Paul's Passing Thoughts

To paulspassingthoughts.com readers:

As some of you know, I have been in nursing school for the past year and buried in studies. Nevertheless, I check for comments on the blog from time to time and write some articles here and there when I have time. For some reason, the Comment icon is not working on my dashboard because tonight, when I clicked on the comment portal, I was stunned to see hundreds of comments that were not approved and posted. I feel really bad about this. Some of the comments were posted as far back as January.

Tomorrow, I take my last final and will be responding to the comments. I will be spending the next couple of weeks catching up on the blog, and YES, we are having the conference this year and it will be live streamed the last weekend of this month.

With love always,

paul

Those who follow this blog know I am presently in nursing school and have little time to post anything. However, last night, it happened again: a Churchian cited Isaiah 64:4 to once again make the point that “Christians” are lowly sinners saved by grace. Look, I am all about helping people; I am presently training to do just that, but hey, if I can save a few people from looking stupid on the side, I am all for it.

The first point, and problem with citing Isaiah 64:6 to make the We are all just sinners saved by grace point follows: words mean things. Here is what I think a lot of church folk don’t understand: unsaved people are more polite than we give them credit for. When you say something overtly illogical, and unwittingly proffer the idea that the Bible contradicts itself, lost people will often practice veiled honesty. This article pulls back the veil and reveals what they are probably thinking. You see, most lost people possess commonsense, and here is a newsflash for you; God doesn’t necessarily think that’s a sin.

What does the verse say? here it is: “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” The New Testament citation follows: “All have turned away, they have together become worthless, there is no one who does good, not even one.”

The assertion is that these versus speak of humanity as a whole, including Christians. This is a church truism heard every Sunday morning without fail. I could stop here and point out that the same pastors who preach this week after week, and then get caught with both hands in the cookie jar, have to resign. Huh? But, I am focusing on the words mean things angle and will focus on that.

First, let me go ahead and pull the rabbit out of the hat. The Bible isn’t talking about humanity in those versus, it is talking about the Jewish ritualism of that time, also a source of disdain for Christ, and He was very verbal about that. This is evident from the immediate preceding verse stating that people can, in fact, do good works: “You come to the help of those who gladly do right, who remember your ways. But when we continued to sin against them, you were angry.” You see, the Jewish religionists were sinning against the people who were actually doing righteousness, and thought they were doing a righteous service to God in the process. That’s the context.

Nevertheless, let’s look at this from a purely commonsense perspective. The same Churchians who propagate this point on social media are also constantly posting church and family moments on the same internet pages. In other words, they are posting filthy rags. Furthermore, the same people are constantly telling people they love them and also ask for prayer continually. Why would I bother praying for anyone if God sees my every work, including prayer, as filthy rags?

I have said it before and will say it again; this sinners saved by grace mentality is the very reason that the church’s testimony is atrocious. The Bible also states, “For as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” If the church thinks it is totally depraved, why would it act any different? In addition, children are not very good at living a contradiction, so why would you want to tell your children they are totally depraved?

Well, I must go now…back to the world of evidence based practice and critical thinking that saves lives in the realm of reality.

And please, stop being silly, just stop it.

paul

There is a great freedom in reading the Bible and depending on the discernment God has given you to understand the Bible. Probably the greatest onslaught against Christianity ever, 1st century Gnosticism declared itself an elitist authority over the laity. In addressing this deception, the apostle John stated, “But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.” Christians gifted with an ability to teach are a help to Christians, but not an authority. If the Bible is YOUR authority, this necessarily implies that it is according to your own understanding. If your understanding depends on interpretation by someone else, they are YOUR authority, and an additional mediator between you and the only head of the body, Christ.

And what is the hermeneutic? Just let the words say what they say according to the meaning of the words, and the conclusions drawn by their use in sentences. Don’t try to understand everything all at once, but use objective truths (the things you know to be true about any given passage) to build a foundation for understanding the details as more understanding evolves. Sometimes, teachers supply shortcuts to the process because they have already put the pieces together regarding certain subjects. In addition, if a conclusion is 100% objective truth, other passages must bow to that truth. The Bible does not contradict itself.

Be sure of this: the present-day church is a return to 1st century Gnosticism in every way, shape, and form.

When you partake in daily Bible reading as a free person, and not one enslaved to self-proclaimed authorities, you begin to notice words that are important foundations to more detailed truths. Recently, I started at the beginning of the Bible again, and took notice of the word, “curse.” Of course, spending a lot of years in church, this word was simply lumped in with “sin” as a synonymous idea, but as I read, I noticed something: it was the earth that was cursed, and the serpent, and later Cain, but not Adam and Eve. Yes, due to the earth being cursed, certain struggles and pains were added to the life of Adam and Eve, but they were not cursed.

