Recently on CNN I caught a video showcasing the story of a very gifted 12-years-old artist named Akiane Kramarik. There have been several young artists in the past, but I find Akiane rather unique.
What makes Akiane so fascinating is not so much how well she paints, but rather the subject of her work and her inspiration. Akiane claims to have met God when she was just 3. He told her that she needs to paint and help the less fortunate. He also noted that he’d be there to guide her along the way.
It gets more bizarre when you discover that her mother is an Atheist and her father a recovering Catholic. Religion was never discussed in the house and the kids are all home schooled.
Before you write her off as a freak, watch the report below, read this, and take a look at her art.
October 17th, 2008 at 7:30 am
[...] have much idea why, but as off I got one link…. hope it will help you to know more about this. Akiane Kramarik–Inspired By God Or Just Plain Crazy? ? Religious Freaks __________________ Waterfall [...]
October 17th, 2008 at 3:31 am
[...] have much idea why, but as off I got one link…. hope it will help you to know more about this. Akiane Kramarik–Inspired By God Or Just Plain Crazy? ? Religious Freaks __________________ Waterfall [...]
April 16th, 2008 at 11:39 am
In the book that is written about Akiane by her mother, called “Akiane: Her Life, Her Art, Her Poetry,” plus in some other online articles, you can read how Akiane’s goal is to help poor people around the world, especially by helping the “garbage children” (as the orphans are called, because that is where they find their food) and building a free hospital, both in her parents’ native Lithuania. These are just two of the projects she has initiated. In situations like these, it does take the money of the wealthy to help those with no means. Thus, the price tags on the art. Additionally, in her own family’s story, they have had many times of absolute poverty, and her father nearly died because of working so hard under very poor health conditions, struggling with severe asthma. They bounced back financially for a year or two, when her mother started a home-based marketing business, only to lose it all again. And their journey is told with absolutely no sense of “Pity us, because we have fallen on hard times.” Instead, her mother writes how when they had financial success, they were actually the least happy. They spent time watching TV instead of with each other, and kind of drifted apart emotionally. I would encourage further research on Akiane and her family, to get the facts straight.
Also, there are paintings from artists around the world that depict Jesus being of various ethnicities. Chinese artist He Qi (you can google him) creates many icons showing Jesus and his disciples as Chinese. And, I’ve seen paintings of Jesus done by a Kenyan artist (I’m sorry, the name escapes me) that show Jesus and his disciples as black African men. I’ve seen others of Jesus as a Native American, or as a Hispanic/Latino man. Neither Jews nor Muslims are allowed, according to their religions, to create visual images of G-d (and I write that “G-d” respectfully, as Jews do, since they do not even want to try to write the name of “G-d”). Christianity is different because they believe that since Jesus was God as a human for a time, yet still all-knowing and all-loving, he can actually relate to every ethnicity, and every human. He is, in a sense, neither a specific ethnicity, but also all of them. Paintings by He Qi, and also Akiane, are not meant to be absolutely representational of what Jesus definitely looked like as a human on earth, but rather windows into understanding that Jesus can relate to us, whatever we look like.
April 16th, 2008 at 10:25 am
I think it’s easy to critize anything, no matter what a person believes. However, I think everyone would have to admit there is something special about this girl. I don’t think her poetry is neccessarily supposed to be understood. Think about it. In the Bible Jesus spoke in parables so that the real meaning would be hidden. Her poetry and paintings are the same way. It’s mysterious and the real meanings are hidden. This is so that the scoffer and cynical person dismiss it “weird”, but the people who really want to know about God and who He is would seek after the true meanings.
April 8th, 2008 at 9:21 pm
Boris, haven’t you figured out by now how usefull the social taboo on criticism on religion is to the churches and others using/exploiting religious beliefs?
I’m not one for conspiracy theories, but there’s a pretty clear sign here that those benefitting most from religion are those that don’t want is discussed. Even the people who wrote the bible had this figured out. Don’t have a rational conversation with a non-christian and leave him be if he doesn’t want to convert, no, stone him to death for rejecting God.
We’ve moved away from stoning, at least, in most of the world, by it’s still not-done to criticise religion.
April 7th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
justin demonstrates a common attitude among christians: as long as it “praises” jesus it can’t be bad. that’s why she can charge such outrageous prices for her paintings (very un-christian right? who cares). a while ago a born again christian told me that she knew how bad christian pop music was, but that didn’t matter cause it was “praising the lord”. just make it christ-themed and no questions will be asked.
April 7th, 2008 at 7:06 pm
“One true God!!!”
Finally, someone acknowledging our one true creator, Wolverine, with his adamantium claws of justice.
April 7th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
btw….it does not matter if you don’t believe in Jesus…He believes in you!!!
April 7th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
Jesus rocks! this little girl is an awesome daughter of the One true God!!! thank you, Father for my off the hook, too cool little sister!!!
April 5th, 2008 at 1:09 am
I too first heard about this several months ago when a fellow co-worker showed it to me (via the TINYURL link, which I believe no longer works?) …. the incredible talent of this young girl is undeniable (at least to me)… also the subject of her paintings appear to point to something divine. I was hooked; thought it was real, I still do. However, I was taken aback when I visited her website … the asking price for her paintings .. sure a workman (workgirl?) is worthy of their labor (hire) … but somehow, claiming her paintings are the result of spiritual inspiration, and then turning around and selling them (for a substantial price) seems to be out of step from something Jesus would do. I agree, with a comment left by another poster on here …. that would imply a very select few (rich?) would be able to enjoy this “revelation”. To me, its not much different, than a person claiming to receive a spiritual revelation from God, then asking $X of dollars in order for the rest of us to receive the “blessing” of that revelation … I dont recall anywhere in the Gospels or the entire Bible for that matter, where God’s Blessing(s) are to be purchased/acquired via monetary (steep?) means… fact is, Jesus strongly condemned such practices ….
One possibility to all this is that everything this young lady is saying is true (she is being genuine in how she received the inspiration for her paintings), but somehow her parents have gotten greedy and have quickly learned they could make a bundle off her paintings and hence have adulterated this girl’s original message/intent …
April 2nd, 2008 at 7:52 pm
Boris and Christina have hit the nail squarely on the head here. This smells like a scam up one side and down the other. And, yes, I am cynical, but you don’t have to be a cynic to question $1,000,000 a painting. Is she gifted? I’ll go ahead and believe that the “stages” photographs aren’t faked; she actually does paint these things, so sure she’s gifted. But I bet somewhere along the line, Mommy or Daddy figured out that they could get a heck of a lot more dough per canvas by putting a religous spin on it. It goes something like this: “Hmmmm. Nice painting of a lion. You say she’s eight?” “Yeah; and GOD told her to paint it.” “Whoa! Lemme get my checkbook!”
April 2nd, 2008 at 6:35 pm
just saw the webpage. does anyone really have any doubt this is just a for-profit scam? very shameless.
April 2nd, 2008 at 6:25 pm
She might be from God… but I have a question. According to her website, Akiane sells her original paintings for $50,000 - $1,000,000, and signed prints for $1,800-10,000. How much are her parents profiting from her work? Frankly I doubt the fact that she actually paints these. How could she possibly hope to share her visions with the world when only a small subset of very wealthy people will be able to purchase her paintings?
March 31st, 2008 at 9:41 pm
how do you know shaun? have you ever seen God?
