Ok, how does anyone “get ready” for the Really Big One? If it hits California as I suppose it will there is nothing anyone will be able to do about it but hope they manage to live through it. By all means have a disaster plan and prepare the best you can, but for the RBO no amount of preparedness will suffice.

While it may not be an E.L.E. since “family values” of the traditional meaning seems no longer any point in law the issue of same sex “marriage” follows this course. But if God sends the Really Big One making deserts ocean front property I’ll be among those believing my native state like Sodom and Gomorrah was just asking for it and will be part of the process I believe is at work with America being the Babylon of Revelation, losing its position of world power through the judgment of God and thereby not a factor in the End Times whether Biblical, Mayan, LHC or other. And though I don’t hold with any of the various organized religions and belong to none of them, nevertheless I do believe in God and have my own opinions about things some discount as religious in nature.

For the greater part I hold a Biblical view of many things and I believe the kingdoms of the world are Satan’s domain, a point I believe made in the book of Job and Jesus did not refute, and he chooses those he wants to have power and rewards his own. Despite the seeming supercilious lunacy of those in the media while commenting on and displaying the lunatics parading across TV screens I believe whoever is our next president will be a servant of Satan, but then I believe this to be true of most politicians and world leaders.

But even if I did not believe any of the Biblical accounts of Satan I would still believe some malevolent agent is at work to cause so much suffering of humankind. For those that want to discount any belief in God or Satan and believe only humans are responsible for the woes of the world, I don’t see much cooperation among our species that holds promise for an end to such suffering. On the contrary, while we have the knowledge to destroy ourselves and our planet we seem not to have the wisdom among leaders to save either one.

Being only subjects of belief on my part I do not ask anyone to share such beliefs, and try to keep separate those things I know from those things I believe. For example I believe the old phrase “sanctity of marriage” passed into oblivion here in America a long time ago, and I long ago concluded whatever happened in The Fall women were made to suffer the consequences of the “curse” far more than men, and throughout history the double standard punishing women rather than men for being unchaste has prevailed for the most part, and there is no denying the double standard of “women become old and wrinkled but men become mature.” Perhaps this is one reason women are conspicuous by their absence as the representatives of nations at the UN.

It does seem to me America has fallen into lunacy and led of lunatics. To cite just one example who benefits from these “prophets” having a dozen “wives” and dozens of children largely at taxpayer expense? Why should women subject themselves to such humiliating status? And the reasonable question presents itself where are the women “prophets” with a dozen or more “husbands?” Lunacy! The wisdom of “Sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander” seems to be missing here.

While my own views are only the results of the musings of my own mind, nevertheless I don’t foresee any solutions for America’s problems being offered by either our present leadership or those now pandering for the White House. At this point in America’s history in my opinion the solutions would be so drastic as to be improbable at best, and though the leaders of America are fully aware of this they dare not speak in specific terms about either the problems or the required solutions.

But maybe the reason the earth is filled with billions of people is God’s way of overloading the Devil and his servants and keeping them so busy they can’t handle all the business coming their way? There might be something to that toast “When you’re dead may you be in heaven before the Devil knows you’re gone.”

Well, I’m not going anywhere for now. If the Really Big One hits I won’t be able to outrun it and whether from the judgment of God or not so be it. I have about as much control over that as I do over the resident cat that ignores or pays attention to me at her will.

Having lived here in the Kern River Valley for years without either A/C or swamp cooler and I once more look forward to the temp hitting a comfortable 100 degrees I’m reminded that one of Henry Thoreau’s visitors described himself as being “deficient in intellect,” but supposed the Lord had made him so and must love him as much as any other. Now gentle reader while some might think my being born in Weedpatch and being comfortable at 100 degrees automatically consigns me to those “deficient in intellect,” like Henry’s visitor I suppose the Lord made me so and loves me as much as any other.

I was raised in the heat of Bakersfield summers back in a time when A/C was a rarity in homes and virtually non-existent in cars and I have been a naturally born desert rat all my life; and had it not been for a family would have chosen to move to Death Valley which is one of my favorite places on earth. As I watch the lizards sunning themselves on the rocks about my place here I’m inclined to join the little critters; they know what’s really good about the good ol’ summertime. Had the Lord intended me to like the cold of winter I suppose I’d have been born an Eskimo. But I was born in Weedpatch not Alaska, and I’m not one to question my Maker’s choice of birthplace.

When Huckleberry Finn decided if his friend Tom Sawyer wasn’t going to make it to heaven then he would just as soon join Tom in that “other place.” While Sam Clemens was very familiar with both Milton and Bunyan, I doubt when he had Huck make that observation it was with the idea of “Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heav’n.” It may be the Lord set my “thermostat” at birth to best equip me for Bakersfield summers. On the other hand, as per either Dante or Milton, if I don’t make it to heaven maybe I’m better equipped for that “other place” Jesus described and Huck mentioned. Then too, maybe “Cabin in the Sky” had it right and Satan (Lucifer is incorrect despite the History Channel et al.) needs his offices equipped with A/C? No; it made a nice touch in the movie but the Scripture doesn’t quibble about a “lake of fire” prepared for the Devil and his followers.

