Is Anarchy Too Strong of a Word?

Yes, it is. However, I got your attention correct? Welcome to the art of crafting a good headline. (Pay attention Fox News. This may help your boring broadcasts in the future.)

I have been posed the question of "What are you thoughts on the American government?" Honestly, there is not a more loaded question in existence. Thinking a comment to be an inadequate space for my response, I chose to answer it today. This is my humble attempt.

The American government is, quite frankly, the biggest mess I've ever seen. I honestly don't see that mess being cleaned up anytime soon either. Even the "good guys" are so entrenched in bureaucracy and self-interest, that intelligent ideas can hardly permeate our government's powerful shell. There are so many levels of our government's problem that it's not like cleaning house, it's more like every deep sea oil tanker in the world dumping it's contents into the ocean. With problems this pervasive, a simple and quick fix is not in sight. I want to be crystal clear. Our country is embracing socialism in drastic ways, abandoning the Law of God, and is in unheard of amounts of debt. Solutions are simply not being pursued and politics has devolved to "You godless heathen!, "You racists!", "You pot smoking hippies!", and "You religious radicals!" It's like our country is run by elementary age children. Honestly, it's THAT bad.

Also, I want to explain my opinion on Barack Obama. I may be lynched for this, but I don't hate the man. Yes! Honest to goodness! Barack Obama is many things but evil is not one of them. Our President happens to be a charismatic and articulate man. I am appalled at how the Tea Partiers treat our president! God commands us to respect our government and that is simply not happening. He is not the Devil's pawn on earth. He's simply a charismatic man who has things wrong. All the legislation and policies he pushes for? They're all logical outcomes of his philosophy. We need to understand where he is coming from. In short, I respect my president and choose to politely disagree with him.

Contrary to the belief of the Tea Party (who I refuse to be a part of), Barack Obama is NOT the major source of our problems. Indeed, the final source of our problems is not even Congress (though they contribute heavily). Our problem is this: The citizens of the United States of America.

The State does not exist within a vacuum. The people of this country and their mindset defines the State. No matter how much the State would wish to believe otherwise, the people of a country define their State. The attitude of our country as a whole towards the current issues is uneducated and flat out wrong. The banks are big and evil, thus more regulation. People want more jobs, so they get angry when the government isn't bailing people out. Then they get angry if the bailouts don't work! They're angry about the fact that we are at war by the simply principle that is IS war.

This is the attitude that pervades our politics. Politicians are in the business of tickling people's ears and this is what they want to hear. More bailouts, more money, more benefits, and more regulation! The government bows to the whim of the people. We have the Bush Era and then in a matter of about a year, we get Barack Obama. The country's mindset is fickle! This fickle do-what-is-best-for-me-right-now attitude permeates the current political landscape. The Tea Party Patriots are simply a reaction to this continued unproductive and petty system that sits on Capital Hill. The Tea Party (whose love of American I do not doubt), is not tilting at windmills per se for the windmills are indeed real, but they are accomplishing the same end. In essence, they are accomplishing the same thing because they are battling man's innate nature. I take a pessimistic view of the State and Politics because of my understanding of human nature. Humans will always pick the selfish, the easy, and the popular. It is his sinful nature to do so. So, ultimately, The State will simply experience greater entropy. No amount of reform with ever redeem it. For me, the way to change the State is to change the people. We must connect with human beings on a personal level because they will define their government. If individuals are touched by the Gospel and their concept of reality changes, this will naturally work itself into the State. Instead of legislating morality, how about God writes it on their hearts?

This is a jumble of ideas that still need to be developed further and it in no way encompasses all my views of the big picture of individual policies. I just hope you found it interesting. I also hope that this partially answers your question Josiah. Thanks for asking and feel free to ask more questions because I will gladly answer them with a mass of text!

God Bless,

Stanley

Say No To Oxygen!

The cause of oxygen addiction has recently come to my attention. My friend Josiah came to me to confess his addiction to this horrid substance. I had to admit that I struggled with this problem as well so we were able to talk things over. After pleading on Josiah's part, we finally agreed to go into a rehab facility. Today, I am completely oxygen free and I've been that way for 3 months. Josiah has been just as successful as I have. Now, I want to reach out to others with the same problem. Together we CAN conquer this menace. Join the fight today against oxygen and it's addictive powers!

Lead America? It's Tempting... I'll pass.

Lead America? Yeah, it's some organization that sent me a very official looking letter today. They're trying to get me to come to one of their high school conferences that give you a taste of college and teach you valuable skills. The one they have invited me to attend is the one about Law and Trial. Wow! The inner debater thirsts! It sounds like a lot of fun. One program takes place at New York Film Institute and you learn about media and another one takes place in Washington DC and you learn about politics. All these programs sound genuinely fun. The price tag certainly isn't pretty, but that is beside the point. I'm honored to be invited to attend, although I wonder how special I really am and how many high schoolers get these letters. :P Did I mention the Law & Trial Conference takes place at Stanford? You say "what?!" and I say "Yes!" Did you like that little exchange there? It was fun. Anyways, this seems like a really interesting opportunity and I'll have to mull it over, but in all practicality, it's likely not happening. Not that it doesn't sound fun or beneficial, but other factors will probably manage to find a way to obstruct it, and, honestly, I'd rather be camping.

