Vick Finds Jesus

Paris said she now reads her Bible regularly.Awwwww - When I read that, tears came to my eyes, and my opinion of her suddenly changed.

Not disingenuous at all IMO. Most people are fickle and shallow. If Vick had said his situation had led him to Allah, Buddha, or worse yet, Atheism, he would immediately be vilified even more than he now is. In fact, his sentence would probably be doubled for showing no remorse!I have no doubt that just by saying he found Jesus, many will jump off the anti-Vick bandwagon and cut him slack. Many will praise him. You underestimate the extremely simplistic and sheep-like mind set of the average citizen. Most people hear what they want to and disregard the rest.For the most part, this is what keeps politicians in office from one term to the next. The political strategist and spin doctors know the average American voter is extremely uninformed, ignorant, and shallow and will vote for someone simply because they were told by their minister that is what they should do. This is the only reason Bush got reelected btw. Edited by Grizz, : No reason given.

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To the surprise of many, Berkowitz appears truly genuine in his conversion.

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Berkowitz may very well be a sociopath. It is possible that somebody could be disingenuous about the whole thing, because characteristics about socipathy include being totally kind one moment, then stabbing you in the neck in the next moment. But something else about sociopaths is that they are so totally self-absorbed. Could a true sociopath keep this charade up this long while in jail? I doubt it. I've met quite a few sociopaths over the years. I just defer to the wisdom of Jesus on this. "By their fruits you will recognize them." If she's being genuine, it will show. If she is disingenuous, that'll show too.

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"God creates out of nothing. Wonderful you say. Yes, to be sure, but he does what is still more wonderful: he makes saints out of sinners." -Sren Kierkegaard

No. I was born in 1977. But I guess even supposing I was born in 1967, I still would have been too young to comprehend the controversy. No, I have never heard the use of "boy" as being some sort of racial epithet. Dude, how could I have ever known something as innocuous as saying "boy", (which to me, is on par with "dude", "guy," "man", etc) would ever contain such overtones?Supposing it was, say, Tom Brady arrested for animal cruelty, I would have said the same thing. I promise you, with the utmost sincerity, that I did NOT mean it any kind of derogatory way.But after reading your excerpt I am seeing in hindsight how it makes sense. After reading it I am envisioning a scene in Roots where Kunte was asked by his slavemaster, "What's your name, boy?" He repeats it over and over because Kunte is defying him to take an English name.But I never equated it with being an inherently racist remark. So, with that-- to Omni, you, and Vick, I apologize for it. I truly had no idea.

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But there really are death bed conversions.

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I don't know how many deathbed conversions there would be with Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, or any other religion. But exploitation doesn't seem to fit the bill. Its one of those things that some people, at the end of themselves, try as sort of a "last resort." But I don't think that accounts for people who actually have had a moment with God.

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"God creates out of nothing. Wonderful you say. Yes, to be sure, but he does what is still more wonderful: he makes saints out of sinners." -Sren Kierkegaard

cute, but yes. do you really think that something other than being a nasty bastard made him kill people?

Oh, I was under the impression you were much older.Anyway I was born in 1980 and even I know that "boy" reflects the treatment of blacks in the racist South. By paying attention to the world around you? Look, I'm a white guy from whiter-than-white rural Minnesota, and even I knew about it. I can't for the life of me imagine how you could live your whole life and not know that.Alright, alright. I can see that you were truly ignorant and that you've apologized. I guess it was just one of those racist-appearing things that white folks like ourselves occasionally blunder into. I apologize for the assumption of bad faith on your part. Well, it wouldn't, but to me when you say "people who actually have a moment with God" you're talking about a sample size of zero.I just got back from my wife's grandfather's funeral, which was last saturday, and since he died slowly, there was plenty of time for God-bother- from the hospice nurse quoting Bible stories to the old-timey religion of his Masonic memorial service. And it really brought home to me what a scam all that stuff is.There was also plenty of time for me to observe the best that human people have to offer - a family who drew strength from their love for one another, a family patriarch whose whole life was the nurturing and development of his family. A man, indeed, who loved his wife especially, and so much that he literally killed himself taking care of her. (He was 96, and she'd had a few strokes and was in a bad way last year. The strain on him as primary caregiver - they were fiercely proud and independent - was responsible for his failed health.)You can tell which I was more interested in. It remains astounding to me that with such strength and love on display, anybody at all would be interested in fairy stories about heaven and Jesus. That maudlin sentiment pales significantly beside the vastness of human love that I observed that week.

Back in the days when I was somewhat of a racist, it never occurred to me about the word "boy" when referencing a black male either. However, as sheltered as I was having attended one christian school after another, I managed to pick this up by the time I was in high school through the various books that I read while working in the library and the various books I had to read for my English classes. The Invisible Man and To Kill A Mocking Bird come to mind.{added by edit}In fact, the high school I went to had almost no non-white people. Counting all the kids that were in my classes in my freshmen year, there was 1 non-white kid, and her name was Persha. The fact that I actually remember her name even though we almost never spoke to each other should tell you how phenomenal her presence was to me.{/added by edit}I guess some ed. institutions just want their students to forget all the racial stuff that happened in the past. There was this particular book that I read about the true life story of the author. In one scene, the author recalls having been called a "nigger" by a little girl when he was about 8 or so. He really went deep into event. He said that later in his life he came to realize that that little girl never really meant to offend or insult him. She just innocently used that word to him because she had heard someone else used it. But this innocent use the word had changed his life forever. He wrote in his book that after that little girl called him "nigger", he lost all his innocence and became completely aware of how the society that he was living in hated him so.While I was still a christian, I was taught many times that words have much power. After all, god did say let there be light for light to exist. We can go through the entire old and new testaments to find practically an unlimited number of examples of how the power of word is stressed.Nem_jug, we are so surprised by your use of the word "boy", innocent or not, mostly because in life you are a figure of authority. People would have probably reacted less harshly if you were someone else. After all, we live in a society where people are allowed to stay in their blissful ignorance of their own history. But being a cop, you should really educate yourself of this kind of stuff to avoid complications. People look up to you.The word "nigger" was used by everyone to demean a particular group of people. The word "boy" was particularly used by figures of authority like policemen, public servants, and even the local store clerk to demean a particular group of people. Other examples are "gal" and "broad".Anyway, just be careful next time. The word coming from you has a lot more meaning and insult than if it is coming from me.Edited by gasby, : No reason given.

