of Africa.

During so many visits to the Museum, not once did I ever encounter a story or a historical evidence that confirmed, in the slightest manner, the story in the Bible with regards to the parting of the Dead Sea.

Furthermore, the Suez Canal was built mainly at the narrow strip of land that connected the Sinai desert land with northeastern Egypt--exactly at the location as the one described in the Bible.

All of the above combined has compelled me to finally raise the following question:

Why during building the Suez Canal, and to my knowledge, no evidences were found of the drowned Egyptian army's soldiers, their horses, or their chariots ?  Just a simple question which needs to be answered honestly and rationally.

I am not trying, here, to take the side of Stephen Miller. Not at all. I am trying, here, to be close to the truth as much as possible. I am not even certain whether or not I have succeeded in coming close to the truth. But, it does not hurt to try, if one can do so.
END.  

" What Cancer Cannot Do "

By Sodium

The following inspirational statements about the human deadly disease called " Cancer " have been found by Sodium; and he, in turn, wishes to share them with the dedicated readers of this website.

        " What Cancer Cannot Do "
    ========================

" Cancer is so limited ":

" It ( Cancer ) cannot cripple love "

"It cannot shatter hope "

" It cannot corrode faith "

" It cannaot destroy peace "

" It cannot kill friendship "

" It cannot supress memories "

" It cannot invade the soul "

" It cannot steal the eternal life "

" It cannot conquer the spirit "
                        Author: Anonymous

Final Words:
=================
I do hope that every reader who has read all of the above inspirational statement,s authored by unknown author or writer,  or by just a simple human being, has enjoyed reading them just as I have.

END

Important Quotations From The Answer To Question (20) Of The " 100 Tough Questions about God And The Bible " By Stephen M. Miller.

By Sodium

Re-citing Question (20):
=====================================
" Wouldn't it seem more reasonabe to believe that Jesus disciples stole his body instead of believing he rose from the deadand walked away ? "


Quotation One
====================================
" As the Bible tells it, Jewish leaders bribed the soldiers guarding the tomb: " They gave the soldiers a large amount of money and told them to say that Jesus' disciples had come at night and had stolen his body while they (the soldiers) were sleeping " " ( Matthew 28:12-1 ). "
" Some wonder what the soldiers' comeback would have been if their commander had asked, " How could you know that if you were asleep  "

Quotation Two::
===================================
" Here one important fact: " no resurrection, no Christian religion. "
" That's how vital the resurrection of Jesus is. "

Quotation Three:
==================================
" Finding the corpse of Jesus would gut the Christian religion."
" The apostle Paul put it this way: " If Christ wasn't raised to life, our message is worthless, and so is your faith " " ( Corinthians 15:14 CEV ). "

Miller has made the point that when Jesus was in the process to crucifixion, all his disciples were in hiding. And while in hiding something dramatic had happened that changed the disciples from a bunch of cowards to martyrs in their loyalty to him. What has changed the disciples from cowards to martyrs is found in the following quotation from the New Testament of the Bible:

Quotation Four:
=================================
" The disciples were afraid of the Jewish leaders,and on the eve of that same Sundaythey locked themselves in a room. Suddenly, Jesus appeared in the middle of the group. He greeted them and showed them his hands and his side. When the disciples saw the Lord, they became very happy."
                             
                                                                                                      " John 20:19-20 CEV "

Quotation Five:
================================
" As the New Testament ( of the Bible ) writers and early church leaders tell it, the disciples were never the same after that. They believed in life after death so much that they practiced what they preached. Most died as martyrs."

Quotation Six:
===============================
" It's not that Roman history ( books ) reports the resurrection as a fact. But it does report the disciples' belief in it as a fact.

Quotation Seven:
===============================
" There was a wise man who was called Jesus, and his conduct was good.... Pilate condemned to be crucified .... His disciples didn't abaudon their loyalty to him. They reported that he appeared to them three days after his crucifixion, and that he was alive."
           
          " Josephus ( about AD 7--101, Jewish historian and Roman citizen, Antiquities of the Jews "

Final Words:
==============================
NO COMMENTS.

END. 

Quotations From The Answer To question (19) Of The " 100 Tough Questions about God And The Bibble " By Stephen M. Miller.

By Sodium

Re-citing Question (19):
===================================
" Why do many Christians say the wine and bread of communion actually turn into Jesus' blood and body ? ".

Quotation One:
==================================
" Of all the rituals Christians perform, including marriage ceremonies and baptism, there's one ritual that stand out as the most secred at all-at least in the mind many Christians.It's the ritual of eating a piece of bread and drinking a sip of grape juice or wine. This ritual goes by many names
 
   * Communion
   * The Lord Supper
   * Eucharist
   * Mass

It's so cherished because it's not a ritual that the disciples or other church leaders decided to create. It's the one ritual that Jesus himself established. He set up during his last meal with the disciples, the night of his arrest. Apparently anticipating his crucifixion the next morning. "

Quotation Two:
=================================
Stephen Miller provides the following reference from the Bible to confirm that Jesus himself established such a revered ritual, indeed:

" Jesus took some bread in his hands and gave thanks for it. He broe the bread and handed it to his apostles. Then he said, " This is my body, which is given for you. Eat this as a way of remembering me! "  After the meal he took another cup of wine in his hands.  (he said, " This is my blood. It is poured out for you. "  Luke 22:19-20 CEV "

Quotation Three::
================================
" Today, most Protestants would say that the bread and grape juice or wine that their ministers serve during the sacrament of Communion is just that: bread and juice. It simply represents the broken body and shed blood of Jesus. It's a metaphor. "

Quotation Four:
===============================
" Catholics and Orthodox Christians insist that Jesus said " This is my body and blood, " not " This is a Metaphor."

Quotation Five:
==============================
Stephen Miller says that " Some twenty years after Jesus, Paul said this when he described the ritual to Christians in Corinth (Turkey): "

" What you must solemnly realize is that every time you eat this bread and every time you drink this cup, you reenact in your words and action the death of the Master. You will be drawn back to this meal again and again until the Master returns. "  1 Corinthians 11:26 THE MESSAGE

He called the elements " bread " and " drink, " not the body and blood of Jesus. "

Quotation Six:
=============================
Finally, Stephen Miller provide the following historical information:

" The first church handbook skipped it "  and he wrote:

" The church's first known manual--Didache ( DID ah KAY; Greek: " teaching " )--does not say a word about the bread and winemorphing into flesh and blood. "

Final Words:
============================
NO COMMENTS.

END.
    

Selected Quotations From The Answer To Question (18) Of The " 100 Tough Questions about God And The Bible " By Stephen Miller.

By Sodium

Re-citing Question (18)
==================================
" Given that snake do not say much these dayswhy do many Christians insist that a snake talked Eve into eating the forbidden from the forbidden fruit ? "

The following quotations have been selected  from Miller's answer to the above question:

Quotation One:
=================================
" The snake was more clever than all the wild animals he Lord God had made. He asked the woman, " " Did God really say, " You must never eat the fruit of any tree in the garden " ? " "(Genesis 3:1 ). "

Quotation Two:
================================
" Even the last book in the Bible calls the snake Satan: " That ancient snake, named Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world " "( Revelation 12: 9 ). "

Quotation Three:
===============================
" " Many Bible experts, however, say they aren't so sure that the writer of the first book, Genesis, thought of the snake as anything other than a creepy, crawly critter. "

Quotation Four:
==============================
" Whatever the critter was, it could outtalk a parrot. "

Quotation Five:
==============================
" Some guessed it walked, too. that's just a presumptionbased on the punishment God gave it: You will crawl on your belly. You will be the lowest of animals as long as you live " " (Genesis 3:14). "

Quotation Six:
============================
" The snake in Genesis did pretty much the same as the snake in an ancient story frm Babylon, in which is now Iraq. In the epic of Gilamesh, the hero was about to get a plant that would protect him from death. A snake beat him to it--and ate it. The Bible story twists that plot."