Well, I don’t know if I’m going to heaven or hell but I’ve made it to Bodfish. Some would say… Oh, never mind, I know what some would say and you just have to mention Bakersfield to get the same reaction; however, in the case of Bodfish I know people are just jealous. But at least I’m well-suited for life here in the Kern River Valley without either A/C or swamp cooler and the temps pretty well match those of Bakersfield; and the heat of summer makes for those glorious warm mornings and evenings that are both music and a fragrant, soothing balm to my soul, helping me forget the bitter cold of winter and having to bundle up and type with freezing fingers while the resident cat warms itself on my lap.

But I will once more have to get back into the routine of being cautious walking barefoot in the dark knowing lizards and tarantulas will be in the house, even the occasional snake. I’ll have to be careful outside because of these together with mosquitoes and bats. And there is no denying the dangers extreme temps pose; we will undoubtedly begin hearing of children and pets left unattended and dying in cars, there will be the fires threatening all about and especially here in the Kern River Valley; twice now they have threatened my own home and weed abatement is an absolute must in this area. Yet, for those of us who grew up without A/C in homes or cars it reminds of a time when life did not seem to demand such luxuries as “necessities.”

With the return of balmy summer evenings I stroll around my place here in the country recalling the summers of childhood and remember the lines by Harper Lee that “Somehow it seemed hotter then... Ladies bathed before noon, after their three-o’clock naps, and by nightfall were like soft teacakes with frostings of sweat and sweet talcum.” Ah, dear Harper Lee, how very well you described things before people became so spoiled and got used to “better;” and how very easily we get used to “better” as the woman told Sidney Poitier “In the Heat of the Night.”

During the late 40s and early 50s while living on the mining claim here with my maternal grandparents and great-grandmother there was no electricity, gas, or indoor plumbing. The winters and summers were just as intense then as now, but never once do I recall hearing the folks complain about doing without what most would consider “necessities.” And I don’t doubt it was these kinds of people who did not receive government checks but earned their own way through life taught me the difference between necessities and luxuries, and not to take getting used to better for granted.

However, while I am well suited to the extreme temps of summer I have no quarrel with those who are used to “better,” but unlike so many I’m not as inclined to think of luxuries as being “necessities;” I see them for what they are; luxuries, and not to be taken for granted simply because people have gotten used to “better.” But isn’t this the kind of government we have in America, a government so out of control concerning spending that people have been given unearned entitlements. And now that so many have gotten used to “better” take it for granted that government check and the panoply of social services have somehow been “earned” by some mystical process none can define, but they have become the slaves of a government rather than the Lord that has made them so.

For any number of reasons I keep thinking about Bill Cosby and God saying to Noah when he argues about building the Ark “How long can you tread water.” Wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes in divers places, tsunami’s, volcanoes, cyclones, tornadoes, floods, fires, diseases and famine; it isn’t looking good folks. Bad things seem to be going on at an apocalyptic pace, and just think; it may become increasingly worse while here in my native state we are being “assured” the Big One is going to hit us at any time.

It certainly doesn’t help matters that politicians have mortgaged America for the next two generations. But perhaps politicians know something the “unwashed” don’t know that makes them think they can spend like there is no tomorrow? Maybe they aren’t counting on “tomorrow” ever coming? Did Klaatu appear privately to only a privileged few? Was the Mayan Doomsday Calendar confirmed to only a privileged few? Are those in charge of the American “store” the real insiders deciding to spend lavishly knowing the world is running out of time or are mad dreams of world conquest more than what even Hitler or James Bond villains imagined?

Where are Nostradamus and Edgar Cayce when we need them? Instead of the Philosopher’s Stone what if the Large Hadron Collider should produce Stephen King’s “Langoliers?” Well, maybe the real insiders go a lot further back in time than anyone has thought possible. I got to wondering about this some years ago when I began to become curious what the real facts might have been resulting in the early chapters of Genesis together with studying many of the myths and legends of antiquity and questioning some of the theories given concerning things like Atlantis, the Giza pyramids, etc.

For example the cave paintings in France are so advanced in style as to be downright spooky! That Early Modern Humans, a phrase preferred by many paleontologists, could have had such skill so many thousands of years before being seen again in relatively recent history is beyond simply amazing. It is to me nothing less than spooky though it’s kind of a tossup between amazed awe and spooky.

K. Krist Hirst: In Africa, early modern humans appeared at least as long ago as 160,000 years BP at sites such as Bouri in Ethiopia, and perhaps as long ago as 195,000 years ago, if the dating of Omo Kibish, also in Ethiopia, is correct. The earliest sites outside of Africa with early modern humans are at Skhul and Qazfah caves in what is now Israel about 100,000 years ago. There's a large gap in the record for Asia and Europe, between 100,000 and 40,000 years ago, a period in which the Middle East seems to have been occupied by Neanderthals; but around 50,000 years ago, the EMH appear again and flow back into Europe… Where Did EMH Come From? This is problematic, because there's very little data for these periods of time. In addition, the relationship between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens is hotly debated in some circles. Behaviorally, in Africa and the Middle East, the Neanderthals and EMH were pretty much the same; they were physically quite different and different scholars debate on our exact relationship with them. The more we learn about early modern humans, the less we feel confident about the early classification systems we developed more than 130 years ago. The term Cro-Magnon doesn't refer to a particular taxonomy or even a particular group located in a particular place. The word is not precise enough, and so most paleontologists prefer to use Anatomically Modern or Early Modern Humans…

Perhaps science will provide an answer to questions surrounding EMH, but so far there is no clear-cut answer. Nor is there any decisive answer to how civilization should suddenly appear as though the gods had performed a miracle in Sumer after so many thousands of years without such a thing. Mandrake had his Ibis-stick that really fascinated me as a kid, and maybe there is a factual basis for the story of Amentep; at least I like to think so. As a kid I could imagine all kinds of wonderful things I would do if I only had that Ibis-stick. But I do think there are many mysteries surrounding ancient Egypt, and the facts behind the myths may very well be more astounding than the myths themselves.

