Long Term Trends Affecting Young Dreamers

[Cut-Throat]

Unfortunately, that is literally true.  The vast majority of people in every generation are lost:

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
   
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Matthew 7:13-14 KJV

Jimmy Swaggart and Jim and Tammy Baker used to quote the same passages. What they didn't realize was that the quote had more to do with themselves than the people that they were pointing at.

Careful who you point at. You might be pointing at a mirror.

 

[Michael]

Careful who you point at.

Oh, I'm not pointing at anyone in particular. I don't have the right to judge people.

 

[Hyperborea]

Unfortunately, that is literally true.  The vast majority of people in every generation are lost:

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
   
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Matthew 7:13-14 KJV

I'm actually quite surprised that any who profess to be Christians even contemplate accumulating the level of wealth required to retire early.

Didn't somebody say:

And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.

You would think that if they truly believed in their religion that they would be more worried about their "salvation" than about their money. Of course, you find that most people only use religion as a means for advancing themselves and for beating on others.

 

[retire@40]

I'm actually quite surprised that any who profess to be Christians even contemplate accumulating the level of wealth required to retire early.

To me being Christian just means treating other as I would want to be treated. It has nothing to do with accumulating wealth, so I don't understand the point you are trying to make.

Besides, I believe most Christians (as well as non-Christians) can contribute more to charity when they are richer rather than poorer. I certainly can and have.

In fact, one of the things I plan on doing as I need to work less hours is volunteering more of my free time to good causes. Sometimes it's not all dollars and cents that makes a difference.

 

[Helen]

Retire@40

To me being Christian just means treating other as I would want to be treated.

Does this include gay people ?

From your earlier post I gather you think of the gay lifestyle is decadent/immoral. I've been with my partner for 17 years and it doesn't feel the least bit decadent/immoral to me.

Best regards,

-helen

 

[Cut-Throat]

Retire@40


Does this include gay people ?

From your earlier post I gather you think of the gay lifestyle is decadent/immoral.  I've been with my partner for 17 years and it doesn't feel the least bit decadent/immoral to me.

Best regards,

-helen

Yup, Helen 'they' have a hard time 'gettin it'. - They claim they like Freedom, until someone starts practicing it.

And then there is that passing out the Fish and Loaves thing. Welfare I say - Welfare

 

[retire@40]

Does this include gay people ?

It includes everyone. I have nothing against gays. I've got gay friends that are very good people. I just don't believe the gay lifestyle should be imposed on young children as it is being done these days in elementary schools and cartoons.

 

[Jarhead*]

It includes everyone.  I have nothing against gays. I've got gay friends that are very good people.  I just don't believe the gay lifestyle should be imposed on young children as it is being done these days in elementary schools and cartoons.

Retire @40.
I'm not Helen. Just curious. (I don't have a dog in this fight). My oldest daughter is 40, so a long time since I've been exposed to the elementary schools.
How is the gay lifestyle being imposed to elementary school children?

 

[Hyperborea]

To me being Christian just means treating other as I would want to be treated.  It has nothing to do with accumulating wealth, so I don't understand the point you are trying to make.

That's exactly the point. If you read the literature (particularly the new testament) it seems to be saying that striving for wealth is something one shouldn't be doing. If one shouldn't be striving for wealth then how is one to retire early? Trying to understand how one reconciles an essentially communistic religion with goals of building up big piles of mammon so that you can stop working.

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
<snip>
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on.

 

[retire@40]

How is the gay lifestyle being imposed to elementary school children?

Well, I do have a child in elementary school and I see the attempts. Why they want to shove it down our throats, I don't know. I think it ends up being counter-productive because it makes non-gay parents angry that our kids are being taught sexual material at an age when they still believe in Santa.

They are even putting out videos to be shown in elementary schools like this one: http://www.fflibraries.org/Education_Docs/ELEM99.htm

And here's another example:

Artist: Gigi Kaeser, Peggy Gillespie and Pam Brown
Confronting Bodies: Cambridge School District
Date of Action: 1995
Specific Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
Description of Artwork: The exhibit, "Love Makes a Family: Living in Lesbian and Gay Families," features photos and text showing families with gay children or parents.

