James L. Paris's Blog, page 50
November 13, 2017
Will Michael Savage's Latest Book Get Him Banned From Heaven?
I am sitting at Starbucks, attracting an array of curious looks as passersby see me reading my advance copy of Michael Savage's latest book: God, Faith, And Reason. If I had to guess, it is likely their astonishment in seeing Savage's picture above the words God and Faith, but who knows?
I have listened to Michael Savage on the radio for years. I honestly don't know how anyone can not like the guy. You may not agree with all of his views or his politics, but he has one very unique trait: honesty (or as he puts it, psychological nudity). As a Christian myself, I was intrigued when, several months ago, I heard Savage go on a rant about God. The rant then morphed into Savage sharing that he was even thinking about writing a book about God. On later shows, he shared with listeners how he knew he would get grief about bringing such a book topic to a publisher. Nevertheless, he is Michael Savage, and has no concerns about getting editorial approval for what is in his latest stream of consciousness.
Savage, raised by an atheist father, lays bare the story of his lifelong spiritual journey and search for God:
"As I take you on this journey with me, I ask you to have patience, for I am neither a prophet nor a holy man. I am just a man who has thought about the questions we will explore together in the pages that follow since the beginning of my consciousness. Why was I put here? Why were you put here? Why are we born if we're born to die? Why must we suffer? Why does God forsake even the good among us? Why do little children suffer so terribly? Why are good men and women slaughtered in war? Why do evil men thrive, unpunished in their lifetimes?"
God, Faith, And Reason, is a collection of 50 short essays with topics ranging from God's forgiveness, to America's obsession with Halloween, to a beautiful and touching story about his love for his disabled brother, Jerome. Savage struggles with the same questions that we all have about God. How can God forgive a murderer? Will good people, or well-meaning followers of faiths other than Christianity go to heaven? How do we know that God exists?
One chapter, in particular, that resonated with me is titled 'An Unlikely Choice.' In my view, Savage exhibits his understanding of a deep biblical truth that escapes so many readers of the Bible: God works in mysterious ways and uses, as Savage puts it, 'Odd people to do his bidding.' Time and again we see God using not just 'odd people,' but individuals who are unbelievably flawed. We can make a list...from David (an adulterer who sent his mistress's husband to the front lines of battle to be killed), to the Apostle Paul (a mass murderer of Christians and yet author of much of the New Testament), to Peter (who denied Christ three times before the crucifixion). My lifelong study of the Bible has left me with only one conclusion to draw about this - God uses imperfect people to teach us that we can all be used by Him. We all have our flaws and shortcomings, and none of this disqualifies us from being called out of the dugout and onto the field by God. So many purists in the Christian community were unhappy with Trump on the Republican ticket, but I think Savage is right when he opines that God saved America at the last minute with President Trump.
It is rare to find a book on God that does not claim to have all the answers. It is interesting to note, however, that many of the most profound interactions Jesus had were with people asking questions. Nicodemus, a pharisee and a member of the Jewish ruling council, presented Jesus with the most meaningful question in the New Testament in third chapter of the Gospel of John:
"Nicodemus said to Him, 'How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother���s womb and be born, can he?' Jesus answered, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, You must be born again.��� "
And then there is perhaps the most famous question in the entire Bible found in the fourteenth chapter of the Gospel of John:
"Thomas said to him, 'Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?' Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'"
Michael Savage was banned from the United Kingdom in 2009, "considered to be engaging in unacceptable behavior by seeking to provoke others to serious criminal acts and fostering hatred which might lead to inter-community violence." Now, some may want him banned from Heaven as a result of his new book on God, but I can't help but love his honesty and his willingness to raise so many meaningful questions...questions that we all have, but are afraid to ask out loud.
My advice to Michael Savage: Keep asking questions, keep moving forward on your spiritual journey, God is on His way to meet you. As 'odd' as some may consider you to be, just like Trump...I am convinced that God is strategically using you to fulfill His plans, and will continue to do so.
Helping you make the most of God���s money!
James L. Paris
Editor-In-Chief ChristianMoney.com
Follow Me on Twitter Twitter.com/jameslparis
Christian Financial Advice
Jim Paris 24 Hour Radio
Poll: Half of American Millennials Say They���d Rather Live Under Communism
Those goofy millennials are at it again.
