[SPOILER ALERT: if you haven't seen the movie Miracles from Heaven and don't know the story but want to see it, this article will spoil the ending, so you might not want to read it yet.] Some people don't believe in miracles, because they don't believe in a supernatural God. However, only the first dictionary definition of "miracle" refers to divine intervention; it offers a more secular alternate definition that describes miracles merely as any extremely unusual event or accomplishment. Samuel Clemens (a.k.a. "Mark Twain") wrote: Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities. Truth isn't. And what is the truth? Quid est veritas? As the author of three novels and three nonfiction books and articles, let me assure you that writing non-ficton is considerably easier than creating the plot of a novel from scratch. The fictional story must appear to be plausible enough to the reader that he or she becomes willing to suspend his or her disbelief. The same isn't the case for stories purported to be true -- they simply require verifiable evidence to support any claims being made in the account. Take the plot of the movie Miracles from Heaven, for example. The main story simply sounds ludicrous -- a young girl suffering terribly from a rare, incurable stomach disease falls thirty feet inside a rotted tree, landing on her head. But the fall that should have killed young Anna Beam allegedly cured her. Though her neck should have been broken, and her skull smashed in pieces, not only does she survive with only … [Read more...]
The Pearl: 15 April 2015
What is the difference between a taxidermist and a tax collector? The taxidermist only takes your skin. -- Mark Twain Few professions have been the butt of more jokes or inspired more scorn and derision than a tax collector, known in modern times as an IRS employee. Even Jesus the Christ used tax collectors as the stereotype of humans behaving badly, saying: "For if you only love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?" Ronald Reagan joked that, "Government's view of the economy can be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it." Sadly, there is an element of truth in that joke. But there is always hope for the future...at least one politician running for President in 2016 understands the true nature of America's growing tax-and-spending problem. Senator Marco Rubio said, "We don't need new taxes. We need new taxpayers, people who are gainfully employed, making money, and paying into the tax system. And then we need a government that has the discipline to take that additional revenue to pay down the debt and never grow it again." What we need is a tax system that is designed to fund the government, not a system designed to redistribute wealth under the guise of "fairness." In other words, we need the FairTax. … [Read more...]
The Pearl: 24 May 2015
Familiarity breeds contempt - and children. -- Mark Twain Once upon a time, my wife and I had two young children at home aged 8 and 3, and a border collie named Maggie who loved to herd the munchkins. One night Maggie got a little too excited while following her instincts and nipped at one of our daughter's friends, so my wife and I took our most excellent little sheepdog to obedience training. The lady at obedience school told us, "One problem is that your dog doesn't respect your children." To which I honestly replied, "Most of the time, we don't either." The trainer seemed to think that was a significant contributing factor to our dog's bad behavior. … [Read more...]
