Crystal clear

It's a trivia question that's got me stumped as I don't believe it to mean the first formal cross-country competition in England.

I used to ride woodsy trails & a little bit of on-road & bike path riding with my ex, who borrowed his Mom's Trek Navigator for me. It was very similar to this (pics linked). I'd like to get back into casual/recreational riding for myself. I'm not exactly bicycle savvy, but I know I really enjoyed the comfort of that bike that was on loan to me a few years back. Found this one in the pictures listed for sale and debating if I should buy it. I really can't afford to spend more than this on a bike right now but wondering if I should be trying to talk the seller down.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/47874184@N06/68542695...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/47874184@N06/68543082...

Pricing is listed like this "$435.53 per person double occupancy ($871.06 per cabin double occupancy)"

Never been on a luxury liner cruise before, so a bit confused. But if i go, I'm gonna have to go alone.

If so, why? What does it mean to you?

Not that every Christian does of course - but I see this a lot online.

If someone learns there is a difficulty in my family and they offer up prayers of their own accord, I would be gracious, appreciative of their kindness, and thank them.

But it seems to me kind of rude to solicit others to pray on my behalf...especially complete strangers. Not that we shouldn't be kind to strangers, but really, prayer panhandling?

And besides, if God answers all prayers, why would He not answer yours if you are the only one praying for whatever it is you are praying for?

Does having larger numbers of folks praying for the same thing move that prayer up the waiting list to be answered more quickly or something? Or does this put it in better favor of a "yes" answer vs. a "no" answer from God?

I'm curious what the line of thinking is on this.

Thank you.

This was posted in another forum and I'm kinda chewing on my own thoughts about these statements.

"The most important thing any of us can do for our children is to pray for them daily. Praying for their physical safety, safety of their souls & their spiritual well being. We want our kids to be responsible, trustworthy & forgiving in their personal relationships. We trust God for them even when they hold different views."

How is praying for our children more important than actually loving them and teaching them?

What does this symbol say to you personally? Spiritually?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/47874184@N06/43868311...

"Our gods are Mother Earth, Water, Fire, and Air"

This person has said this before in answers and also claims to have been Wiccan for quite a long time, longer than I. Sooo....just checkin', really, because in my training in a couple of different Wiccan traditions and in my solitary studies, I've not heard of the elements being our gods....aside from references to Earth Mother goddesses such as Gaia, Terra Mater/Tellus, and the like.

http://nz.answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Ai...

"They estimate there is over 750,000 Wiccans follwers in the United States. That would make Wicca the 5th largest organized religion in the United States, behind Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Hinduism. However it is virtually unknown by the general public. This is because almost all Wiccans hide their religious beliefs and practices. Those who allow their faith to be known publicly are very heavily persecuted."

Source: http://pigeonproject.com/2009/03/04/insight-into-t...

(I discovered this when wordpress automatically generated "related posts" from one of mine and listed them on my page.)

Why does it have to spread misinformation and lies about other religions?

So many Christian websites I come across have "informative articles" about other religions, and for this case, Wicca, that are just ridiculous and completely inaccurate.

Why? What purpose does it serve?

For the most part, Wiccans don't behave the same toward Christians. You'll see statements like the following on our websites:

"Wicca is NOT about confronting or combating Christianity. Rebuking their beliefs or soiling their historical legacy is not our purpose, nor should it be the purpose of any religion. Those who are turning to Wicca simply because they wish to leave Christianity, or they object to Christianity, or they just want to shock their Christian family should look elsewhere. Religion, ANY religion, is about belief, not negating another's belief." (wicca.timerift.net)

Doesn't it speak poorly for Christianity that it feels it *has to* nagate the beliefs of others in order to keep/gain followers?

And I'm curious as to what your definition of "help" is?

Got an email from someone who indicated they were attempting to learn to cast spells on their own and not having any luck. And the request was made "I was wondering if you could cast spells for me or aid me"...."If you could help cast spells and assist me. All would be appreciated. Thank You."

Um, okay, mind you - I have no idea what kind of spells this person wants - nowhere in the email did it say.

So I respond with some book recommendations to help asker learn magic from the beginning, the witchvox link to local shops where asker may find classes and further info and resources, expressed that I don't just cast spells for strangers over the internet, but would try to answer more specific questions if the asker had them.

Fair enough, I thought.