Additionally, church emphasizes the disobedience aspect of Adam and Eve eating from The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, but what was the tree and its fruit exactly? Well, it would seem that the knowledge of good and evil would be the law. The results of Adam and Eve eating from the tree follow that of being under law exactly: condemnation, leading to fear of judgment. It is also interesting to note that nakedness wasn’t a sin before they became like the Trinity, knowing good and evil. What does all of that mean? I don’t know, but I do know that this knowledge brought Adam and Eve under condemnation.

However, much later in history, when the law was instituted at Mount Sinai, most of humanity is brought under the curse of the law. At that time, Moses introduced the law as “blessing and curse,” and “life and death.” At least in one sense, the law is described, and defined as a curse:

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—

For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.”

Protestantism relies on the works of the law. Oh, I know, not by us, but rather, by Christ, I get that. However, it is still a reliance on the works of the law. This is the doctrine of double imputation, which goes like this: Christ not only came to die for our sins, but to keep the law perfectly, so that perfect law-keeping can also be applied to our lives in order to keep us justified. As RC Sproul et al have stated it, if Christ only died to pay the penalty of our past and present sin, that does us no good, because we still fall short of being righteous due to imperfect law-keeping; we are only forgiven for sin, but not righteous. This is known as Martin Luther’s doctrine of alien righteousness.

According to Protestantism, perfect law-keeping is the standard of justification. Christ died to pay the penalty of our past sins, but that is only forgiveness of sin, which doesn’t make us righteous; perfect law-keeping must be added as a substitution in order for us to be “declared righteous” via a substitution for our lack of perfect law-keeping. This is referred to as Christ’s “passive obedience” (as he died for our sin), and His “active obedience,” which is a substitution for our lack of ongoing perfect law-keeping. As Phil Johnson and others have stated it, Christians are still under the “righteous demands of the law” (for this reason Calvin stated that no Christian does a good work ever JCICR 3.14.10,11). This is under law x 4 versus the Pharisees and Judaizers, which were only under law x 2.

You see, even though Protestantism claims that Christ died once and lived once for the application of double imputation, this one time death and life must be reapplied constantly for our daily shortcomings in perfect law-keeping. In other words, justification is not a finished work, and must be completed by perfect law-keeping. You must obtain double imputation for “beginning justification,” and continually apply double imputation until “final justification” (double imputation x 2). Ongoing double imputation is obtained by “the ordinary means of grace” or “common means of grace” through church membership where you “submit yourself to godly men.” The Judaizers only required circumcision and adherence to some dumbed-down interpretations of the law (the traditions of men).

In the Protestant schema, the resurrection of Christ was verification to God that Christ led a perfect law-keeping life that could be perpetually applied to the “Christian” life through church sacrament. RC Sproul even suggested that Christ obtained His own righteousness through perfect law-keeping, which, of course, is overt blaspheme. In contrast, justification by new birth insists that we are righteous by virtue of Christ living in us through the new birth, and Christ’s death and resurrection made a way for us to die with Christ, and to be resurrected with Him as totally new creatures who are not under law (see Romans 7). Our new hearts will result in a focus on fulfilling the law with love without fear of condemnation. At any rate, Protestantism is hardly a “righteousness manifested APART from the law.” It is joined at the hip with the law.

We can now add cursing to this theological Protestant hot mess. If the advent of the law at Mount Sinai married the law with a curse, and it did, then the ending of the curse also signifies the ending of the law.

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—

For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.”

So, are Protestants under a curse? Clearly, they are. All who rely on the works of the law are under a curse. If it can be said that who keeps the law is not the point because there is no law that can give life, and righteousness is APART from the law according to The Promise, not the law, which came hundreds of years later, it can be said more so regarding the curse of the law. If you are a true Christian, Christ “redeemed [past tense]” you from the curse of the law.

However, there is yet another way that Protestantism is under a curse because Protestants never defy God on a single level. Clearly, Martin Luther is the undisputed father of Protestantism. And Clearly, his overt anti-Semitism is in no way ambiguous church history. So, we read the following in the Bible about a curse:

I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

Does this mean that all Protestants are unsaved? NO. However, it does mean that you are likely under a curse at some level for identifying with a religion that is clearly cursed by every biblical definition.

