March 24, 2013

  • The God of Steubenville Ohio

    Steubenville, Ohio, is the county seat of Jefferson County It sits on the banks of the mighty Ohio River and is a city steeped in rich history and tradition. Known as the City of Murals, Steubenville is home to almost twenty thousand citizens. Founded in 1797, Steubenville is a family friendly community with safe neighborhoods and excellent schools which offer a wide variety of educational opportunities.  However, one young man who grew up there had this to say about the community:

    “The locals are not liberal at all [and it's] not a diverse place. There’s no Asians, Hispanics, gays or any other minority for that matter except black and there’s some racial tension there as well.”

    With a population of over 18,600, Steubenville supports 207 churches.  Here is the breakdown:  37 Methodist, 24 Presbyterian, 23 Baptist, 18 Church of Christ, 17 Catholic, 13 Christian, 12 Nazarene, 8 Assembly of God, 6 Church of God, 5 Lutheran, 3 Calvary Chapel, 3 Episcopal, 3 Orthodox, 2 Apostolic, 2 Evangelical,2 Pentecostal, 2 Seventh Day Adventist, 12 Non-Denominational and 15 Other Churches.  All within an area of 10.3 square miles.

    Steubenville High School  is the only public high school in the  City’s School District. The school is commonly known by the name of its mascot, Big Red.  It sports a student population of over 700 for grades 9 through 12.  The big news coming out of Steubenville for the past 30 years does not involve the mills, or murals, or religion, or the shopping malls, or the prosperity of its citizens.  The big news coming out of Steubenville has been it’s High School football team, their players and their coaching staff.  And this has had it’s effect on the small community.  HS football is so important in Steubenville it means more to its citizens than the life of one of their own young women who was brutally raped by two of the Big Red’s star football players who also took nude pictures of her and posted them on the web.  Her classmates who witnessed the rape chatted endlessly about it on Twitter and Facebook and the players joked about it and stated they knew their coach would get them out of trouble.

    We’re sure you’ve heard the stories.  Yes, there was a trial.  Yes, the two boys were found guilty in juvenile court.  Yes, their sentence of 1 year in a juvenile detention center hardly fits the crime.  But this is not the injustice that has reared its ugly head in Steubenville.  The big news is not the rape trial.  It’s not the sentence passed down.  The big news is how the local community has handled the situation.  Basically, most of Steubenville’s fine citizens wish the whole thing would just go away so the can get back to crowing about how great their football team is again. Believe it or not, there were over 900 pictures and videos taken of the assault, many of which found their way onto the Internet.  Fellow students recorded everything on Instagram, YouTube, cell phone cameras, videos, and the actions of those involved were spelled out in graphic detail in hundreds of disgusting tweets.

    Yet the good citizens of Steubenville remain silent concerning the truth of what occurred.  It might hurt their storied football team.  Then Steubenville might become just another insignificant dot on the map of Ohio, like so many other small towns.  And the money would stop rolling in.  And the big college scholarships would be a thing of the past. So parents and leaders of school and churches could no longer hold their heads high because the only thing they had to be proud of was their pathetic football team.  

    One would think that seeing someone’s daughter violated ought to provoke revulsion, outrage or intervention, wouldn’t you say?  Not for the good Christian citizens of Steubenville.  They tripped all over each other in an effort to prove the victim had it coming.  The Police Chief begged for witnesses to come forward.  But the sons and daughters of these good church-going people did not respond.  The county prosecutor and local judges backed away too.  Why?  Because of their ties to the football team.  In fact, some of the players involved were allowed to keep playing until the 10th game of the season before they were benched.  Meanwhile, the two players arrested remained confident that the head football coach would take care of everything.  They claimed their coach was joking about the whole story.  The boys were not worried in the least.

    After the verdicts came down, were the two boys sorry for what they had done?  Well, they were sorry that football would not be in their future.  Sex offenders aren’t given scholarships to any of the major football mills.  There was no mention of being sorry for what they had done to the victim.  What did the rest of Ohio think of the decision?  A disk Jockey from the University of Toledo had this to say on Twitter:

    Even CNN caught flack when their reports of the incident seemed to favor the football players rather than the victim. 

    The young lady’s testimony at the trail was quite moving.  But she almost didn’t testify.  The good Christian people of Steubenville threatened both herself and her family.  Her own friends testified against her and others suggested her slurring, stumbling, and vomiting the night of the assault didn’t stop her from insinuating consent. 

    The Attorney General of Ohio has stepped in and has called for a grand jury investigation as to whether others should be charged.  We at Table 54 can only hope that he follows through on this.  It’s about time people are held accountable for covering up incidents that reflect badly on High School football players.  As Prosecutor Marianne Hemmeter said:

    “This case isn’t about a YouTube video.  This case isn’t about social media.  This case isn’t about Big Red football.  This case is about a 16-year-old girl who was taken advantage of, toyed with, and humiliated.”

    When people act like the good citizens of Steubenville; when the sons and daughters of church-going people refuse to act when someone is so heinously violated; one has to wonder what kind of God these people worship?  There’s an easy answer to that question:  Their God is High School Football. 

     

     

     

     

March 21, 2013

  • Does the Bible Contradict Itself? (Part 2)

    As mentioned in our previous post on Biblical contradictions, let’s look at what the Bible has to say about God’s racial laws against the Ammonites and the Moabites:

    From Deuteronomy  23:

    No Ammonite or Moabite or any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord, not even in the tenth generation.

    From Nehemiah 13:

    On that day the Book of Moses was read aloud in the hearing of the people and there it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever be admitted into the assembly of God, because they had not met the Israelites with food and water but had hired Balaam to call a curse down on them. (Our God, however, turned the curse into a blessing.) When the people heard this law, they excluded from Israel all who were of foreign descent.

    From Ezra 10:

    14 Let our officials act for the whole assembly. Then let everyone in our towns who has married a foreign woman come at a set time, along with the elders and judges of each town, until the fierce anger of our God in this matter is turned away from us.”  44 All these had married foreign women, and some of them had children by these wives.

    This pretty well sums up God’s feelings about foreign races involved with his chosen people.  Not only are Ammonites or Moabites barred from admittance into assembly with the Israelis but mixed marriages between the races was also forbidden. Such racist viewpoints against foreigners stand in stark opposition to the story of Ruth, however.  Ruth was a Moabite who married a Jew, Boaz.  And then became the great-grandmother of King David.  Not to bad for a foreign woman whom God excluded by law from Israel and forbade the Jews to marry.

    From Ruth 1:

    22 So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning.

    From Ruth 4:

    13 So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he made love to her, the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. 14 The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! 15 He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.”

    16 Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him. 17 The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

    So it would seem that, depending on the prophet he was speaking to, God showed himself to be a proponent of racial hatred or racial harmony.  An obvious contradiction. 

