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Monday 21 July 2014

Every bit as "sapien" as his brothers.

A Deep and Abiding Need for Neanderthals to Be Stupid. Why?

Believe it or not.




Sunday 20 July 2014

Civil war


Law enforcement in the United States

Armed and dangerous

No-knock raids, assault weapons and armoured cars: America’s police use paramilitary tactics too often




EARLY one morning a team of heavily armed police officers burst into the home of Eugene Mallory, an 80-year-old retired engineer in Los Angeles county. What happened next is unclear. The officer who shot Mr Mallory six times with a submachine gun says he was acting in self-defence—Mr Mallory also had a gun, though he was in bed and never fired it. Armed raids can be confusing: according to an investigation, the policeman initially believed that he had ordered Mr Mallory to “Drop the gun” before opening fire. However, an audio recording revealed that he said these words immediately after shooting him. Mr Mallory died. His family are suing the police.
Such tragedies are too common in America. One reason is that the police have become more militarised. Raids by Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) units used to be rare: according to Peter Kraska of Eastern Kentucky University there were only about 3,000 a year in the early 1980s. Now they are routine: perhaps 50,000 a year (see article).

Some of the uses to which SWAT teams are put defy belief. In Maryland paramilitary police have been sent to break up illegal poker games; in Iowa, to arrest people suspected of petty fraud; in Arizona, to crack down on cockfighting.
These teams, whose members wear body armour and are equipped with military-style weapons, were originally intended to tackle only the most dangerous criminals, such as murderers or hostage-takers. Now they are most commonly used to serve search warrants in drug-related cases. The police raided Mr Mallory’s home, for example, because they thought they would find a methamphetamine factory there. Instead they found two marijuana plants, belonging to a stepson who had a California medical-marijuana licence.
America’s courts tend to smile on SWAT tactics. They have ruled that police may enter a home without knocking if announcing their presence might give a criminal a chance to destroy evidence, for example by flushing drugs down the toilet. Such “no-knock” raids carry the advantages of surprise—and the disadvantages.
Having armed men burst into one’s home is terrifying. Startled citizens may assume they are being burgled—the “flash-bang” grenades that SWAT teams toss in to (temporarily) blind and deafen their targets tend to add to the confusion. Some people shoot back, with tragic consequences. Radley Balko, a campaigning journalist, has identified more than 50 innocent civilians who have been killed in SWAT raids.
Two factors have pushed the American police to militarise. First, thanks to the “war on terror”, there is plenty of money available for big weapons. Between 2002 and 2011 the Department of Homeland Security handed out a whopping $35 billion in grants to state and local police. In addition, the Pentagon supplies surplus military hardware to police forces at virtually no cost. That is why the quiet little town of Keene, New Hampshire has an armoured personnel carrier called a BearCat, which the local police chief said might be used to protect its pumpkin festival.
Second, the war on drugs creates perverse incentives. When the police find assets that they suspect are the proceeds of crime, they can seize them. Under civil asset-forfeiture rules, they do not have to prove that a crime was committed—they can grab first and let the owners sue to get their stuff back. The police can meanwhile use the money to beef up their own budgets, buying faster patrol cars or computers. All this gives them a powerful incentive to focus on drug crimes, which generate lots of cash, rather than, say, rape, which does not. This is outrageous. Citizens should not forfeit their property unless convicted of a crime; and the proceeds should fund the state as a whole, not the arm that does the grabbing.
Bang! Knock, knock...er, sorry, wrong house
The police do a difficult and dangerous job, and it is completely understandable that they do not wish to be outgunned by bad guys. A big show of force can sometimes deter criminals from starting a fight. And police departments are right to spend generously on defensive equipment such as body armour, which increases the chance that officers will come home alive.
Nonetheless, the militarisation of American law enforcement is alarming. The police are not soldiers. Armies are trained to kill the enemy; the police are supposed to uphold the law and protect citizens. They should use the minimum force necessary to accomplish those goals.
That does not mean getting rid of SWAT teams entirely. But it does mean restricting their use to situations where there are solid grounds to believe that the suspect involved is armed and dangerous. They should not be used to serve search warrants on non-violent offenders, or to make sure that strip joints are code-compliant, or in any circumstance where a knock on the door from a regular cop would suffice. The “war on drugs” is supposed to be a metaphor, not a real war.

Saturday 19 July 2014

Seeking an amicable divorce?