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Disclaimer:

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Occasionally, owing to the deficiency of the English language, I have used he/him/his meaning he or she/him or her/his or her in order to avoid awkwardness of style.

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He, him, and his are not intended as exclusively masculine pronouns. They may refer to either sex or to both sexes!

Not really... But at the same time, don't you believe that people, even if few and far between, can amend their ways?

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"God creates out of nothing. Wonderful you say. Yes, to be sure, but he does what is still more wonderful: he makes saints out of sinners." -Sren Kierkegaard

Nah... just turned 30 in June. I am aware that anyone could use the word boy in a condescending way, but only understood it in a way that would denigrate someone's intelligence or calling into question their level of maturity-- as in calling them a boy, instead of a man. But as far as it being considered a racial slur, I never got the memo. Eh, no worries... Since I can see how easy it was to misconstrue that, I felt that a prompt apology and a clearing of the air was necessary. I don't think the sample size is so much as zero as it is unproveable. And this is really why when someone dies, and a person asks me if I think they are in hell, I usually don't make an assumption. The reason is, I just have no way of knowing. I don't think I understand what you are saying here. He sounds like a wonderful man. I hope the legacy he brought to the world continues through the lives he's touched. But it is in those rich details where I see Him most. I see the embodiment of what He is, which is why He said that by doing this or that for others, you do it for Me. And also like Mr. Zacharias has said. He said that he has learned more about love, theology, and philosophy in those quiet moments with his family, than in all of the books he's poured over through the years.

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"God creates out of nothing. Wonderful you say. Yes, to be sure, but he does what is still more wonderful: he makes saints out of sinners." -Sren Kierkegaard

Duplicate posting. See #26 below.Edited by Adminnemooseus, : Deleted content of duplicate posting.

No need to. I fully agree. The sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me, adage may be good in the sense that everyone should come to expect taunts in their life. And we should also turn the other cheek at such taunts, absolutely. But words really do carry a lot of weight behind them. But as you said, the Bible is rife with caveats about the tongue."For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned." -Matthew 12:35-37"When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts." -James 3:3-5 Well, I'm not really a "cop," per say. I was, but not so much now. And my authority only really extends to USC Title 14, subsection 89a. Plus I mostly deal with foreign sailors looking to clear the port of Los Angeles. For instance, today I worked with a Greek and Filipino crew. Yesterday, with an Ecuadorian crew. And I live by the adage an old boss of mine said. Polite. Tactful. Courteous. I understand what you're saying, but I don't see anytime where I would call somebody a boy in the course of my duties. Yeah, I see what you mean. Why? Because I'm considered a bigot in general, and therefore, you've come to expect it?

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"God creates out of nothing. Wonderful you say. Yes, to be sure, but he does what is still more wonderful: he makes saints out of sinners." -Sren Kierkegaard

not serial killers. they don't do it cause they don't like individual people. they do it because they have a deep need to commit repeated, ritualized killings. it's a particular variety of mental illness, and you can't change mental illness by choice.

Being a nasty bastard made him kill people, yes. It also made him continue to be a nasty bastard in prison with demonic powers and obnoxious behavior to the point that the guards feared him.When he turned from a nasty bastard devil to a loving helping caring repentent saint of God is when he found and received Jesus, i.e. the Spirit of Jesus which transformed him, making him a new creature as the apostle Paul says it in II Corinthians 5:17. Some spirits turn people into devil killers as is the case with fundamentalist Jehadist Muslims, some of the anti Biblical/Christian popes and bishops of Vatican City in the days of the bloody inquisitions and was the case with killer Son of Sam before he found deliverance via Jesus whose spirit turns devilish killers into loving Christian saints.

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BUZSAW B 4 U 2 C Y BUZ SAW.
The immeasurable present is forever consuming the eternal future and extending the infinite past.

people are bad. there are no demons that make us bad. what bible are you reading, really?

Just, that it was abundantly obvious that religion tells people what they want to hear - that their loved ones aren't gone, that we'll all meet again at the Great Cosmic Salad Bar - not anything that is actually known or true.Religion tells us what we want to hear, at a time when we're grieving. It's just a bunch of statements that people say to try to salve the pain of the living. It doesn't have anything to do with what is true about the dead. It's all for us; it doesn't have anything to do with them. I know that you do, and a minister said something along the same lines.But I find that insulting. So insulting. There was nothing divine about the love her family has for each other and for that man; nothing divine in the least about the strength they found in themselves and each other from that love.It was intensely, resolutely human. It was the best that people have to offer each other. There was no need of gods to do it for them; their humanity was abundant and sufficient. To say that it was some kind of distant, imperfect reflection of "god's love" - a reflection through a glass, darkly - to me, insults their humanity.It's as insulting as any other time somebody who did nothing takes credit for someone else's work. There was nothing of God in what happened that week - only those things most human, mortality and love.Where is God in the outrage of death? Nowhere to be found, because there's no such thing. To assign him the credit for what people were doing all on their own, I find insulting.