Finally!
I will be moving operations over there. Come on over!
www.aerikvondenburg.com
Goodbye Blogger.
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Sunday, August 3, 2014
Update
Been working on not only putting the finishing touches on the book (before ordering the printed editions) but also working on a new website -- which I hope to have up by next month. Therefore, I will most likely be bringing this site to a close in the near future. So the next post will most likely be a link to the new site and the beginning of a great new chapter.
See you there and may the spirit of the Savior be with you.
See you there and may the spirit of the Savior be with you.
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Thursday, May 8, 2014
What did Jesus Look Like?
A new image of what could be Jesus has been unearthed in Egypt.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/29/jesus-inscription-tomb_n_5234109.html
Like other early images, this one depicts him without a beard.
The oldest known depiction of Jesus (235 CE) shows him not only without a beard, but with short hair.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dura-europos-paralytic.jpg
Here is another one from around the same era:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Good_shepherd_02b_close.jpg
However, these descriptions were most likely based on images of the Roman gods.
It was not until almost two centuries later, in the late 4th century, that Jesus was depicted with longer hair and a beard.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depiction_of_Jesus
It was Jewish law for men to have beards and to not cut the hair on the sides of their head short, and the Pharisees never accused Jesus of not complying with this regulation. However, scholars believe that many people cut their hair short in those days to help prevent lice.
I was recently watching a documentary called "Who Was Jesus?" and a forensics person came up with this image:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/29/jesus-inscription-tomb_n_5234109.html
Like other early images, this one depicts him without a beard.
The oldest known depiction of Jesus (235 CE) shows him not only without a beard, but with short hair.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dura-europos-paralytic.jpg
Here is another one from around the same era:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Good_shepherd_02b_close.jpg
However, these descriptions were most likely based on images of the Roman gods.
It was not until almost two centuries later, in the late 4th century, that Jesus was depicted with longer hair and a beard.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depiction_of_Jesus
It was Jewish law for men to have beards and to not cut the hair on the sides of their head short, and the Pharisees never accused Jesus of not complying with this regulation. However, scholars believe that many people cut their hair short in those days to help prevent lice.
I was recently watching a documentary called "Who Was Jesus?" and a forensics person came up with this image:
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Greed and Gluttony. 2 of the 7 Deadly Sins
How difficult a thing it will be for those having money
to make their way into the kingdom of God! It is easier, in fact, for
a camel to get through the eye of a sewing needle than for a rich man
to get into the kingdom of God.
—Yeshua, Luke
18.24-25
Please call your representatives office and tell them: No Food Stamp Cuts!
Friday, February 28, 2014
Is It Really About "Religious Freedom"?
The so-called "Religious Freedom Bill" that allows business to go back to the Jim Crow era segregation days and refuse service to homosexual people on the grounds that it is against their religion was defeated in Arizona. However, other "Bible belt" states are also considering passing such discriminatory legislation.
Since we have already covered the subject of homosexuality on this blog (please search for it if you have not read it), let us consider the actions of Jesus himself.
In Mark 2.13-17 Jesus eats with sinners - much to the disapproval of the hard-hearted Pharisees.
Regardless if people who are calling themselves "Christians" or not believe that homosexuality is a sin, I ask you: do you also condemn Jesus for associating with "sinners"?
Since we have already covered the subject of homosexuality on this blog (please search for it if you have not read it), let us consider the actions of Jesus himself.
In Mark 2.13-17 Jesus eats with sinners - much to the disapproval of the hard-hearted Pharisees.
Regardless if people who are calling themselves "Christians" or not believe that homosexuality is a sin, I ask you: do you also condemn Jesus for associating with "sinners"?
Sunday, January 5, 2014
New Cover for the Genesis of Revelation
New cover for the book. The old cover will still be used but on the Full and Esoteric Edition that is still in the works.
Also, paper-back edition of the Judeo-Christian Edition is nearing completion.
Also, paper-back edition of the Judeo-Christian Edition is nearing completion.
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Google Goes Evil
I just heard a very troubling thing -- Google has joined ALEC, an organization that tries to pass bills that would oppose fracking disclosure, require public schools to teach climate denial, make reporting animal abuse a crime, and attack our voting rights.
Google should know better! I signed a petition demanding they quit ALEC at once. Will you join me?
Check it out here: https://secure.sierraclub.org/
In February, a Utah slaughterhouse was caught painfully pushing a cow with a forklift. But when the police showed up, they weren't there to shut things down -- they were there to press charges against the citizen filming the cruelty, even though she never left public land. [1]
Many would call Amy Meyer a hero, but Utah called her a criminal. This is due to a new crop of state bills that ban the filming of industrial animal abuse without permission -- and even place whistleblowers on a "terrorism registry." [2]
Shockingly, Google is funding this madness.
Google recently joined ALEC, a shadowy organization that works with state lawmakers to ram through legislation for corporations like Exxon and Philip Morris. [3, 4] Google -- a major investor in clean energy -- should know better than to fund bills that would also require climate denial education in public schools and oppose fracking disclosure.
