158 Epiphany 3: All These Stories Are Not Connected
"Jesus Christ is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?" ~ Psalm 27
All These Stories Are Not Connected
Seven Sentences
A Poem
Smoke spilling up from the pipe of the bespectacled priest as we sat by the electric fire, I answered his query, "Poetry is dead."
"It's like that movie that I saw but now is too old to be a useful reference to anyone that I'm talking to."
"This is MY church!" she laughed, as uncertainty and darkness descended with wings and pressures.
Not just any handshake, oh no.
I, for one, am weary of constantly "needing" to be ready, to justify, to excuse, to accept, to be a memory hole machine.
Never underestimate the power of your own, personal disassociation anchor.
All my problems are just solutions I don't understand yet anyway.
Till angel cry and trumpet sound,
The Mad Christian
Clickbait Paradise
In this edition:
The problem with science
Abortion and prayer
Standing tall against Pride
plus all the usuals..
Blind with science
A recent scientific study about scientific studies has concluded that there is not as much "disruptive" science being published lately. Authors of the study noted that while there are more papers being published today than in the 1940s, discoveries which send scientific disciplines in a brand new direction are light on the ground. An article in Naturejournal pitches a few ideas about why that might be the case, but they concede that no one really knows why.
Interestingly, the study's authors noticed that "research in the 1950s was more likely to use words evoking creation or discovery such as ‘produce’ or ‘determine’. Research done in the 2010s was more likely to refer to incremental progress, using terms such as ‘improve’ or ‘enhance’." So, are we simply in a holding pattern, an "improving and enhancing" stage of human achievement? Surely we haven't run out of startling things to discover? We think this long but worthwhile essay sheds some light on what's going on.
In May 2021, writer Matthew Crawford contended that the pandemic revealed how corrupted science has become. Some of this could be attributed to good old mammon – the resources needed to "conduct big science" are considerable, so the "measure of scientific achievement becomes the amount of ‘research support’ brought in, not the production of useful knowledge", as Crawford explains. Also, funding contracts are given to those who will study what the sponsors wish, which is bound to create incentives in specific directions.
Crawford suggests that a crisis of replication in which a "disturbing number of the findings" were shown to be bunk is a product of the corruption of science too. Scientific endeavors now center around "knowledge monopolies" and are generally pursued in large teams. If scientists are breaking off into various tribes, finding peers to review your work who aren't colleagues or competitors is difficult and may account for some of the errors.
Perhaps this brings us to one of Crawford's most salient points – science is now jockeying to be seen as the unquestioned source of authority. "It is invoked to legitimise the transfer of sovereignty from democratic to technocratic bodies, and as a device for insulating such moves from the realm of political contest." No correspondence shall be entered into.
The top-dog position suits the folks in power, naturally, but heathen populaces who wish to place their faith in something less hokey or demanding than a god seem to embrace it also. This has produced a new religion, at times referred to as Scientism. Science should be a dispassionate observer of reality, a God-given tool for men to investigate His creation, but zealots now need it to explain all of life, to provide a set of principles we can "trust" and "follow".
Some scientists, spying the slow down in disruptiveness, have a renewed interest in the past, looking for unexpected discoveries they may have missed from times when "unfocused research" was the order of the day. The image of Otto Warburg, gathering sea urchins and studying how they work (discussed in BHoP) or Crawford's idea of "kitchen science" is one of unhurried curiosity, reflective of a desire to understand what life is for. Yes, it takes money to build a Hadron Collider but not everything worth discovering is sub-atomic.
Perhaps the lack of groundbreaking discoveries is a symptom of things Rev. Fisk often discusses – the lack of time spent in contemplation, the distracting nature of our screen-filled existence. Or what Dr. Koontz often points out – that people don't read any more, especially history. Maybe it is just that scientists also live in this age overrun with inter-sectional silliness.
As much as moderns may want it to, science cannot save your soul. And it makes a crummy religion. As Crawford writes, "The phrase “follow the science” has a false ring to it. That is because science doesn’t lead anywhere." In that case, it is an idol, which cannot bear the weight of the hope placed in it.
What if we never find the cure for cancer? God is still on his throne. Maybe the scientific establishment will continue to run its wheels – it is the glory of God to conceal a thing! But we will continue to speak of God Almighty, who made heaven and earth. It is he who "gives wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to those who have understanding."
Not safe, but very effective
Tens of thousands of people marched to speak up on behalf of the unborn over the weekend, in the annual March for Life in Washington, DC. Though the Dobbs decision at the US Supreme Court last year was one of the biggest victories for the cause of life since 1973, the spirit of the age will continue to find novel ways to end human lives. The most vital battles probably won't be legal ones or even ones which captivate the whole nation but will be the steady changing of minds through acts of compassion and standing resolutely on what we believe about God's gift of life.
