“The number of people who have flocked into Tikal over the past three years has been astounding! It has been quite a challenge to find housing for everyone who wants to live here. It’s very encouraging, of course – I was hoping that people would leave the underground city and move back to the surface – but trying to make room for everyone is definitely putting a strain on our resources. I’m sure that the city is large enough to hold everyone; my only concern is whether we can keep up with the population’s fantastic growth.”
–Noel Lawson
June 18, 7243
 

Monroe Araiza and his small band of supporters arrived in the debating chamber thirty minutes before the meeting was scheduled to begin. The cavernous stone room was located in the oldest section of Adrasta. According to legend the Founders had built that room before building any other part of the city. Back in those days the Spanish Emperor still ruled over the planet, and the Founders came to the fortress in secret to discuss the issues of the day. Once they realized that the Empire was doomed they turned their private retreat into a functional city and prepared for the collapse of Earth. When the Wall was erected and chaos broke out they were prepared. Within the confines of their stone fortress they were saved from the destruction that consumed the rest of the planet. The Founders had hoped that one day their children could leave the stone city and reclaim the Earth, but that day never came.

So for thousands of years their descendents simply endured. The debating chamber became a central icon in the city’s politics. In that room the leaders of Adrasta met and debated each other on matters of important public policy. It was the place where all political meetings of any importance were held, and it was where the fate of the city had been decided on more than one occasion. Monroe knew that today would be one of those times.

The giant room was circular in shape and had a lower level and an upper balcony. It could hold sixteen thousand people. The room was discreetly outfitted with modern electronic equipment so that the meetings could be digitally broadcast to the rest of the city. These days the chamber was rarely full, but occasionally something would happen that was important enough to cause every available seat to be taken. Monroe was not surprised to see that today’s turnout was quite high. Even though the session was not scheduled to begin for another half hour, many of the seats had already been taken and more people were arriving all the time.

Monroe and his friends found their seats and sat down. Although there was no prescribed seating, in practice certain groups tended to sit in certain sections. As the centuries passed those habits had solidified into traditions, to the point where sitting in a certain area meant that you held certain political views. Monroe’s group had chosen seats that were set aside for the opposition party – a section that was conspicuously vacant. Aside from those he had brought with him, the section was almost entirely empty. In fact, the only other person sitting there was a teenage girl.

The girl caught his attention because he had never seen her before. She was quite tall for her age and had long black hair. She had brown eyes and curiously brown skin. Her facial features and the structure of her cheekbones was especially striking. He was surprised to see that they bore more resemblance to the savages in the forests than to anyone who lived in Adrasta. His own kinsmen had interbred for so long that everyone had similar features, but hers were quite different. It was as if she was from an entirely different race.

Monroe leaned over to Doyle. “Do you know that girl over there?”

Doyle looked over to where his friend was indicating and shrugged. “I don’t think so. Perhaps someone invited her here. I don’t really know.”

“Can you ask around and find out for me? I’d like to know who she is. I’m quite certain that I’ve never seen her before.”

“Aren’t you a little old for her?” Doyle asked. “After all, –”

“That’s not at all what I mean,” Monroe replied sharply. “It’s her genetic code that puzzles me. She doesn’t look like she’s from around here. She appears to be an outsider – of a different line entirely. I’ve never seen anyone else like her. If she is from a different line of human beings then there may be hope for us after all. We desperately need more genetic diversity.”

“I think you’re seeing things. She’s just a young girl, and nothing more. I understand the importance of your genetics research but I think you’ve been spending far too much time buried in those books of yours. Do you even know what you’re going to say to the council tonight?”

“Yes, yes,” Monroe replied. “For whatever good it will do. Our strategic position is very poor, you know. We don’t have any power, we have very few friends, and we don’t have any arguments that might persuade this crowd. We have the truth on our side, but these days the truth just isn’t enough. People don’t care about the truth anymore. I foresee Evan winning a total victory tonight. The council was not swayed last time; I don’t see how things will be any different now, especially since Evan accomplished precisely what he set out to do. But I will still do what I can, for I suppose that’s all I can do.”

“You’re a bit of a pessimist,” Doyle commented.

“Four hundred people were killed today, and this room is packed with men who want to see that repeated on a global scale. You tell me where I’m supposed to be seeing hope.”

Monroe sat back in his chair and waited for the meeting to begin. When the Founders had carved out the debate hall thousands of years ago it was made entirely out of granite rock. The ceiling, floor, and walls were made of solid stone, along with all of the room’s furnishings. Even the tables and chairs were made of carved stone. According to legend their ancestors had deliberately made the seats uncomfortable in order to force people to make their points more quickly. A long-winded speaker risked losing the support of a restless audience whose backs were hurting. At some point – no one knows when – the stone furnishings were removed and comfortable plush seats were installed. Monroe appreciated the comfort but he wondered if the Adrastans were getting soft. Not just physically soft (although one could make an argument there, given the provable deterioration of their genetic code) but intellectually soft as well. In the olden days great orators had spoken in this room, arguing the finer points of policy in front of an intelligent audience. People carefully weighed the arguments that were made and asked deep, penetrating questions. These days intelligence was hard to come by; a skilled speaker could easily sway the crowd, even if his arguments were flawed or nothing but lies. Discernment was practically a dead art. People had lost their passionate love for the truth.

In the center of the room was the circular stone table, around which the council sat. As far as anyone knew that was the very same table that the Founders had sat around. The table itself was in the shape of a ring, and the council sat along the outside edge of the table. In the area surrounded by the table – an open space roughly forty feet across – was where the orators would stand and present their arguments. Tonight that was where Evan Maldonado would be standing. The council would listen to him and then make their decision.

Monroe noticed that the council did not show up until right before the meeting started. There were presently six men on the council, led by the esteemed Conrad Forbes. Back when the city’s population was far larger than it was today the council had consisted of fifteen members. In modern times, however, six men were deemed enough to run the affairs of the city. Even though the council claimed to be constantly busy, the truth was that there was very little for them to do. Before Evan launched his program to exterminate the tribes the council had been meeting just once a year.

When Conrad called the room to order the debate hall was packed. The only available seats were in the opposition section, which was almost entirely empty. Monroe knew that his group was painfully conspicuous, but he did not care. He had been out of the public’s favor for so long that it no longer bothered him.

After going over the initial formalities Conrad got right to the business at hand. “General Maldonado, we meet here today to receive your report regarding the recent bombing campaign that you conducted. In your last meeting you promised this assembly that your neutron weapon would be sufficient to cleanse the planet of the savages and return control of the Earth to us. The council would like to know how your weapon performed in this morning’s field test.”

“I am pleased to report that it went exactly as planned,” Evan Maldonado replied. “The neutron bomb completely eradicated the entire tribe. Not one of them survived. Moreover, the radiation that was released by the bomb is already decaying, and will be reduced to harmless levels within the next two weeks. The operation was a complete success.”

Monroe stood up. “Objection!” he called out.

Conrad quickly motioned for him to be silent. “You may present your arguments later in the meeting, after the general has finished. Now is not your turn to speak.”

“But there are additional facts that he has omitted,” Monroe replied. “According to the rules of the debate hall, the orator may be challenged during his presentation should there–”

Conrad interrupted him. “This is not a debate, Monroe. The general is merely presenting his report to the council. If you have anything to add you may do so at the conclusion of his presentation. You are overruled.”

Monroe sat down, frustrated. Conrad turned to Evan and motioned for him to continue.

“The success of today’s venture is of critical importance to our future,” Evan announced. “What we have done today is proven that it is possible to cleanse this world of the savages who have held it hostage for the past five thousand years. For five millennia we have been forced to live in this stone prison while mindless savages ruled the world. We are all that is left of a once-mighty civilization that was destroyed by the folly of the Spanish Empire. It was the Founders’ wish that we reclaim the future that the Emperor stole from us. Instead of rebuilding this world, however, we have stayed huddled behind these stone walls, hoping that somehow the world would magically rebuild itself.

