Thank you, Russ. That 'Byte of Wisdom' is so very true.

The Below message comes from a tract, "Go Down Moses". Very thought provoking in this day and age.

-"Go Down Moses"

Moses: 'Lord, I do apologize for bothering you so late in history, but they've sent me back with the Commandments. The general view is that they ought to be revised and amended.

GOD: 'Very thoughtful. You say it's the Commandments that are the problem, Moses?'

Moses: 'Yes, Lord. Most feel they are really outdated, and they are not allowed in schools anymore. For example, your first Commandment where you demand exclusive allegiance. People feel this isn't appropriate in a society that tolerates almost everything.'

GOD: 'Well, Moses, how would you feel if your wife was loyal to you one day a week and ignored you the other six days?'

Moses: 'That's not the same thing.'

GOD:'Isn't it? What relationship can survive on one day's attention in seven?'

Moses: 'Perhaps you have a point, Lord. Anyway, what about the second Commandment? No graven images? Put you first? Before work and family? Also, there's a complaint that you're always asking for money for your church.'

GOD:'Moses, don't forget I am the Author of all material blessings. All I ask for my work is one tenth of a person's income. If a person can't give that, he's put his money before me. His money is then an idol, a graven image, even a god. Carry on, what's next? And don't drop those tablets because I'm not making another set.'

Moses: 'Well, Lord, how about swearing? What you call "taking your Name in vain."

GOD: "My Commandment stands. How would you feel if one of your children used your name to curse someone?'

Moses: 'Really, Lord, you keep making it so personal.'

GOD: 'But Moses, it is personal, isn't it?'

Moses: 'Ah, yes. Well, then, one day a week for rest and worship? Is that still really necessary? I mean, not many of us are raising sheep in a desert, and people are really busy.'

GOD: 'I agree that life has become hectic. My people need rest and change, fellowship with each other, and a chance to focus their lives. So I set aside a special day for these things. It seems to me you need this more now than Israel did in the desert.'

Moses:'I hadn't thought of it that way, Lord.'

GOD: 'No, that's apparent. How do they feel about honoring father and mother, and all those in authority?'

Moses: 'Well, that's slipped a bit. You see, everyone is more or less looking out for himself.'

GOD:' Moses, you may have noticed that society doesn't work very well when no one honors and respects others. What have they done about my command to not kill?'

Moses: 'We were hoping for an amendment to that. You see, we've got these medical procedures called abortion and euthanasia. And we do tend to drink and drive a bit--but those are mostly accidents...as are the occasional shootings.'

GOD: 'I'm beginning to get the picture. I can imagine what they think about adultery, stealing and lying.'

Moses: 'They were hoping you'd leave those Commandments out.'

GOD: 'No, Moses, I am not going to change. My Commandments were given to protect and promote happiness, not restrict it. They are asking me to stop caring about them, to stop loving them.'

Moses: 'But what am I going to tell them, Lord?'

GOD:'Go down, Moses and tell them: 'He who loves Me will keep my Commandments.'

--"Why do you call me Lord, and do not do the things I say?" --JESUS / I love you. (John 3:16)

--By: Michael Cassidy

I just came across this interesting article from ICR. It seems to fit in well with your comment. Bless you, Russ ~~
-
-Worldviews and the Blissful Ignorance Effect
-By: Brian Thomas, M.S.

Scientists have officially measured and documented
the “Blissful Ignorance Effect,” which describes the way consumers’ goals shift after they’ve made purchases. Before choosing a particular item, the research showed that people were picky about, and interested in, product information. After they had made their choice, however, participants in the study wanted to be happy with their decision and therefore no longer wanted to hear much about it.

Is it possible that this effect applies not only to product choices, but to worldview choices as well? What if, once a basic viewpoint is adopted—say, whether or not to believe in God or the Bible—an individual becomes less interested in researching his or her choice and focuses more on reinforcing it?

If this does apply, certain inferences present themselves. First, for those who have decided on matters such as creation, evolution, or some odd mixture of the two, it would seem wise for them to work harder—given their tendency toward “blissful ignorance”—to learn some of the cons of their position as well as the pros. In this way, they can better understand the ramifications and merits of what they believe to be true.

Also, if people are more interested in the details prior to making a choice, and since most major worldview choices are made when they are young, it would follow that quality education of children and adolescents—complete with cogent, balanced, personalized presentations of the fundamental issues underlying the varying belief options—would be especially critical.

Perhaps this is what God had in mind when He gave His people the Shema`:

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

Perhaps the One who created humanity gave such careful instructions regarding the teaching of children because He knows that once people make up their minds, changing them is the harder task—even if it is toward the truth.~~
(References at <www.icr.org> )

--What does the Bible say about what happens after death?
--New Heavens, New Earth, VS. Lake of Fire~

It would be great if all followers of Jesus Christ had the exact same beliefs in regards to what happens after death. As with many other issues, though, there is some disagreement about what happens after death, and when it happens.

Roman Catholics believe in heaven and hell, but also believe in purgatory, sort of a temporary realm of cleansing for some before they are granted entrance into heaven.

Protestant Christians are pretty universal in their rejection of purgatory, but have other disagreements amongst themselves, such as soul sleep, the intermediate state, levels of heaven and hell, etc. These issues have been debated for pretty much all of the 2000 years of Christian church history, and I am not going to settle the debate with a blog post. Let’s save that futile effort for a future blog post.

For now, let’s cut straight to the heart of the matter. What does the Bible say about what happens after death? Simply, if you receive Jesus Christ as your Savior, by grace alone, through faith alone, you will spend eternity in heaven. If you do not receive Jesus Christ as your Savior, you will spend eternity in hell (Matthew 25:46).

The side issues of when we arrive at our final and eternal destination and in what form / what location we exist until that time can be debated, with apparent biblical support for varying interpretations. But, the core message of what the Bible says happens after death cannot, or at least should not, be debated. Believers in Jesus Christ will spend eternity in the New Heavens and New Earth described in Revelation chapters 21-22. Unbelievers will spend eternity in the lake of fire described in Revelation 20:14-15. ‘Nuff said!

--GotQuestions.org