Quotation Seven:
===========================
" Others say they see a mingling of history and symbolism, all mended to explain humanity's broken relationship with God. "

Quotation Eight:
==========================
" Still others insist that the writer ( of the Old Testament of the Bible ) was accurately reporting history, as inspired by God's spirit--and that a talking snake is a talking snake, and we can debate it until our tails rattle, but it's still a talking snake. "

Final Words:
==========================
It seems to me that Quotation Six is most telling, about where the real roots of, at least, part of the Biblical stories came from. This trend seems to hold closer to the truth, as one takes into considerations the historical fact that about 28,000 of the ancient Hebrews, such as the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel, had lived in captivity in Assyria (in what is known now as Iraq), after the Assyrian ruler by the name of Sennacherib conquered northern Israel, about six centuries ago ( 600 hundred years ago ) before the birth of Jesus Christ, and consequently approximately 600 years before the birth of Christianity.

Some of those captives had managed returning to Jerusalem, but most of them remained in Assyria.

Now, one may be able to make the obvious connections between the telling of quotation six, quoted above, and the story of the snake and Eve, as spelled out in the Old Testament of the Bible--meaning the possible roots of the story was Assyrian cultural beliefs. Of course, the hard core Christians and Jews will reject such possible connections and that is their prerogative to adhere to their beliefs--just as I have rights to adhere to the proposed connections between the Assyrian culture, on one hand, and the snake and Eve story in the old Testament of the Bible, on the other hand.

I have taken my time to write all the foregoing under the subtitle, " Final Words " because I simply could not believe that snakes could talk. No way. You can call me " Zindeeq " if you wish, but I will stick firmly to my human rationality and sensibility. .

END    :






' ? "

Note To The Readers Of This Website.

Dear Readers,

Due to health issues, I have realized that it will take me much more than two years to summarize each answer, given by Stephen Miller, to every question he raised in his book entitled " 100 Tough Questions about God And The Bible " . That's just too long of a time to spend in struggling in writing a summary or outline to each answer of the 100 truly tough questions. In order to provide you with a reasonable comprehension of the content of the answers given by Miller, I shall attempt to provide you with selected quotations which may appear to me important for understanding the core essence of what Miller provides in his answers

Hence, from now on, please expect to read mostly quotations selected from each answer. I intend to make my commentary participation as brief as possible.

Sincerely,
Sodium

An Outline Of The Answer To Question (17) Of The " 100 Tough Questions about God And The Bible " By Stephen M. Miller.

By Sodium

Re-Citing Question (17):
====================================
" God made Eve from Adam's rib ?  Are you ribbing me ?  "

It seems to Stephen Miller that the experts of the Bible do not know bow to explain what has been written in the Bible about making Eve from Adam's rib. To emphasize the the point,, Miller refers to the following quotation from the Bible:

" The Lord God took out one of man.s rib and closed up the flesh at that place. Then the Lord God formed a woman from the rib he had taken from the man "  "( Genesis 2:21-22 )."

Although attempts were made in order to find an acceptable explanation to ( Genesis 2:21-22 ), none of them really provided a satisfying answer. The following theories have been proposed by some of the experts of the Bible:

Theory One: " It's a pun "
======================================
It is a pun-joke, since the word "rib" is taken from a Sumerian language story about a Sumerian god whose name was Enki. It had happened that Enki " had an injured rib. " The story goes on to say that a Sumerian "goddess created a healer called " the lady of the rib, ", or " the lady who makes alive. " What this means is this: It can mean a " rib, " or "to make alive. "  Hence, it is considered by some Bible experts as " a pun ", a joke.

Based upon the Sumerian story as outlined in the foregoing, Stephen Miller says that was why the Bible writer talked initially about the " rib " and later on said: " Eve Became the mother of every living person " " ( Genesis 3:20 ). ".
       .
Theory Two: " It's a handful of flesh and bone "
======================================
This theory says that  "God did not make Eve from just a bone from Adam, but a fistful of flesh and bone. " And this theory relies on what the Adam describes Eve, in the Bible as, " Bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh "  " ( Genesis 2:23 ). ".

Theory Three: " It's poetry "
======================================
Some Bible scholars wrote the following prose which sounds like poetry, about the creation of Eve
:
" Eve did not come from Adam's feet to walk on. "
" She did not come from his head to top him. "
" She came from his side to be equal, from under his arm
    to enjoy his protection, from near his heart to experience his love. "

Theory Four: " It's history "
======================================
Some Christians, and Miller says that " perhaps most, say they read the story as history. They argue that there's no reason not to. "

Final Words:
======================================
NO COMMENT. Please reach your own conclusions.

END..

  

Quotations From The Answer To Question (16) of The " 100 Tough Questions about God And The Bible " By Stephen M. Miller.

By Sodium

Reciting Question (16):
===================================
" If Joshua stopped the sun and moon with his battlefield prayer, as the BibLe says he did, that would have halted the 1070 mph ( miles per hour ) rotation of the earth. So why didn't everyone get whiplash ? "

The answer given to the above question is not easy to outline. Perhaps, one way to overcome such an encounter is to present selected quotations from the answer and present them to the reader as simple as possible, concerning the rotation of the earth around itself, and the 12 months journey the earth travels around the sun to provide its inhabitants with the four seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter Seasons, respectively. Scientists in physics and astronomy call it " The Earth Rotations " . The plural form in the word " Rotations " is due to the fact that the earth has two forms of  "Rotation ": One Rotation around the sun and Another Rotation around itself. The rotation around the sun is completed in 12 months while the rotation around itself is completed in 2 hours. . Hence, the following quotations may just convey to the reader the correct idea about the content of the answer, as provided by Stephen Miller:

Quotation One:
==================================
" If ever there was a prayer request more ambitious than those of Jesus-who instantly stopped storms and raised the dead-this it : " Sun, stand still over Gibron, and moon, stand still over the valley of Aijalon "  "( Joshua 10:12 )."

Quotation Two:
=================================
" Go ahead, tell the sun to chill.
That 's what the Bible writer says Joshua did.
The result: The sun stopped in the middle of the sky, and for nearly a day the sun was in no hurry to set "  " ( Joshua 10:13 ). "

Quotation Three:
================================
" Plenty of Christians insist that stopping the sun and moon in the sky would have been no big dealfor the Creator of the universe. So they take the story literally. Many Bible experts say that's probably the way the writer ( Bible writer) intended us to read it. "

Quotation Four:
==============================
" Other Christians raise a few questions from physics class:

* Wasn't it the earth's rotation that would have needed to stop, since that's what produces the illusion of the sun moving ?

* How would the earth sudden stop affect the gravity ?

* What about the atmosphere that rotates with the earth ?  Its momentum would keep it moving at a thousand miles an hour( 1600 km / h  ), creating a wind powerful enoughto sweep the planet clean. "

Quotation Five:
=============================
" Christians who suspect that God worked within the laws of physics that he created look for other ways of understanding what happened. "

Quotation Six:
============================
" Eclips. One theory says the story grew out of a solar eclipse. And , apparently got exaggerated. Solar eclipses do not last all day. "

II can go on and on provide the reader with more quotations from Miller's answer, but the I feel that the above six quotations are enough to serve the purpose of providing a correct idea about Miller's answer to the reader.

