I
There is a certain stubbornness to history. I know not how to quantify it. I only know, what is true today, is gone tomorrow. What was yesterday, no one can find. The Feast of First Fruits, the Feast of Weeks, we celebrate the Harvest when the first crops are coming in. We wave it before the Altar, and are satisfied.
This is the first of the science of Joy. What is your first, is filled with sugars. Therefore, offer it before the Priest, wave it before the Altar, give thanks. It is the first of your production. Enjoy the portion, too. Eat. Feast, rest. And then get back to work.
When there is no harvest, but there is much hoeing of the soil... there is much planting... the rains never come... or too much rain comes, and washes out the soil... one can raise a curse to God, and say "Why have you scorched my work, and why have you washed out my seed?" The stochasticity of the water vapor, though, that is all you curse.
No, God is much deeper than this, and I wish to expound upon true knowledge. That there is stochasticity, there is choice, there is a randomness to life... that is the law of nature. Why there is choice, why some great men fail or go into obscurity, and why some pathetic men are made into towers. Understand this, you understand a lot of things.
Yet, the portrait of Joy is the topic today. Therefore, when you starve, give thanks to God. When the sun beats down on your harvest, when the winds kick up your dirt, when the waters never come---for there is a drought---praise the LORD. Not to have Him miraculously bring the rains---though He can---not to cause prosperity. For one righteous man dies in his righteousness, and another wicked man dies in his wickedness. One thief lives in luxury, and another honest man lives with his life stolen from him.
Where is the science, though? Where is the truth? Do you know my meditations? Can you perceive it?
II
Thus, consider, there are Acres of Diamonds, said the sophist. Yet, time and time again, staying on your property yields no results, and leaving your property leaves no results. Another man discovers minerals on his land, and another discovers great fortune. Another goes across the sea, and finds gold in yonder rivers.
I want to impress upon you, that this is not where joy comes from. A greedy man has great fortune, and a humble man has none. The humble man is satisfied with little, and the greedy man never satisfied. He must get more... he sees the mansion, and must have it. He sees the rare books, and must have it. He sees the cashmere, the sterling silverware, the golden chains, and must have it. He sees the decadent charcuterie and must have it. While in the moment, at the wedding feast, the wiser of the men eats it, knowing this will be maybe thrice in a well lived life, such a thing will occur. The wicked want it at every meal.
There is such a thing as fortune, where it makes men into dogs. They will bark, they will run through hoops, they will even sell their freedom to obtain it. They don't care, for freedom is less precious to them than the 100K salary. Freedom of Speech they don't need, but a custom motorcycle they do. They don't need the right to religion, but they do need the tattoo. They don't need marriage, but they do need their menstrual blood.
Understand this... about fortune... the wise man is satisfied with little. But, there is another joy, I will tell. A greater joy, if you will just listen. Listen carefully to my speech. I have dark sayings, and wisdom of the ancients. Where is it? It is gone. Thus, joy dissolves from the Earth, for all are in ernest to get and receive, but never to give.
III
True Joy, comes from satisfaction with little. To eat from your labor, this is joy. To have a roast suckling, bread with chewy crust, soup with good spice, and vegetables with sweet and savor, and to say "I have hoed my field, and I have sowed my crop, and I have planed my wood, and I have smithed my hoe, and I have found the keys of knowledge." That is where there is joy.
Yet, consider... men can take this from you. Can they not? If they do not like you, they can make you into an infant. They can take a wise man, and make him foolish. They can make the foolish wise in the world's eyes. They can make Majesty out of the Sloth, and the man who delicately crafts in Marble, and smiths of Iron, and does the engraving, they can make seem the sloth. The man who seeks wisdom, they can make look crazy. And they can. They can make a lifetime of work idleness. If no one purchases your craft, if no one will cooperate in the economy, then you will be poor. No matter how strong your craft is.
Thus, we come to the crux of Joy. Men must cooperate, and live at peace. There is true Joy. The artisan properly appraised, the food properly judged, the metal properly tested. And if it breaks, it goes to the one who didn't. If there is a master craftsman, he must eat. If he cannot, then what economy is this? The proud go and make their things, all for their purposes. Whose purposes?
