By now, I think most of us have seen internet ads that proclaim, "They're lying to you, and it's costing you a fortune!" They're right. Of course, it doesn't necessarily follow that those ads are entirely true, either.
As far as home-based or internet-based businesses, if you think that you can just painlessly make the transition from working for someone else and being self-employed, guess again. Granted, when you're part of the 9-to-5 mass, it can seem like Heaven to not have to punch a clock anymore, but, setting your own hours can be disastrous. You still need to get your work done; being able to decide when to work sometimes means not getting the work done. It's very easy to put off doing things (especially things that you don't really want to do) when 'situations' arise (and they do). In the early days (or months or years) of being self-employed, it usually means working more hours (the person who set you up promised no more 40-hour work weeks--that's true; you'll be wishing for 40 hour work weeks before too long) for less pay.
Some of us have heard that the government is lying to us about 9/11 and Iraq. There's probably a lot of truth in that, too (but don't take the accusers at face value, either).
I have to wonder about the Jena 6. If they were really trying to kill that white boy, they sure didn't do a very good job of it. He received outpatient treatment at the local hospital. He attended some event the night he was beaten (some reports say a party, some say a school event). It seems to me that if 6 people tried to kill me, I wouldn't be willing to leave the hospital right away, much less go to a party; sounds to me like he didn't get beaten that badly. Did the Jena 6 get interrupted? The media has been strangely silent about why the victim had so little injury. On the other hand, the one of the Jena 6 that's been convicted already (the conviction was overturned on the grounds that he isn't old enough to be tried as an adult), Mychal Bell, has been convicted 3 times before (in juvenile court, I assume) of violent crimes. In any case, the lack of proof of intent to kill should not result in a finding not guilty, just guilty of a lesser charge.
None of this is really my point today. Most people take what information they are given and internalize most of it without really questioning it, whether it comes from politicians, or our bosses, or the media, or our religious leaders. It seems like a lot of people have lost the ability to question sources. Don't misunderstand me, almost everybody questions some sources, but they almost always have some sources that they don't question that aren't any more honest than the sources that they question.
For many years, a lot of established religions have taught that one shouldn't read the book or books that the religion is allegedly based on. The usual reason given is that common people can't understand the writings, they are much too complex. There may be some legitimate concern about exactly that, but, by teaching that you shouldn't read the Bible or the Koran, or whatever, but trust your religious leaders to explain the writings to you, it gives the clergy an immense amount of power. Don't misunderstand me, I believe that most priests and imams are careful not to abuse that power, but there will always be a few. And, to be honest, IMHO, most people are really at least a little afraid of finding out what the book actually says. It's a holy book, and I am so far from being holy... I think that's why there are so many books out there that try to explain what the Bible says. There was a very popular series of books recently that dramatized the writers' interpretation of the book of Revelation. How accurate was it? Most people that read the books didn't read Revelation, so they really have no way of knowing. This in spite of the fact that most people had never heard of either of the two men before these books came out, and have no real reason to trust either one of them. Even if these two men are giving their honest evaluation of what will probably happen as the prophecies play out, why would you want to limit yourself to their understanding?
All I'm saying is, if you believe the Bible, then read it; better yet, study it. If there are things in there that confuse you, then pray for understanding. If you believe the Koran, then read it, study it. I understand that Islam teaches that only certain people are considered to be qualified to interpret the writings of the Koran, so if there are things in there that you don't understand, you should find out what they think. But I would encourage you to be skeptical; you don't want to be limited to some man's understanding. God wants you to understand what He expects from you. If you run from that, it doesn't make you any less accountable.
As far as home-based or internet-based businesses, if you think that you can just painlessly make the transition from working for someone else and being self-employed, guess again. Granted, when you're part of the 9-to-5 mass, it can seem like Heaven to not have to punch a clock anymore, but, setting your own hours can be disastrous. You still need to get your work done; being able to decide when to work sometimes means not getting the work done. It's very easy to put off doing things (especially things that you don't really want to do) when 'situations' arise (and they do). In the early days (or months or years) of being self-employed, it usually means working more hours (the person who set you up promised no more 40-hour work weeks--that's true; you'll be wishing for 40 hour work weeks before too long) for less pay.
Some of us have heard that the government is lying to us about 9/11 and Iraq. There's probably a lot of truth in that, too (but don't take the accusers at face value, either).
I have to wonder about the Jena 6. If they were really trying to kill that white boy, they sure didn't do a very good job of it. He received outpatient treatment at the local hospital. He attended some event the night he was beaten (some reports say a party, some say a school event). It seems to me that if 6 people tried to kill me, I wouldn't be willing to leave the hospital right away, much less go to a party; sounds to me like he didn't get beaten that badly. Did the Jena 6 get interrupted? The media has been strangely silent about why the victim had so little injury. On the other hand, the one of the Jena 6 that's been convicted already (the conviction was overturned on the grounds that he isn't old enough to be tried as an adult), Mychal Bell, has been convicted 3 times before (in juvenile court, I assume) of violent crimes. In any case, the lack of proof of intent to kill should not result in a finding not guilty, just guilty of a lesser charge.
None of this is really my point today. Most people take what information they are given and internalize most of it without really questioning it, whether it comes from politicians, or our bosses, or the media, or our religious leaders. It seems like a lot of people have lost the ability to question sources. Don't misunderstand me, almost everybody questions some sources, but they almost always have some sources that they don't question that aren't any more honest than the sources that they question.
For many years, a lot of established religions have taught that one shouldn't read the book or books that the religion is allegedly based on. The usual reason given is that common people can't understand the writings, they are much too complex. There may be some legitimate concern about exactly that, but, by teaching that you shouldn't read the Bible or the Koran, or whatever, but trust your religious leaders to explain the writings to you, it gives the clergy an immense amount of power. Don't misunderstand me, I believe that most priests and imams are careful not to abuse that power, but there will always be a few. And, to be honest, IMHO, most people are really at least a little afraid of finding out what the book actually says. It's a holy book, and I am so far from being holy... I think that's why there are so many books out there that try to explain what the Bible says. There was a very popular series of books recently that dramatized the writers' interpretation of the book of Revelation. How accurate was it? Most people that read the books didn't read Revelation, so they really have no way of knowing. This in spite of the fact that most people had never heard of either of the two men before these books came out, and have no real reason to trust either one of them. Even if these two men are giving their honest evaluation of what will probably happen as the prophecies play out, why would you want to limit yourself to their understanding?
All I'm saying is, if you believe the Bible, then read it; better yet, study it. If there are things in there that confuse you, then pray for understanding. If you believe the Koran, then read it, study it. I understand that Islam teaches that only certain people are considered to be qualified to interpret the writings of the Koran, so if there are things in there that you don't understand, you should find out what they think. But I would encourage you to be skeptical; you don't want to be limited to some man's understanding. God wants you to understand what He expects from you. If you run from that, it doesn't make you any less accountable.
Update: I saw this 'toon on Reverendfun.com, and it goes so well with my post, I just had to add it.
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