God Bless,

Stanley

P.S. Listening to Woe of Tyrants! It doesn't get anymore epic than that!

P.P.S I really hope this doesn't sound lazy and apathetic because after reading this, it kind of does. Please don't take it the wrong way. It's certainly an honor, it just doesn't seem like something I want to do. Maybe I'm just being irrational and stupid. That's probably it.

Coexist Stickers and I Cannot Coexist

*Rant engaged*

I can't stand coexist stickers! You know, those little stickers you see everywhere on cars of self righteous people who think they're more progressive than close minded religious people? Those stickers betray such a lack of understanding for the nature of religion and a lot of naivety! Of course, their definition of "coexist" is leave me alone and don't make any moral judgements. Coexist stickers are the progressive and peace loving veils that these people hide their hedonism behind. They don't understand that "coexisting" in the sense that they understand it is simply an impossibility! The point of a religion is an organized system of thought about the fundamental properties of the universe. This implies exclusivity! There is no, "Yeah, I'm a Hindu but I borrow some ideas from Mormonism." Hindus believe that Mormons are wrong. Mormons believe Hindus are wrong. There is no "many paths to one god" about it. The very nature of religion draws sharp divisions between other schools of thought. You cannot compromise and live consistently with what you believe. That simply does not work.

A healthy dose of naivety is also needed to swallow this philosophical pill. Clearly, history has shown time and time again that this simply does not work. Humans, left to their own devices, will not choice peace over war. Until no division exists, then there will be no peace. Peace is impossible. The day when there will be no division is the day when our Lord casts His enemies into the Lake of Fire and His people live happily in the New Heaven and New Earth. Then, and only then, will their be peace. This peace will be eternal. True peace can only flow from God our Father. There is no peace in "not judging" (aka, no morals) or "not forcing your religion on me." This is just the sinful heart's way of thinly disguising it's selfish intentions in a facade of love. So, next time you see a Coexist sticker, ask yourself, what do they REALLY mean when they say those words? I guarantee it's not the perfect peace that proceeds from our Lord.

God Bless,

Stanley

Happy Guy Fawkes Day!

Yes, Happy Guy Fawkes Day! Today we celebrate the man who attempted to blow up the house of parliament. It's said that he's the only man to ever enter the House of Parliament with honest intentions. lol Politicians are not well liked by human beings... In England, effigies of Guy Fawkes were burned. Eventually, they did look like anyone in particular thus we get the phrase today "guy" being random male. Fun huh?

What do you think of when you hear Dairy Science? I don't even know what I think of. Once again, I was looking at colleges and one college had a program for Dairy Management. I thought, woah! that's so cool! So I clicked on the link and from there I began to explore the world of Dairy Science. Now THAT is cool stuff! Studying the bacteria, genetics, and production of dairy products. Honestly, it sound silly at first glance, but the more I read, the more interested I became. There is a lot of cool biotechnology being utilized in the Dairy Industry and it's a pretty steady career! All in all, an evening well spent, and another complication to my decision of what I want to do with my life.

Sorry about not posting yesterday. The reason was two-fold. The first reason was that I didn't get home until almost 7 because I was at a football game and then I went to the grocery store. The second is reason is that I really didn't have anything interesting to say. So, you should thank me for not wasting your time with a useless post. You're welcome.

God Bless,

Stanley

P.S. Spent the morning eating muffins and watching History Channel!

Occupy Racism

Ever heard of Steven Crowder? You really should have. He's a solid Conservative commentator that I have followed for years now. He's also a hilarious comedian and actor. His videos used to be a lot more comedy oriented but also made many great points. I'd suggest going and looking at his older videos on his YouTube page. Recently, he made a video called Occupy Racism - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsUKObvjIFs

So, here it is. I am posting a link to a page full of links to videos on youtube of Occupy Wall Street members committing acts of racism and hate.

http://www.sodahead.com/united-states/occupy-wall-street---press-ignores-the-bad-racismrape/question-2256041/

I am tired of being called a racist for disagreeing with Obama! It's a smokescreen for a lack of any real arguments. It's very frustrating! Oh well, I expect nothing less from liberals...

God Bless,

Stanley

University of Vermont is for rich liberals!

For those of you who know we, I really have a thing for Vermont. Frankly, I can't explain it. Vermont is a beautiful state with Lake Champlain, forest, and a close proximity to Canada. Maybe it's the uniqueness of it. Vermonters have always been off the beaten path and very individualistic. It might just be the fact that it sounds cool! In any case, I was college shopping last night and I decided to check out The University of Vermont. Their website was professional, the courses all sounded very interesting, and the campus had a beautiful view of Lake Champlain! However, I needed to do some more research so I headed over www.collegeprowler.com (isn't that the creepiest name for a website ever?) to check out what people are saying about it. Here is what i got out of the hundred something posts:

1. There is a lot of partying.

2. There is a lot of weed.

3. It's cold.

4. It's really expensive.

Upon a further inspection of the prices, I was flabbergasted to see the letters $47,000 staring me in the face. WHAT?! Yep, you heard me right. Tuition and living expenses total $47,000 a year. From what I had read, they were pretty stingy about financial aid. There is no way this was happening. So I began to wonder who it was that was going to this college. Of course. The weed, the partying, and the exorbitant prices all mean one thing. Rich liberals. It really is shame because it seems like a very good institution. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology is sounding better and better as I go shopping around at other institutions!

