Christian fantasy literature, and commentary on assorted subjects
From January 9, 2016
Patty and I have been enjoying Primeval, a popular British TV series featuring prehistoric monsters invading our modern world through “anomalies in time,” whatevuh they may be. It was created by Tim Haines, which is what attracted us to it. We love Haines’ trilogy of prehistoric life: Walking With Dinosaurs, Walking With Beasts, and Walking With Monsters. We dismiss the Darwinian fairy tales and groove on the special effects.
No one, not even the makers of the Jurassic Park movies, tops Haines when it comes to re-creating prehistoric critters. These look real! My favorite is the Gorgonopsian (see video clip), a saber-toothed predatory reptile structured more like a mammal and, it would seem, incredibly dangerous.
Okay, Primeval is not King Lear. Don’t go looking for depth of character here, or a lot of logical consistency. Enjoy watching the critters.
But I have also enjoyed the series’ theme of two competing versions of humanistic paganism.
In this corner we have Nick, the good guy, who views Evolution as a sovereign force and is dead-set against trying to tamper with it. To Nick, all good things about the world are the result of blind chance.
Over here, in the black tights, we have Helen (Nick’s estranged wife), who wants to control Evolution and change the outcome of history.
Nick’s god is Chance. Helen worships a pristine Earth Goddess devoid of human beings. Both visions are as far from Christ as it is possible to be. If you are easily influenced by what you watch on TV, it might be a good idea for you to steer clear of Primeval.
But if you’re interested in what makes God-less people tick, if you want to try to understand where they’re coming from, and how they manage to do such a bang-up job of screwing up our civilization–well, then, these shows may prove enlightening. I must admit to a experiencing a kind of sardonic amusement, watching pagans blunder around inside their ideological hall of mirrors, unable to get out.
Anyhow, I don’t think it’s a bad idea to spy out the enemy and try to analyze his plans, his outlook on reality–or, as the case may be, unreality.
We are spying out the Promised Land, to win ground for Christ’s Kingdom; and we can’t do it with our eyes closed.
From December 5, 2015
Who was the biggest ninny in the Bible?
Was it the Pharaoh who wouldn’t let the people go? Surely Adam and Eve are in the running. But those were major, world-shaping sins whose effects are still being felt today.
No–I’d say, hands down, the biggest chowderhead in the Bible is Amaziah, king of Judah, son of J0ash. He becomes king in Chapter 24 of 2 Chronicles, and in Chapter 25, Verse 14, he invades Edom and conquers it.
And what does he do next? He “brought the gods of the children of Seir [Edom], and set them up to be his gods, and bowed down himself before them, and burned incense unto them.”
God sent a prophet the ask Amaziah the entirely reasonable question, “Why hast thou sought after the gods of the people, which could not deliver their own people out of thine hand?” (v. 15) Amaziah refused to listen, and threatened the prophet into silence.
The rest of his career is briefly told. He picked a fight with Israel and lost, to the great cost of the people of Judah, and fifteen years later was assassinated by his own subjects.
It took the world some 2,500 years to generate leaders who could match Amaziah for perverse stupidity. By now we have a bumper crop of them. “Hmmm… I think I’ll drop the real God, who gave me everything I have, and worship the idols of these pagans whom I’ve just defeated in a war… Yeah, that ought to work!”
Yes, truly worthy of Angela Merkel. Maybe even worthy of Obama. Definitely Bidenesque in its depth of foolishness.
If Amaziah were alive today, he’d surely be a big wheel in the E.U.
From February 25, 2018
News from that other religion, the one all those Terribly Smart People believe in:
Did you know there is now an official and bona fide World Happiness Council? It’s true. After years of preparation, it was launched this very month at the World Government Summit in Dubai (https://www.thenewamerican.com/world-news/item/26065-be-happy-that-s-an-order). It will be funded by the United Nations, most of which is funded by the defenseless American taxpayer.
