Good world

The "Ten Commandments" were authored by God and given to Moses who then delivered them to the Jews after they left Egypt (see Exodus 20). They were widely known in our Western culture for hundreds of years, but they are not known well or understood today.

Time for a refresher course on the Ten Commandments. Dennis Prager, Jewish, has some good insights for us, whether we're real familiar with them or not.

Think about how much better the world would be if they were observed by everyone.

Like

Christian author Eric Metaxas wrote an article for Wall Street Journal over Christmas. He's a bit stunned, because the article, "Science Increasingly Makes the Case for God," received over 350,000 likes on facebook, the most that any WSJ article has ever received.

photo: apod.nasa.gov

So many scientific discoveries about our universe seem supportive and consistent with the Bible. Those fb likes say there's a whole lot of people who are interested in evidence for God's existence. Some non-believers were eager to comment too.

In Eric's words: "What I did was point to the sheer improbability of our existence and ask whether it might not be reasonable to infer, like Fred Hoyle, who coined the phrase “Big Bang,” whether the universe might be, as he put it, a “put up job.”

Answer

(third of three on America's Blessings)

It occurs to me that some might think that this (yesterday's post) is just bragging. Why talk about the benefits of a church-going population? Because elites and intellectuals have mocked and denigrated Christianity for many decades - the very people who write books and teach in universities. Teachers are trained there, and then they train the next generation.

As an example: back in 1964 Richard Hofstadter received the Pulitzer Prize for his book, Anti-Intellectualism in American Life, in which "he argued that a preference for ignorance is inherent in American Christianity," p.147.

Author Rodney Stark has access to the sociological data which shows that ignorance is not a trademark of religious people - plus the data which answers many other incorrect assumptions. So he publishes the data for people who actually want to know the facts rather than just react.

He corrects misinformation and brings answers to light, the job of scholars.

Religious people

(2nd of three)

Dr. Stark puts the conclusions of the studies (see yesterday's post) right there in the introduction:

• "At all ages, religious people are much less likely to commit crimes."
• Religious people are far more likely to contribute money/time to secular charities (& religious)
• Religious people are happier, less neurotic, less prone to suicide
• Religious people enjoy better health and longer life expectancy
• Religious husbands are substantially less likely to abuse wives & children
• Religious students perform better on standardized achievement tests

The term "religious" is used in the book to identify people who go to church once a week. Stark may not be one of them, since he described himself in 2007 as a "cultural Christian," in the sense of being "one who is strongly committed to Western civilization" - and most of us would not call that a definition.

from America's Blessings: How Religion Benefits Everyone, Including Atheists

America's blessings

(first of three)

Rodney Stark has credentials.  For 32 years he was Professor of Sociology and Comparative Religion at the University of Washington.  He's written 140 scholarly articles and over 30 books including textbooks.

I care about his professional credentials because he stands strongly against the academic tide of opinion in a very striking way: as a sociologist, he claims that Christianity has been a positive force for good in America and the world.  

The purpose of America's Blessings: How Religion Benefits Everyone, Including Atheists (2013) was to make a "full accounting of the tangible human and social benefits of faith in American life . . . This accounting is surprisingly easy because mountains of little-reported research and reliable data exist on a wide range of religious effects" (p. 4). 

Data and conclusions to follow.

Only Jesus

Canon Andrew White ("Vicar of Baghdad") was ordered back to England by his boss, the Archbishop of Canterbury, because of the $57 million bounty on his head and the increasing likelihood that he would die now that Islamic State has conquered so much.

You are probably familiar with the facts of IS domination: the murders, repression of education, burning and confiscation of churches, the refugees who left everything they owned to get away. Click on "Iraq" under "Labels" to see posts about this.

But the Vicar passionately loves all those people he had to - temporarily, according to him - leave behind. Watch the video below, made I think before he was ordered to leave Iraq.  Canon Andrew explains that they (he and the Iraqi Christians) know they have nothing but Jesus. Experiencing the glory of God is "normal" for them. He says, "The Lord is here, His Spirit is with us."


"The Vicar of Baghdad" Canon Andrew White from BearCreek on Vimeo.

A good year

Was 2014 one of your very best years? According to this article, "It may not feel like it, but we are safer, richer, and healthier than at any time on record."

