As I reveal my true colors...

I have a confession to make. I am a Christian. I am, however, an open minded Christian, so don't expect me to evangelize any of you. You can do what you want with this information; I don't mind.
This is something I wrote for a Bible study-ish thing I am kinda doing for fun. Yes, I go around looking for ways to torment myself. Anyway, this is a short essay I wrote for an assignment called SUMMA. If you can, analyze it as an example of me writing nonfiction when its not being graded. Let me know how different it is from the English assignment which is graded and what is better or worse about it.

“Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people” Exodus 19:5. God has ordained certain laws which men are to follow. We as Christians believe that even today, more than two thousand years after they were first instituted, they still hold relevance for us and our times. It is our greatest striving that we keep these laws so that “our days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth” Exodus 20:12. Others, however, debate whether or not these laws are still current and it is a question that we must confront and face every day. Luckily, God has not left us with resources.
Firstly, every Christian should consult what God and His Church teaches. In the Bible, God states specifically that His laws are forever: “It is a sign betweene me and the children of Israel for ever” Exodus 31: 17. He speaks of the law as a “perpetual covenant” Exodus 31:16. Nothing in this gives even a loophole for disobeying the law. The law is the law and it is eternal. The Church, as it is bound to keep holy whatever is found in the
Scriptures, maintains this position to this day.
Secondly, what are God’s laws? What are these eternal things? Generally, the Laws of God are whatever commands He makes as recorded in the Old and New Testaments. However, we more specifically call the Ten Commandments His law. The Ten Commandments are found in Exodus 20:2-17. 1) I am the Lord thy God, thous shalt have no other gods before me. 2) Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven image; thou shalt not bow down to them, nor worship them. 3) Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. 4) Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath-day. 5) Honor thy father and thy mother. 6) Thou shalt do no murder. 7) Thou shalt not commit adultery. 8) Thou shalt not steal. 9) Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. 10) Thou shalt not covet. These laws are recited often in the Church services and studied by every Christian.
Are these laws applicable to us today? It is often said that they are not. They were meant only for the age in which they were made and have since then passed into oblivion. The civil law today, however, is based on these Ten Commandments. It is still illegal to murder, to steal, and to testify falsely. Other commandments, while not having this force of civil law, are taught to our children as being suitable for leading a moral life. Children are still taught to obey their parents and in that way to honor them. Envy is also taught against. What about the Sabbath day? Most of us still rest on the weekends. What about taking the Lord’s name in vain? Movies containing such profanity are censored or rated R. This shows that such a practice is still regarded as somehow bad, or to be corrected. That just leaves idol worship. Christians, of course, find this to be applicable. They still practice its avoidance. So, in these ways, if not the direct law, then a variant of it is still applicable to all or some of society.
This leaves just one, final contention: What if human law disagrees with God’s law? We find in Romans 13 this saying: “”Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God.” Thus, it is clear that a Christian must be subject to civil law. However, there is another thing to be learned from this passage in Romans. Rulers are appointed by God, therefore, they serve God. Service to God requires the keeping of His commandments. If a ruler or any other man does not keep these commandments, then they will “receive to themselves damnation” Romans 13:2. The conclusion is clear, that God’s law is over any law of man and if the two conflict, then a Christian must follow God’s law.
Clearly, then, God’s laws are still current today. They are as modern now as they were when they were first written and they always will be. They are eternal. These laws consist especially of the Ten Commandments which God gave in Exodus and all of these laws are found to be applicable to today in some form or another. Finally, if it comes to having to choose between God’s law and man’s law, God’s law takes precedence in any case.

I hope my English grader reads this!

So, I can't keep up a steady stream of fiction. This is obvious. But I do a lot of homework now that school has started and you can read that if you want to. Here is my first English essay for the year. I have to say that my brother has been a great help and he kept me in focus on this assignment. This hasn't been graded yet, but I'll let you know how it does. But I warn you, this may cause me to rant if they grade it badly. I swear they are all against me... I hate them.