Established churches

The palace and the desert





IS THE proper place of religion in the emperor's palace or in the world's toughest, poorest locations? That has been a hard question for Christianity at least since the fourth century of its existence. During that period, the faith was first tolerated, then adopted by the Roman empire; but some believers went to the opposite extreme and took up lives of poverty, prayer and self-discipline in barren, remote spots on the edge of the known world.
It's not just a scholarly debating point. In most historically Christian countries, one or more churches enjoy privileges inherited from the past which seem way out of proportion to the active followers they now command. Should they hang on to those perks or gracefully discard them? One country where this problem arises is England, where the state religion, Anglicanism, has been in the news twice this week, as I wrote in the print edition. On Monday, the Church's Synod voted in favour of women bishops, and today, (male) Anglican bishops were using their seats in Parliament to express their opposition to an assisted dying bill.
As with many British institutions, the power enjoyed by the Church of England is both entrenched and "soft"—it burns no heretics and generally deals emolliently with other sects and faiths, and with society as a whole. Still, at least two kinds of people are keen to see that power removed: principled secularists, who oppose religious privilege in all forms, and groups within the Church of England with a sharply defined vision which might be easier to pursue if the church were to cut loose from the state. These range from leftists like Giles Fraser who see links with the state as corrupting, to evangelicals who dream of an initially smaller, more vigorous body of believers which would not need to compromise with the social mainstream.
For some conservative evangelicals (those who take literally the Biblical passages about teaching as a male prerogative), the women-bishops issue probably reinforced their belief in the virtues of independence. Their camp caused a furore by blocking the proposal in November 2012, but some were apparently persuaded to change their minds this week because the earlier vote had shocked public opinion and made establishment seem less tenable. If preserving establishment were not an issue, then Synod members could arguably have followed their consciences, however idiosyncratic in the eyes of the world.
But there might be better reasons than that, from the church's point of view, for loosening the bonds. That view was put to me by Patrick Comerford, an Irish Anglican priest and theology lecturer. In his opinion, the English discussion about women bishops was disappointingly shallow at times; it had stressed the general need for gender equality in top positions, as though the English church was just a worldly bureaucracy. In the non-established Anglican churches of the British Isles (Wales, Scotland and Ireland), there was a more spiritual debate, unheeded by the secular world, about the church as an inclusive "body of Christ" and all three Celtic groups had marched ahead of their English brethren in blessing a female episcopate. Ireland's first woman bishop, Pat Storey, was consecrated last year.
So would it be a better idea, for everybody, if the Church of England were simply cut adrift? Frank Cranmer, a research fellow at Cardiff University and law-and-religion blogger, notes one interesting reason why that would be hard unless the church actively co-operated. In 1920, when the Anglican Church in Wales was disestablished, it was summarily deprived of any endowments which went back further than the 1660s. But since 1953, the European Convention on Human Rights has made that sort of arbitrary confiscation much harder: it is now "vastly more difficult to disendow an organisation against its wishes," Mr Cranmer thinks, in view of the ECHR's guarantee of the "peaceful enjoyment of property".
So in practice, the Church of England will probably not be separated from the state unless both sides want it. And the separation will be gradual; indeed it is happening already. Margaret Thatcher had some discretion in nominating the Archbishop of Canterbury; David Cameron does not. A bill is now going through parliament to terminate a bizarre arrangement under which some English home-owners can be required to help repair Anglican churches.
The question for the Church of England (and churches in a similiar position like those of Denmark and Norway) is whether the tide of separation should be accelerated or held back. To make a disappointingly secular point, you generally have a better chance of controlling a process if you push it forward rather than delaying it till the last moment.

Friday 18 July 2014

Answering that knock.

A CONVERSATION WITH A NEIGHBOR

When Did God’s Kingdom Begin Ruling? (Part 1)

 
 
The following is a typical conversation that one of Jehovah’s Witnesses might have with a neighbor. Let us imagine that a Witness named Cameron has come to the home of a man named Jon.