Thus, why does it go on and on, and nothing ever happens? When men starve you, and they can, just for your liberty, they do it. And then there is no freedom, beside prosperity. Where is joy? It is in the one who follows best, and doesn't show themselves to be different. That is who is happy, until many become few, and few become one, who has any prosperity?
IV
Thus, here is the secret to Joy. Consider the decadence of Kings, with Diamonds for windows, the prisms pour onto the wood. Know there is greater riches than that, in the Kingdom above. One Acre of Heaven's Land, is far more valuable than all the Earth's treasures. For, it is golddust for dirt, and the pebbles are precious stones. The sedimentary layers of the crust are the finest gems. And there is no mantel: there is no fiery hell beneath it. It is all forgotten.
Thus, when you walk closest to the grave, when they wish to flay you, cook you, beat you, poison you, prick you, strangle you, burn you, publish all your secrets and let you rot... there is such a Love that comes from Heaven's fields. True acres of Diamonds.
There is a beauty there, that when held in your heart, will produce lasting peace. And there, if poor, and no man will see you on the wayside, you shall be happy. And your enemy will say, "Why? We have taken everything he has, and have destroyed it." And the wise shall say, "Oh, you fool. Had you not known, this world's goods were not my true treasures? I had a foundation of rock, which I built my house, and there is my joy. Not here. Here, you take all I have, or give me mansions and fine flesh and fine virgins, there is no more riches greater, than that of the Kingdom. I can live in endurance, and though you try me, I come out like Silver Purified Seven Times. Stamped for Purity, and a little impurity, to make me valuable for costly rings."
Thus, what is joy? Here is the secret: The Kingdom of Heaven is within you. There is your joy, and none can steal it from you. No not one. They can try, they can cause words to pour from your lips, they can do you great injustice, they can make you feel great pain and sorrow: They can make you rich, they can make you wealthy, they can make your heart filled with joy... there is the LORD and His treasure in your heart. They cannot steal that, if you have buried the pearl in the field, and hid it. They cannot find it, if they search. For the field is in your own soil, and you have taken the tares, and rocks, and highways out of it. And you have planted the mustard seed. And you have great love inside of you. That is where the truth resides. And none can steal that joy, if you sow it.
V
Walking through the woods, the Oak stood before me, and I realized, "The mountain moves by faith. Witchcraft is enchantments, potions, sleight of hand, and using strange science to cause a man to believe in falsity. Yet, consider, faith perceives as it actually is; thus, the mountain moves because it were never there." Thus, I reason, that we need God to establish our reality, for what do we have without Him? The witch must establish reality, or the warlock, or the demi-god, and we know they are not powerful enough. Yet, the light is in us, through the LORD Jehovah-Jireh Jesus Christ. Therefore, what man establishes as a god, dissipates, and is no more. No man can work, and no man can establish being. For, if being were part of our reality, and only as we perceived, then there would be no being, and we would always be correct about the outside world. Thus, we are truly underneath the LORD, or in captivity and beneath a devil. And the light shines, because we are pleasing to the LORD, and our light shines before them, and causes the sun to shine brighter. We need God to establish the geometry of the world around us, for if the geometry is made by our perception, then it is built upon a hollow hole, and we fall through it, into darkness, and are no more. That is hell.
Also, peace must be given by God. There is no peace apart from Him, and though we will it, there is only suffering. Mankind's philosophies are rooted in suffering and tragedy, and, thus, nobody flourishes. Yet, in the kingdoms of Christianity, there is the joyful child, looking up at her Grandfather, as he reads Martyr's mirror, her face beaming, and her pretty little face is at peace, and so is her grandfather, who looks like Socrates or Santa Claus. And there is the first lesson: We need God's peace to sustain us. We need the vine, as all other philosophies have attested, there is no peace found in their gods, or in their philosophies. No! Peace flows through Jehovah-Jireh, Jesus Christ! Why do people suffer? Why do the great sages of the East only see suffering? When the great sage of Jerusalem says that the Kingdom of Heaven is within us? Thus, peace flows through God, and not ourselves. For, no philosopher that I am aware of, has ever attained joy, but at the best madness or malaise. No, we need a Good Shepherd, we need a Rootstock, we need Life. The Peace of God is life, and love. It is longsuffering, and patience. It is meekness and humility. It is wisdom and life. It makes the righteous glad, though they suffer, and it causes the gloomy to realize there is a better hope somewhere yonder.
