Today, on December 6th, 343 A.D., a great man passed away and a wonderful tradition was born. Known only as Nicolas, this man grew up to be the most generous man history would ever know. Born in 280 A.D., Nicolas lived in affluence and had a strong Christian background. At the age of 16, both parents died and a very young Nicolas inherited a fortune. However, instead of spending it like most teenagers would, Nicolas traveled the country of what is now Italy, secretly giving away his fortune to those in need, especially children.

Although generous, Nicolas had this strange quirk about the way he gave his gifts, he didn’t want anyone to know who their benefactor was. Kind of like Mr. Tipton in the old show “The Millionaire,” Nicolas went to great lengths to keep his generosity a secret. But alas, one night he got busted.

Nicolas had heard of a farmer who had been robbed. Now, the farmer’s 3 daughter’s no longer had dowries. You see, back then, ladies of marrying age needed dowries if they were going to attract “desirable” men. Without them, some would resort to prostitution rather than marry a slug. Sounds crazy, but it’s true. Upon hearing about the farmer and his daughter’s problem, Nicolas decided to help. For 2 nights in a row he’d walk past the open window of the farmer’s house and toss in a bag of gold. The farmer was ecstatic, but curious as to who was doing this. So, on the 3rd night, he hid outside to find out. As Nicolas strode past the window with the bag of gold in his hand and his armed cocked, the farmer jumped out in front of him with a big “AH -HA!” Nicolas froze, smiled and tossed the bag through the window. Strangely enough, it landed inside one of the daughter’s stocking that was hung on the fire place mantel to dry. Boy did that ever start a tradition! Nicolas asked the farmer to promise he’d never tell anyone who gave him the gold, but I suppose the farmer must have been a blabbermouth, because it wasn’t long before stories of Nicolas’ generosity spread across the land like wild fire.

Soon, the good folks of Myra decided to elected him as their new Bishop and Nicolas spent the rest of his natural life helping and giving. By the year 450 A.D., churches in Asia Minor were being named after him and by the 800’s, he had been officially recognized as a Saint by the Eastern Catholic Church. In the 1200’s, December 6th began to be celebrated as Bishop Nicolas Day in France. By the 1400’s, Saint Nicolas was considered the most beloved religious figure after Jesus and Mary, with more than 2000 Chapels and Monasteries named in his honor.

As time moseyed on, stories from other countries became “blended” with the historical facts about the real Nicolas. Like a game of “Pass It On,” each country would add their own tale about the generous Saint. Even his name became “skewed.” In the Dutch language, the name “Saint Nicolas” translates into “Sinter Klass,” which soon became “Santa Klass” and finally “Santa Claus.” Add a poem in 1823, by Clement Clark More, “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” now better known as “The Night Before Christmas,” a portrait published in 1863 by Harper’s Weekly, drawn by a political cartoonist named Thomas Nast, and whammo, you have a new holiday tradition.

Ah yes, I’m talking about our wonderful and beloved Santa Claus. To me, Santa is like a Super-Hero. I know, I know, we’re supposed to be celebrating the birth of Christ who is also a Super-Hero. I DO get that. But Santa has been as much a part of that wonderful story of our Savior as Jesus. In my mind, Santa is a “gateway” to the story of Jesus.

With Santa, children are introduced to the concept of generosity. They become familiar with how it feels to receive, but as they get older, they’ll naturally become curious about the other side of the transaction, how it feels to give. This is where Santa steps off and Jesus comes in. Giving is what Jesus is all about as He gave us the most precious gift of all – salvation. So, I’ve never had a problem with mixing-up Santa and Jesus on the same holiday. I believe each holds a firm place behind the meaning of the tradition, so much so, I wrote a script about it.

It’s called “The Book of Santa.” It’s the story of two best friends, Jesus and Nicolas, and how that friendship led Nicolas to become Santa Claus.

Since the script is about Saint Nicolas, I felt December 6th was the most appropriate day to publish it. I hope you like it! Happy Saint Nicolas Day!!!

