I take everything back....

Seriously. I was wrong. Lucifer is real. He crashed my computer, erasing all my itunes purchases, vacation pictures and pop-cap games. Damn, dude. Why? Oh, right, because you're the Devil. Sorry, I get it now.

From Whence Lucifer? or The Devil is a Woman or Jesus or Not At All!

Who is Lucifer? Ask anyone this question--Christian or otherwise--and you'll almost assuredly get a quick response: The devil; Satan; a once beautiful and powerful angel who, for abundance of ambition and hubris was cast down by the Hebrew God to reign for eternity as the Author of All Lies in a fiery fortress of brimstone (or ice, depending on who you ask), tasked with the torture of all sinners come and gone, or at the very least, a micro-manager of such tasks as carried out by devilish minions. But is he really? In fact does Lucifer even exist? Ask a non-believer and the answer is simple: no, he does not exist. But pose the same question to many a Christian and you may find yourself in for a detailed lecture on the whys and ways of Lucifer, the devil.

In fact, in 2001, a poll by Barna Research showed that of believing Christian denominations, 34 to 59% of believing Christians (Mormons representing the highest numbers at 59%, with Baptists being the lowest at 34%) believe that the Devil is an actual personhood of evil. Within those numbers a great many believe in the Lucifer backstory. Though there is no hard research proving one way or another, I have found through conversations with Christians as well as my own beliefs that indeed many many people subscribe to the "Lucifer Story" as the official origin story of Satan.

Such a widely held belief must be backed pretty heavily by biblical scripture, right? I mean, most Christians have a better understanding of the origins of Lucifer than the harsh laws of say, Leviticus. Surely such a tale of such widespread acceptance would be mentioned several times in the bible. Right?

Try not even once. In fact, the name Lucifer is mentioned in the bible one and only one time in the Old Testament, specifically the book of Isaiah, chapter 14 verse 12:

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

Wait. That's it? But what about all the rebellion stuff and war in heaven and the transformation of Lucifer from angel to devil?

Sorry, it's not there. In fact the idea of Lucifer the fallen angel (much like the tradition of Christmas) is a relatively new invention. The passage above is about, get ready, a man!

That's right, the fourteenth chapter of Isaiah refers to a Babylonian king who was know to have persecuted many a Hebrew in his time and used the word Lucifer as a poetic term to describe the king of Babylon in a time when criticizing kings by name in print was about as common as women's rights.

But wait, that's not even true! The original text reads: heleyl, ben shachar" which can be literally translated "shining one, son of dawn". In fact the word Lucifer does not appear at all in the Hebrew texts and was instead added by Christian scholars looking for an additive translation for morning star. And guess what the word for morning star was in old roman Latin? You guessed it: Larcmarcaduc. Just kidding, it was Lucifer. Oh and guess what "star" is referred to as the morning star in those days, as well as today: Venus.

"So that means women are the devil?" Not quite. In fact, a certain central religious figure was also described as the morning star. Any clues? His name rhymes with "Please us of Jazz, er, Meth."

"Wait, so JESUS is the devil???" Um, maybe? Wait, I'm being told no. No he is not.

No, the devil as a tragic and romantic figure of olden Greece proportions comes predominantly from the mind of this twisted fruit, er, I mean, genius: John Milton. In his literary masterpiece-of-sh*t, Paradise Lost, Douche-nozzle Milton implanted in the minds of every fanciful believer the story of Satan as a fallen angel, rebuked for his ambition and sentenced to an eternity as a horrific monster tormentor / shapeshifting trickster.

In the end, it's not terribly surprising that people believe so readily in the Lucifer myth. For one, it is a fairly classic story in that it deals with classical subjects such as loyalty, ambitions, betrayal and downfall. It's the type of story people want to believe in, the idea that there was a point and time when everything was good and pure, even the devil. Secondly it lends credence to the notion of the Devil as a real and personable entity, thus relieving Christians of having to view their deity as having a dualistic nature, or in simpler terms: creating both good and evil. Without the Lucifer story or the belief in the devil in general, the Abrahamic God that Christians, Jews and Muslims worship would be responsible for some of the more reprehensible aspects of life on earth. And this would make the idea of worshiping such a deity harder to swallow. Lastly, Christians believe many things that are not supported by the bible, but are instead later inventions or additions by lone wolf renegades or stodgy old Nicaean councils such as the Rapture.

