Final Notice California Mayor Letter on The Lost Answered by Frank Hatch (PDF file) Since both the scientific community and the religious community have become increasingly political, I decided it was time for this website to have a politician's letter. In a private email, I told the Mayor that I would identify him simply as a California Mayor. The rest of the information that I had about him, I would delete. Protecting anonymity is a standard procedure for me. The Mayor's comments and questions were concise enough that I didn't mind repeating some of my answers; but I wanted to do something more than simply quote myself. His letter has given me an opportunity to provide a summary for this stage of my work. Frank Hatch 30 E. 33rd Ave, #50355 Eugene, OR 97405 U. S. A. Hello Frank, October 23, 2010 (6:30PM) I found your article quite fascinating. Many would agree with you that we are prisoners of our limited space when trying to understand the world around us and most especially the infinite; but how does one differentiate between Muslims, Buddhists, etc. and Christians and Jews? In other words, your empirical evidence seemed to be the "Book". It only originated in space and time shortly after (or before) theirs did and like theirs it was written by many different persons from stories handed down by the best story tellers of the day huddled as Nomads around their camp fire. Indeed, I would agree with you that ours is not to "know" through empirical methodology; it is not sufficient to provide us with the answer. Consequently, we are left with our faith and part of that faith is believing in our "Book". But how does one conclude that our faith with all its artifacts trumps everybody else's faith? Does that not simply mean we have taken another leap of faith? (Name deleted) Mayor (City deleted), California (Email deleted) Mr. Mayor, "You shall not wear a mingled stuff, wool and linen together." Deuteronomy 22:11 As a Christian, I'm free to observe all the Old Testament Law with interest but not with obedience. Since my righteousness has never been sufficient to cancel my sins, I'm not dependent on my righteousness except for my sense of irony. For my life, I can only depend on the perfect righteousness of Christ. Thus, my obedience is reserved for Jesus Christ - not Old Testament Law. Christ is the Common Standard expressed by scripture from both the New and Old testaments. This Common Standard, however, is not a "Book" synthesis of the New and Old testaments. The Common Standard is the "answer" to any scriptural inquiry of the New and Old testaments. "Hear me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside a man which by going into him can defile him; but the things which come out of a man are what defile him." Mark 7:14-15 No Objective observation will defile a man; but if a man mingles his Subjective analysis with his observation, defilement will occur. A methodology of defilement is any so-called "empirical methodology" that short-circuits the paradox of Objective/Subjective thought; it is a politically expedient methodology. Whether this methodology is called religious or scientific is irrelevant. Any methodology that truncates empirical data truncates the truth. Thus, defilement has occurred to achieve a politically expedient end (e.g., religious dietary rules; politically-correct data for research grants; or mollifying an angry mob). "And the chief priests and scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth, and kill him; for they said, 'Not during the feast, lest there be a tumult of the people.'" Mark 14:1-2 Dialectical logic is a mingling of the Subjective with the Objective. This mingling is a source of defilement - it "comes out of a man." "What comes out of a man is what defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, Pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a man." Mark 7:20-23 Dialectical logic is not an Objective methodology. It is simply a Closed System of Analysis (i.e., restricted to a finite number of dimensions and variables). In any Closed System of Analysis, objectivity is only a thin film on a synthesized idea; this objective veneer is used for dignity not truth. "I AM" Exodus 3:14 The WORD of God is I AM. The WORD is the Common Standard of scripture, but the WORD is not a religion, nor is the WORD a rationalization or an abstraction of existence. The WORD (I AM) is an individualized Existence in direct opposition to Non-Existence (the Void). We don't have enough information to define I AM. The "I am" that we use and have corrupted with dialectical logic is only a reflection or an image of the WORD (I AM). "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." Genesis 1:27 We don't have enough information to say I AM and "know" what we are talking about. Thus, in our creation, the WORD was said for us. Indeed, the WORD was said with such force that we have accepted the WORD without thinking about it. Even the atheist says, "I am an atheist." But no one thinks to answer, "Prove it!" When the self-denying Buddhist says, "I am a Buddhist," no one laughs, but God. "In the beginning was the WORD, and the WORD was with God, and the WORD was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made." John 1:1-3 The WORD is not a logical theory. The WORD is the beginning of your empirical data: I am hearing; I am seeing; I am walking; I am running; I am thinking; I am measuring; I am building; I am crying; I am fighting; I am wrong; I am right...If the occasion arises that you say, "I am Christian," expect opposition from dialectical logic. To be a Christian is to step outside of all the Closed Systems of analyses - all the religions, all the philosophies, all the theories, all the slogans, all the politics. As a Christian, you will not be considered a friend of the World. "If the world hates you, know that it hated me before it hated you." John 15:18 "And the WORD became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth..." John 1:14 The first time that I was called one of the people of the "Book," I had accepted an invitation from some Muslim neighbors to a feast. As I understood my situation, I was to be their token Christian at the end feast of Ramadan. Since my wife with the other women would be segregated into another room, no one would be pestering me to be "nice." It sounded like my kind of feast. I accepted; and I didn't complain about their lack of beer. I was nice. To give my Muslim neighbors credit, they were more practical about their niceness than me. Like you, my neighbors gave me a opportunity to delineate my Faith and contrast it with Islam and other religions. From my experience with the Buddhists and Cao Dai in Vietnam, the courtesy that they were extending to me