Hell below or Hell in the middle

I listened to the 'In Our Time' radio show last week, where the subject was 'Hell through the Ages'.

As a Christian, I see Hell as a fiery place where sinners go, but I often doubt that it really exists below us. That may just be because I don't want a place like that to exist, I prefer to think about Heaven.

Anyway it is quite a interesting subject and there may be more then one version of Hell:

The Greek Underworld - Where people can go to be taught a lesson and learn and then return to the world above.

Christian Hell - Where sinners go when they leave this world.

Or a William Blake view - That Hell is something we have created on Earth. The daily news of murder and bloodshed in Iraq may be called Hell to the people that have to suffer pain and fear from the Terrorist actions.

You can listen to the show here - In Our Time It lasts for about 45 minutes.

Contributors:

Martin Palmer, Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education and Culture.

Margaret Kean, Tutor and Fellow in English at St Hilda’s College, Oxford.

Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum.


Please comment on what you think.

Help! I'm plain stupid

I saw these in the Daily Mail the other day, they are funny phone calls to Call Centres.

Caller: The coffee cup holder on my computer is broken. Can I get a replacement please?

Help Desk: I'm not sure what you mean. Where exactly is this coffee cup holder?

Caller: Well there's a button on the front of my computer and when I press it a drink caddy pops out. You know, it's just like the ones they put in cars.

Help Desk: Sir, I think you'll find that's the CD slot.


Technical Support: I need you to right click on the Open Desktop.
Customer: Ok
Technical Support: Did you get a pop-up menu?
Customer: No
Technical Support: Ok. Right click again. Do you see a pop-up menu?
Customer: No
Technical Support: Can you tell me what you have done up until this point?
Customer: Sure. You told me to write 'click' and I wrote 'click'.


Caller: I can't find my little pictures (icon)

Technical Support: What pictures?

Caller: One is 'my computer,' another is like 'network neighbour'.

Technical Support: Do you have any windows open?

Caller: Yes

Technical Support: Ok, we need to close those windows.

Caller: Oh, Ok. (Everything goes quiet for a few moments)

Technical Support: Are you there?

Caller: Ok, I had to walk around the room and close all the windows... I still can't see my little pictures.


Helpdesk: How may I help you?
Caller: I have spent all week trying to rewind my DVD. How do you rewind it?


Caller: Does your European breakdown motoring policy cover me when I am travelling in Australia?

Operator: Doesn't the name of the product give you a clue?

Swearing in Church

Well Christmas day is almost ending now and new years eve is only a few days away, it has been quite a emotional christmas this year, because I have felt both joy and much sorrow.

I would like to talk briefly about church and non-christians.
I travelled down to Rochester on Saturday to do some shopping with a non-christian friend of mine and I asked her if we could go to a lunchtime carol service and gave her a few chances to say if she was at all not happy to sit down in the Cathedral and watch the service as I did not want to force her to go, but she seemed okay.

Anyway I had a good view of how some people see church services in today's world, as I saw it as a good service with jokes and advice. However non-christians may see them boring and full of religious nonsense.

I was shocked by her swearing and moans during the service and could not help trying to forget I was with her as people turned their heads and I tried to tell her that swearing in Church was very wrong.
In the end I had a strong word outside the Cathedral and decided to sort it out in the new year. I did feel let down by her behaviour as I have never seen her act like that before. She told me that "Church bores her".

I wonder how many non-christians, who still believe in sin, see cursing in a church as a serious sin?

I wonder how many other non-christians see church as a bore and would rather not hear any religious preaching in church. Nobody can be forced to go to church in a secular society, but is it only strong Christians like me, that find church interesting and helpful in life?

I have read in the media that more people have seeking out a trip to a Christmas Church service even though they are not Christians to re-discover the true meaning of Christmas.

But this has got me asking what makes church boring to non-christians? I will most likely be posting about this again soon.

Karl Marx

It was only a matter of time before I started posting about this chap.

One question in our multicultural society is Marxism ever going to return and is our society becoming more aware of class?

Marxism was meant to be buried under the rubble of the Berlin wall, but as Christianity is starting to increase among the population under this Labour government (not that I am praising the party) could Labour's 'war' on the middle and upper class (for example, banning fox hunting) effect people's views on Marxism.

Over the next few years I may need to discover what kind of Historian I will be and I am dreading becoming a Marxism Historian (but it is not the 70's) as I believe that there must be more to history then just a economical class struggle, but if you look at 'The Peasants Revolt' and the French revolution, they were about the lower classes in a class struggle, so maybe he got it a little right.

But his plan for the future was wrong, as capitalism continued to grow and grow and not socialism. I wonder what he would say about Tony Blair's Labour party.

I might continue to study Marxism, however I do not share that ideology yet.

I would like to hear your views on Marxism.


In the meantime, check this out...


Monty Python - The World Forum

Dad's Army

New video to link section

Iraqi Report

New video in my link section

Sexual Modern Society

I would like to have a brief mention about this daily bible quote -

It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexually immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is honourable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; -
1 Thessalonians 4:3-5

First of all, is this a practice that is performed much in modern society? We know that drinking and drug taking is a large problem that if removed from the society, could see a large drop in crime. The word 'virtue' is not often used in 21st century Britain.

I know that drinking and drugs is not mentioned in this quote, but I think it suits well with treating yourself (body) in a honourable way, I like this because I am a person who likes a drink down the pub every so often, but I know when to stop (most of the time anyway).

Now on to sexually immorality, which is quite to complex topic to discuss and must have many questions, therefore I doubt that I could dissect this subject and reach the right and wrongs, do's and do not's, I can only give my view on it.

I guess this quote is telling us that when we walk down the road towards marriage, we should always remember to keep our bodies full of morality and not lose sight of that goal.

