Faith, Beer, and Other Things That Interest Geoff

Happy Reformation Day!

Before I forget, let's remember that today is Reformation Day.

Baltimore Sun Writer Visits Philly for Beer

John Kerry's Fatal Flaw

Just admit you were wrong and move on. Things would be so much easier.

In 2004 he should have said the following: "I did a lot of stupid anti-war stuff."

How hard would that be?

Oh, but pride is so hard to get over. For all of us. So easy to see in someone else. And so hard to get rid of within ourselves.

Blind Tiger Ale House in Manhattan Running Into License Problems

This is one of the best bars I've been to. May it get it license post-haste and get past its current set of problems.

George Will: Economic Hypocondria

Economic hypochondria, a derangement associated with affluence, is a byproduct of the welfare state: An entitlement mentality gives Americans a low pain threshold — witness their recurring hysteria about nominal rather than real gasoline prices — and a sense of being entitled to economic dynamism without the frictions and "creative destruction" that must accompany dynamism. Economic hypochondria is also bred by news media that consider the phrase "good news" an oxymoron, even as the U.S. economy, which has performed better than any other major industrial economy since 2001, drives the Dow to record highs.

The Jack No. 2 well, in deep water 170 miles southwest of New Orleans, recently discovered a field with perhaps 15 billion barrels of oil — a 50 percent increase in proven U.S. reserves. This news triggered a gusher of journalistic gloom: More oil means more woe — a reprieve for that enemy of humanity, the internal combustion engine, and more global warming, more air pollution, more highway fatalities, more suburban sprawl.
...
President Bush's tax cuts were supposed to cause a cataract of red ink. In fiscal 2006, however, federal revenue as a share of GDP was 18.4 percent, slightly above the post-1962 average of 18.2. And the federal budget deficit was $247.7 billion, just 1.9 percent of the $13.1 trillion GDP. That is below the average for the 1970s (2.1), 1980s (3.0) and 1990s (2.2).

Evolution No Longer Inspiring the Confidence It Used To

About 10 years ago, I prayed and longed that I would see the day where evolution would crumble.

Well, it is crumbling.

John Rabe Tries to Cover How Jimmy Carter Messed Up Vis a Vis North Korea

Extensive quotes from PBS's Frontline.

North vs. South Korea

Democrats for Missile Defense Shield?

A day or two after North Korea tests a nuke and threatens to send one on a missile, a Democratic Congresswoman is on C-SPAN saying the Democrats support a Missile Defense Shield.

Since when?

I remember in 2001, on Meet the Press, Christopher Shays (or another Democrat that is escaping my memory) being asked by Tim Russert about the political fallout of a rogue state launching a nuke our way. Would those who supported a Missile Defense Shield be hurt or would those who opposed it?

Well, I'm a firm believer that the Democrats rely on short-term memory in many realms.

A caller to C-SPAN and Rush Limbaugh (same guy) in the above link wouldn't allow the Congresswoman to get away with such nonsense.

Rush has some links at the bottom showing a small sample of Democratic dislike for a missile shield.

Dan Savage Shows Ignorance of Logic

From the article:

"He can't distinguish between a gay adult relationship and child rape and bestiality. How would he feel if I compared his marriage to raping children and f---ing animals?"

Way back when, Santorum gave a speech about the Lawrence v. Texas decision which declared sodomy to be a Constitutional right. Rick Santorum utilized the reductio ad absurdum form of argumentation.

This form of argumentation takes a premise and follows it to a ridiculous, but logical, conclusion. Thus showing that the original premise was flawed.

The Lawrence v. Texas decision said that state governments cannot have sodomy laws because it invades privacy rights. It may be a bit more nuanced than that, but that was basicly it.

Rick Santorum argues that if you follow that logic you have to allow other sex acts that Dan Savage alludes to in the above quote. Dan Savage, and others like him, do not seem to understand that Rick Santorum utilized the reductio ad absurdum form of argumentation. They think Santorum's comments about Lawrence v. Texas are... well, absurd. Dan Savage believes that Rick Santorum equated sodomy with beastiality or incest.

So, personally, I find Dan Savage's reaction to Rick Santorum, and the reactions of others like him, fully of irony tinged with sadness.

Hey, Dan Savage if you are reading this: Rick Santorum wasn't equating those practices with sodomy. That was the whole freaking point.

Dan Savage needs to go reread Rick Santorum's speech in the light of logic.

Blogger Begins Debunking of 600,000 Dead in Iraq Claim

David Zucker of Naked Gun Fame Creates Ad for GOP

It won't be used, but it is funny and uses humor to go for the jugular. Don't appease terrorists.

My Limbo Post Part II

My cat jumped on my computer and deleted my post on limbo. It was good and thought out.

So here is the second attempt. From a BBC article:

According to the BBC's Religion and Ethics site [see internet links, right], the church held that before the 13th Century, all unbaptised people, including new born babies who died, would go to hell. This was because original sin - the punishment that God inflicted on humanity because of Adam and Eve's disobedience - had not been cleansed by baptism.

This idea however was criticised by Peter Abelard, a French scholastic philosophiser, who said that babies who had no personal sin didn't even deserve punishment.

It was Abelard who introduced the idea of limbo. The word comes from the Latin "limbus", meaning the edge. This would be a state of existence where unbaptised babies, and those unfortunate enough to have been born before Jesus, would not experience pain but neither would they experience the Beatific Vision of God.

But limbo has long been a problem for the Church. Unease has remained over reconciling a Loving God with one who sent babies to limbo and the Church has faced much criticism.

Here's the crux of the problem about limbo:

1) Limbo is based on extra-biblical speculation.

2) People don't think babies are sinful. People think everyone, not just babies, deserve God's blessings.

The Bible, frankly, doesn't have much to say about the fate of babies. I would assume that's because God is good and just and you are not. Also, you don't need to know.

Here's what we know:

1) People are born sinful. We are not sinners because we sin. Let me repeat. We are not sinners because we sin. Let me repeat, because you need to understand this. We are not sinners because we sin.

We sin because we are sinners. In other words, we are sinners by nature. We are born in a state of enmity to God.

Don't like this? Do you think babies are born innocent. Let me ask a few questions. Do you have to teach a little child to lie? Do you have to teach a child to not listen to a parent? Those things come perfectly naturally.

We are born sinners and hostile to God.

2) David's baby died and was in heaven. Read 2 Samuel 12. David was confident his baby went to heaven.

Theologians differ or are unsure if universal rules can apply to this. Some think it applies to all babies. Some think this applies to babies of believers who are in the Covenant of Grace with God.

At the very least, assuming a baby went to hell wouldn't be something I would do.

God is just and holy. God is graceful and merciful. God knows the end from the beginning.

And let me put something in perspective. Assume that a particular baby did die and did not receive God's mercy. Let's assume that God knew that the baby was going to be the next Hitler. Or let's downgrade that. The baby was never going to believe as an adult and was going to live until he was 87.

What is better? Die in your sin when you are one day old and committed no sins based on knowledge or die 87 years later with tons of rebellion and years of willing sin on your record?

Again, do not assume that a baby doesn't receive mercy. But do realize that if a baby receives mercy it is indeed that. Mercy.

The Hops Are Burning

Not good.

4% of the US crop. Time to cut back on the IPAs.

Brett Favre

The Monday Night Football broadcast team heaped a ton of praise on Brett Favre. So much so, there is something I have to get off my chest.

He's no longer that good. Stop it already.