The Ranting Swede

my Occupy Wall Street Manifesto - first draft

2011-10-14T00:13:00.000-07:00

Many of my more conservative friends do not understand why a whole bunch of hippies are occupying financial districts of major cities all across this country. Our message is accused of being far to muddled and omnidirectional, it is however just very broad and intentionally ambiguous. It is pointed at the Federal government, at corporations, and very heavily on taxes, specifically income tax. All of this seems to come to the question: who exactly is running this country?

In our capitalistic country most decisions are based, and almost every policy decision is based, on money. How can I make more? How can I save more? How can I spend less? Although people say money doesn’t buy happiness, it does buy more toys, more security, more privileges, housing, food, and basic necessities. This leads to a very selfish economy, where most people are only looking after their own bank statement and don’t care who they have to step on to make an extra buck. The entities with the most at stake, and the most power, in this layout are the pillars of a capitalistic society, the for-profit corporations. Everything that such a corporation does is for the sole purpose of returning on shareholders investments. If laying off thousands and replacing their jobs with foreign workers or robotics increases profit margins, the dollar wins. If operating without regard to pollution or environmental toxins reduces costs, bow to the dollar. If paying off congressmen to vote favorably on legislature is cheaper than the effects of regulations, think of the investors. When lawmakers are constantly courted by lobbyists and often bend to their persuasiveness and bribes, the line is no longer between right and wrong but between increasing and decreasing profits. With a lobbyist to congressman ratio of well over 100:1 and the seemingly endless resources of the major corporations, the question arises: who exactly is running this country?

The very foundation of this nation, The US Constitution, gives light as to what the purpose of our government was:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Step one in the preamble: “establish Justice.” The first point of our government, aside from replacing the failed Articles of Confederation, is fairness. This is where the argument for and against income tax reform often comes into play. When you have excess, isn’t it fair to pay in excess. Or conversely should the rate be linear with every paying the same percentage of income, even with no regard for cost of living and regular expenses. The corporate lobbyists help sway many policymakers toward the side that establishes justice only as long as it means whatever is best for the stockholder.

Next step: “insure domestic Tranquility.” To insure a life without stress, a life of peace. This seems to be the case for only a small group of people. Only the wealthiest seem to be living free of stress, while the remainder of us slave away to increase the digits in their offshore savings accounts. We’re struggling from job to job unsure when the blade will fall on the narrow tethers between our jobs and us workers.

Next: “provide for the common defence.” This mostly came from the Articles of Confederation being unable to allow the Federal government from building a standing army. In a post-imperialistic world, we ought only to have a military for the pure defense of this nation, not as an international police force. The common adage goes, “The best defense is a strong offense,” which this works only if you want to be bully. We do not want the world to see us as a bully, then our only allies are friends out of fear. We want to correct the adage to say, “The best defense is a strong defense.”

Next job of our government: “promote the general Welfare.” Keyword here is “general.” Not “promote the Welfare of the wealthiest Americans.” Not “promote the Welfare of the job creators.” The U.S. Federal Government is tasked with promoting the well being of all Americans. Wealthy and poor. Warrior and pacifist. North and South. Urban and Rural. Liberal and Conservative. Republican and Democrat. With the current corporate sponsorship our government has become promoters of the shareholders welfare.

The final responsibility of our government: “secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.” Freedom is the basis of our nation. Freedom is what made the US so much different from every other country at its inception. Freedom is the reason we declared our independence from Great Britain. Freedom that we will fight to maintain. Freedom that is one of our inalienable right as human beings. To protect these freedoms is the reason we establish governments,

...deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

When a government is more preoccupied with the well being of the wealthy and the job creators than the well being general population, than justice for all, than domestic tranquility, than securing liberty; then that government has become destructive to our unalienable rights. According to our Founding Fathers, it is our right to change our government. Similar to their struggle that started to combat oppressive taxation from a government too far removed. To change the government to end control by the greedy. To change the government to better represent the people and not only represent the wealthiest 1%. To change the government to represent the 99%.

We represent the 99%.

We are the 99%.