“KEEP SEARCHING” FOR UNDERSTANDING

Cameron: Jon, I’ve really enjoyed the regular discussions we’ve been having about the Bible. * The last time we spoke, you raised a question about God’s Kingdom. You asked why Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that the Kingdom began ruling in the year 1914.
Jon: Yes, I was reading one of your publications, and it said that God’s Kingdom started ruling in 1914. That made me curious because you say that you base all of your beliefs on the Bible.
Cameron: That’s right, we do.
Jon: Well, I’ve read through the Bible myself. But I can’t remember ever seeing a passage that mentioned the year 1914. So I went to an online Bible and did a search for “1914.” Sure enough, the search engine said: “0 results.”
Cameron: I have to commend you on two counts, Jon. First, that you’ve read through the entire Bible. You must really love God’s Word.
Jon: I do. There’s nothing like it.
Cameron: I agree. Second, I want to commend you for turning to the Bible when trying to find an answer to your question. You did exactly what the Bible encourages us to do: “Keep searching” for understanding. * It’s good that you are putting forth effort like that.
Jon: Thank you. I do want to keep learning. In fact, I dug around a little more and found some information about 1914 in this book we’ve been studying. It mentions a dream that a king had—it was about a big tree that was cut down and then grew back or something like that.
Cameron: Ah, yes. That’s the prophecy recorded in Daniel chapter 4. It involves a dream that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had.
Jon: Yes, that’s the one. I read the prophecy over and over. But to be honest, I still don’t see what it has to do with God’s Kingdom or the year 1914.
Cameron: Actually, Jon, even the prophet Daniel didn’t understand the full meaning of what he was inspired to record!
Jon: Really?
Cameron: Yes. Here at Daniel 12:8, he says: “Now as for me, I heard, but I could not understand.”
Jon: I’m not the only one then. That makes me feel a little better.
Cameron: The truth is, Daniel didn’t understand because it was not yet God’s time for humans to discern completely the meaning of the prophecies in the book of Daniel. But now, in our time, we can understand them more fully.
Jon: Why do you say that?
Cameron: Well, notice what we read in the very next verse. Daniel 12:9 says: “The words are to be kept secret and sealed up until the time of the end.” So these prophecies would only be understood much later, during “the time of the end.” And as we will soon discuss in our Bible study, all evidence indicates that we are now living in that time period. *
Jon: So, can you explain the prophecy in Daniel to me?
Cameron: I’ll do my best.

NEBUCHADNEZZAR’S DREAM

Cameron: To begin, let me briefly summarize what King Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream. Then we can talk about what it means.
Jon: OK.
King Nebuchadnezzar dreaming about an enormous tree
Cameron: In the dream, Nebuchadnezzar saw an enormous tree that reached all the way to heaven. Then he heard God’s messenger command that the tree be cut down. However, God said for its rootstock to be left in the ground. After a period of “seven times,” the tree would grow again. * This prophecy initially applied to King Nebuchadnezzar himself. Although he was a prominent king—like the tree that reached clear to heaven—he was cut down for “seven times.” Do you remember what happened?
Jon: No, I don’t recall.
Cameron: That’s all right. The Bible shows that Nebuchadnezzar lost his sanity, evidently for seven years. During that time, he was unable to rule as king. But at the end of the seven times, Nebuchadnezzar regained his sanity and started ruling again. *
Jon: OK, I’m with you so far. But what does all of this have to do with God’s Kingdom and the year 1914?
Cameron: In a nutshell, this prophecy has two fulfillments. The first fulfillment happened when King Nebuchadnezzar’s rulership was interrupted. The second fulfillment involved an interruption of God’s rulership. So it is this second fulfillment that is related to God’s Kingdom.
Jon: How do you know that the prophecy has a second fulfillment in regard to God’s Kingdom?
Cameron: For one thing, we find an indication in the prophecy itself. According to Daniel 4:17, the prophecy was given “so that people living may know that the Most High is Ruler in the kingdom of mankind and that he gives it to whomever he wants.” Did you notice the expression “the kingdom of mankind”?
Jon: Yes, it says that “the Most High is Ruler in the kingdom of mankind.”
Cameron: Right. Who do you suppose is “the Most High”?
Jon: I guess that’s talking about God.
Cameron: Correct. So that tells us that this prophecy is not only about Nebuchadnezzar. It also involves “the kingdom of mankind”—that is, God’s rulership over mankind. And that makes sense when we look at the prophecy in its context.
Jon: What do you mean?

