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American Heritage Dictionary
socialism - noun
1. Any of various theories or systems of social organization in which the means of producing and distributing goods is owned collectively or by a centralized government that often plans and controls the economy.
2. The stage in Marxist-Leninist theory intermediate between capitalism and communism, in which collective ownership of the economy under the dictatorship of the proletariat has not yet been successfully achieved.
"It's time for a new beginning, for an end to government of the few, by the few, and for the few...and to replace it with shared responsibility for shared prosperity." - Senator Hillary Clinton 05/29/2007
"...at the dawn of the 21st century we also have a collective responsibility to recommit ourselves to the dream; to strengthen that safety net, put the rungs back on that ladder to the middle-class, and give every family the chance that so many of our parents and grandparents had. This responsibility is one that's been missing from Washington for far too long -- a responsibility I intend to take very seriously as president." - Senator Barack Obama 06/15/2007
When you read the comments above, what do you think? I hear that it is the government's and my responsibility to provide for everyone else. I hear that it is the government's and my responsibility to provide opportunities for others. Why is that? Why should it be my responsibility or even the government's responsibility? What makes America great is that this is a place where you make your own dreams. It is not a land where others make your dreams for you. So then why are our politicians telling me and you that it is our job to make sure someone else's dream come true? This philosophy that says we should help others at expense to ourselves, that we should make sure no one lives in poverty, that no one suffers at all it is called socialism. Don't get me wrong I think it is important that we help out our fellowman, but I don't think that is the responsibility of the government. The idea of socialism is beautiful, but in practice it does not work. We have real life examples to draw from. Think about Russia. The Russian people stand at doorways in Siberia trying to receive their daily portion of food. So instead of lifting the poor up out of poverty, socialism brought down everyone, except the very rich government, to poverty. In Canada where healthcare is socialized, if you have an emergency situation then you have to be flown to the USA and pay for it out of pocket, because the hospitals have no room or funding to help. These are the types of things that happen when you have a socialized society. I will admit that the Bible has a beautiful example of socialism, see Acts 2:42-47, but these people lived socially out of love and gratitude towards God. Society is flawed and people are selfish. If humans were as selfless as Jesus then yes we would have the Utopian communal society that ...
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7053157.stm
Atheism-
1. The doctrine or belief that there is no God.
2. Disbelief in the existence of a supreme being or beings.
The link above is an article that basically states that atheism is on the rise in America. Unfortunately I believe this to be true, but what I don't know is why. I posed the question, "What is so great about being an atheist?" to the commenters on www.digg.com where I came across this article. Here are a few of the responses that I received:
"Being true is a pretty great thing. Why do facts about the world have to be "great" to be acceptable?"
"Some people think it is more important to know the truth and prepare as best one can... for atheists, it's not that the lack of a God is so attractive, just that the evidence is so convincing. It's hard to realize certain things about the world and then go back because the truth isn't as nice-sounding as, say, Christianity."
"No tithes to a church, nowhere you have to be, nothing to dress up for.
Think of the time and energy you'd save not worshipping anything!"
These comments to me reflect that today's society does not think in a logical or comprehensive manner. I do agree with the first comment, but my next question for that person states, “How do you know that God doesn't exist?"
Likewise, that person would ask, "How do you know that God does exist?" Well here is my evidence; feel free to disagree and dispute my logic. First let me state that I am a Biochemist. I only have a bachelor’s degree, but I do have a college degree in science from a reputable school. As I continue to study science and nature I become more and more convinced that the Earth and all of in habitants down to the virus have been created with intelligent design. Even DNA and proteins are so complex that it is impossible to believe that life is a random occurrence. I know that there are famed studies that are purported to show how life evolved from the chemical found in the atmosphere. Actually what the experiments show is that a chemical process occurred and nucleotides (Miller-Urey experiment) and peptides (Sidney W. Fox experiments) are formed. These chemical reactions are verifiable and reproducible. There is even a reaction that shows under certain conditions that soluble RNA can "reproduce" itself. I think however there is a logical disconnect between the first two experiments and the third I mentioned. The biological and chemical sciences have made "a leap of faith" to suggest that the random nucleotides formed RNA and DNA spontaneously that was correct enough not to form an organism but were able to reproduce it. Even a single-celled organism is a very complex entity with an extravagant reproductive cycle. Even out side of that nucleic acids forming out of random nucleotides is hard to swallow and defies the laws of physics. (See the Second Law of Thermodynamics) I could go on and will if ...
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Hi Everyone! I'm sorry it has been so long since I posted. There is not much new in the day to day lives of Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Scott.
Today however I would like to get uo on my "soap box" and raise a few issues that I have come across lately. It seems that more and more people in America are beginning to blaspheme against Christ in earnest. Which is a very sad state of affairs. Of course at least once in each gospel Jesus is recorded to say that the world will hate us (Matt 10:22, Mark 13:13, Luke 21:17, John 15:21) because of Himself. We should not be surprised that those of the world attack us and the very person of Jesus. It has been happening since Jesus was born upon this Earth. You could even say since the beginning of time. Attacks can not come against other religions because they are false and likewise supported by Satan and his demons. (2Cor 11:14-15) However when tidings like these that I have been seeing are brought to our attention we should be praying. God has put our leaders on their "thrones", be we are commanded to pray for our leaders (1Tim 1:1-2). We should pray for God's will to be done in all things (Matt 6:10). We should pray that these dissentors will hear the truth. In fact we are commanded to pray without ceasing. (1Thes 5:16-18) My point is when you see things that are offensive and hurtful the proper response is indignation at the sin like King Saul. (1Sam 11:6) We should also have a broken heart and pray for the person that is lost.