Passionate lust cannot always be a bad thing as everybody lusts after others, we need to. However it must be better to lust after someone not only for an sexual experience and then move on move to another.

I could go deeper into this subject, but to keep this blog universal I will stop here. But finally I believe this text is important because it shows that God wants to keep us pure and to seek a partner in a virtuous way that shows self-control and self-respect.

New Links

I have started 2 new link sections for favourite posts and video's, check out the first video of George Galloway on Sky News a few months ago.

recycle.co.uk

Westminster Carols

From Rachel's Blog -


Click here for more information.

Shame that are legal implications and sections of a police act.... around people who simply want to sing carols outside Westminster and near the Abbey.

Whiter then the 2006 winter

On thursday, the prime minster was interviewed by the police force for corruption in the cash-for-honours affair and on top of that he stopped a fraud investigation into corrupt dealings between the BAE systems and the government of Saudi Arabia.

The Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith announced that the investigation had been stopped because of the public interest, national security and the fact that Saudi Arabia is Britain's greatest defence customer and chief ally in the Middle East apart from Isreal.

A claim is that security, intel cooperation and diplomatic relations might be damaged if the investigation went ahead, back we go to Islamist terrorism.

The Liberals are calling this blackmail from the Saudis over a large order for warplanes, it would be bad news for the government to make this decision because of a economic factor.

I believe that relations with this country are important because of its pro-western stance, its power and its supply of oil that can be traded legally with other countries.

However this is just another chapter in our 'corrupt' and sleazy government and the questioning by police with only serve Tony Blair with a legacy of a darker shade of sleaze instead of a whiter then white image he showed back in 1997.

Lexie From Worchester

Now I will do a feature on a Lexie Stobie, a sixteen year old Christian singer and worship leader from Worcester, England. I will start with a quick introduction.

Lexie has recently finished her GCSE study at School, however she is a school leaver with a difference because she is part of the All Saints Church in Worcester and her work with the Church involves singing, worship leading and performing in plays.



But Lexie has not only led worship at All Saints Church, alongside Bill Scriven, another member of the Worship team, she has travelled around Worchester around the country while writing and recording new songs.

After receiving a financial gift and praise from her listeners, Lexie recorded her first CD in 2005 which was named ‘Keys of the Kingdom’ and in 2006 Lexie and Bill started to record a second album with Tim Stringer and Mat Gill from St Paul’s Church in Worchester on the drums and bass.

After weeks of practising, the group produced Lexie’s second album, ‘Is It Time?’ which had many songs recorded by Bill, Mat Gill, Lexie and Richard Wood from All Saints Church.

Her favourite Bible verse:

"I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power."
1 Corinthians 2 verses 3-5

Her influences, apart from God, are singers/songwriters such as Aretha Franklin, Bill Whithers and Alicia Keys and Lexie is also keen on the Blues.



These have led her to perform in the BBC Radio 2 Young Choristers of the Year
2006 Competition and reached the final on 28th October 2006 in Westmister Abbey and sung ‘The Lord’s My Shepherd’ and ‘How Great Thou Art’ and it was broadcasted on Sunday 5th November.

You can hear the concert Here and see some pictures from it Here.
(You can hear Lexie singing about 20 minutes into the programme)

Lexie and her band will continue to work together to travel, sing and to spread the word of God to their audience, look out for a third album in the future.


This information was taken from Lexie's Website and her Myspace account.

Catherine of Siena

I will talk a little about the Historical figure called Catherine of Siena

Catherine of Siena was born on March 25th 1347 in Siena, Italy. Her parents were Giacomo Di Benincasa and Lapa Piagenti. Catherine was a Dominican Tertiary of the Dominican Order and received no formal education.
She faced opposition from her parents at the age of seven when she consecrated her virginity to Christ and as a tertiary, she lived at home instead of a convent where she performed acts of degradation, which may have been not permitted by the prioress. She was also known to drink pus when she felt sick "Never in my life have I tasted any food and drink sweeter or more exquisite than this pus."

In around 1366, Catherine began to tend the sick and help the poor after she experienced what she believed was her ‘Mystical Marriage’ with Jesus.
Four years later she believed that she received many visions of Purgatory, Heaven and Hell and heard a command to leave her solitary life and storm into the public life.

She started to write many letters to the people in authority and begged for peace in Italy and the return of the Papacy from Avignon to Rome.
She even had correspondence with the Pope, Gregory XI, asking him to reform the clergy and Papal States.
In 1376, she travelled to Avignon as the ambassador of Florence to make peace with the Papal States. Even though she was unsuccessful, she amazed the Pope and he returned his administration to Rome a year later. She was also passionately keen on his plan for a crusade to unite Christendom against the infidels.

In 1378, Catherine was sent on another mission to Florentine to restore peace and became involved in the internal politics of the city where a attempt to assassinate her failed and she felt disappointed by her escape and declared that her sins had deprived her the red rose of martyrdom.
Peace broke out in August 1378 between republic and the new pope and Catherine returned to Siena, where she dictated her “Dialogue”, a book that contained her meditations and revelations.

Towards the end of 1378, Catherine was called to Rome by Urban VI, where she worked for the reformation of the Church, serving the poor and sending letters on behalf of Urban. When her strength was starting to fade and she called for her Divine Bridegroom to let her witness her punishment for her sins and to receive the sacrifice of her body for the renewal of the Church.
It seemed to her that the Bark of Peter was laid on her shoulders and it was crushing her to death with its weight and she died on the Sunday before the Ascension after a mysterious agony of three months which she endured with delight.

On her death bed, she did her last political work which was the settlement of Pope Urban VI with the Roman Republic written in 1380.