March 30th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
Guess what.. She never saw Jesus. Cause he wouldn’t have looked like that hot white guy in the background. He would have looked like an Israeli/Iraqi/Iranian/etc.. In other words, he would have looked middle eastern. If that is a painting of Jesus, she is a liar, disillusioned or just doesn’t know what Jews look like.
March 2nd, 2008 at 12:31 am
I like her story about how she got her subject for Jesus. When you live a life of faith like that, expecting the impossible, it happens all the time. It’s actually really weird. My wife lives perpetually in a state like that, but I’m always the one needing convincing. I guess the way God works is totally irritating to some people, and perfect for others. There is a fuzzy uncertainty that permeates the whole Universe. I’m an agnostic, and I’m also a person who has absolutely put his trust in Jesus. The two are absolutely compatible. Agnostic: Don’t “know”. Truster of Jesus: Do trust.
March 1st, 2008 at 10:11 pm
In my humble opinion, “facts” have nothing whatsoever to do with Religious Belief or lack thereof. “Faith is believing in something when common sense tells you not to.” (From the Gospel according to Miracle on 34th Street) And this will be my final word on the subject…and whoever said women always have to have the last word never got into a conversation with a man!
March 1st, 2008 at 7:42 pm
Greetings again,, Bobbi Lee,
Should you ever meet a man truly showing an interest in your mind, I would, nevertheless,
heartily advise caution against making that an important part of your theological criteria.
And, so as not to give the wrong impression, healthy as I am today, any home run I may make is
most likely to be a metaphorical one. But I appreciate any cheering-on. I would certainly
count it the highest of praise to be thought of as “a Gentleman of good taste, flawless
judgement and rare discernment.â€
While I would agree with Mr. Holmes (and Mr. Spock), I believe it is possible to arrive at
solid theological/religious conclusions based on reasonable and sufficient, though
inexhaustive, evidence, and without resorting to a twisting of facts.
Having said that, as of tomorrow, I’ll be away for three weeks or so, now, enjoying a long-awaited
break.
March 1st, 2008 at 7:29 am
P.S. If ever i were to meet a man who was truly “interested in my mind” i would immediately become a firm believer in God! But what are the odds of that happening?
March 1st, 2008 at 7:27 am
Dear Mark,
Two of your remarks strike me immediately…except instead of strikes, they are Home Runs!
“First, let me commend you on your stylishly flambuoyant
power of literary expression!” and “Furthermore, I find myself more often drawn to those daughters of Eve gifted with physical and mental maturity, say, ten years and more, my senior. Therefore, in my view, much can be said for sixty-five year-old bodies and minds.” Obviously, You are a Gentleman of good taste, flawless judgement and rare discernment!
Fortunately, there is nothing wrong with my sixty-five-year-old Body whatsoever either…like your fifty-four-year-old Body, in fact it is still in fine working order and was capable of dancing for three hours to Golden Oldies Saturday night at a Birthday Bash!
It’s just that Men of my own age are often interested in Younger Women: a sad fact of life. You are quite atypical. Therein lies the frustration, but i suppose it’s a biological imperative: the one thing God told everybody to DO, while telling them continually what NOT to do! And Younger is certainly More Fertile in most cases.
i know you’re not dwelling on Sex, and i am, but i long ago, unlike Marilyn in “Gentleman Prefer Blondes,” gave up trying to find a Man who was interested in my Mind, whether that Mind be sixteen or sixty-five (sixty-six in April).
Back to Religion: i am still thinking the whole thing over, and i don’t believe i will ever come to any solid conclusions. As Sherlock Holmes said (and Mr. Spock would agree) “It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.” Which is why i don’t subscribe to any Religion except the Religion of Do Right, as written in the Book of Aretha Franklin!
February 29th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
Geetings Bobbi Lee Williams,
First, let me commend you on your stylishly flambuoyant
power of literary expression! Secondly, I submit that my question is only indirectly (and inadvertently)related to sex. And although I am in agreement with Sid and yourself that the subject is somewhat unrelated to the discussions in this forum, and perhaps I should not have got myself into it here, I believe, nevertheless, a brief reply is warranted.
I am fifty-four, and while I don’t think any of us actually ever leaves our first childhood behind altogether, I believe that sixty-five is far too young to be entering into second childhood. To my mind, by the way, one can have peanut butter sandwiches at any age.
Personally, I would say (with intended humility) that in terms of physical condition, I am blessed more so now than I was at sixteen or at twenty-five, and so, in addition to my standing self-image, I value my present level of maturity in all respects. Furthermore, I find myself more often drawn to those daughters of Eve gifted with physical and mental maturity, say, ten years and more, my senior. Therefore, in my view, much can be said for sixty-five year-old bodies and minds.
February 28th, 2008 at 9:22 pm
Hello, Mark, Before i comment on your question, i would be interested to know how old you are. Meanwhile, there is no doubt in my mind as to which is more frustrating for me. But as a woman, i’m no expert. It’s well understood that Men know much more about Women than Women do about themselves! As proof of this i offer my ex-husband’s book, “Everything Men Really Know About Women” as preferred reading for those of the Male Persuasion. (Not to give away the ending, but all the pages are blank!) So i’ll leave it up to the Men to decide which is more difficult for a Woman. But i’ll give you a little hint: there is no such thing as a “sixty-five-year-old MIND.” Sixty-five-year-old Brain, yes. But not mind. My MIND is actually closer to 16 than it is to 25, and getting younger all the time…..you can call it second childhood, or you can call it a delightful gift from God or whoever (by the way, how did this discussion go from Religion to Sexual Frustration? Although come to think about it, they are very closely connected!) but for some reason, i am getting more open-minded, over the top, and hot-to-trot as the years go by…and oh my gosh oh golly…if i had had the information and the imagination and the freedom in my mind at 25 that i have now–Wooooof!!!
February 26th, 2008 at 8:14 pm
Hello Sid,
I’ll get that quesion on to Janet.
And now here’s an article you might find profitable, or at least interesting.
http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/schaeffer.html
February 26th, 2008 at 11:07 am
Hello MAPK L,
That would be good, but I don’t think gasmonso participates in TITMT. The author of that series, Janet would likely welcome your suggestion. Send it to her at The Art of Getting By.
February 26th, 2008 at 10:59 am
It occurs to me that Bobbi Lee Williams raises an interesting question, perhaps, worthy of TITMT: Which would be more (or less) frustrating: to be a twenty-five year-old inhabiting a sixy-five year-old body, or a sixty-five year-old in a twenty-five year-old body?
February 26th, 2008 at 10:56 am
It occurs to me that Bobbi Lee Williams raises an interesting question worthy of TITMT: Which would be more (or less) frustrating: to be a twenty-five year-old inhabiting a sixy-five year-old body, or a sixty-five year-old in a twenty-five year-old body?
February 25th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
Hello Dan Phillips
1.“[N]o proof exists of anything divine; only reasonable evidence for the probability, of it.â€
2.”‘A fool says in his heart there is no God.’”
3.”One can simply look at all creation or nature for you and see his (God’s)handy work.”
By my reckoning, two, not three, is logically the odd one out. And, while one may say the second has its place, I find it used somewhat freely throughout these discussions, and indeed, altogether irrelevantly here.
I take the existence of the universe, in itself, as evidence for, but not proof of, a divine creator. You and I would otherwise (theistically) appear to be in general agreement.