We may expect too much of science and technology. I believe we have to leave room in our minds for the supernatural and mysteries and should never forsake the wonder of childhood that so easily accommodates such things. Years ago I read a SciFi story about children being used in a war. The enemy could read minds and hoped to get an advantage by reading the mind of one of the children that had been mortally wounded and was dying, but could not make any sense of the images in the child’s mind. At the same time we hear of children being used by conscienceless monsters to wage war I think it is unfortunate so many good people of conscience seem to lose this ability to make sense of the images of childhood. But I don’t think you can be a very good scientist unless you leave room in your mind for an Ibis-stick.

When you have lived long enough to experience the windup Victrola and icebox you were raised with become “collectibles” or used for “décor” you have lived through a lot of changes here in America. The changes in just my own lifetime have been so dramatic as to cause me to be in awe of them at times. But while language and clearly defined and secure borders are the glue that holds any nation together its traditions are of nearly as great importance as Tevye made clear in “Fiddler on the Roof.” And while some traditions may give place to better ways I have cause to wonder what of American traditions may have been forsaken for things that have worked to the detriment of our nation.

There is a need for both “new wine” as well as not removing “the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.” However, to distinguish these requires leadership with the wisdom to know the difference and prioritize accordingly. But without such leadership a nation will fail. This is why I do not believe America will be a factor in the End Times, but is that nation described as “Babylon” in Revelation. We have a failure of leadership in America, and none on the horizon possessed with the kind of wisdom that would deliver us from the path of destruction we are now on.

But we are in this position as a nation because for a very long time now we have been without leadership that had the wisdom to guide us; on the contrary we have been ruled by politicians, not those with vision and character to chart another course. Much like the Prodigal Son our inheritance has been wasted on things that have not benefited the good of America, but rather things that have been destructive of the moral base of our country, things allowing the importance of family for example to be eroded with nothing of any lasting value as a substitute.

If there is no moral “anchor” for a government or society it is impossible to rightly distinguish between the new wine and the ancient landmark, what should give way to better and what must be retained, a balancing act that cries out for the very best of wisdom and leadership. But who among us really believes the path of wisdom is where our government leadership is taking us? And I for one see nothing better for us no matter who becomes our next president.

The tiny nation of Israel has been a success in balancing secular and religious views, balancing new wine and the ancient landmark and has managed to be an example of how the right leadership can best serve the needs of its people. But it has been nothing short of miraculous Israel became a nation once more, and has managed to not only survive but prosper in the face of so many enemies determined to destroy it. And there should be no mistaking Iran’s mad mullah actually intending to “wipe Israel off the map!” And it is here where I am more than willing to credit the Biblical view of Israel in the scheme of history. That this tiny nation should be so prominent on the world stage would be considered ridiculous had anyone said such a thing in time past, but here we are in the present and so it has come to be.

Because I recall the windup Victrola and icebox as “luxuries” of America past, and then these giving way to improvements and becoming a standard of living in so many homes with promises of a better future I am too old now to worry about what may become of me. So I look about and consider the events taking place here in America and globally with a certain amount of detached interest, more as a spectator than any longer a participant. It isn’t that I have become detached from suffering humankind; far from it. But I have accepted there is little I can do to change the course of events.

I will continue to be involved with politics and will continue casting my vote hoping for the best, not because I believe my vote will change anything but because it is both my privilege and duty to do so as an American, just as I believe it to be the privilege and duty of every American. But there is something quite melancholy about living long enough to look back so far and still having the mental faculty to vividly recall so many things of the past, especially the things that gave us so much cause for hope of the future.

There was a time when people were not so confused about new wine and ancient landmarks, and having lived it I miss that time in America past. It was far from perfect back then, but what prospect is there now for a better future. The friction of greed, corruption and incompetence threatens the machinery of government at all levels and it seems only a matter of a short time when it will be quite beyond being able to function at all but will self-destruct. And should that happen, where is there a friend in the world to offer help and would be both trustworthy and capable to help putting America back together. But it is now this generation’s turn to try and do better than my generation did.

Now here is a nifty idea I read this morning in Center for Individual Freedom: “Buy guns with your tax rebate checks.” And I need not add because you’re going to need them! But while things are getting downright scary and going to hell in a basket here in America leading me to believe our nation is not going to be a major player in the “End Times” the EU is going full speed ahead on the Large Hadron Collider.

When I read “Foucault’s Pendulum” years ago it struck me Umberto Eco was really on to something, and one of the reasons I liked the novel was the book publishing angle since I had been so involved with writing books and learning about the business. In some ways Eco’s use of this in his novel was like that of Michener’s later work “The Novel” though not to confuse vanity presses with others. But unlike Casaubon, perhaps Eco himself, I know what I’m getting into and before reading the novel I had a background in studies not only of the Illuminati, Astrology, Kabbalah and various mystic religions but also knew that at the end of WWII America and Russia did not get all the best scientists; many of these remained in Europe.