    The books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes also provide some head scratching texts that can’t be reasonably reconciled either.  Check it out:

    From Proverbs 10:

        A wise son brings joy to his father,
        but a foolish son brings grief to his mother.

    It would seem from this verse that being wise rather than foolish was a good thing, no?  Well, have a look at this:

    From Ecclesiastes 1:

    18 For with much wisdom comes much sorrow;
        the more knowledge, the more grief.

    Also, in Proverbs one is called upon to help the poor:

    From Proverbs 14:

    31 Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker,
        but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.

    Yet in Ecclesiastes we’re told that poverty is a natural state of being:

    From Ecclesiastes 5:

    If you see the poor oppressed in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is eyed by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still.

    In general, the glass to the unknown writer of Proverbs is half full.  He sees the sunny side of life and glories in blessings wisdom will bring:

    From Proverbs 3:

    21 My son, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight,
        preserve sound judgment and discretion;
    22 they will be life for you,
        an ornament to grace your neck.
    23 Then you will go on your way in safety,
        and your foot will not stumble.
    24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid;
        when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
    25 Have no fear of sudden disaster
        or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked,
    26 for the Lord will be at your side
        and will keep your foot from being snared.

    But by the time you get to Ecclesiastes, the glass becomes half empty:

    From Ecclesiastes 1:

    “Meaningless! Meaningless!”
        says the Teacher.
    “Utterly meaningless!
        Everything is meaningless.”

    What has been will be again,
        what has been done will be done again;
        there is nothing new under the sun.
    10 Is there anything of which one can say,
        “Look! This is something new”?
    It was here already, long ago;
        it was here before our time.
    11 No one remembers the former generations,
        and even those yet to come
    will not be remembered
        by those who follow them.

    The contradictions found in the Bible are known to many and many are the extremes conservatives go to to prove those contradictions meaningless.  When I was a practicing Fundamentalist adult Sunday School teacher, my position was this:  If indeed God wrote the Scriptures using men, it is either all correct or it is all worthless.  Obviously, at that time, I argued for the correctness of Scriptures.  Then I started to study the Bible on a deeper level.  My views now are somewhat different.  I challenge you to do the same.


    Our next offering:  Contradictions in the New Testament.

    -Y

     

March 18, 2013

  • Does the Bible Contradict Itself? Part 1

    We can’t count the number of people who tell us, “The Bible does NOT contradict itself.  It was written by God through men and God can’t contradict himself.”

    Well, we can’t speak for a non-existent God, but we can point out some places where the Bible contradicts itself at a level even children can understand and accept.  Not that Christian Bible scholars haven’t gone to great extent (including adding to the text, changing words in the text or eliminating text) to prove there is no contradiction.  Where this occurs, we will point out the wherefores of how these scholars are remiss in their attempts to prove the Bible non-contradictory.  Fair?  We hope so.  Let’s start with the creation accounts.  Specifically with Genesis, Chapter 1:

    11 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so.  12 The land(on day 3) produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

    On day 5 we read:

    And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

    Then finally on day 6:

    26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, (Probable reading of the original Hebrew text [see Syriac]; Masoretic Text the earth) and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

    27 So God created mankind in his own image,
        in the image of God he created them;
        male and female he created them.

    28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

    Read it for yourself.  It’s right in your Bible.  vegetation and animals came before the creation of Adam.  Yet later in Genesis 2, we read:

    Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth (or land) and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth (or land) and there was no one to work the ground, but streams (or mist) came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. Then the Lord God formed a man (The Hebrew for man [adam] sounds like and may be related to the Hebrew for ground [adamah]; it is also the name Adam) from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food.

    Please note that according to the above verse there was NO vegetation on earth until AFTER Adam was created.  These verses obviously contradict the verses in Genesis 1.

    Now let’s look at a little translation slight of hand.  In the NIV Bible we read:

    18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

    19 Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.

    Note the difference in the verses given in the King James Bible:

    18 And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

    19 And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.

    The Hebrew word for formed ( simple past tense) as it appears in the KJV is now translated had formed (perfect past tense) in the NIV.  “What’s the difference?” you ask? By rendering the word in the perfect past tense it makes it look as if the animals were created BEFORE Adam.  In the KJV which uses the simple past tense it sounds like the animals were created AFTER Adam.  

    Yet, in Genesis 2:7 above, the NIV translates the same form of the Hebrew word as simple past tense formed. Why did translators of the NIV do this?  To obscure an obvious contradiction concerning when God made man and the animals.  This is a trick that is often used by evangelical translators to force the Bible to rid itself of difficulties.

    Not convinced yet, huh?  We don’t blame you.  Let’s look at the myth of Noah and the ark.  In Genesis 6 we read:

    19 You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. 20 Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive.

    The term every used here means there was no distinction between clean and unclean animals.  Yet further along, the Bible says in Genesis 7:

    Take with you seven pairs of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and one pair of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, and also seven pairs of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth.

    Wouldn’t you agree that you can’t have it both ways?  Texts like these are just a sampling of why Biblical scholars feel the five books of Moses were actually written by many different people at many different times and in many different places.  That’s how inconsistencies like these occur.

    If it makes you feel any better, many books have been written attempting to gloss over the obvious contradictions in the Bible.  Please, feel free to read them all and tell us what you think.  This is only the beginning of our sojourn into Bible contradictions.  Tomorrow we’ll look at discrepancies concerning race in the Bible.  We hope you’ll join us.

    - Y

     

March 16, 2013

  • Yarn Spins a Tale

    Table 54′s ‘Y’ who wears the title of Yarnspinner in our community is our story teller.  Every retirement community should have one.  On the last Friday afternoon of every month we gather in the Activity Room to hear Yarn’s latest adventure.  So many of our Xanga friends have been posting about self esteem and such this month, we decided to share with you one of our favorite Yarnspinner adventures in an effort to help.  Bear with the language.  It gets easier to read as you go along.

     

    Korathku

    The Vigroth people of the great Weald of Erde train their children using stories, nature, and themselves as examples. In the village of Thelra, childern are assigned to a Cord at birth, usually around seven to a group. These children remain together for their entire life. Obviously, they grow close, closer perhaps than we could ever imagine possible. One of the practices the Vigroth employ to maintain healthy relationships is the use of mirror friends to avoid self-esteem problems. This is a Vigroth training class in mirroring.

    Jalleli led the Lobot children to the bank of a small pond located a mile north of Thelra. Partially surrounded by rock ledges and an acre in size, the locals called it Korathku, or mirror, because of its reflective surface. A local swimming hole, the li’l boogers all enjoyed coming here. However, this would be a different exercise today.

    “Can everyone see Billics n Selggie?” Jalleli asked.


    They sat strung along the edge of a rock outcrop that overlooked the pond. Giggles greeted the funny faces Billics made as they reflected off the smooth, flat surface of the water.

    “K. Now, Lobot, let’s get a bit serious. Who here thinks the ‘flections in the pond look ‘zactly like Billics n Selggie?”