Description of Incident: The two-week exhibit and supporting panel discussion was planned to heighten awareness for alternative lifestyles at Peabody Elementary School.

And another example:
Under the recommendations, which will soon be adopted by the California Department of Education as administrative regulations to be followed in every K-12 public school, all curriculum in the state will be changed to include alternative sexual lifestyles. In other words, literature, math word problems, health and social studies classes, as well as other subjects, will be tailored to positively portray homosexuality, bisexuality and transgenderism. sourcehttp://wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=22709

I don't want to make this ER forum into a gay issues forum, so that's all I will have to say about this matter.

 

[Helen]

I don't want to make this ER forum into a gay issues forum, so that's all I will have to say about this matter.

Well, you did bring it up and actually it is very much an ER topic.  And IMO, it is appropriate for this thread, "Long term trends affecting young dreamers".

Not being able to have a civil union makes it much more difficult for me to plan for ER.  It hinders things like rebalancing between accounts, health insurance, pension payouts, social security payouts, estate and inheritence taxes etc.

These are not small points, they can add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars - in the estate taxes alone.  It really burns me to think that my partner and I can spend a life time accumulating assets together then have one of us have to pay estate and inheritence taxes upon the death of the other.  

Health insurance as we all know is very, very expensive.  Having to carry two separate policies costs us a lot of money while working, and during retirement it will be even worse.

Your perception is that gay lifestyles are being shoved down elementary school kids throats (I hope I am not putting words in your mouth ).
 
My perception is that they are trying to make schools a safer place, by teaching tolerance at an early age, for kids who are gay.  Being gay and a high school student can be very dangerous, and this is not acceptable.

Best regards,

-helen

 

[haha]

And another example:
Under the recommendations, which will soon be adopted by the California Department of Education as administrative regulations to be followed in every K-12 public school, all curriculum in the state will be changed to include alternative sexual lifestyles. In other words, literature, math word problems, health and social studies classes, as well as other subjects, will be tailored to positively portray homosexuality, bisexuality and transgenderism.

Wow. Sounds just like my school days at Blessed Sacrament. If William has 2 crucifixes, and Mary gives him 3 more, how may crucifixes will William have?

Aside from the computational issues, there were social issues here too. Like would Mary ever get close to a boy, even one carrying crucifixes? Not at my school. If Mary came onto the boys' end of the playground, the boys would run at her trying to hike her skirt or at least knock her down. The supervising nun would attack the boys, in order to preserve Mary's virtue. And besides, any boy carrying crucifixes would have been a dead duck.

To morph it to the issue at hand...

Matthew, Bruno and Brad are heading to the bathhouse. Between them they have 1 condom and 2 hits of Ecstasy. How much fun will they have?

Lots! They can share the Ecstasy, and who the hell needs condoms?

 

[sgeeeee]

It includes everyone. I have nothing against gays.

. . .


Description of Incident: The two-week exhibit and supporting panel discussion was planned to heighten awareness for alternative lifestyles at Peabody Elementary School.

And another example:
. . . all curriculum in the state will be changed to include alternative sexual lifestyles. In other words, literature, math word problems, health and social studies classes, as well as other subjects, will be tailored to positively portray homosexuality, bisexuality and transgenderism. . . .

I'm not sure I understand what you're saying . . . Since you don't have anything against gays, what is it that you are opposed to -- increasing awareness of the lifestyle or portraying it in a positive light?

Don't we now have educational books, videos etc that portray the heterosexual lifestyle in a positive light? Is there a difference that I'm missing?

 

[gia6898]

Don't we now have educational books, videos etc that portray the heterosexual lifestyle in a positive light?  Is there a difference that I'm missing?

Seriously. Why can't children learn about homosexual families? Maybe they have a child in their school who has homosexual parents. What is wrong with making sure they are tolerant of differences? Maybe there is a child in their school who happens to be homosexual. Learning about homosexuals doesn't force anyone to become one. It just encourages tolerance. Just as homosexuals tolerate heterosexuals. I don't hear them complaining about heterosexual couples portrayed in their children's teachings.

 

[Nords]

Why they want to shove it down our throats, I don't know.  I think it ends up being counter-productive because it makes non-gay parents angry that our kids are being taught sexual material at an age when they still believe in Santa.

