J. Hunter Quinn

Fishing and Church

2007-06-19T16:10:00.000-05:00

More than likely, this man does not believe in the centrality of the Church.

Battle of Jutland

2007-05-31T11:03:00.000-05:00

Today, May 31, is the ninety-first anniversary of the Battle of Jutland, the largest navel battle of World War I. It was the only major clash of battleships in the war.

The British had blockaded the ports of Germany, leaving the Second Reich in a desperate situation. In order for the blockade to be broken, the British navy had to be defeated in a massive navy battle. Thus began the battle of Jutland...

Click here to learn more about this massive battle.

Edit: The 45th did fight in the First World War, but they did not participate in this engagement. This was exclusively a navy and air battle, and the warring sides were the British and the Germans. America had not yet entered the war.

Vengeance on Baby Killers

2007-05-30T17:42:00.000-05:00

The reason why the Middle East hates us? The answer is simple yet painful. According to a member Al-Qaeda, terrorists refuse to talk with "baby killers." How chilling! If only everyone in America were to follow the Sixth Commandment, Al-Qaeda would not hate us...

Monster Hog

2007-05-29T12:02:00.000-05:00

Before I go on with this big news, I have even bigger news. NO, I HAVE NOT DIED! I know you were searching the newspapers for my obituary, gone in to mourning,and all that other stuff. But now, rejoice! You have not gotten rid of me yet!

Now onto the the less exciting news. You are probably to busy rejoicing to read it, but I will put it up anyway.

In Alabama, a boy shot the new world-record hog with a pistol. It took 3 hours and nine shots to finally bring it down.

Banzai!!!

2007-03-02T13:54:00.000-06:00

Draw your swords men...and women?!

Oh, the Humble Arrogance!

2007-03-01T19:14:00.000-06:00

In his book, Orthodoxy, Chesterton maintains that modern men are much too humble. We might be shocked at this assumption, but Chesterton goes on to explain, “A man was meant to be doubtful about himself, but undoubting about the truth; this has been exactly reversed. Nowadays, the part of a man that a man does assert is exactly the part he ought not to assert – himself. The part he doubts is exactly the part he ought not to doubt – the Divine Reason…the new sceptic is so humble that he doubts if he can even learn.” When you hear this statement, you immediately think that you should have thought of that.

True to his nature, Chesterton adds a little twist of humor that fits in just perfectly. He says, “We are on the road to producing a race of men too mentally modest to believe in the multiplication tables.”

Let me say no more, and you go buy the book yourself.

The Refutation of Narcissus and Echo

2007-02-22T09:40:00.000-06:00

Here is a myth I had to refute for school. Click here to see another refuted myth.

There is an ancient Roman myth about a hurt lover, a proud man, and a vengeful goddess. Although enjoyable, this myth is definitely false.

Once there lived a man named Narcissus, who was loved by a nymph named Echo. Echo pursued Narcissus, attempting to win his affection. Sharply, Narcissus told Echo that he did not love her. Angered at his response, the nymph asked Nemesis, the goddess of retribution, for help. Pitying Echo, Nemesis caused Narcissus to fall in love with his own reflection. Narcissus was so enamored with himself that he refused to eat. He grew thinner and thinner until, with a cry of pain and agony, he withered into a flower. Although still angry with Narcissus, Echo felt sorry for him and echoed his cries.

Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to show you a few contradictions, errors, improbabilities, impossibilities, and logical fallacies in this myth. I am of the belief that, once we have examined this myth, we will see that it is impossible for this to have actually happened.

First, let us look at the author. His name is Publius Ovidius Naso, commonly called Ovid, a master in prose and poetry. If we examine his life, we will see that the Emperor Augustus banished him because of the scandalous nature of his work. Augustus never forgave him, so Ovid died in exile. Because of this, I ask that we examine his works critically, for Augustus was intent on reforming the lives of Roman citizens, and Ovid was encouraging sin.

Second, this myth is improbable. It was most likely written to convey the fact that being too proud can lead to dangerous consequences. Although the moral is true, this myth never happened. The aim of this story is to assist in teaching a moral truth, rather than recount a historical story.

Third, this myth is extremely obscure: there is no physical evidence nor witnesses to verify that this narrative actually took place. We should never, ever simply believe something without some sort of witness or evidence.

Next, this myth is clearly impossible and illogical. Could someone please tell me how a person withers into a flower? And, of all the possibilities, Narcissus becomes a flower after he refuses to eat! Barring the fact that a lack of nutrients fails to create something different, logic itself defeats the story. In logic, the concept of an object is defined by descriptions called notes. A 3rd century logician named Porphyry assisted in the organization of notes by inventing a chart called the Porphyrian Tree. This chart lists all objects in simple categories. If you examine the notes of man, you would see that man is a rational( the ability to distinguish true and false), sentient (having senses), living, material(having a body) substance. Yet a flower is simply a non-sentient, living, material substance. This tells us that a flower is completely different from man. Without a doubt, a rational, sentient, living, material substance can not mysteriously change into a sentient, living, material substance. We now come to the conclusion that a man cannot, and will not, change into a flower.