Final Words:
===========================
It seems to me that anyone with the fundamental knowledge about the fixed position of the sun and the rotations of the earth around itself and around the sun can only  see the crux of Miller question and the answer he has given. However, Christians' belief must be respected, in spite od all the evidences that contradict what has been written in the Bible. It is their prerogative to adhere firmly to their religious belief.

END.
             

The Essence Of The Answer To question (15) Of The " 100 Tough Questions about God And The Bible." By Stephen M. Miller.

By Sodium

Re-Citing Question (15):
======================================
" God's Law said that if a jealous husband merely suspected his wife of having an affair, he could force her into a trial by ordeal. That's what God calls justice ? "

The Essence of Stephen Miller's Answer:
=====================================
There is a great deal of injustice in this issue because if the husband is suspected of having an affair with another woman, he does not have to endure what the wife has to endure if she is suspected of having an affair with another man. That is the essence of the whole issue. And I am not prepared to go through the entire ordeal the suspected wife has to go through in a cross examination conducted by a priest.

If anyone is interested in the details of the cross examination and the accompanied religious practices perform by the priest can read them in the following sections of the Bible, exactly as given by Miller, as points of references to the trial by ordeal the suspected wife has to go through.:

" ( Numbers 5:14 ) " of the Bible.

                And

" ( Numbers :17-24 ) " of the Bible.


Final Words:
==================================
The detailed religious methodology which the suspected wife of adultery she has to go through, is so degrading to the wife's humanity as a human being. I totally and completely reject it. And indeed, such a religious practices do not belong to the norms, mores and morality of the Twenty First Century.

Any wife who accepts to be degraded by such a religious methodology, then she deserves to be degraded. .  

A Summary Of The Answer To Question (14) Of The " 100 Tough Questions about The God And The Bible " By Stephen M. Miller.

By Sodium

Re-citing Question (14)
================================================
" Inconsistency Alert: John 118 ( jn the Bible) says, " No one has ever seen God," but that's not what other Bible writers say. "

Summary From The Answer Given By Stephen Miller:
================================================
(1) " Jacob Saw God. Proofs ", As stated in Genesis of the Bible, the following clues as provided by Miller, are the proofs:
" Clue 1:.I have seen God face to face, but my life was saved " " ( Genesis 32:30 ). "
" Clue 2.:Jacob named the place Peniel, Hebrew for" Face of God " " ( Genesis 32:30 ). "                   " Clue 3. The mystery man (God) gave Jacob a new name: Israel, which means" He Struggles with       God " " ( Genesis 32:28 ). "

(2) " Seventy Jews saw God ", The proofs are the following quotes provided by Miller, from Exodus of the Bible:
~ " Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and 70 of Israel 's leader. They saw the God of Israel "( Exodus 24:9-10 ). "
" Under his feet ( God's feet ) was something like a pavement made out of sapphire " " Exodus 24:10 ). "
~ " Some Bible experts say that sounds a bit like the short version of a vision the prophet Ezekiel would report seeing a thousand years later. He saw..."

" ...a throne made of sapphire. On the throne was a figure that looked like human. Then I saw what he looked like from the waist up. He looked like a glowing bronze with fire all around it. From the waist down, he looked like fire.A bright light surrounded him. The brightness all around him looked like a rain bow in the clounds. It was like the Lord's glory. "
                                                                              " Ezekiel 1:26-28 "

Final Words:
==============================================
NO COMMENTS.

END.

.:

      

Quoting Part Of The Answer To Question (13) Of The "100 Tough Questions about God And The Bible " By Stephen M. Miller.

By Sodium

Reciting Question (13)
==================================
" To seal the partnership contract between God and Abraham, God told Abraham to circumcise himself. How is cutting on the dotted line anything like signing on the dotted line ? "

 [ Note: With the exclusion of the content of the Final Words, at the very end of this essay, the writer of this particular blog, ( Sodium ), wishes to restrict his job, here, to quoting only what Stephen Miller has given, as an answer to the above question, question (13) ]:

Stephen Miller says that " God made an agreement with Abraham." And Miller has stated that the agreement comprised two parts:

~ " Abraham's part of the deal: "
=================================
* Live in my presence with dignity " " ( Genesis 17:1)."
* You and all your descendants have this continual responsibility...You must cut off the flesh of your foreskinas a sign of the covenant between me and you. From generation to generation, every male child must be circumcised on the eighth day of his birth " " (Genesis 17:9, 11-12 NLT). "

~ " God's part of the deal:"
=================================
* You will become the father of many nations. "  " (Genesis 17: ). "
* I will give you many descendants. Many nations and kings will come from you " " (Genesis 17:6). "
* I am also giving this land where you are living-all the of Canaan-to you and your descendantsas your permanent possession. And I will be your God " " (Genesis 17:8). "

Then, Stephen Miller has made the following statements:" It's anyone's guess why God decided on circumcision a a way to remind the Jews that they had a contract with him. Bible writers seldom explain why God does what he does-presumably because they do not know.

Final Words:
===============================
After reading the whole answer given by Miller to question (13), I have found mysrlf compelled to make the following two comments:

Comment One: I simply do not believe that the Almighty God could only find Abraham's private part, meaning Abraham's penis, as the instrument to establish a contract with Abraham. No way.

Comment Two: Who ever wrote in the Bible, (Old Testament's part of the Bible), that God,had given lands, including the land of Canaan to Abraham, whether intentionally or unintentionally, had actually made the Almighty God a mere real estate agent. Ridiculous.

END..     

The Essential Points In the Answer to Question (12) Of the " 100 Tough Questions about God And The Bible " By Stephen M. Miller.

By Sodium

Re-Citing Question (12):
=======================================
" Why do most Christians believe there was a global flood in the time of Noah when most geologists say otherwise ? "

The Essential Points In Stephen Miller's Answer:
=======================================
~ Not all Christians believe in the global flood.
~ Those Christians who do not believe in the global flood believe in a local flood that took place in the Fertile Crescent Region  which really meant the Middle East, including the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Iraq.
~ But most Christians believe in the global flood exactly as described in the Bible. They cite the following reasons for adhering firmly to their belief:

(A) They say: " where do you see a regional flood in a passage this ? " The water covered even the highest mountains on the earth, rising more than twenty two feet above the highest peaks.....God wiped everything on the earth." Genesis 7:19, 23 NLT.

(B) They say:: " Flood stories you can find them all over the world, woven into the history                   of at least seventy centuries from one side of the planet to the other, including that of the                     American Indians, China, the South Pacific, and Ireland. "

(C) They say " Greek and Roman children grew up listening to the story of Deucalion and                   Pyrrha, a couple who saved their children and assortment of animals from a flood by herding               them all into big boat shaped like a box. "

 (D) They say: " Middle Eastern kids, in what is now Iraq heard a similar story. In the Epi of                 Gilgamesh, a man named Utnapishtim (call him (U-Guy) saved his family in much the same               way Noah did. He built a boat, waterproofed it with tar, loaded it with family and animals,                   survived the flood, and even released a dove as Noah didto make sure the water had receded               enough to disembark. "
       
~ The essential points raised by those people who do not believe in the global flood can be summed up as follows:

(E) "If God created plants on day three, how did they survive without the sun, which God did              not create until day four?"

(F) "Why should we interpret the six days of creation as six twenty-four-hours days when God           did not make the sun and moon-our tools for measuring twenty-four-hour days-until day four?"

(G) "What's wrong with interpreting the "days" of creation as long stretches of time when other           Bible writers say that " one day with the Lord is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are           like one day ( 2 Peter 3:;8, see also Psalm 90:)?"
       