“I am here to tell you that we must set a new course for ourselves. I do not wish to speak ill of the dead, but the generations who came after the Founders utterly failed to live up to their dream. They foolishly chose to live in this prison for five thousand years, keeping the flame of civilized life alive but doing nothing to spread it. If they had simply acted and taken the initiative, we would have colonized the stars millennia ago. By now we might have even reached distant galaxies. They could have repossessed this planet, rebuilt the waste places, restored what the Emperor destroyed, and reclaimed our destiny. Instead they cowered in the corner, like fools.

“Today we proved that we can overcome the mistakes of our past and build a new future. With my neutron bomb we can wipe out the savages that have dominated our world for far too long. That is exactly what I propose to do. I am here to ask the council to approve the construction of 153 neutron bombs. According to my scientists, these upgraded bombs – vastly more powerful than the one used today – will be enough to wipe out every single savage tribe on the face of the planet, leaving us as its undisputed masters. Once they are gone we can begin reclaiming the world and forging our future.”

One of the council members spoke up. “How long will this process take?”

“I can have the bombs built and ready for deployment in 90 days,” Evan replied. “By the time the fall season arrives the entire planet can be ours. The process is proven and effective, as you have seen.”

Conrad nodded. “You have indeed done exactly as you promised. The nuclear weapon that your men designed was as effective as you claimed, and the lack of unwanted side-effects is most encouraging. Are there any among the council who see reason to oppose this course of action?”

No one on the council said anything. The council leader then sighed. “Are there any among the assembly who can offer a reason why we should not give the general our approval?”

“Yes, there is,” Monroe replied loudly. “I wish to respond to his claims.”

“Very well. You may come forward and speak.”

Monroe got out of his seat, made his way to the council table, and entered the debating ring. He then looked at Evan. “Tell me, general. Why do you think our ancestors chose to stay in this fortress? They were as technically capable as we are. Why did they chose to not wipe out the tribes?”

“Must we debate this again?” Evan asked. “We’ve already gone over this before. I see no benefit in rehashing it.”

Conrad spoke up. “Answer the charge, general. You know the rules.”

Evan sighed. “Our ancestors were fools, Monroe. They thought that the savages could be saved and they spent thousands of years trying to help them. But you know what? They failed. The savages cannot be saved. They are a lost cause. Even you are not proposing that we try to find a cure for them! We cannot cure them, and they are standing in the way of progress. They are nothing but mindless monsters, bent on murder, destruction, and chaos. There is nothing good about them. If anything, cleansing the planet of them is an act of kindness. It will end their suffering and give our children a better, brighter future.”

“Are they human beings?” Monroe asked.

“Only technically,” Evan replied. “They are a tribe of insane lunatics at best, and criminal murderers at worst. In our own society if a person goes on a murderous rampage we bring him to justice and execute him. I fail to see why these people should be held to a different standard.”

“How many of us have they tried to kill?” Monroe asked. “Oh, that’s right – zero. Not one time in all of history have they ever mounted a campaign against us. Nor is it true that all of them are psychotic murderers. That’s how you enjoy painting them, but I have research that proves otherwise. Some of them are as you describe, but not all of them.

“Let’s be very clear about this, general. You’re not proposing the extermination of some pesky crab grass that is causing ecological damage. No, what you’re asking us to do is approve the slaughter of more than ten million human beings so that you can take what they have. You are proposing genocide, and you want to build an entire civilization on that foundation. The reason our ancestors stayed in this fortress is because they were unwilling to enrich their own future through mass murder.”

“The savages are a hopeless cause,” Evan replied. “You know as well as I do that they can’t be cured. You know that they don’t have a future. Why not end their suffering? Is five thousand years of insanity not enough for you? Don’t you realize that this is the only way that we can build a future for ourselves? Those savages are never going to rebuild the world! If we don’t do it then who will? Should all of our children agree to die out so that your madmen can continue killing each other?”

“We are called to be the children of light,” Monroe replied firmly. “That is the name the Founders gave our Order, and that is what’s written on the charter they engraved in the Hall of Stone. The whole reason they built Adrasta was so we could be a light to the world. Saving the lost was our very mission.”

“We are bringing the light to the world,” Evan replied. “Can’t you see that? This world has been ensnared in darkness for five thousand years. With my neutron bomb I can remove that darkness and make the land free once more. We have kept the light of civilization bottled up in here for millennia. Once I drive away the darkness we can spread the light once more and rebuild what has been lost.”

“You are completely missing the point! Have you even read the Charter? The light that we are to be spreading is not cultural advancement or scientific progress. Don’t you realize that the very people who destroyed this planet in the first place were part of the mightiest and most advanced civilization this world has ever seen? The light that the city was founded to spread was the light of the gospel – the good news of Jesus Christ. We were commanded to be followers of God and to spread His words. That was our very purpose! Every one of the Founders dedicated their lives to that goal.”

Evan laughed. “The savages aren’t capable of understanding anything, much less comprehending religion! But since you’re so concerned about their souls, why don’t you give it a try? Go out there and tell them about this Jesus of yours. See how far you get. I bet you won’t even live through the day.”

Conrad interrupted them. “Do not bring religion into this, gentlemen. This is a policy debate. Religion has no place here.”

“The Founders did not think so,” Monroe replied. “They felt that God belonged in every facet of life.”

“The Founders are long dead and returned to dust. Do you have any other arguments to make or are you quite done? Your philosophical arguments are petty and a waste of time. If that is all you have to offer then you may return to your seat.”

Monroe shook his head. “No, there is more. General Maldonado painted a very glowing picture of what happened today, but I noticed that his official report failed to include any photographs. Therefore, I would like to add these to the official record. I feel that they will add some clarification to what happened today.”

Monroe took a stack of photographs out of his pocket and placed them in front of the head of the council. Conrad picked them up and began going through them. He paled slightly. Each picture showed a scene of utter devastation. The forest had been replaced with an enormous crater. The ground was fused and blackened, and the smoke in the air was thick. There was not a trace of life to be seen.

“Evan, are these pictures accurate?” Conrad asked.

Evan nodded. “Yes, they are. As I said, the bomb was quite effective. Every trace of the savage tribe that we targeted has been eliminated.”

Monroe spoke up. “And as you can see, the bomb also eliminated every tree, every blade of grass, and every living thing. The forest is entirely gone. Moreover, the bomb fused the soil and destroyed all of the bacteria in it. You took a place that was teeming with life and wiped out every last living thing in it.”

“Oh, it will grow back,” Evan replied. “After all, it did when the Emperor destroyed the world.”

“The Spanish Emperor used chemical weapons, not neutron bombs. It is possible that the damage is permanent. If anything does grow back it will be at least a century – possibly more – before life returns to that spot.”

“Perhaps. That remains to be seen. Even so, that is a small sacrifice to make. I would rather wait a century than wait forever.”

Monroe stared at him, surprised. “General, you want to unleashing your neutron weapons on the entire planet. When you are done the whole world will look like those photographs! You aren’t saving the world; you’re asking for permission to obliterate it! Even the Spanish Emperor didn’t obliterate the entire ecosystem. You’re hoping that after you wipe out every last living thing in the entire world that, somehow, it will all magically grow back, but you have no idea if it will. In fact, you haven’t even bothered to ask the question. It’s entirely possible that when you’re done this planet will become as uninhabitable and dead as the Moon. What you’re going to do is far worse than anything the savages have ever done.”

Conrad spoke up. “General, is it really necessary to eliminate all of the savages all at once? Couldn’t you conduct the bombing campaign in stages and allow the planet time to recover?”