was going to lead to a discussion of common ground. Although I was aware of the math sequence of the Initial Mass Displacements, it would be more than two decades before I published the sequence. Also, I've never used the proportional postulates as a basis for my Faith or "another leap of faith." My Faith has allowed me to explore the sequence of postulates as I've explored the Old Testament Law. Faith is not just a belief; Faith is action - Work (see Carpenter Tool). To begin on a common ground with my Muslim neighbors, I noted that I agreed with them that there is only One God; and that the Messiah, Jesus, is a son of Mary. After this agreement to One God and Mary (a Jewish maiden betrothed to Joseph), our common ground came to an end. I noted that since I accepted that Christ is the Son of God as well as a son of Mary, I can only conclude that the Jews are the chosen people (see FAQ). Since the choice of Mary was not a random event, neither could the choice of her people be a random event. With Moses, the Jews were trained in the particular kind of God who visited them, guided them, freed them, and disciplined them. Not surprisingly, some stiff-necked stewards considered Jesus to be a blasphemer for not following some house keeping rules. Although the Jews rightly rejected a pantheistic god in which anyone could claim to be a part of god, the stewards were wrong to expect the authority of the LORD God to rest with an angel or someone more impressive that a carpenter. When a son of Man spoke with the authority of the LORD God, the status of the human species rose above the angels. Thus, we have been commanded by angels not to bow down to angels. Jesus Christ, a son of Man, introduced Himself as the Son of God: the WORD (I AM) made flesh. "I AM the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me." John 14:6 The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit form the Trinity paradox of the One God. If you want to learn more of the Trinity paradox, you must ask the Father in your prayers - alone and in secret (see Advice). The test for any faith must be in living that faith. Unlike the various religions and philosophies of the World that try to minimize tension and stress, Christ will maximize tension and stress. If you find that your faith has become insufficient for your depth, you should consider the adventure of becoming a Christian. I was not invited to another feast. Returning to your letter: "the best story tellers of the day huddled as Nomads around their camp fire," I understand why my Muslim-neighbor story isn't one of the "best." I left too much out. Either from consolidation, memory loss, courtesy, or rambling, I would find myself pushed to the cold outside of the "huddled Nomads." The campfire insiders already appreciated the mystery of "I AM"; and they were working on the mystery of "WE ARE" for a specific purpose: they were waiting for "HE IS" to join them. Fearfully, each story teller chose their words carefully to paraphrase the insight given them by YHWH. "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom" Psalm 111:10 The Jewish scholars must find it disconcerting to see the Apostles freely (sloppily) quote from the Old Testament. (It could only be worse if I joined their sacred study on why Genesis began with the second letter of the alphabet. I'm sure my friendly smile wouldn't disarm their concern for my cigar ashes on their parchment.) When scholars see that Christ is also free in His use of scripture, they probably consider it evidence that He isn't the Christ. Certainly, the real Messiah would get it right. But He does get it right, because He isn't quoting scripture. He is paraphrasing with parables the original insight given to "the best story tellers." The Messiah knows what God-given images are; and He knows how to use them. Returning to your letter again: "your empirical evidence seems to be the 'Book.'" No. Unless I had "empirical evidence" that the Bible (the Book?) approached the Truth, I wouldn't quote it; I wouldn't use it. Unlike the Koran, the Bible is not a polished idea. The Koran is an Absolute Idea designed to please the eye. The Bible is un-hewn stones designed to open the eye. The Koran is used for chanting and memorization: "...their fear of me is a commandment of men learned by rote..." Isaiah 29:13 The Bible is used for instruction: "All scripture is inspired by God..." 2 Timothy 3:16 Unless you had "empirical evidence" instead of some so-called "empirical methodology," I can't imagine how you could claim to "know" anything. When Christians tell you to "know" the LORD, they are not being poetic. They are telling you to use your ears to hear, and your eyes to see. "God is Love" 1 John 4:8 Unless He can communicate that Love, how can we "know" Him? The Fear is ours, not His. The only honest approach to the eternal LORD God is with Fear. However, the human species are successful predators, because they are able to manage their fears. With the use of dialectical logic in any finite fear, humans can quickly determine the up-side and down-side of their situation: to fight or to run (i.e., to find the right tool to fight later). When faced with the infinite Fear of the eternal LORD God, the humans will try to make the Fear finite and, therefore, manageable. A golden calf or golden ideas are always more manageable than the golden rule from the eternally jealous God. "This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men." Matthew 15:8-9 (Isaiah 29:13-14) If you try to short-circuit your infinite Fear with a rationalization of the human situation, then you will have closed your only approach to the eternal God. However, if you refuse to be comforted by your rationalizations; if you continue to seek the LORD with Fear; if you accept the tension and stress of your eternal quest - then you will find Him; and He will guide you. Your Creator knows you. He knows your unique purpose (He made your purpose). He knows what empirical evidence you need to function in your purpose. He will answer your questions. From your experience, "God is Love" will mean something to you; and you will irritate skeptics when you try to explain it. After you have explained the conclusion of "God is Love," if your skeptics had been your friends, then you will probably lose your friends. The God-is-Love conclusion: Final Notice: the human species will be exterminated. In Jesus Christ (the New Man), you are being offered an opportunity to change to an upgraded species. "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3 Best Regards, Frank Hatch Initial Mass Displacements - 4-page PDF The Lost - 23-page PDF California Mayor Letter on The Lost - 6-page PDF |
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