In a 2005 Newsweek study polls showed that 55% of American (not just Christians, but Americans in general) believed in the Rapture, even though the word is not mentioned once in the original texts. The notion of the taking up of souls or people is a vaguely-alluded-to idea in Thessalonians that, for me, is not convincing enough to declare a doctrinal truth from. Read it yourself. I know it says something, but how do you get from that to Left Behind: The Movie?

Which brings us, at last, to the point. Whatever you believe, be you an atheist, Christian, Muslim, or Jew, it is important to know what it is that you believe and more importantly why you believe it. The goal is not to eradicate beliefs of others that I do not share, but to make clear what those beliefs are and where they come from. I think most of us would be surprised at the origins of some of our most treasured ideas and traditions. Which brings us to our next topic.: Circumcision.

As most of 50% of Americans can attest, circum---wait, I don't have time for this. Maybe next week. Play 'em out Jay-Z...

New Scott Pilgrim Trailer!

Here it is, the new expanded trailer for Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World directed by Shawn of the Dead's Edgar Wright. This is one of the few movie I might make it to the theatre for. It seems to capture the comic's style perfectly, though, for those who have no clue as to what it's based on there might be some confusion.

Anyway, this movie looks awesome.

B-Side Discoveries: Todd Rundgren

Welcome. As you may or may not have noticed, one of the subtitles for the ol' Togglesphere is music. As you also may have noticed there has yet to be any posts regarding such things. That all changes with our new feature, B-Side Discoveries. Each week (hopefully) I will post a new b-side (but not always) that I feel deserves a second listen, maybe say a few words about the artist, hell, maybe I'll even post lyrics. At my very laziest I'll at least post a link to the lyrics. I can do that, can't I? I think I can. Let's get started.

While on vacation Amy and I hit up a few Goodwill's and an ARC for good measure to do a little thrift shoppin'. Incidentally I ended up bringing back some records with me (only three) and decided to spend our first afternoon back home hanging out and listening to some vinyl. The records I picked up were: An old record of Bullfighting music; a Chinese man or woman singing in a irritating high pitch; and a Spaniard's score-less recording of Orff's Carmina Burana. The first and last were pretty solid, though I have to admit my level of tolerence was stretched pretty thin on the Chinese record. Anyway, I quickly went through my purchases and move forward to my current half-listened-to record collection.

Long story short I found this stirring tune by Todd Rundgren called Bread off of his 1978 album Hermit of Mink Hollow. You might know Rundgren from his piano-pop hits Such as Hello It's Me or Can We Still Be Friends? or from his stadium staple Bang On The Drum which a.) I had no idead that was a Todd Rundgren song and b.) actually find kind of annoying. However, though I'm not a fan of everything he's done, Rundgren has always had a strong experimental side to go along with his pop culminating in his somewhat short-lived producing career (he produced Meat Loafs Bat Out Of Hell as well as XTC's Skylarking). It was during this time in the late seventies that Rundgren began released Hermit of Mink Hollow in 78. The first track off the b-side is a tune called Bread that I found immensely catchy, a little glam (which I'm a pseudo-secret fan of), and an impressive amount of intelligently expressed poignancy.

So without further ado, for your listening enjoyment:

A Quick Stop in Springdale

This is Sprindale, Utah, situated right outside of Zion National Park. We needed to make a short visit to eat and check our final grades for the spring semester.

We ate at a place called Wildcat Willie's that specialized in nothing save for some slightly over-priced Denny's style comfort food. Nevertheless it was good, and the odd statues of Loony Tunes characters kept us entertained...

Next we headed over to the Bumbleberry Inn to take advantage of some of the sweet, sweet Wi-Fi they were doling out in spades.

Then finally back to camp.

Pics of the Hurricane area

Here are some photos I took of the area surrounding the town of Hurricane. It's hard to convey the size of some of the mountains surrounding us at the time, but trust me they are huge!

click for larger view

Mickey Rourke gets the cold shoulder

So tonight I watched the Koscheck-Daley fight on UFC 113 and found something kind of peculiar. No, I'm not speaking about when Daley threw a left hook at Koschecks face after the fight resulting in a suspension.

I'm talking about Mickey Rourke.

Often times celebrities attend UFC events, and the camera crew is always keen to get a quick shot of them enjoying the fights. However, when Mickey Rourke popped up, things seemed to be a little awkward between him and his girlfriend. In fact, she seemed to straight up give him the icy smile of "get your hands off me".

I could only find a single youtube clip chronicling this glimpse into this Office-like situation, so all apologies for the crappy music, but you get the point. Also this cut away the last few seconds of awkwardness after he lets go.

