Posts Made By: Jason Fry

Harold Pollner said:


Rivalry and intolerance among religions are probably the leading reasons for wars throughout recorded history.

The world's most populous Religions are also the ones who claim exclusivity when it comes to stating which is the more "valid" religion.

Although my religion is the well-established Lutheran Protestant, I personally do not think that my religion, (or even the whole of Protestantism) is any more the "valid" religion than any other.

The important thing is that the individual have a faith in SOME belief, regardless of what it is called!

Protestants have the "true,valid" religion. So do Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Confucionists, and any other religion you can name. There is no "right" religion and no "wrong" religion.

They are ALL the "valid" religion because they have their believers, and who can deny a belief?

Harold Pollner

Harold,
Although I'm in sympathy (and agree with) the attitude of being tolerant and respectful of others' beliefs, I disagree strongly with your assertion that any belief is "valid" (if, by that, you mean that it doesn't matter whether it's true or not). To say that beliefs that are antithetical to each other are equally valid is nonsense. In fact, I would assert that to say that that a person's belief that is diametrically opposite of mine is equally valid is not to respect him/her or at all; it is to trivialize what that person believes. Now it's not "valid" for me (or anyone) to treat another with whom I diagree with disrespect, or to suggest that I am somehow better than he or she is because what I believe contradicts what he/she believes or vice-versa. But to suggest that it doesn't matter what one believes is to scorn your own convictions and to trivialize the other person's.

Regards,
Jason Fry

Hey, folks. Sorry I haven't posted here much lately, but I've been rather occupied with efforts to host and aid victims of Hurricane Katrina who had evacuated here to Victoria, TX. Now, we are under mandatory evacuation ourselves due to the approach of Hurricane Rita, which is claimed to be more powerfully dangerous and destructive than Katrina. We're pretty much right in the middle of the zone of predicted landfall for this Cat 5 storm. I especially feel for folks along the coast (we are about 40 miles inland). We're heading out tomorrow to go to my parents' near Austin. I'd appreciate you folks keeping us in your prayers (or thoughts, feelings, good vibrations or whatever it is those of you who do not believe in prayer do). We'll probably be out of here until sometime next week at least.

Regards,
Jason Fry

Tom,
You might consider a 12.5" NightSky Scope by Jim Nadeau over in Lacomb. You could easily go over to pick it up. If you order before his 10/31 price increase it would be in your range - $2795. It should be manageable, and would perform much better than the extra aperture of 2.5" than an Orion dob. I just moved from an Orion 8" dob (that is a great little scope) to a NightSky 16" and it is superb. Jim uses Pegasus mirrors by John Hall - who taught Carl Zambuto how to make mirrors. They are premium mirrors. And for you in Baton Rouge, Jim is not far away.
My 2 cents.

Jason Fry

The gospels of Luke and Matthew are obviously later, and they incorporate a lot more deific language ascribed to Christ. By the time the last gospel, John, was written, Christ of course has taken on positiively cosmic god-like proportions.

These statements are not fact, but represent a body of scholarly opinion (and not unanimous opinion, I might add). By the time the last gospel, John, was written, Christ of course has taken on positiively cosmic god-like proportions. Exactly what time are you referring to? If, for example, John was actually written at an earlier time, which some might argue, your conclusion would be invalid, wouldn't it?

Just wondering.

Jason Fry

John,
It went well. The first night (Wednesday) was sort of a bust in that we only got a little bit of observing time in before the north wind (as the front blew in) started to pick up so much it became pretty impossible to observe. Then the it clouded over. We were all expecting it to rain, but it didn't. It was very nice on Thursday night - very transparent, but the seeing was mediocre to poor. It was VERY dewey. Dewed up very early in the evening. It was pretty cool, too - down in the 40's, I think. Friday was also good, better in terms of seeing, and just as transparent. I didn't stay up as late since I had to leave on Saturday, but I think it was a good night, less dew also. I heard from others later that Saturday night was good also. It's a great star party. I was there last year, too, and Wed-Friday were excellent then, with Saturday clouded out.

Jason Fry

We need to RESPECT OTHERS FOLLOWING, regardless of how we feel about it.

Bill, although I certainly don't disagree with this statement, it's almost laughable, as I reflect on many of the posts I've read. The ridicule with which several of the A/A's refer to belief in God, whether it's Christian belief or other, goes way beyond disrespect. I've certainly attempted not to respond in kind. Further, I've not been reading this forum for very long, but I've not seen any derogatory references to Judaism or Islam by anyone, Christian or agnostic/atheist.