I'm half of a team of blatantly heterosexual parents who started teaching our kid sexual material before she entered first grade-- with that subversive & seditious propaganda called "Where Did I Come From?"

The vast majority of us know what a tough experience our raging hormones made out of high school. Imagine being one of the minority of kids whose budding biological imperatives seem oriented toward homosexuality. What if you didn't have any information on the subject besides a community impression that it's not good, or from old Seinfeld routines? Information about homosexuality is just as beneficial as information about heterosexuality.

I think the schools are teaching our kids about blacks, Asians, Muslims, Jews, communists, and even Democrats. Strangely they're not teaching enough financial management, stockpicking, or low-cost tax-efficient index mutual funds. But I'm not hearing any objections on those topics!

 

[lets-retire]

The problem with the schools teaching about homosexuality is typically they go way overboard. If it is just information I have little problem with it. I think the kids should be exposed it the information at home early enough that the school info is old news. The main problem with it seems to be the advocacy of any lifestyle not considered mainstream.

Though it is not about homosexuality, I had to convice my kid that he wasn't bad because he was white. All because the school had a black history month and protrayed all white people as evil and all black people as good. The school's job is to provide information and context the family's job is to provide values.

As far as the Bible goes whatever you want to do, except for the 10 biggies, you can find a passage in the Bible to support your actions. So I have a hard time accepting a verse from the Bible prohibiting or condoneing anything.

 

[Hyperborea]

As far as the Bible goes whatever you want to do, except for the 10 biggies, you can find a passage in the Bible to support your actions.  So I have a hard time accepting a verse from the Bible prohibiting or condoneing anything.

If that's the case that it says anything that you want it to say then it really says nothing and is only a tool for advancing yourself and beating up on others.

 

[Michael]

...accumulating the level of wealth...

Christians are commanded to provide for their families, this requires working hard to accumulate sufficient assets to do so.

But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

1 Timothy 5:8 KJV

 

[Cut-Throat]

Christians are commanded to provide for their families, this requires working hard to accumulate sufficient assets to do so.

But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

1 Timothy 5:8 KJV

Michael,

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's law. I have learned a great deal from you, and I try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some of the other specific laws and how to best follow them.

When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord (Lev. 1:9). The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. How should I deal with this?

I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as it suggests in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?

I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness (Lev. 15:19-24). The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.

Lev. 25:44 states that I may buy slaves from the nations that are around us. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans but not Canadians. Can you clarify?

I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself?

A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination (Lev. 10:10), it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this?

Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?

I know you have studied these things extensively, so I am confident you can help. Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging.

 

[haha]

Cut-Throat, this is professional satire. You could have a whole new career if you were able to take the time away from the fish who also need you for the catch and caress program.

We beseech thee, give us more.

Mikey

 

[Cut-Throat]

Cut-Throat, this is professional satire. You could have a whole new career if you were able to take the time away from the fish who also need you for the catch and caress program.

We beseech thee, give us more.

Mikey

I stole it! - Please forgive me.

 

[charlie]

Michael, I learned the hard way last year that you
can't win with these people in a discussion of moral
issues. My advise is to let it alone and keep your
comments neutral. How is the weather where you
live?

Cheers,

Charlie

 

[Michael]

The weather is brisk Charlie, thanks for asking.

 

[Helen]

Strangely they're not teaching enough financial management, stockpicking, or low-cost tax-efficient index mutual funds.

Hey, here's something we probably all are in agreement with. We are having to assume more and more responsibility for our retirement, as we move away from defined benefit plans, and yet we are mostly a nation of financial illiterates. Personal finance really needs to be taught from grade school on up.

I cannot imagine the stress some people must feel when they approach retirement. Most of the people I work with quietly put money into their 401k plan without much thought as to what they are doing. I would think it would be very stressful to start retirement without having much financial savy.

-helen

 

[Cut-Throat]

 Strangely they're not teaching enough financial management, stockpicking, or low-cost tax-efficient index mutual funds.  But I'm not hearing any objections on those topics!

I think Wall Street has a powerful lobby to prevent this.