February 22nd, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Dear Sid, If i’m FRUSTRATED, it has nothing to do with you or this cyber-discussion, but more to do with being a Hot 25 year-old trapped in a 65-year old Body! But i should know better than to start in with these Internet Postings, because they don’t involve direct communication and as such are fraught with misunderstandings and “failure to communicate.”
All of this started for me because i wanted to observe that i think Akiane and her family are for real, and that there is Plenty of Precedent for Prodigies (how’s that for some classy alliteration?) in life. i also cannot get all worked up and indignant because she says God inspires her. Like someone pointed out on this site, Hitler claimed the same thing. And so does Mike Huckabee. So what? So whatever! i have to look at what is being said in His Holy Name (Warning: Irony Zone!) and more importantly, what is being DONE!
On the other hand, i have been wrong about so many things in my time that i could be wrong about this! What a concept! i could be wrong! But if i don’t allow for myself to be Mistaken in a given situation, then i’m not free, but i’m as narrow-minded and potentially fanatical as those whom i am expressing dismay at!
(Now don’t tell me a preposition is a bad thing to end a sentence with, or i will repeat Churchill’s words about the subject: “Ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I will not put!!!”)
i was tickled, by the way, with this comment of yours: “But consider this. I know some very zealous Chicago Bulls and Bears fans. Under definition 4, this makes the Bulls one of their religions and Bears another. Aside from the awkwardness of one individual having multiple religions, I think most religious (in the 1st definition’s sense) people would object to their beliefs being equated with extreme fandom.”
You know something, i don’t give a Flying F*** what “most religious people” would object to! (Actually, that’s not true–i’m just messing around–but i don’t give a Rat’s A** about the beliefs that Zealots use to justify killing, stoning, raping and pillaging, whether they are Golden Calf worshippers or Neo-Conservatives.)
However, i know one Freed Catholic whose Belief in the Goodness of Notre Dame (the Football Team, not the Virgin or the Cathedral) amounts to Religion and is equal only in strength to His OTHER Religion: conviction that Stanford (Especially the Band) and USC are the Anti-Christ. And as a Cal grad and fan, i couldn’t agree with him more! Oh, and my friend does have at least one other religion, but i’m not going to go there–not here!!
Now that you know i went to Cal (Class of 64), you understand all the bad language, what my poor Dad once said was the only thing i learned there! And i am afraid he was right! That and the ability to win every limbo contest i ever entered….
By the way, i lied about my skepticism: i do believe in the Flying Spaghetti Monster, about whom i just recently was enlightened by some young Heathens who dwell in my home. Being a Star Trek Fan, i find him, her or it especially appealing because i am reminded of the Horta, the Crawling Pizza Monster of whom i am extremely fond. i will leave you with one last word: Boycott the Altered ST:TOS DVDs with their Evil CGIs. Tacky props are what allowed the Original Star Trek Crew to come up with Sci Fi/Fantasy that depended upon excellent writing, great drama, fine acting, deep philosophy and dynamite chemistry between Living Characters whose relationships were the basis of the show…but don’t get me started on that! Live long and prosper, from Bobbi Lee…
February 22nd, 2008 at 10:59 am
Hello again Bobbi Lee Williams,
You seem frustrated in your comment. I didn’t mean to frustrate you. I, too, am anti-fanatic. I like the reasons you give for the diction your choose the use. Unfortunately, such diction is abrasive to most non-believer’s eyes. Your explanation does much to alleviate that. Yet I don’t understand how that prevents the appearance of pretension. Perhaps this was meant to imply that I seem pretentious?
So your points are that:
1. Everyone believes in something(s)
2. That’s great as long as no one harms anyone else as a result
3. Fanaticism and excessive zeal can harm others, so we should resist it
Sure, I can go along with that, but I still think it is a mistake to call certain beliefs religious. Though it is technically correct to use it on secular beliefs that are held with zeal, it is too often confused with the other definitions that involve worship of the supernatural and other such irrationality.
February 22nd, 2008 at 10:33 am
Hello, Sid, Gosh a-mighty! i don’t seem to be making myself clear here! i ain’t confusin’ DIFFERENT belief with LACK of belief…exactamundo th’opposite! i’m confusin’ BELIEF with BELIEF! Once again, i BELIEVE that everyone is searching for SOMETHING TO BELIEVE IN. It starts the second we’re conceived, when we BELIEVE in the Fallopian Tube, then the Placenta, the Umbilical Cord, and the Womb…and it goes on from there. THOSE FOLKS WHO SAY THEY DON’T BELIEVE IN ANYTHING BELIEVE IN SOMETHING, AND WHAT THEY BELIEVE IN IS THEIR NON-BELIEF.
But I’m Easy, and i say, Believe Whatever Floats Your Boat, or Not, as the case may be, so long as you don’t use it as an excuse to hurt, maim, destroy, oppress and generly be mean to other folks! Moreover, OF COURSE when i say Secular Religion, i mean Zeal…that’s inherent in the 4th definition of Religion…somethin’ you totally believe in and to which you devote great energy and large amounts of time…sometimes to the exclusion of all else and sometimes with a Zeal that leads to FANATICISM, and that’s the only F-Word that really rattles my cage! Guess y’all could say i am Fanatically Anti-Fanaticsm!
And i’m toying with the Diction i’m using here not to diss anyone, but to a) have some fun b) acknowledge my roots–many of my family spoke that way in varying degrees and i’m proud of them! and to c) stop MYSELF (and maybe some other folks) from sounding and feeling so gosh-darn, ding-binged, dad-blasted, gol-dern PRETENTIOUS!!!
As Porkypine says to Albert Alligator in an episode of Pogo, “Don’t take life so serious, Son, it ain’t nowise permanent.” What we need to take seriously is not our own raging debates about Angels and Pinheads, but the sufferings of our Fellow and Sister Beings, and how to help relieve them.
i can’t help but think of Omar the Tentmaker (as translated by Fitzgerald) “Myself when young did eagerly frequent/Doctor and Saint, and heard great Argument/About it and about but evermore/Came out by the same Door as in i went.”
P.S. i don’t ascribe to any religion and i do not BELIEVE IN GOD OR GODDESS OR ASSORTED DEITIES OR THE UNIVERSE OR THE FORCE OR KARMA OR PAST LIVES, in the way most folks mean it when they say they do. However, i don’t know for sure (for which you may cheerfully label me an Agnostic if that’ll pep you up some) and i venture to say nobody does. They think they do, but really they haven’t a clue…and neither do i……but i would never attempt to talk someone out of their belief…only to prevent harmful actions and succor the pitiful victims of those deeds…
February 22nd, 2008 at 9:50 am
Hello dan phillips,
What a strange thing to say. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who considers themselves smarter than Einstein.
Here’s a few choice Einstein quotes:
Of course he also said,
That is not what I’m doing. I’m quoting him in support of Deism, not atheism. Are you a Deist? If not, do you suppose yourself smarter than Einstein?
You can read more about Einstein and religion here. The short version is that he believed in a impersonal god, who set the universe in motion, but doesn’t intervene (aka no miracles). This puts his theological views much closer to Deism than any major religion.
He also believed that morals should not be derived from religion. Since you seem to think that we should agree with Einstien’s thoughts on God because of his superior intelligence, why do you go on to contradict him and claim that morality is dependent on being religious?
February 22nd, 2008 at 3:55 am
“Fact is more people have died to Atheists leaders then any other.”