Final Words:
=======================================
Near the end of his pro and con argument about the global flood, as described in the Bible, Stephen Miller has made the following statement: " On the flip side, Christians defending the Bible's literal history of creation say that questions like these ( E, F, and G ) underestimate the power of God." With such a dogmatic view, one cannot really caries on the discussion any further, but it is good to know how each of the two groups thinks with regard to the Biblical global flood.

And lastly, I personally cannot ignore the scientific facts which  say that the earth is 2.5 billion year old and the universe's age is 14 billion year old. Incredible numbers !! And way before Noah's time.
                               

A Brief Summary of the Answer to Question (11) of the "100 Tough Questions about God And The Bible" by Stephen M. Miller.

By Sodium

Re-Citing Question (11)::
===========================
" Given what we know today from science, why do so many Christians say the universe was created in six days, a few thousand years ago? "

Stephen Miller's answer, to the above question, can briefly be summed up into the following points

(1) Stephen Miller says that " two out of three churchgoing folks seem to believe in just that that ", meaning that the universe was created in just " six days, a few thousand years ago. "
(2) A Gallup poll that was taken in 2012 said that 46 percent of Americans believed also as the churchgoing Christians do. "
(3) Based on the two statistical facts above as points (1) and (2), respectively, Miller has encountered both points with the following statement, and I quote it exactly as it is written, as a part of his answer: " That leaves many thinking souls wondering whatever happened to science classes. "
(4) On the other hand, some churchgoers, as well as Jews, have applied their own scientific approach-calling it " creation science " which basically says that the Genesis section of the Bible is the history of creation as revealed by God Himself. And hence, their scientific evidences are totally different from Miller's evidences which says that " the earth is 2.5 billion years old, and the universe is about 1 billion years old ", and not six days. You have read it correctly, meaning, the numbers given are in billions, not millions.
(5) Some of the scientific evidences Miller has stated have to do with what the geological evidences say. No need to burden the reader with it. here. Anyone who is interested in such details, should get a copy of Miller's book and read it from cover to cover.
(6) Miller has questioned the creation of earth in six days and he does so with basic science and he has accompanied his basic science with an additional tough scientific question concerning the validity of what was created in each day of the six days of the creation, as described in the Genesis of the Bible.
(7) Since Miller has attempted to be as objective as he possibly could,, he made the following statement, at about the end of his challenging questions concerning the Biblical creation of the universe in six days: " On the flip side, Christians defending the Bible's literal history of creation say that questions like these underestimate the power of God. " What he has implicitly  meant by offering such a statement is this  when Christians inject the power of God in such a manner, one cannot possibly continue the discussion endlessly, because such a discussion will lead no where.  

Final Words:
===========================
As it can be seen from point (1) through point (7), the disagreement between the advocates of the six days of creation of the universe and the non-advocates of such Biblical creation is so huge, I refrain from telling you what I really believe in, and thus leaving it to each reader to reach his or her own conclusion, concerning the entire human differences in the belief of creation of Mother Earth and the Universe.

END.   

An Outline of the Answer to Question (10) of the " 100 Tough Questions about God And The Bible " By Stephen M. Miller.

By Sodium

Reciting Question (10):
===========================
" If Jesus was so great, you w'd think Roman or Jewish history writers of his own time would have written about him. Did they ? "

Some of the Answer Provided By Stephen Miller:
=================================================
At the outset, as one reads the question raised by Miller, one may get the impression that Stephen Miller will provide an answer that may prove that none of the Roman or Jewish historians of Jesus' own time, outside the realm of the narrative in the Bible, have ever written anything about him. That was exactly what the writer of this essay had gotten the impression from the way the question had implied. On the contrary, Miller has presented historical evidences written by Jewish and Roman historians, proving that Jesus was not a myth, as one may read in the very ancient Greek mythology, such as the " Greek god Zeus or heroes such as Hercules and Achilles." The following two quotations taken from Miller's answer may make the answer provided by Miller clearer:

Quotation One:
=========================:
" Disciples say he rose again

       There was a wise man called Jesus, and his conduct was good....
       Pilate condemned him to be crucified.... His disciples did not give up their loyalty to him. They          reported that he appeared to them three days after his crucifixion, and that he was alive. "
                                       By " Josephus (about Ad 37-101), Antiquities of the Jews. "
Miller says " that's the most famous reference to Jesus outside the Bible. The writer, Josephus, was born just a few years after Jesus died. "

Quotation Two:
=========================
" Pilate executed Christ

       Christ suffered the ultimate penalty at the hands of procurator Pontius Pilate when Tiberius was          emperor of Rome. "
                                     By " Tacitus (about AD 56-120), Annals of Imperial Rome"

Miller states that " Tacitus was a Roman official, a respected public speaker, and one of Rome's greatest historians. Annals is a multivolume history of Rome covering more than half a century from AD 14-68, spanning the reign of emperors Tiberius to Nero."

Final Words:
========================
Those who have thought that Stephen Miller is anti-Christ and anti-Christianity may have to think again and reconsider.

END.
 .  

Big, Hearty Salute and Admiration to Sudan and its Great People.

By Sodium

I have just finished watching, on the Internet, an Al-Jazeera program called " Al-Waqi Al-Arabi, " anchored by Jalal Shahda who had interviewed  Muhammad Sabra, President of Al-Hisb Al-Jumhori  Al-Suri and the Sudanese official in charge of welcoming some of the Syrians civilians who fled the daily slaughters that had been going in Syria for the last four plus years. What I have understood from the interview are the following most admired action taking by the government and people of Sudan:

(1) Sudan has welcomed the Syrian civilians, fleeing from the war agony in Syria, not as refugees, but as guests and as citizens.
(2) Syrians who seek entry to Sudan needs no visa to enter  They are most welcome without restriction of entry visa.
(3) In spite of all the economic difficulties which Sudan faces these days, all the right of the Sudanese citizens entitled to the Syrians guests are entitled to also. That means;
          (A) Free medical care.
          (B) Free education from kinder garden, through elementary and high schools, and finally                           through university as well.
         (C) Syrians can seek employment in the Sudanese government as well as in the private sectors.
         (D) Some Syrians have already and successfully started their mid-size and small business in                        Sudan.
         (E) Because of the shortage of enough housing to all Syrians, many Sudanese families have                       welcomed some of the Syrians into their homes, until some housings found for them to                         settle in permanently.
(4) The number of Syrians who have already settled in Sudan is approximately one hundred thousand, (100,000 ).

Based upon the forgoing information, as outlined above, the title of this essay is certainly in order, meaning: " Big Hearty Salute and Admiration  to Sudan and its Great People."

Final Words:
===================
A question: Could not have the vast majority of the Arab counties done what Sudan and the people of Sudan have already done for the fleeing Syrians from the agony of destruction and war in Syria, instead of fleeing to Europe, by the boats of death ?   Just a question.
               

                   

Dr. Fawaz Gerges of London University Is A Super Geopolitical Analyst.