    Every little fist shot into the air immediately but eyes kept moving back and forth from the children to the pond inspecting the features of each and their images.

    Billics appeared shorter than Tarrilip or Coginna and a bit rounder. His straight, dark hair rested on his shoulders.

    Selggie couldn’t help being a squirmer when not focusing on something. She loved to keep her long black hair braided. She had an engaging smile that almost seemed to wrap around her face.

    “K. Now, su’pose I said ta ya that Selggie hadda big red woget on her right cheek. Would anyone here believe me?”

    They all giggled again, as a woget resembled a large inflamed pimple. Coginna spoke up.

    “Course not. Can see she ain’t got one.”

    “That right. But su’pose I just said that ta ya only, Selggie… how could ya be sure ya didn’t have one?”

    “Ummm. Could look at my ‘flection in pond?”

    “Selggie smiled self-consciously as she leaned over the edge of the outcrop to check her likeness. Her image showed her face to be smooth and tanned, although not as dark as her older sister Parrsie’s face.

    “That right,” said Jalleli. “Lookin’ at our ‘flections is a way ta be sure ’bout what’s so n what ain’t so, hey?”

    All the boogers shook their heads.

    “K. Who knows the story ’bout when Brother Maker cracked Erde?”

    Normally quiet Parrsie raised her fist in the air.

    “Parrsie? Would ya tell us?”

     ”Yes, umm, Brother Maker made all things in perfection. All animals was tame n all peoples was friendly. There was no killin’, no need for the Cords. Then OutSide came ta Erde some wheres near Uppsala n Sigtuna way north a Thelra. They r’jected what Brother Maker said was so n what wasn’t. Brother Maker was angry with ‘em but wouldn’t destroy ‘em. He kept ‘em from the Weald n cracked Erde n perfection was no more. It was after this that he birthed the Cords, which he had gathered in the Secret Place from ‘fore TimeWas began. He birthed ‘em in the Weald for their pr’tection.”

    The boogers all listened with deep intent as Parrsie summed up the FireTale in her soft breezy voice.

    “That right. N what does it mean for people ta not be birthed perfect no more?”

    This time Monggausie spoke up. Her deep voice sprang from the very center of her being. “Means there’s killin’ in the Weald now.”

    “Yes, that true. It does mean somethin’ else tho, too. Anybody gotta thought?”

    You could see lines of attention break over the boogers’ faces. Ahllie looked up and said, “It’s why our bodies grow old n get sick sometimes.”

    “Very good, Ahllie. That very true. But what ’bout our minds. Any ideas Lobot?”

    This time Jalleli received only blank stares. You could almost see the children thinking through all the FireTales they had heard. However no one could remember anything concerning the mind being mentioned in them. Finally, Tarrilip raised a fist.

    “Don’t know zactly. But think I heard Mama say ol’ mind lies ta us from time ta time.”

    Jalleli smiled in agreement.

    “That right. Now does anybody know what Tarrilip’s Mama meant when she said that?”

    More vacant stares met her question, not unexpectedly. This time, however, no one spoke up.

    “K. Let’s keep usin’ Selggie as our ‘zample.”

    Everyone giggled again and a couple fingers poked into Selggie’s side.

    “How many Selggies are there?”

    Lockksie, chewing on the end of a strand of hair, answered. “Two, no? The Selggie we can see n the Selggie inside her, which we gotta learn ’bout. Is why we got two letters in each a our new names.”

    “That right, Lockksie, but our mind, which is inside, thinks it really the only true us. It selfish n very pr’tective a that. If we allow it, it will tell us who we are n ‘cept no other def’nition. The mind starts doin’ such from way ‘fore we get our names. Its idea a who we are gets narrower n narrower as we grow older, cause our focus is on ourselfs. Then ol’ mind will kill off our relationships ’cause it mistrusts others. Soon we think none unnerstan’ us. We think we got no friends. We think our Cord n even our parents are ‘gainst us ’cause they don’t know us like we do. The mind is so good at this game that it will ‘ventally cause us ta take our own life if it’s left ta its selfs.


    This the trap people outside the Weald fall inta. They focus on self n hear their mind’s voice tell ‘em bad things ’bout themselfs over n over. They give others the right ta hurt them emotion’ly then blame them others for doin’ such. With their mind focused on self, it not easy ta hear truly what others say ’bout them. They listen only ta mind’s voice n soon think that the way they really are. Mind goes outta its way ta prove from xperience that what it says is so. Then they believe all others think the same way ’bout them as what ol’ mind says, even when those others don’t. They live life outta what their mind tells ‘em.

    This pr’motes fear, anger, distrust, self-hate, self-pity. It d’stroys all the good a person truly is. Ya get two people like this tagether n how can they co’municate? Can’t! Can only hear themselfs. Their relationships show such too. You wanna be like that, Lobot?”

    The boogers sat wide-eyed scared at this point and shook their heads ‘no’ in haste. They never heard things like this before and they felt a child’s fear of the unknown mix with the fear of becoming the kind of people Jalleli just told them about.

    “We defeat this by keepin’ our focus outside, on others. This is why the Cords so ‘portent ta our survival as a people. Even within the Cord tho, we each have a special person or persons that we DeepChat ’bout ourselfs with, beyond what we share with the others. We call these ones korathkuin, our mirrors.

    If we keep nothin’ hidden from them they will mirror our true selfs back ta us, just like this pond ‘flects our true features. From these ones we gain the truth ’bout ourselfs. We over come what ol’ mind tells us n d’feat its purpose.

    I’ll give ya a ‘zample from right here within your own Cord. Monggausie, what ya think ’bout the size a your hands?”

    Monggausie froze in terror. She looked down at her oversized hands and tears filled her eyes. Feeling everyone looking at her, she tried to sit on her hands but that didn’t work. With Monggausie on the verge of running away, Coginna, seated beside her, pulled her into his arms. She buried her head in his chest and wept uncontrollably. Within seconds every member of her Cord began soothing her feelings.

    Jalleli knelt down beside the five year old Monggausie, running her left hand through the child’s deep black hair. She silently signaled to the other children to back away from Coginna and Monggausie, which they did without question. She gestured to Coginna to talk to the weeping child.

    “Monggausie,” Coginna said, looking a bit helpless. “Gaussie, it me Coginna. C’mon, talk ta me. What is it?”

    His voice a little above a whisper, his hand on her leg, and his eyes riveted to Monggausie’s own in the Vigroth DeepChat focus, Coginna made his presence felt.

    The other children looked on, concern etched upon each little face.

    Monggausie slowed her crying and looked up at Coginna.

    “Nobody got hands like mine, Coginna. Why me?”

    The tears started anew, streaking her face and wetting her stomach.

    “Brother Maker give ya a useful tool, Monggausie,” Coginna said. “Cides, we all think you kinda fine just like ya are.”