CLICK HERE to read “The Book of Santa“

I love to travel and always thought how cool it would be to get paid for my passion. So, I started looking into the industry of tourism. But I think I might change my mind after reading some of the complaints travel companies has to fend off…

1. “I think it should be explained in the brochure that the local store does not sell proper biscuits like custard creams or ginger nuts.”
2. “It’s lazy of the local shopkeepers to close in the afternoons. I often needed to buy things during ’siesta’ time – this should be banned.”
3. “On my holiday to Goa in India , I was disgusted to find that almost every restaurant served curry. I don’t like spicy food at all.”
4. “We booked an excursion to a water park but no-one told us we had to bring our swimming costumes and towels.”
5. A tourist at a top African game lodge overlooking a waterhole, who spotted a visibly aroused elephant, complained that the sight of this rampant beast ruined his honeymoon by making him feel “inadequate”.
6. A woman threatened to call police after claiming that she’d been locked in by staff. When in fact, she had mistaken the “do not disturb” sign on the back of the door as a warning to remain in the room.
7. “The beach was too sandy.”
8. “We found the sand was not like the sand in the brochure. Your brochure shows the sand as yellow but it was white.”
9. A guest at a Novotel in Australia complained his soup was too thick and strong. He was inadvertently slurping the gravy at the time.
10. “Topless sunbathing on the beach should be banned. The holiday was ruined as my husband spent all day looking at other women.”
11. “We bought ‘Ray-Ban’ sunglasses for five Euros (£3.50) from a streettrader, only to find out they were fake.”
12. “No-one told us there would be fish in the sea. The children were startled.”
13. “It took us nine hours to fly home from Jamaica to England, it only took the Americans three hours to get home.”
14. “I compared the size of our one-bedroom apartment to our friends’ three-bedroom apartment and ours was significantly smaller.”
15. “The brochure stated: ‘No hairdressers at the accommodation’. We’re trainee hairdressers – will we be OK staying here?”
16. “There are too many Spanish people. The receptionist speaks Spanish. The food is Spanish. Too many foreigners.”
17. “We had to queue outside with no air conditioning.”
18. “It is your duty as a tour operator to advise us of noisy or unruly guests before we travel.”
19. “I was bitten by a mosquito – no-one said they could bite.”
20. “My fiancé and I booked a twin-bedded room, but we were placed in a double-bedded room. We now hold you responsible for the fact that I find myself pregnant. This would not have happened if you had put us in the room that we booked.”

My personal favorites are the “no-one told us” complaints  like # 4, # 12 and # 19. Apparently these folks live on another planet where they swim naked, mosquitoes don’t bite and there aren’t any fish in the sea.

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Most of the above complaints could be handled with a quick but probably “incorrect” manner. A Jap-Slap across the mug with a big hearty “SHUT UP!!!”

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Maybe I should stick to writing.

With the recent ruling about schools teaching creation theory only if asked, I thought I’d bring something to the attention of those folks that think it’s a good idea.

In all of our studies of science, from the smallest critters on Earth to the furthermost reaches of our universe, one thing is crystal clear. So far, humans seem to be the only biological entities that has the ability to contemplate their mortality. In other words, most of us at sometimes in our life, think about death, where we came from, are we alone in the universe and of course the most popular, is there a God.  The majority of us humans accept the idea that there is indeed a creator, a God, which is something that nature seems oblivious to. Why?

Now, one may say, “but Stan, how do you know that a dog doesn’t think about God?” I can’t say for sure that it doesn’t, but I’ve never seen my pooch build a Church and invite his pals over for Sunday morning worship. Nor have I’ve ever seen a geranium pray, or witnessed a herd of cows building a Temple to their creator. (except on “South Park”) As far as I can tell, all other living creatures, be them plant or animals, seem to have no concept a creator. Apparently the “norm” in nature is a complete absence of any acknowledgment of God. It only stands to reason that if humans don’t follow this pattern, then we must not be a true part of “nature.”

Our bodies may have evolved from nature, but our spirit, our consciousness, our awareness of a Supreme Being that most of us have, must have evolved from some other source than what we consider to be “nature.” This human awareness implies a belief system, which also seems to be lacking in nature. Your puppy may like one type of food over another, or prefer a certain place to lay down, but that implies intelligence, not a belief system. (it also implies your pet has you well trained)  I’m talking about wild animals that operate on instinct, not belief.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I do believe most animals can feel happy or sad. I believe they can feel love and experience most the emotions you and I do. Elephants have a “burial ground” and do act as if they’re mourning their loss when one of them dies. But I don’t believe Elephants are burying their dead as reverence to God. I feel that is programmed into them through instinct because their “burial” of a “loved one,” never has a reference to a creator. I simply don’t see any evidence that their actions indicate a belief system.