And lastly, how is there any knowledge of good or evil? Beauty or ugliness? How is there any knowledge of this, without Christ's body living it for us? Without the beauty of God's peace, how do we know? No, we cannot. It is like describing sight to a blind man. Thus, we need the LORD to know even a handbreadth of the Good, or to have all knowledge, we need Paraclete. We need to be aneled by Grace, and have it pour down over our beard. That is the deep spiritual truth. For, we perceive there is good and evil, we perceive there is beauty and ugliness, but the world around us says there is not. And it is contrary to our childlike being, to not know these natures exist in us and are apart from us. That eternal pleasure comes from Good, and eternal pain from Evil. Thus, we need Christ's Body, and Moses' Table, to know what to do. Without an example, we can neither know the good, for we need the Geometer to demonstrate his principles. And, thus, God come in the flesh does, living His life of poetry. There is still some frustration in a good man, there is still a longing for solitude, there is still a little kindle of wrath at injustice, there is still a little bit of looking down at those who have inferior ways. Yet, the Dog is fed the crumbs, and thereby, an entire world has access to the Kingdom and His promises. That little Dog, that we all are, except the 144,000 Jewish Virgins, are now extended grace. And thus, we know to extend mercy to those who are different than us. The Jew extends mercy to the Palestinian, the Palestinian to the Jew. Yet, in the wages of war, where there can be no peace, the city is waged war with, and the inhabitants are starved. And that is why we need to be counseled on right and wrong. For we know not the time or season without Him.
Yet, consider, Satan... He comes clothed as righteousness. He tells you things, like "Be Empathetic; Do not War; it is a happier thing, to believe in nothing." And he comes, with his falsity, and his emenations, and he says, "Be your own god, found knowledge for yourself, test the spirits of the other faiths, and see... they have mousse too. They have flavor. There is wisdom there." And slowly, you find these ministers of light, or in the church even: he brings us to Paul, and says, "Now see, you are forgiven, so you can be whatever you choose. You don't have to do good deeds." And, thus, the foundations of morality fall apart, the very substance of being does with it... for no other God can establish, no other God can protect. And there is a peace for a little while, but the Serpent strangles her. And he constricts, and has venom. And constricts like a serpent, and envenomates with lust, bitterness, envy, malice, wrath, ingratitude, distrust. And those he envenomates you with, and then his body wraps around him, and squeezes, until the things of this world choke them. And then he is like a Howling Monkey, screaming loud, and telling you all your fears. Telling you to be frightened, and that you cannot be forgiven,---trying to elicit despair. He tells your secrets, spreads slander and gossip up and down the street, causes spies to enter into your house, and friends so called to be a mission against you. And they slowly feed you corruption, and drug you with your sin, and lust, and transgression, and then they poison you. And these are his ministers, as friends, apostles, prophets, wise men... and slowly you unwind, and your persecution is sore, so you let go of Christ. For you wish to be one with those you have become associates with, to blend in and take your things.
©2026 B. K. Neifert
All Rights Reserved
Author: B. K. Neifert
23 Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body: not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.
Common Activity
The Knight upon the board
Eyes the bishop.
Dark square bishop,
The Knight's L.
Warfare, white and black.
The priest preaches his homilies
Subtly reminding the King of why
He goes to war...
The Knight compassing him;
The Queen is a tyrant
Burning the pawns,
Thrusting them into combat.
En Passant, side swiped by the soldiers'
Blade, thrust forward,
The fortresses espied,
The king retreats to it.
My finger feels the glazed wood;
The smell of the woods from the box
Like pine. Warfare on an eight by eight
Board is acceptable to me.
Write From the Perspective of an Inanimate Object
Am I this Pinocchio doll,
With the shoe unglued,
Falling off my foot?
When will I become a real boy?
I sit on the shelf, and ponder:
I come from a collection of them;
Some large, some small.
My nose a wooden triangle---
Does it grow? I know not.
I wish I knew... for I am driven mad
By ignorance.
Write a Poem from the First and Last Line of a Poem
"My first thought was, he lied in every word,"
Said Childe Harold upon his exodus.
Down flew the warriors, the scorpions come!