    “Monggausie, what does your mind tell ya ’bout your hands?” Jalleli’s voice remained calm, but direct. Her hand never stopped stroking Monggausie’s hair.


    “Says they make me look stupit.” Monggausie turned her tear streaked face toward Jalleli in answer. “Says I not like my Kindred or anyone.”

    “That right. It does say such. N ya know why?”

    “No,” she stifled a sob, “Don’t.”

    “‘Cause your mind thinks that who ya are. Stupit n with ugly hands. N it thinks if ya wasn’t that, Monggausie wouldn’t x’ist. So it will do anythin’ ta make ya believe that ya are stupit with ugly hands so Monggausie will continue ta be.”

    “You not stupit, Gaussie. I know that. All us here know that,” Coginna added.

    “That’s right, Monggausie,” Jalleli confirmed. “Your mind is sayin’ ya got a big red woget on your nose. Yet when you look in your mirror, ain’t no woget there. Who ya gonna believe? Your mind or what ya plainly see in your mirror?”

    “Coginna my mirror?” Monggausie asked, eyes opening wider. “But my hands!” she sniffed, holding them up in front of her while looking at Coginna.

    “They just hands, Monggausie. Same’s what everybody else got.”

    Coginna put his own hands around Monggausie’s. She smiled through her tears and clutched his hands tighter than before.

    “These hands prob’ly gonna save our lives lottsa times over, hira,” he added.

    Jalleli rumpled the hair on both Coginna and Monggausie. Looking up to the others she said softly, “N this why we Vigroth got mirrors.”

    - Y

     

March 11, 2013

  • Guns and Stupidity

    I don’t think I have to tell you about Table 54′s position on guns and gun control.  In case you missed it, you can read it here:

    Would You Buy a Bushmaster AR-15 for Your Kid?

    Young Republican Gunslingers at UT, OH

    The gun discussions being held by regular citizens with each other are serious.  We don’t have to remind you of the tragedies that have taken place across this country in recent years involving the shooting of young people in schools or public places.  America’s insipid lust for firearms has taken us to places most Americans can agree that we don’t want to be.

    But like most crusades in America, the “ban the guns” movement has gotten out of hand.  Check that.  It’s now reached the level of pure stupidly.  But this time it isn’t the gun nuts who are the culprits.  What are we talking about?  We’re sure that you are aware that most schools, including elementary schools and even Kindergarten and Day Care Centers have a strict policy where guns, drugs, knives and any other item presumed to be a weapon or threat are concerned.  It’s called the “Zero Tolerance Policy.”  Although the policy changes from school to school, in a nutshell it can be explained like this:

     

    A Zero-Tolerance Policy in schools is a policy of punishing any infraction of a rule, regardless of accidental mistakes, ignorance, or extenuating circumstances. In schools, common Zero-Tolerance policies concern possession or use of drugs or weapons. Students, and sometimes staff, parents, and other visitors, who possess a banned item for any reason are always (if the policy is followed) to be punished.

    Unfortunately we seem to have a few screwballs employed by schools that want to take this policy to a degree it was never intended to go.  Some examples:

     

    Pop-Tart ‘gun’ suspension: Seriously, folks?

    In an article by Alexandra Petri we are introduced to 7-year-old boy who was suspended from school for chewing his pop tart like pastry into what appeared to be a gun.  He then pointed it and said, “Bang…Bang.”  The principal at Park Elementary School suspended the boy.

     

    Day-Care Boy Threatened With Suspension for Lego Toy Gun

    ABC News reported that in Massachusetts, a 5-year-old boy was threatened with suspension from his school’s after-care program after he made a gun out of Lego pieces and pointed it at other students.  School officials sent his mother a letter warning her “ that a second written warning will result in two weeks out of day care.”

     

    Kindergartner Suspended Over Bubble Gun Threat

    Yahoo News and ABC’s Good Morning America reported that a 5-year-old girl was suspended from school earlier this week after she made what the school called a “terrorist threat,” using a small “Hello Kitty” automatic bubble blower.  Apparently shooting bubbles with your friends is a no-no.  The girl was ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation during her 10-day suspension, which was later reduced to two days. The evaluation deemed the girl normal and not a threat to others.  School officials had this to say:  “We are confident that much of the information supplied to the media may not be consistent with the facts… The Mount Carmel Area School District takes the well-being and safety of students and staff very seriously.

     

    Cupcakes With Army Soldiers Get Kid In Hot Water At School

    CBS News reported that a A 9-year-old boy’s birthday cupcakes sparked a school controversy that just keeps growing.  The cupcakes featured little green Army men on the top.  The Schall Elementary School principal called the parents at home and said the cupcakes were insensitive in the wake of the Sandy Hook school shooting. School staff pulled off the Army men before they were served.

     

    Boy Suspended For Pointing Finger Like A Gun

    The Washington Post also reported that a boy in a Montgomery County public school had been suspended the first grader for pointing his finger like a gun and (allegedly) saying, “Pow.”  The six year-old boy had to sit down with a counselor and have it explained to him that he couldn’t make this threatening gesture.

     

    Okay, so a few school administrators should be locked in padded cells for awhile.  Aren’t they just being careful?  Please, people.  When the three of us were young we used to play with cap pistols that looked like real guns.  No one thought a thing of it and no schools were shot up with semi-automatic rifles and shotguns.  A little common sense should prevail here, no?  The news media are having a field day with this, as well they should.  What’s next?  How about a 4-year-old kid brings a plastic baggie with oregano in it to sprinkle on his school lunch and gets suspended for possession of weed?

    We adults have got to stop this.  Kids could be traumatized for nothing.  It’s okay for us to get crazy over gun control, but let’s keep it out of the elementary schools and day care centers. 

    - Y

     

March 9, 2013

  • Goodbye Richard

    We at Table 54 are saying goodbye today to a special friend of ours, Mr. Richard C. Dreher.  Richard, 96, was the first person to join our community over ten years ago.  He passed away on Monday, March 4th 2013.  His obituary in the Toledo Blade called him “a beautiful soul,” but he was so much more than that.  He was the kind of man you hope your son will grow up to be like.

    Catherine and Fred Dreher turned over a cabbage leaf in their garden on July 22nd 1916 and lo and behold, there was baby Richard.  This was an appropriate birth for him as he enjoyed gardening his whole life.  In fact, he was very good at it.  Richard grew everything from fruit trees to every vegetable imaginable.  He even supplied local markets with his huge, scrumptious raspberries in the 1990s.

    Richard graduated from Scott High School in 1934.  He was a good student and an avid sportsman, winning All City honors as captain of the school’s football team.  He was even offered a scholarship to Toledo University but he turned it down to help his family during the end of the Great Depression.  That should give you an inkling into the kind of man Richard grew to be.