“In the last century millions and millions of people died in Russia and China under communist governments…”
As I see it there is really no need to excuse on behalf of murderous non-believers. There are sick minds everywhere and when they get ultimate power by a worshipping population very bad things happens. Especially in modern countries with huge population like China and Russia.
That said there are some points I would like to mention:
1) The further back in history you go, the harder it will be to establish exactly how many people have died because of religion.
2) The killings by Stalin and Mao as a sign of atheism as a dangerous ideology stands and fall with the belief of those sick individuals. If they were in fact religious there is not much point in the argument.
Interestingly I have noticed that Stalin often referred to God when he spoke with Churchill according to Churchill himself and before the revolution Stalin was in fact to become a priest.
By the way here are some quotes by Adolf Hitler:
“Hence today I believe that I am acting in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator” (about the laws against jews)
“My feelings as a Christian points me to my Lord and Savior as a fighter. It points me to the man who once in loneliness, surrounded by a few followers, recognized these Jews for what they were and summoned men to fight against them..”
There you go Dan Phillips. According to your logik christianity is bad because how many people died worldwide because of Hitlers sick mind?
February 22nd, 2008 at 12:46 am
Two things:
1) I’m with Irish; I need to see numbers, please. Sure the commies in Russia and China killed millions. So have religions over the years. Who’s killed more? I need numbers there. But I will note that there is an extreme difference between the tyrannical forced athiesm of the so-called “communist” world and athiesm by personal choice. Those who have chosen athiesm have a lower representation in prison, for example.
2) I find it amusing when Christians of one denomination decry the other’s “abominations” whilst ignoring their own; and also ignore the fact that the various versions of the Bible have been interpreted in various ways (not to mention the lies they spread about each other). All Christian denominations have been involved in pogroms, persecution of minorities, and open warfare between each other and non-Christian religions. Yes, that means *your* chosen denomination, Mr. Phillips, even without me knowing what that one is, because they’ve *all* done it.
February 22nd, 2008 at 12:02 am
“Fact is more people have died to Atheists leaders then any other.Peoples killed in Communists in the Name of Atheism and Secularism…
In the last century millions and millions of people died in Russia and China under communist governments…”
Is that a fact? really? because I know for a fact it’s completely false. That is unless you have some evidence.
By the way, catholic = christian, it doesn’t matter how you try to rationalize it.
February 21st, 2008 at 11:24 pm
“The Christian faith is one that teaches peace and love like no other.â€
Tell that to the victims of the Spanish Inquisition.
”
You confuse yourself with catholics and christian fact is the catholic church takes what the church says as more important then the bible.The bible says one should you it to decide truth.True christian teaching says all have sinned and fallen short of God.That being good cannot ever save you from hell…
Jesus is the savior God who became man and died for our sins then roses again.
Fact is more people have died to Atheists leaders then any other.Peoples killed in Communists in the Name of Atheism and Secularism…
In the last century millions and millions of people died in Russia and China under communist governments…
February 21st, 2008 at 11:14 pm
“One can simply look at all creation or nature fro you and she his handy work.”
Sorry I type to fast sometimes :)
Should be One can simply look at all creation or nature for you and see his (God’s)handy work.
I would assume you think yourself smarter then Einstein.. For he often spoke of God and his creation . I guess Albert Einstein was less intelligent compared to you ?
February 21st, 2008 at 11:09 pm
“What I meant, and what I have said all along, is that, as far as I can see at least no proof exists of anything divine; only reasonable evidence for the probability, of it.”
A fool says in his heart there is no God.
One can simply look at all creation or nature fro you and she his handy work.
One fact a solar eclipse cannot be possible unless the moon is perfect place to line up perfect between the sun and the moon .
The idea of large masses causing space-time to be curved could be verified by observing the bending of light rays during a total eclipse and in November 1919, the British Royal Society announced that an expidition which had been launched while the war was still raging had observed a solar eclipse and verified Einstein’s predictions….
http://www.privilegedplanet.com/QandA.php
February 19th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
All clear.
February 19th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Hello Snurp,
What I meant, and what I have said all along, is that, as far as I can see at least no proof exists of anything divine; only reasonable evidence for the probability, of it.
February 19th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
“And while I think I’ve essentially exhausted all I can say about Akiane, I would say that we mortals can judge claims of divine inspiration by little more than the greater good or harm that comes of them.”
Wait…did I read this wrong, or did you reduce proof of divine inspiration to a pragmatic principle? Are you referring to judging the truth of claims of divine inspiration or merely to their usefulness while saying that we can’t really say anything more as regards whether or not they are genuine? Because if you are claiming the first (I’ll assume you’re not), that’s…interesting.
February 19th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
I am well, thanks Sid, and looking forward to an upcoming three-week break, whereupon I believe I will be feeling all the better.
Since art, by its nature is giving, I think the poet I heard was wrong to count “stealing†from other atrists as proper usage in place of “borrowing.â€
And while I think I’ve essentially exhausted all I can say about Akiane, I would say that we mortals can judge claims of divine inspiration by little more than the greater good or harm that comes of them.
February 19th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Hello again Bobbi Lee Williams,
Thanks for responding. Your comment helped clarify your meaning. I am not really questioning Akiane’s talent. I have neither the knowledge nor expertise to do so. I find the legitimacy of her work much less interesting as to whether her talent is divine in origin.
If the term ‘religion’ can be applied to secularism, then secularism has absolutely no meaning. Something cannot simultaneously be both religious and non-religious. It would be like claiming something is a cold hot, or a perfectly healthy pneumonia patient.
On the other hand, the definition of secularism is precluding the definition you gave (the 4th definition from the American Heritage Dictionary, though Merriam-Webster and others have similar ones). That definition reduces the word ‘religious’ to a synonym for ‘zealous’. In that sense of the word, I agree; ‘religious’ can be applied to secular pursuits and zeal is generally a bad thing.
But consider this. I know some very zealous Chicago Bulls and Bears fans. Under definition 4, this makes the Bulls one of their religions and Bears another. Aside from the awkwardness of one individual having multiple religions, I think most religious (in the 1st definition’s sense) people would object to their beliefs being equated with extreme fandom. (By the way, “Reaganomicsist” is a great word whether or not it existed before.)
Indeed, it is a mystery to all of us nonbelievers. Why is religion a nearly universal human experience? And why is this universal experience expressed in often mutually-exclusive ways? Why is it worth killing over? Etc. It’s what makes the topic so endlessly fascinating to myself. But don’t make the mistake of equating lack of belief with a different type of belief. I don’t believe in the Greek pantheon, but that lack of belief is not due to my “need to believe in Something”. The same applies to Christianity, Hinduism, etc.
Hey MAPK L,
I hope you are well. I agree completely with the later parts of your comment. Art often ’steals’ from other art. That doesn’t take away from the quality of the work. What I do object to is stealing from other artists and then claiming it came from God. “No it didn’t! It came from those other artists and yourself.”
February 18th, 2008 at 9:59 pm
Hello Sid,
I believe that all creative inspiration, while not immediately so, is ultimately of divine origin.
I once heard a poet criticize the euphemistic use of the “borrowing†of an idea by one writer from another. “The proper term,†she said, “is to steal, and that is all right.†I would agree that her “borrowing†is a poor euphemism if she meant that the borowing offers no return.
I would say, however, that, like that of Mozart or Shakespeare, all good art borrows something from some existing work, adapts it and incorporates it into a new thing as original as the first. Shakespeare’s “Hamlet†as a prime example, widely believed to be borrowed from thomas Kydd’s is surely a landmark in literary history, and not merely shameful plagiary of a non-extant play.