Thanks to public pressure, 50 corporations have already quit ALEC -- now it's Google's turn.
As an Internet user, Google needs to hear from you. Raise your voice and tell the tech giant: Stop funding climate deniers. Quit ALEC now!
Sign the petition today, and we'll deliver it to Google during ALEC's giant conference next week, which features speakers like Ted Cruz and Paul Ryan. 75,000 names will put Google on the spot!
Funded almost exclusively by major corporations like Koch Industries, ALEC -- or the American Legislative Exchange Council -- writes "model bills" for right-wing lawmakers to introduce as "grassroots" legislation. From Utah's "ag-gag" bill to "Stand Your Ground" laws and attacks on our voting rights, about 200 of these corporate scams pass every year.
One of ALEC's efforts pretends to disclose the chemicals used in fracking. But in reality, the Exxon-backed bill is pure deception, creating new loopholes that would make it even easier to hide the most toxic fracking chemicals. [5]
This agenda is so extreme that, thanks to grassroots pressure, many big-name corporations have already quit ALEC -- including McDonald's, Johnson & Johnson, and Wal-Mart. [6] Even Big Oil's own ConocoPhillips has had enough -- but not Google.
Google's supposed to be one of the good guys. It's up to us to remind them of their old "Don't be evil" motto, and bring the same public pressure that led all those other corporations to see the light.
Tell Google to stop funding climate denial today, and then tell your friends -- that way we can deliver a petition with 75,000 names during the ALEC conference!
Today's petition is just the beginning. SierraRise is teaming up with organizations like Forecast the Facts and the Center for Media and Democracy. We'll use people pressure and digital organizing -- much of it with Google's own tools -- to demand the tech giant do the right thing and leave ALEC behind.
It all starts with this show of force -- sign your name today.
Many would call Amy Meyer a hero, but Utah called her a criminal. This is due to a new crop of state bills that ban the filming of industrial animal abuse without permission -- and even place whistleblowers on a "terrorism registry." [2]
Shockingly, Google is funding this madness.
Google recently joined ALEC, a shadowy organization that works with state lawmakers to ram through legislation for corporations like Exxon and Philip Morris. [3, 4] Google -- a major investor in clean energy -- should know better than to fund bills that would also require climate denial education in public schools and oppose fracking disclosure.
Thanks to public pressure, 50 corporations have already quit ALEC -- now it's Google's turn.
As an Internet user, Google needs to hear from you. Raise your voice and tell the tech giant: Stop funding climate deniers. Quit ALEC now!
Sign the petition today, and we'll deliver it to Google during ALEC's giant conference next week, which features speakers like Ted Cruz and Paul Ryan. 75,000 names will put Google on the spot!
Funded almost exclusively by major corporations like Koch Industries, ALEC -- or the American Legislative Exchange Council -- writes "model bills" for right-wing lawmakers to introduce as "grassroots" legislation. From Utah's "ag-gag" bill to "Stand Your Ground" laws and attacks on our voting rights, about 200 of these corporate scams pass every year.
One of ALEC's efforts pretends to disclose the chemicals used in fracking. But in reality, the Exxon-backed bill is pure deception, creating new loopholes that would make it even easier to hide the most toxic fracking chemicals. [5]
This agenda is so extreme that, thanks to grassroots pressure, many big-name corporations have already quit ALEC -- including McDonald's, Johnson & Johnson, and Wal-Mart. [6] Even Big Oil's own ConocoPhillips has had enough -- but not Google.
Google's supposed to be one of the good guys. It's up to us to remind them of their old "Don't be evil" motto, and bring the same public pressure that led all those other corporations to see the light.
Tell Google to stop funding climate denial today, and then tell your friends -- that way we can deliver a petition with 75,000 names during the ALEC conference!
Today's petition is just the beginning. SierraRise is teaming up with organizations like Forecast the Facts and the Center for Media and Democracy. We'll use people pressure and digital organizing -- much of it with Google's own tools -- to demand the tech giant do the right thing and leave ALEC behind.
It all starts with this show of force -- sign your name today.
Sunday, October 20, 2013
A Hypothetical Question Regarding Jesus
An important question that any true Christian should ask themselves is:
If you were living in Jerusalem during the time of Jesus, would you have accepted or rejected him?
Most Christians will automatically respond: "Of course I would accept the Savior!"
And I would say them: "Are you sure about that? Because many Christian zealots themselves also cling to similar rigid and dogmatic assumptions - with no inclination whatsoever that some of these assumptions might be mistaken. The fact is that if you are narrow-minded, hard-hearted, and obsessively cling to dogmatic assumptions, you would most likely be in league with the horde who honestly thought that they were obeying the will of the Lord when they rejected Jesus.
If you were living in Jerusalem during the time of Jesus, would you have accepted or rejected him?
Most Christians will automatically respond: "Of course I would accept the Savior!"