Now, a bunch of them have decided they���d be better off living under a communist regime.
Because they have so much personal experience with communism, apparently.
Honestly, the best part of poll results like this is that it makes it so much easier ��� and, in turn, more justifiable ��� to completely discount anything these people have to say.
Mrctv.org is reporting on the results of the survey conducted by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, a nonprofit group based in Washington, D.C. According to the numbers gathered by the organization, half of the kiddies polled said they���d rather be living under either a socialist or communist regime, rather than a capitalist democracy.
As mrctv.org succinctly puts it, ���To remind, communist regimes are responsible for killing around 85 to 100 million people worldwide. Socialism has done such a bang-up job for Venezuelans that they���re forced to stand in hours-long lines just for basic groceries and have resorted to killing zoo animals for food.���
The mrctv.org article echoes one of the sentiments toward the beginning of this piece, suggesting that the affection many young adults apparently have for far-left regimes can be directly tied to the fact they simply have no genuine knowledge about them. For example, according to a recent YouGov poll reported on by the website MarketWatch, over 70 percent of the millennials they surveyed weren���t able to even define ���communism��� correctly.
And there you have it.
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
Alabama ABC Affiliate Can���t Find Any Local Voters Who Believe Sex Stories About Roy Moore
OK, so this seems a bit revealing.
ABC affiliate WBMA hit the streets on Friday in search of voters in Columbiana, Alabama, wanting to get a feel for what they thought of all the controversy now surrounding the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in that state, Roy Moore. Moore, as you surely know by now, is alleged to have engaged in inappropriate conduct with four teenage girls several decades ago, when the candidate was in his 30s���and the girls were, well, not. The accusations were originally reported last week by the Washington Post.
As it turns out, according to Infowars.com, the reporter for WBMA, Lauren Walsh, couldn���t find anyone who said they believed what the Post story had to say about Moore.
One person interviewed by Walsh, Gordon Fluker of Wilsonville, Ala., said about the article that ���it���s hard to believe the events that transpired yesterday.��� According to Walsh, Fluker���s comments were typical of those she heard.
The reported noted that ���out of all the voters we spoke with Friday in Columbiana, we didn���t find one voter who believed the Washington Post report about Moore.���
Locals��� suspicions of the legitimacy of the accusations may be well-founded. Certain pieces of information have come to light, since the allegations were first made by way of the Post article, that call into question some aspects of the claims. For example, it has since been learned that one accuser, Deborah Wesson Gibson, appears to harbor an exceptionally strong ideological allegiance to the Democratic Party, and reportedly worked previously on behalf of both Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton.
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
November 12, 2017
Prediction: 2018 Will Be The Year Of Internet Money
I am always on the lookout for article ideas, and that was the case in 2012 when I heard about a new kind of Internet money called Bitcoin. The idea of a computer software program replacing everyday paper money sounded more than a little crazy, but I was just looking for an article topic and it filled the bill. At that time a Bitcoin was worth $12 - today the value is more than $6,000! Click here to listen to Jim discussing Bitcoin on his recent radio broadcaast.
A few months after I wrote that first article on Bitcoin I received an e mail from a Christian family that shared with me that they had gotten in on Bitcoin when it was just a few pennies in value. They ended up selling half of their Bitcoin when the price had first gone above $1,000. Their haul was so big that they paid off all of their debts, including their home. What excites me is the idea that someone can turn a small amount of money into this kind of life changing wealth (talk about a fulfilling the command of being a good steward!).
The Chart Below From Coinbase Shows The Meteoric Rise Of Bitcoin From Just Pennies To Recently Almost Reaching $8,000!
I have to be honest with you and tell you that the whole idea of money being replaced with software has been something that I have struggled with wrapping my brain around. Can this really happen? What are the risks? Will people accept this as real money? Over the past five years I have watched not the explosion in the value of Bitcoin, thousands of Bitcoin ATMs opening up worldwide, and countless businesses accepting it as a payment option (including big names like Overstock.com, Expedia, and even Microsoft). I have also seen major Wall Street firms beginning to embrace the idea of digital currency - you can even buy Bitcoin inside your stock brokerage account!