    In his early years, Richard worked in a cabinet shop where he learned the carpentry skills that would help him to excel in his work throughout his long life.  He also worked as an athletic instructor at Auburndale Elementary School, and as a head usher at Avalon Theatre.  It was at Avalon that Richard encountered a man with a gun intent on robbing the Theatre.  The gunman was no match for Richard who managed to talk him into surrendering both himself and his weapon.  One of the greatest moments in his life occurred at Avalon Theatre – Richard met Grace Mercereau, the love of his life and future wife.

    Sensing the coming trouble, Richard enlisted in the Army Air Force in February, 1941.  He completed his basic training at Kelly Field in San Antonio and graduated with honors from the Flying Fortress School in Seattle.  Upon graduation, he returned home to Ohio where he married Gracie.  He was fortunate to have his wife with him while he was stationed in both Phoenix, Arizona, and Rosewell, New Mexico.  During his military service, Richard was offered the chance to attend Officer Training School.  Once again he turned down the offer in order to remain with his family.  He left the service as a Staff Sergent in 1945.

    Back home again, he opened his own cabinet shop.  He intended to start a garage building company, being astute enough to know the Toledo area didn’t have one.  However, being the solid individual he was, and not a financial risk taker, Richard opted to join the Comte construction company and soon became their chief superintendent.  He supervised the construction of many area churches including the Gesu Church in 1958.

    Richard had a 30 year career as a construction superintendent working for Comte, Ruihley and Kuerten, Bostleman and The Douglas Company.  He was a “hands on” manager, and could always be found wheeling concrete or having lunch on a nail keg with his fellow workers.  In 2005 he was awarded a “gold union card” for fifty years of continuous membership in the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners.

    Aside from his construction work, Richard led a full life and never gave less than 100% at any endeavor he choose to take up.  He was president of the Wernert PTA and the Whitmer Athletic Boosters.  He served on the board of West Toledo’s YMCA and started the popular dances there in the late 1950s.  He also organized Christmas tree sales to provide “Y” memberships for needy children and restored buildings at Camp Storer.  He served as a delegate at the International Y’s Men’s conferences in Europe.

    His charity work in Toledo is renowned.  He was awarded the JC Penney’s “Golden Rule Award” in 1993 and even received a letter of commendation from the White House.  He was nominated several times for Volunteer of the Year in Toledo. 

    Richard spent countless hours working at Mobile Market, the Northwest Ohio Rehabilitation Center, the Epilepsy Foundation, the Luther Home of Mercy and for the Wildwood Metro Park.  If his plate wasn’t full enough, Richard also transported ‘old’ folks to various appointments around the city.

    Somehow Richard found time to be an award winning gardener working with Ohio State University.  This included raising rabbits and chickens too.  His gardening led to his making his own wine, which won state awards.  Add to that his hobbies of making hooked rugs, wood crafts, Christmas decorations and a variety of other crafts and you begin to realize this was a man who knew how to fill time in his life.

    In 2002, Richard and his wife, Gracie, moved into the brand spanking new retirement home of Alexis Gardens.  Unfortunately, Gracie’s health began to fail and he lost his beloved life’s companion several months later.  His grief abated, Richard began to make himself useful to his new community by constructing outside garden boxes, assembling furniture, gardening and even by serving tea at breakfast, lunch and dinner. 

    Richard always found ways to make new residents feel welcome.  When ‘Y’ joined the community, in July of 2011, he breakfasted with Richard at his table and Richard filled him in on the whys and wherefores concerning the community.  As the years passed, Richard’s body wore down.  By 2012 he was relegated to filling salt and pepper shakers in the dining room.  Richard was a hard man to get to relax.  After a few stints in the hospital and rehabilitation, Richard wasn’t able to speak and be understood as he once had.  Finally, death overtook this remarkable person last week.

    We called Richard the “Mayor” of Alexis Gardens.  At our 10th Anniversary celebration he was crowned ‘King’ for the day, an honor that caused this humble man to blush.  We will always miss Richard greatly, but he will be remembered as his picture resides on our Wall of Honor in the atrium. 

    - Y

     More information on Richard can be found in the Toledo Blade, 3/10/2013.  Check it out!

    - Y

     

March 7, 2013

  • Horus, The Falcon God of Ancient Egypt

    In our blog entry, “The Greatest Story Ever Sold” we posted a picture that has raised some very unflattering comments from our dear friend, Paige, both on our own blog and on Hunt For Truth‘s blog. Her comments: “Stop getting your information from Bill Maher he is a comic not a historian. Zeitgeist is where he got his info and its a load of bull shit with no regard for historical accuracy.” and “They stayed with the propaganda sites. Jesus never existed is as well a respected an opinion with historians as is Julius Caesar never existed. And their Horus story is a joke.” and “someone needs to look at the conspiracy sites and think they are real sites for information. your view of history is not widely shared by real historians. Forget widely shared its not shared at all” and “there are almost none who agree with you. The Horus stories you put up are simply a fraud. As to Jesus he has more evidence of his existence than Alexander the Great”.  Just as a reminder, we post the offending picture below:

    Now, if you read the actual article we posted, you will notice that we told no story of Horus at all.  We mention only a few words concerning the stories of antiquity as they relate to the story of a deceased Jew, “The stories were generally accepted by the superstitious populace who added to the Jesus stories other long believed supernatural sagas such as a virgin giving birth, miracle healings and the resurrection of the dead.“  The flack we received for the article came from the pitcher alone, not from anything we wrote.

    Anyway, we felt it necessary to justify our using this picture to support our article, so we’ll take it point by point down the list as detailed in the chart above.  The references we will provide will come from well known Egyptology experts.  While we prefer books, we’ll use the Web even though the references aren’t as complete as can be found in published volumes.

     

    Born of a Virgin

    One thing to remember, the ancient Egyptians didn’t use words like “virgin.”  Isis, though the “wife” of Osiris, did not have sex with him and so should be considered to be what we call a virgin.  The myths concerning Osiris, Isis and Horus were not recorded so as to be some kind of premonition of  Jesus.  It just worked out that way if you look up all the Horus/Jesus sites on the web (and there are many, many of them.  Some exerting claims some debunking claims.  We’ve stayed far away from them in constructing our article here).

    First, from the book “Legends of the Gods,” with translations by E.A. Wallis Budge:

    The Pyramid Texts say that Nephthys was with her that “Isis came, Nephthys came, the one on the right side, the other on the left side, one in the form of a Hat bird, the other in the form of a Tchert bird, and they found Osiris thrown on the ground in Netat by his brother Set.” The late form of the legend goes on to say that Isis fanned the body with her feathers, and produced air, and that at length she caused the inert members of Osiris to move, and drew from him his essence, wherefrom she produced her child Horus.