As Sheik Whatsisname put it, “The role of governments is to bring happiness to their peoples.” And wouldn’t Ray Bradbury have a field day with that, if he were still alive.
The big shots on the council include globalist zillionaires, a couple of Muslim oil sheikhs, the odd (very odd) Western academic, and a few individuals who were jailers under communist regimes. What could possibly go wrong?
I wonder what the punishments will be for not being happy? And who will decide what kinds of happiness are to be allowed? What if you can only be happy if someone else is unhappy? But we are multiplying absurdities.
Yo, government–you want to make us happy? Leave us alone! That’s right–butt out. Just do the things the Bible says you ought to do–protect us from those who try to do us harm, punish those who do wrong, and try to keep the peace. Actually, that’s more than enough work for any government, certainly enough to keep you busy! A government that can do those things, does well.
But a government who sees it as its job to make you happy? (Shakes head in pitying disbelief)
That sounds like it just might be the most dangerous thing that anyone has ever thought of.
From October 6, 2012
Wednesday’s presidential debate has launched us into a national orgy of excuse-making. On Thursday the media were all making excuses for their president’s abject and humiliating failure. On Friday various persons were making excuses for having voted for the guy. (“Oh, I knew he was totally unqualified to be president! But I was so afraid of Sarah Palin…” That’s what happens when Democrats try to think.)
Here now are some of the excuses people have volunteered to me for not voting for Romney… which I think is the same thing as voting for the communist community organizer who hates America and is trying to wreck it.
1. “I’m not going to vote at all because there is no righteous candidate that I can vote for.” Hey, Ace, do you realize what you’ve done? You have decided to let the unrighteous decide who rules over the righteous. Think that’ll turn out good?
2. “I’m not voting because Republicans and Democrats are exactly the same.”
When he wrote his famous Dictionary, Samuel Johnson defined “pastern” as “the knee of a horse.” (It’s the ankle, BTW). When a woman asked him why he wrote that definition, he replied, “Ignorance, madame–pure ignorance.”
Admittedly something happens to Republicans when they go to Washington, particularly if they have been elected to the Senate. But when it comes to the differences between millions of Republicans and millions of Democrats, only pure ignorance can back the assertion that they’re all the same.
Today turned out to be a really good day.
The garage called, my car is done, inspected and stickered. The fee is reasonable and I will pick it up tomorrow. Hallelujah! That is a huge load off my mind.
I have to work a little more on the ant front–they are still around and in the sink. That only started after the plumbers were here. I am trying one more thing and if that does not work I will have to call an exterminator. I kind of dread that because some places are rip off artists, and it’s hard to know who is who from just an online listing. I will thoroughly empty all the stuff under the sink–ugh. Well, what has to be has to be.
The sun finally came out this afternoon and it is a lot warmer. Good.
Isn’t it odd that when you get rid of stuff, you find a few weeks later you can use it? Here’s what I mean–for weeks I had been throwing out a lot of cardboard boxes of various sizes. Yesterday, when my neighbor took me home from the mechanic, I noticed a tiny little dinosaur glued to his dashboard. When I asked him if he was into dinosaurs he said his daughter was. I told him I had a bunch of dinosaur figurines that I would give her. Now I could use one of those boxes that I tossed.
That’s about it for now.
God bless everybody.
Patty
From April 19, 2019
R.J. Rushdoony was asking this question in the 1980s and 90s, before we had anything like “transgender” to contend with–to say nothing of “world is gonna end!” climate change, or a “Green New Deal.”
https://chalcedon.edu/resources/videos/are-we-encouraging-insanity-our-threatened-freedom
This essay can be found in a collection, Our Threatened Freedom, published in 2015 and featuring some nooze gems that will tax your power to believe it. Like the four or five full-time agents assigned to bust a little boy who was selling fishing worms without a license. I helped edit the book, and wrote the cover blurb, so I take an interest in it.
Meanwhile, I think the answer to Rushdoony’s question is, “You bet we are–and you ain’t seen nothin’ yet!”