“The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”
Essay I (Character Sketch)

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson is the story of an experiment conducted by an honorable scientist, Dr. Jekyll. He makes a potion that turns him into the evil Mr. Hyde. At first, Jekyll likes this change, but he soon finds that it comes at a price.
Jekyll enjoys being Mr. Hyde. He finds it to be a freeing experience, making him “younger, lighter, happier in body“#. It provides him with the anonymity he needs to enjoy filthy pleasures without sullying his good name.. “For [him], in [his] impenetrable mantle, the safety was complete” (67). Also, when he has enjoyed his fill, he can easily drink the potion again and “Mr. Hyde would pass away like the stain of breath upon a mirror“ (67). He’s finally living his life the way he thinks he wants to.
Mr. Hyde soon gets out of control. The more Jekyll turns into him, the stronger Hyde gets being thus “exercised and nourished“ (69). “If this were much prolonged,” Jekyll discovers, “the balance of [his] nature might be permanently overthrown, the power of voluntary change be forfeited, and the character of Edward Hyde become irrevocably [his]” (69). Eventually, he does takes over, causing Jekyll to change without taking the potion. This frightens Jekyll, who realizes that he is losing control.
Jekyll resolves not to use the potion ever again and “in [his] future conduct to redeem the past“ (73). For two months, he doesn’t become Hyde and he thinks he is recovering. Just as he begins to believe this, Hyde surfaces again and Jekyll has to fight against the change constantly, a battle that wearies him. Finally, one of the ingredients he needs for his potion runs out and he cannot get a replacement. Without this valuable weapon, Jekyll must sadly resign himself to the inevitable take over of the evil Mr. Hyde.
Dr. Jekyll has always been an upstanding citizen, but he wants to enjoy himself. He cannot do so as himself, but as Hyde he can, thus keeping safe the good reputation of Dr. Jekyll. When he discovers that this is not all he thinks it is, he has to fight against Hyde to keep him from taking over permanently.

PLAGIARISM 101

Okay, for all of you who still check this "deadbeat blog," here's something I've been stressing over. I promised to post this one to a few people about a week and a half ago, but I've not liked it. I still don't. There are things that need to be worked on, parts that need to be elaborated on, fixed, etc. Anyway, this is a completely new piece, so give me your advice and comments. Everyone who has commented has been more than helpful. I appreciate it!