It isn’t known when the original idea of a philosopher’s stone first suggested itself, but certainly the idea of finding a means of retaining youthful health, of extending life and even hopes of immortality has been around for a very long time, and together with alchemists attempting to discover a means for turning base metals into gold we had the beginnings of modern science, which like the original concepts surrounding the philosopher’s stone is dedicated in large part to health and wealth.

You won’t find it in a search of the literature but from the beginning when CERN came into being it caught my attention because I have always been a great fan not only of science, but of science fiction from the time in the late 30s when I began to follow the exploits of Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon in the funny papers. But there was also something about the organization that to me intimated the occult at work as well. Then when it became obvious the LHC was intended to be much more than advertised it finally came to me: The EU is trying to find “The Philosopher’s Stone!”

Imagine discoveries that will extend life, make the EU energy independent, provide a means to neutralize nuclear weapons and make them obsolete by the threat of even more powerful weapons, being able to make diamonds and other precious gems inexpensively by the pound-weight rather than carats and turn base metals into platinum, gold, and silver. How about communications without need of any phones, or making teleportation possible? If you finally have the Philosopher’s Stone at your disposal the possibilities are seemingly without limit!

The world has never been rid of Astrology and has many well educated adherents today, and Europe has never been rid of witchcraft and conjurors, of the things that motivated Hitler in matters of Astrology and the occult. Are there occult meanings to the symbols on our dollar bill? Did Aliens grab Steve Fossett and is NASA involved in a massive cover-up about UFOs? Hey, I know what I’ve seen myself of the “Unexplained.” This together with knowing our government lies to us is enough to cast suspicion on any “official” findings coming out of government agencies.

In “Contact” there was the need to interpret the various symbols transmitted to earth from Vega. Carl Sagan among others had many ideas about alien contact, what forms it might take. But could there have been more to the idea of the first TV reception by extraterrestrials being that of the Swastika and Hitler than simply a plot device? One might ask in the same manner why the History Channel seems so preoccupied with Hitler and his Germany.

If we accept the latest theory from scientists the population was reduced to some 2,000 humans about 70,000 years ago, on the brink of total extinction. What saved our species in unknown, but given so many things of ancient times such as civilization suddenly bursting on the scene of history is unknown this is wide open to speculation including supernatural intervention as well as extraterrestrial.

The ancients could not possibly have accomplished so many things beyond their ability without “extra-intelligence” of some kind. I utterly reject the idea the constellations were mapped and metallurgy such as the use of iron discovered without the aid of this extra-intelligence whether of the gods or extraterrestrials. The Giza Pyramids, the Sphinx, Nazca Lines and so much more make no sense apart from this extra-intelligence whatever its source. There has to be a basis for the myths and legends from antiquity, and though the meaning of many stories and artifacts are now lost to us they had a meaning and purpose at some time in the past.

I do accept many of the prophecies of the Bible being true, and many writers of SciFi like Isaac Asimov derived story lines from the Scriptures. Read Asimov’s Guide to the Bible for example. I accept God has provided extra-intelligence at times to various people like Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Newton, Einstein and many others throughout human history. I believe some souls are greater than others, capable of more just like seeds produce differently. But even as in nature wild some die, some grow to be weeds and some grow to produce fruit. And even as some weeds are more “evil” than others, so with good seed that produces better and more abundantly than others. And the pattern here on earth may very well be that of the heavens where both angels and demons are found and the story in the book of Job and other parts of the Bible describes— just as there is a hierarchy in the heavens so it is here on earth where the struggle between good and evil is playing out, a battle described as eventuating in the scenes described in the book of Revelation with the promise of a future destiny for the children of God far beyond imagination.

Among several certainties is the fact something cannot possibly come out of nothing. The Big Bang, if true, had to begin with something. I credit that something being God; supreme intelligence at work; and from God the extra-intelligence that has enabled our species to survive and accomplish so much has a supernatural origin.

While my thought the LHC may be the hope of the Philosopher’s Stone thereby justifying the enormous amount of time, labor and financial investment in the project, this may prove only whimsical. What is not whimsical is the fears of those who believe it may prove to be a Pandora’s Box of very dire unintended consequences. On the other hand, what if it should prove to be the philosopher’s stone; there remains the old story of a battle between the children of light and those of darkness. I believe the Devil takes care of his own here on earth, but I also believe “payback,” a time of reckoning is coming as well. Though perhaps only whimsy on my part maybe the LHC will hasten the day? If not, there is still the matter of a new American President to consider.

While here in the Kern River Valley we are enjoying mild weather and abundant sunshine it’s difficult to appreciate the severe weather impacting so many elsewhere. Things change in a moment when catastrophes like Katrina or a tsunami strike, a cyclone hits Myanmar and fires, floods, and tornadoes wipe out thousands of homes here in America. Of course, the disasters due to the forces of nature are things over which we have no control, but it seems we have no control over the disastrous decisions of world leaders including our own that are harming and depleting our planet at an alarmingly accelerating rate. One might reasonably suppose something could at least be done about this, but it seems reason is not the overriding factor. Rather, greed and corruption seem to be guiding human destiny.

In “My Fair Lady” Colonel Pickering asks Professor Higgins concerning his phonetic vocation “Is there a living in that?” In my opinion, this seems a neat summation of human affairs. Whether by fair means or foul whatever one’s beliefs all must make a living. That this has in many instances been the cause of so much human suffering seems to be the lot of humankind since it has not been our destiny to be ruled by those with the best interests of our species in mind, but rather by those that for the most part are dedicated to their own lust for power and wealth. Utopian dreams have always degenerated into the common dust of human nature that seems to place the most unscrupulous and ruthless in positions of authority. And there must be a reason for this.