Indeed, all good art borrows something and then returns it with some added value. Human creativity invariably involves the shaping and re-shaping of inspired ideas.
February 18th, 2008 at 1:22 am
Hello, Sidfaiwu, A very good and interesting point about Mozart, although as i mentioned in my letter, i have personally been a tiny bit of a prodigy in my time and encountered many others among my family and friends, for whose genuine talent i can personally vouch. i am an eternal skeptic as well as an endless believer, and well understand that many prodigies of all ages are groomed, or coerced, or presented through trickery that enhances their “powers.” My feeling is that Akiane is a genunine phenomenon and a very unusual child. As for “secular religion,” to you it is a “meaningless oxymoron.” To me it is a paradox, especially since Atheism when practiced fanatically can be one of the most intense and unrelenting Religions of all. (By the way, i own a Dictionary too, and the 4th Definition of “Religion” is “A cause, principle or activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion.”) That goes for all of the “Isms”: Freudian, Marxist, Darwinist, Maoist, Reaganomicsist (Best look that up too, but i’ll bet it’s not a “Real” Word), and so on. At the end of the day (a resounding cliche, but it sounds so impressive!), to me this debate is not about the people who are writing in on this subject (although i admit i couldn’t resist responding to your message), but it is about the Endless Mystery of Humankind’s need to believe in Something, even if it is the fondly cherished delusion that we don’t believe in Anything…
February 17th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
I refer you to James Randy’s Million Dollar challenge.
http://www.randi.org/research/index.html
go and proof you can do this and earn a million dollars. Unless you do, i’ll call you a liar on this.
Well, if you’d rather live a lie then know the thruth, that’s all up to you. I think it’s rather sad though. The matrix has you Missy, and you’ve just take the blue pill
Meh, If I make a miscalculation in my work, a multi-million dollar building is going to come crashing down, potentially killing dozens if not hundreds of people. I never a second of sleep over it. (then again, I never lost sleep over anything)
February 17th, 2008 at 10:53 am
Hello Bobbi Lee Williams,
He was neither a freak nor a fraud. But there is a ton of mythology that has been built around Mozart. It is also well known that he didn’t write all of the works that are attributed to him. He also borrowed heavily from other composers before and of his time. Finally, he was downright compulsive about his compositions and constantly rewrote them. If his music was divine in origin, why would he have to 1) borrow from other composers and 2) rewrite his works?
secular:
1. of or pertaining to worldly things or to things that are not regarded as religious, spiritual, or sacred; temporal: secular interests.
2. not pertaining to or connected with religion (opposed to sacred): secular music.
3. (of education, a school, etc.) concerned with nonreligious subjects.
4. (of members of the clergy) not belonging to a religious order; not bound by monastic vows (opposed to regular).
What is a ’secular religion’ but a meaningless oxymoron?
February 16th, 2008 at 10:44 pm
One more thing:
How many of you creative artists can perform under pressure? I sure can’t! So the fact that Akiane has a hard time “getting into” her paintings while being watched/filmed means zilch! It actually credits her ability more than discredits it…
February 16th, 2008 at 9:59 pm
I think most people are missing the big picture. The way I see it, Akiane truly believes. She believes she communicates with God and acquires visions and messages from God (even IF she’s only been brain-washed to believe it). Her work has inspired and touched me like nothing in my life ever has. Who cares if her visions are only a reality in her own mind… they still make my heart tingle and my body fill with glowing love, and take me to a place I never knew existed. And most of all, they give me amazing hope. My life has become more peaceful, and I have become a happier and more complete person since I was introduced to Akiane’s work.
As for the resemblance of Jesus’ face to other artist’s paintings of him, maybe they all look alike because that’s what he really looks like! Akiane asked God to send her a model that resembled who she had seen in her dreams, because she wanted to paint him accurately, in the image He has chosen for Himself. The fact that she couldn’t recall every detail of Him from her dream(s) is normal. I’ve had a particular recurring dream since I was very young. The details of the faces in my dream are very clear while I’m dreaming, but always become hazy when I’m awake. There’s no easy explanation for it, it’s just the way it is. Can you recall every dimple and crevace on your own face without looking in a mirror, even after seeing it every day of your life?Akiane has nature to refer to to help her recall details of her other visions from God, but God’s not just walking around her house for her to refer to for painting the details of His hands and face (etc.).
Akiane said that there are more colors in Heaven than we’ve ever seen on earth. This is plausible because what we see on earth is limited to the abilities of the rods and cones in our eyes… I highly doubt we will have these limitations in Heaven. I think Akiane is trying to make a serious point… after all, this is her world, too. She has to live her life on this planet just like the rest of us. She’s just trying to open our eyes to the reality of it all, and help us to not take the planet/world/universe/each other and mostly God for granted.
Akiane preaches nothing but love.
Akiane shows nothing but love.
Akiane gives nothing but love.
Akiane isn’t pushing anything. We are lucky she is sharing what she has with us!
If this is a hoax, and Akiane isn’t really doing the painting herself, I really could care less. It is Akiane (and all of this) that has brought me to God and made me feel complete… hoax or not, I am still extrememly grateful. If a hoax is what it took to make me see the light, so be it… And if, in the end, the light is a hoax as well, believing in it has still made me a happier, healthier, more successful person.
Akiane said that she doesn’t communicate with God by speaking, but that it is done mentally. I have a very close relationship with my Mother and my two sisters. We speak to each other all the time… not face to face, not on the phone and not through the internet, but mentally. Seriously!!! We do, and we always have! If I think about one of them too hard, the phone will ring and it will be her. Guaranteed. It’s fail proof. So fail proof that sometimes I have to tell myself to quit thinking about them before they call me (if I’m too busy to talk on the phone… ). I have no doubt that Akiane communicates with God. “Speaking” can be done so many different ways… making noise with our mouths is only one of them.
I pray that Akiane continues her journey, no matter what. I pray that if this is a hoax, whoever the hoaxers are will continue the hoax even if they are found out, because I really do need this, whatever it is, in my life! There’s just something about them… the words, the paintings, AND Akiane…
Since I have discovered Akiane I have also found myself “speaking” with God, and guess what? He really listens, and communicates back, and He shows me the way… with whatever I’m doing. My own artistic abilities are pouring out (I really don’t have a clue where they came from), and although I am fully aware that it is happening through the hand of God himself, I don’t believe I could’ve gotten here without Akiane showing me the way. I know I’ve always had a Bible available for that, but it sat on my shelf until Akiane came along. Akiane is my Gatorade… when I feel dehydrated (mentally and/or spiritually) I grab Akiane’s books and the Bible, and I am rejuvinated!
I see Akiane as a modern-day tool that God gave us to lead us to Him. I’ve been inspired by many things in my life, but never like this. And as for the people who think her writing is “a bunch of mumble-jumble nonsense,” you just don’t understand it. It makes just as much sense as a foreign language does to — not you — but someone else who speaks it. I understand, and can relate to, most of the writings attributed to Akiane. If an adult is actually writing them (and not Akiane), the meaning is still the same, and still has a place in my life.
As for her mix of age-appropriate and non age-appropriate drawings and paintings, my work is the same. The art that I produce when I feel God flowing through me is light years ahead of the art I produce on my own. Besides, we mustn’t forget that Akiane IS a child, and so we should expect her to have childlike qualities mixed in with her “gifts.” And when I finish a project and hang it on the wall, I too cannot believe that I DID THAT. People ask me HOW I did that and I honestly don’t know, so I say what I believe: I didn’t do it, God did.