As an example of global improved health, life expectancy in India increased by seven years for men and ten for women since 1990. Even more impressive, life expectancy for Rwanda and Ethiopia is up by fifteen years since 1980.

Extreme poverty, defined by people living on less than $1.25/day, has been reduced by half since 1990.

So in a worldwide sense, the trend is good.  It certainly doesn't mean every person has a better life - especially the people of Iraq.  An update from the Vicar of Baghdad tomorrow.

2nd look back

Posted originally on July 2, 2014

Benefits

So, to summarize:  this planned grazing approach takes land that has almost stopped producing life, places large herds of animals on it, manages animal grazing in a way that mimics nature - and in a just a few years the land supports grass, shrubs, and animals . . and pulls large amounts of carbon out of the air and into the soil.

photo:  ted.com

Sounds like a miracle!  The land comes back to life, and it sustains human life by producing food both plant and animal.  Now we go beyond environmental achievement to social benefits.

Desert-ified land in Africa results in millions of people requiring aid.  When they can support themselves on renewed land, their society becomes more stable and there is hope that their culture will survive.  Prospering, self-supporting people are less vulnerable to violence and suppression.

Scientist Allan Savory (Monday's post) thinks that global efforts  should be re-directed from a focus on replacing fossil fuel (a long, long, disruptive, expensive project) to a focus on reversing the ruin of productive global land.  I wish him success.

1st look back

For the last two days of 2014, we're taking a look back at last summer's surprising and controversial series on potentially saving the earth.  Originally posted June 30, 2014.

Desert to green

Here's a take on "climate change" that I've never heard before.  Scientist Allan Savory says that the biggest problem relating to climate change is desert-ification:  about two-thirds of the globe is becoming desert.  He has a solution that does notfocus on replacing fossil fuels.

He's been using his theory on land that's become dry and unproductive and shows pictures of the land renewed and re-greened.  His solution involving animals actually turns things around.

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Sticky

“Swami, is economic prosperity a good or bad thing?” Economist Arthur Brooks asked a Hindu swami that question while in India recently.

The swami replied, “It has saved millions of people in my country from starvation. . . There is nothing wrong with money, dude. The problem in life is attachment to money.”  The Tibetan word for "attachment" means in English "sticky desire."

In America, roughly half of us are worried about the inappropriate compulsion to get material things at Christmas (and the rest of the year). We've heard this:  it's okay to have money but not for money to have you." It's stickiness when money has you.

Christians would agree with the swami on this point (read what Jesus says in Luke 12:15).

Just wondering . . how much of the stuff we got for Christmas could easily fall out of our hands, and how much would stick to our fingers like half-eaten candy?  What are we too attached to?

From "Abundance without Attachment," by Arthur Brooks at nytimes.com

Heisman

Another high-achieving athlete who honors God (see Tuesday's post) is 2014 Heisman Trophy winner (by a "landslide") and Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota from Honolulu, Hawaii.

photo: oregonlive.com

His motivation? “Going All In is glorifying God with the abilities He’s given us and shining our light for Him. It’s being motivated to always set the bar higher and never getting complacent."

According to his high school friend Taylor Troy, "He’s always had a different mind-set than everyone else . . He always had his priorities in the right order."

"At Oregon, Mariota developed into the nation’s top player and the predicted top overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. The shy kid gradually developed into a follow-me leader, not a look-at-me type . . "

Hallelujah

"The Messiah" by George Handel was performed last week in my city. I listened to the performance on public radio a couple days ago, including comments from the announcer about Handel.

There was chuckling and some cynicism about the composer becoming rich.There was debunking of the "myth" that Handel broke into tears at the beauty of the music.

There was amusement at the old-fashioned audience tradition to stand during the "Hallelujah" chorus.  It was suggested that standing is quite unnecessary, and that very likely some of the audience would think it "silly" and would remain seated.

But for a believing Christian, this music goes beyond beauty. The "Hallelujah" chorus is joyous and appropriate - the spirit soars in praise to the Messiah, Jesus Christ. I don't think I could sit through it even if I wanted to.

Someone who had been at the concert called the show later on to report that the entire audience stood - "without hesitation" he said - for the "Hallelujah" chorus.