Dumb Holiday Name

2010-07-04T23:41:00.000-07:00

I think I am going to call "Christmas," "25th of December"

Or "Thanksgiving," "Fourth Thursday of November"

Or "Easter," "First Sunday After the First Full Moon After the Spring Equinox"

Or "Cinco de Mayo," "Fifth of May"

Happy Fifth of July Eve!

Fear the Capitalist Robots

2009-12-12T13:40:00.000-08:00

So many sci fi fans tell us to fear the robot uprising citing movies such as Terminator and the Matrix, and authors such as Asimov, but we are already deep within an evil robotic uprising tearing apart the economy of this nation.

Over the past fifty years manufacturing has been increasingly streamlined with the use of automated machines allowing dangerous and menial tasks to be done without the cost of an additional blue collar workforce. Also, much automation has allowed many customer service jobs to be replaced by computers. All this was done to reduce cost and simplify workload.

Firing an entire factory's worth of car manufacturers and replacing them with robots has not allowed cars to become an cheaper. It has saved money only so that executives can sit on more. Had this process occurred in an benevolent socialist society, then cars and other manufactured goods would become cheaper as we are able to produce products with less expensive workforces. With more and more menial jobs replaced with capitalistic robots and an ever increasing population is resulting in a larger and larger economic ravine between the rich and the poor.

We are ripe for a socialist revolution, we can either embrace it as the next logical step. Or we need to defeat the robots and give humans their jobs back.

Our Next Civil War

2009-11-07T20:46:00.001-08:00

If there was a civil war based on gay marriage which side would you be on? Before all of my conservative Christian friends say, "Kill those fags!" let me interject. If there was a war that started on the gay marriage issue it would not be solely because of that issue. The states that are allowing gay marriage have been resisting the remainder of the country on numerous issues (war-mongering abroad, climate change, health care, immigration policy, and so on).

So, this war will be entirely about Gay Marriage as much as the civil war of the 1860s was entirely about Slavery. Most likely the states to be on the Gay Marriage side would be the Pacific Coast and the northern Atlantic coast. So, California would be against the Flyover States. An important question to my Republican friends in California: if a bunch of Nebraskans invaded California, would you fight for your state, your friends, and your families; or would you fight for your cause? Most I have talked to picked the former, essentially saying one's region and one's people will overtake one's ideology.

Problems with this plan: 1) The people generally supporting progressive reform are either pacifists or acting hypocritically. 2) A war with the Flyover States would be a dangerous war. Country folks favorite amendment is the Second Amendment. Also most of our soldiers are from there, while most of our citizens aren't. 3) Most of our nukes are in Middle America, and they probably wouldn't think too deep about the consequences.

Basically, this most likely won't happen, but, consequently, Robert E. Lee was justified in fighting with the South, even if he did disagree with the cause.

Story of my Life

2009-02-14T18:34:00.000-08:00

Jimmy Eat World-Kill

Torn

2009-01-11T00:46:00.001-08:00

I spend a week at Hume and absolutely love it, having a hard time heading back to school. I then spend a week in SLO and absolutely love it, and I start having a hard time wanting to move on with life. As much as I really want to have a solid group of friends where ever I have to live, I hate the idea of leaving those friends behind as I move forward. But I found leaving a place on a good note, with the constant longing to return to the good times with good friends, is far, far better than leaving a place ready to get out. Then I also realize that pulling an all-nighter for a Senior Project is something I never want to have to do again. I am ready for school to be done.

Movie Quote Game (and Consequently some of the greatest movie lines of all time)

2009-01-06T00:53:00.001-08:00

"Here's the game.
1. Pick 20 of your favorite movies.
2. Go to IMDB and find a quote from each movie.
3. Post them in a note for everyone to guess.
4. Strike it out when someone guesses correctly, and put who guessed it and the movie.
5. NO GOOGLING/using IMDB search functions. That's cheating and it ruins the fun."

1. "Y'know that ringing in your ears? That 'eeeeeeeeee'? That's the sound of the ear cells dying, like their swan song. Once it's gone you'll never hear that frequency again. Enjoy it while it lasts."