Evan shook his head. “The savages are like a cancer. If you have cancer and wish to survive you must eliminate all of it, not just part of it. If you leave behind anything then the cancer will take root again and you will find yourself battling death once more – which is exactly what we’re facing here. If we do this at all then we ought to make a clean sweep of it, and eliminate the problem entirely. I do not approve of half-measures.”

“Is there any danger to this?” Conrad asked. “I do not want to approve a plan that will cause the Earth to become uninhabitable.”

“That will not happen,” Evan replied firmly. “The Earth will bloom again, as it always has. If it turns out that we must help the process along then we will do so. We can plant seeds, tend fields, and even terraform the planet if that’s what it takes. The ancient books within our archives contain the knowledge needed to turn a dead planet into a live one. If those techniques worked on distant planets then they would assuredly work here as well – but I do not think that will be necessary. These are all very solvable problems.”

The head of the council nodded, and turned to Monroe. “The general has a plan to deal with the fallout from his weapon, Monroe. Do you have any other objections?”

“Do you not see that this will be our doom?” Monroe asked. “We are dying out as a race. If we ever become the only human beings left on this planet then our doom will be sealed. We need some genetic variation–”

“That is enough,” Conrad said firmly. “The council has heard your quackery before and has no patience for it. Since you have presented no substantive arguments against General Maldonado’s proposal, I recommend that we accept his plan and give him whatever funding he needs to carry it out. Do any on the council disagree?”

When there were no voices of dissent, Conrad spoke up. “So is the decision of the council. General, you have our full support. This session is now dismissed.”

[There will be no news over the weekend.]

Mass effect 2 bad ending – everyone dies

It really is possible to fail so hard at Mass Effect 2 that absolutely everyone dies except for Joker. It takes a lot of effort, though, and you have to make abysmal choices all along the way. Still, it’s nice to know that failure is possible. Winning a video game isn’t nearly as satisfying if there is no way to lose.

 

Why Netflix Never Implemented The Algorithm That Won The Netflix $1 Million Challenge

Yes, that’s right. Netflix had a million-dollar contest to come up with a new algorithm, and they never implemented the winning answer. It turns out that taking someone else’s code and sticking it into your codebase is really hard (who knew, right?), and the improvement wasn’t good enough to justify the cost. Netflix did get some improvements out of some code that came out of the contest, but the winning algorithm was never used.

 

Portugal considers ‘Terabyte Tax’

For the record, this tax did not pass. However, it’s still worth mentioning because I keep seeing this insanity pop up; Canada has had something similar for a while now. What these government people are saying boils down to this: we know that all of you people out there are dirty thieving pirates, so we’re going to slap all of you with a penalty whenever you buy a hard drive. After all, we know the only reason you bought it was so you could steal things. And no, that doesn’t mean it’s now ok for you to go and download whatever you want; we’re still going to put you in jail and stuff.

There are a whole lot of things wrong with the “Everyone is a criminal, so let’s just punish everybody” mentality. The whole point of the justice system is justice – you punish the guilty people and keep them from harming the innocent. Harming absolutely everyone misses the entire point. The whole concept of “Let’s just punish the guilty people, and leave the innocent ones alone” is rapidly being lost. God made it clear that punishing an innocent person was an abomination to Him; I suppose it shouldn’t come as a surprise that godless societies have no qualms about it.

Then there’s the whole issue of whether copyright infringement should be a crime in the first place, but that’s a discussion for another time.

It all boils down to this: the government wants your money, and ultimately the government is going to take your money, one way or another. They’ll come up with an excuse, but it’s really just that – an excuse. (In terms of pure greed it’s hard to beat the Death Tax, where the government comes along and says “You died, so we get half your stuff.” You just know that, if they could get away with it, they would confiscate everything.) Just listen to Democrats talk sometime. They really believe that your money belongs to the government. You are a peon; you are not bright enough to be allowed your own money. Only the all-wise government knows how to do it properly. (After all, how many ordinary people have managed to get $15 trillion in debt?)

 

Jay Carney on Rosen’s WH visits: I personally know three women named “Hilary Rosen”

For those of you who aren’t following the story, here is the payoff: “Deep down, although you hate yourself for it, you kind of admire the sheer [nerve] it takes to lie to a room full of reporters like this with a straight face.”

Basically, the White House spokesman is lying. Everyone knows it, and yet he still tells obvious, easily disproven, blatant lies. It’s become accepted. Of course the White House is going to lie! Of course they’re not going to be honest with us! It’s just to be expected that the government is going to tell blatantly obvious lies. It’s the normal order of things.

This story is a rather sad commentary on our times. It use to be the Soviets who were notorious for handing out blatant, ridiculous lies. Everyone made fun of their blatant propaganda. Now our own government is doing it as well When citizens expect their government to routinely lie to them, you know the end cannot be very far away.

 

Why the Human Will Cannot Overcome Sin: A Study of Paul’s Commentary on the 10th Commandment

The whole thing is worth reading. It boils down to this: our behavior can, to some extent, be controlled by outside forces. There are times when we may be tempted to do bad things and then decide not to follow through because of the possible consequences. That seems like a victory (“I didn’t do it! I resisted!”), but it’s not. Jesus pointed out that sin actually starts in the desire. You may not have actually committed adultery, but if you lusted – if you had the desire – then you sinned. External forces can have some effect on what we do, but they can’t kill the desire. We cannot somehow “will” ourselves to stop sinning because we cannot control our desires – which is an entirely different thing from controlling our actions. The reality is that our desires drive us and cause endless problems. As James said, “Every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lusts and enticed.” Desires are the whole problem.

What this means is that we cannot overcome sin by just trying really hard to resist. That may affect our actions, but it won’t affect our heart. The only way to defeat sin is by grace. Jesus has to change us; there is no other way. Changing our behavior is not enough; our heart must change as well. It is not enough for us to not murder our neighbors; we must also stop hating them. In fact, we must love them. The only way we can do that is if Christ does it for us. The only way we can achieve victory is if Christ gives it to us. There is no other way to defeat sin.

If you are caught up in a “besetting sin” (or any kind of sin at all), you will never be able to defeat it by just trying harder. You will fail. Even if you somehow find a way to change your behavior, the sinful desires – the corrupt heart – will still be there, waiting for a chance to reveal itself again. You haven’t actually fixed anything. You’ve just put a new coat of paint on a tomb full of corruption.

The only way you can be free is by the power of Christ. He must change you, from the inside. You are powerless, but He is not. He is your only hope. We need to move away from this attitude of “I can change myself if I just try hard enough”, to “I am utterly ruined; Jesus is my only hope”. We need to learn to battle sin by taking it to Jesus – not by resolving to somehow “do better next time”.

 

Quantum Random Number Generator

This generates truly random numbers, thanks to the magic of quantum mechanics. It is astonishingly difficult to generate random numbers; ultimately the only way to do it is to use some sort of physical process. You really can’t do it with computers. After all, computers are ultimately calculators; writing software to generate random numbers is like coming up with a math theorem that gives you random results. The best you can really do is come up with numbers that appear to be random as long as you don’t look at them too closely.

If you really need actual random numbers, harnessing quantum physics is a great way to go.

 

Police salvage blind Trish Vickers’ inkless novel pages

There was a Father Brown story about a thief who swindled a blind woman out of her fortune by making sure that, when she sat down to write her will, her pen ran out of ink and the will was left blank. (I think it was “The Eye of Apollo”, but I’m not sure.) Today the power of forensics could actually recreate the lost writing – as it did in this case.

 

Mars Viking Robots ‘Found Life’

A rather long time ago I came across a National Geogrophic magazine that was published at the time Viking actually landed on Mars (1976). I seem to recall that the lander performed several tests for life; some passed, and some did not. Despite the fact that some of the tests actually passed and indicated the possibility of life, the scientific community said “Oh, I guess there’s no life on Mars” and moved on. (Someone who worked on the Viking project actually commented about this very thing here. It’s worth a read. Even at the time people thought that the tests indicated the presence of life on Mars.)