    This from a website called Egyptian Myths:

    The falcon-headed god, the kings of Egypt associated themselves with Horus. Horus was among the most important gods of Egypt, particularly because the Pharaoh was supposed to be his earthly embodiment. Kings would eventually take the name of Horus as one of their own. At the same time, the Pharaohs were the followers of Re and so Horus became associated with the sun as well. To the people this solar deity became identified as the son of Osiris. Attempts to resolve the conflicts between these different gods in different parts of Egypt resulted in at least fifteen distinct forms of Horus. They can be divided fairly easily into two groups, solar and Osirian, based on the parentage of the particular form of Horus. If he is said to be the son of Isis, he is Osirian; otherwise he is a solar deity. The solar Horus was called the son of Atum, or Re, or Geb and Nut variously.

    As Harsiesis, he is “Horus, the son of Isis“. Horus was conceived magically by Isis following the murder of his father, Osiris. Horus was raised by his mother on the floating island of Chemmis near Buto. He was in constant danger from his evil uncle Seth but his mother protected him and he survived.

    Basically, the story goes as follows.  Set killed Osiris, which prompted Isis to desire a child to replace her dead hubby.  Set had chopped up Osiris’ body and spread most of it across the desert.  Set threw the penis into the Nile where a catfish ate it.  Isis, being the great goddess she was, gathered up the parts of Osiris and uttered Words of Power (the most common form of Egyptian magic) which reconnected the body parts.  Since she didn’t have his penis, she made one of gold and attached it to Osiris’ body.  Uttering more Words of Power, the penis supernaturally sprayed sperm from which Isis was impregnated.  Horus, the Falcon God of the Sky was the issue of her womb.

    Now, this is not the story of the virgin birth found in the gospels.  But if you have eyes and understanding, and can put 1+1 together to get 2, you can see how the story of the birth of Horus approximates that of Jesus.  Both women never had a child before.  Both women were impregnated supernaturally by God.  Both women gave birth to a being considered to be the “son” of God.

     

    Had 12 Disciples

    From a site calledTranscripts:

    In the seventh hour of the Book of Amduat, Horus is depicted as on his throne with 12 ‘star Gods’ in front of him, regarding this hour, Budge remarks:

    ‘On the right of the Boat of AFU-RA and facing it, are HORUS, and the twelve Gods of the hours, who protect the tombs of Osiris, and assist RA in his journey…’

    Thus the twelve followers of Horus are also protectors of Osiris, and ‘helpers’ of Ra, who aid him in his journey across the sky. Baedeker also made the same inference in regards to the seventh hour, in elucidating:

    ‘Horus, before whom are the twelve star-gods who conduct the Sun at night…

    From Wiki.Answers.Com:

    According to the ancient Egyptians, Horus the sky god had twelve followers, one for each sign of the zodiac. Some say that the twelve tribes of Israel were formulated on the twelve signs of the zodiac, and that this led to the twelve disciples of Jesus.

    The number 12 was especially significant to the ancients because of the 12 signs of the Zodiac.  (The 12 tribes of Israel, the 12 apostles of Jesus)  Once again, it isn’t that these followers of Horus weren’t called disciples or apostles – it was the fact that they numbered 12.

     

    Healed the Sick and Injured

    From Tour Egypt:

    As the object of popular veneration throughout Egypt, Horus was often represented by amulets depicting him either in the form of a falcon or as a falcon-headed man, in both cases often wearing the Double Crown of Egypt. His widespread worship is also seen in the many healing plaques, or cippi, which aimed to utilize his power. The cippi of Horus were a common manifestation of the importance of Horus in healing rituals and popular ritual practice.

    Also from Tour Egypt:

    In connection with the god Horus and his forms as the god of the rising sun and the symbol and personification of Light must be mentioned a comparatively numerous class of small rounded stelae on convex bases, on front of which are sculptured in relief figures of the god Horus standing upon two crocodiles. These curious and interesting objects are made of basalt and other kinds of hard stone, and of calcareous stone, and they vary in height from 3 ins. to 20 ins.; they were used as talismans by the Egyptians, who placed them in their houses and gardens, and even buried them in the ground to protect themselves and their property from the attacks of noxious beasts, and reptiles, and insects of every kind. In addition to the figures of Horus and of the animals over which are sculptured upon cippi of Horus, the backs, sides, and bases are usually covered with magical texts.

     

    Raised Asar from the dead

    From Tours Egypt:

    The Names of Osiris in every shrine wherein he dwelleth Asar Un-Nefer

    From Teenwitch:

    Asar [Osiris]: God of life and death.

    From Sacred Temple of Ra:

    Since Osiris was dead, Horus, therefore, was born from the union of the spirit of Osiris and the life giving power of Isis who represents supreme love and devotion to the Divine. In this manner, Osiris was resurrected and given life through the son, Horus, and becomes the God who presides over the fate of souls. Horus represents the union of spirit and matter, and the renewed life of Osiris, his rebirth or resurrection.

     Like many of the Egyptian Gods, Osiris was called by different names.  One of those names was Asar. So for all intents and purposes, Asar was indeed resurrected by Horus.

    Asar Translates to Lazarus

     

    From Blind Faith on Goggle Books:

    The most prominently cited and plausible parallels are with Horus and Mithras.  Horus was one of the life-death-rebirth dieties, and was connected and involved in the resurrection of Osiris, whose Egyptian name Asar is very similar to the root of Lazarus.

    From Ancient Bible History:

    From the Pyramid Texts

    The name “Lazarus” comes from “El-Azar”, of similar sound to
    “Asir/Asar”.

    To be honest, this is a new one on me.  I’ve never run across it before in any of the books I own including the Bible or in any ancient Egypt mythology or language books.  All I can provide is what I found on these web sites.  They seem to substantiate the claim and do come from reliable sources.

     

    Crucified, Then Resurrected After 3 Days

    From Plato Pagan Tripod:

    Legend of the Death and Resurrection of Horus (Metternich Stella)  Translated by Sir E.A. Wallis Budge

    The marsh of Horus of the Olive-tree is by the mountain of his brother; those who are in his following shall not at any time . . . . . . it.  This shall happen to him: Horus shall live for his mother, and shall salute (?) [her] with his mouth. A scorpion hath smitten (i.e., stung) him, and the reptile Aun-ab hath wounded him.”

    Then Isis placed her nose in his mouth so that she might know whether he who was in his coffin breathed, and she examined the wound of the heir of the god, and she found that there was poison in it.  She threw her arms round him, and then quickly she leaped about with him like fish when they are laid upon the hot coals, [saying]:

    “Horus is bitten, O Ra.  Thy son is bitten, [O Osiris].  Horus is bitten, the flesh and blood of the Heir, the Lord of the diadems (?) of the kingdoms of Shu.  Horus is bitten, the Boy of the marsh city of Ateh, the Child in the House of the Prince.  The beautiful Child of gold is bitten, the Babe hath suffered pain and is not.  Horus is bitten, he the son of Un-Nefer, who was born of Auh-mu (?).  Horus is bitten, he in whom there was nothing abominable, the son, the youth among the gods.  Horus is bitten, he for whose wants I prepared in abundance, for I saw that he would make answer for his father. Horus is bitten, he for whom [I] had care [when he was] in the hidden woman [and for whom I was afraid when he was] in the womb of his mother.  Horus is bitten, he whom I guarded to look upon.  I have wished for the life of his heart.  Calamity hath befallen the child on the water, and the child hath perished.”