2. " I would tell you to go to hell, but I think you're already there."

3. "So if you wake up one morning and it's a particularly beautiful day, you'll know we made it. Okay, I'm signing out."

4. "I am Jack's smirking revenge"

5. "Have you ever crossed the road, and looked the wrong way? A car's nearly on you? So what do you do? Something very silly. You freeze. Your life doesn't flash before you, 'cause you're too f-----' scared to think - you just freeze and pull a stupid face. But the pikey didn't. Why? Because he had plans of running the car over."

6. "Whether or not what we experienced was an According to Hoyle miracle is insignificant. What is significant is that I felt the touch of God. God got involved."

7. "Get me a hardtop with a decent engine and make sure it's got a big trunk."

8. "Unfortunately, THIS guitar said, 'When I get back to Georgia, that woman gonna feel my pain.' THIS one said something along the lines of, 'Why yes, these pants ARE lycra.' THESE said, 'I'm very sensitive, very caring, and I have absolutely no idea how to play the guitar.' "

9. "For England, for home, and for the prize!"

10. "After watching the footage of the Kent State shootings, Bobby Jay, then seventeen, signed up for the National Guard so that he, too, could shoot college students."

11. "Have you ever fired two guns whilst jumping through the air?"

12. "There's a time when a man needs to fight and a time when he needs to accept that his destiny's lost, the ship has sailed and that only a fool will continue. The truth is I've always been a fool. "

13. "It was not my intention to do this in front of you. For that I'm sorry. But you can take my word for it, your mother had it comin'. When you grow up, if you still feel raw about it, I'll be waiting."

14. "He who questions training only trains himself at asking questions."

15. "Love is not a feeling, Mr. Burns. It's an ability."

16. "Lizzy, how can you put your faith in a man you spectacularly binned for being unreliable? A man whose idea of a romantic nightspot and an impenetrable fortress are the same thing? It's... This is a pub! We are in a pub! What are we going to do?"

17. " Look at this. Look at what they make you give."

18. "Charlie Chaplin once entered a Charlie Chaplin look-alike contest in Monte Carlo and came in third; that's a story."

19. "Do you know the Tristan Rêveur quote about bad art? It's 'bad art is more tragically beautiful than good art 'cause it documents human failure.' "

20. "I'm no martyr. I did it for the money. But it's not worth much if you can't face yourself in the mirror. Respect is the ultimate currency. I was stealing from a man who traded his away for a few dollars. And then he tried to wash away his guilt. Drown it in a lifetime of good deeds and a sea of respectability. It almost worked, too. But inevitably, the further you run from your sins, the more exhausted you are when they catch up to you. And they do. Certain. It will not fail."

Mistake

2008-12-25T23:07:00.000-08:00

I want to be someone's mistake. (Not in the Superbad sense)

I read somewhere about this company (for anonymity we'll call it "Walmart"), one of the Bigwigs of this company would refer to a former employee ("Bob Dole") as "Walmart's biggest mistake." I never got to know Bob well, but from what I understand he was a very talented, very smart employee at Walmart. From what I was told, He got fired from Walmart because he was explaining all of the pros and cons of working at Walmart to a friend, and it got back to someone higher on the totem pole that he was talking bad about Walmart to people, so he got fired. An enormous misunderstanding, which Walmart and, in particular, the aforementioned Bigwig has sincerely noticed.

I came to the realization, after noticing a similar thing may happen to me in the near future, that I would really like to have such a title. To be the one that got away, to be someone's big mistake. Like I would like to have some girl somewhere saying "I really wish I would have said something." Or some company saying, "We really shouldn't have screwed him over."

But the larger truth is I would probably much rather have those people's wishes come true. I think I would much rather enjoy my life if I was working where I was needed. And when she did say how she felt. But I guess thats the good thing about God's will, it is often much different from ours.

Funny Craigslist Postings

2008-12-11T00:32:00.001-08:00

http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/sfo/901965406.html
http://www.craigslist.org/about/den/807294694.html
http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/atl/917410616.html

I'm in Love with this Site

2008-12-05T15:47:00.000-08:00

http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/realtime/

This gives satellite images over the last day or so. Pretty cool. Major timewaster.