I still have 'those conversations' with folks that laugh, mock, and simply shake their head about the notion of Internet money. I have no interest in trying to convince anyone to embrace Bitcoin or any other cryptocurrency. My view is that for now, some people get it and some don't. I often think back to the late 1990s when I set up my first website and people laughed and told me that no one would ever use the Internet to find my books and radio show. Next, came the wave of social media sites and so many laughed again and said there was no way they were going to get involved with all of that, and now it is rare to find a person or business without a Facebook page.
The truth is that most people today already operate without much cash in their wallet. Digital money is not really competing with paper money at all, but with credit cards and banks. This new technology provides an inexpensive means to make payments and transfer money compared to the processing cost of a credit card transaction or a Western Union wire. We are even seeing the adoption of digital currency in third world countries at an incredible pace. This is truly a worldwide phenomenon.
Perhaps the most exciting aspect of this whole opportunity are the lesser known (and still cheap) Bitcoin competitors (also called 'alt coins'). In this article below that I just published on Facebook, I discuss a Bitcoin spin-off called 'Bitcoin Cash.' I am presently closely following it and about 30 other different digital currencies, and have my own money in about 10 of them. The chart below shows a 49% increase in value in just one week for Bitcoin Cash.
Many of my readers may be very surprised to learn that I now spend a significant chunk of my day buying, selling, and researching digital currencies. I really never planned on doing anything more with digital currencies than quietly investing money on behalf of myself and my own family. Frankly, I don't enjoy conversations with skeptics on the subject, and have felt that it might be another year before digital currency gains widespread acceptance. In recent months, however, I have been inundated with requests from people that want to 'pick my brain' about digital money. Yes, they want to take me to lunch, buy me coffee, do a Skype call - I have had all the offers you can imagine. I have also received countless e mails asking me, "Hey, aren't you that Christian financial guy that bought Bitcoin and talked about it on the radio a few years back?" I guess the laughing stops when they turn on their TV and see Bitcoin being discussed on CNBC or open up Forbes and sees a big article spread on it. The best part of all, is that you can set up a nice portfolio of all the top digital currencies (including Bitcoin), for under $200. In fact, one of my favorite coins is presently trading at just 20 cents!
I am now predicting that over the next year we will reach the tipping point and interest in digital money will reach critical mass. It is for this reason that I decided to start teaching an online course about how to get started with digital money and (most importantly) avoid being scammed. My online Bitcoin and digital money course is now available. I am teaching about Bitcoin, but also quite a bit on some lower cost alternatives that may become the Bitcoins of tomorrow. All of my classes are recorded and available on demand 24/7. Students also have access to a private Facebook group that provides a forum for ideas and questions. For those unable to participate in my class, another great educational resource that is completely free is Bitcoin.com.
Helping you make the most of God���s money!
James L. Paris
Editor-In-Chief ChristianMoney.com
Follow Me on Twitter Twitter.com/jameslparis
Christian Financial Advice
Jim Paris 24 Hour Radio
Disclaimer: I am no longer practicing as a financial adviser and I don't offer personalized financial advice. Please consider this article as educational and not a recommendation to buy or sell any investments or digital currencies. Digital currency is speculative in nature and can present very high risks of loss. Consult your own financial adviser before making any investments.
November 11, 2017
Saudi Arabia Grants Citizenship To A Robot
Physicist Stephen Hawking, speaking at a technology conference in Lisbon, Portugal recently, took the opportunity to detail some of his distinct concerns regarding the proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) across the globe. As noted by The Christian Post, Hawking made his comments just as Saudi Arabia declared it had become the first nation to actually grant citizenship to a humanoid robot.
Noting that computers have the ability to not only ���emulate human intelligence,��� but ���exceed it,��� Hawking said ominously that AI could end up being the ���worst event in the history of civilization��� if humans don���t retain the ability to ultimately control it.
���Success in creating effective AI, could be the biggest event in the history of our civilization. Or the worst. We just don���t know. So we cannot know if we will be infinitely helped by AI, or ignored by it and side-lined, or conceivably destroyed by it,��� Hawking said.