There. Mystery solved. :)
February 15th, 2008 at 9:40 pm
Once there was a little boy who composed music when he was very very young. He also had a thing about the presence of a divine force in his life. His name was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Was he a fraud or a religious freak? i don’t think so! i have strong reservations about all religions, including the secular ones, and i don’t care for fanaticism. That goes for religious AND anti-religious fanaticism. i don’t care for dogma, no matter who is putting it out there. Dogma and the acts committed in its name are the scourge of this world, whether it’s Pol Pot killing political “sinners” or Nero killing Christians or Charlemagne massacring Pagans. We have also seen many Charlatans throughout History, of all kinds. But i believe that Akiane and her Family are the Real Deal. We all have our own talents and they manifest in different ways. There are extraordinary human beings in this world, and they can be judged only by their values, principles and acts…i feel that the Acts of Akiane and her Family are unselfish and compassionate. As for her talent, it is amazing, but by no means unprecedented! Strange that we instantly accept prodigies who are autistic savants, but have so much trouble believing in everyday people like Akiane who happen to have unusual abilities. i was perusing the Encyclopedia Britannica when i was 18 months old, just because i felt like it! (i loved the pictures of Birds and could identify all of them) Many of us have experienced the Prodigious in our own lives, and those of friends and family. Akiane is bringing beauty and hope into the world and like all great leaders and prophets, she will be the target of criticism and even anger. So sad, but so true. If there is a force capable of bestowing blessings in this universe, i hope it will continue to bless her and all those like her, who bring us their gifts and visions for Good and for Enlightenment.
February 9th, 2008 at 2:09 am
I have been a professional artist for ten years, starting at age 15. I’ve observed a tremendous mystique attached to artists. People think you either have it or you don’t. Truthfully even the best talent is disciplined with education, yet because so many believe artists are “touched”, not trained, many fail to question this girl’s abilities.
A co-worker brought up an article suggesting Akiane is a fraud. It is posted at the bottom and I highly recommend reading it. Here are observations of a professional artist:
1) There is no evidence she painted these pictures. Anyone can make brushstrokes on a painting. If Akiane is really painting everything, why the absence of significant brush strokes when filmed? Why is she just messing around in random areas? If you’re capable of holding a brush, you’re capable of doing that, too.
2) There is a complete lack of technical information when her work is discussed. There is reference to religious feelings and anecdotes, but she exhibits no concrete understanding of the art form. The religious hoopla is empty rhetoric, a smoke screen for poor comprehension of the technicalities of painting.
3) The face of Christ is no different from any other painting of Christ. If she truly has seen God, it is a wonder she can’t recall his face.
4) An adult could easily be doing these paintings. Especially an artist who can’t make money on his or her own, but can easily make a profit when the work is disguised as a child’s. It could even be the parents of that child.
5) I am immediately skeptical any time God is brought into business. Regardless of religious beliefs, it is sensible to believe that a spiritual entity would not be mercenary.
Akiane has stated, “Every time I finish a painting I hang it up and say wow. I really did this. But it wasn’t just me it was somebody else.†Maybe she really believes God’s hand is finishing her work. Children are easily manipulated. I wouldn’t condemn her as intentionally fooling anyone; regardless, people are being fooled.
It is obvious to me as a professional artist that she is not doing this work. This is an insult to real artists’ talent and to everyone else’s intelligence.
Read the article: http://www.kutv.com/content/news/specialreport/story.aspx?content_id=110D722E-A08E-4864-A01B-81C2368496F2&gsa=true
February 8th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
hey akiane … you realkly are an artist .. no just for painting …. but for understanding and not underestimatigng art … and guys … alkl the bad things your say about akiane are GELOUSY!!!!!! so just drop it
December 3rd, 2007 at 3:28 am
i agree Sam… I hope that we see the world as it really is; a temporal home.
December 2nd, 2007 at 12:48 am
“Take a look at any regular item inside your house; eg. a shirt, a hat, shoes, bed cover…..anything.”
So your saying because you can’t grasp how something was created it must have been created by a god? That argument has been brought up many a time (just like Pascal’s wager). It’s a horrible argument and a waste of bits. Also, if thats whats keeping you believing in your god you may wanna rethink some things…
December 2nd, 2007 at 12:16 am
As I was reading through these posted comments, I’m still astonished that we still have critics that are trying to disclaim the works of this little angel (not literal, but beautiful innocent girl). God has performed so many supernatural actions but we choose to disbelief in Him after all. When you dig deeper into science, it is very easy to fall back in believing in God, because more than the ordinary population, scientists get to find out about God’s signatures. I want to try something, and I want everyone who reads this to humor me.
Take a look at any regular item inside your house; eg. a shirt, a hat, shoes, bed cover…..anything. now think about this. If we took any of those items, and just left them in the right temperatures; thus, right right rainfall, just enough snow, and some wind……my point being if we left those item(s) under the perfect climate conditions, would we ever be able to end up with any of them?
The answer is, even if we left those items for trillion of years, we would never be able to come up with even the most minute creations that man has created. So how is it that we can believe that the whole entire world, and all the details (which is visible everywhere) can come out of nothing! There has to be intelligence behind everything that exists, and this is why people believe in higher powers, that are able to produce everything in this world as we know it.
I have chosen to be a Christian, because after researching about many religions, Christianity was the only one that ultimately made sense; both intelligently and spiritually. God will always try to draw humans to Himself, since this is why He created them, and the truth is, some people are going to fight it till the end. One thing is for sure; we are all born, we live, and then we are going to die…….if there is anything going on if we wake up from death, where would you wanna bank your soul?
My name is Sam K. and I hope that we see the world as it really is; a temporal home.
November 30th, 2007 at 11:30 am
Sorry, hyrocket, but that “andrew” isn’t your ex-mormon friend. I am.
I don’t really agree with what the other andrew says.
It is most definitely for us to decide if her vision is true. If some little girl says that she saw God in a vision and that I should believe her, then I am the one who must decide if her vision was true.
His idea — that it is true to her in her own reality and I should leave her alone with her version of truth — is quaint and affable. I might even agree if she wanted to be left alone. But she doesn’t want to be left alone. She wants to publish her art and tell me that I should believe her. By doing so, she is forcing me into action and the action I must take is to decide if her vision is true.
My decision: It isn’t true. She did not see God.
November 30th, 2007 at 2:17 am
I believe her… Andrew, my ex-mormon friend, i agree!
“Akiane claims to have met God when she was just 3.”
November 30th, 2007 at 2:11 am
her images are drawn from a stock of mental imagery. i.e. every time we see an image we store it in our subconscious memory. Her visions are whatever they are. . . dreams, out of body experience, heavenly vision . . . who knows?
But people see some thing totally new that we have no field of reference for, we use images that are stored in our subconscious in order to make sense of it. That doesn’t make her ‘visions’ untrue, thats not for us to decide, its simply a fact of psychology and the way we represent our experiences in images.
November 30th, 2007 at 2:03 am
“She’s not the freak, all you fools that have nothing better to do than argure about a nine year old with a paint brush, need to get a life. you are all lame and should die and burn in hell. F off.”
I’d say the person that posts an angry statement on a site he obviously doesn’t like probably needs a life more than anyone else here. By the way, thanks for just saying “F”, if you had used “Fuck” I would have been offended, of course that doesn’t really matter since you already told us all to go to hell.