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Hi everyone,
I turst that Easter was lovely. Sorry to be gone for so long, but we have been very busy getting settled into our new house. We did close on March 6 and then moved in that weekend. Both sets of parents came and helped us organize and get some chores done around the house so that it might be even more comfortable here. We did not paint yet even though we wanted too, because of time restraints. We did recieve our furniture. We are still trying to find home for everything, but it is coming together.
We have also adopted a dog. See the attached image. We found him trapped in our friend's yard. We searched for his owners, but have not been able to track down anyone who might have loved him. Therefore we decided to add him to our family. We cleaned him up, named him Wendell, and had him checked out by the vet. The vet told us that he was very healthy miniature schnauzer and about nine years old. I know you want to know why his name is Wendell. Well the story is that when our friend, John Beene, found Wendell he started calling him Lost Dog. Matt then began to call him Lost Dog. Yet when Matt and I decided to keep him, I told Matt we would have to choose a proper name for him. Well John and Matt wanted to name him Lost Dog, but I would not agree. So Matt researched names that meant lost and came up with Wendell. Wendell is a germanic name that means wanderer. Feelingthat the name Wendell was appropriate, we named him. We've had Wendell for about 3 weeks. He came to us neutered and fully house broken. He has even learned that his name is Wendell. We may still get a puppy but Wendell is a great dog and we love him. May God bless you and keep you until next time.
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First I have to begin with sad news. Matt's cousin Lily passed on nearly a month ago. We all feel her loss. She was a beautiful baby who gave joy to all who met her. God called her home. Eventhough we don't know why she could not continue to live here on earth, we rejoice that she is with our wonderful Lord.
On to other topics...
Matt and I are scheduled to close on our house on March 6. It is so beautiful. Last weekend Matt and I bought new furniture.
1) We bought a living-room suite. Well only the couch, loveseat, and the ottoman. The color we picked is like creamed coffee and the wood color is called espresso.
2) We bought a new king sized bed. It is a Sealy Posterpedic.
Both of these will be delivered directly to the new house. Unfortunately we have not yet begun to pack. I'm planning to start this week. As with everything else, I am exceptionally busy with my job and with my wife duties. I love it though. On Valentine's Day (Wednesday), Matt and I will have been married exactly 9 months. These have been the best ones of my life. Sure things still irritate me and stress me out, but Matt knows exactly what I need. Therefore the little stuff doesn't bog me down. Well I must go rest. May God Bless you and keep you all. X0X0X0 Have a Very HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! Remeber you are always loved. :)
P.S. Please continue to pray for my brother, Joseph. He is still struggling with all of his issues.
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Hi everyone,
I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season. Matt and I did!
As for the update...
First off our house should be closed on in the first week of May. That is only a month and half a way. This past weekend, Matt and I and his parents all went to look at the progress. The house has been in the dry since before Christmas. Now the drywall is finished and the ceiling has been sprayed. The tubs and shower are in. The brick and most of the siding is on the out side. In the garage they had to doors lined up and ready to be installed. Soon we they will probably begin locking the house at night and we won't get to look inside it. But until then, I go about 2-3 times a week to look around and get pictures. I'm trying to document all the stages of development and it seems to change a little every couple of days. We can't wait. We even know how we want to paint before we completely move in. In fact we have already lined up help for moving and painting. As for furniture, appliances and other decorations we recieved some items for Christmas. Most of which is being stored at the parental homes until we have the house, because we have no room for anymore things in the apartment.
As for the hunt for a family pet...
This has been put on hold until we are in the house. Matt and I want a puppy and we think it might be a little too tramtic for the puppy to be moved from the pound to one home and then almost immediately to a new home. Plus with the stress of packing and moving, we fill we will be more balanced and prepared for a pet once we are settled. The boston terrier/chihuahua mix is not in the cards for us. After the pure breed incident we waited to see if the mixed bostahuahuas (as I like to call them) would be born, but the female has not gotten pregnant yet. We have decided to go to the humane societies or a rescue society to get a puppy instead of continually waiting.
Well that is pretty much all for now.
P.S. On less happy note, Matt's cousin, Baby Lily has a genetic illiness and we are constantly praying for her miraculous recovery by God. Please pray with us. Also my brother is going through a very rough time right now and we ask that you pray for him too. His name is Joseph Whitaker. Thank you all for your support and may God bless you and keep you.
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Matt and I are pre-approved for a house loan. Hooray! We're getting a house! We're getting a house! Actually we are having a house built. I have attached a copy of the floor plan almost identical to ours. Our plan is actually 1601 sq. ft. It is the same as the pictured plan with 3 ft added on the back of the house. So each room on the back side of the house is 3 ft deeper than the pictured floorplan. Tonight we go and put down our earnest money and make choices on the interior items (i.e. cabinet color, counter tops, etc.) I am so happy. A house of my very own. I plan to take pictures of the house's different stages of development. So check back often for new posts. We should close in March and then we'll be home owners. That is so cool. Just thought you'd want to know. TTFN
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