Kindness

Maybe you've seen that video of a grandmother hugging and thanking a policeman for eggs.  Here is the Tarrant, Alabama, news story.

When she was caught trying to shoplift eggs to feed her children, she thought she'd go to jail. The policeman instead bought the carton of eggs for her and the store didn't press charges: unexpected, unearned mercy. Because the bystander's video has been seen by thousands, food and gifts have poured in to help this woman, Helen.

This small kindness reminds Eric Metaxas of the kindness of God to reach out to us in our darkness by sending Jesus Christ, the light of humankind:

"[T]he darkness gathering around us does not have the final word. .  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

Legendary

Athletes we admire for both their personal and professional lives might be uncommon, but we have an example like that this month in San Francisco Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner, North Carolina native and humble guy.

Read about his phenomenal - legendary - performance in this Sports Illustrated article and be sure to watch the video.  They awarded him the 2014 Sportsman of the Year for being, in the author's words, "the greatest pitcher in World Series history."

photo: indystar.com

At the age of 16 he was asked about his goals:

"My short-term goal as a person is to witness an activity of Jesus in my life, and my long-term goal is for people when they look at me to see something in me about Jesus. My short-term goal as a player is to win the state championship. My long-term goal is to be a Hall of Famer."

Bethlehem Star

"Wise men from the East came to Jerusalem" (Matthew chapter 2) looking for the King of the Jews about the time of Christ's birth. They said they had seen His star in the East and had come to worship Him.

For two thousand years people have asked what these men saw because it doesn't sound natural, and lots of attempts have been made to explain it.

A lawyer attempted a scientific investigation using modern software, and he makes a good case (dvd of his lecture).  On his website is this statement from former Chief of the Planetary Astronomy Dept. at Nasa:

"About 99.9% of the Star of Bethlehem stuff is nutty, but this isn’t that. It’s well-researched and reasonable.”— RONALD A. SCHORN, PH.D.

Game changer

The Telegraph (www.telegraph.co.uk) in the U.K. has chosen its car of the year, and they say it is actually the most important car of the last 20 years.

It was chosen not just because it is electric, but because it is a "game changer."  Here are a few highlights from the seven reasons given to call it a game changer.

It's the only EV to go 300 miles on a full charge because its battery is so much bigger, about 3x the battery of a Nissan Leaf. The interior is spacious and has a 17" screen control panel that is "simplicity itself." With 440 pounds-feet of torque and 400 hp, its acceleration clearly makes for a fun ride - judging from this video of the British author's test drive. Quote: it "will leave an Aston Martin for dust".

Against mediocrity

Do Hard Things. It's a book written by teenage brothers who wanted to start a "rebellion against low expectations." They blog at The Rebelution.

Immaturity and irresponsibility are often the kind of behavior expected of teenagers.  But is that all there is?

Most of us have not attempted much compared to what we could do.  Authors Alex and Brett (now out of college and married) will challenge you, no matter how old you are.

Attract walkers

(third of three)

According to Walkable City author Speck, several factors make street life - "pedestrian culture" - desirable.  More walking/less driving means an overall saving of money as well as obvious fitness benefits and less CO2 in the atmosphere.  City walkability appeals both to millenials and to empty-nester boomers, who are willing to pay more in real estate dollars to live there.

Speck helps city governments and planners to incorporate these goals:

• Protect pedestrians from traffic and parking lots
• Bring back awnings and trees
• Make biking easy
• Make public transit more accessible  
• Line streets with interesting store fronts

Walkable city

(second of three)

There's a term for it according to city planner Jeff Speck's book, Walkable City. If pedestrians are comfortable walking from place to place, if they feel safe and interested in what they see, if they are intrigued and engaged by the street life, the city has walkability.

American cities, according to Speck, are designed for cars. Wide traffic lanes, fast-moving traffic, huge parking lots, clearing of obstacles including trees, all inhibit pedestrians' sense of comfort. These features get cars into and out of cities efficiently, but they discourage walking.