Then I get a response email basically chewing me out about refusing to help a "stranger" - harping on the "stranger" part. Like every friend you made started out as a stranger, and what if doctors refused to treat patients because they were "strangers", etc. (yeah, the difference there is, the doctors are getting paid to do a job!) The asker is apparently astonished that I would not blindly agree to cast spells because he/she "thought that Wiccan religion was very into peace and helping others as much as they could so I assumed that you could help me with my problems."

The tone of the rest of the email was basically a sarcastic tell-off because I did *nothing* to "help", and the asker is sure that people have helped me in my life through times of need. (Well yes, but then I never wandered up to a stranger and demanded help or made an unreasonable request either!)

*Sigh. I'm not offended or upset really, just a little irked that I took the time to respond to the email, providing educational resources and the offer to answer further questions. Waste of my time it seems.

Maybe I've got the definition of "help" incorrect? What say you Wiccans on such matters?

Like for example the President of our country. "President" is a title, and the title is capitalized, but President is obviously not his name.

The question comes from discussing with a Jewish friend why some Jewish spell God as "G-d"? He said it was out of respect in not writing out His name. This kinda reminds me of Harry Potter and "he-who-must-not-be-named". But now I'm confused because I didn't believe "God" was actually his name...and if so, why is it disrespectful to write it out properly?

Is your religious celebration combined with celebrating the beginning of spring?

What symbolism is used? (Like in both the Pagan Ostara/Spring Equinox and Christian Easter, while honoring their respective gods, folks also decorate hard-boiled eggs, and images of rabbits/hares are seen all over, symbolizing the fertility of spring.)

I find it rather ironic this story was posted on 9/11.

http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0909/658489.html

I think it's awfully sad that so many people today are still so afraid of pagans that they would close their shops and lose the money they could have made from the shoppers visiting their town, simply because those shoppers are pagan and pagan-friendly folk. Isn't that like cutting off your nose to spite your face?

And how can someone say they're proud to be an American, and in the next sentence admit they don't support American freedoms such as freedom of religion?

If they are not loved-ones or friends that is. How does my going to hell affect you?

I just saw this one, "Proselytizing is a way to witness to people about the love of Jesus and attempt to save their souls from hell."

My definition of proselytize is an attempt to persuade another to follow your religion (pretty much the same as Merriam Webster) only I believe this to be implying an "uninvited" attempt.

Whereas to preach is to teach someone about your relgion's beliefs and doctrine. (which I feel means someone who seeks to learn it.)

Hmmm, ya really do learn something new every day.

Now don't get me wrong...I'm all for showing my sincere appreciation to others who help me, teach/mentor me, care for me, etc. I like to give credit where credit is due. But I'm a little confused by this.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/holidays/clergy/

Wouldn't this be going against the give all your glory to God, put God first/before all others, praise God stuff?

So, you can take a day to show special appreciation to your clergy, those who are supposed to be working on God's behalf, but when the average ordinary human being does something extraordinary, worthy of praise and/or a show of appreciation, you give the credit to God?

All too often when I see a Christian that says they're starting to question their faith - some other Christians either turn on them and insult them, are ready to write them off as damned to hell, or simply try to order them not to question, rather than being sympathetic and trying to help them find their way again. Some others simply say "I'll pray for you/them", which offers the one who's struggling no real sense of help or support that they really need at the time.

So what if someone has questions or doubts now and then?

I find that questioning my faith and my beliefs and seeking answers when something doesn't make sense ends up strengthening my faith and bringing me closer to the divine in the long run.

Usually I see Christians say they're questioning their faith when they've fallen upon extremely hard times and are hanging on by threads, losing hope and feeling that it may make more sense that God isn't really there rather than that he is and has abandoned them despite the fact that they've been "playing by his rules".

Is this not understandable?

This is just one out of numerous statements I've seen about someone asking how to help a fellow Christian who's questioning their faith:

"They are not capable of anything other than disobey God, then you blow them off."

Is this only sad to me that some would so viciously turn on their own instead of being sympathetic to their troubles?

despite our different religious viewpoints?

It seems the confrontational questions generate many more answers than some other genuine, honest (because someone really wants to know, not to fight/debate/preach) questions.

Could it be that we're *gasp* all human and it's part of our nature? Pagans, Christians, atheists, and the rest alike?

Are we really so different?