The famous cosmologist added that ���unless we learn how to prepare for, and avoid, the potential risks, AI could be the worst event in the history of our civilization. It brings dangers, like powerful autonomous weapons, or new ways for the few to oppress the many. It could bring great disruption to our economy.���
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
CA Governor Jerry Brown Says Rest of the World Needs ���Brain Washing��� on Climate Change
When you didn���t mean to be this truthful���but just couldn���t help yourself.
The Sacramento Bee reports that California Governor Jerry Brown was at the Vatican recently to address religious leaders (huh?), and spoke on the matter of that obviously compelling spiritual topic known as climate change.
Even better than the fact Brown was there at all���is what he had to say about changing the attitudes of rest of the world ��� and, more specifically, of world leaders ��� toward the subject of climate change.
Obviously frustrated that much of the globe still does not see the problem as he and so many other progressives do, Brown suggested ��� out loud ��� a surefire way to be sure everyone climbs on board the climate change express.
���The problem ��� is us,��� said Brown. ���It���s our whole way of life. It���s our comfort ��� It���s the greed. It���s the indulgence. It���s the pattern. And it���s the inertia.���
OK.
���At the highest circles, people still don���t get it,��� the governor continued. ���It���s not just a light rinse��� that���s required. ���We need a total, I might say ���brain washing.������
We can all readily agree, Governor Brown, that in order to get large segments of the population to agree with you on the matter of climate change, it���s going to take a great deal of������what was it you said?...brainwashing?
Yes, absolutely. 100 percent correct.
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
November 9, 2017
Use of Jesus��� Name on ���The View��� Bleeped Out by ABC
They sure are getting tough at those network standards and practices offices about what counts as a curse word.
Apparently, now, Jesus is a name that cannot be said on television without being bleeped out.
That���s right ��� Jesus.
When Paula Faris, co-host of ABC���s ���The View,��� was recently discussing ��� along with the other co-hosts ��� the results of a recent poll that found most Britons believe just six of the Ten Commandments are ���relevant��� in the present day, she had occasion to use the Savior���s names ���Jesus Christ��� and ���Jesus������and when she did so, they did not pass muster with the censors.
Here���s what Faris said:
���My parents were really strict about what we said in the home. We couldn���t say ���Oh my God.��� We couldn���t say J.C. We couldn���t say [bleeped out]. We could say ���Jeez��� ... unless you were praising Him, and then you could say, [bleeped out].���
As noted by The Christian Post, it was obvious to viewers that censored words were ���Jesus Christ��� and ���Jesus,��� in that order.
Although it has been speculated that ABC took the step to censor because the backdrop of the conversation was the matter of taking the Lord���s name in vain, and the network was unwilling to allow the names used in the context of curse words, many observers aren���t buying it. As was readily pointed out on social media by show viewers who were paying attention, even when Faris used Jesus��� name when speaking of praising Him, the name was bleeped out.
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
Five Simple Ways to Build Credit When You Don���t Have Any
Let���s get right to it ��� one of the most common questions by people with no credit is how to build credit.
The good news is that you don���t have to do anything elaborate to get started on the road to accessing the kind of buying power that will one day allow you to purchase a nice home for your family, or enjoy the multitude of other benefits that come with having a bona fide credit history. In fact, it���s really pretty simple, according to an article over at Bankrate.com that details five easy ways to enter the club of creditworthy consumers.
1. Become a joint account holder with someone else. This is a no-brainer, as long as you have someone with an existing, solid credit history willing to let you hop on board the credit train with them. Oftentimes, it���s another family member who���s willing to let you do this. While these arrangements can prove troublesome for helpful co-signers, particularly if the person looking to build their credit through the union is a poor steward of the account, they can work just fine if everyone is of the right temperament and has their heads screwed on right. Just remember that when it comes time for you to break out on your own, that cannot happen until you are able to qualify for an account in your own name, by yourself.
2. Make sure your rent history is being reported. A lot of folks who rent their apartments and homes pay to a landlord or management company that does not report the payments to a credit bureau. Ask if the entity to which you make payments reports to Experian RentBureau. If not, you can actually sign up with a rent payment service that works with RentBureau, and your payment history can be a part of your official credit file.