Come out from among them and be separate.

paul

The Pine Club in Dayton, Ohio is, according to its website, “An iconic institution of the Dayton community since 1947, The Pine Club is considered one of the great steakhouses in the United States.” The restaurant has changed ownership in 1954, 1979 (bought by David Hulme), and was purchased from David Hulme by an anonymous investor in 2019. Though some of my family members have dined there over the years, my first time was 7/23/22, and my total meal consisted of one piece of bread.

My wife Susan, and I, have been caring for my mother for 13 years, and my mother has experienced a significant decline during the past three years. Along with Susan and me being in healthcare and education careers, this has resulted in a three-year drought regarding a night out together. That is, until my brother and sister-in-law, who live in Texas, made special arrangements for us to have a night out together. This included dinner at The Pine Club, our first time there.

We arrived at opening time, 4 p.m., and were surprised to see a line for several feet on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant. We were stopped for a red light in front of the restaurant and were visually unable to locate a parking lot. Susan suggested that I exit the car and get in line while she parked the car. While Susan was parking the car, the line started moving quickly into the restaurant. Once inside the door, people were greeted by an efficient staff. A lady approached me and asked, “How many are in your party?” I held up two fingers, and replied, “two.”

Let’s pause because there is something to keep in mind here. If the lady who approached me would have said, “Sir, we only seat full parties; if you would have a seat at the bar, we will seat you when your wife arrives at the first available booth,” I would have had no problem with that whatsoever. Instead, she seated me, as anyone would expect.

As I sat in the booth, still basking in the glow of finally being out with my wife, I started eating a piece of bread from a basket on the table. Susan and I had abstained from eating all day in anticipation of the “special” dinner. Right then, an older lady approached the table and stated, “I am going to have to ask you to have a seat at the bar until the next table is available; we only seat full parties.” I was stunned, and replied, “My wife is parking the car,” to which she replied, “Her and everyone else in here.” I got up, and walked over to the bar area, and to tell you the truth, the experience was so unexpected and surreal, I was in a state of mental confusion; sort of like, “Did that just really happen?”

I met my wife outside and explained what had happened, and we both agreed that it would be hard to enjoy our meal there after the experience. I returned inside and informed the lady who removed me from our table that we would never patronize their establishment in the future. She apologized and stated, “I was just trying to be fair to the other customers.” Of course, that statement made the situation worse because it implied that I had done something wrong that was unfair to the other patrons, which was indicative of her demeanor towards me originally. I suspect, maybe, that there is an assumption that everyone who eats there is a regular customer and aware of their unposted policies. Regardless, what she did was grossly unprofessional and outright malicious.

Yes, I am going to send a letter to the management with a copy of this post and payment for the piece of bread I ate, but being angry and vindictive towards an establishment like The Pine Club is counterproductive. Instead, we must take a lesson from the experience to make ourselves wiser and better people.

The first thing we learn follows: We should be good at what we do for our own self-esteem, but also, the benefit of others. If it is only for ourselves, it becomes an ego issue. Sure, I returned inside and gave the culprit a piece of my mind, but in this case, it was a total waste of time. You see, establishments like The Pine Club turn their success into a twisted mentality that thinks they are doing humanity a favor for being in business. In essence, eating at The Pine Club is a privilege; that’s why the lady deemed it necessary to teach me a lesson for allowing myself to be seated. How durst I behave uncomely in what they perceive to be the only steakhouse worth eating at in the Dayton area (Actually, we took my brother’s gift and went to an Outback Steakhouse, and it was exceptional). In regard to this point, it would seem others would agree:

Reviewed January 9, 2014

Outrageous Conduct by Owner

We will never return again after experiencing the rude, crude and totally outrageous conduct of the owner. Upon seeking clarification of our $120 bill for 2 dinners, the owner retorted with profanities and actions, taking offense that someone would question the restaurant’s service and billing procedures. He demonstrated total disregard of our concerns, and could care less that we had been a frequent customer over the past 40 years. A once classic restaurant, the establishment now serves over-priced, mediocre food. Customer service is totally absent due in large part to the culture that Hulme has created. Too bad. The Pine Club’s owner appears to be interested only in two things: Money….and the preservation of his inflated ego.

Date of visit: January 2014

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60785-d559426-r190263134-Pine_Club-Dayton_Ohio.html#

There is a saying in healthcare that goes like this: “Don’t be that nurse.” Yes, there are nurses that are nurses for the sake of their own egos. However, this concern applies to every job including serving steak.

Secondly, this experience teaches us that every job is important because every job involves interacting with others, and you never know what is going on in the lives of others. Perhaps if the lady at The Pine Club knew what that night meant to Susan and me, she would have reacted differently. But, the point here follows: you don’t know, so consider what your interactions with people may mean to them. Showing respect to others overall is a good coverage for what you don’t know.