Belief, that’s the key word. What other creatures on Earth “believes” in something? Belief is a word that pertains only to humans. Why? According to Evolutionist, humans are nothing more than a manifestation of nature, we evolved from nature. Okay, I can buy that, as a person with a scientific mind I simply can’t ignore the fossil records of human evolution. But there’s still that gap, that elusive “missing link” where someway, somehow, humans diverged from nature and acquired a belief system. And from that belief system came another term that is exclusively human. Worship.

Now, I know my pooch worships the ground I walk on, but I’m not talking about the anticipation of a Milk Bone. I’m referring to reverent worship, prayer, giving thanks and turning our lives over to our creator.  Across the globe, at least once a week, nearly every human on Earth publicly or privately worships what he or she believes to be their creator, their God. Most engage in some form of prayer, usually a time set aside to become connected with their spirit world. And this has been going on since human consciousness began. Why?

How did this happen? Why are humans the only animal in nature that has this ability to believe. Was it a mutation, a “freak of nature?” If you just look at it statistically, the odds that out of the zillions of creatures on Earth, only humans would evolve with a belief system, is incalculable. The odds are totally against this ability to believe to have come from what we consider “nature.” Nature just doesn’t seem to have this ability, so why do we?

Could it be that there is some greater force at work here? After observing nature, it seems far more likely to me that a creative intelligence set this universe in motion and “nature” came as a result of that interaction. I find it unlikely that nature “just happened” and somehow, someway, humans evolved from a system that seems to be void of these abilities, our ability to choose and question. It’s like a fig growing on an apple tree. It’s possible, but highly unlikely.

To me, this one fact is something that places a feather squarely in the hat of creationism. Until science can explain how nature “just happened,” it seems far more plausible to me that it “happened” because of some intervention by a supreme being, a creator, God. I’m not saying that we didn’t indeed evolve from Chimps or Gorillas, but if so,  God created them. That’s my belief.

Most of us think of time as either the past, present or future. And as humans, we experience time only in the present moment. But what is the “present moment?” Is there really such a thing as “now?” The answer is yes, but we humans will absolutely never experience it. The best we can ever hope for is an “echo” of what actually happened a few milliseconds ago.

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It’s a bit easier to understand why this happens by using the sun as an example. The light from the sun takes roughly 8 minutes to reach the earth, so you can never actually see the sun as it appears in your present moment. The same applies for any celestial body in space.

It takes nearly 8 hours for light to reach us from Pluto. At the farthermost reaches of the known universe, we observe stars that were formed just a few million years after the Universe began. That light has been traveling toward us for over 13 billion years! So looking up at the night sky is like looking into the past.

The same thing happens to us on a minuet scale as we experience the world. Although tiny, it still takes time for your senses to gather information, send that info to the brain and form the experience of “now.” By the time all that happens, the “now” you thought is “now” is in reality long gone. попки женские секс гипноз

It’s the relative slow speed of light that prevents us from ever really knowing what’s happening “right now.” Since the fastest our brains can process is the speed of light, and since it’s the ONLY thing in the universe that is unchanging, we’ll always see the world as it was a fraction of a second ago.

And in reality, all those images are “old news” because of one of the basic laws of physics – there can NEVER be instantaneous actions at a distance. (Albert Einstein referred to it as “spooky” actions at a distance) Albeit very small, there still is distance between your eyes and brain, meaning it takes time for your eyes to see and your brain to react. No matter how hard we try, that process will never be instantaneous.

Attack of the 50 Foot Woman So the next time you hear some self-help guru tell you to “live for the present moment,” you’ll know that they’re full of themselves. Although objectively, there is a “present moment,” we poor pitiful humans will never experience it.

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There is no such thing as the “now.” We always have and will forever, live in the past.

I loved the Andy Griffith show. And NOBODY but Don Knotts could ever be as funny as Barney Fife. Barney was not only hilarious, but once in a while he’d come up with some pearls of wisdom that can help everyone in our daily lives. “Nip it in the bud” is one of them.

For me, I began applying  N.I.I.T.B. about a 2 years ago. For the first time in my life, I had fallen into a funky depression. It seemed every single day something bad would happen. It was like what Peter said in the movie Office Space… “each day was worse than the day before.”

With each mounting disappointment I began noticing that my attitude about life was changing. I was becoming cynical and angry at the world. My strong faith in God was slowly eroding and yes, I soon found myself saying “the WORLD is against me!” And looking back at all the absolute pointless crap that was happening to me at the time, I really can’t say that I blame myself. It was both bizarre and devastating.