The whole world heard the Trumpet sound.
There he was, and I am here, you are there,
You go around and round, and I remain idle.
I tried my best, but I saw him behest
And blew. "Childe Harold to the Dark Tower came."
Dialogue with Another Poem
Am I pinochio, or Childe Harold
Sitting upon the liar's chair...
Or am I valuable sitting here,
Or sitting there?
Am I crazy, or am I sound?
I know not, nor if I'm renown.
On and on we go,
The women talk of Michelangelo,---
Am I Prufrock, or am I Death,
Am I Smerdis, or am I a mess?
Or am I a humble poet wise
Who simply wrote his poesy wild?
Poem From the Future to the Future
"I know not what you do,
"Or who you are.
"Only that I regret you.
"I am poor,
"And filled with doubts.
"Why did you have to try to shout?
"I have painful silence in my breast:
"I lay in prison, and wish for death."
I say to you,
"My friend, if you are so cowardly,
"Suffer a little for your hourly
"Wage, which you have bought.
"You either don't give up, or have no love.
"Push a little further still,
"Fate is not real, and God may still heal."
Ten Words I Love
My Aegis is righteousness;
My mien is amorous love.
I need real freedom.
My friend is Jesus, and His forgiveness is good,
Word of the Day
Have---
Out of 1 million words
In the English Language,
This simple word
Was the one chosen by a random prompt.
Have---
I'll have you soon;
I hope.
Use Words that Have Opposite Meanings
Truncated is my expectations;
Enlarged is my desire.
Infinite are my loves;
Infinitesimal is my apathy.
Life is bitter;
Death is sweet.
War is peace;
Freedom is slavery.
Long live what is already dead.
American Aloha,
The 22nd Amendment allows a third term...
For Democracy Trumps a Constitution.
©2026 B. K. Neifert
All Rights Reserved
The Economics Game: Game I Played in Elementary School
Capitalism:
There's 100 pennies, and ten or more players. Each player selects a job card they get to level up at, but must pay a certain fee of pennies and money so to increase their pennies based on their job promotion. The pennies are part of the cost of running a business, too, so the entrepreneurs need to use pennies to increase their production, along with monopoly money. Also, you have to compulsorily spend one penny a turn. There is a central banker, who can increase or decrease the money supply, and is paid money back for this service. The players buy and sell pennies with the monopoly money.
Communism:
There's 100 pennies, and ten or more players. Everyone is compulsorily given a job card, based on the randomization of the deck shuffle, which produce a random amount of pennies. They are given 1 dollar a turn, regardless of what they do. The pennies are given to the President, and then doled out equally to everyone who worked, depending on how he wants to distribute it. Two players are inner party members, and this is decided by the president, and they get to discuss this distribution with the president. The rest aren't allowed to have any say in it whatsoever, on threat of losing all their pennies. Players must compulsorily spend one penny per turn.
Socialism:
There's 100 Pennies, and ten or more players. Everyone is compulsorily given a job card, based on social agreements and bargaining, which produce a certain allotment of pennies. They are given an agreed amount of money for their jobs, decided by collective bargaining, which is discussed and moderated by majority rule. The pennies are then bought and sold at market, but the costs are restricted by collective bargaining agreements. Everyone must compulsorily spend one penny per turn.
Social Capitalism:
There's 100 pennies, and ten or more players. Each player is given 20 dollars monopoly, to buy pennies. Each player selects a job card they get to level up at, but must pay a certain fee of pennies and money so to increase their pennies based on their job promotion. The pennies are part of the cost of running a business, too, so the entrepreneurs need to use pennies to increase their production, along with monopoly money. Also, you have to compulsorily spend one penny a turn. There is a central banker, who can increase or decrease the money supply, and is paid money back for this service. The players buy and sell pennies. But, those who are wealthy can establish no interest loans for poorer people, and give them money to purchase promotions, and thereby help them earn value.
Job Cards:
Laborer: + 3 pennies on even turns and also - 5 dollars. - 1 penny and + 10 dollars on odd turns. Journeyman Promotion: After 10 turns, +2 pennies on even turns. Master Promotion: After 5 more turns, +3 pennies on even turns.