Apparently people are now going back and rethinking about that data. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if there is actually life on Mars – plant life, especially, seems quite likely. I’ve seen numerous reports that hint at this; this is just one of many. If there really is life on Mars, I’m sure we’ll run into it eventually if we keep on exploring the planet.

And yet, I’m not sure that we are even looking for life on Mars anymore. One rather shocking fact is that, on the last 4 landers that have visited Mars since 1976, not a single one of them had any biological tests. No probe has ever included a microscope powerful enough to see bacteria or cellular life – which is something you would think would be a “must-have” if you’re looking for life. It is almost as if somewhere along the line “science” decided that there was no life on Mars, and so has refused to take the subject seriously ever since – even to the point of not making serious attempts to find it. Groupthink can be a powerful thing; see “global warming” as another example of this. (Note how global warming “scientists” are more than willing to actually alter the data and blatantly lie to make their case. They believe so firmly in their theories that they don’t give a second thought about actually modifying the data to fit their fantasies. You don’t even need some heavy-handed conspiracy run by a sinister figure in the shadows; groupthink alone is enough to keep it going.)

On a separate note, the article includes a Viking 2 landing image. In that picture the sky is a reddish color. However, if you go to Google images and search for “viking 2 landing”, you will see pictures where the sky is actually blue. I have a hunch that the Martian sky is actually blue most of the time, and is only red occasionally. But that is a topic for another time.

 

Odd fact of the day: Cinderella’s name comes from the term “cinders”, or ashes/soot. So, really, it was Cinder-ella. It was not intended to be a beautiful name. It would be like calling someone “Ash lady” or “Soot girl”.

CIA’s Secret Fear: High-Tech Border Checks Will Blow Spies’ Cover

How It Should Have Ended: How Assassin’s Creed Should Have Ended

On the quest to solve Freecell, way back in 1994

The only way to actually beat the impossible Freecell game 11982

I Peter 3:1: “Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;
2 While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.”

These are interesting verses. The Apostle Paul said in Colossians 3:18 that wives were to submit themselves to their husbands (which is something I’ll touch on in a minute.) Here a slightly different question arises: what if the husband is not a Christian? Should wives still follow that command? Peter’s reply was yes, because her submission and obedience would set a godly example that could bring her husband under conviction. By doing this the Lord might work through her to save a soul from death. In short, her submission would be a powerful testimony.

So what we have here are two different apostles that both state that wives were to submit themselves to their husbands. Their husbands might know the Lord or they might not, but either way that does not change things. Now, this command was not given because wives are worth less or are in some way inferior; that is not the case at all. The reality is that God has established an authority structure, with the man appointed as the leader of the family. Husbands are commanded to lead.

The Bible actually has a lot of other things to say about the roles of men and women, both in the family and in churches, but Christians have wholly rejected these teachings. It is a sad thing that the followers of Jesus have no interest in following Jesus’ commands when it comes to gender roles, but that is the situation we face today. This is yet another case where the Word conflicts with the modern culture, so believers have decided to abandon the Bible and do whatever society tells them. This has led to all kind of unhappiness, strife, and failed marriages, but people simply do not see the connection. They just cannot understand why living the way they want leads to disaster.

It honestly frightens me that people who call themselves Christians feel they can look at the Bible and say “I disagree with that teaching, so I flatly refuse to obey it. I will never, ever obey that command. God just needs to get over Himself.” It is one thing to try to obey and fail; that is understandable. We are all sinful and flawed. But it is quite another thing to tell God that you have no intention of obeying Him. That is something no Christian should ever do, and yet it is done all the time and people think nothing of it.

What you must realize is that God will not be mocked. God does not look at disobedience and say “Oh, well, that’s perfectly all right. I don’t really care.” God is just, and will take action – and He will not hesitate to discipline His children. And those who are not His children at all – well, they have even more to worry about.

[Editor’s note: Posted by request; this is a letter I sent to a friend.]

…You know, that was interesting. Programmers are notorious for being introverts; they are some of the least social people you will ever meet. I suspect that programming simply demands a certain type of person, and introverts are more likely to have those qualities than others. A highly social person is going to be very frustrated at the prospect of spending weeks alone, troubleshooting a difficult issue or trying to solve a thorny problem. It would go against the grain of who they are.

It is helpful to think of the benefits of introversion. I can see how they bring things to the table. Of course, introverts make terrible car salesmen.

It almost seems like extroverts are more “people persons”, while introverts tend to be deeper thinkers. An introvert who spends many hours reading will probably come to know a great deal more than an extrovert. At the same time, the extrovert will gain friends, influence, and power, while the introvert builds stacks of books in his apartment. Personally I would rather have the books, but what this means is that extroverts are the ones who shape society and get things done. To a very real extent, introversion amounts to naval gazing: they come to learn a lot, and that’s it. Except in certain rare cases, it doesn’t actually do other people any good. It is almost like creating works of art and then setting them on fire. Introverts, at best, have an extremely minimal impact – and I suspect that much of their impact is on other introverts.

Now, there may well have been a time in the past when the wisdom of introverts was valued, but this is not that time. I’ve learned a number of things over the years, and one of the key things I’ve learned is that other people just do not care. The problem that I see in my local church, and with those I interact with, is not hostility (although there is some of that); it is apathy. I don’t mind people who come up to me and tell me that I’m wrong; it may be that I am indeed wrong. If your math sums are off, it is very important for the teacher to come along and correct them. What really kills me is not “You’re wrong” but “Who cares?”

For example, you found my talk on Bible codes fascinating; others simply did not care. It’s not that they objected, although some did; it’s just that, by and large, they don’t care if God wrote the Bible or not. It doesn’t matter to them. Reality TV matters; sports matters; but theology does not. Even trying to have a spiritual conversation with others is a waste of time. I think they’d rather talk about the tax code.

Introverts remind me of Cassandra. She was given knowledge of the future, but it came with a curse: even though she was always right, no one would ever believe her. Introverts may well have much to offer, but society is not interested. Ultimately, society is worse off because of this, but I don’t think things are going to change. If outrageous flashiness didn’t pay off, we wouldn’t have millions of people flocking after Lady Gaga. She is a product of a culture that values overt displays of madness over all else.

So, for now, I think us introverts will keep writing software and reading our books. If someone needs us, we’ll be waiting. Just look for us behind our books.

What is an interesting thought is the idea that I may well be an introvert for the rest of time. I don’t know what my heavenly home is going to look like, exactly, but I suspect that after a while there will be books stacked everywhere. There’s a lot of reading up there that I’d like to do.

Infographic: The Distribution Of Heavy Metal Bands Around The World

Infographic: “TSA is a waste of taxpayer money”

The Watchman and the Wall (Musings on those who ignore prophecy because “it will all pan out in the end”)

A Wicked Financial Storm Descends On America

MIT Fusion Researchers Answer Your Questions

The Better Business Bureau Says Yes, Mass Effect 3 Was Falsely Advertised

This is the cover art for the fifteenth book in the Seth Savage Series.

Japan’s Mt. Fuji volcano awakens after 300 years – increased risk of an eruption

Egan-Jones Cuts U.S. Rating One Step to AA Citing Growing Debt

Punching A Cop In The Face Is Not A Good Tactic For Selling Direct Energy Service

Rev. Terry Jones warned today he will burn copies of the Quran if Iran doesn’t release an imprisoned pastor, who was sentenced to death after converting from Islam to Christianity.

