Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Pope Says Dogs Go To Heaven And Cats Go To Hell

Eye Of The Tiber – Catholic Humor

Pope Francis Confirms Cats Still Going To Hell

Pope Francis continues to show he’s not your average pope. During a public appearance this afternoon, Francis attempted to comfort a girl whose cat had died, saying, “One day, we will see our animals again in the eternity of Christ. Paradise is open to all of God’s creatures. All of them except for cats. In that case, little girl, the only way you will see your cat again is if you reject God’s grace and end up in hell.”

The Pope’s comment has reignited a debate on the subject, with the Humane Society saying that if Pope Francis believes animals have souls, then “we ought to seriously consider how we treat them,” a representative said. “We have to admit that all animals, save for cats, panda bears, and sloths are sentient beings, and they mean something to God.”


Santa Lucia - popular in Catholic Italy and Lutheran Scandanavia

Santa Lucia is a traditional Neapolitan song. It was transcribed by Teodoro Cottrau (1827--1879) and published by the Cottrau firm, as a "barcarolla", at Naples in 1849. Cottrau translated it from Napuletano into Italian during the first stage of the Risorgimento.
Watch this video with nice melody and great pictureshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-m6gki4qwPA


There are many saints remembered in December (other than Saint Nicholas, of course). Whether by the accident of tradition, or by design, some of them have been awarded with a connection to the Christmastide celebration.

Saint Lucy (283–304) received the crown of martyrdom during the Diocletian persecution. She is one of seven women aside from the Virgin Mary who appears in the Roman Canon. Her name is from the Latin word for "light," and she is remembered on the 13th day of December, the night before which was the longest of the year in the unreformed Julian calendar. As a result, various Germanic pagan feasts associated with the passing of darkness into light were appropriated by Christendom, and sanctified by this commemoration. 

Saint Lucy is one of the few saints honored in the Lutheran tradition, and the eve of her feast is celebrated throughout Scandanavia, with a procession of young maids bearing candles, led by a chosen one with a lighted wreath on her head (as shown in the first video, a celebration in Mora, Sweden, in 2007). The carol Santa Lucia, sung by the girls in procession, was an old Neapolitan melody of the same name. The lyrics in Italian are the song of the boatmen of the waterfront district in Naples. The various Nordic languages (Swedish is featured here) sing of the light that overcomes the darkness.

Dec 13 is Saint Lucia day in Sweden, where each town's voted "Sankta Lucia" wears a crown of candles and, escorted by girls in white with a red sash and "star boys" brings light and song (and saffron buns!) to homes and workplaces. 

This was filmed in Sweden in 2002https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mk0FyZqNp5Q

Santa's Priority




What's In A Name?

If his fellow Jews called him "Yeshua," and the Greeks called him "lesous," why do we call him "Jesus?"
Question: Why Do We Call Him Jesus if His Name Is Yeshua?
A reader asks:
Jewish people say that our Lord Jesus' real Hebrew name is Yeshua. If it is true, then why are people worshiping him in the wrong name?
The reader is not the first person to ask this question. Some religious movements have argued that we worship the wrong Savior if we do not call him by his Hebrew name, Yeshua.

Answer:
He is correct in saying Yeshua is the Hebrew name for the Lord. It means "Yahweh [the Lord] is Salvation." The English spelling of Yeshua is “Joshua” which is the name of Moses’ assistant and leader of the Jews after the death of Moses.  However, when translated from Hebrew into the Greek language, the name Yeshua becomes Iēsous. The English spelling for Iēsous is “Jesus.”
The Name of Jesus
Basically, what this means is Joshua and Jesus are the same name. One is translated from Hebrew into English, the other from Greek into English. It is also interesting to note, the names "Joshua" and "Isaiah" are essentially the same names as Yeshua in Hebrew. They mean "Savior" and "the salvation of the Lord."
GotQuestions.org gives this practical illustration:
In German, our English word for book is "buch." In Spanish, it becomes a "libro;" in French, a "livre." The language changes, but the object itself does not. In the same way, we can refer to Jesus as “Jesus,” “Yeshua,” or “YehSou” (Cantonese), without changing His nature. In any language, His name means “the Lord is Salvation.”

Those who argue and insist we call Jesus by his correct name, Yeshua, are concerning themselves with trivial, non-essential matters. English speakers call him Jesus, with a "J" that sounds like "gee." Portuguese speakers call him Jesus, but with a "J" that sounds like "sjeh," and Spanish speakers call him Jesus, with a "J" that sounds like "hey." Which one of these pronunciations is the correct one? All of them, of course, in their own language.