By Sodium

I have followed the geopolitical analyses of Dr. Fawaz Gerges since he was teaching political sciences in a university college in the United States of America. And that was before the death of  Peter Jennings, a Canadian American, who was the anchor personality of Evening News of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC). I have mentioned the late Peter Jennings because Dr. Fawaz Gerges was first interviewed by Peter on some issues related to, or political events happened in, the Middle East. In other words, it was then Peter Jennings who was the first journalist and  anchor man, of a major news network, who  discovered the remarkable political talents of Dr. Fawaz Gerges. I must say that I was impressed by Dr. Gerges' keen analysis and rationality of his comment. Since then I have followed his career, including reading every thing I could find that was written by him. His book about the greater radicalism of the third generation of terrorists is remarkably interesting, since no one else thought of such a group had existed then, except his political genius. And his political genius has appeared so vividly in the Syrian war four years ago when he said the war was going to be along one, while others expected the Asad regime to fall in a matter of weeks, including Tayib Rajab Ordogan, Prime Minister of Turkey, then.
 .
He is no longer teaching in the U. S. A, but he is currently teaching International Diplomacy at University of London, and I believe  that, at the same time, he is also the Head of the Middle East Studies at the same university in which he teaches, in England..
.
In the last three years, I have enjoyed watching him being interviewed, so frequently, on the Internet, by BBC and Al-Jazeera, respectively.  As usual, I have found his analyses and comments, concerning the conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Yemen to be meticulously profound and his comments come from a person who really knows what he is talking about. Therefore, I highly recommend to watch and listen to Dr. Fawaz Gerges, whenever you can, and learn from him as much as I have.

END.  .

No A'ar, No Ethical Morality.

By Sodium

This is going to be one of the shortest blog I have ever written

* A'ar is an Arabic word which means shame.:

* Today tragedy, as it has been reported on the Internet, says: 200 human beings have been drowned from a boat opposite the Libyan coastline. I felt an urge for crying.for such an International Tragedy.

* Question: Do the warriors in the cities, towns and villages in the Middle East have no A'ar, when they hear such a horrible news. Shame, shame and more shame on all of them. No exception.

END.

An Outline Of The Answer To Question (9) Of The " 100 Tough Questions about God And The Bible " By Stephen M. Miller.

By Sodium

Re--Citing Question (9):
===============================
" Since Jesus told people to turn the other cheek, why aren't more Christians pacifists ? "

Outlining The Answer Given:
===============================
At the outset, Miller does not deny that there are Christians who are truly pacifists. But, as the question asks why not more of them be so, since the teachings of their Bible instruct to be so.

The answer that has been given, by Stephen Miller, can be divided into two parts:

Part One: It deals with the pacifist Christians.
Part Two: It deals with the non--pacifist Christians.

The following quotes taken from Miller's answer may make the the difference between the two groups of Christians clear:

Quotation One:
===============================
" Christians were pacifists for the first 300 years of Christianity.Most church history scholars agree on that much. "

Quotation Two:
===============================
" Why Christians were pacifists ?  Early church leaders preached love, not war:
 
      We no longer arm ourselves to fight a nation. We don't study the art of war, either. We are soldiers of peace, lead by our commander: Jesus.
                                                                      Origen ( about 185--254 ), against Celsus.

      When Christ disarmed Peter he disarmed every soldier.
                                                                       Tertullian ( about 160--220 )
      Each church rule book said the same thing."

Quotation Three:
===============================
      * Christians were forbidden to join the army.
      * Soldiers converted while in the army could continue to serve, but not fight.
      * Officers converted while in the army had to resign.
                                                                         Apostolic Tradition, AD 200s

Quotation Four:
===============================
" Pacifists used a literal take on the New Testament ( of the Bible) teachings of Jesus as ammunition for their argument--just as pacifist Christians do to day.
 
      * " Do not resist an evildoer. But if one strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also. "
                                                                        ( Mathew 5:39 NRSV ).
      * " Love your enemies. " ( Mathew 5:44 ).

      * " Do to others whatever you want them do to you. " ( Mathew 7:12 ).

The foregoing is the tip of the iceberg revealing why some Christians were (and still are) pacifists. the next question Miller has raised to answer his own original question is the following question:

" Why some Christians fight. (?):

The Invention of The Just War Theory"
==================================
It was Bishop Augustine ( 345--430 AD ) who invented the " Just War Theory ". Bishop Augustine "was one of the most theologian of all. He believed that " there are times when war is justified--when it's conducted for the good of everyone."

Miller says that " Martin Luther ( 1483--1546 ), founder of the Protestant movement, agreed. But instead of preaching " just war," he talked about the reality of two kingdoms. In Christ's spiritual kingdom, there's nothing but peace. But outside the perfect world--in our world--war is sometimes God's way of restoring order. "

The following quotes may provide more light on the question, why some Christian fight. (?):

Quotation Five:
=================================
" To Luther way of thinking, tyrants left unchecked will reign over a status quo of injustice: starvation, homelessness, sick people left untreated, legal systems favoring the rich, laws written by the rich and powerful for the rich and powerful, minorities targeted for discrimination, or worse. Luther would have argued that Christians need to take a stand against that. "

Quotation Six:
=================================
" History's best illustration of what Augustine and Luther preached: Hitler. "

Quotation Seven:
=================================
" Locked and loaded, survivalist Christians, anticipating some kind of global apocalypse, remind their peace--loving brothers and sisters that two-third of the Bible is the Old Testament. And it's full of holy war--the justice side of God's love."

Final Words:
================================
As it has been said earlier in the foregoing, the above presentation is really the tip of the iceberg. There are so many pro and con, for each group of Christians--pacifist or un--pacifist Christians. Any reader who is interested in getting the full meticulous details on both groups, should get a copy of the book and read it.I can only provide you with outlines the best I can.

END.              
                               
   .
      

The Five Kinds Of Procrastjnators According To Dr. Linda Sapadin.

By Sodium

I am a subscriber to a newsletter called " Bottom Line Personal " which I receive twice a month for an annual fee of $39.00. And the novel and professional information I get from every issue is worth much more than the annual fee I pay every year as a subscriber. I have always learned something from each issue. I am too old to be fascinating by anything I read except the most compelling read that compels me to be fascinated. Therefore, I must admit that I am fascinated by what I have learned, so far, from reading the 16--18 pages of each issue.

Although I have wanted to follow through with the plan I have already started on the answers given by Stephen M. Miller to the one hundred questions he has raised in his book, " 100 Tough Questions about God And The Bible ", I have found myself compelled to interrupt my plan in order to share with the reader of this website what I have learned from an interview that Bottom Line Personal had conducted with Dr. Linda Sapadin," PhD, a clinical psychologist in private practice in Valley Stream, New York. She specializes in helping people overcome self-defeating pattern and (she) is author of How to Beat Procrastination in the Digital Age. "

No need to burden the reader with the complete details of the interview, but an outline of the essential points will, perhaps, be in order:

Dr. Linda Sapadin has acknowledged in the interview that there are five kinds of procrastinators and they are:

(1) The Perfectionist Procrastinator.
(2) The Dreamer Procrastinator.
(3) The Worrier Procrastinator.
(4) The Crisis Maker Procrastinator.
(5) The Defier Procrastinator..

The following outline may provide a brief description of each category of the five procrastinators, listed above, followed by a short suggestion for each to overcome::

(1) The Perfectionist Procrastinator:
==================================
" Perfectionists tend to work too long on a task, seeking to achieve perfection-which makes it difficult to get anything done on schedule. "  One suggestion of several other suggestions " is to set time limit for projects, or ask others to do for you. Redefine perfection as " the best I can achieve within this time frame."

(2) The Dreamer Procrastinator:
==================================
" Dreamers have a strong desire to live in a world of ideas...and a strong aversion to completing the real-world steps required to turn these ideas into reality. What to do...Develop a detailed to-do list. Create to do lists that that include not just what you need to do but also time lines and deadlines for each listing.

