Early monks, by escaping society, were able to make much advancement in agriculture, literature, technology, etc. and were able to effectively preserve this knowledge through-out the ages by way of their out-of-the-way-ed-ness.

The only major area that Benedictine monks are in error is in their escaping from the world and society. Christians are to not be of the world; yet we are to be in the world actively evangelizing to the nations. The monks did NOT do this, for, they rarely ever left the monastery and if did so, were STRICTLY forbidden to speak of their travels (chap. 67, line 5 B.R.).

However, creating modern monasteries that equip Christians to enter the world and not be corrupted IS a necessity; though, this task is effectually to be accomplished by Christian parents. Therefore, modern monasteries should be geared toward those who do not have parents, are new Christians, have not been properly educated, etc.

Also, becoming a monk should not be permanent but temporary for the educational purposes previously mentioned.

According to the Scriptures, the infallible Word of God, we are to live like Christ and strive for the perfection of His caliber. If this be true, then we are to be humble, loving, merciful, self-sacrificing, serving, and caring while being honest, righteous, and just. More than giving material gifts of “stuff”, we are to give love and mercy to believers and unbelievers alike. Fellow believers, we can fellowship during this season; we can enjoy one another’s presence while strengthening each other and enjoying the worship and thanks-giving due God. Also, to non-believers, we can give correction and conviction of sin by living a proper example of life and a proper celebration of the season.

And so, as we are going through the traditional motions of gift-giving and feasting, we must always be attentive to the needs of others around us as we strive for the perfection God requires of us, and doing so, taking dominion for Him and His kingdom.

Recently I have made an observation, automobiles are starting to resemble their predecessors. When the automobile was first invented, it was small and had little horsepower. Through time, as expected, innovation occurred; the car became more spacious, more powerful, easier to operate, and-in most instances-cheaper to maintain. Now, cars have become smaller, less powerful in the name of “eco-friendliness”, and people need a masters degree in engineering to repair them. They have also become confusing and annoying with respect to all of the buttons and switches that merely provide heat for the side mirrors or operate a television in the back for the temporary entertainment of children. Granted, a television is handy in a moment of extreme boredom, but enough with the electronic conveniences. It is hard enough to work on the fuel injection computer without having to sort through a rainbow spaghetti of wires that run GPS and other devices.

It is also a common misconception that the more power a vehicle has, the more emissions it produces. This is fallacious. Alcohol produces less emissions and is what race-cars use for horsepower increase. The real issue is that alcohol cost more to produce than petroleum fuel. This is true, unless we were to allow privatized production of alcohol, in which case, oil companies would lose money, and we couldn’t possibly allow that. Other fuels have been experimented with, but too many people have “mysteriously” disappeared while in research while others have been “coincidentally” dissuaded from furthering the experimentation.

Are we sacrificing technology and innovation for the sake of money and power? Are we regressing in automotive design for the sake of a myth used as a brainwashing technique for the control of the “masses”; a.k.a. global warming? I am forced to admit that if the government and its conglomerates were to remove their fingers from the proverbial pie, the auto industry, with the inclusion of the current economic collapse, would be better off and real technology could be explored; people would actually be able to afford their “gas-guzzlers” while still being “environmentally conscious”.

This also could be applicable to any vehicle such as a common pickup truck and would increase fuel economy as well as hauling/pulling power.

Any thoughts?

Throughout this book I have been continuously reminded of the divine dilemma, with which man created during his plunge into Sin, and the perfect solution to this given problem, the incarnation, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This amazes me every time I think about how God gives mercy while being just at the same time. The vast love of God for His creation makes me realize how undeserving I am of every breath I inhale and every word I speak, even those spoken with evil intentions.

This book is perfect for anyone who is struggling with the idea that has been thrust upon them that God must not exist since evil exists. The argument created surrounding this idea is that Since God is all-good and all-powerful, He would want and be able to destroy evil. Yet evil still exists, therefore, God does not exist. This may seem like a valid argument, yet it is not sound. The premise, that If God is all good, He must, then, want to destroy evil, is faulty. The premise assumes that God MUST destroy evil now if He is really all good. This, in part, is true. God will rid the world of evil EVENTUALLY. This may be today, tomorrow, or in a thousand years. He does not, however, HAVE to destroy it at this moment. In His Justice, He may allow evil to continue in order to convict sinners of their fallen state, or punish evildoers, or even release some of His chosen from this fallen world.

Those who say that God cannot exist since evil exists fail to realize that evil is like darkness; it is merely existence without light, or God. They, then, fail to see that If God did not exist, good could not exist and, therefore, evil could not exist. It is a self-refuting statement.

Also, if God didn’t exist, evil would be all-encompassing and there would be absolutely no good. Yet this is obviously not true, for, we see good everyday.

The argument of God’s existence is a very grim outlook, yet has sadly overtaken most of culture, hence, Atheism has grown to immense proportions, leading to the current state of man and the judgements now being poured out upon him as we see in the world today, the judgements that are the carrying out of the sins man chose, apartness from God; therefore choosing evil.