Picture a boring and unpleasant street scene, then imagine how it could be made beautiful and appealing (click on the picture below). That's what this organization does:

photo: walklive.org

Walkable city-scapes are high in real estate value. Millenials (~age 20-32) expect to live in an urban core, or at least 77% of them do. They - and the empty nest boomer generation too - will pick an urban neighborhood that makes city living safe, friendly, interesting. Go to walkscore.com to get an idea of the walkability of any address.

City living

(first of three)

Millenials (many) want to live in cities. One of my sons did that for three years, but never had the experience he hoped for. He moved to a suburb last summer. A friend enlightened me about the appeal of city living - she longs to walk to her destinations and live among diverse neighbors.

My son and my friend are right on-trend, and investors are well aware of it. In this NY Times story an investor group has bought a 30-story office building to re-purpose into a combination of residential apartments, retail shops, restaurants, a fitness center - in addition to office space. "Mixed-use" development means more destinations within walking distance.

Not all cities, nor all areas within cities, draw people in. How do you do that, i.e., create city spaces that people actually love? Mayors and city councils have been asking. Some answers tomorrow.

Gas prices

Americans have more money to spend for Christmas or to pay down debt because the price of a barrel of oil is down 30-40%.  Here in the U.S., you'll save up to a dollar per gallon compared to about a year ago! How many gallons do you use per month? What good news for families (or anyone) who live close to the red.

One big reason for falling prices is that America, using fracking technology and other vastly improved technologies (like the VorTeq pump), is producing much more oil and gas than just a few years ago.

As more oil goes on the global market, the price goes down.  Some market watchers thought OPEC might reduce their output to drive up the price, but that didn't happen at their November meeting. The price of gasoline is expected to stay below $3.00 in 2015.

Airbnb: helping

New York's state attorney general is apparently planning a crackdown on Airbnb claiming that they break zoning and other laws.  Those on their side say it empowers people and threatens greedy monopolies. NY Times says "real estate is often viewed as a blood sport."

As Arthur Brooks writes in an op-ed for the NY Times:

"Nobody wants zero regulation, and every company should follow the law.  But policy should begin with admiration for new ways that citizens can build their lives, not with hostility to profits or the impulse to protect entrenched industries.

"[E]ntrepreneurs who want to empower ordinary people and government officials who welcome novel industries as opportunities to evolve instead of nuisances to be squashed . . " all can work for the common good. "We just need to ask if what we are doing truly lifts others up."

Airbnb: sharing

Without risking/investing in a brand new business or getting another job, is there a way for a disabled 30-year-old New Yorker to earn some extra money? Yes. The new "sharing industry" is a vehicle she can use create some wealth using assets she already has.

That's the story of Kimberley Kaye, who thinks renting out her apartment a few days a month through Airbnb has enabled her to keep her home. Started 6 years ago, Airbnb brings visitors together with local residents who are willing to rent them a place to stay. 800 people have jobs working for Airbnb and the company is valued at $10 billion.

"Ordinary people, especially vulnerable people without power and privilege, find Airbnb empowering and useful. It lifts Americans up with zero cost to the taxpayer. And people like it. Shouldn’t we encourage this?"

Sure, it's a chance to save money or to stay in a unique spot - for visitors.  It's a chance to make some money - for the host.  But it's being attacked. 

  

More crisis aid

Islamic State (IS) does not tolerate minority misfits in those regions where they've pounded the people into submission.  So hundreds of thousands of religious minorities, Christians and others, have run for their lives.

photo: nytimes.com

But the BBC reports a small sort of movement that has sprung up among Muslims on Twitter opposing Sharia law (which takes some courage).  "[T]he conversation [lists] reasons why Arabs and Muslims should abandon Sharia. "Because there's not a single positive example of it bringing justice and equality," one man tweeted."

Regarding the refugees, an American pastor - born in Iraq - continues to wonder why American Christians have not done more for them.  He has started an aid fund.  

Canon Andrew White's organization in Baghdad also continues "providing food, accommodation, clothing, and disabled aids to those in great need. Last year we could have never dreamt that we would be facing this level of crisis – with our people being hounded from their homes, our people being massacred and having nowhere to go for real safety."

Aid Iraqi refugees

When IS conquered the city of Mogul and villages in northern Iraq last summer, they delivered an ultimatum to Christians and other religious minorities:  leave, pay extra tax, or die.  Tens and hundreds of thousands fled from their homes, bringing little or none of their belongings.  