This Week the Trend

2008-11-23T10:23:00.001-08:00

A young man commits suicide, live to the world on his webcam. I hear a story of an elementary school class riding the train on a field trip, only to experience the shock and gore of a woman throwing herself before that train. A loved member of SLO Crusade's fellowship ends her life. My tutoring student asks me jokingly how as a math major I hadn't killed myself. Laziness. Having struggled with depression like many Americans, the thing stopping me in dark times was sleepiness and lack of proximity to a deadly substance that wouldn't make too much of a mess.

I've noticed a continual trend these last weeks about depression and suicide. Depression related deaths are a leading cause of death in my age group, and it seems God is dropping it on my heart. But every human being with a soul ought to help in this. The key: Love.

People need honest love. Not the fake love that just tries to convince an individual that there life is important, but a love that causes the person to know why anyone around would be deprived when he or she was gone.

Let the people you love know that you do love them. I am certain that every person that has committed suicide was loved, but it was just not made known of it. Save a life. Love.

-Tyler Hall

Middle of Nowhere

2008-11-15T20:33:00.000-08:00

Note: I only did this because I thought was a clever chain-letter forward thing.

1. Put your music player on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!
4. Tag this with 10 people you think will like this

IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY
Prodigal

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
We Will Become Silhouettes

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Darkshines

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
You Can Do Better than Me (Bummer)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
You're So Damn Hot

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Satan Is My Motor (Exactly)

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU
Hanging by a Moment

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Melatonin

WHAT IS 2 + 2?
Soothsayer

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Nature 1

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Can't Get Enough of You Baby (Yeah that's right)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
The New Year

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
No Sunlight (I hope not)

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
All The Things She Said (A song by two women married to men, pretending to be lesbians. Perfect.)

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
I Believe In A Thing Called Love (That will probably be in my will)

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots pt.2 (Preparing for a robot/zombie uprising is fairly common for me)

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
The Only Thing Worse Than Beating a Dead Horse is Betting on One

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Closing Time

WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
Black Wave (Not racist I swear)

HOW WILL YOU DIE?
Short Skirt/Long Jacket (Death by cross-dressing?)

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
Nothingwrong

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Losing Hope

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
Like Spinning Plates

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
A Legacy's Demise (That's pretty conclusive/harsh. Also kinda strange since my brother has children, so I think the Hall Legacy shall not demise)

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
Save Us (I think that's a yes)

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
Come On Home

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
Sleeper (If Insomnia counts, then this is truth)

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Middle of Nowhere

Why Democracy is a Bad Idea

2008-11-05T17:05:00.000-08:00

There is this idea that every American is told in elementary school, that America was based on the idea of democracy, which is true. The United States wrote up a constitution in 1777, that was very democratic. Around 1787, the leaders of the US noticed that democracy wasn't working. Some of the reasons: a simple majority of people will never want to raise taxes against themselves, inability to agree on treaties, as well as others. James Madison, as well as others, outlined some of the reasons why the current system wasn't working in the Federalist Papers. One reason was that democracy leads to something called a "Tyrannical Majority."

Basically in a truly democratic system, if a majority hates a minority, then they could pass a bill calling for the systematic execution of that minority. So, in essence, America's founding fathers were downright fearful of democracy, since, in its purest form, democracy is mob rule, or anarchy. This is why there are so many "checks and balances" that were embedded in our Constitution, to make ways that tyranny by mob would be reduced.

Jump ahead 221 years, and California has a Constitution which allows for a painful amount of democratic influence. Californian voters can make a decision on bills by way of ballot initiatives. So if, say, a majority of Californians really disliked homosexuals, and then pushed for an initiative to limit a member of this minority to be treated as slightly less of than that of a human, then there would be nothing the homosexual minority could do. So basically after the passage of Proposition 8 the homosexual community is on the receiving end of a broken governmental machine being controlled by the moral majority of California.