My day was rather uneventful, however, my good friend Josiah showed me "The Cotton Patch Bible." Wow! THAT is some fun right there. The Cotton Patch Bible is (I believe) a respectful parody of the Bible where the authors attempts to translate the gospels of Matthew and John into a setting in the South. It's even written in a southern dialect. Obviously, this isn't the Word of God, but it is a very good source of entertainment as well a very original idea! I highly suggest reading a few chapters. I guarantee it will put a smile on your face!

God Bless,

Stanley

P.S. I remember another reason I like Vermont! It's because of the Green Mountain Boys lead by Ethan Allen who took Fort Ticonderoga. THEY are cool dudes!

The Practicality of Sermons

An interesting question came up in Bible class on Tuesday and it's been kind of mulling itself over in my mind. "If you wanted to become a general in the military, what would you need to do academics wise?" Of course, the list grows as one thinks hard. Military History, Engineering, Language, Psychology, Business and people skills, and geography and yet these things don't seem to pertain directly to leading a bunch of men in a campaign. That's the problem. Seeing connections between big picture ideas or foundational ideas is sometimes hard. However, if you train with a gun and play Modern Warfare, you're setting yourself up for a failure. You're training to be a soldier and not a general. You're only serving to hinder your ultimate goal because there is a dichotomy between the two.

This is a fantastic analogy for preaching. You've likely heard the phrase, "I want more practical preaching." To me, this just means, tell me what to do. It's almost like the Bible is a cosmic instruction manual that needs to be tapped into. Give me answers to Christian ways to run my finances and Christian ways to parents. Certainly these are good, but these acts are illogical without the proper foundation. It's like rubbing a rabbit's foot in hope that God will bless your finances because you did it the Christian way. This is not a proper way to interpret Scripture. God has given His people a framework and we must live and act within that framework. Of course, false preachers would happily tell you what to do, but a good preacher can preach God's basic framework but also make practical connections. Practical connections are certainly to be made because a lot of connections are not immediately clear, however there must be a foundation upon which the connections are made. It's the big picture of foundational ideas those asking for "practical sermons" are objecting to. Really, it's the American mindset of immediate gratification that objects to ideas that may not immediately make sense or provide easy answers. Just like merely training with a gun or playing Modern Warfare, this is setting us up for failure because a Christian acts and lives a certain way but has no real logical basis for doing so. He is ill-equipped to defend or understand his faith. Ultimately, this is a stumbling block and is inconsistent. In short, practical sermons need to mean providing valuable foundational work and making connections as opposed to "tell me what to do."

I end with the simple disclaimer that this in no way categorizes every single person who says "I want practical sermons." I'm sure there are godly people who desire practical sermons in the sense that I describe them. However, I feel that what I have outlined here is not the prevailing and underlying thought behind that common cliche.

God Bless,

Stanley

P.S. I'm almost finished reading "The God Who is There" by Francis Schaeffer. I highly recommend it! First, a suggestion. You should read "How Should We Then Live?" first so as to understand his view of philosophers through the ages and understand to a better degree the references he makes throughout the book.

Jesus is on Wikipedia!

An interesting experiment to try is to wikipedia Jesus Christ. Frankly, I was pleasantly surprised. The Christian view of Christ was very well articulated and biblically stated. Another thing I enjoyed was how the article appeared to have a low view of those who view denied his very existence. They politely said that they were a minority that rarely swayed large numbers as well as that idea being relatively modern. Personally, I enjoyed this very well written and critical article. Perhaps we now must wikipedia other key tenants of the faith?

God Bless,

Stanley

The Backpack and The Wilderness

One thing that I absolutely love to do is go backpacking. Yes, there's camping but then there's backpacking. Backpacking is man camping! There is nothing more manly than surviving out of a backpack in the wilderness. Sadly, I simply can't do it as often as I wish. Summer is the perfect time for camping, but Spring is great too! This lead me to my brilliant epiphany! Why not organize a high school guys backpacking trip? I asked my teacher Mr. French if he would lead it and he said he would love to! Next comes the research. I need to find an awesome trail to backpack. Then I need to get the guys stoked for it. I feel this is going to be the hardest part considering how much work backpacking is. Hopefully there won't be any problems with "walking", "working", or "carrying a backpack." Tis too often a hinderance. Backpacking is just too fun to pass up! I'm praying this will all come together...

Today I got a copy of God and Government Vol. 1 by Gary DeMar. I will need it for my class "God and Government" (didn't see that coming, eh?) in my senior year. Book collecting is not only a super fun and awesome hobby, but it's also very convenient! Anyways, tomorrow is bass lessons, so I got to go practice!

God Bless,

Stanley