JACK'S WINNING WORDS 9/26/06
“Every great advance in natural knowledge has involved the absolute rejection of authority.” (Thomas Huxley) Huxley was a 19th century scientist in England and a defender of Darwin’s theory of evolution. Here’s question for today: Who is the protector of the mind of man/woman? Is a protector needed? ;-) Jack

THE "APE MAN" AND THE ARCHBISHOP
Huxley is best known for his famous debate in June 1860, at the British Association meeting at Oxford. His opponent, Archbishop Samuel Wilberforce, was not-so-affectionately known as "Soapy Sam" for his renowned slipperiness in debate. Wilberforce was coached against Huxley by Richard Owen. During the debate, Archbishop Wilberforce ridiculed evolution and asked Huxley whether he was descended from an ape on his grandmother's side or his grandfather's. Accounts vary as to exactly what happened next, but according to one telling of the story, Huxley muttered "The Lord hath delivered him into my hands," and then rose to give a brilliant defense of Darwin's theory, concluding with the rejoinder, "I would rather be the offspring of two apes than be a man and afraid to face the truth."

HERE'S WHAT C.F. IN M.,I. THINKS
Man is his own protector of his mind. Only he accepts or rejects input.

JACK RESPONDS TO C.F.
You surmise that everyone has similar values when making judgments. What is one person’s garbage is another man’s treasure. The terrorists who blow themselves up believe that they will have a reward in heaven for that. Someone taught them to believe that. While they are free to choose, they are led toward making a decision based on someone else’s beliefs.
IN THE END, as the Bible says…1 Corinthians 2:16.

FROM S.H. IN SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN
I personally continuously find that I find the Jewish writings fascinating. In the end it seems I can't get too enthralled about what impersonal nature is doing or not doing as much as asking what God is doing through His creation and wondering if nature is, in fact, not impersonal but rather somehow flowing out from a benign God always working to bring us back from idolatry. Somebody like a Jerry Falwell who attributes catastrophes in parts of our own country to the sinfulness of that area and punishment, etc., etc., etc. well I suppose maybe we all are being brought back to God and instead have been allowed to see the consequences of our communal decisions. I hope this kind of analysis doesn't seem trite and simplistic and not concerned with the depth and tragedy of being able to descend to the pain that people experience when they lose their homes, all of their possessions, their very livelihoods of jobs and their churches/synagogues/mosques where they went to worship and be strengthened in their faiths. Can't know the reasons so maybe the best thing is to just concentrate on the known reality and try to come together as community to help each other but one wonders if we can get even some more faithful understanding of what we might be being called to be learning. Did Christianity remove forever Jewish relationship and understanding of God's working in our lives, for example this writing on the miraculous? That is one big question I have for God when I get to heaven.