Banker: Central Bank gives money to banker at his discretion, and the bank pays 1000 dollars to the central bank for their money every turn. The Banker then loans money to other players at interest. The Banker is only allowed to use money collected from debts to purchase pennies or pay the central bank.
Intellectual Worker: - 500 Dollars - 4 pennies over four turns. Journeyman Promotion: (Pay 100 dollars to achieve on turn 5) + 400 Dollars also + 1 Penny every turn. Master Promotion: (Pay 200 dollars to Achieve on turn 10) +500 Dollars + 3 Pennies every turn.
Logistics Worker: +10 Dollars, - 1 Penny every turn. Journeyman Promotion: After 5 Turns + 100 Dollars, + 3 Pennies every turn. Master Promotion: After 20 turns +200 Dollars, + 5 Pennies every turn.
Healthcare Worker: - 200 Dollars - 4 pennies over four turns. After four turns, +400 Dollars, and -1 Penny every turn. Journeyman Promotion: - 400 Dollars once, then after 6 turns, +2000 dollars, and + 1 Penny every turn. Master Promotion: After 10 turns, +4000 Dollars, and + 4 Pennies every turn.
Clerk: +5 Dollars - 2 Pennies every turn. Journeyman Promotion: After 7 turns, + 100 Dollars, every turn. Master Promotion: After 10 Turns, + 200 Dollars and + 1 Penny every turn.
Manager: (Must be Clerk Level 2 or be an Intellectual Worker) +1000 dollars every turn. Journeyman: +1500 dollars every turn. Master: +2000 dollars Every Turn.
Business Entrepreneur: Will create all job cards to give to the other players, but must give of their own pennies and money to their employees based on their own discretion. Small Business: after - 6 pennies and 1000 dollars for three job cards. Franchise: After 5 turns can spend 1000 dollars for 3 more job cards. Corporation: After 10 Turns, can spend 10,000 dollars, for 3 more job cards. Entrepreneur and Employee bargain over money and pennies. All an Employee's money and pennies go to the entrepreneur, and is then given back to the employee.
College: Intellectual Workers and Healthcare Workers must pay their money to the College. The college makes no pennies.
Self Employed: - 2 pennies per turn.
"Turns are 2 minutes and played in real time."
If you run out of pennies, you are knocked out of the game. You die.
After 30 turns, the winner is the one with the most pennies. Every 50 dollars equals one penny, after subtracting debt.
Players pay 15% of all their money to the Treasury every turn in taxes. Every penny costs 50 dollars in taxes.
21st Century Hitler
There was once a quiet boy, who played with vacuum tubes
And swung them in his basement, making worlds.
He was very beautiful, with chestnut curls,
And he made mistakes, yes, quite a few.
He once came upon Athena one day,
While carrying on his daily chores.
A writer he was, and a writer he'd be
Yet Athena wanted him lured
Into his van, of candy and treats
He came upon him one day.
Thus, Athena made a plan so grand
He chose not to make this boy elite.
Thus, the boy wrote his songs,
And wrote his stories for himself.
The people all saw it, now,
And thought, "Aww, for bloody hell."
Thus, they rioted and called him wrong
And cried out for his very songs.
They destroyed free speech, and burnt the moors
Petulant children all called him wrong.
He didn't know, save in his vision---
He just was poor, but with fruitful mind.
They called him the next Hitler,
But all he did was purge his mind.
Thus the people all waged war,
Two wars were fought for the law
That this man had it all...
But a poor boy he was, with fifteen dollars
He simply wrote his stories for himself.
So the people cried, and they wanted him found
They cried ever so loud.
They cried, and fought, and blood spilled through every valley.
"This boy shall not be a man,"
They cried out in pain, and thus they were well pleased.
All so this boy wouldn't write his odes
All so he wouldn't sell his stories,
Now let us understand.
Was he Hitler, or did he sing
For the freedom of his speech?
Was he concerned with what the world did
Was he even like a feral beast?
Or did he just quietly do his task
And learned what he could
Before it disappeared in ash,
Ash to ashes was the wood
Of every paper that printed ink
Thus all words were changed.
Was he really a bad man at all
Or was he really that insane?
Response to Jezebel Vibes
I don’t think you quite understand the division of the New and Old Testament. The Old Testament is punishment for sin. So, according to it, we all deserve to be put under the sword or hard labor. Likewise, if we hide our talent in the soil, the LORD will give our talent as plunder to those who invested.
