Tag Archives: Satan

Daniel Webster

Daniel Webster: (N) (1782-1852) U. S. statesman and orator

I’m often hesitant to talk about historical figures because I realize that many Americans are unaware of anything that happened in the cosmos before the day of their birth.

Now look at me—two days in a row: Daniel Boone and now, Daniel Webster.

But there’s something very significant to take out of the archives on Mr. Daniel Webster.

He was considered such a great orator and debater that they wrote a short story called “The Devil and Daniel Webster.”

I shall not take your precious time by going too deeply into the premise of the tale. Let’s just say it exalted one idea:

 Daniel Webster was so smart that he could out-think the devil.

I will tell you that if there were an actual being called Satan, then perhaps we could prepare to square off against him and win the day.

But since the devil has leased property in our own brain, we are usually not very successful at avoiding temptation and foolishness—because the actual dangling sin has been offered to us from us.

Therefore I would have to tell you, the possibility of the great orator, Daniel Webster, defeating the devilish orator, Daniel Webster, is slim to none.

 

Cookie

Cookie: (n) small cake made from sweet dough rolled and sliced or dropped by spoonfuls

A true case for the value of an eternity is made merely by mentioning the word “cookie.”

Since there is no justice in this lifetime, we all are desperately in need of a supernal destination where all things wrong are made right.funny wisdom on words that begin with a C

Cookies should never be considered bad.

It’s a part of our fallen nature—our sinful demeanor—that has turned these luscious globules, chipped from heavenly clouds, to be relegated to merely sugar, fat and calories.

For those who don’t believe in Satan, consider an athletic gentleman standing next to your cookie jar lecturing you about how unhealthy these godly pieces of divine delight truly are.

Yes, he is Satan. He tempts and then withholds.

There has to be a place where we finally come to the conclusion that kale goes to hell, and cookies dwell, along with you and me, in heavenly bliss.


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Cookie

Cookie: (n) small cake made from sweet dough rolled and sliced or dropped by spoonfuls

A true case for the value of an eternity is made merely by mentioning the word “cookie.”

Since there is no justice in this lifetime, we all are desperately in need of a supernal destination where all things wrong are made right.funny wisdom on words that begin with a C

Cookies should never be considered bad.

It’s a part of our fallen nature—our sinful demeanor—that has turned these luscious globules, chipped from heavenly clouds, to be relegated to merely sugar, fat and calories.

For those who don’t believe in Satan, consider an athletic gentleman standing next to your cookie jar lecturing you about how unhealthy these godly pieces of divine delight truly are.

Yes, he is Satan. He tempts and then withholds.

There has to be a place where we finally come to the conclusion that kale goes to hell, and cookies dwell, along with you and me, in heavenly bliss.

 

 

 

 

Cookie-cutter: (adj) lacking individuality; stereotyped or formulaic

If individuality is merely the proliferation of really stinky attitudes shared in a variety of styles, then I, for one, would welcome a little bit more “cookie-cutter approach” to our society.

Candidly, as long as it’s a cookie I like, I would welcome you to cut as many as possible—to satisfy my appetite and an ongoing hunger in 
humanity.

We might want to stop taking all this time convincing everyone about how unique we are, and instead, insert more chocolate chips into our recipe, making us more appealing instead of appalling.

There’s nothing wrong with being like other people if the way you’re like other people is an intelligent way to like other people (I hope you followed that.)

So if you can get over your fear of being common, you might be able to develop enough common sense to create a satisfying recipe, spread yourself out and bake up something with your life that makes people want to come back for more.


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Cloven Hoof

Cloven hoof: (n) a divided hoof ascribed to the Devil

I refer to it as “descending theology.”

It begins with a plausible notion and ends in the deepest dumpster of superstition. Let me give you an example:

There is a Creator who made the Universe.

Now, you may not agree with this, but at least the concept itself has some plausibility. In other words, if there were an eternal force, this
Unit would be able to hatch a Universe.

Yet from that point on come descending assertions, affirmations and doctrines about this Creative Force. For instance:

He had a son.

He decided to kill his son on a cross.

He believes in witches.

He had little children murdered because they laughed at a prophet.

You see what I mean? Whereas the original idea may have been feasible, when more and more tales of the bizarre are added, the theology descends into the graveyard of Mount Olympus.

Let me try another one:

There is evil in the world. (All right, I’m with you)

That evil appears to be organized. (Sometimes certainly feels that way.)

The mob boss of evil is named Satan. (You’re losing me…)

Satan is not really human or angelic, but rather, a creature. (Okay. I’m backing out of the room.)

Word has it, he walks on cloven hoofs. (Now I’ve turned and I’m running away very fast.)

If we were able to believe in God without the deterioration of descending theology, which turns everything into R-rated nursery rhymes, we might be able to take the better nature of our Deity and find it inside ourselves–and love one another.

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Bungee Jumping

j-r-practix-with-border-2

Bungee jumping: (n) the sport of leaping from a height while secured by a long nylon-cased rubber band from the ankles

Two.

I only need two reasons to chase me away from doing something.

Three.

Generally speaking, I have to have three reasons to proceed.

You may think I’m overly cautious, but it has prevented me from pursuing trends, fads and “hip stuff” which was later proven to be either erratic or deadly.