So, I wonder about the course of science that depends on greed and corruption to support it. There is virtually nothing in science that is not eventually made to serve the ends of greed and corruption, and altruism continues to be a victim to the noblest achievements of science corrupted to the evil ends of those seeking power and profits. Even now as we await someone pulling the trigger on the Large Hadron Collider for example the worst fears of those attempting to prevent this may be realized, and were it not for the enormous investment in the LHC I would be more inclined to believe its purpose was purely scientific dedicated to learning and the advancement of our species. But given human nature and the history of our species that kind of investment in the LHC belies any such hope.

It does seem the greatest scientific achievements are not sufficient to blunt the forces of greed and corruption that invariably trump the Utopian wish such things like splitting the atom would serve only the best ends of humankind. Invariably the worst among us seems to rise to positions of power and influence, making the decisions that place the best achievements of science in the hands of scoundrels for the sake of power and profits. As a matter of philosophical speculation, I would say if evolution were the determining factor only the most barbaric and ruthless is destined to survive.

But at any given moment our species may be cut short by any one of a number of possible cataclysmic events. As it is, the teeming billions on earth will not long be able to feed themselves and circumstances of both changing weather patterns together with the greed and corruption of those in power may result in wars of growing magnitude not discounting the possibility of nuclear weapons being used. Given present world conditions, it is difficult to see any reasonable solution to the circumstances already making determinations beyond civilized solutions.

When you are warm and fed, when all material needs are met it is easy to wax philosophical about world events, to discuss things like Evolution vs. Intelligent Design, Election vs. Free Will, whether there is a God or not. But when cataclysmic events overtake, the only thing certain is that you will die.

In the brief time I have left to speculate about things I won’t waste it on unproductive argument. It isn’t my place to persuade anyone of my point of view. The thousands of books that have been written have not changed minds unwilling to change, and there is no point in taking up endless debate on issues where the parties have already made up their minds. If there is a God, who can withstand him; and if not death is the end. In the meantime, which is my time I’ll continue my speculations about the many things that interest me.

For instance, who really believes our next president will be able to solve the problems America is facing. And who believes such solutions can be reached that does not require the cooperation of other nations when we are faced with the realities of global conditions directly impacting America. But even now the suffering of unnumbered millions worldwide is subject to the greed and corruption of their leaders, and we become calloused to the pictures on TV screens of such misery knowing our efforts to help must pass through the hands of those given over to greed and corruption. The reality irrespective of either scientific achievement or philosophical speculation is the fact our planet is in the hands of ruthless scoundrels having only the veneer of being civilized.

In the face of coming calamity from which science cannot deliver us because of the decisions impacting us and our planet being in the hands scoundrels rather than those dedicated to human welfare, like many others I find what comfort and hope I can in my beliefs. And so long as these do no harm to others I’m content to end my days believing the things I do, to continue to study and learn things even if they contradict the things I presently believe. If atheists and agnostics find a like comfort in their beliefs that is all well and good so far as I am concerned.

There remain the myths and legends from the greatest antiquity, the mysteries abounding right here on our own planet for which there are no answers. Science still cannot explain or define life or its origin, and for many of us it is a full time occupation being absorbed by these many mysteries, some of which remain in the realm of the supernatural despite all the science directed to finding answers for such things. And if I choose to believe many of the things contained in the Bible are true, that is my concern not that of others. However, for those that have faith in science or world leaders to save us or our planet I think this is faith misplaced; but it is not my place to convince anyone of my point of view, I do not attempt to force my beliefs on anyone and in my opinion we are all free to believe as we will.

The age of our universe is given as approximately 14 billion years, but this is said to be in its “infancy” given the estimates of lasting trillions of years into the future. By this measure, our universe is scarcely out of the “womb” and far from being even a toddler as yet. Our earth is estimated to be about 4 billion years old, so it is a very “young” planet in the scheme of the universe; and if the Big Bang started as a “seed” intelligent life here on our planet may be the latest thing to sprout on the astronomical chart. Perhaps this is why Jesus compared faith as small as a mustard seed sufficient to move mountains.

Given the immensity of the universe young as it is, it does seem beyond reason that our solar system and intelligent life could possibly be unique in the universe. However, there are scientists who believe the human form the most suitable for an inhabitable planet and intelligent life capable of what our species has accomplished, but probability dampens the hope that ET may be found elsewhere and ours may indeed be a miraculously “privileged planet” and ours a miraculously “privileged species.”

Space.com. April. 10, 2008: … In a recent paper published in the journal Astrobiology, Professor Andrew Watson of the University of East Anglia describes an improved mathematical model for the evolution of intelligent life as the result of a small number of discrete steps… Watson estimates the overall probability that intelligent life will evolve as the product of the probabilities of each of the necessary steps. In his model, the probability of each evolutionary step occurring in any given epoch is 10 percent or less, so the total probability that intelligent life will emerge is quite low (less than 0.01 percent over 4 billion years). Even if intelligent life eventually emerges, the model suggests its persistence will be relatively short by comparison to the lifespan of the planet on which it developed…

While the universities have a stranglehold on Darwin and refuse to let go their doctrine allowing any dissent from faith within the ranks, the Creation Research Society and the scientists in the organization are to be commended for the excellent work they are doing in helping us understand how unlikely our species began and evolved by unaided mechanistic forces of nature. I would be more impressed by those touting their faith in Darwin if they had a clue to what life and death really are, but science does not supply an answer to this question. As it is I find Professor Watson’s estimate of 0.01 percent to be very generous concerning life given all the mitigating factors against such a thing occurring anywhere in the universe, and the rancor of those unable to supply an answer to what life and death are or the origin of life only shows their bigoted prejudice against those of us who believe in Intelligent Design.