November 30th, 2007 at 1:54 am
She’s not the freak, all you fools that have nothing better to do than argure about a nine year old with a paint brush, need to get a life. you are all lame and should die and burn in hell. F off.
Your Master
November 21st, 2007 at 3:11 am
“love, joy and regretfulness”
One of these three seem out of place…
“If you truly believe you will see, but don’t just look at the paintings with your eyes and see the colors of this world, look with your heart and your soul and you will see the color and care that was put in to this world and everything in it.”
This is the kind of bullshit that made me a manic depressive at age 12, everyone kept telling me “you just have to truly believe” I was convinced that i was doing something wrong or had somehow angered this god everyone was going on about.
By the way, it seems like your trying to give this girl credit for everything you think your god did, it’s just so confusing….
November 21st, 2007 at 2:18 am
Faith is the essence to believing, the lord does not have to be seen with eyes that commit sins but with eyes that there is love, joy and regretfulness. Eyes are the cunning, the deceitful and wilt away with time, while the heart is the all seeing and all believing.
If you truly believe you will see, but don’t just look at the paintings with your eyes and see the colors of this world, look with your heart and your soul and you will see the color and care that was put in to this world and everything in it.
November 13th, 2007 at 5:03 pm
“The Christian faith is one that teaches peace and love like no other.”
Tell that to the victims of the Spanish Inquisition.
November 13th, 2007 at 5:01 pm
“you have found proof that God DOES NOT EXIST!!!”
Burden of proof falls on you buddy.
“If you would like to disprove it, read the bible. It is the doctrine Christianity is based on. In there are stories and prophecies that are so intricately designed that it is nearly impossible for one person, or several, to write it.”
It wasnt written by one man or a few, we don’t know who the author is, but the reason you think it’s well-written is because the book has been around and available for proofreading for thousands of years.
November 13th, 2007 at 4:55 pm
The Christian faith is one that teaches peace and love like no other. It is a true and pure faith. If you would like to disprove it, read the bible. It is the doctrine Christianity is based on. In there are stories and prophecies that are so intricately designed that it is nearly impossible for one person, or several, to write it. It is organized in a manner that will kindle with your soul. Ever notice how some people can have everything heart heart desires, yet they still feel empty? You and I have had these feelings. This void is where God belongs. It is His spot in us; we can try (try being the operative word) to fill it, but we can’t. True joy lies in the relationship with the Creator; with the Savior; with the One who calls Himself, “I Am.” Don’t believe me? Try it! Try to disprove it! Try to fight it! You will soon feel two things…
1) you have found proof that God DOES NOT EXIST!!!
2) a gentle “pull” towards Him. (a paradox, I know.)
As Billy Graham put it…
“Whenever anyone asks me how I can be so certain about who and what God really is, I am reminded of the story of the little boy who was out flying a kite.
It was a fine day to go kite-flying, the wind was brisk and large billowy clouds were blowing across the sky. The kite went up and up until it was entirely hidden by the clouds.
What are you doing?” a man asked the little boy. “I’m flying a kite,” he relied. “Flying a kite, are you?” the man asked. “How can you be sure? You can’t your kite.” “no,” said the little boy, “I can’t see it, but every little while I feel a tug, so I know for sure that it’s there.”
Don’t take anyone else’s word for God. Find Him for yourself, and then you too will know by the wonderful, warm tug on you heartstring, that He is there, for sure.”
–Day by Day with Billy Graham
September 26th, 2007 at 5:42 pm
“Mere Christianity” ranks high on my list, along with “Surprised by Joy.” Peter Kreeft, an authority on Lewis, has an interesting book called “Between Heaven and Hell,” an imaginary dialogue between C.S. Lewis, John F. Kennedy and Aldus Huxley, who all died on November 22, 1963. Dr. Kreeft teaches at Boston College. Another more recent publication is “Letters To A Skeptic,” by Gregory A. Boyd. And “Mister God, This is Anna,” by Fynn, presents an insightful view of theology through the mind of a very bright, very young child.
I believe the surest approach to clear thinking is the use of ones senses to temper reason, not, as often seems to be the case, the other way around.
I get your point. I have read some of Hawking’s writings, but the Big Crunch hypothesis slipped my mind. Well, at the risk of sounding perhaps astronomically self-confident, my hunch is that Einstein got his theory right, all except the part about the time-space bit. But since I’m certainly no mathematician, even if my existence depended on choosing right, following some careful reflection, I’d probably just take my chances on the more unsophisticated, straight-forward-seeming linear time rather than any other concept of it(:-/)
September 25th, 2007 at 12:34 pm
Hey MAPK L,
I’m going to try a different Christian apologetics after I catch up on some other reading I’ve been meaning to do. I think I’ll go with Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. I’ve heard it would suite my style and tastes much better.
Chesterton’s arguments pretty much amounted to a verbose version of the ‘Christianity feels right’ argument. But since I place very little trust in feelings, I remained unconvinced. Also, his love of paradoxes really got on my nerves. “The problem with the candid friend is that he is not candid.” I put the book down for a month after I read that line.
Well, yes and no. I did present the possibility for the sake of discussion, but that the Big Bang theory does not rule out that possibility. According to our current theories, we know that no information can ’survive’ the Big Bang. It is quite possible that the universe had some form of existence prior to the Big Bang and that some event in that pre-state caused the Big Bang. But since no information can pass through that event, it would be impossible to know whether such pre-states actually existed.
The classic example is the Big Crunch hypothesis. This is where the universe will cease expanding at some point in the future and start contracting, eventually contracting to a point in a ‘Big Crunch’. This Big Crunch could precipitate a new Big Bang, where the universe once again expands. This cycle could have happened an infinite number of times in the past and we would have no way of knowing it. Yet, the Big Bang Theory would still be valid.
Also, according to the General Theory of Relativity states that time is not an imaginary abstraction, but just another dimension which has real existence just like the three-dimensional length-width-depth ones we are used to. Thus, just like a Mobious Strip is a two-dimensional object looped in the third dimension, our universe could be a four dimensional object looped in a fifth dimension. In such a scenario, time would be circular, with the no beginning or end.
Or, if you like String Theory (It really should be called the String Hypothesis since it has never been verified empirically), the universe is a vibrating point in the tenth dimension. But that’s a separate topic ;).
September 24th, 2007 at 5:16 pm
Hello Sid,
Silence seemed to have fallen everywhere at once.
I didn’t want to suggest it, myself, since you seemed disposed to reading the book anyway, but I began to take a notion that “Orthodoxy” may not have been especially right for you. In fact, it was really chapter four, in particular, that prompted me to recommend it.
Belief in an intelligent, all-loving supernatural, and infinite designer-creator of the universe frees us from the dullness of inevitability, and allows us to apperciate (at least more fully, I think) the wonder of variety of things around us.
In the same way Jesus spent his whole ministry—if not his entire life—in many, many different ways, expressing in word and action, what the Kingdom of Heaven is like, so I believe, the vast universe we live in and everything good in it serves to provide us with some elemental truth about the character and personality of God: His love, holiness, magnitude, likeness, sense of creativity and so on.
