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The French philosopher and scientist Blaise Pascal wrote his "Pensees", French for "thoughts". We get our English word "pensive" from the same root.

"Thoughts" seemed a bit bare, so I've called my collection of thoughts on topics philosophical and religious my "Cogitations", from the Latin "cogito", for "I think"

BTW, in case you get the idea I am a great linguist, sadly no 8-<. I have the barest smattering of High School French, and a few fragments of Latin that I picked up from my brother and daughter.

As far as philosophy and religion go, is there really a difference - philosophy means "love of wisdom" and the Bible says that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

3 Things Wives Wish Their Husbands Understood

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I gave this presentation to a men's group at my church. The general thought has that I was very brave! I think they enjoyed it. I hope it helped.

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Asking Basic Questions

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Here is a passage from "L'Abri" by Edith Schaeffer, illustrating how her husband Frances answered a questioner. "So you believe all those myths really took place? You just start with the Bible, and go on from there" someone would ask. MORE...

A Tribute to Anne Frank

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I remember, about 20 years ago, watching on old movie based on Anne Frank's diary. It made a strong impression on me, with its pathos of 8 Jewish people in hiding for 2 years in Nazi-occupied Holland and their eventual betrayal to the Gestapo. The pathos is all the greater because the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe was well underway when they were betrayed, and their hope of liberation was high. While on holiday this last couple of weeks we found a secondhand copy of "The Diary of Anne Frank" in an op-shop, and I have just read it with delight. A sombre sort of delight admittedly because of the setting, and the knowledge that this remarkable 13 year old girl would die at 15 in Belsen. The only one of the 8 to survive those 2 years in their "Secret Annexe" was Anne's father, Otto. MORE...

Bad Memories

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"When I was younger, I could remember anything, whether it had happened or not; but my faculties are decaying now and soon I shall be so I cannot MORE...

C.S. Lewis Quotes

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As these quotations are all brief and not in any way substantial portions of Lewis's works (still largely under copyright) I believe them all to be within the boundaries of "fair dealing". If I am wrong please let me know.

The notion that everyone would like Christianity to be true, and therefore that all atheists are brave men who have accepted the defeat of all their deepest desires, is simply impudent nonsense. - "Encounter with Light"

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Finding Meaning

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Siora Photography "Modern man is deeply plagued by the question, 'Where do love and communication come from?' Many artists who pour themselves out in their paintings, who paint bleak messages on canvas, many singers, many poets and dramatists are expressing the blackness of the fact that while everything hangs upon love and communication , they don't know where these come from and they don't know what they mean. MORE...

God Humbles Man's Pride - Genesis 11:1-9

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I set out to tell you about the Tower of Babel, and what it can teach us. However, in a time when there is so much confusion about the early chapters of Genesis, where the story is found, I think it wise to say something about the truthfulness of this whole section of the Bible. There is no final conflict between the actual words of the Bible and the findings of good science. In the one book, the Bible, God reveals Himself in Words. In His other book, the Cosmos, He reveals Himself in His Works. How then could these two ever be in real conflict? MORE...

Hidden Art

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I read a book called "Hidden Art" by Edith Schaeffer, and it altered my approach to art and beauty. I have always had a love for both, but the pragmatic engineer side of me would often opt for "rough enough is good enough". This book showed me that everyday objects and needs can and should be treated as art and beauty. A meal can be prepared with the eye in mind as well as the stomach! A bookcase can be beautiful, even is less than 100% efficient, like my "boatcase" I built a few years back. MORE...

Insight

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This is a poem that my friend Nesta wrote some years back. Nesta often visited Mum, and this was one she read to her.

To the blind, untouched

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Life, the Universe and Everything

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...and the answer is not in fact 42, even when you know what the Question is. Years ago I read "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe", the sequel to Douglas Adams' famous book "The Hitch-hikers Guide to the Galaxy" (THGG). Well finally I have read that book too! How did I find it? MORE...

Living in God's Time

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Psalm 90 Our lives are obsessed and harassed by the clock, by time MORE...