Harold Camping Admits Sin, Announces End to Doomsday Predictions

Feds Want Way to Hack Xboxes and Wiis for Evidence

Hundreds of Warbots Will Join Cops’ Ranks

Publishing Isn’t A Job Anymore: It’s A Button

And now for what may be the worst possible way to land a rocket: the Rocket Catcher!

 

“Different people prefer different exercises. The Republicans’ favorite exercise is running for the hills. The Democrats’ favorite exercise is kicking the can down the road.”
–Thomas Sowell

I Peter 2:13: “Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;”

God wants His people to be a law-abiding people. There are times when we cannot yield (as when the law commands the worship of false gods, or prohibits the preaching of the gospel), but other than these times we are to obey. Christians are not to be a rebellious group. It may well be that the laws are unjust and unfair, but as long as the law does not compel us to be unjust then we must obey, for the honor of the Lord is at stake. The Bible is clear on this point.

Thomas Kinkade, popular artist, dies at age 54

200,000 Titanic-Related Documents Published Online

Project Iceworm: the nuclear city hidden under Greenland’s glaciers

How Las Vegas Missed Out on a Life-Sized Starship Enterprise

Apple is sucking up two thirds of the profit in the mobile phone business

“Good morning, class,” Professor Grimes said brightly. “I trust you’re enjoying the new heating-and-air unit that our tireless maintenance crew just installed.”

“Yeah, it is kind of nice,” Dan agreed. “Things are back to the way they should be.”

“Indeed they are! Thanks to the wonders of modern science, you can now discuss the weather while being largely immune to it. You can now talk about the oppressive heat and humidity while sitting in 70-degree rooms and sipping cold beverages.”

“Hey now, professor! That’s not fair. I mean, we still have to go outside sometimes. My next class is in the music building. It’s, like, a three minute walk.”

The professor shook his head. “My dear boy, I feel sorry for you. To think that you will have to spend three agonizing minutes outside, on a beautiful sunny day when the temperature is in the low 80s and there is a cool wind blowing! Your suffering clearly knows no bounds. I will have to speak with the Dean and see if we can get underground tunnels built on campus so that you are never forced to see the sun.”

“That would be totally awesome,” Dan said enthusiastically.

Professor Grimes sighed. “Would it? Hmmm. If that’s the case, then I sincerely hope that the robot uprising will happen sooner rather than later. Mankind is rapidly becoming unable to do much more than sit on couches and watch television. If robots don’t take over the world soon I don’t know how civilization will survive.”

“Do you really think that robots are going to take over the country?”

“They’d better,” the professor replied. “Our future depends on it. If they don’t then we’re in a lot of trouble. It’s practically impossible to find someone who knows how to repair broken plumbing. I was hoping that robots would rise up and step into the gap. At any rate, that is a topic for another time. Today we are here to discuss who discovered America.”

“Was it robots?” Lora asked.

“No, young lady, it was not. We can safely rule out robots. Are there any other guesses?”

Ashley spoke up. “It was the Indians. Right?”

The professor nodded. “I think it is safe to say that the ancestors of the Native Americans did discover North America. As far as I know their presence on this continent is undisputed. The question is, who else discovered America?”

“I think it was Christopher Columbus,” Ashley replied. “Columbus said the deep blue sea in fourteen hundred and ninety three.”

“I’m afraid not. Columbus actually discovered America in 1492. According to the historical record, land was first spotted on October 12, 1492, around two in the morning. Technically the first person to spot land was not Columbus himself but Rodrigo de Triana. Now, Columbus did claim that he saw land earlier and just didn’t tell anybody; you can make of that what you will. But the year was definitely 1492, not 1493.”

Ashley frowned. “But that doesn’t rhyme!”

“That is because you are using the wrong rhyme. Columbus said the ocean blue in fourteen hundred and ninety two.”

“Oh,” Ashley replied. “I guess that works too.”

The professor sighed. “As I was saying, it is generally accepted that the Native Americans were the first to discover what is now considered North America. They took up residence at some unknown point in the past and then populated the continent. Much later, in 1492, a Genoan named Columbus–”

“A what?” Ashley asked. “I thought he was from Spain.”

“No, I’m afraid not. Spain financed the voyage, but Columbus was actually from the Republic of Genoa. As I was saying, he is credited for discovering North America but–”

Max spoke up. “Wait a minute! Professor, I think you have your classes mixed up. Isn’t this supposed to be Paranormal Studies? What on earth does this have to do with the paranormal? I mean, everyone agrees that America was discovered, right?”

“Oh yes, they certainly do! That much is not in dispute. The question is, who else discovered America? It’s obvious that the ancestors of the Native Americans made it here, and it’s also well-established that Christopher Columbus made it here. But who else managed to set foot on this continent between those two discoveries?”

“Weren’t there some Vikings?” Ashley asked. “I seem to remember something about Vikings.”

“I still don’t see what this has to do with paranormal studies,” Max commented.

The professor looked at him curiously. “So you think it is perfectly normal to state that the Romans discovered America a thousand years before Columbus did?”

“The Romans? No way! They could barely sail across the Mediterranean. There’s no chance they could have survived crossing the Atlantic!”

“I didn’t say they discovered it on purpose. As it turns out, there is actually credible evidence that quite a few different nations and people groups discovered America long before Columbus did. That is what we are going to discuss today.”

“Do we have to?” Dan asked.

“Yes, we have to. Now, the first group that may have discovered America is the ancient Phoenicians. They were an ancient seafaring nation that lived in what was once Canaan, but is now modern-day Syria, Lebanon, and Israel. They existed from approximately 1200 BC to around 300 BC. Unfortunately, the Phoenicians were a very secretive society, especially when it came to their trading outposts and their sources of raw material. They went to great lengths to hide their discoveries and routes from their competitors. Because of this we will likely never know how extensive their travels really were.”

Max spoke up. “If that’s the case then how do you know that they discovered America?”

“Because we have found some evidence, scant though it may be. It is not as conclusive as I would like, but history rarely gives us everything that we want. The most compelling evidence is a series of stone ruins in New Hampshire that date back to the time when the Phoenician civilization existed. The ruins were clearly not built by the Native Americans – not only is the architectural style very different, but the tribes that existed in that area did not build cities out of giant, multi-tonne blocks of stone. It appears that some outsiders came to the area, built a city, and then abandoned it. Given that the Phoenicians were the seafaring people of that era, it’s possible that they were responsible. If they did build a city in New Hampshire then that would mean they must have discovered America.”

“But couldn’t someone else have built it?” Max asked. “Maybe an extinct race of Indians?”

Professor Grimes paused a moment before replying. “That is always possible, of course, but it seems unlikely. If the Native Americans had mastered building cities out of stone then we would expect to find two things: a series of more primitive attempts that finally culminated at some technological peak, and a series of other stone cities where that technique was applied. Having just one stone city that popped into existence all by itself is quite suspicious.

“But we have more evidence than that. Carthaginian coins that date back to that same era were found on an island in the mid-Atlantic. This is noteworthy because they show that someone from that time period made it quite close to the North American continent. It is not unreasonable to think that if they managed to get that far then perhaps they made it a little further. And which civilization of that era was famous for their maritime expertise? The Phoenicians. On top of that, some inscriptions have been found on rocks in Pennsylvania that may be Phoenician, and a stone in Massachusetts bears a carving of a ship that resembles the ones used by the Phoenicians. There are other hints, but those are the main ones.”

“Couldn’t there be some other explanation?” Max asked. “What if the inscriptions aren’t Phoenician? What if the ship was just made-up, or a forgery or something? It just seems kind of tenuous at best.”

The professor nodded. “As I said, the evidence is not as strong as I would like. Still, I think one can make a good case for it. Given the Phoenicians’ level of sailing expertise it’s certainly not impossible. At any rate, that brings us to the next group: the Romans. The evidence that the Romans were once here is actually fairly good. Not only have archaeologists found Roman coins on this continent, but in the 1940s a Roman head was found in Calixahuac, Mexico.”

