Posts Made By: Steve Hollenbach

Robert Provin said:

About 41 percent of Americans think that Jesus will return before 2050, according to a 2010 poll by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. And at the moment we have this specific prediction: http://www.ebiblefellowship.com/may21/

The question is, what do you all think of this?

Thank you,
Robert

William Paolini said:

For the three major religions we usually deal with, Islam, Christianity, and Judaism, are the characteristics of God as described in the scriptures from each of these religions, different in any way?

So does any passage in texts from the Islamic scriptures/sacred texts, as example, protray God differently in any fundamental way how scriptures/sacred texts portray God in Christianity, or in Judaisms?

These three religions are supposed to be referencing the same God, so do any of them portray God differently in some fundamental way? If not a fundamental way then in some minor way? If you don't have the references to back up your points, or if the points you provide are your understanding based on what you've come to know about the religions that are not yours, would appreciate that you make that fact clear so we don't have any misunderstandings. IMO it is also valuable to voice what we might have as an understanding based on media or discussion, then hopefully someone who practices the said religion can set us straight one way or the other and give us some references.

For me, I don't have any understanding that the God of Judaism and the God of Christianity are any different in character, motive, or action from each other at all. I don't feel as firmly about Islam though, not based on any evidence from their texts, but just the way the popular American media and culture reacts most of the time makes one feel there must be some fundamental differences -- I certainly don't see any differences based on what I observe from my family members who are Muslims as they paint quite a different picture than th media/popular culture does. So not talking the practices of the adherents to the religion, but talking the source texts which define the religion. Are there any differences to be found there?

Joseph Babendreier said:

I joined Astromart last December. Some one gave me the $12 I needed to register as a Christmas present. Since then I have asked many questions that must be typical of newbies--about collimating a Dobsonian and choosing the right eyepieces. Those questions have all been answered with a wonderful outpouring of willingness to share. (Thanks!!!)

And now my main point:

Being a Catholic priest from a very religious Catholic family--I am the oldest of 15 children and I attended high school in a Benedictine Abbey--I have spent most of my life DEEP into the world of religion. I certainly did not join Astromart to discuss religion. And yet, I could not help but notice, with a sense of awe, that the Religion Forum (and it’s attendant sisters-in-law, like the one created for those banned from the Religion Forum) are chock full of posts almost every day.

I have not done a rigorous statistical analysis, but I’m willing to bet a brand new Televue eyepiece on a wager claiming that the Religion Forum has more total posts in the past six months than any other. And if I’m wrong (and I lose that EP, which I don’t have anyway), I can’t be wrong by much.

It must mean something about our ultimate longings. It must mean that we are all looking for some kind of galaxy inside.

Some of us have a cosy little irregular galaxy lurking inside, like one of the Magellanic Clouds. Some of us have a galaxy whose light is entirely blocked by intervening dust clouds. Some of us have a monster elliptical sprawling out chaotically in all directions. Some have a ring galaxy displaying a peculiar beauty that only God himself might explain. Some of us a have tidy bar-shape spiral with two elegant arms glittering with blue giants and white dwarfs. And some of us have a high-red-shift Seyfert that is bursting with gamma rays while slipping further away from sight with every passing day.

I know this might sound like a Sunday Sermon. Well, given my “line of work� I guess I can’t help it. But I wanted to say it all the same. And I would add only this.

It wasn’t so long ago when we were not even sure that galaxies existed. Don’t be surprised that something similar happens in your individual life.

You may have no idea what God has created within you—how beautiful it is and how unlike anything else he has created. An island universe! It is there where you will find the secret of your existence. To use the words Jesus Christ spoke 2000 years ago:

“The coming of the kingdom of God does not admit of observation and there will be no one to say, ‘Look here! Look there!’ For, you must know, the kingdom of God is within you.� (Lk 17:20-21)

Peace,
(Father) Joe

Darian Rachal said:

A friend of mine recently gave me an Astro-Tech 15mm wide angle ocular. I told him I'd see how it compares with a UO 16mm Konig that I've had for about 30 years.

Then it dawned on me that of all the oculars I've owned over the years, the Konig is one I've never considered selling. I think UO has been selling this ocular for quite a few years. There is just something about it's performance with different scopes I've had that appeals to me.

Anyway, just wondering if there are any of you holding on to old oculars that you just like for some reason, even though you've bought Naglers, Panoptics, Ethos, etc.?

William Paolini said:

What's everyone's thoughts on this...

"Moralistic Therapeutic Deism," a belief system articulated by researchers Christian Smith and Melinda Denton.
-- A god exists who created and ordered the world and watches over it.
-- God wants people to be good, nice and fair to one another, as taught in most religions.
-- The goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.
-- God gets involved when we have problems we need solved.
-- Good people go to heaven.

So God is in there, somewhere, along with love, grace, kindness, tears, empathy, consolation, compassion, self-acceptance. A non-threatening faith that perhaps is more akin to generalized faith or spirituality rather than religion?

Here's more depth on it: http://www.christianpost.com/news/moralistic-therapeutic-deism-the-new-american-religion-6266/pageall.html

Scott Mellis said:

Would enjoy hearing about some great movie moments.

William Paolini said:

So...should this have been banned?? If so, why, if not why? Should we expect anything else when something is not only against the grain but also offensive to the predominent portion of a culture? I mean we see it is the Islamic societies, we see it secularly with ideologies (remember Senator McCarthy inquisitions against Communists, etc). Seems to me that maybe the knee jerk reactions are many times because of the way something is said rather than what is said.

http://www.christianpost.com/news/lady-gaga-born-this-way-album-banned-by-lebanon-as-offensive-to-christianity-50844/

Robert Howe said:

I have a lovely roll-off with a peaked roof and eaves. The maker and original owner fit bits of insulation into the spaces under the eaves and covered the inside with soft and hard insulation. As the building ages and I perform maintenance, I find my self wondering, why try to insulate a roll-off observatory? Isn't the idea of keeping the scopes outdoors being to let them be at ambient temperature?

Doug Matulis said:

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/06/21/new-york-atheists-angry-over-heaven-street-sign-honoring-11victims/