The makers of Plan B, better known as the "morning after pill," have requested that their abortifacient drug go through a bit of a rebrand, asking the FDA to claim that it "prevents pregnancy by acting on ovulation" and therefore doesn't "terminate a pregnancy". Riiight. Readers may know that similar things are said of regular hormonal contraceptive drugs and as Rev. Fisk has pointed out, there is no way that manufacturers can guarantee that no babies are harmed by their potions.
Drug-induced abortions now outstrip the gruesome regular type, with abortifacient medications available online and soon at retail pharmacies. But there is pushback on this. A group of pro-life physicians has launched a legal challenge to the FDA's approval of abortion drug, mifepristone. "The lawsuit charges that the FDA didn't conduct safety studies and termed a pregnancy an "illness" in order to accelerate approval of the drug, which is also known as RU 486."
It was great to see the nation turn to prayer for a hot minute, after the collapse of NFL player Damar Hamlin recently. But secular gods will not share the public square with anyone, so prayer is once again being pushed out of sight. A woman was arrested recently in the UK, apparently for standing too close to an abortion clinic. Remarkably the policeman asked her if she was praying. Another man who was praying for his aborted son, was advised that the area surrounding abortion clinics is a no-prayer zone and he was fined for his crime.
Praying may soon be some sort of hate crime, but we know that the prayer of a righteous man scatters the darkness. While the devil would continue to murder babies with these deadly practices, applauded by medical experts, he cannot bear when the saints pray! Let's be serial offenders - it may not always be safe for us, but it will always be effective. What a blessing!
Warped speed
It doesn't look like Big Pharma wasted any time deploying their untried therapy to make new products. Even though recent reports showed that antibodies created by mRNA vaccines are poorer quality than those created by "traditional" adenovirus vaccines, pharmaceutical giant Moderna saw its shares rise 7% in value after the company announced their new mRNA-based RSV vax is 84% effective at "preventing disease in older adults". CEO Stéphane Bancel said in a recent interview that they had been conducting trials for this vax since January 2021. Wait, what?
Many folks are hoping for a few more answers about what just happened to us in the last three years before we barrel forward with such hubris, as we recently wrote. But it doesn't look like the medical juggernaut is slowing its roll in the foreseeable future. The CEO of Pfizer, Albert Bourla, did not respond as he was peppered with worthy questions by reporters, which might be indicative of all the answers we get.
Journalist Daniel Horowitz warns that the all-out rush to develop and distribute mRNA vaccines has given the combined medical/military establishment the blueprint it needed to plan more sketchy drug development. He brings evidence that the US Department of Defense has no qualms about funding drugs which tinker with human immune systems, in its quest to counter biological weapons. In addition, since regulatory frameworks around new drugs were relaxed or altogether dispensed with during Operation Warp Speed, he argues that the ground is prepared for new "catch all" vaccines and drugs.
These are wild claims, but then again, these are wild days. Anyone who tried to determine whether vaccines were safe or which were made using fetal cell lines will have an idea of how hard it is to find out how the sausage is made. Horowitz infers that this is only going to more difficult. Certainly, the fingerprints of so many non-medical agencies all over the pandemic response indicates that it was never really about public health at all.
So it's prudent to exercise care and discernment in this age of smoke and mirrors. But for we who are baptized into Christ, our merciful Father who watches the sparrows, will deliver us from every evil work and preserve us for His heavenly kingdom. Alleluia.
In other pandemic-related news, it has been revealed that Twitter was not the only social media platform censoring speech. Reason Magazine reports that the CDC "directly policed" speech on Facebook. Interestingly, last week, leaked video from Project Veritas shows Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg expressing doubts about the safety of the vaccines and suggesting people wait for more information before they take it. "Personally opposed, but..."?
Say gay or go home?
Things get nasty when men despise the laws of nature and especially the laws of nature's God. No more is that clearly shown than in all the rotten fruit of the sexual revolution and the idolatry of self. Not only will those who are eating it encourage you to as well, they may turn vicious when you refuse to join in.
Defense man Ivan Provorov, who plays for the Philadelphia Flyers, kicked a hornet's nest after sitting out during a "Pride"-themed warm-up skate. Provorov, who is Russian Orthodox, said he had to be true to his religion. Reactions were predictably insane. One Canadian newscaster said people who use their religious beliefs as a defense are undoubtedly hiding disturbing personal lives. US talking heads were not a lot better with one NHL analyst suggesting if Provorov can't embrace the revolution, he should go back to Russia and fight against Ukraine. Or something like that.
It is interesting that out of the whole team, it was one solitary foreigner who stood up and said, "No thanks." As Baptist pastor Voddie Baucham reminded listeners during an interview, the man doesn't recognize he's in a fight has already lost.
It would appear that fans liked Provorov's mettle – his jersey sold out online.
No cap
Congress is tussling over the debt ceiling. The cap of $31.4TR, set in December 2021 has now been reached. Republican lawmakers want the government to rein in spending – a recognition that no one can run up credit scot free, even America. But Dems worry that America will default on its financial obligations unless the ceiling is increased again.