So say if for some reason 51% of Californians decided that some race of people, we'll pick the Welsh, was the cause to all their problems, I don't know, because their language doesn't make any sense. So then that simple majority could vote that every Welsh person in California could be put into camps to keep them in concentrated groups and away from interfering with our issues again. And this whole process would just be democracy speaking.

America is the land of the free majorities, and oppressed minorities.

When Jesus said to love your enemies, he did not mean to kill them

2008-08-04T14:05:00.000-07:00

When an expert of the Jewish Law asks Christ what is the greatest commandment, He knows this question is trivial. Every Jew from an early age must memorize the Sh’ma, which says, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, The Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”(Deut. 6:4-5) The lawyer knew this, Jesus knew this, and every Jew knew the potency of this commandment. To give everything that God has blessed upon us as a living sacrifice to his glory is our greatest responsibility as God’s creation. So Jesus fed him that passage, but he also added, “The second commandment is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:31)

In a similar passage a lawyer responds asking, “Who is my neighbor?” Christ then goes into the parable of the Good Samaritan. Basically answering the question saying even those whom you ought to hate the most are your neighbors. So if that is what our neighbor looks like, then what does it look like to love them. Our example of love comes from the only one who can perfectly love. “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) While we were still in complete opposition to God’s will he poured grace upon us. Even though God knows that we will continue to dig through the trash after he pours out his grace upon us.

So loving our neighbor includes giving to the poor, regardless of how they will use what we give them. If they are going to take the money to buy drugs, booze, or porn, that ought to be no hindrance to our love, for how often do we do far worse things with the greater things that God has given us. Loving your neighbor also means that even if someone maliciously attacks our fellow countrymen, we are not to fight back, but be merciful as God shows mercy. “Our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers…” (Eph 6:12)

Another ridiculous kicker Christ throws onto this response is: “There is no other commandment greater than these.” So often we put other commandments above these; trying to be holy as God is holy, having an excellent work ethic, being subservient to one’s government, providing for one’s family, staying comfortable, etc. What are you treating as your second commandment? What is more important to you than loving your neighbor?

God's Will and Western Romanticism

2008-05-11T23:04:00.000-07:00

For many Christians the idea of following God's will is a tricky and often daunting situation. We often worry so much if what we are doing falls into God's will or whether we are walking along a downward path. The truth is we need to just focus on serving God where we are at now.

Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount, "Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about you body, what you will wear....For the pagans run after these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Although worrying about food, water, clothes, and other basic necessities is different from worrying about doing God's will, there is still a substantial lesson in that. If the very essential things for our very survival are trivial in God's eyes, then ought not every non-life-threatening item we worry so often about be even more trivial.

However, the idea of "do not worry about tomorrow," can also apply to God's will. Instead of worrying, we are commanded to seek first his kingdom and righteousness. The best use of the now is to seek His kingdom, instead of worrying about how we should seek his kingdom in our next steps in life. Whether or not it was God's will that you are in a given situation is irrelevant, but how you will react to your given situation is very relevant.

The whole realm of God's will in a romantic relationship is probably the biggest stress for any person. Our movies and sappy love stories preach this idea that there is "The One" for you waiting somewhere. Apologies for lack of a better term, but this is bullshit. This is probably the leading cause of divorce among many individuals even "Christian" couples. It also part of the cause for the fact that the leading cause of depression among single adults is from being single, and for married adults is from being married. The only reference to there being one person that is ever mentioned in the Bible is in reference to marriage. "What God has joined together, let man not separate." So for whatever reason that two individuals marry, that person is the one for you.

This applies to the point that if two strong Christian individuals of each distinct gender, then a marriage ought to work with this mindset. The question just comes down to how much each of those two people want to sacrifice to make their relationship work.

The moral of this long-winded rant: In whatever situation you have be placed, seek to glorify God, by seeking his kingdom and righteousness, whether single or married, poor or wealthy, college student or teaching pastor; glorify God. Each situation has its own advantages and unique impact.

