Nothing is quite what it seems

Nothing is quite what it seems - by P.K.Odendaal - June 2013 

There is a saying that one cannot judge a book by its cover, and yet that is exactly what we do every day.

I think that the thing we do most every day is judging some item, thought, person or action and that is our life. At least it is mine, but I am sure it is the life of many other people as well. And then some people have the nerve or audacity to say that we should not be judgmental. That is like saying we should not live. I can, off the cuff, think of at least over a hundred judgments, even if they are only value judgments, which I make every day. I judge whether the things I, or people around me, or in the news, are valid, morally correct, politically correct, true, good, bad, expedient, prudent, important, considerate, enjoyable, fattening, equitable, life threatening and a host of other things.

The bondage of the Church - Part 3 - The Church Government

The bondage of the Church - Part 3 - The Church Government - by P.K.Odendaal - June 2013. 

In a previous article I have superficially written on the devastating persecution and war the Roman Catholic Church prosecuted against its disobedient members and even on people who did not want to have anything to do with it - like Jews and many others. It is too ghastly to go into the detail of those persecutions and wars. I referred you to the book: 'The Dogs of God' by Reston. Of course the recent film named 'Goya's Ghosts' is an excellent portrayal of the life under the Catholic Church, the inquisition and the abuse of church members.

Fact of the matter is that the Vatican set up a government complete with military wing to keep the Pope in power over these two millennia. It is clear from the history that if you did not obey the Pope, you were dead.

The Bondage of the Church - Part 2 - Who is in charge?

The Bondage of the Church - Part 2 - Who is in charge? - by P.K.Odendaal - June 2013. 

In Old Testament times, God spoke to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, to His leaders of the people like Moses, to His friends like Enoch, and to the High Priest in the Holy of Holies.

The reason He did not speak to plebs like you and me in those times was that there was a dividing wall of sin between us and God - and secondly, we were afraid to speak to God lest we should die. I can quote a scripture which is relevant in this regard:

The bondage of the Church - Part 1

The bondage of the Church - Part 1 - by P.K.Odendaal - June 2013 

In previous articles I have written superficially of the bondage of the Church, but now I intend to delve deeper into it. We stand at a crossroads where the Church in general is not fulfilling its calling and its obligation towards Christians anymore. It is not the first time in history that this happens and the Church history is full of this type of abuse, but we cannot have a reformation over and over each century.

Intermezzo - or smell the roses

Intermezzo - by P.K.Odendaal - May 2013

This is not an intermission between the two parts of a very long film to enable you to fill up your popcorn, although that is one interpretation. It is also not a break in the proceedings or meeting to allow for coffee. For me it has a deeper meaning.

In music, in the most general sense, it is a composition which fits between other musical or dramatic entities, such as acts of a play or movements of a larger musical work.

The Gift of Flight - Part 3 - Flying the Husky to Victoria

The Gift of Flight - Part 3 - Flying the Husky to Victoria - by P.K.Odendaal - May 2013.

I have obtained permanent residence in Canada this year, and now live in Edmonton. One of the logistical issues was to ship my Husky aircraft to Canada - a few simple words, but a very daunting task, in hindsight. I shipped the Husky in February and was told that it would arrive ten weeks later in San Francisco, from where I would fly it to Canada - a very daunting task, but very simple in hindsight.

The Hunting of the Snark

The Hunting of the Snark - An agony in eight fits - by Lewis Carroll.

I have read thousands of poems and find this one the most enjoyable - so please take the journey with me in volleys!

Fit the First

"Just the place for a Snark!" the Bellman cried,
As he landed his crew with care;
Supporting each man on the top of the tide
By a finger entwined in his hair.

"Just the place for a Snark! I have said it twice:
That alone should encourage the crew
Just the place for a Snark! I have said it thrice:
What I tell you three times is true."

Thanks to all my readers

Thanks to all my readers - by P.K.Odendaal - May 2013.

I wish to thank all my readers for supporting my Blog, and for your comments and encouragement - I really appreciate that.

 

As you might have seen, I have tried to develop these articles and arguments without bias, giving both sides of the coin a fair hearing, and I mostly did not know what the outcome of the arguments were, until I finished the relevant article.

That which has no existence …

That which has no existence … - by P.K.Odendaal - May 2013

I have had a discussion with someone recently on starting a flying community at our local airport. There is no formal or informal structure to bind the lots of people together who are interested in flying. Well … here it comes … an interest in flying is not a material or physical thing - it is an idea or notion.

And what struck me immediately were the words of White from The Sunset Limited by Cormac McCarthy:

White:    I want the dead to be dead - forever. And I want to be one of them. Except that of course you can't be one of them. You can't be one of the dead, because what has no existence can have no community.

Liberal, Liberty, Liberation … Liquidation, Perdition

Liberal, Liberty, Liberation … Liquidation, Perdition - by P.K.Odendaal - May 2013 

If there is one universal theme which comes up again and again in almost all facets of our lives, it is the struggle and conflict between free will and determinism.

It is the conflict between conventional wisdom and innovation, between orthodoxy and heresy, between the well-trodden path and the one less travelled, between the heart and the mind, between the good and the evil, between freedom and regulation, between socialism and capitalism, between revenge and forgiveness, between war or violence and peace, between the flesh and the spirit, between honesty and corruption … and between a lot of others.