So why are Christians not banning interest bearing loans??

Usury: Leviticus 25:35-37

If one of your countrymen becomes poor and is unable to support himself among you, help him as you would an alien or a temporary resident, so he can continue to live among you. 36 Do not take interest of any kind a]">[a] from him, but fear your God, so that your ( Read more... )

the Pontiff's accent is ... disturbing.  In Nazi and Catholic contexts, it's simply scandalous.  :)

I really should write about all the ideas that have been floating around upstairs but ... *shrug*.  Maybe (not) posting is some kind of guilt trip for falling behind on reading my friends' journals.  Then again, it is my journal, and your journal; not ( Read more... )

John Adams and Arvo Part's music has been immeasurably supportive lately.  It is comforting to be grounded in the sublime when uncertainty seems to determine what's ahead in life.  And spontaneous coincidence rewards the impulsive purchase of things we've craved for some time, so I bought CDs of the Part's Berliner Messe and the Adam's Harmonium.  ( Read more... )

x-posted to
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In traditional Justin spirit -- whose past has brought about demands for bisexuality and absolute equality -- I am finally pursuing "!Ho", or "Not Whore". I'll digest that phrase: it's the combination of math/computer speak (-- the beginning bang character --) and colloquial/street speak. Essentially it means I'll be swimming against the ( Read more... )

“Despair, or folly?” said Gandalf. “It is not despair, for despair is only for those who see the end beyond all doubt.  We do not.”
LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring

“To me, it means loving life more, being more aware of life, of one’s fellow human beings, of the earth. It means obliterating, in a curious but real way, the ideas of evil and hate ( Read more... )

You scored as Cynic. Cynics lived almost ascetic lifes devoid of deep frienships--they were rugged individualists. The cynics emphasized the importance of the individual and his ability to reason and, therefore, find meaning in life. Living a life of hardship and loose contact with fellow man was a necessary step toward the truth.

Cynic
 71%
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originally posted to
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I wrote a blurb about cults in the context of SGI and, since I speak with equal authority on that subject as did the arrogant OP (when he said "I know cults") yet the blurb was overlooked, I decided to keep it here in my memory banks because the words just flowed in the original response.  So here it goes:

I think one must be careful with labels ( Read more... )

Context:

"Those grand lines of perrenial wisdom that you gave, these bullshit 'do unto others as you would have them do unto you' lines are nothing but ego-driven nonsense. ... As you can see, those tidbits of "grand advice" simply don't work. Do another 3000 years of stupidity and violence need to pass before you will admit they don't work?"
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