Damn, this girl seems cold. But then again who knows what Mickey's like on a date...

A quick word about ads.

Hey Everybody!

Though I never thought it would come to this I want to ask you guys for a favor. If you enjoy anything you see on this blog, do me a solid and click on one (or more if you are feeling generous) of the ads I have listed on the side. Due to content I have ads that appeal to some of the subject matter discussed herein the Togglesphere. You don't have to buy anything. You don't even have to really look at it. Just click it.

For me.

Your friend.

I'd do it for you.

I would.

R.I.P Dennis Hopper 1936-2010

My Dumb Squirrel Video

This is a ridiculous slide show I made for Amy using my recently discovered movie making program (I don't even recall what the name of it was). I have the artistic vision of a sentimental grandmother who doesn't understand computers. Enjoy.

Some pictures of the local flora around the Colorado Plateau

From What Springs Morality?

Does Morality come from God? There are many in this country and around the world who would say yes, that morality is indeed derived from some divine being or creator, endowed to man and man alone as a testament not only to his conspicuous place among all forms of life but as confirmation of his creator as well. However is it also possible, if not entirely likely, that morality is the product of the human mind; fallible, inconsistent and-most telling of all-subject to change? I believe so. And I would argue that history gives us many reasons to question the idea that morality is a divine creation.

The problem with the theory of morality being divinely seems to be obvious: If morality were indeed the product of a divine mandate or revelation implanted into human beings by a sentient creator, then morality would be the same across the board regardless of culture, area, and most importantly the time in which people lived. That has never been the case. Morality has changed drastically throughout the ages, leading us sometimes into darkness, sometimes into light, as we are at the moment. That is to say that I believe we live (in America) in a much more moral time now than at just about any other.

What?!

But that flies in the face of what we are told by our more conservative and religious leaders! We are told that the fabric of this country is fraying and coming undone due to our immorality: Young people living together before marriage; sex and violence in our films and television; our growing agnosticism and/or atheism. How could we possibly be living in a time of high morals?

Well, consider that 100 years ago black people were being lynched across the country for crimes often not committed, without most people even blinking an eye. Women were not allowed to vote for the president of the country in which they are citizens. Children worked long and harsh hours underground in the coal mines of Kentucky and Virgina. It also goes without saying that we were much more reverent of our religious tenets at this time.

Now lets go back 200 years. Black people were enslaved. Enslaved. Not just enslaved but treated as property, as cattle. They were not allowed to marry, or have "official" families. They could be taken from their children and vice-versa on the whim of a business transaction. They were bred like animals at "stud houses" in order to produce the strongest workers from well bred parents. Oh, and almost the entire nation was okay with this, many even believe that it was morally correct. At this time (which would be 1810) the idea of abolition was still extremely marginal, and the first abolitionists were often considered nut-cases. (See John Brown).

Now lets go back 300 years. It was completely moral, and in fact the duty of any moral person, to report young women suspected of performing witchcraft. It was even more moral to arrest that person, deny them due process, convict them of a crime that doesn't even exist--I'm sorry but I just don't believe that teenage goths with access to herbal extracts are in league with the devil--and then burn them alive--in front of a live studio audience, children included. At this time we were very, very, religious.

1000 years ago, is was perfectly moral for Viking raiders (who, in a twist of moral irony, were one of the first groups to advance women's rights--within their own group, of course) to raid, rape and kill scores of men, women and children indiscriminately. 2000 years ago (and still today in some places) is was a moral precept to stone female adulterers and homosexuals to death!!! Do you see where I'm going with this? If not read the book of Leviticus and see how many of those rules you would be willing to abide by today.

You see, the morals of our ancestors are not the morals we carry today, and thank Zeus for that! If they were, the same politicians who feel we should live by a biblical or religious standard would be swinging from trees or buried up to their necks with rocks thrown at them. See, today, we know that adultery is immoral. But we also recognize that murdering adulterers is a touch worse than the original offence. We also (most of us, anyway) realize that witchcraft is about as real as psychics and rain dances, and that burning young women alive is about the height of evil and immorality. Why? Because we live in a society of evolving morals, in which bad, outdated ideas such as stoning, burning and homicide are replaced by better, albeit contested, ideas such as alimony, derision and imprisonment.

But what about the claim that without a religious, divine or supernaturally deigned set of moral precepts then people would go guano loco?

