George Aar

This is terrible but I was sure he had died several years ago. I thought the newsman was misreading the name or something. Anyway, he was a funny guy, up until he burned himself. He was never the same after that. Got a little too "safe", I think. Can't say as I blame him in that. Rest in peace, man...

I suggest drilling a small hole (use a holesaw rather than an auger) maybe 3/4" or so, right in the top of your head. Then it's a simple matter of just rooting around in there with a stick untill you hit the right spot and the song goes away. It's always worked for me...

And of course, anything we believe in our heart must be true. (well, unless it contradicts what you believe in your heart, in which case, I guess YOU must be right, huh?)

Is that some kind a sick joke? Personally, I have a lot of emotions about this time of year, but believe me, LOVE ain't one of 'em...

I was going to put down a few, but, being as "The Devil's Dictionary" is available online, I thought I'd let my hero, Ambrose Bierce, speak for himself: http://www.alcyone.com/max/lit/devils/

Digi, Re:"I really do believe that to add or take away from is a dangerous game. Gods word is crucial to us because it is our link to him ....... to know his word is to know him." I guess I could go along with that if The Bible had fallen - complete and unabridged in King Jame's English - directly from heaven. But the truth of how we got that "wonderful matchless Word" is a LOT less edifying.

I'm gonna master the works of Mr. Wierwille right after I get done mastering the principles set forth on the label of Dr. Bronner's peppermint soap...

Gawd, isn't that a pleasant bit of prose. Um, I could tell a similar tale from the husband's side of the story, but, why bother? I fully intended to, but, being as there's probably a lot of baggage attached to your post that I'm unaware of, and the fact that in my present state of mind I can (and do) say some unmercifully cruel things, I think it best to refrain. There's plenty enough heartaches to go around though, isn't there? Step right up and help yourself. Lots more where that came from...

Oh, and the magazines. The "Reader's Digest"s and "National Geographic" probably aren't going to make you wealthy, but the more specialized niche type of periodicals can command pretty good prices. I'd take a look at eBay to see what similar periodicals are doing (yeah, there WILL be some posted, you can almost bet on it). I know in my area of interest magazines like "Arts of Asia" and "Daruma" routinely sell for several times their newstand price and they're only a few years old. I also got rid of a box of old "Fine Homebuilding" magazines (duplicates of what I already had) and had a virtual bidding war going on before they finally sold for around $150. for a couple of dozen dog-eared copies. I was stunned!

For a quick check just plug the title into a search at bookfinder.com and see what comes up. Lots of the prices there are inflated beyond reality, but if there are enough different dealers with a copy, you can get a good feel for the overall rarity and worth of a particlar title. Binding is a big deal too. Leather and half-leather editions often being sought after for their bindings alone. I have to differ a bit from Dave and Hap though. I think there are quite a few books out there that are worth quite a bit of dough. I've got several volumes (mostly about Japanese prints and the like) that are worth several hundred dollars and one work in particular that goes for upwards of $1000. That being said, there's also LOTS of books that just ain't worth squat. Here's hoping for that rare first-edition bound in calfskin and gilt...

Bagpiper, Re: "Well, I think I deserve a congratulations for posting. Maybe I'll post again sometime" Indeed, and let me be the first. Congrats and welcome to the real world (I mean that in a good sense). Those of us that went through earlier incarnations of WayWorld, may have had some more pleasant smoke blown up our, um, nether regions, but it was still just smoke. The fact that Mr. Wierwille made his flakey conjob more palatable does little to mitigate the fact that we still wasted whatever time we invested in the putrid little cult. With any luck, maybe we can make better use of what we've got left...