In the fifth year of the Restoration, the land of Oaklin saw the fracture of peace between the Three Kingdoms. For many years, Oaklin had been under the rule of the Tyrant Ostan, who had been a good ruler, an unbiased administrator of justice and the canniest of warriors. Before he died, six years preceding the present, he set up an unusual system of succession. His kingdom was to be split between his three children thereby restoring the original nations of Oaklin to their sovereignty. Ostan knew he was going to die ere the year had passed, so he had an army of clerks make account of the Three Kingdoms. Then, on what was to be his last birthday, he called his children together.
"The accounts have been finalized," he told them, pausing for a caughing fit, part of the illness that would eventually kill him. "There are three pieces of parchment, each detailing one kingdom. Choose one of them and when I die it will be yours. Omnia, beloved daughter, as my eldest child, you may choose first."
Omnia's two younger siblings, the young men Orik and Owain, watched as she carefully studied each parchment. Of the three of them, she was the most like their father, though with a woman's compassion. she took her time reading each report, considering the details. First was the northern kingdom of Cai, largest and most populated, bordering the Outlands to the North of Oaklin. It was a poor country with a low standard of living and relatively few natural resources, but with a large army and good defenses. It was basically a plain country with the Desert in the midst of it. The River Oro and the Outland Mountain Range, dominated by Mount Deter, ran along its northern border. From here came the country's most important resource, metals. Mines spanned the length of the range, providing jobs and metal for weapons. This added to the somewhat militaristic focus of the country.
Most of the people in Cai lived near water, especially around the Lake Kerrib which was fed by the river. The city of Caivile, largest in the kingdom, sat on its southern shore and it was here that any ruler would live. The capital city of Cail was in the center of the kingdom, making it the perfect place from which to administrate, but it was still very small compared to other capitals, because of the shortage of water. The roads in the north were good enough, but those in the south were rough and ill-kept, since most of the economy stemmed from the mines in the north.
Next was Scoe, the wooded southwestern country with the only natural bay and peninsula in Oaklin. It had a fair amount of seafarers, but the majority of the population was either merchants or members of the logging industry. Because of the Bay, ships came from everywhere to drop off or pick up goods and there was always a ship for hire, so trade was profitable. Timber was the nation's major export. The forests, which covered half of the land, were carefully regulated, however, so that they would never be depleted, for not only were they the largest part of the economy, they were a key part of the defenses, as well. In time of war or invasion, the people could retreat into the woods, which they knew well, and pick off their enemies one by one while they remained safe in the recesses of the dense forest.
The roads were the best in Oaklin and the most used. There was a steady traffice from the logging town of Cine to the Port of Law on the Bay of Scoe, and, therefore, a steady stream of repairs on the road. The Port was the largest city in the nation with the capital of Ninak coming in a close second. Ninak was the most famous city in Oaklin, being the birthplace of two famous men: Ossian, the first Tyrant of Oaklin, who achieved the unification of the three peoples, and Linden Ophelos, creator of the Ophelian Rings on the peninsula. Every year, many pilgrims made the journey to Ninak and the peninsula as part of Ophelos' cult.
Finally, Omnia read the details of Havel, the southeastern kingdom. It was the most insular of the Three Kingdoms being hemmed in by the jagged Inland Mountain Range on its northern border, the steep Cliffs of Rahula against the ocean and the rapid River Havel in the west. Inside these boundaries, Havel had enjoyed peace for over two hundred years since the coming of the Tyrants and before. Thus, it was the most culturally advanced nation in Oaklin.
There were two universities in the capital city of Dos, a public and a private. Known as the College of Dos, the public university's claim to fame was that it was the only one of its kind , not only in Oaklin, but in the known world. For many years, under the tyrants, it had been funded collaboratively by the nations of Oaklin, who sent students there with regularity. The private university, the official University of Dos, however, could claim Linden Ophelos as its most famous alumnus, which was a great draw for aspiring architects. These two institutions had helped to make Dos the largest city in Oaklin.
The universities, however, were not the only achievement of Havel. That was the administration of law. Only in Havel had laws been recorded and set as the only standard for judgements in the country. Usually, local rulers dealt justice as they would, appealing to the king in matters concerning themselves. Every law in Havel, on the other hand, had been standardized in writing, teaching and universalized in practice, so that there were no arbitrary judgements. Every verdict was recorded and once a year, they were brought to Dos during the Festival of Peace and put into the archives for the sake of posterity.
Each nation was individual with strengths and weaknesses to be considered. Cai was poor, but large with a strong military bent. Scoe was a trade nation with vast international scope, but it was small. Havel was peaceful and ordered, yet isolated from its neighbors, forcing it to remain largely self sufficient instead of participating in the exchange of goods. Omnia had to weigh the options carefully, knowing that her first choice was the final choice, unchangeable.
"I shall be Queen of Scoe, Father," she said.
"A good decision, daughter," said her father. "Now, Orik, eldest son, choose."
In Ostan's decline, Orik had become the primary general and war leader. He was a large man, powerfully built as befit his profession, but he was fresh faced and had little beard. He was a grasping soul, always wishing for more, and chose Cai as his own. Owain was left with Havel and he was happy to have it. As the youngest son, he was fortunate to inherit anything and a peaceful country was far beyond his wildest dreams. Havel held a special place in his heart anyway, for he had been formally educated at the University of Dos.
With the matter of succession taken care of, the Tyrant Ostan enjoyed the last months of his life in peace. Only a few months later, he died of his illness and was interred with his ancesotrs at Tyrant's Rest on the peninsula, the Last Tyrant of Oaklin. The period known as the Restoration began with the succession of his three children to the thrones of the Three Kingdoms. On the same day, they were simultaneously crowned, each in the capital of their chosen kingdom. Omnia was made Queen of Scoe in Ninak, Orik was made King of Cai in Cail, and Owain was made Prince of Havel in Dos. This day was comemorated ever afterward as the Regalia, a universal holiday.
Four times was the Regalia kept with peace between the nations. Before the fifth, however, peace had begun to deteriorate and by the sixth, the Cai had invaded the Southern Kingdoms.