But luckily, I slowly started realizing that I couldn’t stop most of the bad things that were happening. The best I could do was “ride them out.” None the less, it was still very difficult for me not to succumb to the ravages of disappointment every time something disappointing would happen. порно задницы порно со спящими

One afternoon while in a very depressed mood,  I turned on the TV to see if there was something on that could cheer me up. And there was Barney saying “nip it, nip it in the bud.” Now, I’d seen this episode a zillion times, but this time, his words hit a chord. “Nip it in the bud” I thought. Could that work for depression too? Why not give it a try?

I began to analyze what was happening and why I became depressed.  What I discovered is my ears would hear the words, my neural system sends those words to my brain, which causes me to become depressed, which leads to self-doubt and before long, my brain is having a pity-party that my emotions just can’t overcome.  I knew this had to stop. Thank you Jesus for allowing me to see this pattern.

So, I implemented the self-imposed “nip it” program. The MOMENT my ears heard something disappointing, I would try my best to nip that feeling before it had a chance to take hold. And timing is THE crucial element. As the saying suggest, you must do it immediately or it doesn’t work.

First, you have to consciously slow down that process where your ears hear something, that message travels to your brain and a reaction takes place. You have to stop it before the brain can start sending out invitations to the pity-party. It’s in those milliseconds, while the message is on the way to the brain, where you have the chance to “nip it in the bud.” And like Barney, you have to be a good cop. You have to be diligent in pulling over that disappointing message while it’s still on the freeway to the brain. порно россия порно молодые секс

Believe me, at first, it’s not easy. Those messages travels down the brain freeway at warp speed, so they’re really hard to catch the first few times. But like Barney, you also have to be a good detective. You have to recognize the pattern of hearing certain words or phrases and knowing they will trigger a depression message any millisecond that will soon be speeding it’s way to your emotional core. You have to be ready at all times to intercept but I guarantee, the first time you’re able to pull over that depressing message and “nip it,” you will notice a sense of power and a feeling of authority, much the way Barney did.

So the next time you hear something that you know will disappoint you or throw you into depression, try the “nip it” program. Nip that bad feeling in the bud before it can root in the fertile soils of your emotions. I believe anybody can do this, it just takes diligence and practice.

And to get you started, turn on the tube to TV Land and watch a few episodes of the “Andy Griffith Show.” I find it’s really hard to be depressed when you’re laughing.

Well, now I’ve heard everything. Apparently scientist have discovered that a good number of interstellar gas clouds scattered about the universe are made mostly of alcohol, the exact same alcohol found in beer.

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Huh? One of these gigantic breweries located in the constellation Aquila, is called G-34.3 and this thing is gigantic – 1000 times the size of our Solar System and choc full of brewskies. There’s enough alcohol in this cloud alone to supply 300 PINTS OF BEER PER DAY, TO EVERY PERSON ON THE PLANET FOR THE NEXT BILLION YEARS! That’s a lot of hangovers!

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Apparently these clouds start off as nothing more than a loosely organized collection of dust. But these dust particles are lonely, so they begin to seek out each other and clump together. This attracts the even lonelier molecules of water, hydrogen and carbon dioxide. Before long they’re all clumped together, like a football team in a huddle, arm in arm, singing Cum-Ba-Ya.

Once this molecule “chain” is formed a metamorphosis takes place. The chemical reaction of their bonding cause this “chain” of molecules to become one, known as a complex molecule.  And guess what complex molecule these clouds are made of? You guessed it, ethyl alcohol, the exact same alcohol found in beer.

But as with all things, there is a drawback. This “beer” isn’t “pure.” Although these clouds are around 90% alcohol, the other 10% is made up of stuff like hydrogen cyanide, carbon monoxide, ammonia and several other really nasty chemicals that would kill you, or at least give you a really bad headache.

Sorry, Homer Simpson.

Wow! It’s hard to believe that George W. Bush is no longer my President. If you’ll excuse me, I must take a moment of silence to thank God for our last 8 years and pray for the next 4.

Amen. Thank you. I’m sure some of you are thinking, Stan, are you kidding? Well, no, I’m not.

If you believe everything the “drive by” media says, I can understand why you might feel that way. They’ve razzed poor old George ever since he took out Saddam Hussein.