(3) The worrier Procrastinator:
==================================      
Anxieties about all that could go wrong prevent worriers from moving forward. What to do....Remind yourself that making a decision is a decision. When your anxieties cause stagnation, say to yourself, I am choosing to take no action. Is this really the path I want to take ? "

(4) The Crisis Maker Pocrastinator:
==================================
Crisis Makers delay working on projects until deadlines loom--they need the adrenaline rush of a deadline to get them moving. They don't consider that this makes life difficult for their colleagues and loved ones. What to do ... Find motivators other than stress and adrenaline. Looming deadlines might be an effective motivator for you, but that doesn't mean that they are the only motivator. Reflect on what is truly and deeply meaningful to you. It might be providing for your family...behaving ethically...being viewed as someone people can trust...earning money... earning praise and promotion...or something else entirely. "

(5) The Defier Procrastinator:
===================================
Defiers view their responsibilities as impositions on their time forced upon them by unjust systems or authority figures. They might respond to these impositions with direct defiance...or they might indirectly defy by procrastinating, a form of passive agressive rebellion. What to do...Act, don't react. See yourself as part of a team, not apart of a team. "

Final Words:
==================================
I must admit that I really could not figure out to what kind of the above five procrastinators I personally might have belonged. Most likely, I feel that I do not belong to any of the five categories of the procrastinators described by Dr. Linda Sapadin. Perhaps, and just perhaps, I belong to the sixth kind of procrastinators called " Plan Interrupters."  My invention ?  Of course, it is

Have fun, if you procrastinate, in trying to figure out to which of the five kinds of procrastinators you are actually belonged.. You may discover some surprising human characteristics about yourself that have been unknown to you, before reading the views of Dr.Linda Sapadin about the five kinds of procrastinators, outlined here.

END.      

         

Continuation Of The Interesting Statements That Are Worthy Of Reading And Learning From.

By Sodium

In the last blog, the interesting statements of chapter (1) through chapter (19) of a novel authored by Claire Cook were covered and quoted. In this blog, the interesting statements from chapter (20) through chapter (38) of Cook's novel will be covered and quoted:

From Chapter (20):
======================
" Practice what you preach, and remember thay preaching takes practice. "

From Chapter (21):
======================
" Whether or not you are good at discipline, disciplin she is always good for you. "

From Chapter (22):
======================
" Dying to dance is the only diet you need. "

From Chapter (23)
======================
" Step up that pep and put some pep in that step."

From Chapter (24):
======================
" If you give a woman a fish, she will eat some, but if you teach her to fish, she will open up a pet store."

From Chapter (25);
=====================
" When pretending to have people, one may talk in the third person. "

From Chapter (26):
=====================
" Dancers are the athletes of God, but is God the athlete of dancers. "

From Chapter (27):
=====================
" If fat can be your biggest fear, can fear also make you fat. "

From Chapter (28):
=====================
" Ask not what your professional dancer can do for you, ask what you can do for your professional dancer. "

From Chapter (29)
=====================
" I yam what I yam, and tha's all that I yam."

From Chapter )30):
=====================
" Learn to fail or fail to learn."

From Chapter (31):
=====================
" Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, but we are never more beholden than to the person who enhances our beauty. "

From Chapter (32):
====================
" To dance is to live, if you live through the dance."

From Chapter (33):
====================
" Don't sweat the petty thing, and don't pet the sweaty thing."

From Chapter (34):
====================
" At the end of the day, love is all that's real, and all that matters is that you really love. "

From Chapter (35)
===================
" A spirited dance is fueled by your spirit. "

From Chapter (36):
===================
" Once you get past the rocky parts, midlife really can rock. "

From Chapter (37):
===================
" Success is getting what you want, but happiness is wanting what you get. "

From Chapter (38):
===================
" You can spend all your time fishing, or you can put all into one big fish. "

Final Words:
==================
I do hope that you have enjoy reading all the 38 interesting statements quoted in the last two blog just as much as I have. And I also do hope that you have learned something from all of them just as much as I have.

END.
































;

Interesting Statements That are Worth Of Reading and Learning From.

By Sodium

While I was checking on some books I was interested in reading, I came across a novel authored by Claire Cook. In my youthful years, I was interested in reading good novels, especially political thrillers. And I read many. But, I have lost such an interest in reading novels, as I worked, traveled and lived in the Middle East, in 1970's and 1980's. As a result, my interest has ever since concentrated in history, geopolitics, Arabic language and its fascinating literature, and Islam. The question is why, all of a sudden, I seem to be interested in Claire Cook's novel. Well, I am not interested in reading Claire Cook's novel at all, but in the statements that have appeared at the beginning of each chapter of the novel. That was the reason for buying the novel. This has been the result of an old habit of mine I cannot get rid of:reviewing, in the spot of the book store, some pages of the book, (any book whose title attracts my attention), to find out what the content of the book is all about.

What has impressed me about Claire Cook's novel is the sensibility of every statement which appeared at the top of the beginning of each chapter. Cook's novel is composed of 38 chapters. Hence, It has a total of 38 sensible statements which I wish to share with the readers of this website. The first 19 sensible statements are quoted below:

From Chapter (1):
======================
" Who will buy the cowif you give away the milk for free, yet once you get a taste of the milk, who can resist coming back to the cow ? "

From Chapter (2):
======================
" Failure is a brief and necessary layover in the way to success, but you will never reach success if you check your bags at failure. "

From Chapter (3):
=====================
" You do not have to be a winner to start, but you have to start to be a winner."

From Chapter (4):
=====================
" Morning, noon, and night, my brother is pretty much a chiasmus machine, and chiasmus machine is pretty much my brother. "

From Chapter (5):
=====================
What a long strange trip it;s been, and what a strange longer trip is becoming. "

From Chapter (6):
=====================
" When you dig in the earth, the earth digs you. "

From Chapter (7):
======================
" Change is hard, so people hardly ever change."

From Chapter (8):
=====================
" Better to run over than to be overrun. "

From Chapter (9):
====================
" When people show you their true colors, color yourself convinced the first time. "

From Chapter (10):
====================
" Let go of the past and go let the future in. "

From Chapter (11):
====================
" It's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog. " This one is by Mark  Twin.

From Chapter (12):
====================
" She who hesitates is lost, but she who doesn't hesitate might end up even loster. "

From Chapter (13):
====================
" Beware of wolves in sheep's clothing, especially in a sheep shed with your sister. "

From Chapter (14):
====================
" It's not what you'r telling your heart, but what your heart is telling you."

From Chapter (15):
====================
" No body can go back and start a new beginning, But anyone can start today and make a new ending. " Thi one is by Maria Robinson.

From Chapter (16):
====================
" When in doubt eat. When in eat, doubt "

From Chapter (17):
===================
" A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, but a bush in the hand will feed the whole flock. "

From Chapter (18):
===================
" The magic in those soles will bring out the magic that was in your soul all along. "

From Chapter (19):
===================
" Live to dance and dance to live. "

TO BE CONTINUED IN NEXT BLOG.

A summary Of The Answer To Question (8) Of The " 100 Tough Questions about God And The Bible " By Stephen M. Miller.

By Sodium

Re-Citing Question (8) :
========================
" Why should anyone believe that a star led the wise men to Bethlehem when stars don't move like that ? "

A Summary Of The Answer, As Given by Stephen Miller:
================================================
Stephen Miller has pointed out the fact, at the very beginning of his detailed answer, that Christians say that " Miracles Happen. " And this kind of an answer to the question is " the most honest. " as he put it. What this means that they really do not know. But Miller seems not be impressed by such a simple answer to a tough question. Hence, he provides his own answers, part of which are the following points:

~ " The story shows up in just one book of the Bible: " After Jesus' birth wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem. They asked, " Where is the one who was born to be the king of the Jews ?  We saw his star rising and have come to worship him ' " ( Mathew 2:1-2 ).