Jason

I do hope that the Jewish community does someday find its Jesus Christ. They have suffered too long for standing up for their beliefs. I say this in respect and memory of the friends I have had that survived the horror of World War II.

Bill,
I would certainly concur that it is uniquely horrible what the Jewish people have been caused to suffer for centuries. But what do you mean by their "finding their Jesus Christ?" Particularly, are you suggesting that their embracing a Christ figure would somehow cause them not to suffer? First, the Jewish people have been targeted both ethnically and religiously. For example, historically a Jewish person's lack of observance of his/her faith religiously has not exempted him/her from persecution. So I'm not sure what you mean. Moreover, Christian people have certainly been persecuted because of their belief in Jesus repeatedly throughout history, and certainly are today in certain parts of the world. So except for your statement decrying the mistreatment of the Jewish people in general and the holocaust in particular (with which I totally concur), I'm not clear at all what you're referring to.

Jason

Mike,
Move to South Texas. Warmer temperatures and gasoline currently at about $1.72 a gallon.

I also wear lined, quilted coveralls - makes for a much warmer evening - but when it's REALLY cold, like where you live, probably wouldn't be enough. So move to Texas. 8)

Richard,
I was afraid of that. I have both a filter slide and a Feathertouch focuser, and with the slide rails the focuser won't travel in enough to bring a 31mm Nagler to focus now, much less needing another 1/2". I was wondering whether it would be in or out. If it was out, there would be no trouble. In is a problem, unless I decide to remove slide altogether.

Thanks,
Jason

Mark,
It would be my hope that your question comes from a detached interest in the intellectual issue, rather than a more personal one. If not, please talk to somebody (I'm serious).
This is a very important issue and one that I have (unfortunately)had opportunity to deal with not on a merely academic basis, but a very real one, as I have been involved as a pastor several times, having conducted funeral services on five different occasions, in addition to other folks under my care who have had another family member or friend who has struggled with this.
(This is going to be a long post. The following is is one of two experiences that have been some of the most difficult, yet profound of my experiences in the area of pastoral care - the other one being my ministry to a person on federal death row from soon after his arrest, through the trial and sentencing, and then 8 years of incarceration and then attendance at his execution. But that's another story.) I will never forget the most poignant one in this area in which a 15 year old young man in a family in my congregation I knew and loved very well found him at home having hanged himself. Their first call was to 911 and the next one was to me. They had difficulty reaching me right away and by the time I got word, they had just gotten to the hospital. I rushed into the emergency room, saw the dad in the hall who confirmed that he had hung himself and was dead. I left him with his coworkers for a moment and stepped into the emergency room exam room, where the boy was laying there on the table, dead, his face blue with a rope burn on his neck, and his mother and 19 year old sister were standing there with him crying and talking to him. And the moment I walked into the room and put my arm around the mom, she turned to me and said, "Do you think (Name)'s in heaven?" I was stunned. I remember being rather at a loss for words and mumbling something about how it wasn't for me to say and that God was a loving God, etc. I'm sure she didn't so much remember what I said (thankfully), but rather that I was there with her.
But as I have continued to reflect on this issue and dealt with it subsequently, I believe it was fundamentally a good answer, namely, that I didn't know and that it wasn't for me to say. Now I don't mean by that to say that it doesn't matter what a person does or that the condition of his/her spiritual state has no bearing on one's eternal destiny. I don't think that all suicide situations are identical, or that none of them have moral or eternal consequences. On the other hand, I do believe that a person's mental state certainly can mitigate a person's moral responsibility for an act. The focus of my comment "it's not for me to say" doesn't mean I don't have any position on what sort of behavior is morally culpable or that I don't believe that a person's choices or behavior can and does result in eternal consequences (that are not all the same). What I mean by that is it is not for me to say what the specific eternal destiny is for any specific individual because I don't know what has gone on in their heart or spirit. God is the only one who knows that. So I would not presume to put myself in that position. (BTW, in any funeral, I don't focus on trying to put this particular individual in heaven, and I certainly don't consign them to hell. I focus on God's love and grace, and give opportunity to honor the memory of the person's life and give witness to the person's faith, as I'm aware of it.) Sorry for the length of the post, but this is an issue that is searingly real to me.

Respectfully,
Jason