But if you’ll remember, right after 9/11, most everyone was rallying behind old George. His approval rating was better than any other President’s in history. Back then, it was red, white and blue as the stars and stripes were flying everywhere. And just for a little while, most Americans were puffed-chest with patriotism and wanted pay-back for what those guys had done on our soil.

So old George took the reins and led the charge. We went to war. Then something happened. The horrible reality of war began pervading every aspect of our lives. Images of people blowing themselves up on nearly a daily basis soon became a little too grotesque for us to handle. To some, pay-back began to taste extremely bitter.

Before long, many folks began questioning our war actions, saying that “pay-back” was wrong, that we brought the 9/11 disaster on ourselves by sticking our nose into their country’s business. That the guys who flew into the Twin Towers were just giving us The Shipping News divx a little “pay-back” and were somehow justified in doing so.  I remember hearing someone say that although it was tragic, 3000 people dying was a small price to pay for what we did to them.

That got the attention of the press, a nice controversial nugget that would certainly boost ratings for a while.  Before long, we became the bad guys. And who was still leading the charge? Why, old George, of course. Poor old George was still out there, leading the pack before realizing that most everyone behind him had turned tail and ran.

Soon, the press had convinced much of America that we were the ones committing the atrocities in a senseless war. And who’s fault was it? Why, old George’s, of course.

To make matters worse, George is not a real personable guy.  Although I thought he was a good President, I’ll be the first to admit his charm and charisma are, well, non-existent. He’s got close-set, beady eyes and many times comes across as a stupid, “bratty” kid. I believe his demeanor and appearance only added to the Republican Party’s popularity loss.

Enter one politically inexperienced, but very charming Democratic Senator. In the blink of an eye this guy came out of nowhere and apparently took Americans by storm. Why? Because he’s got charisma, he “calms” people and that’s just what everyone seems to need right now – assurance that’s it’s all going to be fine in 2009 – and beyond.

Personally, I felt George W. Bush was a good President and got a really bad rap. If one will look past his lack of charm you’ll see a very intelligent, thoughtful guy who did what he figured was best for his country, not for himself. I can’t name one thing he did that benefited only him or his cronies. Can you?

I’ll miss George W. Bush as President, but am glad he’s coming home to Texas after all these years. I may just take a trip to Midland and visit with old George for a while, maybe go fishing, help him with his biography.

Now that he’s not leading the charge anymore, he should have a little more time on his hands.

According to Wikipedia, The Rapture is a prophesied event in Christian eschatology, in which Christians are suddenly taken from the earth to participate in the Second Coming of Christ. Christians who have died are to be resurrected to participate in the coming of Christ along with those who are still living at the time of the event.

Previously, we looked at where all the living folks that will disappear from the Earth will end up – apparently in the clouds, naked, hanging out with Jesus and all the other people who have previously died and have been resurrected.  Now, according to Philippians, for these “living” folks to get into heaven, Jesus must first “transform” their bodies into into a body like His because human bodies can’t enter Heaven.

Wait a minute, I thought all the people who have previously died were already in Heaven. But according to the “Rapturist,” that’s not true and they site this passage from 1 Thessalonians as their evidence… For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. I assume “asleep” means dead. So, after I’ve died, I still have to wait until the second coming of Christ before I get to go to Heaven? I don’t think so. That’s not what Jesus said.

Wikkipedia  also cites several other passages from the Bible that the “Rapturist” claim backs up their story. However, to me, these passages could apply to anything. Here’s just a couple…

In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. (John 14:2–3) Huh? I don’t hear Jesus saying a thing about naked bodies floating in the air with him.

Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” (1 Corinthians 15:49–55)

So… where’s the part about the Rapture?

Even the Rapturist can’t agree on when and how this event will take place. Some warn the Rapture is well upon us, that all the pre-Rapture prophecies have already been fulfilled. Other say that’s horse-hockey and that there are several requirement that have yet to be met before the Rapture can begin. Such as…

1. The nations of the world must unify their currency onto a universal standard.
2. There will be peace in Israel (Ezekiel 38).
3. There will be a one-world government, to correspond to the 7th beast of Revelation, prior to the Antichrist’s 8th beast government.
4. The Jewish temple in Jerusalem must be rebuilt in its original place.
5. Observance of Old Testament commandments concerning animal sacrifices must be reinstated.
6. There will be a great falling away and the Antichrist will be revealed. 2 Thessalonians 2

Number 4 is the one that intrigues me. When I see that big golden dome coming down on the temple that’s there now, I might start looking at this Rapture thing with a little more seriousness. But I haven’t seen any wrecking balls lurking around the Temple and doubt very much that it will ever happen.