Ladies and gentlemen, I ask that you examine this evidence for yourself and decide whether this myth is history, or simply a moral story.

I Am Man

2007-02-04T14:54:00.000-06:00

Sometimes, hunger simply takes over.

Mark Twain Quotes

2007-01-23T09:20:00.000-06:00

Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.
Mark Twain

I oppose millionaires, but it would be dangerous to offer me that position.
Mark Twain

Children and Christianity

2007-01-18T19:11:00.000-06:00

3-year-old Reese:

"Our Father, Who art in heaven,

Harold is His name.

Amen."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A little boy was overheard praying:

"Lord, if you can't make me a better boy, don't worry about it.

I'm having a real good time like I am."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After the christening of his baby brother in church,

Jason sobbed all the way home in the back seat of the car.

His father asked him three times what was wrong.

Finally, the boy replied,

"That preacher said he wanted us brought up in a Christian home,

and I wanted to stay with you guys."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One particular four-year-old prayed,

"And forgive us our trash baskets

as we forgive those who put trash in our baskets."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Sunday school teacher asked her children as they

were on the way to church service,

"And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?"

One bright little girl replied,

"Because people are sleeping."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin 5, and Ryan 3.

The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake.

Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson.

"If Jesus were sitting here, He would say,

'Let my brother have the first pancake, I can wait.'

Kevin turned to his younger brother and said,

"Ryan, you be Jesus!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A father was at the beach with his children

when the four-year-old son ran up to him,

grabbed his hand, and led him to the shore

where a seagull lay dead in the sand.

"Daddy, what happened to him?" the son asked.

"He died and went to Heaven," the Dad replied.

The boy thought a moment and then said,

"Did God throw him back down?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A wife invited some people to dinner.

At the table, she turned to their six-year-old daughter and said,

"Would you like to say the blessing?"

"I wouldn't know what to say," the girl replied.

"Just say what you hear Mommy say," the wife answered.

The daughter bowed her head and said,

"Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people to dinner?"

Tolkien Quote

2007-01-17T18:32:00.000-06:00

If you are interested in Latin or inventing languages, then you will find this quote by Tolkien to be funny.

We were listening to somebody lecturing on map-reading, or camp-hygeine, or the art of sticking a fellow through without (in defiance of Kipling) bothering who God sent the bill to; rather we were trying to avoid listening, though the Guards' English, and voice, is penetrating. The man next to me said suddenly in a dreamy voice: 'Yes, I think I shall express the accusative case by a prefix!'

from the essay "A Secret Vice", J.R.R. Tolkien

Failure

2007-01-16T14:58:00.000-06:00

"Men succeed when they realize that their failures are the preparation for their victories."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

No Pain, No Gain

2007-01-12T22:58:00.000-06:00

"No pain, no gain." Many would praise the author of this saying for his wisdom in recognizing that pain is neccessary before great achievements will be made.

Without discipline, pain, and sweat, we will fail to achieve anything.

When we are fearful of the difficulty and pain of a task, we will tend to put it off or not give it our best effort. Truly, this will make us slothful and lazy. Just as a soldier must endure hardship, fear, and possibly death to accomplish his mission, so must we endure the difficulties of an action to accomplish our task. If the soldier were not willing to endure these trials, he would fail to accomplish his mission, and maybe cause his side to lose the battle.

Born in 1824, Stonewall Jackson lived his early life with much pain, work, and hardship. When he was a child, both his father and mother died, causing him to be forced to live with a cruel uncle and provide for himself. Because he went without a formal education, he had to work much harder than any other cadet at West Point. Yet, because of his work, he was able to accomplish much in his life, including being a magnificent general in the Civil War.

Rudyard Kipling, speaking of his home, wrote, "Our England is a garden, and such gardens are not made by singing: -- 'Oh, how beautiful!' and sitting in the shade."

Because accomplishments do not come without some measure of pain, we must be ready to endure the pain if we wish to accomplish great acts.

It's a Bird. It's a Plane. No, It's...Jet-Man?

2007-01-06T17:25:00.000-06:00

Before the Wright Brothers, man was interested in flying like a bird, but could not succeed. Well, Jet-Man has done the impossible.