Imagine--and this is simply a thought experiment to illustrate a point: The existence of the Hebrew god ( I say that because we often tend to forget that there have been many, many, gods since the dawn of humankind) is proven without a doubt to be incorrect and non-existent and that the bible was just a book written by regular people. Would your sweet, loving Baptist grandmother simply throw down the gauntlet and start capping fools? I mean why not? There's no supernatural punishment waiting for her at the other end.

I think not.

Or does it seem more likely that grandma, being the product of a family that nurtures and cares for it members, will continue to be that Werther's-candy-droppin' sweet woman you grew up with? I hope we all know the answer to that question.

Note: the point of this article is not to suggest that religion is evil or that we should all be atheist or some nonsense like that, but rather to question what we are told about our very nature, where is derives from, and what we should take as instruction to live better. For any group of people, the deciding factor for moral standards had always been the group itself, for better or worse. As we expand our awareness of each other drastically in this age of information, we are better able to influence each other's morals for the better, rather than simply prescribing to the lowest common denominator.

Drivin' to Hurricane

People there pronounce it Hur-i-can with the stress on the Hurr. Here's a short video of the drive between Springdale and Hurricane. Music provided by Rodrigo y Gabriela. Camera batteries provided by Ener-die-zer. Get it? (sigh)

Barista's of Hurricane, Utah: City of Eats

After about a week of camp food it was nice to see a town full of local eating establishments. First stop was Barista's.

Barista's, as you would know if you ever stepped foot inside the place, makes everything from scratch. Yes, EVERYTHING. The fries, the burgers, the BREAD! If it wasn't made by Steve Ward (the owner) then it was made by God, assuming they are not one in the same. When you first arrive don't be afraid if Steve shows you his fish, as he is quite proud of them and, I assume, rightfully so. The key to Barista's is freshness and I wouldn't be surprised if Steve had a personal hatchery out back.

There were so many items on the menu that I felt I needed Adderall

just to make a decision. I had just got back from climbing/hiking Angel's Landing in Zion National Park, so I was pretty much intent on something heavy and starchy like a burger and fries. But I also really wanted to try their pizza due to the rave reviews written on the walls proclaiming the greatness of the homemade crust. Well, thanks to Steve Ward and family I didn't need to worry about such petty things as choosing between burgers and pizza, because Barista's makes a mother-flippin' CHEESEBURGER PIZZA! Replete with fries and mini home-made hamburger patties! Don't believe me, check it out:

And let me tell you, they weren't lying about that crust!

Amy went the same direction as me, enjoying herself a delicious mexican-style pizza (which I graciously helped her finish later that evening).

After getting thoroughly stuffed it was time to say goodbye to Steve Ward and the crew.

Seriously this guy is straight out of a movie, but he has a passion for fresh food like you won't see in very many dining establishments and it shows in spades once you taste the food Barista's has to offer. So do yourself a favor and make sure you visit Barista's if you are in the Zion NP/Hurricane/St. George area in southwest Utah or visit their website at http://baristasdiner.com/. You won't regret it!

Besides, if it's good enough for

Willem DaFoe then it's good enough for you.

Redirection.

Togglesphere is going to begin moving in a new direction, and that is: More original content. Having just returned from a 2-and-a-half week trip to Utah and Colorado I find myself with (hopefully) a wealth original subject matter to tackle. I will begin transcribing the journal I kept during the trip, along with some video entries, in the hopes of compiling a multi-part account of our time spent in some of our nation's most beautiful National Parks and wilderness areas. I hope you guys enjoy it. I'd like to also use this blog as a forum for my scholastic interests namely history. I hope you enjoy that as well. Keep on reading in a free world!

Awesome Batman Fan Film

BATMAN ARKHAM ASYLUM - Fake Teaser - Spain Rules 3 -
Uploaded by FerBrooks. - Arts and animation videos.

I came upon this trailer a few years back, and had forgotten about it until I finally picked up Batman: Arkham Asylum for the paltry sum of 29.99, minus a nine dollar gift card. Anyway, it's a Spanish fan film based on the Arkham Asylum story arch. Seriously, this is a dark, hallucinogenic vision of Batman, and I like it. Batman looks like a monster. Joker is straight up terrifying. When can this get green-lighted? Oh, right, they're making Rush Hour 4.

Truth in Advertising

Truth in Advertising (mmm mmmmmm) Mcdonald's sausage burrito arbys cheddar roast-delicioso Big Mac Whopper! Wendy's Chicken Something-or-other