And lastly, ego-driven establishments and people should cause us to reflect on how disrespect makes us feel, so we can treat others the way we want to be treated. Do your job for yourself AND others. Always show respect, because you do not know what is going on in the lives of others. Thirdly, treat others the way you would want to be treated.

In conclusion, and in addition, never waste time correcting ego-driven people. Rather, study what they do, and…

…don’t be that person.

paul

Originally posted 7/19/2020; reposted in honor of Ron DeSantis signing the No Patient Left Alone Act.

“There is no more prejudice in anything than prejudice in death.” 

I don’t wish death on anyone. Even though there are many politicians I wish would shut up because their agenda is more important than truth, I don’t wish death on them for that purpose. According to the Bible, death is God’s enemy. The Bible also says to be careful not to celebrate the demise of your enemies.

With that said, I am not much for making a big deal out of the passing of political hacks like Congressman John Lewis. For that matter, I am not much for making a big deal out of the passing of any high profile person; as a nurse aide, I see that as a little strange.

Don’t get me wrong, I think there should be some recognition along with honoring them by remembering the good about their life, which is always embellished with sanctified boldfaced lying, but let’s be honest, going overboard on the effort rarely accomplishes anything beneficial. For example, there was much ado about the passing of Ronald Reagan, but yet, less than 16 years later, everything that made him a successful president is all but forgotten and half of the country is on fire.

Today, flags will be at half staff for Congressman John Lewis who never wanted to declare success for his involvement in the civil rights movement of the 1960s. While being deemed a hero for that, his present claim to fame was being a warrior for civil rights in our present day because supposedly, America is more racist than it has ever been. That’s strange. Furthermore, all of these heroes live in overt wealth in our systemic racist system, which is also strange.

Here is another thing that is strange: all of this ado for the rich and famous from the eyes of a nurse aide who sees the passing of extraordinary people with little or no recognition at all. There is no more prejudice in anything than prejudice in death. The prejudice in nursing facilities wasn’t too abhorrent until COVID-19. In that, the rich and famous in general, and the politicians in particular, have gone full throttle on dishonoring the passing of the common folk.

Before COVID-19 and subsequent extreme staff shortages in nursing homes as well as inadequate means to handle the pandemic, facility staff made sure a resident’s passing was dignified. Special procedures were in place to facilitate the gathering and serving of the family, etc. For those residents who died without anyone in their lives but the aides and nurses, there was always some special recognition prepared, and some tears expended by the staff that loved them.

Presently, due to out of touch politicians like John Lewis, not so much. Before a couple of months ago, I saw prejudice in death as one of those strange little deals in life that we don’t think about much, but I had an experience that changed all of that.

I was walking alone down a hall in a very large facility a couple of months ago, and a gentleman disrupted the eeriness of the silence by coming out of a room and ambushing me with a request: “Hey, I am doing a pickup and this lady’s roommate is getting upset, can you give me a hand?” As I looked in, his gurney was crowded into the room by a bed occupied by an elderly lady who was obviously deceased. No nurses or aides were anywhere in sight. The following thought entered my mind: “This lady is being picked up like a UPS package.” Then I thought: “Thank goodness for her upset roommate, maybe we will have some sort of departing ceremony.”

The roommate on the other side of the curtain was unable to get out of bed by herself, and was pleading for help to say goodbye to her friend. The whole room was crowded and I barely had enough room to squeeze her wheelchair in-between her bed, the curtain, and the gurney on the other side. The gentleman from the funeral home agreed to wait for me to get her out of bed. I wheeled her around, and she wept and stroked her friend’s hair, and kissed her cheek. I assured her that she had been a good friend, and put her back to bed. She would be alone in her grief.

I then stepped into the empty hallway and watched my Jane Doe being wheeled away. I failed to check the name on the door, if there was one, and I regret that. But yet, I stood there wondering who this women was, and wondered about her life. What did she do for a living? Did she have children? How special and great was she?

I am different now. EVERYTIME, every single time, I hear about someone famous dying, my mind sees Jane Doe being wheeled down that hallway. In my mind, it seems that I remember the hallway being dark, but it would seem the hallway lights would have been on. I see the whole scene with me standing behind myself, I am just standing there, watching the gentleman push her covered body down the hallway, and asking myself all those questions.

So, once again someone important has died. Once again, much ado will be made. Once again, flags will be flown at half staff. And again, without fail, I will wonder about her, and my imagination will suggest that she is some amazing forgotten person, and once again…

…the flag of my mind flies at half staff  in her honor.

paul