Work is Play

2007-01-05T10:19:00.000-06:00

What work I have done I have done because it has been play. If it had been work I shouldn't have done it. Who was it who said, "Blessed is the man who has found his work"? Whoever it was he had the right idea in his mind. Mark you, he says his work--not somebody else's work. The work that is really a man's own work is play and not work at all. Cursed is the man who has found some other man's work and cannot lose it. When we talk about the great workers of the world we really mean the great players of the world. The fellows who groan and sweat under the weary load of toil that they bear never can hope to do anything great. How can they when their souls are in a ferment of revolt against the employment of their hands and brains? The product of slavery, intellectual or physical, can never be great.

Mark Twain

Humbleness in Persecution

2007-01-03T09:55:00.000-06:00

In Athens, every free man was allowed to write the name of the person he desired to ostracize on a potsherd and drop it into an urn. An illiterate Athenian approached Aristides the Just, and asked him to write a name on the potsherd for him. Kindly, Aristides asked him what name he wanted written. The man, not recognizing Aristides, replied, "Aristides." When the startled Aristides asked the man why, he said, "I am sick and tired of hearing him called 'the Just.'" Silently, Aristides wrote his own name on the shard and returned it to the man.

Aristides is praised for his wisdom and justice in every situation. In the battle of the Marathon, he gave up control of the army to Miltiades, a man whom Aristides believed was a better general. When he attempted to get a bill passed in Athens, he heard good reasons to vote against it. This caused him to speak against his own bill.

This anecdote teaches us that whenever we are faced with foolish persecution, we are to be humble and truthful. Our first reaction is usually anger, but it is wiser to be humble when faced with absurd charges, for that is the example Christ has given us. Although we are sinful, we are to always follow the example Christ set for us.

In this anecdote, Aristides conveys the idea that humbleness in the face of foolish persecution is admirable.

If we are calm and humble when absurd charges are presented against us, many people will believe the charges to be bizarre and discount them.

On the other hand, if we lose our temper, others will suspect that we are angry
because the charges are true and join our prosecutor.

Just as it is with humility in persecution, so also was it with the early Church martyrs and their persecutors. When ordered to deny Christ and worship Caesar, the martyrs, although they were going to their deaths, were humble and stayed faithful to their Savior.

In the Old Testament of Scripture, Daniel was cast into the lion's den on account of an absurd law. Yet he was humble and the Lord delivered him from his oppression.

The famous German philosopher and political thinker, Ernest Moritz Arndt, said, "Only those who feel little in the eyes of God, can hope to be mighty in the eyes of man."

After benefiting from Aristide's teaching, we must be humble, no matter what happens, even in the face of foolish persecution so that we may glorify God.

With an Airplane This Small...

2006-12-20T16:25:00.000-06:00

Who needs cars?

Yogi Berra Quotes

2006-12-12T21:16:00.000-06:00

Yogi Berra has some hilarious quotes.

Keeping Your Word

2006-11-17T09:28:00.001-06:00

Once there was an honest Roman named Marcus Atilius Regulus, a general in the First Punic Wars. After he lost a battle with the Carthaginians and was captured, he was given a message to take to the Roman senate asking them to surrender. He would be allowed to do this only if he promised to return to Carthage. He took the oath and set sail for Rome. Once he arrived, Regulus encouraged the senate not to surrender to the Carthaginians. Sadly, he bade farewell to his family and friends and returned to Carthage, where he met the miserable death he expected. Refusing to surrender, Rome was able to overcome Carthage and become a dominant power in the Mediterranean.

Regulus is praised for his brilliant leadership of the Roman people and for being true to his word and accepting death rather than being unfaithful and receiving life.

As a result of his action, Regulus is greatly honored. When a person honors his promises and agreements despite personal pain or loss, he is honored in return.

In this anecdote, Regulus conveys the fact that when a man delivers his word, he is expected to keep it, even if it means the loss of his life.

When a person it true to his promises, he is respected and others are more likely to keep their promises to him.

By contrast, if a person is unfaithful to his promises, others learn to avoid him and refuse to make agreements with him, much less stay true to the promises given.

Just as Regulus kept his word to Carthage, so also is it like the relationship of a child toward that of his parents. If the child, like Regulus, acts in a trustworthy manner, the parents, like Carthage, will trust him. Yet when the child lies to his parents, the parents will refuse to trust him.

The day before D-Day, General Eisenhower approached Major James Goodson of the 336 Fighter Squadron and asked him if his men could keep the German planes off the beach. Major Goodson replied he could. Except for two planes that were able to sneak to the beach, Maj. Goodson kept his promise despite the loss of many comrades and was honored for his work.

Aeshylus, the famous Greek playwright, saw the importance of sticking to your promises. Wisely, he stated, "It is not the oath that makes us believe the man, but the man the oath." We should all take heed of this wise teaching.

Having seen the importance of promises, we must all keep them, despite the pain in it. Whenever we give our word, we will be expected to follow through with it.