Trying to balance the nation's budget is a noble goal, but the battle over the budget will be heated, as neither party has a record of fiscal responsibility in recent decades. Republicans want to cut spending without reducing social security, defense, or health, which accounts for most of discretionary government spending. However, they may find some bureaucratic bloat in education spending and some other places if they care to look...
Or how about a billion dollar coin?
Politico reports that the US is about to send another tranche of military vehicles and weapons to Ukraine.
Your own reality
Here is your [almost] weekly reminder that the transgender ideology is diabolical and gross. Here's a collection of things that happened just in the week:
The sparkly new owner of the Miss Universe brand Ana Jakrajutatip, a biological man from Thailand, hit the headlines as he took to the stage at the 2023 pageant. Jakrajutatip made a speech that would have boggled the mind of anyone, even just a few short years ago. He spun a meaningless word salad about girl power and women not being objectified any more. He spoke of how diversity is the way of the future while insisting that Miss Universe would be run solely by women and for women.
The Federalist ran a story of a gender-confused girl who was trafficked to sexual predators. When found by the FBI in a neighbouring state, a judge ruled against returning the teen to her parents, claiming that their unwillingness to affirm her as a boy was also abuse.
Scotland's wild gender bill was stopped in its tracks by UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak. The Gender Recognition Bill was set to make changing gender easier and independent of medical assessment.
A video from 2018 resurfaced last and boy, is it a doozy. A spokesman (who thinks he's a lady) from Pittsburgh Hospital's pediatric Gender and Sexual Development Program suggested that unwanted wombs could be taken from "live donors" and placed in men who want to "'have female physiological experience[s]'" such as menstruation and pregnancy".
What a wretched state humans create when they set aside the law of God for manmade religions! The height of our arrogance! – the pot demanding of the Potter, “Why have you made me like this?” Our rebellion against reality smothers the joy and contentment that come from our creaturely station, knowing that our infinitely loving Creator made us as heintended.
The ones who perpetuate this lie will not be the ones who pick up the pieces of the lives they shatter, so our churches must be places where people hear clarity, our families where distinctiveness of men and women is cherished and demonstrated.
Odds and ends
Elon Musk is being sued for a tweet which messed up share prices and upset investors
A group of Associated Press media outlets is suing to get more information about the strange attack on Paul Pelosi
The State Department says American citizens can sponsor refugees entering the country
A collective of artists is suing tech company, Stable Diffusion, saying it used their art without permission to train its artificial intelligence algorithms
Headlines from far away
Persecution of Christians globally is higher than ever (Religion News).
French workers are set to strike after changes to government raises eligible pensions age by two years (CNN).
New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Adern announced unexpected resignation, citing burn out (BBC).
Haiti is facing a fresh round of anarchy as all elected officials leave Parliament (The Guardian).
Mexico's top cartel-catching cop has been charged with taking bribes from drug gangs (BBC).
British postal system ransomware attack disrupted outgoing mail and parcels (TechCrunch).
Anti-government riots have broken out in Peru (Reuters).
China announced that its population declined for the first time since 1961 (The Hustle).
Italian authorities have arrested a notorious mafia boss, after he was caught seeking treatment for cancer. Matteo Messina Denaro had evaded capture for 30 years and is wanted in connection to dozens of murders (AP).
John Michael Jones Gets a Life is produced for Mad ⳩ Mondays by E. Darwin Hartshorn. Episodes can also be found on Tuesday, along with previous episodes, on Bunny Trail Junction at bunny-trail.com.
Quick Hits for the Eyebuds
☎️ What all those dial-up noises meant
🏛️ Visualizing Congressional productivity
🌋 Why Diet Coke loves Mentos
🔌 Five unintended consequences of electric vehicles
🥇 These dog pics
😍 Caretaker goes above and beyond for elderly client
🌩️ Scientists steer lightning bolts with high-powered lasers
🛀 You might just need a Homeric bath
👂 First successful transplant of 3-D printed ear
🧑🏽🚀 All the ways space travel wrecks your body
🪂 Men and their magnificent flying machines. (Maybe sans the TV?)
🏹 Former NFL player kills menacing mountain lion with bow and arrow
A Good Word: Links from the Show Notes
What's all the talk? How to Take Smart Notes: one simple technique to boost writing, learning and thinking by Sönke Ahrens
This book, if not in name then concept, comes up time and time again in Stop the White Noise with Jonathan and Meridith. The ideas presented in this book have changed the way Rev. Fisk thinks, plan, writes, and preaches. Make notes, make connections, make yourself smarter. You can also read the Fiskan version of the (in-progess) book on his Substack.
Promo of Friends
Sweetness You May Have Missed
Let us pray: Almighty and everlasting God, mercifully look upon our infirmities and stretch forth the hand of Your majesty to heal and defend us; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.