Being A Suicidal Christian

2008-04-22T23:42:00.000-07:00

So many Christian churches teach a false view a Christianity. Often churches lay down various sermons about 5 steps to a better prayer life, 4 ways to keep your children from being rebellious, but is this what Christianity is supposed to be. A Christian by definition is a disciple of Christ. In Luke 9:23, Jesus is speaking to his followers: "And he said to all, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. ...'"

What does it mean to deny ourselves and take up our crosses daily? Denying ourselves is one of the hardest things to do as a human being, it is realizing that we cannot bring ourselves out of our totally depraved state. We cannot pull ourselves out by our own bootstraps, it is basic Law of Conservation of Momentum, an outside force is required to initiate momentum. Once we realize this we must take up our cross. A lot of churches read this as we must partake in Christ's suffering, but to this audience the cross was our gas chamber or firing squad. Taking it up yourself is essentially suicide.

Christ tells us to deny we have the power to save ourselves then to kill ourselves, and daily? How can we kill ourself daily? Is Jesus insane? Paul understood this in Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. " We are killing the selfish part of ourself whose only goal is to profit ourself. This is the same part that vainly tries to pull itself from the mire.

So, in reality the proper place to be in spiritually as a Christian is suicidal. I have an unrighteous jealousy of those on suicide watch, because they realize that they are in a wretched position and cannot save themselves. The folly though is that they do not realize that there is a solution. It is not the physical body that must die, since the problem is not with the physical body. Instead our the rebellious sinner within us must die.

Christ's simple solution is "Follow Me." This often his simple command is proclaimed again and again within the gospel. Although light in words it is heavy in its implications. Christ formed a nigh impossible standard and started a revolution among the religious apostasy of his time. To many people are following pastors and theologians and not directly following Christ.

A Corollary to all "Christians"

2008-04-22T23:41:00.002-07:00

Our English translations to the Bible are flawed. We may have the best literal translations but something seems to be missing. Alot of the passion seems to be quenched from writers hands. Isaiah 64:6 says in the NASB "...And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment..." which is saying how meaningless good works are apart from God's glory. The literal translation is "menstrual rags" instead of just the harmless "filthy rags." Much more graphic and much more potent. Another instance is in many points in the New Testament one will utter or write "By no means!" The Cotton Patch Bible (which is not at all an inspired text) writes this as "Hell no!" Which choice for Romans 6:15 is more powerful:
1. "Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! " or
2. "Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? Hell no!"
One strikes deep and moves you emotionally, while the other can easily be passively read with no change of heart. If we have a Bible that refrained from sugarcoating essential issues it could much more easily touch the hearts of more people.
Many may be thinking "Tyler, this just a minor issue such an issue is just a church splitting matter." This is true I wouldn't call for a burning of all old Bible; current Bibles are stil amazing and important to my life. However, such a Bible would not be comfortable to read it would stir emotions and scare children, which is not what we as Americans should do. Forget that! People ought not feel comfortable. They are doomed to Hell and we ought to let them know of their declining state, their terminal disease. Making anyone comfortable should be the least of our worries. None of this beating around the bush. None of this frolicking through the tulips. There is more in the Bible than Jesus loves you. There is much more passion and life changing ways to live. Step on people's toes, make them uncomfortable, or else their lives will be far more uncomfortable in the future. Hell is not sugarcoated, despite what you may read.

A Message to all "Christians"

2008-04-22T23:41:00.001-07:00

Martin Luther started his reformation by announcing the flaws in the church fo his time in his 95 Theses. Here is what is wrong with current church and where it counteracts the Bible. When most everyone thinks of Christians they think of the many things that the religious right has stood behind. Anti-Gay Marraige. Anti-Abortion. But is this really what we ought to be known by? Hell no! (or as you find in your NASB "May it never be!") Jesus said to his disciples, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34-35) We are to be known by our love, and this generation's church's intolerance is unacceptable. Our goal ought not to be to make sinners to stop sinning, this is like trying to drive a car up a cliff. But our goal is try to lead sinners to the path of salvation. "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him." (John 3:13) If Jesus is the perfect example that Christians ought to follow, then why are we trying to condemn those we ought to be leading toward salvation?