completely unpunctuated

have you ever had dunkin donuts? i have, and i don't see what all the fuss is about. and their coffee? not that great! now they're selling it at costco for home use. why? why would i spend ten bucks on coffee i can get elsewhere? seriously, what am i paying for? just the name, dunkin donuts. and what is with that name? dunkin'? nobody dunks their donuts anymore. its oldfashioned and out dated. i suppose you'll find some fat cop who turns his lights on just to get into the donut shop dunkin' his apple fritter in his bad dunkin donuts coffee, but he's the exception, not the rule. i don't dunk my donuts. do you? do you dunk your donuts, friend? answer me truthfully, now. this is the beginning of a worldwide survey, do people really dunk their donuts? ask your friends that question and leave me a comment because i really want to know. i'm going to ask my friends, you ask yours. because i want to know! i think this is an important piece of information that the common people of the world should have access to. non-dunking donut eaters unite, and root out that evil which is dunking donut eaters. There, mar would be proud of that statement. he was all about uniting to sad, pointless causes. seriously, if you ever actually read his communist manifesto, that is what you will see. the only impact it had was on philosophers whose job it is to ponder the insane ideas of raving lunatics. they get paid for that. but do the common people, no! nobody cares! besides, all the countries who have engaged in communism, the only people who are wealthy are the people running the commune! that's not fair! that makes them the elite, and communism is all about destroying any elitism whatsoever. equal portions to unequal workers, that's their point. modern communism has totally forgotten that. capitalism is the only system where everyone who is anyone's nobody can make a fair amount of wealth that is equal to their work. that's fair. if i work for fifty cents to buy a candy bar, then i should get my candy bar all to myself, right? well, communism is i work for fifty cents to buy a candybar, and i have to share it with my profligate brother who sat on his ass all day long while i worked. did he earn any part of that condy bar? of course not! so i should not have to share with him. especially if that candy bar happens to be my favorite kind of candy bar, which is reeses, by the way. and i never share a reeses candy bar, no friggin way! so you see, that's the difference between capitalism and communism, whether you have to share a candy bar, or you can have it all to yourself. which do you prefer? which brings me to another point, anyone who says they want to share a candy bar with you, is nuts! or on a diet which happens occasionally, but are they actually sharing because they want to? no, they're sharing because to eat the whole thing would put them over their calorie count or because it means an extra hour at the gym when they'd actually prefer to be home with their family, doing something else that hopefully doesn't involve the diet busting candy bar. so they don't count in this discussion of people who want to give their candy bar away, they do so to sacrifice for a higher cause or a smaller waistline atleast. so, all this discussion goes to prove is that no one really wants to give their candy bar away, and if they say they do are either duped, lying, or its poisoned. which brings me to a final thought which we all know to be true, never accept candy bars from your enemies because the chances that the candy is poisoned are pretty high. so, that's life's lesson for the day: don't take candy bars from enemies because it'll probably be the last candy bar you ever eat.

Just for fun...

This sounds pretty funny coming from a Starbucks addict. I think it was one of those random, five minutes to write anything down exercises. I have a whole bunch of those. And there always seems to be two common threads to these exercises: food and communism. On some subtle, psychological level I'm sure it shows that I'm a mass-murderer in the making. I just can't quite figure out the connection.

so, have you ever considered starbucks? its rise to fame was great and swift, a dangerous combination. people flocked to its doors and it became a hub of culture and relations. its worse than the mall. so, what's next? something big like that happens and people freak out! will we have starbucks anonymous? will the communists infiltrate our minds by brainwashing hidden beneath the catchy music they pipe into their cafes? are the barristas really the officers of a new marxist army? or are they raving capitalists? either way, it sounds terrible and destructive to me. but wait, what if starbucks was to suddenly go bankrupt, close its doors indefinitely to the dismay of an adoring public? the west and east coasts of the u.s. would be devestated! where would we find coffee to drink? starbucks has already killed the mom and pop shops. supermarkets aren't equipped for the deluge of people desperate for caffeine. instead of going to starbucks, they would all line up in front of the bridges and fling themselves from of them out of despair and depression. California would be entirely empty of human life. so would new york. I've heard that theren't aren't any starbucks in the midwest, however. great. so now, the coasts would be repopulated by homer and his wife/sister marge and their retarded kids. my poor california! we must not let starbucks take such a hold of us, people! think of the children! think of the fate of our country if what i predict happens. your house, left empty after your suicide will be filled with hicks from texas who decorate with cow horns, shotguns, orange hats and camo-pants. In your perfectly manicured front lawn will be parked a rusty john deere tractor. inside your ultra-modern living space will hang the head of a dead deer, probably not even taxidermied. it'll just molt all over the floor. i can hear them now, "Jimmy! don't tease the poor sick kid. its not his fault. don't make me get the hose!" *shudders* people, don't let our beaches be besmirched by the stain of hillbilly rednecks! fight your addiction to starbucks with all your might! fight fight! the fate of our country and all the civilization we bring to it rest in your coffee holding hands.