    Then came Nephthys shedding tears and uttering cries of lamentation, and going round about through the papyrus swamps.  And Serq [came also and they said]:

    “Behold, behold, what hath happened to Horus, son of Isis, and who [hath done it]? Pray then to heaven, and let the mariners of Ra cease their labours for a space, for the Boat of Ra cannot travel onwards [whilst] son Horus [lieth dead] on his place.”

     

    “I am Thoth, the firstborn son, the son of Ra, and Tem and the Company of the gods have commanded me to heal Horus for his mother Isis, and to heal him that is under the knife likewise.  O Horus, O Horus, thy Ka protecteth thee, and thy Image worketh protection for thee.  The poison is as the daughter of its [own] flame; [it is] destroyed [because] it smote the strong son.  Your temples are in good
    condition for you, [for] Horus liveth for his mother, and he who is under the knife likewise.”

     

    The Death of Horus comes about through the sting of a scorpion.  Horus dies and is found by his mother Isis who again calls upon her use of Words of Power to make her son alive again.  As I said before, this story is not a word for word example of the resurrection of Jesus.  But it does point out they both died, then were then brought back to life by supernatural means.

     

    Known as the Lamb, the Way, the Light

    From Tour Egypt:

    In connection with the god Horus and his forms as the god of the rising sun and the symbol and personification of Light must be mentioned a comparatively numerous class of small rounded stelae on convex bases, on front of which are sculptured in relief figures of the god Horus standing upon two crocodiles.

     

    From Goggle Books:

    Lost Light: An Interpretation of Ancient Scriptures  By Alvin Boyd Kuhn

    In both phases of character this is Horus of the double force, the double crown, the double father, the double Uraei, the double life, or other types of duplication including the double equinox. 

    The spirit of God came upon him in his adulthood, when he was divinized as the hawk; and he who had been dumb and meek as the lamb or bull led to the slaughter, became Horus Ma-Keheru, the utter of very truth.

     

    Horus was the falcon God of the sky and as such was often associated with light.  He was, however, not the sun god or the moon god but was related to both.

    - Y

     

March 5, 2013

  • A True Star Shines In Toledo

    Ever heard of a young woman named Naama Shafir?  Probably not.  There are a lot of reasons for this.  She’s a woman.  She plays basketball.  She plays for the University of Toledo, Ohio.  Her home is in Hoshaya, Israel.  She’s an orthodox Jew.

    All of the above are good reasons for never having heard of Naama.  Let’s face it.  Women basketball players aren’t on too many folk’s “hero” list.  Playing for a University in Toledo, Ohio keeps her out of most national sports stories no matter how good the player or the team.  As anyone who follows sports knows, if you’re not from a college in a big east coast or west coast city, no one’s ever heard of you.  And does anyone even know where Hoshaya, Israel is located?  Ever hear of anyone from there?  We didn’t think so.  Now, quick.  How many orthodox Jewish sports stars can you name?

    Since 2008 when Naama played her first game for UT, her star began to shine ever-so bright.  Being the first orthodox Jew to earn a Division 1 NCAA scholarship, Naama brought with her a number of eccentricities due to the strict observance of her religion.  To Naama, few things are more sacred than Shabbat, the Sabbath, which lasts for 24 hours starting a few minutes before sunset on Fridays and includes most of Saturday, a big day in college basketball.  Her food must be kosher and she must avoid modern amenities. She can’t travel by automobile, and she can’t employ electricity, whether it’s turning on or off a light switch, riding in an elevator, or inserting a key card into a hotel door lock.  This means she often has to travel separately from the team to arrive at road destinations before sundown on Fridays. A teammate and/or staff member travels with her to flip the light switches, for example. She walks to and from arenas on game day.

    Playing basketball on the Sabbath required special permission from her Rabbi.  “I was younger, 15, and I was playing for the Under-16 national team and we traveled to Estonia for a tournament,” Shafir recalled. “There were games on Saturday. My dad went to the rabbi in our town and explained the whole thing. He said, ‘yes, she can do it.’”  The same dispensation was required for her to play basketball for the University of Toledo.
     

    With both Naama and the University making sacrifices, the pairing has worked out well. The first week of her freshman season, Shafir was named the Mid-American Conference West division player of the week.

    “She’s giving our team a lesson in culture, observing differences and respecting them,” coach Tricia Cullop said.

    Naama grew up in the small religious communal settlement of Hoshaya in northern Israel.  At UT, Cullop needed a point guard late in the recruiting process and had successfully found players from overseas, including Israel, in the past. After starring on her club team and Israel’s under-18 national team, Shafir wanted to take her game to the United States.  Cullop watched a DVD of a few of Shafir’s games sent to her by a friend who had tipped her off to talented international players in the past. She offered a scholarship to Shafir.

    “I was really impressed with what I saw,” Cullop said. “You could tell she just had unbelievable instincts. She had incredible court vision. A lot of parts of her game were beyond what I thought a normal freshman would have.”

    From the beginning, the Rockets wanted to be as accommodating as possible. The 5-foot-7 Shafir had already had discussions with schools in the Big East and Atlantic Coast Conference, but a coaching change at one and unwillingness to agree to her requests at the other took them out of play for her.

    “She is very devout in her religion, as she should be,” Cullop said. “It was very important to her that she found a place where she could still practice her religion and play basketball. Until she found that, she wasn’t coming.”

    Among Shafir’s requirements: she needed to eat a kosher diet, wear a T-shirt under her jersey, couldn’t practice from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday and couldn’t ride in a motorized vehicle during that time frame. Cullop thought, “We’re going to have to get creative,” but the offer remained on the table.

    Shafir became convinced to come to Toledo after talking with one of Cullop’s former players at Evansville, Israeli Tal Milchan.

    “She said, ‘You have to go there, that was my coach and she’s amazing,’” Shafir said. “She said only good stuff about her. That helped.”

    The UT coaching staff had several discussions with Shafir’s family through Rabbi Yossi Shemtov of Chabad House-Lubavitch to work out the details.

    Throughout her five years in Toledo — her junior season was wiped out by a knee injury and surgery — Naama has become well known everywhere in town. Not to get carried away, but like Cher and Pele and Elvis, no last name is necessary, at least in Toledo. She is Naama.

    “It’s rare to find that kind of humility in that good a player,” said UT coach Tricia Cullop. “I definitely think because of that she has developed a strong bond with our fans. There are a lot of people who come to our games who might not have been basketball fans, but they were Naama fans. I hope they’ve become basketball fans, but either way they’re still Naama fans.

    “Her character and ability to stand for what she believes in, to be steadfast in her beliefs, well, her whole story has inspired a lot of people,” says her coach.