There are guesses apart from God being the Creator as to how life may have originated and how our planet seems to have become so life-friendly, but there is no science that actually explains it. However, the intimidation tactics used by the naysayers of ID are little different than the propaganda used to stifle dissent and advance other causes without genuine merit. And some of these people are indistinguishable from other fanatics in their pursuit of persecuting those that don’t kowtow to their propaganda and go along with the party line. In too many cases the opposition of ID remind of children throwing a tantrum much in the manner of calling those who believe the government has been involved in conspiracies of evil “nut cases.” Paying attention to such children because of their tantrums is counterproductive.

I’m far more interested given the infancy of our universe and it being so inimical to intelligent life why such life as we know it should have occurred at all in such an otherwise hostile environment? For those of us who believe there is a design and purpose to life it is an intriguing question. That the question too often falls into religious wrangling is only to be expected given human nature. But while any explanation of God is beyond our imagination, the subject cries out for speculation even among the greatest of philosophers. That we humans are even capable of such speculation is in my opinion evidence of our supernatural origin.

It is interesting that while Ben Stein and Glenn Beck find common ground on the subject of ID they did not seem willing to cross the line concerning the subject of evil in the world pertaining to Satan. But it is this line where even the staunchest supporters of ID become somewhat fearful to associate Creation with the Devil. And it is the subject of Satan that separates me from some believers in ID. While I am a believer in ID I also believe the Bible to be our best source of information concerning the working of God in human affairs, including the Devil being a part of it all, which is why I credit the account of the Temptation where Jesus does not dispute Satan’s claim to the kingdoms of the world. And I might add politicians and the universities.

Even given the infancy of our universe we humans are an infinitesimal part of the timeline, even of our planet; and Professor Watson is among many surmising our planet may not long support intelligent life. But I believe there was an act of God involved with the whole of this as described in the opening chapters of Genesis. If we human beings are really as special as the Bible would have us believe, then it is impossible to imagine given the comparative brief span of time involved with the Creation and the even briefer span of we humans on earth what might be in the mind of the Creator for our future: I Corinthians 2:9: But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

Whether one accepts the opening verses of the book of Hebrews or not, it is obvious the escalating sex and violence on TV, in Hollywood films and in “games” desensitizes those that become immersed in such things leading to increasing violence and objectifying women. But while violence and treating women as objects has always been a fact throughout the history of humankind, so much so the Bible has it God determined to destroy the Adam he had created it cannot be denied harsh economic conditions promotes violence and I wonder just how the media in America may change in the face of increasing violence?

The pattern of glorifying sexual perversion and violence through the media does not offer much hope of a kinder and gentler media, any more than hope for kinder and gentler politicians. Well, we know much of TV is not suitable for civilized people but what about The History Channel? I have cause to wonder if the producers have some kind of agenda. Take the presentation A History of God for example.

Books have been written about the “progress of doctrine” in theology, and there is much to credit the concept. The Bible is filled with examples of God dealing with people in many different ways, and there is no “one way fits all” to be found. On the contrary, the Bible as a collection of the writings of men is often contradictory in its own “history of God.” Still, notwithstanding its weaknesses it remains the best source of information about God dealing with people we have at hand.

As to a progress of doctrine this follows the example of children having to learn along life’s path, and in God’s dealing with people it can easily be seen that humankind has been on a path of learning, that at different points in our history God has had to fit the lessons to the appropriate age group. And at one time in the past after thousands of years making no progress, civilization suddenly burst upon the screen of history. This is an event I attribute to the work of God, perhaps a decision made in a council of gods presuming there is a hierarchy of such beings as the opening chapters of Genesis lead me to believe.

    It is very much to our maternal grandparents and great-grandmother’s credit that my brother Ronnie and I were taught right from wrong, that we never used profanity and had a strict, moral code. That this required a great deal of adjustment as we grew older you can well imagine. Nevertheless, the lessons of childhood had been learned and not forgotten which is the reason I still cringe at crude and vulgar language, and I see nothing funny in sex “jokes” demeaning women especially.

There has never been a time in my life that I have felt I was out of the presence of God. This may be due to my grandparents and great-grandmother dedicating me to God at birth and giving me the prophet’s name and raised me “in the nurture and admonition of the Lord,” teaching me from earliest childhood “the Holy Scriptures which are able to make one wise unto salvation” as Paul wrote of Timothy.

But while God may have his “eye upon the sparrow,” parents (and grandparents) don’t always have their eyes upon their children. And some of the things my brother and I were learning from our church in Little Oklahoma would have been appalling to our grandparents. There was one kid in particular from whom I learned some things that definitely did not fit in a church.

This kid and his mother were both shouting fundies, raging warm on the need to live good Christian lives. But this kid held my brother and I spellbound on such lively topics as sodomy and descriptive female anatomy. While utterly lacking any experiential frame of reference, we did not wish to appear unappreciative in the presence of such a learned and enlightened one, and one that was so obviously willing to tell anyone who would listen of his exploits into that forbidden world of “It!” Such was the tender delicacy of our minds compared to this august personage. However, Ronnie and I were well acquainted with hell-fire and damnation and did not want to intrude too far into that dark and enticing world no matter how good its practitioner made it sound.