I believe it’s all that visual imagery conjured up in the human imagination with words like “clouds,” “air” and “transforming bodies” that creates these beliefs. Much the way our imagery of Hell comes from a work of poetry called Divine Comedy written in the early 1300’s by a fellow named Dante Alighieri.

Nowhere in the Bible does it say that bad people are going to roast, carry heavy boulders on their backs or tear each other from limb to limb for eternity. The Bible defines Hell as eternal separation from God, not the pit of a volcano.

All of that imagery comes from one of Dante’s poems called the Inferno. But somehow, someway, an alarming number of Christians believe that it comes straight from the Bible and that it is what God has in store for us bad boys and girls.

I suppose I find the concept of the Rapture so hard to swallow because it portrays God dishing out some pretty cruel and unusual punishment. To me, God is love, not retribution. He quit that behavior after the flood and promised he’d never kill us off again. I believe that meant directly or indirectly and I simply don’t see God as so inhumane, he’d  “take” your loved ones away while you suffer for seven years on Earth, then die a horrible death.

Imagine if you were one of the “Raptured Ones.” Would you want to see someone you love, who may not be a firm believer yet is still a good person, suffer miserably at the hands of God while you have a great time in Heaven? I wouldn’t. If I were there, I believe I’d have to have a long talk with the boss.

So, Rapture or no Rapture? For this Christian, I belevieve it’s the latter. But, if one day, folks start vanishing or you look up into the clouds and see some naked people floating around, you’ll know I was wrong.

According to Wikipedia, The Rapture is a prophesied event in Christian eschatology, in which Christians are suddenly taken from the earth to participate in the Second Coming of Christ. Christians who have died are to be resurrected to participate in the coming of Christ along with those who are still living at the time of the event.

So how do the folks that believe in the Rapture explain the idea that across the world, in an instant, naked human bodies simply vanish? Yesterday we looked at the scripture that talks about this…And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”

Well, that can explain WHERE they go – they’re hanging out with Jesus, in the air, just floating around naked in the clouds. Alright, but the “Rapturist” believe they end up in Heaven and how is that possible when Corinthians says… Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God… So…that’s pretty clear, human bodies sure can’t go to heaven. Not even naked ones. So how do all these folks get to heaven?

That’s in a different part of the Bible…For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. But that’s in Philippians (3:20-21) and from what I can tell is in no way making reference to the passage in Thessalonians.

It’s like taking bits and pieces from different stories to create a new one… Hansel and Gretel finds a big bad wolf at Grandma’s shoe-shaped house. In the back yard they discover a beanstalk that vanishes into the clouds. They climb the beanstalk and find three little pigs having a party at the top. Before long, THAT becomes the accepted story of Hansel and Gretel.

But wait, there’s more. The “Rapturist” have even more Biblical evidence they say support they’re belief. We’ll look into that tomorrow.

Right before Christmas a close friend of mine loaned me the first novel in the “Left Behind” series. For those that are unfamiliar with this set of novels, it concerns something some Christians believe in called the “Rapture,” meaning “taken away.”

Wikipedia states: The Rapture is a prophesied event in Christian eschatology, in which Christians are suddenly taken from the earth to participate in the Second Coming of Christ. Christians who have died are to be resurrected to participate in the coming of Christ along with those who are still living at the time of the event.

I really enjoyed reading the first book (there are 11 more in the series!) and watching the second in the form of a movie. Both are excellent entertainment. But to this Christian, it’s just that. Entertainment.

According to their beliefs, at some point in the future, everybody that is a true Christian will simply vanish from the face of the Earth in the blink of an eye. So, you might be standing around the water cooler talking with your buddy about the game and poof, he’s gone. In an instant, his naked body disappears and everything he was wearing becomes a pile on the floor. Now to me, that’s really bizarre.

Where in the world do these folks get this weird idea? According to believers, this is spelled out quite clearly in the Bible. Huh??? I’ve read the Bible numerous times and I don’t remember reading anything about people pulling a Houdini. So let’s take a look at this “clear” evidence, shall we?

The scriptural references believers yank out first is from 1 Thessalonians, chapter 4, verses 15–17. It reads… For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”

Okay, so where’s the part about human bodies disappearing? We’ll dig into that tomorrow.