Ashley spoke up. “You mean, like, a skull?”

“Goodness, no! I mean the head of a statue. It was authenticated as genuine, it dated back to the second century AD, and it was quite Roman. This brings up a serious question: just how is it that, two thousand years ago, the head of a Roman statue traveled from the Roman Empire to Mexico? Obviously, someone must have brought it there. Since the Phoenicians were no longer around the most likely culprit is the Romans themselves. Earlier Max made fun of their seafaring technology, but it was actually fairly good. They had large ships that were well-built, and they spent a great deal of time traveling around the Mediterranean. They were competent sailors and, weather permitting, were able to get wherever they wanted to go. It is not impossible to imagine that one or more of their ships might have made it to North American – especially if they were following up on rumors that the Phoenicians had discovered a new continent. But there is more. Here is what researcher Charles Boland said:”

Bronze cups in the Naples Museum are dated at 2000 years old or more. They were found in Pompeii. A nearly identical bronze cup in the Smithsonian carries a question mark. It was found in American.

A nail header found in an old Roman site at Saalfeld Fort in Germany is dated at A.D. 200. It was found in Europe. A nearly identical nail header in the Smithsonian carries a question mark. It was found in America.

Threaded nuts found near Neuwied, Germany, in an ancient Roman site, are dated at A.D. 200. They were found in Europe. Nearly identical threaded nuts in the Smithsonian carry a question mark. They were found in America.

Lora spoke up. “What do you mean, ‘carry a question mark’?”

“It means that people are upset with the artifact,” the professor explained. “No one wants to admit that the Romans discovered America. If these artifacts were found in Europe then there would be no questions at all. However, these artifacts upset archaeologists because they were discovered in America and they are clearly authentic. Logically, this leads one to believe that the Romans knew about this continent and visited it. Sadly, modern science prefers to sweep the evidence under the rug so that they can keep clinging to their tattered theories. They would rather get rid of the evidence than get rid of their theory.”

“So you really expect us to believe that the Romans were here?” Max asked.

“I think that there is quite a bit of evidence to support that theory. Really, though, why would we be surprised? Their ships were certainly capable of reaching this continent. The Romans were not dummies; they were gifted engineers and accomplished numerous impressive feats of construction and logistics. Is it really so hard to believe that, just perhaps, the major world power of the time found a way to cross the Atlantic Ocean?”

“Then why didn’t they set up colonies?”

“We went to the Moon, and we didn’t set up a colony,” the professor pointed out. “Even though we had the technology to do so, there were all sorts of political and economic reasons that have kept us from it. Plus, keep in mind that nearly all of the early known colonies in North America were wiped out by the Native Americans. It took centuries for Europeans to learn how to live in peace with the natives and not get massacred. It may be that the Romans did establish a colony and it was simply wiped out by the locals.”

Ashley spoke up. “But what about the Vikings? I thought they were involved somehow.”

“We will get to that. Let’s take one civilization at a time. The point is that it’s quite possible that the Phoenicians discovered America sometime around 500 BC, and that the Romans discovered America sometime around 200 AD. I have given you some of the evidence for it; there is more, but I am pressed for time. If you are interested in the rest then be sure to read the corresponding chapters in your textbook. The bog iron evidence is particularly fascinating.

“The next civilization that discovered America is the Chinese, who came sometime around 500 AD – approximately three centuries after the Romans. Whereas the Romans went to Mexico, the Chinese visited the West Coast – although it is possible that they traveled all the way down the coast and eventually discovered Mexico as well. Fortunately, we have a written account of their voyage. The person who made the long voyage from China was a Buddhist monk named Hoei-Shin, and according to historical records he made his trip in 499 AD. He apparently went to North America in order to spread Buddhism and enlightenment.”

“Kind of like Quetzalcoatl,” Ashley commented.

“Exactly. Only whereas Quetzalcoatl was a Catholic missionary, this one was a Buddhist. He wrote a fascinating account that describes his voyage and what he found; you can find excerpts from it in your textbook, if you are interested.”

Max spoke up. “Couldn’t the Chinese have just made up the whole thing? I mean, it’s just a document. Anyone can sit down and put words on a piece of paper. How do we know that he actually made the trip?”

“Because we’ve found artifacts,” the professor explained. “Namely, ancient Chinese anchors, found off the West Coast, and Chinese coins as well. The physical evidence agrees with the historical account that the Chinese were here, a whole millennia before Columbus. The details of his voyage are fascinating, but we have a lot more ground to cover so I won’t dwell on it.

“The next person who discovered America, as far as I can tell, was the mysterious man called Quetzalcoatl. However, as we have already spent an entire class period discussing him I see no need to repeat myself. I will move on.

“The next group that discovered America–”

“Was the Vikings!” Ashley exclaimed.

Professor Grimes shook his head. “I’m afraid not. As it turns out, a band of persecuted Irish monks beat them here by at least a couple centuries.”

“Irish monks?” Ashley asked, confused.

“Quite right! They came in the tenth century. Ironically, they were actually fleeing from the Vikings. As the Vikings raided Ireland, the monks fled from one island to the next. They were pushed from Ireland to Iceland, from Iceland to Greenland, and then from Greenland to North America.”

“Why were the Vikings chasing them?” Ashley asked.

“They actually weren’t. You see, these monks belonged to an old sect known as the Celi Dei. They believed in non-violence and lived a strictly monastic life. You might say that they were the Amish of their day – they lived very simple, rudimentary lives, and kept to themselves. When the Vikings came to Ireland they didn’t want to fight them, so as soon as they saw their ships on the horizon they got up and moved to Iceland. When the Vikings went to Iceland they still didn’t want to fight them, so they left for Greenland. The Vikings never even saw them. When the Vikings made it to Greenland the monks once again packed up and moved on to North America.

“Unlike pretty much every other group that tried to inhabit North America, the Celi Dei actually managed to live in peace with the Native Americans. The two groups got along just fine. The Celi Dei didn’t threaten anybody, didn’t cause any problems, kept to themselves, and actually helped the locals. No one saw them as a threat and they were allowed to live in peace. Life was great, until the Vikings came to North America. Then the Celi Dei decided they had had enough and were tired of moving. That’s when they attacked the Vikings and fought back, but that’s another story.”

“So Irish monks lived among the Indians five centuries before Columbus?” Max asked dubiously. “How can you possibly know that?”

“Well, fortunately, much of their story is part of recorded history. There are numerous accounts of the Celi Dei. We know that they originated in Ireland. We know that they fled to Iceland. We know that they fled to Greenland. We also know that they fled from Greenland. Once they left Greenland they dropped out of the historical narrative, but they did leave behind evidence. First of all, the Vikings actually saw them in North America. The Vikings wrote about them in their accounts, and some of them were actually captured by these white monks. Second, there are tales of entire tribes of ‘white Indians’. But most importantly, archaeologists have found the ruins of where they once lived.

“The story of Celi Dei is really a fascinating one. Unfortunately I am running out of time and still have much to discuss, so I won’t dwell on it. The whole saga is explored in detail in your textbook; you may want to consider reading it. But time forces me to move on. The final group that discovered America before Columbus is the Vikings.”

“I knew it!” Ashley exclaimed. “I just knew they were mixed up in this somehow.”

“The Vikings are indeed mixed up in it. In fact, there are numerous accounts of their expeditions to North America, which they called ‘Vinland’. There is the odd story of Ari Marson, who in 982 AD arrived in North America by mistake and was captured by Celi Dei. There is the story of Bjarni Herjulfsson, who in 986 AD traveled to North America in search of his father, and then returned home and kept it a secret for sixteen years. There is the famous account of Leif Ericsson, who in 1003 AD visited North America, called it Vinland, and built a home here. There is also Thorvald Ericsson, who visited in 1007 AD; Thorfinn Karlsefni, who came in 1010 AD and settled in what is now New York for three years; and Freydis, who in 1014 AD went to ‘Vinland’ and embarked on a killing spree.”