    But one night during the evening Sunday service it was Testimony Time and some in the congregation would stand and shout that they were glad they were saved and had the Holy Ghost! While this inspiring display of religious fervor was going on, this kid was putting his arm around me and trying to kiss me. Somehow this didn't strike me as the work of God, especially as his hand was feeling my leg. I moved away from him and suddenly he leaped up with an “I'm glad I'm saved and got the Holy Ghost and God's called me to be a preacher!” I was certainly surprised by this revelation under the circumstances, but the kid sat down amid shouted Hallelujah’s, Amen’s and the proud, beaming look of his mother. Then he said to me “Now it’s your turn; you gotta testify!”

    A rather peculiar thing happened. Not only did I refuse to get up and testify, but it suddenly occurred to me that no one had ever asked me if I was “saved.” I guess my grandparents just took it for granted that no boy could be loved and preached to with such fervor as I had been and not be a sure-fire contender for salvation.

    Later as a teenager a kindly old man was to ask me directly, for the first time, if I was saved. I will never forget, since grandad was present, saying I was just to satisfy him. I felt intense guilt for this deception. I still didn't know what saved meant. It wasn't that the Bible and Jesus weren't made prominent in our little church or that I lacked examples of real Christians. But the Gospel was so distorted by ignorance and, sometimes, terrible hypocrisy, that it was never really explained in its pure simplicity. It was not until I read the Bible for myself that I discovered this; and not only this, but also many things I discovered by reading the Bible for myself was that so much of what others had told me was Scriptural was nowhere contained in the Bible. Judy Garland once related a story about her father of this nature, and how disappointed she was to find the story her father had claimed to be Scriptural was not in the Bible. But this is a very good reason for everyone to read the Bible for themselves; don’t leave it to others to tell you what is Scriptural.

In my opinion, the Apostle Paul has it right in I Corinthians chapter thirteen, his marvelous treatise on love in which he declares “And now abides faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” But Paul precedes this by calling attention to the progress of doctrine, that there was a time for childhood but maturity demands one put aside the things of childhood as a natural progression in life. In just this manner I believe God has treated with his children, expecting them to “grow up.”

As to being saved I haven’t known a time in my life when I have ever felt lost from God. As a result, the doctrine of being “saved” has never had any relevance for me. I have often expressed anger at God, but that is part of being family. Repentance of sins comes with a tender conscience, and those with such a conscience will never, in my opinion, feel utterly alienated from God. If the spirit of God quickens a person making them spiritually alive we will know them by their works no matter whether they have “hit the sawdust trail” or not. Good people will do good no matter the religion or no religion, and I believe the progress of doctrine, instruction helps the children of God to not only learn from the past but along life’s path as well and also be able to discern between those who are lovers of the truth as opposed to those “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

It was a point well made by Richard Harris in the film “Unforgiven,” that while shooting an American President did not take all that much of exceptional fortitude the gun would tremble in the hand of a would-be assassin being overwhelmed when faced with the awesome royalty of a true monarch. A president is only a man but a king or queen; ah, as Harris noted that is quite something else.

One of my favorite hymns is “How Great Thou Art,” and it comes readily to mind when viewing the stars reminding of the awe the Psalmist expressed when he considered the heavens. But unlike the awe one might have for some unapproachable earthly monarch, when I consider the heavens and the works of God there is a feeling of kinship with the Lord and Creator of the universe and one that affirms my belief “this world is not my home, I’m only passing through.”

Of course it’s only natural at my age to start hearing the flutter of angels’ wings and start singing “Swing low sweet chariot” or “Take my hand precious Lord.” But so long as I still have my faculties I continue to be impressed by the majesty of Creation and take a great interest in this as well as the often lunatic antics of my fellow creatures here on earth.

After all, the only thing any of us have in these mortal bodies is “now” and that too quickly becomes the past. It was only a few ticks of the clock ago that I was a child enjoying all the strength of youth and now suddenly as though by some trick of Legerdemain I’m old. How was it possible such a thing should have overtaken me so unawares? Alas, neither I nor any of my companion oldsters have come up with an answer to that question. All we know is time seems to pass all too quickly, and the present moment together with memories of the past is all we have, and as Jesus pointed out the evil of the day is sufficient so I’m not as inclined as I was as a youth to give my strength to an uncertain tomorrow. I fret enough just rolling out of bed in the mornings now to face another day. As Bette Davis so well said “Getting old is not for sissies.”

As to the news of the day, Thoreau had a few well-chosen words on that topic: “Sham and delusions are esteemed for soundest truths, while reality is fabulous… petty fears and petty pleasures are but the shadow of the reality.” And just how “real” are the pretentions of those that seek the leadership of America, not to mention all the things so many people seem to believe important to their lives that will only pass away as though of no account and the people are often left wondering why they ever thought such things important.

Henry recounts the story of an oriental messenger when asked about the news from his master told a philosopher “My master desires to diminish the number of his faults, but he cannot come to the end of them” and elicited the response from the philosopher “What a worthy messenger! What a worthy messenger!”