Oldiesperson, Re: "Were the first century church believers in the Book of Acts primarily concerned about their earthly families, home ownership, and careers?" With all the respect I can muster (and that ain't much, sorry), how do we know ANYTHING about how the first century Christians handled their day-to-day living? I submit that what we supposedly "know" is largely (if not entirely) supposition, speculation, or projection. Even if one is still of the "God-breathed Word" mindset, there simply isn't enough in the few passages we have to make ANY definitive conclusions about what "first-century" Christians did or didn't do. And as far as that goes, how do we know that the first-century Christians were anymore correct in their actions than anyone else that's ever lived? Sheesh, MAYBE you could step back from your Wierwillian theology for a couple of minutes every now and then and try to get a little more perspective? Well, it's a thought...

Re: "If any of you do songs for weddings one that is still at the top of the list for the young and old alike is We've Only Just Begun. Actually, I was thinking of another one of their songs that could be used for weddings. Bless the Beasts and the Children. Whacha think?" Well, lately I think I'd lean more towards "I'll Be Glad When You're Dead, You Devil, You", but then I have an attitude problem in that regard...

The Carpenters were always a bit too saccharine for my tastes, but the "Black Label" commercial was kinda funny. I wonder how well that slogan would go over today? "Hey, Mabel!" "Get me a beer, bitch!" Somehow I don't think it would fly...

"Why do you regard the BIble seemingly less than the THE ILIAD, or the Bhagavagita, or The Saturday Evening Post?" Well, I think you can guess what I'd say here. But, here ya go anyway. I don't necessarily regard it as any less. I just don't find any compelling reason to give it any attention at all (I don't spend a lot of time with the Bhagavagita either, BTW). It's not particularly "accurate" from what I can tell, in historical, biological, astronomical, or physical declarations. It's not internally cohesive. And it's not even a particularly good "read" from my perspective, especially not day in and day out, good grief. And isn't it still regarded as the sole rule for faith and practice amongst most of Christianity? But we should disregard anything it says if it doesn't pass our own personal "smell" test, yet embrace wholeheartedly the rest of it? Or half-heartedly? I guess I just don't get it. But, then, I never have...

But, but, but, GOEY, What evidence do you have that ANY of the books are divinely inspired? For that matter, what evidence do you have that there is a divinity? I think you sell me and Sudo a little short. WayWorld wasn't my only venture into religiosity, just my last. And I think Sudo's religious credentials might just astound you. At any rate, I don't see any reason that the Bible should be any more highly regarded than, oh I dunno, THE ILIAD, or the Bhagavagita, or The Saturday Evening Post. Why do you lend more credence to it than to any other book?

Belle, Re: "Many of the books were supposedly chosen because they were considered to be written through revelation from God, yet much of the authorship of the books are actually in question and the true authors are unknown." I'd reiterate what Sudo said. If you want to stay in some sort of "believer" mode I'd stop your research immediately. The questions only get more debilitating the deeper you dig. Pretty soon you realize, AACCK!, Christianity is just another superstition (among the many). Consider, all of the supposed traits of Jesus Christ - the virgin birth, sinless life, divine parentage, his unparalleled love, and his human sacrifice - were all fodder for countless supermen of numerous diverse cultures for centuries before JC made the scene. And here he was, the greatest man who ever lived, and not a word is written about him until forty years after his death. There is no real, tangible proof that the man, Jesus of Nazareth, ever even existed. And the list goes on... And like Sudo, it's been years since I spent any time at all studying any of this stuff, so I'm far from being an afficienado anymore. But I do find it interesting at how many hardcore bibilical scholars, guys who spend years in textual research and archeology and the like, often become very tepid "believers" - if not outright agnostics. Anyway, stop thinking right now! It's your only hope!

Well the converse must be true then also: "Health is life in part" Yeah, O.K. And just what does the sloganizing do for anyone? It's all meaningless semantic juggling. It seems like you're saying something profound when in actuality you're communicating nothing. And Homeopathy is about as pointless, empty, and misguided of a discipline as WayWorld itself. IMNSHO of course...

JK Boehme, re: "TWI is not a ‘ministry’ but is simply a corporate con for generating cash. It considers human casualties as the cost of doing cultic cornfield business." I thought this line would bear repeating. Well said...

Yeah, I know he's still "in" and all that, but I'd still like to drop him a line sometime. Anybody got an address for him and Patty Fay?