Surrounding countries now have the challenge of managing a humanitarian crisis.  "Winter is Coming" with snow and cold, as Christianity Today puts it, and refugees often live in canvas tents.  "Having survived eradication by terror groups, they now might die naturally from the coming harsh winter."

TV producers Mark Burnett and Roma Downey ("The Bible" pbs series and "Son of God" film) have started to raise $25 million to help existing churches care for these people, "a strategy to rescue, restore, and return fleeing Christians."  

They and their organizers committed to act in a way that: "1) honored God; 2) was multi-faith/non-proselytizing; and, 3) was at the invitation of regional leaders."

Africans create

 "You are stuck in a . . village with all your skills and all your talents.  And that's just unfortunately the way it is.  The people here are not stupid!  They're just disconnected from global trade."

"What creates wealth?  People create wealth."

"Every single person, [even] the homeless standing there who doesn't know where he is, there is a soul there ."

"Around the world there are a lot of huge hearts that are trying to help the poor, to make a difference. But I don't see as much where those hearts are being filtered through a mind, to say let's understand the complexity, let's understand that there are no easy answers."

"What does this mean for those of us who are called by God to help the poor?"

Leave a comment if you have an opinion about the answer to this question!

Cheetahs & hippos

final re-post of aid to Africa:

George Ayittey, economist from Ghana, says that Africa's elitist leaders are "hippos."  Note who he calls "cheetahs" in his TED talk:

Ayittey condemns African leaders who he claims have not cared for the people they lead  (he calls it the "blind leading the clueless").  Instead, they have made themselves rich by manipulating aid money.  He believes aid has done more harm than good for Africans.

U2's Bono was in attendance, and approached him afterward. Ayittey gave him a copy of his book,  Africa Unchained, which may have helped Bono re-think the problems of African nations.

Years ago I remember asking someone why Africa is so poor when it has so much in the way of natural resources.  That someone told me that the reason lies in Africa's corrupt and brutal leaders.  So this video - by an African - resonates.

Bono & capitalism

continuing a re-post of last year's 3-day series on aid to Africa:

U2's Bono has lobbied for decades in the cause of more and more aid handouts from Western countries to Africa.  

But some Africans protest that aid has been hurting Africa more than helping.  The charge is that corrupt leaders get their hands on the millions - that average people see very little of it.  Dambisa Moyo has spoken and written on this, one of her books being Dead Aid.

The amazing thing is that Bono has changed his mind.  He's still a bit shocked by it, says "it's been a humbling thing for me," but he now says that aid is only a "stopgap."

At a conference about a year ago, he said,   "Job creators and innovators are just the key, and aid is just a bridge."  Redistribution of wealth isn't the answer.  Society prospers when wealth is created.  For stories about how that happens, see the topic "Create Wealth" on the right.

You've got to respect a person who changes his mind when he receives better information. Winners make corrections.

(originally posted 10.31.13)

Stopgap aid

Over a year ago I published some posts on the new attitude toward government aid to Africa.  This week we'll take another look at aid:

Bono of the band U2 made headlines again this past August.  It was not for a concert; it was not for asking developed countries to donate aid to Africa (the 1985 concert, "Live Aid," was his  first fundraising concert).  He has changed his narrative.

The policy of West has been to pump money, food, clothing, wealth in general into African countries that they perceived as needy and desperate.  Motive?  They saw poverty, and they wanted to help.

But did it help?  That is the question.  As more became known about the results of massive aid, voices - from Africa - tried to change the paradigm.

Bono has been one of the most influential people in the world in raising money for African aid.  But here's what he said in August 2013:

"Aid is just a stopgap. Commerce [and] entrepreneurial capitalism take more people out of poverty than aid. We need Africa to become an economic powerhouse."

(originally posted 10.28.13)

Hug

I want you to see this, if you haven't already seen it . . 

Destruction, hatred, heartache, anger, disappointment, injustice, all have shown up in Ferguson, Missouri, seen by the whole nation and much of the rest of the world.

When light shows up for a moment in the midst of all the darkness, we need to see that too:

Get the story here at ABC News.  The original photo is here.