I mean, the point being, the cultures Israel was at war with, were all like Ted Bundy and Lyndsey Clancy. So, generally, it’s just merciful to kill them, they can do no good. I just think if Jesus were to command those things, there’d be a reason for it. And the reason is, these cultures were just psychopaths. I mean… their DNA was corrupted by so much sin, it couldn’t be redeemed. But, more in line, the Old Testament puts everyone under the sword. So, that’s what Grace is, is redemption from that Sword, and redemption from the infants being dashed to pieces.
Not to mention, there’s just an effect of embracing our violence. It’s in Psychoanalytic schools, the human mind has a lot of psychological problems, and when you purge it with those kinds of things—like the Psalm you quoted—it just makes you healthier. I mean, to fight the battle on the page, is safer than fighting it in real life. You know? It’s why we tell stories. Is there’s dark substance in the soul, that get released when you read that stuff. It’s just better for you. It makes you healthier and more relaxed. I mean, you’re channeling that against good, in essence, where the Bible channels that against evil. Either way, it’s in us. That’s inevitable. Someone’s going to kill babies at the end. That’s just human nature, so we make poetry to help us not kill babies. Because if you didn’t express those forms of anger, you’d commit violence. I mean, just look at what HAMAS did, and how entire swaths of Europeans and Americans are supporting them. And they’d continue to do it. Shamelessly, and they’d still get support no matter how evil they are. Good has to fight back sometimes, and give it right back.
I don’t think morality is just God says. I think there’s logic to God’s morals, and a good chunk of the Old Testament is the ethics of war. I mean, it’s just a fact war sucks. And it’s evil. I think God has to make it evil. He can’t lie to us, and tell us, “Well you know, it’s toy soldiers in a row, being knocked down.” No, war is plunder, murder, killing babies, women, children, old people… it’s that regardless of what war you’re speaking of. If anything, it puts a certain gravity to war, that we should only fight them, when the babies can be risked being killed. If not, there shouldn’t be a war. You know? That’s the gravity of war. It’s not just men killing each other. That’s why the Bible is truthful. I don’t see that in many other documents, beside the Iliad. But, that’s the truth. It’s a perfect logical construction. Either babies may die, or there should not be war.
Well, we don’t know what omniscience is. I don’t pretend to understand that. Why does Jesus say “Do you want to be healed” to the man laying down with his mat? A thousand theologians will make a theology out of it, but God, from my dealing with Him, has a personality. He’s very good, has a sick sense of humor sometimes, but I mean He just is Who He is. I don’t have His mind. I really don’t. I mean, God has humor, when Saul asks David for Philistine Foreskins, David gives him more than what he asked. You know? I think there’s a certain levity about this life, it’s not really that important to God, so He’s not really too concerned about what happens here. He’s more concerned about your eternal state. And there’s evil in this world, and if you’re a king, your job is to kill it. I don’t want to be a king for that reason. The King’s job is to put in prison, and kill and mass murder. That’s what kings do. It’s not something that you want, but that’s also why the Prince by Machiavelli is not for a CEO, but an actual prince.
Like a good example, is when John Hooper is killed by Bloody Mary, I mean, the sequence of events makes me laugh. Really, her whole reign of tyranny is just one sick joke after another, worthy of Monty Python. But, that’s just getting to the sick nature of the human mind. We need that dark substance to be happy.
I don’t think He’s telling you to abandon them. He’s telling you to choose God over them, as some of them aren’t going to make it.
Now I understand. Yes, the culture is about prosperity, and working, and there’s a certain animus in the culture toward Christianity. And your parents told you no, don’t witness. I get that, now. That’s probably the root of your deconversion. Christians worship work, and money, and you know, I’m told every day how I’m a sinner for doing exactly what you got scolded for, but the difference is I don’t care. And my parents, I just don’t listen to them when it comes to that. I understand that, perfectly, and that actually should be against the law, what you’re saying. You should be free to talk about your faith, and HR shouldn’t be allowed to fire you based on that.