More Prayers from the Ark

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This is a wonderful book of poems by French writer Carmen Bernos de Gasztold, written during the grim years of the Second World War. Noah and a representative group of animals offer their own style of prayer, some funny, some sad, some full of hope, all brief and fresh. MORE...

No Other Name

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None other Lamb, none other name,

None other hope in heaven or earth or sea,
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Of Course We Communicate

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"Melinda and Melinda" (Woody Allen, 2004, USA) Another wonderful Woodyesque line is when Hobie accuses Susan of never communicating. She replies, "Of course we do; now can we not talk about it." MORE...

Profit and Loss

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"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?" The Bible, Mark's Gospel, chapter 8, verse 36 MORE...

Raphael's School of Athens

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Raphael's "School of Athens" is one of my favourite paintings. In it the artist depicts the many philosophers and their thoughts. In the middle are Plato and his student Aristotle, each pointing in a different direction. Plato, who was more concerned about the realm of the spirit and the "universals", points up to heaven. Aristotle was more concerned with the specifics, the realm of the body and nature, and points down to the Earth. MORE...

Some Pitfalls in Reading the Bible

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"Cheshire Puss,' (Alice) began, rather timidly, as she did not at all know whether it would like the name: however, it only grinned a little wider. Come, it's pleased so far,' thought Alice, and she went on. Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?' That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,' said the Cat. MORE...

Supernaturalism, Naturalism and Materialism

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Big words - what do they mean for me? Lots really, if there is to be any hope of real happiness. Do you mean ghosts, ESP and all that stuff? No, not especially. MORE...

That's a Good Question

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A serious-minded 7 year old asked me "How could God make everything out of nothing?", and also "Who made God?". I gave him my best answer on the spot, but thought I could perhaps do better, so wrote this for him and others. Hopefully it is not too confusing, and there are not too many new words without their definitions. Time will tell. MORE...

The Glory, Dignity and Dislocation of Man (with some signposts to Man's Healing)

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Genesis Chapter 1:1-5, 26-31, Chapter 2:4-9, 15-25, Chapter 3:1-8

"Lets' start at the beginning" - we are fascinated with the future - we should be just as much fascinated with the past, because it is the only place we can find meaning. MORE...

The Good Oil

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Before I retired I worked for over 30 years in the oil refining industry. A friend asked me to give a talk about oil at a men's shed night in a farming community, so here is "The Good Oil" (his title suggestion, not mine, though I think it a very good one. In Australian slang "the good oil" is something that is reliable, or true, something that delivers on its promise). As the aim is for a quick yet interesting overview, with a time suggestion of about 15 minutes, this is of course not in any way comprehensive, but I hope it is useful. I will of necessity break two cardinal principles:-

"Generalisations are generally too general" MORE...

The Narcissist's Dictionary

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By: Tardus

admiration: MORE...

The Narcissist's Prayer

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"How better far the world would be

If all the people were like me!
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The Origin of Evil

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"Many have puzzled themselves about the origin of evil; I observe there is evil, and that there is a way to MORE...

The Problem of Pain

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"No God But God", Part 2 of "The Story of God" by Lord Robert Winston (a venerated world expert in human fertility research, and an orthodox Jew).

He goes in search of the answer to the centuries old question: "If God created humanity, why does God allow humanity to suffer?"

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The Tardus Society

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(following taken from an interview published in the "Pipeline", the staff magazine of the company I work for) In 1969 Kurnell's Stephen - sat down to read Perelandra, the second book in C.S. Lewis's famous science fiction trilogy. MORE...

The Truth of a Flower, the Truth of Water

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George Macdonald was a 19th century Scottish writer, perhaps best known as the father of fantasy writing. His best works (according to CS Lewis) were Phantastes, Lillith, the Curdie books, The Golden Key and The Wise Woman. Macdonald was also a friend of Lewis Carroll, author of Alice in Wonderland. MORE...

This World of Dew - Is It?

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My friend C. died this week, suddenly, of a heart attack. He was 52 and super-fit (gym, running and surfing as often as he could). I still have a sense of shock and disbelief, and can only guess how his family are feeling and suffering (only God can know it all). The day I heard of it, these lines came into my mind MORE...