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pratumlatum
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Interests: I am on a quest to find something in God's creation that is NOT interesting. (Because that would be very interesting.)
Expertise: Deleting blog posts.
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Member Since:
5/4/2006
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| AuthoritySomething I've struggled with for years: who are the proper authorities, and why? Who should I submit to, when should I do it, and why? It's especially difficult in matters of civil or ecclesiastical authority. 1. If monarchy is a good idea, then why isn't the papacy a good idea? It seems the same principles and arguments should apply in both cases. 2. Was Martin Luther's schism good or evil? I know he was *reluctant* to leave the church, become a certified "heretic," and start his own brand of Christianity (isn't that what denominations are?). But it really doesn't matter whether he was reluctant or not. He did it. Was he right or wrong? 3. Who was right in the Great Schism between the East and West? And why? And according to arguments for Apostolic Succession, does only the justified party possess truly legitimate authority? 4. Is it okay for an elder or pastor to appoint himself arbitrarily, or must that authority come from elsewhere? If the latter, then does that authority come from above, or below? (A.) If above--from bishops or other elders--then that sounds like Apostolic Succession. Which sounds silly, if it's consistent. (B.) If below--from the congregation--then that sounds like democracy. Which sounds wrong, if it's consistent. 5. Was the War for American Independence wrong? If so, then why not the War for Southern Independence also? (And I didn't even ask the age-old question, "Is it a sin to speed on the highway?"....) | | |
| EgyptXanga is rapidly becoming a desert. Posting on here is now almost like talking to nobody, I think. But not quite. It's still a public blog, and therefore still forces me to organize my thoughts somewhat.
Why did the Ancient Egyptians become so powerful so quickly after the flood? And why did they retain that power for so long? Why was their culture so stable and uniform (relatively speaking) for nearly three thousand years? And while we're at it, why did the Mesopotamians develop their civilization a lil' bit faster than the Egyptians? And why didn't the Mesopotamians last as long?
I don't know. But I have some ideas.
Ancient Egypt was rich in a wide variety of natural resources. In fact, it was nearly self-sufficient. Ancient Egyptians had food, metal, fiber, clay, paper, stone, etc. They probably didn't need to trade much, and therefore weren't very dependent upon surrounding nations. That's an excellent recipe for a quick, dominating civilization.
Perhaps the potentially lessened emphasis on importation in Egypt helped preserve their 'national identity.' Importing another nation's goods usually means importing their culture to a certain extent. But Egypt already had nearly everything it needed. I suppose more 'tribute' is always nice...but maybe that's different.
Due to its geographic location and obvious (initial) agricultural fertility, Mesopotamia was probably the location of the first real post-Flood civilization. But it didn't remain fertile. They treated their land like they treated their slaves, and eventually the land grew tired of it. Poor agricultural practices turned Mesopotamia into a desert. Egyptians, on ther other hand, didn't have to play by the same agricultural rules as those silly Mesopotatmians. The Nile flooded the Egyptians' fields annually, depositing rich, eroded soil from far upstream. Egyptians could rape their land and get away with it, because they were benefiting from the destruction of land upstream (probably destruction by natural causes, but destruction nonetheless). Land in Egypt along the Nile continued to stay fertile into modern times until they built that dang dam. (Get it? Dang dam. Aha. Ha.)
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| African RomansDr. Weston Price traveled to Africa in 1935 and studied many different tribes of black people, including the Masai and the Pygmies. In passing he mentions the Watusi:
"Watusi Tribe. This is a very interesting tribe living on the east of Lake Kivu, one of the headwaters of the West Nile in Ruanda which is a Belgian Protectorate. They are tall and athletic. Their faces differ markedly from those of other tribes, and they boast a very noble inheritance. According to legend, a Roman military expedition penetrated into central Africa at the time of Anthony and Cleopatra. A phalanx remained, refusing to return with the expedition. They took wives from the native tribes and passed laws that thereafter no marriage could take place outside their group. They have magnificent physiques. Many stand over six feet without shoes."
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| Insects and Breastmilk"The wonderful wisdom of [the Australian Aborigines] was attested by the principal of the public school at Palm Island. A mother died and her nursing infant was taken care of by its maternal grandmother, who had not recently given birth to a baby. She proceeded to carry out the primitive formula for providing breast food by artificial means. Her method was to make an ointment of the fresh bodies of an insect which made its nest in the leaves of a certain tree. This she rubbed on her breast and in a short time produced milk liberally for this foster child. I was shown the type of insect, photographed its nest and the colony inside when the nest was opened. The people who vouched for this circumstance declared that they had seen the entire procedure and knew the facts to be as stated. They further stated that this was common knowledge among the Aborigines."--Weston Andrew Price, 1936
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| Lessons I Have Learned From Experience1. Never play with hammers and pianos at the same time.
2. Some artificial sweeteners are highly explosive.
3. Raccoons are spawn of Satan, and they do not enjoy being caged for multiple days.
4. If you properly nurture a solitary flaming matchstick, then you can
successfully start a fire big enough to potentially kill you and burn
down a field.
5. It's ridiculous how many actions count as "felonies."
6. Cow barf will stain your clothes. Permanently.
7. Skunks are not easy targets.
8. If you chase a rabbit for a really long time, you can tire it out and eventually catch it with your bare hands. And , as a side note, rabbit-meat tastes pretty good.
9. Grandmothers do not appreciate it when you take their pet
goldfishes and use them as live bait in order to catch some *real* fish.
10. Yes, you can get fined for breaking the speed limit while riding your bicycle. If you're lucky, they'll let you off with a warning.
11. Never bury total strangers in the sand.
12. Do not walk outside barefoot; snakes are more likely to slither up your jeans and terrify you. | | |
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