While I feel a kinship as a child of God there is no denying the majesty of the Creator and have concluded I have no questions for God, but am of a mind as the old hymn “Farther along we'll know more about it, farther along we'll understand why; cheer up my brother live in the sunshine, we'll understand it all by and by.”

As master of myself in this mortal body I can do no better than that messenger’s reply about his master, attempting to diminish the number of my faults but unable to come to the end of them. But as a child of God, it isn’t the faults that will condemn me because love, especially in a family, covers a multitude of sins. I believe Jesus was a man possessed of much insight about God, and his comments about a “heavenly father” belies any theology that teaches we are under the rule of some wrathful tyrant.

There is supreme majesty about God as I believe, something no earthly ruler can begin to approach. But notwithstanding such majesty it is our relationship as children in the family of God that matters, and we are not required to kneel before some potentate consumed with a sense of their self-importance. Children are not required to do so of earthly parents, and I don’t believe God either wants or demands this of his children. However, this is my view of what family represents though it differs from some cultures and certainly differs from many religious views. And unlike the despots and tyrants of this evil world system there is a unique majesty to God that invites us to take part as family not servants.

Maybe the end of the age isn’t upon us, though in my opinion it is, but given the antics of those performing on the American stage political and otherwise it’s a little difficult to categorize this age as anything but lunatic! And, to my reasonably sane mind I find myself asking how we are going to survive it? Adding to my sense of impending financial doom for America is the prospect of global famine together with the very real prospect of water rationing in SoCal together with severe weather across the country and all these “earthquakes, in divers places.”

 In light of our being told by the experts to expect the Big One within 30 years the recent rash of earthquakes both here and elsewhere in the country is disconcerting to say the least. I have somehow managed to be at or near the epicenter of several major earthquakes here in California, and it is only to be expected those of us living here in the Kern River Valley are especially concerned about the recent local quakes, particularly since we know the Isabella Dam has been declared at high risk.

I was living in Saugus at the time of that large quake in 1971, in Morgan Hill during the quake of 1984, and right next to the Loma Prieta quake of 1989. But the most memorable one for me was the Tehachapi quake in 1952. There are few things to equal feeling the earth violently hammering under you while watching it literally heaving up and down throwing gravel into the air, a hammering, physical violence deep from within the bowels of the earth making it impossible to stand accompanied by the sound of several freight trains bearing right down on top of you! There are few other experiences that so remind of how utterly helpless we humans are in the scheme of nature despite all the marvels of our science and technology.

With roads cracked, boulder-strewn and impassable friends and I were stuck for three days in a campground in the Piutes where we had been prospecting all the while listening to huge boulders large as houses knocked loose by aftershocks tumbling down into the canyons with a booming sound like cannons all around during those three days. But it has only been due to the many quakes across the country recently that I have been thinking seriously about them in regard to Matthew 24:7,8: “For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.”

Though for many years I have believed America may be the “Babylon” of Revelation chapters 17 and 18, this recent flurry of earthquake activity has caused me to speculate the Big One may strike sooner rather than later. Much as I love Don Knotts and especially his role in “The Ghost and Mr. Chicken” I’ve never been given to an “excitable” imagination, but I read and study a lot about many different things. I try to stay current in science and physics, in biology, archeology, paleontology as well as current events around the world. And to my mind, the lunacy I see on the American stage and elsewhere do not bode well for our future as a species, notwithstanding Biblical prophecies calling attention to earthquakes among other doomsday activities pertaining to the end of the age.

Even after I weigh all the various theological interpretations and Biblical criticism, I’m left with the uneasy feeling the end may be near, that too many passages of Scripture ring true concerning the end of the age. Just looking at the world scene, the lunatics and prevailing lunacy all about especially here in America is enough to give me cause to believe the Bible has it right.

But I have no ax to grind with atheists or agnostics; I have been long out a pulpit and my own theological views are too heterodox now for me to hope of any church fellowship. I no longer believe in prayer for example, the asking God to help anyone or change anything, though I continue to talk to God, to loved ones and friends gone on before me. I believe however it happened this earth is in the power of Satan, as the book of Job in the Old Testament and the Temptation of Jesus seems to validate and the Devil calls the shots, making life a living hell on earth for those that try to do what is right. But neither do I find fault with those who pray, and bless the hearts of those who tell me they pray for me.

Throughout the history of humankind Satan does seem to go about like a roaring lion; and I don’t doubt our own government is sold out to the Evil One. Right now the purported “suicide” of Deborah Jeane Palfrey is getting a lot of attention. “DC Madam Deborah Jeane Palfrey, who was found hanged in what authorities claim was a "suicide," not only asserted that she would never commit suicide, but also thought the alleged suicide of one of her former call girls was possibly murder.”

Not since the end of WWII have I trusted those in our government, and things like JFK and RFK, the Warren and 9/11 Commissions have only earned my further distrust of our government. But unlike some I am not calling out to God to bring down fiery judgment upon the wicked of this evil world system.

One of my favorite films is “Mulholland Falls.” Those of us familiar with that era of Los Angeles have no doubt about how “police business” was handled in those days. But it would be naïve in the extreme to doubt those right now in our federal government are not handling business in the same fashion, though I believe the LAPD as per the film handled things better in the “old days” when the bad guys simply “disappeared.”

What most of us want is justice, and that seems to belong to another era rather than the one we now live in. So if I seem to take a particular interest in earthquakes in divers places and fit this into my theological view of things it is only because I very much want to see justice finally done and do not expect it to come by any human instrumentality.