“A killing spree?” Ashley asked.

The professor nodded. “There was something deeply wrong with that woman. It is quite possible that she was clinically insane; at any rate, she certainly acted the part. She was the illegitimate daughter of Eric the Red, and apparently inherited his fiery temper. It appears that the whole reason she went to ‘Vinland’ was so she could lure the two brothers Helgi and Finnbogi there and, far away from the prying eyes of society, kill them. The brothers had nothing against her and had done her no harm, but she slaughtered them all the same, along with quite a few other people as well. I think she ended up killing around twenty people.”

“She killed her own brothers?” Ashley asked, horrified.

Professor Grimes shook her head. “I don’t think so. Helgi and Finnbogi were brothers, but they weren’t her brothers. She lured them to ‘Vinland’, murdered them, and went back home. Her actual half-brother Leif was not at all amused.”

“What did he do?” Ashley asked. “Did he, like, kill her or something?”

“Oh no. No, he couldn’t bring himself to do that. He just ostracized her. The whole community considered her to be a bad egg, so everyone refused to deal with her. She was avoided and left alone.”

Lora spoke up. “That doesn’t seem so bad.”

“Not to us, perhaps, but back then it was a serious matter. She couldn’t just go to the grocery store to buy food, or collect welfare checks from the government. You see, no one would deal with her. She had no money, no one would sell or give her food, and she was left alone in her house while it rotted around her. For her, being ostracized meant a slow death of starvation. It would have been a terrible way to die. It was absolutely a death sentence.”

“Let’s back up a little bit,” Max said. “How do you know that all these Vikings actually visited North America? Do you have any evidence beside their historical accounts?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact we do. But let’s not overlook the importance of those written accounts. Not only did the Vikings keep historical records, but those records have survived. They provide a terrific amount of detail regarding who went to ‘Vinland’ and when those trips were made. Specifically, we have The Flateyjarbok, which was written about 1390; Hauk’s Book, which was written in the early 1300s, and The Saga of Eric the Red, which was completed about a century later. All of these are ancient Viking manuscripts that recount stories of Viking expeditions to North America. It would be foolish of us to dismiss them. Since we are very nearly out of time I will not read the accounts to you, but they can be found in your textbook if you are interested in learning more.

“But we do have some physical evidence. When Leif Ericsson came to North America he built a house and stayed for a while. His house is long gone but its foundation still exists, and a Viking weapon was found there. In Massachusetts Viking rune stones have also been found – seven of them, actually, which have been translated. Archaeologists have also discovered–”

Ashley interrupted. “Wait a minute! What did the stones say?”

The professor glanced down at his notes. “Hmm. Let’s see. Well, some of them were grave markers. Some of them were marking stones. One of them said ‘Jesus amply provides for us here and in heaven’. Another one told the tale of a shipwreck. Interestingly, the account on the last one corresponds to a rune stone that was found in Norway; both of them tell the tale of a terrible shipwreck that happened in ‘Vinland’.”

“Do you have anything else?” Max asked.

“What more do you want? We have historical accounts, written by the Vikings themselves and dating centuries before Columbus’ expedition. We have been able to reconstruct their routes to North America, based on the information contained within the accounts, and we can pinpoint the exact places on the continent where they landed. The descriptions of the land, and what they saw, matches with reality, and Viking artifacts – including weapons and rune stones – have been found where the Vikings claim to have landed. Comparatively speaking, the Viking expeditions are remarkably well-documented.”

“Were they the last ones?” Ashley asked. “Before Columbus, I mean.”

Professor Grimes shook his head. “No, I’m afraid not. There is also Prince Madoc of Wales, who made a trip to North America in 1171. There is Paul Knutson, who came in 1355. There is Prince Henry Sinclair, who came in 1395. And there is Joao Vaz Cortereal, who came in 1472.”

“And Columbus,” Ashley added.

“Yes, and Columbus. He successfully discovered America – after the Phoenicians, after the Romans, after the Vikings, and after a long assortment of other explorers. The truth is that before Columbus came there had been a pretty constant stream of visitors to North America. Columbus simply made public what other groups already knew – that there was a land mass on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.”

“So why does he get all the credit?” Max asked.

The professor shrugged. “Why not? It’s a lot easier to say that Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492, rather than go into all the detail of who actually got here first. Make no mistake, there is a lot of detail. Entire books have been written on this subject. Normally I prefer to delve into all of the minutiae, but this time there was so much material that I was forced to simply skim the surface. I could have taught an entire class on each one of these early explorers.

“Think of it this way. It is far easier to say that the Wright brothers were the first to build a heavier-than-air vehicle, rather than go into the long history of people who got there before they did. It is easier to say that the Manhattan Project resulted in the first atomic bomb, rather than discuss all the ancient civilizations that also possessed that technology. Real history is untidy – full of loose ends, unanswered questions, and educated guesses. It is rarely as definitive as historians like to make it out to be.”

“Oh, come on,” Max said. “It’s not that bad.”

“Really?” Professor Grimes asked. “Consider this. Have you ever seen the illustration that’s used in scientific textbooks to show children what an atom looks like? Kids are told that the atom looks a lot like a solar system, with electrons orbiting the nucleus in neat little orbits, just like planets orbit the sun. The reality is not even remotely like that; what schools are teaching is a gross distortion of the truth. But schools still teach it because it’s nice and easy and simple. The fact that it is wrong is brushed neatly under the rug. Textbooks are full of things that are factually demonstrability wrong, but that doesn’t stop publishers from publishing them and teachers from teaching them. That goes double for history books.”

The professor sighed. “In your life you will often hear claims that somebody was the first person to climb a mountain, or achieve some feat, or make some discovery. Whenever you hear that, take a step back and be very, very skeptical. Are you absolutely sure that Bob was the first person to climb that mountain, ever, in all of history? Can you actually say that you know the entire life story of every single human being who has ever lived, and can say definitely that none of them ever climbed that mountain before him? Do you really have complete knowledge of all past civilizations and of everything that has ever been achieved by anyone? I very seriously doubt it. It may be – and I say maybe – that Bob is the first person in modern times to climb that mountain or make that discovery. But even there it’s impossible to be sure. How do you know that some unknown person didn’t get there first? Are we to assume that Bob was first simply because he’s getting all the press?”

Max shrugged. “Does it really matter? I mean, seriously. Who cares?”

“I think it matters a great deal. When we tell ourselves that we are the first, we are setting ourselves up on a pedestal. We proudly make the claim that we have gone farther than anyone else, that we are better than everyone else, and that we have succeeded where all others have failed. I think those claims are very dangerous to make, because they are almost certainly a lie. We are not better than those who have gone before us; in fact, I think it’s quite likely that we are not half as intelligent as those who lived in the distant past. It is entirely possible that what we are rushing toward at full speed is not the pinnacle of existence, but our own doom.”

The professor glanced up at the clock. “At any rate, we are out of time for today. Be sure to read chapters 24 through 45; they cover a great deal of material that I had to omit today. I was only able to give you the highlights, but the detail does exist. Also, there will be no class next week; you are on spring break. Class dismissed!”