    We don’t always find that among those who are the most talented, do we?
     
    In 2011 as a junior guard, Naama poured in a career-high 40 points to lead the University of Toledo to victory in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament championship. She was crowned the basketball tournament’s MVP. And then she walked about two miles home.
    “The game was one of the most incredible moments of my life,” Shafir told the Forward. “There were over 7,000 people there, and during those seconds when the game was over and the whole crowd ran to the court, I experienced an unbelievable high.”
     

     

    Tomorrow night, Naama will play her final regular-season game at University of Toledo’s Savage Arena. There were 2,300 on hand for the first game she played there in 2008, and it will be double that, or more, for her finale.  In between Naama and her team have set many records in the NCAA’s Division 1 for women’s basketball. 

    Soon, she will leave Toledo heading home to Israel, to her large family, to a future that is something of a question mark, although she is sure it will include basketball.

    Wednesday will be Senior Night, and five UT players will be saluted. Shafir will be uncomfortable with the spotlight The University will be shining on her, but, hey, we are talking about the most popular women’s player in UT history, are we not?

    “You’re asking me? That’s an awkward question,” Naama said. “It would be a lie to say I didn’t like that. It’s fun to know people appreciate the way I play, that I’m doing some good things. But a lot of people make it happen, not just me. I’m part of a team, a great team. And I’ll miss my team. I’ll miss the fans so much.

    “It will be sad. But I’m going home to family and friends and a special place. That will be happy. But, yes, when this ends it will be hard. I hope this makes sense, but to go home I’ll be leaving my second home.”

    First, though, one final introduction at Savage Arena, the lights dimmed, the video board focused on her, the sound system on tilt, Sharon Ravin waving the flag. Shafir will be last off the bench. “At guard, from Hoshaya, Israel, No. 4, Naaaaaah-maaah …”

    The last name will be drowned out. That’s OK. It’s not necessary.

     

    (This story is culled from many that have appeared in the sports pages of the Toledo Blade.)

     

    -Y

     

March 4, 2013

  • The Value of Prayer?

    Good Morning.  Honestly, the claims people make for prayer.  We at Table 54 would like to bring to you two recent videos that exemplify the kind of religious bull kaka that even other Christians can’t stomach.  the first comes from that old git, Pat Robertson.  Sit back and enjoy while Pat makes someone a millionaire through prayer.

    Next, by way of the BBC we have a expose of a show called “The Miracle Hour,” where people call in to get cured of diseases such as cancer, diabetes or any other chronic and life threatening illness you can name.  The host simply prays for you on-air and whoala!  You are cured.  Have a listen to this garbage:

    Now you may take religion seriously.  Certainly millions of Americans do.  But are you ready to stand up and say God actually accomplishes the kind of idiotic, even life threatening results through prayer that these tele-evangelists claim He does?  Imagine what would happen if a person thought they were cured of diabetes and stopped taking their insulin.  At worst they’d be dead in a short time.  At best they’d be in the hospital.

    What do these kinds of shows say about prayer?  Considering most doctors will tell you that prayer has no effect what-so-ever on healing illnesses what do these kinds of shows say about the claims the Bible makes for prayer?  Even if say 1% of people prayed for recover from whatever ails them does that mean God ignores the other 99%?  The Bible claims in the book of James that prayers don’t get answered because the person praying isn’t doing so with the right motives.  Really?  How are people supposed to know what God will accept as the “right motives”?   Oh yeah, it’s in the Bible. 

    We at Table 54 understand why people pray for relief from their illnesses or money problems.  We understand that perhaps just the act of praying might bring a person a bit of peace during a highly upsetting time.  But let’s not make claims that could lead to the death of people out of an unrealistic appeal to a deaf God that doesn’t really care if you’re cured or get your bills paid or not.  You have to face the fact that if there is a God listening to your prayers that has the supernatural power to cure your illness or give you a million bucks, what does it say about Him when your prayer isn’t answered.  And don’t hand me the unmitigated crap about God’s answer being “No.”  If that’s the case, your God isn’t as all-powerful or benevolent as you believe.  In fact, maybe he doesn’t exist at all.

    -Y

     

     

March 2, 2013

  • You’re Kidding Me!

    We at Table 54 know that most everyone out there has a pet peeve or three.  We’d like to take a short moment to air out our ill will toward the following.

    Mayhaps you’ve seen commercials on television for ChristianMingle.com.  You know the one.  They swear on their comic book that if you join their group, you will “Find God’s match for you.”  How important is that phrase to them?  They’ve registered it.  They’re serious and they mean business.

    My question is, how can they make that kind of guarantee? My second question is, how can a reasonably intelligent human being actually believe that guarantee?  Do they have God on the horn at their beck and call?  Does a sucker search their system and then God makes a pix of a guy or girl blink on and off while playing the Hallelujah Chorus at an ear-splitting volume to signal His choice of a mate for you? 

    Don’t get us wrong.  We have no problem with the myriad of online dating services out there.  It’s as good a way as any to meet and greet someone online with the possibility of finding a compatible person.  You know the drill.  Sign up.  Look at the pix.  Read the profiles.  Pick out a few that look/sound good.  Message them.  Wait for a reply.  When one comes, swap notes until you either give up in disgust or continue to write until you make plans to meet.  Nice, safe way to get to know someone, right?  No guarantees…just looking to strike a spark, right?

    Oh, and not one of these services would remotely presume to sell you on the idea that their service will “Find God’s match for you.”    Not even other Christian dating services (and there are a bunch) go so far as to promise that impossible result.  Yes, you might find a compatible person there.  But God’s match for you?  Excuse our laughter.

    What is it about being a Christian that makes these charlatans think you are so gullible?  Is it because you believe in an impossible to prove story?  Is it because you believe in an unbelievable God?  Is it because you purchase prayer shawls and other “blessed” trinkets and articles from TV evangelists?  I mean, don’t you get tired of being a mark?  Don’t you get tired of being taken for a ride?  Isn’t it about time to get out of smuckdom and think for yourself instead of being told what some illusion of a God will or will not do for you (at a cost of $xx.xx)?

    Do atheist speakers offer doubt shawls for their listeners to buy?  While you can find some low-priced trinkets for atheists to wear in the marketplace, you don’t find the hundreds of high-priced luxury pieces that are offered to Christians.  The atheist movement just doesn’t submit those who are interested in it to this kind of fiscal harassment.  No one is trying to get rich off of atheism!  There are no atheist churches to take collections, no atheist schools to support, no atheist TV channels, no atheist cemeteries, about the only things you’ll find out there to buy is an atheist bumper sticker or T-shirt.

    And yes, there IS an atheist online dating site.  And yes, they do charge money after a certain point as all such services do.  BUT they don’t guarantee that you will find the Universe’s eternal choice of a soul mate for yourself.

    Some claims by religious organizations just gall us to no end!

    -Y