THE BOOK’S CENTRAL THEME

Cameron: Time and again, the Bible book of Daniel develops a central theme. It keeps pointing forward to the establishment of God’s Kingdom under the rulership of his Son, Jesus. For example, let’s turn back a couple of chapters. Would you please read Daniel 2:44?
Jon: OK. It says: “In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed. And this kingdom will not be passed on to any other people. It will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, and it alone will stand forever.”
Cameron: Thank you. Would you say that this verse sounds as if it is referring to God’s Kingdom?
Jon: Hmm. I’m not sure.
Cameron: Well, notice that it says that this Kingdom “will stand forever.” That’s true of God’s Kingdom, but it’s not something that we can say of any human government, can we?
Jon: No, I guess not.
Cameron: Here’s another prophecy in the book of Daniel that points to God’s Kingdom. It’s the prophecy recorded at Daniel 7:13, 14. Regarding a future ruler, the prophecy says: “To him there were given rulership, honor, and a kingdom, that the peoples, nations, and language groups should all serve him. His rulership is an everlasting rulership that will not pass away, and his kingdom will not be destroyed.” Is there anything in this prophecy that sounds familiar?
Jon: It mentions a kingdom.
Cameron: That’s right. And not just any kingdom. Notice it says that this Kingdom would have authority over “peoples, nations, and language groups.” In other words, this Kingdom would have global rulership.
Jon: I didn’t pick up on that, but you’re right. It does say that.
Cameron: Also, notice what else the prophecy says: “His rulership is an everlasting rulership that will not pass away, and his kingdom will not be destroyed.” That sounds a lot like the prophecy we just read at Daniel 2:44, doesn’t it?
Jon: Yes, it does.
Cameron: Let’s briefly review what we’ve discussed so far. The prophecy in Daniel chapter 4 was given so that people would know that “the Most High is Ruler in the kingdom of mankind.” This in itself indicates that the prophecy has a bigger fulfillment than just the one involving Nebuchadnezzar. And throughout the book of Daniel, we find prophecies about the establishment of God’s Kingdom under the rulership of his Son. Do you think it’s reasonable to conclude, then, that this prophecy in Daniel chapter 4 also has something to do with God’s Kingdom?
Jon: I suppose so. But I still don’t see the connection with 1914.

“LET SEVEN TIMES PASS”

Cameron: Well, let’s go back to King Nebuchadnezzar. He was represented by the tree in the first fulfillment of the prophecy. His rulership was interrupted when the tree was chopped down and left for seven times—that is, when he lost his sanity for a period of time. That period of seven times ended when Nebuchadnezzar regained his sanity and resumed his rulership. In the second fulfillment of the prophecy, God’s rulership would be interrupted for a period of time—but not because of any deficiency on God’s part.
Jon: What do you mean?
Cameron: In Bible times, the Israelite kings who ruled in Jerusalem were said to sit on “Jehovah’s throne.” * They represented God in governing his people. So the rulership of those kings was really an expression of God’s rulership. In time, however, most of those kings became disobedient to God and most of their subjects followed suit. Because of the Israelites’ disobedience, God allowed them to be conquered by the Babylonians in 607 B.C.E. From that time on, no more kings represented Jehovah in Jerusalem. In that sense, then, God’s rulership was interrupted. Are you with me so far?
Jon: I think so.
Cameron: So 607 B.C.E. marked the beginning of the seven times, or the period when God’s rulership would be interrupted. At the end of the seven times, God would install a new ruler to represent Him—this time, someone in heaven. That’s when the other prophecies we read about in Daniel would be fulfilled. So the big question is: When did the seven times end? If we can answer that question, we will know when God’s Kingdom began ruling.
Jon: I see. Let me guess—the seven times ended in 1914?
Cameron: Exactly! You got it.
Jon: But how do we know that?
Cameron: Well, during his earthly ministry, Jesus indicated that the seven times had not yet ended. * So they must be a very long period of time. The seven times started hundreds of years before Jesus came to earth, and they continued until sometime after he returned to heaven. Remember, too, that the meaning of the prophecies in Daniel was not to become clear until “the time of the end.” * Interestingly, during the late 1800’s, sincere students of the Bible were moved to examine this and other prophecies very carefully. They began to discern that the seven times would end in the year 1914. And major world events since then confirm that 1914 was indeed the year that God’s Kingdom began ruling in heaven. It was the year when this world entered its last days, or the time of the end. Now, I know this is probably a lot to digest . . .
Jon: Yes. I’m definitely going to have to go over this again to get it all straight.
Cameron: Don’t worry. It took me a while to see how all the pieces fit together too. But at the very least, I hope our discussion has helped you to see that Jehovah’s Witnesses do base their beliefs about the Kingdom on the Bible.
Jon: For sure. I’ve always been impressed with how you rely on the Bible for your beliefs.
Cameron: And I can see that you have a similar desire. As I said, this is a lot to take in all at once. You probably still have some questions. For example, we’ve established that the seven times relate to God’s Kingdom and that they began in 607 B.C.E. But how, exactly, do we know that these seven times ended in 1914? *
Jon: Yes, I’m wondering about that.
Cameron: The Bible itself helps us to determine the precise length of the seven times. Would you like to examine that topic the next time I’m here? *
Jon: That sounds good.
Do you have a particular Bible subject that you have wondered about? Are you curious about any of the beliefs or religious practices of Jehovah’s Witnesses? If so, do not hesitate to ask one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. He or she will be pleased to discuss such matters with you.

Wednesday 16 July 2014

On the edge.

So, Michael Behe Was Right After All; What Will the Critics Say Now?


Tuesday 15 July 2014

Urged to keep faith in the new gods.

Darwin Defenders Love Donald Prothero's Ranting Review of Darwin's Doubt