“Somewhere in this ancient ruin is a spaceport. We’ve found some old maps that place it somewhere to the south, although its precise location has been lost to time. I’m sure it’s much too soon to be thinking about interstellar travel, but I sincerely hope that when we finally reach that sector we’ll find something. Uncovering a starship – especially if it still works – would be astounding!”
–Noel Lawson
June 18, 7243
 

Monroe Araiza was in his living quarters, deep in the ancient stone fortress that was high in the mountains. It was early in the afternoon and he was taking a moment to get caught up on his journal. He had started keeping a diary years ago to chronicle the current events and happenings of Adrasta. At times he wondered why he bothered. Given the serious genetic problems that plagued his people, it was quite likely that the city was in its final days. Millennia of inbreeding had caused extensive damage and rendered people almost entirely infertile. If a cure was not found soon then a century from now they would simply die out. When that happened there would be no one left to read his carefully-kept notes. They would simply sit in a vault until they returned to dust.

His only hope was that perhaps, one day, someone from the stars would find the city and recover his notes before they disintegrated. It was a faint hope, but not an impossible one. There was the intriguing fact that the stars had reappeared. It was true that three years had gone by and there had been no visitors from the stars, but there was always hope. Perhaps the Rangers had just been busy.

Monroe finished entering the previous day’s entry and then set down his pen. His colleagues preferred entering data into their electronic devices, but Monroe refused to so. Whenever he was chided for his old-fashioned ways he pointed out that a thousand years from now his notes would still be legible, but their computers would be little more than trash. Information stored in a computer has a very short life, but words in a book can outlast entire civilizations. That is why his apartment was crammed floor-to-ceiling with real books, printed on real paper; the information in them would long outlast any computers that the city possessed. As soon as he realized that the end of his race was upon them he began writing down as much information as he possibly could. It was the only way he knew to ensure that the data survived. He just hoped that the Rangers would appreciate his work.

The elderly man placed his journal back into his desk and glanced around the room. His apartment was small, but he liked it that way. There was a tiny kitchen, a small bathroom with a shower, a small bedroom, and a living room, which was where he was now. The walls were covered with bookcases, and the books were stacked two deep. There were several chairs, a few end-tables, and some lamps that lit the room. Books were stacked on every available surface. His apartment was very cluttered, but it was well-organized. He knew right where everything was and everything had a place.

Before Monroe could get up he heard a knock at the door. Monroe glanced at a clock on the wall and realized that it was later than he thought. “Come in,” he said aloud. “It isn’t locked.”

The door opened and a middle-aged man walked into the room. “You really should keep it locked, you know,” he replied as he closed it behind him. “Things are not as safe as they used to be.”

Monroe shrugged. “So they say. I daresay that I have very little that others might want. All I really have are my books, and while these books are very valuable to me I suspect that they are of little use to others. I have freely offered this information to Adrasta for decades and have had precious few takers. People simply have different priorities.”

Doyle Leblanc nodded. “But there are still some who seek the path of wisdom. Not everyone agrees with Evan Maldonado.”

“Perhaps, but there are too few who disagree. The public at large supports him and that gives him the power he needs to carry out his genocidal campaign. But please, have a seat. I suspect his campaign is exactly what you have come to talk about.”

Doyle nodded and sat down. “I’m afraid so. I wish I had good news to give you, but I don’t. I have heard the reports regarding Evan’s neutron weapon. The bomb went off early this morning, and sadly the bomb was completely effective. Every bit of human life, animal life, and plant life in the Mercado forest has been eliminated. Moreover, the radiation is decaying as expected. Evan’s weapon has achieved exactly what he intended it to achieve and has operated within expected tolerances.”

“So it was everything he wanted,” Monroe replied, sighing. “I had hoped that his men had made a calculation error and that the bomb would not work. I knew that was unlikely, but since this was new technology there was always a chance that they had overlooked something. But it looks like Evan has won. He has the bomb, he proved that it works, and he will now press on to get the permission to build the bomb on an industrial scale. The savages do not stand a chance.”

“It’s terrible,” Doyle agreed. “Really terrible. He’s actually going to carry out the complete annihilation of the tribal peoples, isn’t he? Evan is going to kill every last one of them – and destroy this planet’s ecosystem while he’s at it. Does he not realize the complete insanity of a global nuclear war? Does he not understand the devastation that it would cause?”

“Not to mention the loss of life. Tens of millions of people are about to be slaughtered, and all for nothing. Evan’s grand dreams of world conquest will never happen. Our genetic code simply doesn’t have that much time left. Despite his denials we are a dying people. All he is really accomplishing is making sure that when we finally die off, the rest of the planet will be dead as well.”

“There must be something we can do,” Doyle replied. “We can’t just let this happen. We cannot permit Evan to wipe out the rest of the savages. There must be some action we can take or some strategy we can pursue. We must end this!”

Monroe sighed. “I don’t know how much we can actually do. Our numbers are small and we have no public support. But I suppose we can at least stand up and protest. Evan is scheduled to make his formal report to the council this evening and request permission to proceed with his genocidal campaign. The meeting will be an open meeting, so we can attend it and protest. I very much doubt it will change anything, but we can at least try. Perhaps the Lord will bless our efforts with success.”

“He has not blessed our efforts so far,” Doyle commented. “We tried to prevent the construction of the neutron bomb but we were not successful. Hundreds of people died today because of our failure.”

Monroe shook his head. “No, Doyle. Hundreds of people died today because Evan chose to kill them. This was his doing, not ours. We are like the Old Testament prophets, warning society of their evil ways and urging them to repent before it is too late. Israel did not listen to those prophets; instead she chose to ignore them and, in some cases, murder them. With us it is the same. We are warning our people, but ultimately the choice is theirs. Israel refused to repent and went on to judgment at the hands of the Babylonians. It is my great fear that Adrasta will also refuse to repent and will go on to judgment and doom.”

“Couldn’t our genetic problem be considered judgment?” Doyle asked.

“Perhaps,” Monroe replied. “But it is entirely possible that once this city crosses the line into genocide, God Himself will intervene. He may not allow us to live long enough to become infertile. He may decide to step in and help those who cannot help themselves – and if our people will not listen then He may destroy us all. But all of that is pure conjecture. All we can do is take what opportunities we have to protest and do what we can to spread our message. If they do not listen to us – well, their blood will be on their hands, not ours. All we can do them is warn them of the error of their ways.”

“Do you think they will listen?” Doyle asked.

“I hope so,” Monroe replied. “But I do not know. Israel refused to listen to the prophets that God raised up and sent her. Will our fate really be any different?”

I Peter 2:7: “Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.

Jesus (the real Jesus) is highly offensive to the world. He truly is a “stone of stumbling” and a “rock of offence.” Jesus Himself made it clear that the world hated Him, and told His disciples that it would hate them as well. However, to those who believe on Him He is very precious indeed.

This is why it is such a bad idea to change the gospel in order to make it more appealing to the world: the world will never love what God has to offer. Our goal is not to make Jesus acceptable to them but instead to preach the Word, in season and out of season. We must not alter the words of God in order to make them more appealing. Once we decide (as many have done) that we are going to tell the world what it wants to hear, then the salt of the earth has lost its saltiness and has become good for nothing.

Standing on the truth and preaching it may be very costly; in fact, it may cost us everything. But it must be done.

This is the cover art for the eleventh book in the Seth Savage Series.

I Peter 2:1: “Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,
2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:”

This goes right along with Psalm 1:2 – Christians are to delight in the Word. It should be something that we desire and long for, because the Word is how we learn and grow. As Jesus said, “man shall not live by bread alone.” What we really need are the words of God.

If we don’t desire the Word then we won’t pursue it, and if we don’t pursue it then we won’t learn the things that we need to know. If we never learn then we’ll remain infants and will never reach spiritual maturity.

We need to be passionate about the Word so that we can grow spiritually. The problem today is that many people have rejected the Word and instead are looking to either the culture around them or to themselves as sources of revelation. What the Bible says is seen as relatively unimportant, and if it conflicts with what society claims then it is simply rejected. This does not lead to growth; this is corruption and death. We need to hold onto the Word and accept what it has to say – not throw it out and replace it with whatever we want to believe.