And I would say them: "Are you sure about that? Because many Christian zealots themselves also cling to similar rigid and dogmatic assumptions - with no inclination whatsoever that some of these assumptions might be mistaken. The fact is that if you are narrow-minded, hard-hearted, and obsessively cling to dogmatic assumptions, you would most likely be in league with the horde who honestly thought that they were obeying the will of the Lord when they rejected Jesus.
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Friday, August 9, 2013
Christian Evolution
Here's a Progressive Christian site that I can recommend:
http://www.christianevolution.com/
He also has a facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/LikeChristianEvolution
http://www.christianevolution.com/
He also has a facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/LikeChristianEvolution
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Dealing with Injustice
Up until now we have been focusing on the issue of political injustice. However, for this months entry, the subject will be personal injustice, and how to deal with it.
Today I had an encounter with an angry hateful person who sought to transfer his own personal negative emotions onto me. Perhaps what was most difficult to deal with is that the altercation was unprovoked and undeserved.
I believe that I handled the matter in a Christian way - meaning that I "turned the other cheek," and in so doing, maintained the moral high ground. As a result, I was able to walk away feeling good that I did not give in to what was essentially a trap.
As I think about the incident, I realize that it is the idea of injustice that continues to trouble me. I call it injustice because not only was the attack was undeserved, but the antagonist essentially got away with his bad behavior. As I write this I am dealing with the process of not just letting go, but rising above it. I realize that if I do not, I will be pulled down into the dark angry world that the antagonist dwells in. I must realize that the offender was acting out because of troubles in his own life. For him to expel that negative energy was cathartic for him. In that sense, (and I say this not in a condescending tone) I must look at him as Christ looked upon the sinners of his time. That is: not with bitter contempt, but with pity. And perhaps, in the future, it will occur to the offender that what he did was wrong, and he will feel remorseful and learn from it, and attempt to be a better human-being. And if he doesn't, I must remember that my reward for not giving in to anger and hate will be in Heaven.
Today I had an encounter with an angry hateful person who sought to transfer his own personal negative emotions onto me. Perhaps what was most difficult to deal with is that the altercation was unprovoked and undeserved.
I believe that I handled the matter in a Christian way - meaning that I "turned the other cheek," and in so doing, maintained the moral high ground. As a result, I was able to walk away feeling good that I did not give in to what was essentially a trap.
As I think about the incident, I realize that it is the idea of injustice that continues to trouble me. I call it injustice because not only was the attack was undeserved, but the antagonist essentially got away with his bad behavior. As I write this I am dealing with the process of not just letting go, but rising above it. I realize that if I do not, I will be pulled down into the dark angry world that the antagonist dwells in. I must realize that the offender was acting out because of troubles in his own life. For him to expel that negative energy was cathartic for him. In that sense, (and I say this not in a condescending tone) I must look at him as Christ looked upon the sinners of his time. That is: not with bitter contempt, but with pity. And perhaps, in the future, it will occur to the offender that what he did was wrong, and he will feel remorseful and learn from it, and attempt to be a better human-being. And if he doesn't, I must remember that my reward for not giving in to anger and hate will be in Heaven.
Friday, July 5, 2013
The Art of Gustave Dor'e
Paul Gustave Doré was a 19th century French artist. Perhaps best known for his Biblical work. http://dore.artpassions.net/
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Republican Congressman quotes the Bible to support his case that poor people should not be helped.
Congressman Stephen Fincher (R-TN) rants from the House floor that foodstamps should be cut, which would mean that the poor should starve. Meanwhile, Fincher himself is also a farmer, who gets $3.5 million in subsidies from the federal government. And the Farm Bill that House Republicans—including Fincher—support would increase farm subsidies by $9 billion while cutting food stamps by $21 billion over the next ten years.
On the other hand: Representative Juan C. Vargas, Democrat of California , who opposes cuts to the food stamp program, quoted from Matthew 25 to argue against the cuts to food stamps.
Great commentary from Occupy the Bible: http://occupythebible.org/2013/05/18/gop-cuts-food-stamps-quotes-jesus/
Please join with Daily Kos and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee by signing the petition shaming Rep. Steve Fincher for his hypocritical vote to cut food stamps, while personally taking millions in federal farm subsidies
http://campaigns.dailykos.com/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=418
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
New Cover for The Genesis of Revelation
This was created by an artist/graphic designer friend of mine. I am very happy with the new design. He just put up a website at http://trenorart.webs.com/
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Book Update part II
The ebook version of The Genesis Of Revelation is now available in not only Amazon Kindle (Mobi) format, and not only for the Barnes and Noble NOOK, but in Sony (LRF and EPUB) as well as PalmDoc for Palm Pilot and all others that are affiliated with Smashwords: (Kobo, Diesel, Page Foundry, Aldiko, B&N, Stanza, Baker and Taylor, Blio, etc.), the Apple version should also be up shortly.
In related news: the softcover version is still on the way as well.
Faith Hope Love.
In related news: the softcover version is still on the way as well.
Faith Hope Love.
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