Previous William Thomas Sherman Info Page postings, quotes, observations, etc.
Presumably then, it is part of God's nature (inasmuch as we can know that nature) to be most thought of, since he not only most exist, but further as some maintain is, by definition, existence itself. For this reason, ideas and or feelings of unity, harmony, joy and or peace are so universal, regardless of genera or species, that to us they seem like His qualities.
A god, on the other hand, implies or connotes ultimate authority and highest excellence of some kind which a person might possess in some measure yet who is not God. Yet such a god's authority could never overrule God's authority or excellence, unless say God somehow permitted it. Allowing then for the latter, is there a god of all gods who is not God? If yes, this could only mean that he was second only to God. Yet, if there was such a second how could he or it be known? Surely one would think his justification would accord with right reason; otherwise we could know he was god in violation of right reason; and if this were the case, then we would conclude he was superior to right reason. And yet how can we know of something being superior to reason without availing ourselves of reason to do so? Common sense and sound judgment would seem to frown on the idea of putting our judgments at the mercies of we know not what otherwise -- and that naturally and based on experience may not be of God as such. In addition then to being able to (for us) to best discern and recognize God through and by right reason, we need reason also to know and determine who is the gods of all the gods, the god of most of the gods, a god of some of the gods, a god in opposition to the king of the gods, a god is opposition to the god of most of the gods, or a would-be god who is not among the gods (but is perhaps thought of as being a god by such as who are not), et al.
Woodrow Wilson Speaks!
Some of the issues and concerns addressed here will sound dated, and yet much of what he says, and which you can hear and see as well, is most assuredly not.
It is not dishonest, irrational, or immoral people that will save or spare yours or anyone else's lives from slavery. And yet how much does your own country's leadership and people value honesty, right reason, or basic morality? Do they not perhaps instead, and at the end of the day, answer to spirit people, whom and which later are assumed to hold the ultimate keys to greatest wealth and power (not honesty, reason, or character?) Take my word for it, if your nation will not combat spirit people tyranny and sophistry, you can take for granted it also it has little or no real backbone or stomach to fight or resist slavery -- hence the overweening reliance on sound bites, willful distortion, censorship, obstruction of communications, and propaganda (rather than honest and truthful discussion) and that is so prevalent and common most everywhere.
As I intimated earlier, though it's admittedly not among my most frequently listened to kind of music, I do like Jazz when it's the very good stuff, or at least what I consider to be such, and that usually means going back to the classic names and performers like Django Rheinhart, Dizzie Gillespie, Count Basie, and such as this stellar line up from the 1955 film, also available on DVD, "Rhythm and Blues Revue."
Later Note. Respecting a further exploration and enjoyment of Ellington's music, to be sure you can't much surpass "The Reprise Studio Recordings," and that is both aficionado and beginner friendly. As well, if you check on ebay and similar, there's the single album/CD "Afro-Bossa" originally released in 1962.
With unsullied voice and engaging delivery to match it, this was simply too lovely for me to postpone posting. And who knows? Perhaps I might die later this afternoon. And if I did, how unforgivable it would be to me that then some of you should have missed it. This is Manhattan Jazz Orchestra with Carolyn Leonhart, Bill Mays Piano, and Eddie Gomez Bass. (They themselves also do a nice version of "Rhythm of the Rain," and which is also how it happens I just learned of this video.)
It's raining in Seattle and which brought to mind that Cascades super hit "Rhythm of the Rain." This version of the same by Australian pop vocalist Jason Donovan was as good as any I came across on YouTube. I think the secret to this terrific song, but which unfortunately too many performers seem to miss when singing, is to take best advantage of the beat, while, if possible, including some snappy percussion.
This is war, remember? Two things to re-remember then when fighting Hell.
1) Find the enemy's weakness and attempt to exploit it.
2) (As Lord Chesterfield reminded his son), find the good to be had in your own misfortune (there is, at least to an intelligent person, always some amount of good of one kind or another amidst the bad), and make the most of it. Indeed, let's go further and say turn or transform your weakness into a positive strength; in addition to the obvious corollary of changing into weakness his strengths.
Only the particulars of your enemy's and your own circumstances can help give you the answers as to how his could or might be done, and even then will require not a little pondering over and yet more imagination on your part. But if your heart is in the fight, and you set your mind to it, odds are you will sooner or later find those answers you need.
Notice how when rank evil wages war on good they try to corrupt people, and do his by getting them to get used to break the rules, usually the basic rules of morality. Yes, but do you also realize Hell has rules that must be followed in order for them to be powerful and effective? To illustrate, one of the rules might be that you must obey the edicts of their supreme leader. But what if you disobeyed those edicts and get others to do the same? Why, by definition then, you would be violating the rules. So the idea then is identify the rules Hell follows and see if their own principle of disobedience can be used against them in this way.
Another favorite track of mine, incidentally, from this same album is "Night Meeting" (amazon.com mp3 download.)
Some clever and powerful spirit people could be embodiments or take on the mantle of incarnations, avatars, bodhisattvas, of such as and who are denoted or connoted "gods." Yet a literal god? A god, as such, exists (for us) only in God's or the Divine Mind like a class, universal or category (such as we saw proposed in the likes of Plotinus and Avicenna), and not in natural or sensual reality. To begin to adequately know, understand and then recognize true godhood then requires a grasp and comprehension of the Divine Mind where classes and universals exist (and only there), and this, in turn, is only possible when there is a due application and appreciation of reason and the sense or disposition of candid veracity. At the same time, to attempt to establish an individual person's godhood outside reason and truthfulness, lets in and gets started the notion or attitude of seeing universals through mere sensation, feelings, and intuition, by means of which a person risks all the more becoming the unwitting dupe of mind control and magic.
To the Holy god Simon. There now I said it! Satisfied? Now will you please MYOB.
But, as a matter of course, he won't. But then that's the flop-house religion of the vampire and the sorcerer for you. And it certainly comes as no surprise to learn that thousands of years ago the spirit people Dept. of Health, Welfare and Sanitation formally shut down and condemned their Heaven, and now you, whatever your religious affiliation, are supposed to be dumb enough to have it pawned off on you. And yet some and many still are! "Oh Tinker Bell, howse about a little kiss?" P-U! I know. Yet that's what they are really like! After all, do you think they go on torturing and murdering people and animals, and or are incessantly bitchy and cranky because they are such happy souls? With respect to harping or caviling, perhaps you think I myself go on. Well, if I do, I at least have something like good reason; seeing as how I am reacting to actual physical assault and battery of one kind or another, including having been subjected to these brain torture radios now, non-stop, for some 17 years.