Here's the Link: Islam

News item from the Christian Science Monitor: MANILA, PHILIPPINES –
The article reports Islam converts from Catholism are finding a stronger sense of community and purpose at the local Islamic mosque. where they become known as 'Balik Islam,' or returnees to Islam. Their shared belief is that Filipinos were originally Muslims before Spanish colonizers imposed Catholicism, so they are returning to their faith.

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My summary for the article:
The article explains that more than 200,000 former Catholic Christians have converted to Islam in the Philippines. Many of them are now involved in extremist violence. Islamic insurgents are using cells of militant converts as terrorist operatives to strike targets in Manila. Where the converts are not racially different from the indigenous population, law enforcement cannot racially profile to identify those who might be a danger. They want to prove themselves, and not be seen as second-class Muslims. The article states that there is a growing "spiritual awakening at a time when the teachings of the dominant Catholic church are being challenged...." Islam is now the fastest growing religion in the Philippines.

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Praise Allah and pass the improvised explosives.
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You may think the problem is only in the Philippines. I hope a reminder about lower Manhattan won't be necessary. The Muslim religion is the dominant religion over a massive area of this Earth.
Just as important is they are growing rapidly

So, is the fact the Muslim population in America is exploding (no pun intended) and we are seeing a general stagnation or even rejection of American Orthodox Christian religions a problem? Do you see our youth and adults leaving the church, because if you don't, they are.

Here's the Link:
US Demographics

I provide a summary below

The proportion of the US population that can be classified as Christian has declined from 86% in 1990 to 77% in 2001. In that time period the number of adults who classify themselves in non-Christian religious groups has increased from about 5.8 million to about 7.7 million. Christian groups are those that worship Christ as God.

The most telling trend for America is "the greatest increase in absolute as well as in percentage terms has been among those adults who do not subscribe to any religious identification; their number has more than doubled from 14.3 million in 1990 to 29.4 million in 2001; their proportion has grown from just 8% of the total in 1990 to over 14% in 2001". There are currently 4 states where the largest segment of the population define themselves as "no religion". Individuals in this group show the lowest incidence of marriage (19%) of all groups.

I think we are beyond the point of wondering if major Christian denominations (conferences) in America are becoming irrelevant.

The important question should be: "What are we going to do about it?" Perhaps you have some ideas you might want to share.

This lyrically altered Howard Jones tune is dedicated to all the duly elected Democrats who recently and significantly waffled. This is tongue in cheek because now it is the Democrats turn to get it. All those that changed their mind when it came time to vote, this one's for you.

The following should be sung to the tune "No One Is To Blame"
by Howard Jones. Under no circumstances should you read the lyrics until you have become quite familiar with the tune The new lyrics are written by The Genuine Article, himself. Before you make a judgement on their quality, you should know I will be keeping my day job. The original Howard Jones lyrics appear after mine.

Please note I have left four lines open for your possible suggestions. In the spirit of the Republican dialogue, please do not comment unless you actually can bring a proposal to the the table.

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No Dem(ocrat) is to Blame

You can knock yourself up but you won’t give birth
You can drive your Hummer for the warming of the Earth
You can decry the terror as you down another scotch
“Sleeping with the Enemy”, and Oprah’s what you watch

And you want war, then you want peace
Dems want everything
And you want peace, and you want war
No Dem, no Dem, no Dem ever is to blame

You can run for President but you just can't win
You're a Massachusetts Senator and we all know where you’ve been
Some break the rules And live to count the cost
But with the democrats all our hopes are lost

And you want war, and you want peace
Dems want everything
And you want peace, and you want war
No Dem, no Dem, no Dem ever is to blame

Fill in the words here
Fill in the words here
Fill in the words here
Fill in the words here

And you want war, and you want peace
Dems want everything
And you want peace, and you want war
No Dem, no Dem, no Dem ever is to blame

And you want war, and you want peace
Dems want everything
And you want peace, and you want war
No Dem, no Dem, no Dem ever is to blame
No Dem ever is to blame
No Dem ever feels the shame

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The original Lyrics

No One is to Blame by Howard Jones

You can look at the menu but you just can't eat
You can feel the cushions but you can't have a seat
You can dip your foot in the pool but you can't have a swim
You can feel the punishment but you can't commit the sin

And you want her and she wants you
We want everyone
And you want her and she wants you
No one, no one, no one ever is to blame

You can build a mansion but you just can't live in it
You're the fastest runner but you're not allowed to win
Some break the rules And live to count the cost
The insecurity is the thing that won't get lost

And you want her and she wants you
We want everyone
And you want her and she wants you
No one, no one, no one ever is to blame

You can see the summit but you can't reach it
It's the last piece of the puzzle but you just can't make it fit
Doctor says you're cured but you still feel the pain
Aspirations in the clouds but your hopes go down the drain

And you want her and she wants you
We want everyone
And you want her and she wants you
No one, no one, no one ever is to blame
No one ever is to blame
No one ever is to blame

What of the apparent clash between our free agency and God's foreknowledge?