I mean, I ask a lot of questions, but ultimately, what keeps me Christian is Jesus. I just feel it’s a good answer. And better than anyone else’s, and far more sufficient than anything I could imagine. That’s why I believe in Him. If you don’t, that’s your decision. And who knows? Maybe you’re a prodigal, and will return to the faith. But, I see this in a lot of people, the confrontation is between God and the things of this world. And you know, the Tares and Rocks are part of a parable for a reason. And a lot of people lose faith because of tares and rocks. You know? You got to be willing to sacrifice everything, hate your family so to speak, to get returns on your investment. And your worldly wealth isn ‘t the mark of your obedience, but rather the shame or lack of shame toward the truth.
I don’t think it’s disrespectful at all. I think they’re good questions, and honest Christians need to wrestle with them, because there may be important lessons in them, that might make sense if we tease it out of them.
I mean, the very first Dogma of the Catholic Church is you can attain knowledge of God through reason. I think there’s a certain strain of Protestantism that just makes the gut reaction God, and that’s what causes witch hunts, and martyrs, and wars. And I think it’s good to understand the WHOLE PICTURE, and really wrestle with it. Because there’s a lot of good insights in those verses you’re picking at, that when turned to their proper sense, start to make it more reasonable. Like I’m trying to do right now.
Why do I Believe in God?
Well, man, that’s a long discussion. Um, to put it in three bullet points.
- Good isn’t a ticket to a happy life.
a. So we still need to be good, even if it won’t make us happy.
i. That is why heaven and hell, and also grace make sense, that we have a reason to be good even if we’ve failed, and a means to be empowered to do good, through God’s Son.
b. We also need a definition for good, and that’s Jesus’ life and ministry, and also the Law handed down to Moses.
c. The reason God gives law, is so mankind can live peacefully, and be happy. - When evil is abounding, good sometimes has to fight. Or all mankind will suffer.
- When evil exists in a civilization—i.e. Egypt, Israel, Babylon, Rome—it weakens it, and makes it susceptible to cultural changes, and susceptible to invaders, because man has a natural conscience, that will not allow such things to go unchecked.
It does logically follow. Without heaven and hell, the logical choice is to do evil, to get pleasure. That’s Atheism 101, and all the philosophers have been saying it for nearly three hundred years. That’s also why Christians remain Christian, despite people like you, is it’s against the natural conscience, and we know there must be eternal reward or punishment, for nothing else can satisfy the evil things done on this earth.
But, because people are evil, war is necessary to prevent suffering during peace. Which, Moses’ law did create a happy society. So did Jesus’, I remember it well, and without those memories you could have probably fooled me. But, I know the future, at least what I’ve seen in my dreams, and I got to say I’d pick Christianity over it, and hope to God that He does have a hell, for what people do and have done.
But generally, I’ve studied a lot of philosophy and history, and fully understand why you’re wrong. It’s hard to explain it to you, but until you see the kinds of mess humans have made over the centuries, and the gross amount of suffering caused by mankind, it doesn’t make sense. Or the profound peace the Gospel did give even Western Civilization.
There is a God, and He is Jesus Christ. And we need Him to be empowered to be good. Facts about history can change, and if I gave you a list of reasons why I believe, I’m not so sure they’d be there tomorrow. I’ve seen this hidden a thousand times.
But, the truth is, I do believe God is good. And I think you are not. And the Sermon on the Mount was preached by Jesus, and so was everything else. I don’t particularly know what you’re going on about, but I do know history has been very damaged by whatever is happening right now. And I just think, we need faith. And without faith, the world isn’t getting any better. It’s getting very unkind, very weird, very dangerous. And we need faith to establish, first off, any first principle, even as far as ontology. So, the fact is, you can whine about God, and how awful He is, but if the Bible weren’t so sound as an ethical document, even giving the power of the sword to the government, to wage war against sin, then I’d expect you could dupe me.
;
But, there’s an entire poetry to the religion, and you don’t know the first part of it, and I could spend a lifetime trying to teach it to you, and it’s just you dont want it. So, I know why you’re wrong about everything, and I’ve worked hard to answer those very questions for myself. And I’ve found your position lacking more substance, or really any substance. So, that’s why I’m a Christian.
But to conclude, Jesus is the only one I’d trust. Just based on the Gospel. I’ve thoroughly read everything you said, and can provide a counter argument in my head as to why it’s wrong. But, you know… that’s a lot to do over a comment section on YouTube.