~ " The Bible doesn't say how many wise men there were. Scholars say the idea that they were three probably comes from from the three gifts they gave Jesus: gold, frankincense, myrrh. "

Miller covers so many theories about the stars as they were known and reported in ancient times but he disprove their validity, one by one. no need to burden the reader with such an almost endless argument. the point to remember that amongst all the book of the Bible only the book written by Mathew mentioned the three wise men who traveled from the east, most probably from Iraq and Iran, to see Jesus and worship him. It is obvious, all of the entire argument is questionable, except if one truly believes in miracles tha hadt made the star moved to guide the three wise men to Jerusalem and finally to Bethlehem.

Final Words:
==================
I must call the attention of Mr. Miller that Arab Bedouins do their travels during the nights due to desert unbearable heat during day time..And they do know which star to follow for direction, meaning going to east, west, north or south. Miller is technically correct when he says stars do not move like that. Perhaps, and just perhaps, as the bible was not originally written in English which Mr. Stephen Miller understood so well, linguistic mistakes might have occured in the translations processes.

ENd                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Dear Readers, I am encountering serious technical problems on/ with my computer. As you may see, I cannot even go to a new line after Dear Readers. If I make a mistake I cannot even delete it. I was told by one computer expert that the keyboard of my computer is broken. I may have to purchase a new computer, since my computer's keyboard cannot possibley be replaced. This is being addressed to you to let you know that I will resume writing and publishing as soon as I can overcome the technical problem I am encountering. Thank you for your patiemce and understanding. Sincerely, Sodium

A Brief Outline of the Answer to Question (7) of the " 100 Tough Questions about God And The Bible " By Stephen M. Miller.

By Sodium


Reciting Question (7):
===========================
" How could Mary have been a pregnant virgin 2000 years before in vitro fertilization ? "


Stephen Miller says that it is difficult to believe in pregnant virgins before the advancement of twenty first century in sciences which has made pregnant virgins medically, scientifically and technically quite possible. He further refers to the fact that the Virgin Mary's pregnancy was mentioned only by Mathew and Luke in the Bible. And Mathew has mentioned it only once in the Bible and has never mentioned again. Mathew's gospel has the following narrative about Virgin Mary:

" While she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit " ( Mathew 1:18 NTL ).


It is obvious to the writer of this blog that the above foregoing is an attempt to throw doubts about the pregnancy of a virgin in ancient time. However, the Christians themselves do not seem to agree on this issue either. Some Christians ask the following question:




" Why it's so tough to believe that God could accomplish 2,000 years ago what human can do today (?) "




But, some other Christians encountered the above question with the following comments, as stated by Miller:




" They doubt this part of the story ( Virgin Mary's Pregnancy ) not because the gospels of Mark and John skip it; those gospels skip everything that has anything to do with Jesus' birth and childhood."


Still, some other Christians say they "doubt the virgin birth for other reasons, too " And their other reasons are the following ones:


" *  Mathew and Luke never mention it again, and it could be deleted without affecting anything else in their stories--almost as it got edited in.."


" * Apart from Mary's song of praise to God in Luke ( 's gospel ), Jesus family never mentioned it."


" * No one else in the Bible mentioned it. "


Based on the above narrative, it is difficult to decide which one of the thoughts or rather one of the  opinion mentioned above is closer to the truth; and which thought can be rejected out of hand immediately, since each thought, or rather each opinion, stands on its own merits.


Final Words
================
Since Christians themselves cannot agree on the pregnancy of Virgin Mary, one may understand why Stephen Miller has risen the question in the first place.


What is troubling from such doubts is the reflection on certain verses of the Qur'an in which the name of the Virgin Mary is mentioned, so many times, explicitly and beautifully expressing honor and reverence for the Virgin Mary. In other words, the doubts that are being raised by some Christians, about Virgin Mary's pregnancy, cannot be ignored with their connections to specific narratives, concerning the Virgin Mary in the Qur'an. All that must not mean that such specific narratives in the Qur'an have become in doubt too. Not at all. Because what one can gather from all of the above debate only different opinions that must be brought up in the open for better understanding of what's in the Bible. However, opinions remain just that: " Opinion ."  They all could have been wrong in their doubts, including the opinion of  Mr. Stephen Miller.


END.














































      

The Language of a Diplomatic Walk Performed by the Negotiating Diplomats of Iran and the Five Plus One, After Reaching an Agreement on Iran's Nuclear Program.

By Sodium


I have followed and observed and have taken notes since the beginning of the negotiations between the six major powers of the world, specifically between U.S.A., Russia, China, United Kingdom, France and Germany on one hand, and Iran on the other hand. I will refrain, as much as possible, from burdening the reader, of this website,with the almost countless meticulous details that have taken place between the six major powers of the world and Iran, since the interested reader can find such meticulous details elsewhere, which will, most likely, appear, in due process of time, in world newspapers, political magazines and probably in books whose authors would be more qualified than me to do so. But, I may be able to sum up the eleven years of difficult relations and almost the last two years of  negotiations between the six major powers of the world and Iran in the following straight--forward statement:


IRAN HAS DIPLOMATICALLY WON, OR, AT LEAST, CAME OUT AHEAD OF ALL SIX MAJOR WORLD 'S POWERS COMBINED, FROM THE NAGOTIATIONS THAT HAVE REQUIRED ENDURANCE, PATIENCE AND CAPACITY TO LAST IN A TOUGH MARATHON FOR THE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT ISSUE, IRAN'S NUCLEAR ACTIVITIES. REASONS:


(1) The fact that Ahmad Jawad Zareef, Iran's Foreign Minister, who has led the Iranian negotiating team, was allowed to walk into the stage in Vienna, ahead of all representatives of the six major world's powers, meaning the five members of the United Nation's Security Council plus one ( U.S.A., Russia, China, France, Britain plus Germany ), to inform the world that they all have finally reached an agreement on Iran's nuclear program. Based on populations, China has the largest population, and the European countries combined have the second largest population. Hence, the Chinese Representative, or the 42 year old lady, Frederica Mogherini, Foreign Minister of the European Union, should have walked entering into the stage, in Vienna, ahead of all other representatives of the Hexane of Powers, or rather the six major world's powers, including Iran. If anyone is naïve enough and wishes to dismiss this observational fact, as un-important, that is his or her prerogative, but I will not dismiss the body languages, glaring and movement of the eyes, face expressions, order of walking, order of standing and place of the standing, as diplomats, heads of states, prime ministers and high ranking military generals, as unimportant. Such a realm of unspoken language has its own dynamic and positive or negative effect, in the world of diplomacy. Ask anyone who is well experienced, in the realm of international diplomacy and he or she would, most likely, tell you that this observation is correct.


(2)  The fact that Mr.Zareef of Iran was allowed to walk into the stage, in Vienna, Austria, ahead of all other negotiators has meant, at least to the writer of this blog, that all six major global powers combined have been eager not to antagonize Iran, through an offensive treatment of its lead-negotiator. This unspoken fact in the realm of diplomacy has meant that all six major powers were eager to reach an agreement with Iran, for which each one of the six major powers has certain goals interested to accomplish through such negotiations with Iran. And all these goals have to do with protecting each major power's interest in the Middle East:
(A) Germany, France and United Kingdom: Trade for making huge amounts of money, as Iran gets back its more than $100 Billion which have been frozen in Banks in the West, for the last three decades. You have just read it correctly: $100 Billion, not Million. That is a huge amount of American dollars which are going to boast the Iranian economy and trade, if Iran concentrate on the improvement of the lives of its Iranian citizens who have suffered enough from years of sanctions against their country because of suspicions about its nuclear project and activities. .  .
(B) United States of America's main concern are two folds: One concern is the fact it needs Iran's cooperation in its war against terrorism that it has been waging on for the last 13 years--to be specific since the terrorism acts that took place on September 11, 2001, in New York city and Pentagon in Washington DC . The second concern is the security of Israel.
(C)  Russia: It seems to the writer of this essay, Russia went along with the outcome of the negotiations for two main reasons: Its client, Iran, has, accepted the final terms of the negotiations, and hence, it does not make sense to reject it. The second reason has been the fact that Russia has its own war against terrorism. And in addition, perhaps, it wants to join the forces of the Western powers against the terror of Daesh, (ISIS), in Syria, since Syria has been a firm client to Russia for, at least, the last 40 years--since the days of the late Syrian President Hafiz El-Assad, father of Bashar El-Assad, current President of Syria.
(D)  China is interested in building a future petroleum line from the Arabian Gulf to China, and needs Iran 's cooperation for a possible passage of the petroleum line, (and also a possible gas line), to pass through Iran to reach Chinese proper.