I half wonder if you are presenting the eternalness of the universe as a mere possibility, for the sake of discussion, and not as a probability, which, I’m sure you recognise would rule out the prevailing Big Bang theory. And I think there are two meanings for the term infinite. Literally, infinite time (which, for now, let us call linear) would only mean all time up to the present moment. But God’s infiniteness, in a formal sense, means the impossibility for him ever to have had a beginning or to ever cease to exist. I can fathom no reason to say it is impossible for the universe, at some point, not to have existed.
My opposion to the concept of circular time lies in the fact that I understand time to be purely abstract, and therefore essentially shapeless, as feet and inches are abstract. Time is nothing more than a means of measuring the separation of events, and consequently, contrary to popular Christian dogma, even God cannot be said to be outside of time, since it is actually nothing substantial to be in- or outside of. As soon as God created the universe, there came a time before and after, in his own existence, that he had created it. Perhaps time, for the religious, can be understood as an intrinsic aspect of God’s being. For now, that’s my own best explanation of it.
By the way, what, if anything have you heard from Neando?
September 24th, 2007 at 9:57 am
Hello MAPK L,
I haven’t heard from you in a while. Now a First Cause argument is definitely a rational argument but it has its own problems. To start with, there are two possibilities that obviate the need for a First Cause. The universe could be infinite in the past or, (almost equivalently) time my be circular. Both require no need for a First Cause. Secondly, even if we accept a First Cause, there is no reason to suppose a supernatural First Cause. It could as easily be a natural First Cause.
P.S. I finished Orthodoxy a month ago. Sorry it took so long. I think it was the wrong book for me.
September 23rd, 2007 at 8:13 pm
It is rational (but of what intellectual consequence?) to pre-suppose the non-existence of unicorns. It is also rational to pre-suppose a being existing outside nature, without beginning and without end, and therefore not knowable strictly through finite, physical senses. Such a pre-supposition would start with the rational, apparent necessity of a first cause of things.
It is not my purpose to answer for Aimee; I only want to bring into question the soundness of comparing fantasy to theology.
September 21st, 2007 at 9:20 am
Hello again Aimee,
“…you are presupposing that supernatural things can’t or don’t exist,”
Indeed. In the same way I presuppose that there is not an inviable, intangible unicorn that follows me around everywhere I go. I can’t prove there’s no such unicorn, but it is rational to presuppose there such a unicorn does not exist.
Also, I find that the term ’supernatural’ is usually ill-defined. Perhaps it would help if you defined the term for us? Thanks.
September 21st, 2007 at 5:10 am
Well, I’m guessing that you are presupposing that supernatural things can’t or don’t exist, as much as I presuppose that they can or do. It doesn’t matter, you can’t prove it either way. It’s a matter of which way you prefer to presuppose, and that is personal to every individual. I don’t rule out the existence of some type of spiritual afterlife, so I’m fine calling it approximations. You certainly aren’t obligated to do the same. :)
September 18th, 2007 at 10:12 am
Hello Aimee,
Suggesting that Akiane’s paintings are “best approximations” of supernatural things is presupposing that those supernatural things exist in the first place. I’d say her work is an interesting mix of dogma and imagination, not approximations for anything.
September 17th, 2007 at 5:43 pm
I am happy for the fact that Akiane has the opportunity to paint things that she enjoys and believes in. I’m also happy for anyone out there who has found something inspirational in her work. However, please do not make the mistake of coming to the conclusion that the artist Akiane, who is also human and therefore possesses a finite mind, has some kind of definitive knowledge of what “Jesus” or “Heaven” or anything else supernatural looks like physically. In my opinion she is, simply put, a very gifted girl with an amazing ability to visualize abstractions, as well as a vivid imagination and a desire to spread a positive message to the world. Her images of anything supernatural are nothing more than best approximations, she just puts them to paper with more skill and passion than most of the population.
September 17th, 2007 at 9:49 am
Back to the subject at hand. Freak? No, just different. On the up-and-up? Probably not. Skilled, yes. Creative, no. Original? No. Probably brainwashed by her parents. And exploited? Oh yeah.
September 1st, 2007 at 8:27 pm
I am inspired by the talent that God has given Akiane and her obedience to use it to give His messages.
Our minds are so finite that they cannot grasp what is in the mind of God,or how He chooses to work. I have Akianes book,and many people–both believers and unbelievers alike have been moved by her work and her story. God bless you Akiane
September 1st, 2007 at 6:49 pm
I suspect a something tricky with her parents…
Use of child’s gift with a little bit of cheat. The girl have everything to win and the parents too.
Most photographs on the site doesn’t show innocent eyes and simple joy.
God argument may be a way to escape the initial lie and turn it into something good.
August 30th, 2007 at 4:12 am
I have met Akiane, and her mother, a year and a half ago when she had a small exhibit in Seattle. First, let me relate something that others may not have mentioned: when I approached her, when she looked my way, and when she started talking, I became very aware of a sense of wonderful peace, love, and purity touching me… its hard to describe in words. This is a very experiential reason why I know Akiane is carrying something special from God… I am sensitive to this “phenomena”, and I personally know it as the anointing of God. I AM a follower of Jesus, and He introduced Himself to me in a supernatural way, and I continue to experience and expect a supernatural relationship with Him… in my opinion, people who are not experiencing a personal, supernatural relationship with God (through Jesus) are being fooled by religion, which can never help or produce much of anything. God is tangible, and He loves to demonstrate His reality to humankind… hey, I guess that was what He did when He sent Jesus into the world, fully God and fully man…
As to Akiane’s art, I grew up in a household which was very involved with art: my mother was an oil painter, almost more devoted to that than mothering, and she was part of a prominent movement in modern art called the “Northwest School”, whose heyday was from the 1940’s to maybe the 70’s. I have been, with my mother, to many of the great museums in this country and Europe, and I can attest that Akiane’s ability is starting to fit into the Master category. By the way, its not uncommon for great artists and composers to credit their faith in God as inspiration for their works: Bach, Handel, Da Vinci, etc…
I think the truth about Akiane can only really be discerned through spiritual eyes, by people who are open, and not closed, to the possibility of a loving, benevolent, relational God who wants to express His love for this world, and for them… When you approach anything with a closed mind, its amazing what you can miss… Even Jesus says, “… I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” (Rev. 3:20) In other words, if you have an open heart, and ask Him to, He’ll show up…
July 6th, 2007 at 9:36 am
I think Akiane is amazing and inspirational. At such a young age, she is able to render such lifelike, spiritual art that resonates and brings hope to the viewer.
July 5th, 2007 at 9:49 pm
It is true that there have been mny flash-in-the-pan prodigies, and that time will tell about Akiane. Unless she becomes a master painter in adulthood, I believe she will become better-known for her poetry, which she says is harder work for her. But I can think of only a few great artists who went unrecognised in their own lifetimes. Off hand, I can’t name name ten.
July 4th, 2007 at 10:04 am
Who are you calling crazy, and who is arguing? I thought this was an interesting discussion. I agree that she does some marvelous painting,(if it can be established that she is the one doing the work) but, since when do intelligent people decide on the merit of anything according to how much attention it gets. Check out the history of past masters of art. Most were not acknowledged until after death. There have been many flash-in-the-pan prodigies. Only time will tell us about Akiane’ work.
July 3rd, 2007 at 10:20 pm
You people are crazy to argue about this. She is a talented young girl, who cares where she gets her inspiration. Be it God or nature or some crazy halucinations. She is creative, and you people need to respect her for that. Maybe some other 8 year olds are painting things just as good, good for them, but obviously there is something special with this girl, or she wouldn’t have all the attention…