Dogged Resistance

Portraits of
Deceased Chernobyl Liquidators
(Photo by MHM55) 

There’s something to be said for dogged resilience, especially when coupled with dogged resistance to radioactivity.

Stray dogs have continued to inhabit the Chernobyl “radioactive wasteland” ever since the 1986 disaster.  Generations of them have passed, yet they continue to thrive. 

Scientific research has indicated that these canines have somehow developed a genetic resistance to toxic radiation.  And they are not the only ones…  “Mutant wolves” within that same locale “were reported to have developed cancer resistance,” and neighboring frogs had developed protective “darker skin.”

This could bode well for the chances of human survival under such deadly conditions.  Yet why tempt nuclear proliferation with this seemingly positive prediction?

Resources

https://www.ynetnews.com/health_science/article/bya8vodvyl

 

Brown Snow

Look out, Frosty!
(Fair Use)

You don’t want to be playing around in yellow snow, and brown snow sounds worse yet.

The latter recently plagued folks living in Rumford, Maine.  As the nearby mill began spewing black liquor, “a byproduct of paper production,” the snow began turning tannish-brown. 

Although town officials claimed this byproduct to be “non-toxic,” they also warned about “skin irritation,” “touching the snow,” plus keeping “children and pets away from it.”  So why the concern if all is merry and bright?

Not to worry…  Subsequent rains will likely wash the stuff down river.  One region’s relief will then be another region’s concern.

Resources

https://www.iheart.com/content/2024-12-11-residents-outraged-after-town-covered-in-brown-snow/?mid=1399727&rid=98364581&sc=email&pname=newsletter&cid=NATIONAL&keyid=National%20iHeart%20Daily%20NewsTalk&campid=headline5_readmore

 

Religions in 2050

 

The Kaaba during Hajj
(Photo by Adli Wahid)

While many are wondering what 2025 has in store, Pew researchers are far ahead of the pack.

In a 2015 report semi-titled “The Future of World Religions,” the following predictions were made for the year 2050:  “The number of Muslims will nearly equal the number of Christians around the world…  Atheists,  agnostics and other people who do not affiliate with any religion - will make up a declining share of the world’s total population…  The global Buddhist population will be about the same size it was in 2010, while the Hindu and Jewish populations will be larger than they are today…  Four out of every 10 Christians in the world will live in sub-Saharan Africa.”

These predictions were based upon a projected continuation of then-current trends.  They are global in nature and may vary within particular countries.  For example, the number of non-religionists are expected to increase within nations such as France and the United States, whereas that number is expected to decrease worldwide.  “Fertility and mortality rates, international migration and patterns in conversion” were also taken into account.

Resources

https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2015/04/02/religious-projections-2010-2050/

Next to Godliness

 

The Creation
(Painting by James Tissot)

Although the saying “Cleanliness is next to godliness” cannot be specifically found within the Bible, literal and symbolic references abound within both Testaments.

Leviticus includes instructions for bathing, laundering, handling corpses, and fighting against infectious disease. Deuteronomy offers tips on toileting etiquette.  In Acts, Paul speaks about washing sins away, and in Revelation "John says those who wash their robes are blessed.”

God Himself seems to favor a neat and orderly Creation.  He began scooping up the primordial soup right away in Genesis One.  He might as well have commanded, “A place for everything, and everything in its place!”

Humans also have a predilection for organizing chaos.  In his book Maps of Meaning, Dr. Jordan Peterson explains that our beliefs can be formed as a means of taming unruly passions.  Our brains are neurologically wired to support cherished categorizations.  Genesis 1:27 contends: “God created man in his own image.”

Resources

https://www.northheightscoc.org/me-looking-for-the-verse-that-says-cleanliness-is-next-to-godliness/

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2218102.Maps_of_Meaning

 

 

First Rule of Life

What NOT to Do
(Public Domain)

According to a bestselling book by Dr. Jordan Peterson, there are 12 rules for life.  At least that was the case until his sequel came out with 12 more.

Of all 24, the first seems the easiest.  So why not begin by focusing upon that?  If things go swimmingly well, perhaps the next 23 can fall gracefully by the wayside.

Let’s face it: “Fix your posture” is a breeze compared to God’s own first and foremost commandment.  Sitting up straight is way more doable than walking the straight and narrow.  Peterson points out that lobsters claw their way through life more successfully when manifesting a hardier stance.  So why not us?

He asserts that the “dominance detector” within our brains will know how droopy our shoulders might be.  Droopy shoulders may then result in droopy spirits, especially when coupled with many a droopy body part.  In conclusion: “To stand up straight with your shoulders back is to accept the terrible responsibility of life, with eyes wide open.”  So there!

Resources

https://readingraphics.com/book-summary-12-rules-for-life/

 

He Who Wrestles With Peterson

If you haven’t yet heard of Dr. Jordan Peterson,

Jacob Wrestling with the Angel
(Painting by Eugene Delacroix)

 chances are that you haven’t been wrestling with the media since 2010.

Peterson’s books have topped bestseller lists in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom.  They’ve offered 24 rules to live by and psychologically interpreted key biblical stories.  Ever wonder just what landed Jonah within the whale?  Peterson will tell you that and so much more.

“Overthinker” Joseph Holmes has mixed feelings about these biblical approaches.  On the one hand, he praises Peterson's “contribution to the rise in young men’s return to Christianity.”  Peterson”s somewhat macho interpretation of “the Bible’s vision for life” begins with having to find “a woman,” and ends with needing to face “the utter catastrophe of life… without fear.”

This very interpretation is what then gives Holmes pause.  He believes that Peterson places too much emphasis upon human heroism and not enough emphasis upon God's grace.  Holmes concludes that Peterson is way more the interpreter than the scholar, and perhaps way more the poet than the religionist.

Resources

https://religionunplugged.com/news/2024/11/20/book-review-jordan-peterson-fails-to-wrestle-with-god-enough 

Is bigger better?

Mother Teresa and Friends
(Public Domain)

While some are devoutly caring for the least among us, others are frantically creating the world’s largest pair of jeans.  Could it be that surpassing the previous Guinness World Record for “massive pants” is what life is all about?

Competition is fine when it spurs folks on toward lofty goals.  Yet when more than 30 textile workers find nothing better to do than to adorn “a waist circumference of 190 feet, 10 inches” with a “3-foot, 94-inch stainless steel button,” then they might just have too much time on their hands.

Perhaps the “18,044 feet of denim fabric” could have been used to clothe those in proverbial rags.  Perhaps the 18 days that each worker spent could have been used to tend the sick. As Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once said, “Most people would succeed in small things if they were not troubled with great ambitions.“

Resources

https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2024/10/16/Guinness-World-Records-largest-jeans/5731729100424/