(3) The Iranian  President, Hassan Rouhani, has immediately, after the diplomatic walk in Vienna, Austria, made a speech, addressed to the people of Iran in which he has made it clear that all four goals Iran wanted to accomplish from such a marathon negotiations have been achieved. He has specifically named the four goals as follows:
(A)  Iran will fundamentally maintain its nuclear technological know-how.
(B)  The economic / financial sanctions established mainly by Western powers against Iran will be removed.
(C)  The United Nations sanction will be removed as well.
(D)  Iran's name will also be removed from Chapter 7 of the United Nations Charter.


Final Words:
=======================
As one combines the diplomatic walk that had taken place into a stage, in Vienna, Austria, and all points (1), (2), and (3), listed above, in addition to their subordinate points, as (A), (B), (C) and (D), it has become clear that Iran has succeeded in its patient diplomacy; and came out at the top from such an enduring marathon of negotiations with six to one odd. The people of Iran have good reasons to celebrate, in the streets of Tehran and other Iranian cities, such a victory. The question is: How long Iran and the hexane of the world's major powers can adhere firmly to the terms of the accord ? That is the question whose answer is anyone's guess. No one really knows, for sure. Only the future will tell.


And finally, it is foolish to conclude that Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Arab countries have ended up the real losers from such an accord. All one needs reviewing carefully the history of the Arabs who have always get rid of their tormentors. The cycle of history is neutral.


Iran's future stability and prosperity depend upon its healthy relations with its neighbors. And it has what is needed to amend its relations with Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Arab World: by first handing the three islands, it has occupied, since the days of the Shah's rule, back to the United Arab Emirates, the legitimate owners of the islands. Those islands are three in number:
~`The large Island of Tunib.
~ The Small Island of Tunib.
~ The Island of Abu-Musa.


And Iran must stop interfering in the internal affairs of Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Lebanon and must stop bragging, by some of its politicians, that they are in control of four Arab capitals, and intending to make Baghdad, Iraq, the capital of their future empire   Otherwise, all the people of the Middle East, including the Iranian people will suffer endlessly and wastefully. The leaders of the Iranian Islamic Republic must wise up and do good things, in that part of the world, in good faith, so that the people of the Arab World will be compelled to reciprocate, in kind.


END.  

An Outline Of The Answer To Question (6) Of The " 100 Tough Questions about God And The Bible " By Stephen Miller.

By Sodium


Reciting Question (6):
===========================
" God said King Hezekiah would die of an illness, but a few minutes later said he would let Hezekiah live another fifteen years. How can someone who knows everything change his mind like that ? "


Outlining The Answers Provided By Stephen Miller:
==================================================
~ Miller says that " most Bible experts " say that " God does not change his mind. " and they quote the following quotation from the Bible:


" The Lord is the Eternal One of Israel...He is not a human being, so he does not change his mind
 ( ! Samuel 15:29 NCV ).


~ In order to validate the legitimacy of his question, Miller has provided the following responses or comments:


( A )  " Enter King Hezekiah, sick to death."


( B )  " God sent the prophet Isaiah to tell the king: " Set your affairs in order, for you are going to
 die. You will no recover from this illness " ( Isaiah 38:1 NLT ).


( C )  " Hezekiah broke into sobs and started praying. "
 D )  " Isaiah was walking out of the palace when God told him to turn around and give the king a new and improved message: " God heard your prayers and he is giving you fifteen more years "
( See v. 5 )


( E )  According to the biblical evidences ( A ), ( B ), ( C ) and ( D ), as stated above, Miller says : " That sounds like God changed his mind. "


Moreover, Miller goes on to say that " There are other stories in the Bible that also seem to report God doing a 180 ( degrees change ) " in changing his mind. He list the following biblical stories:


" * Creation do-over: " The Lord saw how bad the people on earth were...He was very sorry that he had made them ( Genesis 6:5-6 CEV ). Up next: the flood.


" * King do-over. " The Lord told Samuel , ' Saul has stopped obeying me, and I am sorry that I made him king ' " (  1 Samuel 15:10-11 ) ". David would replace Saul as Israel's king. "


" * On second thought. After compelling the prophet Jonah to go to Nineveh, in what is now Iraq, and tell the people that their city would be destroyed in forty days, God did not destroy the city. The people repented and God Forgave them ( Jonah 3 ).


Although Bible experts has considered the biblical story as ( Jonah 3 ) specified above as "The clue" . by saying that " It is not who's changing.  It's the people who are changing. All God is doing is changing his plans to accommodate the changed people. "


After debating the issues in considerable length, Miller says the following:


" Some Bible experts don't try to defend the Bible choices of words. Instead, they embrace the mystery of God. They say the Bible writers were simply trying to explain what was going on as best they knew how-- but their know-how was limited. It eas limited because they were only humans."


Final Words:
=======================
Because of the fact that the Bible experts have some differences in their viewpoints about what was going on, the validity of the question raised, and the answers given to it, by miller had become more interesting to the writer of this blog. However, one may not be able to avoid the fact that God remains a mystery to all humanity, exactly as the last paragraph stated above by some Bible experts.


END.


            

A Brief Outline Of The Answer To Question (5) Of The " 100 Tough Questions about God And The Bible " By Stephen Miller.

By Sodium


Reciting Question (5):
==========================
" The Song of Songs in the Bible is so sexually charged that it sounds like it needs " rating for a mature-audience. "  What 's it doing in the Holy Bible ? "


A Short Description of the Answer Given By Stephen Miller:
=======================================================
Miller covers so many reasons to prove the validity of question (5) he has risen, as stated  in the above quote. He has done so by referring to specific statements in the Bible and by quoting what certain scholars and Bible's experts had said about the Song of Songs. I have felt un-comfortable  when I read the content of the answer the first time. And I still feel uncomfortable as I try to provide the readers with an idea, or rather a general comprehension of the answers given by Miller. The following quote may be sufficient to provide the readers with a degree of comprehension of Miller's attempt to prove that the Song of Songs should not be in the Bible, as he has made the following comment, followed by a quote from the Bible:


" Consider this sacred sound bite, lyrics from what many Bible experts say was a wedding song: " Your figure is like a palm tree, and your breasts are like its cluster.....'  I will climb the palm tree and take hold of its fruit '  " ( Song of Songs 7:7-8 ).


If the above quote is not an explicit description of a sexual act, then it is implicitly so. And it is an embarrassment reading it in the Holy Bible-explicitly or implicitly. 


Final Words:
========================
Before some newspapers editor in the Christian West ridiculing Prophet Muhammad and before Jewish and Christians bigots and Islamophobes start ridiculing Islam, I sincerely and constructively suggest that they examine what their Holy Bible contains. And I am not a Muslim-just trying to be objective in this narrative.


END.