Sunspots 968

Things I have spotted that may be of interest to others:

Project 2025 is an extensive document, proposing many changes in government. The 2025 is because it is a plan for action, if Donald Trump is returned to the presidency, for the first year of his second presidency. However, Trump is trying to distance himself from the proposals, claiming that he isn't familiar with the contents, and doesn't know who developed it. But CNN has done a deep dive, and found lots of connections between the document and the former President's advisors.

Snopes reports that Project 2025 plans to eliminate free weather information from the government.

A Conversation writer explains decaf coffee.

Anti-pornography (and slander, and more) in the Bible

A Psalm by David.

101:1 I will sing of loving kindness and justice.

To you, Yahweh, I will sing praises.

101:2 I will be careful to live a blameless life.

When will you come to me?

I will walk within my house with a blameless heart.

101:3 I will set no vile thing before my eyes.

I hate the deeds of faithless men.

They will not cling to me.

101:4 A perverse heart will be far from me.

I will have nothing to do with evil.

101:5 I will silence whoever secretly slanders his neighbor.

I won’t tolerate one who is haughty and conceited.

101:6 My eyes will be on the faithful of the land,

that they may dwell with me.

He who walks in a perfect way,

he will serve me.

101:7 He who practices deceit won’t dwell within my house.

He who speaks falsehood won’t be established before my eyes.

101:8 Morning by morning, I will destroy all the wicked of the land;

to cut off all the workers of iniquity from Yahweh’s city. (World English Bible, public domain)

Verse 3a has an admonition against willingly experiencing pornography. And there are some more admonitions. Verse 5a is against slander. Verse 4b covers it all, I guess: "I will have nothing to do with evil." If that doesn't cover it all, there's 2a, "I will be careful to lead a blameless life." But, in spite of the importance of the warnings, Perhaps the first verse of the Psalm, "I will sing of loving kindness and justice. To you, Yahweh, I will sing praises" is the most important command. If I spend time praising God, verbally or in other media, I won't have time to slander anyone, or to indulge in pornography, or commit other sins. 

Thanks for reading. Praise God!

**** 

Added July 12, 2024:

Pornography is a form of adultery, and slander is a form of false witness. Both of these are forbidden by the Ten Commandments.

Sunspots 967

 Things I have spotted that may be of interest to others:

A discussion of the perils of Christian Nationalism, in Baptist News Global. 

Crosswalk reports that Southern Baptists voted against Christian Nationalism recently.

Stat discusses ethical questions about the results of the Human Genome Project.

NPR reports that a man tried to smuggle 100+ live snakes, of several kinds, into China. The snakes were hidden in his pants.

Thanks for reading!

Sunspots 966

Things I have spotted that may be of interest to others:

A  discussion, in Naturalist Historia, pointing to more discussions, on how the immune system is related to origins.

Scientific American reports that leeches can jump.

Christianity Today on the question of Orthodox Jews serving in the Israeli military.

Snopes, the important fact-checking web site, supports Biden's claim that historians rank Trump as the worst President in US history. You can see how all Presidents, including Biden, are ranked by these historians, on this site.

LiveScience discusses the idea of what a species is. It's complicated.

Newsweek has compiled a long list of people who served in important positions in the Trump administration who have refused to endorse his current candidacy for President.

Thanks for reading.