God derives his insight from matchless statistical skills.
The uncertainty principle: God cannot know with certainty what the individual (John or Jane Doe) will do at a certain time. Instead, God is conscious of every possible exploit and has an eventuality readily available for each one of them. Is this an illustration that we have an invariable and predetermined future? Not to the extent it limits our freedom to choose at all. For clarity I continue with John.

As no one could rationally suggest that John’s choices are at any moment random, we must describe what contributes to John’s decision at a given time: 1) His disposition. 2) His previous experiences. 3) His values. 4) His pressing, present thoughts and emotions. 5) His surroundings.

God has perfect knowledge of his disposition and his previous experiences. God also is aware of his values, and the thoughts and emotions that come into the mix. If we consider linking together this knowledge with a consideration of time that has no lower quantized limit, we have a situation where the immediate future is fixed for John – and curiously for every other person living.

Basically, there is nothing in the elements of John’s choice that disguises or confuses other elements when they are observed. When God perceives John’s history, God still has full capacity to perceive John’s current emotions and and thoughts. So, here goes an observation:

God finds John at situation T1. God chooses to calculate the future of John at T1 + 1 nanosecond (ns = 1 one billionth of a second). God can perceive all considerations for that next 1 ns; there is nothing that God cannot perceive with perfect clarity. Thus, God’s calculation is not a statistical probability but a mathematical certainty. At T1, the following ns becomes known. Or dare I say it becomes determined, yet leaves him absolutely free to act.

At T1 + 1 nanosecond, the next 1 ns will also be decided upon. Consequently, there is never a time when the future is not fixed and determined, even with the possibilities near infinite for John. Is 1 ns too tiny a moment to be sensibly significant? Well, that 1 ns could become 1 min, 1 hour, or 1 day, OR one lifetime because God’s statistical capability combined with the input data come together with perfect execution. In conclusion, what is the difference between 1 ns and the entirety of human history of the world? The answer is: the amount of computation. And God has infinite processor speed and infinite bandwidth.

Clearly, the reality that God can be certain about every moment in our future, this does not diminish the extent of our free will at any time. It’s just that he is capable of knowing with certainty over whatever timeframe. Even if we act at any time deliberately irrational, He has considered it, perhaps chuckles, and knows. So, God has a perfect foreknowledge without it frustrating our free will.

Randomness is fundamental to statistics. Yet we are not random in either who we are or what we choose. Therefore, the final calculation is not a probability. It is a mathematical certainty.

In "Theology for Dummies" a riot is taking place at the topic "Fluffy the dog isn't going to Heaven". All sorts of agnostics, atheists, and orthodoxy are battling there. Some are separating as enemies. It is an orthodox Christian Jihad against everyone else. Comments on this singular subject have probably reached 100 by now.
It is a sight to be seen.
Remember on Ghost Busters when the StayPuff man exploded?
As in all riots, there is little focus on Fluffy at all. What began as a light hearted discussion has turned into a modern day Crusades. According to the Ministers of Blogstream (the MOB) who have assembled there, humans alone attain immortality and, ever so simply, in Heaven Fluffy is not allowed.

The MOB's message to us is that 99% of God's creation will come to an end at Christ's return. Heaven on Earth will have no life but human and angels. There will be oceans sterile of all life (not even angel fish). There will be endless stretches of land mass with not a blade of grass to be found, not a natural sound except the wind and human utterance. Ever seen the stretches of northern Arizona? Think worse. If there is rain, it falls for no reason, nourishing nothing. This is Heaven. Anybody wanna go there?

The MOB doesn't understand their Bible. The place is called the theology for dummies after all.

I am becoming dangerously close to my 40th high school graduation reunion. In 40 years this has not been something that I have done. As a matter of fact, through the years contact between me and any one of the 100 graduates has been, well, nonexistant....excepting for a couple guys. Let me come clean. I would have been a nerd if I had been smarter and computers had been around. Without that I was just not a piece of the puzzle. Being happily married for the past 34 years rules out any fascination that might be there for those sexually charged years. Look, it seems like its something I'm supposed to do. But back then I carried half the weight I do now and I could see the whole social thing just repeat itself again with the cliques that have reformed at previous reunions putting me right back in my place. They've contacted me before and they'll do it again. Can you help me out on this? I don't want to screw this up.