Belief Behind the Plays

2006-11-14T20:15:00.000-06:00

Football is probably the most well known word in our modern culture. What makes this sport so popular? Well, I thought this was interesting and decided to write about it.

I know most people are thinking, “Why go here? Football is fun, and that is all there is to it.” Of course, football is enjoyable, but I believe there is something deeper here.

Back in the eighteenth, nineteenth, and early twentieth century, most people were enthralled with their country, ready to go to war at the slightest insult directed against there nation. Great stock was put in the best battle flags and best and flashiest uniforms. This belief is called nationalism.

After WWII, nationalism vanished. Angrily, citizens of the United States raged against their country when we went to war against Vietnam. They even denounced the valiant soldiers who went to overseas to fight.

To replace this lost patriotism, thousands supported their college football teams. We all believe our football team represents our state or city, so we enthusiastically support our team and, of course, are extremely disappointed when they lose.

I hope everyone found this paper thought provoking. I certainly had fun writing it. And remember, go Sooners!

Right on the Money

2006-11-06T18:22:00.000-06:00

“The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first and love of soft living and the get-rich-quick theory of life.”

Theodore Roosevelt

The Life Unexaimined is not Worth Living

2006-11-04T13:11:00.000-06:00

Socrates, the famous Greek philosopher, once said, "A life which is unexamined is not worth living."

Socrates is praised for his statement because he taught law, politics, and philosophy to the youth of Athens. Despite all this, he still found time to develop the principles of logic that we still use today. Many people also praise the fact that Socrates drank a cup of poison rather than be banished under false charges.

In this famous piece of advice, Socrates is attempting to convey the fact that we need to take a good, hard look at ourselves. Carefully, we should examine our faults, strengths, weaknesses, and character, and if we do not, our lives are not worth living.

Because our only purpose in life is to glorify God, we must not only examine our lives for sin, we need to see how we can better serve Christ. If we do not, we will not realize that we are sinners and will fail to serve the Redeemer. If we examine our lives and find sin, we will come to rely on Christ for our salvation and have eternal life in the fellowship of the Creator.

As it is when you buy a car, you carefully examine the engine, tires, accessories, and cost to see if it suits your needs and to see if there are problems with the the car, so must you examine your life to search for sins. If you fail to examine the car, you may find it inconvenient, and it might be potentially dangerous, just like if you fail to examine your life, you might find yourself in a dangerous spiritual state, and your life might not be worth living.

George Washington, the first President of the United States, examined himself tirelessly to see how he could better improve himself. Immersing himself in Scripture, Washington was slowly conformed to the image of Christ. Because of this, he was a faithful Christian and lived a life definitely worth living.

Paul tells us, in 2 Corinthians 13:5, "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves."

Wisely, Socrates gives us the lesson that we should examine our lives for sin. If we do not, we might as well not live it.

Churchill Quotes

2006-10-26T18:44:00.000-05:00

Although prepared for martyrdom, I preferred that it be postponed.
Winston Churchill

From now on, ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I will not put.
Winston Churchill

History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.
Winston Churchill

I am prepared to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter.
Winston Churchill
(Someone needs to get their theology right.)

Russia is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.
Winston Churchill

Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.
Winston Churchill

Not Faithful, but Succesful

2006-10-25T21:58:00.000-05:00

Sorry that I have not posted in a while. I have been very busy. I will post more often now.

Mother Teresa once said that God did not call her to be successful, but to be faithful.

Mother Teresa is respected for these words because of her long years as a missionary worker and for aiding the poor in India, America, Ethiopia, Albania, and many other nations. During her life, she always attempted to be faithful to God's plan for her while denying wealth and comfort for herself.

When she said these words, Mother Teresa meant that God did not necessarily want her to be successful in her work, but that He wanted her to obey His commands.

Without a doubt, God wants us to obey all His commandments without question, even if it means offending others and not being profitable in the world's eyes. God wants us to obey because we are born again in Christ, and because of the finished work of Christ, we will go to heaven.

On the other hand, if we aim to be prosperous in life, we often are unfaithful to God. If we do not believe in Christ, and we do not reflect Him in our lives, we will be sent to eternal punishment.

A soldier does not help win a war through personal achievements and glory, he helps win it through obeying orders and working with the squad. Although he is on the front lines, the soldier does not know the whole strategy like the commanding general does. Similarly, we do not know the entire plan God has for us in our lives.

Faithfully, Polycarp, an early church father, died rather than deny Christ.

Theodore Roosevelt, the former President of the United States, learned this lesson well. "It is better to be faithful than to be successful," he passionately declared. Roosevelt was one of America's best presidents, along with being a strong and faithful Christian.

By Mother Teresa's actions and words, she taught us that we should obey God's word without seeking to be successful.

First Bass on a Jig

2006-08-13T13:42:00.000-05:00