3. Secure a secured credit card. You���ve likely heard this before. A secured credit card works like just any other card ��� and reports to the credit bureaus just like any other card ��� except that you have to keep on deposit an amount equal to your approved credit line, to cover the bank���s risk. No worries though; after you have demonstrated responsible use of the card for a year, your deposit is returned to you, and the card becomes an unsecured, or ���regular,��� credit card.
4. Use a gas card. Gas cards are another good way to go, because they���re easy to obtain, and you have to buy gas all the time, anyway. Purchase your gas with the card, pay the balance at the end of each month, and now you���re on the way to building a good-looking credit file.
5. Take out a personal loan. This is a perfectly fine strategy noted by Bankrate, but unlike those previously mentioned, it can sometimes be challenging to get anything like a signature bank loan unless you already have some kind of credit working for you. However, it���s a great option once you have a little time in with a secured card, for example, particularly because personal loans represent a different type of credit line that can reflect favorably on your credit score.
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
November 8, 2017
Minnesota Public High School Now Formally Teaching on the Evils of ���White Privilege���
Each day, signs that the social apocalypse is not merely approaching, but very much in the process of enveloping us all, are everywhere.
Take this, for instance: A public high school in Edina, Minnesota ��� Edina High School ��� is now teaching an English course that has, as an overriding purpose, instruction on the evils of what has come to be called ���white privilege.���
And it���s not even a Social Studies course, as bad as that would be; it���s an English course.
As reported by Fox News, the controversial courses taught at Edina were designed by English teacher Jackie Roehl, who is apparently a strong believer in the idea that the high school students should not only study, but be readily accepting of, critical race theory. Simply defined, critical race theory says that race is actually a social construct, that whites constructed the idea of race, and that whites further seek to perpetuate it because the structure of race most greatly benefits white interests. Here are just some of Roehl���s thoughts on the subject of teaching critical race theory to high school kids:
���Understanding Critical race theory was a significant reason behind our school taking another step on our equity journey ��� incorporating a study of Critical race theory into our sophomore English classes. English teachers felt that our district���s mission to give all learners the ���ethical values necessary to thrive in a rapidly changing, culturally diverse, global society��� could not be fully met without explicit discussions of race, racism, and Whiteness.���
But Katherine Kersten, a policy fellow at the Center for the American Experiment, a Minnesota ���think tank��� that works to promote conservative and free-market ideals, says the course ���constitutes an abuse of parents��� trust, taxpayers��� money and ��� most importantly ��� vulnerable children. Edina citizens should hold district leaders accountable for substituting political indoctrination for a real education.���
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
Pro-Life Movement Rejoices as ���Catholic Pentecostal��� Confirmed to Be Circuit Court Judge
Once again, for all of the misgivings many conservatives, particularly religious conservatives, have about President Trump, a Trump presidency has seen the appointment of jurists to the federal bench that are clearly in the best interests of religious conservatives.
As reported by The Christian Post, the latest is Amy Coney Barrett, a ���Catholic Pentecostal��� known to be very devout. Barrett, also a mother of seven, was confirmed last week by the U.S. Senate ��� following contentious questioning by Democrats ��� to sit on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit.
As you might expect, pro-lifers are beyond thrilled with Barrett���s arrival to the federal bench; abortion rights groups? Not so much.
���Judge Amy Barrett���s confirmation is a victory for the pro-life movement as well as for the fundamental freedom of all Americans to live out their faith in the public square,��� declared Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List.
Continuing, Dannfelser said, ���In spite of her exemplary qualifications, Judge Barrett was subject to outrageous personal attacks for her Catholic faith from pro-abortion Senators during her confirmation hearing. Those attacks have no place in America, let alone Congress, in the 21st century. Moreover, voters will not forget the attempted obstruction when they go to the polls next year.���
However, in her own statement, NARAL Pro-Choice America President Ilyse Hogue was, unsurprisingly, highly critical of Barrett���s ascent to the 7th Circuit, saying that her ���confirmation advances Mitch McConnell���s, and the anti-choice GOP���s, desire to reshape the courts in Donald Trump���s image for decades to come. Barrett���s record speaks for itself: She is aligned with extreme, anti-choice organizations, and her writings make clear that she believes Roe v. Wade was incorrectly decided.���
Speaking of ���choice,��� sounds like the right one was made, in this case.
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