Well, Christmas movies are hardly my favorite category, but I do have a fondness for the Alastair Sim's "A Christmas Carol". Like Linda, I still love to see the transformation of the mean old Scrooge into the softy that he once was. Yeah, I'm a sap at times... I also - though I'm ashamed to admit it - thoroughly enjoyed "Ernest Saves Christmas". About as dopey a movie as you could imagine, but I got a kick out of Ernest doing all of his impressions and whatnot. The saccharine, almost toxically sweet, made-for-T.V. "specials" though, I can definitely do without. And God help us all if they start into playing "The Little Drummer Boy" again, aaaackkkk!

Well, it's a pagan holiday anyway, whudja expect? I lost any affection for "The Holidays" many years ago. I don't understand the manic obsession the gift buying, meal preparation, decorating, ad infinitum. Not my bag, and now that the kids are mostly grown, and no grandkids in the foreseeable future, I don't have to play anymore. I think I'll spend Christmas in Japan this year. A lot more subdued over there and no sappy religious overtones - just crass commercialism, like God intended...

I'm not quite sure that you're reading him right, Gray one. Or maybe I need to be straightened out in what I'm missing in Mr. Jillette's screed. The conversation I see him lauding as the "correct" one, is one where factual, verifiable issues are discussed, not squishy, ethereal, basically superstitious, beliefs. If we talk about the rotation of the earth, the possibility of life on Mars, or the wisdom of putting oysters in turkey dressing, there are quite a number of facts and figures and data that can be brought into the debate. Stuff that can be verified or falsified, so as to, eventually, get to some sort of conclusion that maybe can be relied on. Something that can be proven or falsified again and again by rational people. With religion, or a belief in God speicifically, that's simply not the case. There's nothing that can be analyzed, verified, tested. In fact, most religions go to great lengths to thoroughly (throughly?) denounce anyone who would even suggest that maybe verification is a good thing. No, no, no! You must have faith! And anyone who doesn't, who dares to question the veracity of the Most High, well, they're obviously some sort of knuckle-dragging neanderthal - an utterly debauched person. I've even heard of wives leaving their husbands beause he no longer "believed", oh, maybe that's just an urban legend... So what happens then? Well, whatever religion has the hegemony gets the "default" setting in our private - and even public - lives. A meeting of The Order of the Grand Poobahs gets together, we all have to bow our heads in prayer before the meeting starts. In some areas (the South comes to mind) anything is fair game for religious rites, football games, baseball, wrestling, Labor Day picnics, 4th of July, - anything. So everyone in attendance has to play along and pretend that, yes, they too have an invisible friend. And whoa unto those that protest such, "What's wrong with YOU? You a member of the ACLU or some commie outfit like that?" It's not earthshaking, but it IS irksome. Even the President can declare a "National Day of Prayer" when he feels moved to do such things. I wonder what the Judeo/Christian crowd would make of it if the President revealed that he was a dedicated believer in Astrology and decided to decree a "National Day of Chart Reading"? So, yeah, I'm far more in favor of Penn's vision of the world as it should be. Rational people talking about things that can actually be researched and learned. Unlike what passes for "research" in the religious field, where arcane texts of dubious origin and content get pored over for years on end so that one can know exactly how many times "theraphim" is used. One could get entirely too caught up in proving what is objective and what is not. What's reality and what's not. But if we could simply allow ourselves to think outside the parameters of superstition, do you really think that we'd be the worse off for it?

Me too Sudo. Kids are home, I got my turkey in the oven, fresh cup of Cafe du Monde cafe au lait, and "Weather Report" on the new CD player (full tilt - gotta wake the kids up). Life is good...

Yeah, I think it's possible. Maybe after that would could fix the "Hitler Youth" program. Gosh that was such a great thing (till it all got sorta screwed up, you know, later on). All those fresh, crisp, little brown shirts all marching inunison, thinking in unison, (sigh) it was so wonderful...