Just know, every word you spoke was read, and I know why it’s fallacious.
But, the first few things I will debate. The first thing.
For one thing, we do need a definition for the good. That philosophically follows. And Christ’s life is perfection, so when He gave the dogs crumbs, He came by the way of Zebulon and Naphtali, and opened salvation to the Gentiles. 😉
Give Me My Books Back
Poison, is that writer's block. Bane, like the possumhaw.
Am I in a sort of hell?
Everything lucid disappears.
Everything is erased by time...
All strong words and letters are gone.
All is alienation.
Is the vine a poison grape to crush?
Yes, imagination still suffices.
There is still a thing, and a thing to say.
I can still write, though the sages are dulled...
Though history is forgotten.
Lady Jane Grey I know not,
Nor whether Elizabeth were in the Tower of London.
Boethius forgets about virtue
And every man is an island unto himself.
Herodotus forgets the reign of Nabonidus:
How Sin was placed on the altar over Samas
And this enraged the people,
And caused Cyrus to be welcomed by them.
For they did not like that their virgins were to be temple prostitutes.
Where is it? Where did I read it? If not Herodotus?
Why is Finnegan's Wake changed from gibberish to less gibberish?
I do not know... is it some sort of torture?
Some sort of trick played on me and no one else?
Come, trains, yet the grape is crushed like they said...
Yet there is no joy.
Please help me, my God is not too far from me.
I cry out in the wilderness, and truth disappears.
It is all gone.
And there is no more fuel for the fire.
Yet I burn... a smoldering flax shall not be quenched
Nor a bruised reed shall break.
Kill the infant; dash them against the stone.
War is necessary I assume, to provide our true history.
That is my thought right now...
Where is the truth?
He is fallen in the street.
Thus, we still have free speech,
Let me kill the metaphorical infant, so I do not kill a real one.
Like our women are celebrating right this very moment in history
The death of three.
It makes me want blood to flow,
Yet I am appeased by it through the Bible's violence.
I kill it in my heart. There it dies,
And no violence proceeds from my hands.
Take away my history, my fantasy,
My dark meditations,
And I do not know...
I may become one of the mobs who burnt down Manhattan.
©2026 B. K. Neifert
All Rights Reserved
The Dictator and Sage
The dictator saw the Sage, and then he said,
"Tell me, the sage wisdom."
So the Sage said, "In war, kill your enemy quick.
"And only wage war, when a country deserves
"To have its children slaughtered."
The dictator, feigning rage,
Cried out, "Such is unlawful!"
The Sage then said,
"Lawful speech I have, to say you are an evil wretch."
The dictator then cried,
"I shall come and kill you, and make it quick.
"I will not torture you, just kill you quick."
To which the Sage said,
"So come, and bring all you have."
The dictator did not come;
Where was he? The enemy was turned
To the sea, and their stink raised up
Before all the land.
The Four Cycles of Sermons
Taking the Church Calendar, but not making it mandatory, I would take my sermons as such:
Platitudes:
These would be sermons on Charity, Kindness, Love, Gentleness, Meekness, Patience, Good Works, Loving your Neighbor, and goodwill toward men. Such sermons would be less referential to scripture, and would be more in line with teaching the basics of love and truth.
Logos:
These would be sermons on Apologetics, on Evidence, on building a body of knowledge for evidence in support of scripture. As Reason is part of our faith, it would teach reason as a means of connecting with God, through Evidence, and Philosophical Arguments, and Historical Criticism. Also aid from the Apocrypha would be used in these sermons.
Beatitudes:
This would be sermons of Exposition from the New Testament. There would be one chapter read from a book of the New Testament. And the book would be read, and exposited verse by verse. Using the conservative exegesis of the Bible's True Sense.
Dogma:
This would be sermons of Exposition from the Old Testament. There would be one chapter read from a book of the Old Testament. And the book would be read, and exposited verse by verse. Using the conservative exegesis of the Bible's True Sense.
The Church Calendar would start, using the 52 weeks. And on the 53rd week, there'd be a sermon of Beatitude for that special week. The first week would start with Platitude, and so forth, the weeks would cycle from the four modes of preaching. So the entire sense of scripture is preached, from Good Works, to Reason, to Exegesis.