The Bible doesn't give preeminence to one language (or translation) over another. We are not commanded to call upon the name of the Lord in Hebrew only. Acts 2:21 says, "But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." God knows who calls upon his name, whether they do so in English, Portuguese, Spanish, or Hebrew. He is still the same Lord and Savior.

World War What?

World War What?
YOUNG PEOPLE CANNOT LEARN FROM HISTORY ANY MORE BECAUSE HISTORY IS NO LONGER TAUGHT AS A "REQUIRED" SUBJECT IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 
Even if taught, it is not always accurate!

Theodore "Dutch " J. Van Kirk was the navigator on the " Enola Gay" when it dropped the bomb at Hiroshima , Japan , and is the last surviving member of the crew.
Dutch was asked to speak at a grammar school the last week of January 2014.  He is 93 years old. 
The young teacher introduced him by saying the speaker was a veteran of World War Eleven (as in WWII).
Dutch stood up and walked out of the school without saying a word!   This really happened.

End of story.

ISN’T THAT PATHETIC?  

Interesting Obituary

THIS IS SAD---- BUT THINK ABOUT IT AFTER YOU READ IT
THEN READ IT AGAIN AND FORWARD IT, PLEASE!

In 1887 Alexander Tyler, a Scottish history professor at the
University of Edinburgh , had this to say about the fall of the
Athenian Republic some 2,000 years prior: "A democracy is always
Temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent
Form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until
The time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous
Gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority
Always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from
The public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally
Collapse over loose fiscal policy, (which is) always followed by a
Dictatorship."

The average age of the world's greatest civilizations from the
Beginning of history, has been about 200 years. During those 200
Years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence:
From bondage to spiritual faith;
From spiritual faith to great courage;
From courage to liberty;
From liberty to abundance;
From abundance to complacency;
From complacency to apathy;
From apathy to dependence;
From dependence back into bondage."

The Obituary follows:

"United States of America",  Born 1776, Died 2016
It doesn't hurt to read this several times.

Professor Joseph Olson of Hamline University School of Law in
St. Paul, Minnesota, points out some interesting facts concerning
The last Presidential election:
Number of States won by:        Obama: 19               Romney: 29
Square miles of land won by:    Obama: 580,000      Romney: 2,427,000
Population of counties won by: Obama: 127 million  Romney: 143 million
Murder rate per 100,000 residents in counties won by: Obama: 13.2       Romney: 2.1

Professor Olson adds: "In aggregate, the map of the territory
Romney won was mostly the land owned by the taxpaying citizens of the country.
Obama territory mostly encompassed those citizens living in low
income tenements and living off various forms of government
welfare..."

Olson believes the United States is now somewhere between the
"complacency and apathy" phase of Professor Tyler's definition of
Democracy, with some forty percent of the nation's population
Already having reached the "governmental dependency" phase..

If Congress grants amnesty and citizenship to twenty million
Criminal invaders called illegal’s - and they vote - then we can say
Goodbye to the USA in fewer than five years.

If you are in favor of this, then by all means, delete this message.
If you are not, then pass this along to help everyone realize just how
much is at stake, knowing that apathy is the greatest danger to our

freedom..

Summer Hike - Two Ocean Plateau Loop

I must do this 44-mile hike next summer on my annual trip around Wyoming.  Are you ready to go?


Two Ocean Plateau Loop
Moran Junction Wyoming Hikes

You start from one of the busiest trailheads in the wilderness. Once you leave the friendly cottonwoods, you enter a forest that is quite diverse. Besides lodge pole pine, you’ll observe Engelmann spruce, some Douglas-fir, and a few aspens. The broad trail climbs gradually, affording some nice views of Pacific Creek if you seek them out. Highlights: Parting of the Waters Natural Landmark (Continental Divide); good views, wildflowers, wildlife, and solitude.

Trail Statistics & Information
Activity Type:
Hiking
Nearby City:
Moran Junction
Length:
44.4 total miles
Elevation Gain:
3,000 feet
Trail Type:
Loop
Skill Level:
Moderate
Duration:
Backpack
Season:
Best June through September
Trailhead Elevation:
7,000 feet
Top Elevation:
10,000 feet
Local Contacts:
Bridger-Teton National Forest
Local Maps:
USGS Whetstone Mountain, Gravel Mountain, Gravel Peak, Two Ocean Pass
Topo Map:
Guide Book:
Driving Directions:
Trail Directions: