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Random Musings:77 Fun Facts and Reflections. |
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Wednesday, 30 June 2004 |
1. I find it immensely interesting that Pachinko Gambling Parlours in Japan amount to an economy larger than the size of Japans Car Industry.
2. Ironic isnt it? I remember - a couple of years ago - the talk was about the Americanization of Japan. Now what with the Japanimation Industry grossing in the Billions of Dollars - Japanese sentiments have perfused the United States and the world in subtle ways. Japan; still remaining very Xenophobic is managing to cheat its conquerors in interesting ways. Kind of Like Rome being conquered by Greece which Rome conquered paradox.
3. The flip side of course is that Western styles are immensely popular in Japan also - not to talk of the whole "I Must Speak English" complex amongst several Japanese that I personally find nauseating.
4. Isnt it Interesting that the regime of Kim Jong Il is mostly supported economically by the Chinese and by Koreans both in the South and in Japan? Do Koreans think the Dear Son is a Monster like Westerners do?
5. It is interesting that several NeoCon commentators in the United States are pissed with the French for what they see as the French need to maintain a "unique" and "separate" identity. I say - At Least the French are doing something right this time around.
6. Isnt it Interesting that at the end of World War 2; the US controlled about 50% of Global Wealth but now That figure has fallen to about 20 to 30% with East Asia controlling up to 50% of both Inbound and Outbound GDP; 30% of Global Wealth forming one of the 3 legs of a Triad of Global Economy? The other 2 being Europe and North America?
7. It is no doubt worthy to note that Intra Asian trade has been a driving force for Asian economic growth. Now; I wonder why Africans are so averse to Intra African trade?
8. Isnt it interesting that the word "China" in Kanji means "The Center of the World"? We know of course that Japan is the Land of the Rising Sun. Sounds Messianic to me. It is of course worthy of note that Messianism is a prelude to conquest and Imperialism. Oh well - Better the conqueror than the conquered I always say.
9. Isnt it interesting that in the 12th and 13th century - Merchants from India and China were not uncommon in Timbuktu?
10. One of the earliest records of Japanese contacts with Africa that I am aware of occurs in the 16th century(?) when a Trading Mission from one of the Tokugawa Emperors gets shipwrecked off the coast of what is now Mozambique.
11. What is Ironic is that Japan is supposed to be in a period of Isolation during this period - Prior of course to the Meiji restoration.
12. The extent of Ancient African Travel is extensive. Traders from East Africa in India are recorded as far back as the 11th century. Pilgrims to Mecca; Military contigents in the Arab Peninsula are all recorded.
13. During colonial period, Portuguese encountered Swahili merchants from Mogadishu, Malindi, Mombasa and Kilwa in Indian ships in the harbor of what is now modern Malaysia.]
14. Note of course that the Sung Shi (The Official record of the Chinese Sung Dynasty) records visits from the Embassy of Zanzibar . He is said to have made a favorable impression in the court. This is occurs somewhat circa 1071 to 1083 CE. He made a 2nd visit and was given "white gold". He took about 150 days to reach China after passing through Oman, South India and Sumantra. This of course is before the Mongol Conquest and the court of Khubilai Khan. Marco Polo got to this part of Asia in the 13th century presumably during the reign of Khubilai Khan. This is 2 centuries after the visit of the Embassy from Zanzibar.
15. Seemingly more curious is the fact that around 450 BC; Herodotus of Greece wrote about the Inhabitants of Colchis which is Modern day Georgia: "it is undoubtedly a fact that the Colchians are of Egyptian descent. I noticed this myself before I heard anyone else mention it ... My own idea on the subject was based first on the fact that they have black skins and woolly hair... and secondly, and more especially, on the fact that the Colchians, the Egyptians and the Ethiopians are the only races which from ancient times have practiced circumcision." Of course Herodotus might have been a spinner of tall tales and yarns. But a curious fact nevertheless.
16. In the late 4th century, Church Fathers St Jerome and Sophronius, wrote of Colchis as the "second Ethiopia" because of its black population.
17. Curiously enough; The Nart Epic of Abkhazia (on Georgia's northwestern coast) is folklore believed to be thousands of years old. It tells of 100 black-skinned horsemen who visited the Caucasus and liked it so much some of them stayed.
18. And of course there is Ibn Battuta. The "Ajala" North African explorer who Traversed Europe, Asia and Africa south of the Sahara. He travelled a larger distance than Marco Polo. Almost 80,000 Miles in Travel. Is this record unsurpassed?
19. Is it not interesting that one of the most profitable publishing aspects of American Book industry is Japanese Manga? Just a fun fact.
20. I wonder why Bill Clinton supported Abachas attempt to transmute himself to a civilian President.
21. Paul McCartney recorded an album (?) in Nigeria in the 1970s
22. The GNP of Lagos is at least 5 times greater than the GNP of any other West African State. Curious. The Population of Lagos is at least 13 Million to 20 Million. If Lagos decided to Seccede from Nigeria it should not have any problem surviving.
23. Many African Languages are on the verge of extinction.
24. The largest slave trade today is taking place in Europe as Eastern European women are trafficked in the Millions into Western Europe.
25. The Only Nation so attacked to have refused Roman Domination was Ethiopia
26. It is worthy to note that Racism against Blacks is pandemic in Asia. Yet; the Japanese have fallen in love with Hip Hop etc. I was talking to an African America about this and she told me that it was because of the "Hype". Meaning of course; the Black penis.
27. Martial Arts are thought to be Asian. Consdier for example Kendo. This is Japanese. But what about the Art of Zulu stick fighting? Sometimes thoughts fly into my head that more work should be done on arts of defense and combat that are imparted via learning in African socities. Ah well - I guess there is so much to be done and so little time.
28. Records of Doctors in Mali performing Cataract surgery exist.
29. Nothing is funnier than Africans wearing inappropriate European clothing in the Hot African weather.
30. It is ironic that if an observer of the world 3000 years had been asked to predict the trajectory of world events; European ascendancy would have been far down on the list. The reason is simple: Europe was the most backward of all Old world regions between 5000 BC and 1400 AD - That is; if the record of ancient sources means anything.
31. Funny - African traders on the Swahili coast invented tales about the wild African interior to frighten away potential competitors.
32. While European Racism is now deemed unaccepatble, its ideas are now mainstream. This of course includes the notion of "Backwardness" - but really if one looks at it carefully; the Material dynamism of Europe is a recent phenomenon. If we look back at 6000 years of History - white supremact occured probably only in the 18th Hour of Human History.
33. Terraced East African Agriculture was borrowed and applied by Europeans who observed it in the 19th century - if Davidson is to be believed.
34. Long before the Bessemer furnaces of Europe; Meroe smelted Iron. A former Commissioner for British East Africa said in 1958: "in the last 60 years East Africa has developed from a completely primitive country more backward than the Stone Age" Yet the Stone Age blacks of Khartoum (in Sudan) manufactured pots before the inhabitants of Jericho, the world's earliest known city.
35. Edrisi in the 13h century reported Numerous Iron mines in Malindi and Sofala. He rated this Iron better than Indian Iron. In the 18th Century; The British Rated Indian Steel better than British Steel. These Regions exported smelted Iron to India.
36. Ibn Battuta, who visited the East African coast in 1331 AD, reported that "Kilwa is one of the most beautiful and well-constructed towns in the world. The whole of it is elegantly built." Battuta of course; had travelled all over the world. Traditional Swahili houses that he had observed had separate accommodations for each family with its own bathroom/toilet. Water came from wells and cisterns. Even in ancient houses, including those in the earliest ruined settlements, there were elaborate internal aqueducts to fill the cisterns
37. Kumbi Saleh on the Niger is assumed to have had a population of about 30,000. This was around 1100 AD. Iron objects excavated included weapons, farm tools, nails, and one of the finest pairs of early medieval scissors ever found in any country.
38. In pre-modern times, the quality of life of the Average African not infrequently surpassed the quality of life of their average European contemporaries. Nevertheless, Europeans ended up sticking it to both the Asians and the Africans despite their past disadvantage.
39. No ancient story is sometimes more extraordinary than that of the Mongols. I often instruct young acolytes to study the Mongols carefully and incisively. The Mongols were a Nomadic People who ended up sticking it to the rest of the world. How did this happen? How did the Mongols come to control Persia, India, and China?
40. Another thing that sometimes strikes me is the continuity of the Chinese empire. Basically, China is the same Empire that it has been for the past 2000 years. Of the great Empires; only China remains. This is despite the fact that China has been ruled at different times by Mongols and other Non-Chinese groups.
41. To the Ancient Chinese; The world meant anywhere where the preeminence of the Chinese dynasty was recognized. The Empire continued so long as Confucian principles were applied. The Mongols did not impose Mongol culture on the Chinese but rather adopted Chinese means and modes in public life. Thus the Empire persisted. Interesting isnt it?
42. Some Observers think that what the Chinese are doing with North Korea is "striking with a hidden dagger" as per the West. This is supposed to be premised on a confucian principle outlined in The 36 Strategies.
43. Baghdad was totally conquered only once in its History before the Anglo-American invasion. This was by the Mongols in the 13th century.
44. Damask is material from Damascus. Muslin is from Mosul. These materials reached the West through trade channels created by the Mongols.
45. A Number of Ancient Historians regarded African women to be the most beautiful of all. Battuta expressed this about Malian women for instance. As did Herodotus about the Ethiopians.
46. 30% of American Oil is predicted to come from Africa in the next 15 years. Will this turn Africa into another Middle East? Will it deepen the number and influence of stooge governments?
47. European Racism has caused the attribution of African achievements in the past to outside sources. With the way Africans are going now - are they not creating a self-fullfiling prophecy? That is to say - if Africans do end up having any great achievements in the future - will our Nose Speaking; Bleaching; English Totting Colomentals not lend credence to an idea that was in the past based on fallacy?
48. Koreans used printing Presses long before Gutenberg. Koreans of course were colonized twice. First by the Mongols and then by the Japanese.
49. The Mongols tried to conquer the Japanese but failed.
50. Jews were blamed for the Mongol invasion of Europe in the 13th century. Thousands were slaughtered.
51. During the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya; The British murdered thousands of Kenyan civilians. During the Indian Uprising; they Flayed, Impaled and Killed Indians and blasted many from Cannons.
52. The National Security Plan of the United States contains a model for ensuring American Military superiority in Perpetuity.
53. It seems to me that many Black people seem to believe that the white is more beautiful mentality is natural - this they do of course without examining the roots of such mindsets and behaviour.
54. The Adoration of the Magis by Quentyn Massys in 1526 depicts the Wise Men who visited Jesus as black Men.
55. There were three African Popes who came from a region of North Africa where the people were predominately black. Although there are no authentic portraits of these popes, there are drawings and references in the Catholic Encyclopedia as to their being of African background. The names of the three African Popes are: Victor (189-203 A.D.),Melchiades or Miltiades (311-314 A.D.), and Gelasius (492-496 A.D.). All are Saints.
56. Matthias Grünewald's The Meeting of St. Erasmus and St. Maurice circa 1520-1524 depicts Maurice as a black Man.
57. The first person of sub-Saharan African descent to publish a book of poems in a Western language was "Juan Latino", a black African ex-slave, born in 1518, who would in 1566 become the Professor of Latin Grammar at the Cathedral in Grenada. Both his appointment and the publication of his first book of poems in Latin in 1573 were unprecedented in the history of black Africans in Europe.
58. One of the more famous African figures of antiquity that has Intrigued me is the great Anton Wilhelm Amo. I cannot overemphasize the importance of Amo. Amo was a slave taken from what is now Ghana who went on to a University in Germany where he argued against slavery in a dissertation premised on Vassalage to Rome. Racists finally chased him from Germany to an unknown end.
59. Anton Wilhelm Amo, from Axim, Ghana; Amur bin Nasur bin Amur Ilomeiri, a Tanzanian; Paul Mpundo Njassam Akwa, Adolf Ngoso Din, Martin Dibobe (all Cameroonians); and letters by Mdachi bin Scharifu, a Tanzanian, and Thomas Manga Awka, a Cameroonian are all part of scholarly traditions in Germany which exist in the Imperial period.
60. A Rennaisance Frieze at the Villa Madama there is the image of a Black cherub which dates crica 1520s. This Cherub is tied to the Person of Alessandro de Medici; Bastard of Pope Clement VII but passed as his nephew. There is an interesting viewpoint on Alessandro right here: www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/fr...mblem.html
61. Abû Ûthmân al-Jâhiz in his famous work "The Essays" written circa 860 CE has the following to say about the Zanj (Black Africans):
Quote: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Everybody agrees that there is no people on earth in whom generosity is as universally well developed as the Zanj. These people have a natural talent for dancing to the rhythm of the tambourine, without needing to learn it. There are no better singers anywhere in the world, no people more polished and eloquent, and no people less given to insulting language. No other nation can surpass them in bodily strength and physical toughness. One of them will lift huge blocks and carry heavy loads that would be beyond the strength of most Bedouins or members of other races. They are courageous, energetic, and generous, which are the virtues of nobility, and also good-tempered and with little propensity to evil. They are always cheerful, smiling, and devoid of malice, which is a sign of noble character.
The Zanj say to the Arabs: You are so ignorant that during the jahiliyya you regarded us as your equals when it came to marrying Arab women, but with the advent of the justice of Islam you decided this practice was bad. Yet the desert is full of Zanj married to Arab wives, and they have been princes and kings and have safeguarded your rights and sheltered you against your enemies.
The Zanj say that God did not make them black in order to disfigure them; rather it is their environment that made them so. The best evidence of this is that there are black tribes among the Arabs, such as the Banu Sulaim bin Mansur, and that all the peoples settled in the Harra, besides the Banu Sulaim are black. These tribes take slaves from among the Ashban to mind their flocks and for irrigation work, manual labor, and domestic service, and their wives from among the Byzantines; and yet it takes less than three generations for the Harra to give them all the complexion of the Banu Sulaim. This Harra is such that the gazelles, ostriches, insects, wolves, foxes, sheep, asses, horses and birds that live there are all black. White and black are the results of environment, the natural properties of water and soil, distance from the sun, and intensity of heat. There is no question of metamorphosis, or of punishment, disfigurement or favor meted out by Allah. Besides, the land of the Banu Sulaim has much in common with the land of the Turks, where the camels, beasts of burden, and everything belonging to these people is similar in appearance: everything of theirs has a Turkish look." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
62. Of course; one of my more favorite Africans in antiquity is Olaudah Equiano. Equiano; in his work - "The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa - The African Written by Himself" was registered at Stationers Hall in London in 1789. Equiano was born in the Kingdom of Benin in Present day Nigeria; he was kidnapped and taken to England where he joined forces with William Wilberforce the abolitionist. He was a strong contender against slavery. He believed Inter-Marriage was the way to end Racism. Equiano provides us with a comparison of African Slavery and European Slavery. He informed us that while enslaved in Benin he was dressed in the regalia of Kings and he played and worked with his Masters Children. However the slavery in England was like nothing he had ever seen. Excerpts from Equianos narrative can be found here: docsouth.unc.edu/neh/equi...iano1.html I notice that Equiano claims to have been born in Etsako.
63. Samuel Coleridge Taylor is also worthy of note. Of course the name Coleridge is very famous. But this Son of a Sierra Leonean Doctor went on to become one of the more famous African composers and conductors of all time.
64. I have noticed that the loss of names is something that makes tracking African achievements difficult. Because many Africans in the Diaspora lost their names; their achievements are usually painted as white achievements. Again; this is another example of the creation of a self fulfilling prophecy by Africans. Now that Africans are crazy about giving their children Western Names and some really ridiculous ones like Globacomm, Rosewater, Conference, National, Gasoline - etc - are we not now destroying ourselves with a weapon used to destroy us in the past? This is one reason why I particularly support the new Afrocentric names creeping up in Black America. I will take Lakisha over James anyday anytime - and I will take Tamika or Shantaria over Cecilia or Florence anyday anytime.
65. Leo Africanus' description of Timbuktu is very famous. El Hasan ben Muhammed el-Wazzan-ez-Zayyati was a Moor. He studied in Fez and as a teenager accompanied his uncle on diplomatic missions throughout North Africa and and to the Sub-Saharan kingdom of Ghana. He was captured by Christian pirates when he was young and presented as an exceptionally learned slave to the great Renaissance pope, Leo X who freed him, baptised him under the name "Johannis Leo de Medici," and commissioned him to write in Italian the detailed survey of Africa which provided most of what Europeans knew about the continent for the next several centuries. At the time he visited the Ghanaian city of Timbuktu it was past its apogee but "Timbuktu" was to become a byword in Europe as the most inaccessible of cities. At the time Leo visited, it was the center of a busy trade in African products and in books. Leo is said to have died in 1554 in Tunis, having reconverted to Islam.
66. Some excerpts from the writings of Leo Africanus "The Description of Africa" (1526)
Quote: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "The houses of Timbuktu are huts made of clay-covered wattles with thatched roofs. In the center of the city is a temple built of stone and mortar, built by an architect named Granata, and in addition there is a large palace, constructed by the same architect, where the king lives. The shops of the artisans, the merchants, and especially weavers of cotton cloth are very numerous. Fabrics are also imported from Europe to Timbuktu, borne by Berber merchants."
"The women of the city maintain the custom of veiling their faces, except for the slaves who sell all the foodstuffs. The inhabitants are very rich, especially the strangers who have settled in the country; so much so that the current king has given two of his daughters in marriage to two brothers, both businessmen, on account of their wealth. There are many wells containing sweet water in Timbuktu; and in addition, when the Niger is in flood canals deliver the water to the city. Grain and animals are abundant, so that the consumption of milk and butter is considerable. But salt is in very short supply because it is carried here from Tegaza, some 500 miles from Timbuktu. I happened to be in this city at a time when a load of salt sold for eighty ducats. The king has a rich treasure of coins and gold ingots. One of these ingots weighs 970 pounds."
"The royal court is magnificent and very well organized. When the king goes from one city to another with the people of his court, he rides a camel and the horses are led by hand by servants. If fighting becomes necessary, the servants mount the camels and all the soldiers mount on horseback. When someone wishes to speak to the king, he must kneel before him and bow down; but this is only required of those who have never before spoken to the king, or of ambassadors. The king has about 3,000 horsemen and infinity of foot-soldiers armed with bows made of wild fennel [?] which they use to shoot poisoned arrows. This king makes war only upon neighboring enemies and upon those who do not want to pay him tribute. When he has gained a victory, he has all of them--even the children--sold in the market at Timbuktu.
Only small, poor horses are born in this country. The merchants use them for their voyages and the courtiers to move about the city. But the good horses come from Barbary. They arrive in a caravan and, ten or twelve days later, they are led to the ruler, who takes as many as he likes and pays appropriately for them.
The king is a declared enemy of the Jews. He will not allow any to live in the city. If he hears it said that a Berber merchant frequents them or does business with them, he confiscates his goods. There are in Timbuktu numerous judges, teachers and priests, all properly appointed by the king. He greatly honors learning. Many hand-written books imported from Barbary are also sold. There is more profit made from this commerce than from all other merchandise."
"Instead of coined money, pure gold nuggets are used; and for small purchases, cowrie shells which have been carried from Persia, and of which 400 equal a ducat. Six and two-thirds of their ducats equal one Roman gold ounce.
The people of Timbuktu are of a peaceful nature. They have a custom of almost continuously walking about the city in the evening (except for those that sell gold), between 10 PM and 1 AM, playing musical instruments and dancing. The citizens have at their service many slaves, both men and women.
The city is very much endangered by fire. At the time when I was there on my second voyage, half the city burned in the space of five hours. But the wind was violent and the inhabitants of the other half of the city began to move their belongings for fear that the other half would burn.
There are no gardens or orchards in the area surrounding Timbuktu." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
67. Many of the cowries used in Africa in antiquity actually came from South East Asia.
68. The idea of Africa as a closed, dark, undiscovered place certainly does not seem to be meritorious in the light of the ancient sources does it? Much less the idea of Africa as always having been isolated from the currents affecting the rest of the world.
69. In May 2004 - Rare Ming dynasty Chinese porcelain and gold pieces salvaged from a 16th century Portuguese shipwreck near Mozambique sold for double the expected amount at an auction in Amsterdam. Auction house Christie's sold about 125 porcelain objects and 21 gold pieces for 117,289 euros ($240,543).
70. I would really love to see more Ocean excavations and salvages carried out along the African coast. Only God Knows what one will find that will give us more clues and insights into our past.
71. Ethnomusicologists have traced many dance and music forms popular today to Africa. An interesting trace line is that of Tap Dancing - which was used by slaves on plantation to communicate. Ironic isnt it? The amusing thing again - is how quickly Africans are to cast of traditions and institutions that supported them through some of the most arduous and evil periods of their History. This indeed is Ironic.
72. Africans must note that they are probably the only people in the world without Imperial ambitions. This inevitably is why they are in danger of suffering far worse things than they suffered in the last 400 years. Asians will not mind ripping Africa to pieces if given the chance - and of course we know about the Europeans and the Arabs. Striking first and striking with deadly force is a fundamental principle of defense when war is assumed.
73. Colonialists spread the Sleeping Sickness as they travelled around Africa; invading and destroying territories.
74. Diseases like Syphillis, Chigger, Leprosy, SmallPox, Measles, Cholera etc were all introduced by Colonialists killing Millions in the Americas and in Africa. Ironic isnt it?
75. Interesting question that always pops into my mind - How do Africans frame the rest of the world? For instance; I know how the European world frames Africa. I know how Asians and South Americans frame Africa. How do Africans frame the rest of the world? What is "common sense" in Africa with respect to the rest of the world? What is that corpus of knowledge; that popular folklorish analytical framework in Africa by which one can say "This is what everybody knows" which respect to the rest of the world? For instance; A white man might tell me "Everybody knows that Africans lives in Trees and dance all night long" But what does "Everybody know" when it comes to the African perspective? I would like to see some social research done in this direction.
76. Is it not curious that the West is an Intermediary for the rest of the world? For example - what Africans know about Asians is what they received through Western Lenses and through information filtered from an Occidental perspective. In the same vein; what Asians know about Africa is what they have received from Occidental channels. Do the peoples of the earth consider direct communication without the Occidental as an Intermediary to be an alternative? I know Africans surely dont - because Africans dont even know anything about each other - since what the Nigerian knows about the Ghanaian is what has been filtered through Occidental lenses. Na wa for these Africans.
77. The wealth of Nations is not a strange phenomenon. As a student of scripture; I never fail to point out to my Christian friends that the Biblical injunction to "Train up a child in the way he should go" Proverbs 22 Verse 6 - was not spoken with a primary reference to Morality. The entire context of that scripture reads:
Quote: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pro 22:1 A [good] name [is] rather to be chosen than great riches, [and] loving favour rather than silver and gold.
Pro 22:2 The rich and poor meet together: the LORD [is] the maker of them all.
Pro 22:3 A prudent [man] foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.
Pro 22:4 By humility [and] the fear of the LORD [are] riches, and honour, and life.
Pro 22:5 Thorns [and] snares [are] in the way of the froward: he that doth keep his soul shall be far from them.
Pro 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
Pro 22:7 The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower [is] servant to the lender. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If we accept that the ancient texts are without punctuation (which we should, as they are) then it becomes readily obvious that the primary train of thought in these first 7 verses is about riches and poverty. Verses 1, 2, 4, and 7. So the text starts out by demphasizing material things in favour of spiritual elements of character. Then he tells us in the sight of God - there is no distinction between rich and poor since they "meet together" there is no classism with God. Then he tells us that the "Prudent One" forsees "The evil" and hides himself. What evil? Well Verse 4 tells us that Humility and Fear of God will bring riches, Honour and life. Thus God must not be averse to Riches - however; forwardness will cause a snare on the Road to prosperity - could this be the evil? But the remedy is that one should keep his "Soul"
Then he tells us "You see all these forward people in their haste to get wealth getting ensnared. But if you train your child - he will stick to that path of righteouness." Then he goes on "This is important because THE RICH RULE OVER THE POOR AND THOSE WHO BORROW ARE SLAVES TO THOSE WHO LENDWas this just an observation or a principle of Life? I believe it to be both.
The text instructs that if you train your offspring in the prudent path of acquiring wealth, they will avoid the great ill of being ruled over and of being slaves. Poverty is an EVIL thing.
This text would then instruct us to pity the African Governments who keep on running after IMF and World Bank Loans.
This text would also advise us to stay away from being beholden as in the manner of Owe no man anything save to love one another
A program emphasizing diligence, due labour, inventiveness, avoidance of excess spending, prudence and generosity is a sure way to wealth.Wealth is desirable because it comes from God who gives all things richly to enjoyThe curious thing however is that if this exegesis is correct then many Xtians are indicted in their failure to abide by it. Any cultural custom that teaches, encourages or promotes dependency, colomentalism etc is an evil, satanic custom that must be rapidly attacked and pulled down.
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Last Updated (
Thursday, 24 April 2008 ) |
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Posted by Robot| 24.04.2008 15:09