A blog by Tom Sheepandgoats (aka Tom Harley)
Search topic, word, or Bible verse (Bible books may be abbreviated)
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The New International Version and the Tetragrammaton
The world’s most popular Bible translation today is The New International Version. It does not even once mention God’s distinctive name Jehovah. Edwin H Palmer, Executive Secretary for the NIV committee, was asked about that. “Here is why we did not,” he replied. “You are right that Jehovah is a distinctive name for God and ideally we should have used it. But we put 2…
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Cabinets of Curiosities, Solomon, and the Bombardier Beetle
If you threw a party back in Bible times, there was one person you just had to invite: Solomon. He was absolutely essential. You only have to read what 1 Kings 4:33 says about him: And he would speak about the trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon to the hyssop that is coming forth on the wall; and he would speak about the…
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A Willowbrook Story, Part 2, with Geraldo Rivera
Director: This month Chrstopher Batton turns 50 years of age, old enough to qualify for AARP membership. Our house staff plan to throw him a party. Christopher is a Willowbrook alumni. He would (I believe) like to invite Geraldo Rivera to his party. Initiative Inc owes a lot to Geraldo, perhaps its very existence. Is not Geraldo, through his investigative reporting, grandfather to the entire…
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Nest Eggs, Fried Eggs, and the Real Life
Twentysomethings are not so distraught by today’s financial crisis as you might think. “All we have to lose is a crummy job,” one of them told me. (He actually said "crappy," but I have cleaned his remark up for the internet.) It’s the older generation’s problem. Might there even be a certain delight….a certain “payback” to the generation or two that inherited a world of…
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Beating Swords Into Plowshares
Jehovah’s Witnesses’ determination not to make war was never so severely tested as during World War II, when the whole world came down with war fever. Their determination, of course, stems from the Bible's directive to learn war no more. These words adorn the U.N. building in New York: And they will have to beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning shears.…
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Liars, Idiots, and Humble Persons
Back in school days, I took a college course on the Gospels. It wasn’t really my cup of tea, but I was curious and you have to have a number of electives, so you choose the ones least egregious. The instructor was some retired Southern Baptist clergyman. He told how the old boys back in seminary would yuck it up over John‘s gospel. It was…
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Show Me Your Oddballs
When Paul arrived in Rome to plead his legal case before Caesar, he first met with Jewish leaders. Probably you’ve heard about me, he said. I’ve been in the news back home [his presence in Jerusalem’s temple had sparked a riot]…… the Jews from Asia on beholding him in the temple began to throw all the crowd into confusion, and they laid their hands upon…
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Alan Greenspan and the Financial Black Hole
As the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva was about to become operational, dire warnings appeared on the internet. Scientists had been salivating about their Collider for the longest time. At last they’d be able to simulate conditions from the Big Bang and learn…..well, all kinds of things about physics. But worrywarts fretted that these wise ones would instead open up black holes right here on…
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clowns
When the circus came to down, my wife made a clown costume for my daugher, who then hit it off with the house clown. This was before pop entertainment decided to change the meaning of clowns to that of murderous psychopaths, driving most of these guys out of business. After rehearsal for the District Convention drama of Jehovah’s Witnesses way back when, Bud stopped by.…
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Felix, Festus, Agrippa, and Paul
When Paul's visit sparked a riot in Ephesus, the Romans came and took him into protective custody. Not too protective, though. The Roman officer in charge wanted to know why all the ruckus and figured he’d beat it out of Paul. But Paul was a Roman citizen and, as such, had certain rights. But when they had stretched him out for the whipping, Paul…