So when I see the word, or phrase in this case, “bungee jumping,” I put this idea into practice.

I start looking for the two reasons not to do it. And just to be fair, I search for the three reasons to pursue it.

Let’s look at the three reasons I might want to take a flying leap:

  1. To impress people with my courage
  2. To see firsthand how strong these bungee cords really are
  3. Gee whiz–forgive me. I’ve run out of positive reasons.

Now, let’s look at the things that might prevent me from strapping on:

  1. I have a rubber band tied to my feet. Now, I personally have viewed a little girl putting her pony tail together, applying a rubber band and seeing it break in her hands. Here’s my thought: if a little girl can break a rubber band in her hand, they may not be reliable, no matter how thick and sturdy they appear.
  2. This was difficult, because ten different objections wanted to take the second position.  But after careful consideration, I decided on:

Bungee jumping is head-first.

So not only are you relying on a rubber band to sustain your weight from what would have to be considered a fatal fall, but if it doesn’t, you’ve decided to confirm that your brains are bashed in first.

There are some folks who think they are superior because they’re daredevils.

But keep in mind … at least half of the word “daredevil” is a reference to Satan.

 

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Bedevil

Bedevil: (v) to cause great and continual troubleDictionary B

Word has it that you are not allowed to pick and choose.

That’s too bad.

Because I will tell you, I would certainly love to have entertainment without sensationalism.

How about voting without politics?

I definitely would enjoy faith without religion.

Food without calories.

Marriage without gender bias.

And conversations without one-upmanship.

This especially becomes troubling to me when I consider that which bedevils us the most…that being the devil himself.

I am told that you cannot believe in God without acknowledging a counterpart–a Dark Lord named Satan.

Sometimes it almost makes atheism look appealing–not so much that I want to get rid of God, but just to eliminate the instinct to be preoccupied with his nemesis, Beelzebub.

To me, Satan has become the “Great Hall Closet,” where everything we don’t want to deal with gets thrown, hoping that by springtime our inclinations will improve.

Unfortunately for God, He receives surface praise for goodness and full responsibility for tornadoes.

Satan, on the other hand, seems to have greater power by manipulating evil empires and causing your boss to fire you, even though it might have just been a by-product of your lazy efforts.

I guess the worst thing of all is the darkness that bedevils us with fear and keeps us from our better angels.

So I don’t have an answer to this quandary, but instead, an abiding apathy.

In other words, I am one of those ridiculous realists who chooses to commune with God while ignoring the troublesome neighbor … with the pitchfork and horns.

 

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Banal

Banal: (adj) so lacking in originality as to be obvious and boring.Dictionary B

It’s one of those words.

If you actually find yourself using it, you seem to be an individual with a stick up your backside (and I don’t mean a scarecrow).

And also, it’s very difficult to speak against popular trends, even if you feel like you’re doing it out of a sense of preserving the integrity of the human race.

But there certainly are things going on in our society that are banal.

And it is equally as certain that to fold your arms, climb up on your soapbox and preach against them makes you age right in front of the eyes of your audience–until you appear to be Grandpa Grump.

So what can we do with banality?

Is it really dangerous or just a passing fancy which causes people to run hither, thither and yon in the quest for acceptability?

I do have a rather “live and let live” philosophy–except when it comes to one category: lying.

Lying is not negotiable.

Since we live in a free country, if someone wants to construct a statue of Satan and put it next to the Washington Monument, I could not care less. Why? Because in less than 20 years other people will tear it down because it’s stupid.

But on the other hand, if we want to begin to believe that lying is a part of the human psyche, beyond our control, and give ourselves a free pass to propagate deceit, then we are dealing with a dangerous bomb which can destroy the relationships of people and the essence of our Republic.

Why is lying so bad? Because we cease to believe in the truth.

And since the truth is what makes us free … our lies will end up being the chains that bind us.

 

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Aquarius

dictionary with letter A

Aquarius (n): the eleventh sign of the Zodiac.

“This is the dawning of the …”

The next part of this lyric from the song in Hair is “…Age of Aquarius.”

I happen to really enjoy that production and the tune, even though I grew up in a religious environment which believed that all astrology was “of the devil.”

Yes. Leave it to Satan to come up with a practice where everything is left to chance and the moving of the stars.

So as a kid, it was difficult to sing the song, share the song or even refer to the song around grownups. They would warn me that I was welcoming in dark demons, which would later infest me with horrible attitudes like failing to pay my electric bill.

It was difficult–because truth is much like water. It tends to come from everywhere and surprise us with how similar it is, considering its divergent points of origin.

Some water comes from the mountains through melted snow.

Some from the sky.

Some from wells from deep within the earth.

But pour it in a cup, drink it down and it’s refreshing.

I have to be honest with you–the off-Broadway musical, Hair, did more to enlighten me, generate social consciousness and make me compassionate than any sermon I ever heard in church.

It was raw, a little silly and laced with too much hopefulness.

But without that kind of childlike faith, we all become cynical growling adults. And deep in my heart, I wish there was an Age of Aquarius. I dream of how wonderful it would be if the stars would shift, Jupiter would align with Mars and attitudes would improve.

But I think I’m stuck with the symbolism–or maybe I’m Jupiter and my brother is Mars and the truth of life is still stuck in the closet somewhere … of the seventh house.

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