The Ponder Nook

                       Where do we go after we die? To many, this question is both simple and obvious. The belief of an immortal soul is a core teaching in all of the most popular religions in the world today. Among the Abrahamic religions, i.e. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, God judges the faith and or works of all who die and appoints them to either heaven or hell. While Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs all believe in the reincarnation of the soul, or energy, into another being. However, the growing number of atheists, agnostics and people unaffiliated with religion seem to take on a more nihilistic approach where existence begins at birth and ends in death, with no continuation of the consciousness in any known form. Despite identifying as an agnostic atheist myself, I do not subscribe to a state of definitive oblivion. Yet I also fully admit that there is no evidence outside of subjective, anecdotal experiences t...

                    The recent attack and subsequent war between Hamas and Israel has taken over much of my thoughts as of late. The shocking devastation and sudden slaughter of more than a thousand and four hundred lives has been compared to the events of 9/11 by many major news outlets. Over the past month and a half, there have been over twelve thousand Palestinians slaughtered by the vengeful airstrikes and takeover by Israel, and thousands more are sure to pay the ultimate price before Hamas is defeated. As the work of death continues in Gaza, people outside the conflict seem to fall into one of two camps, those who support Israel and those who support Palestine. In the United States, there is an overwhelming support for Israel, while the Arab Palestinians are regarded with far less sympathy. Many have taken the tragedy of the October 7th attack and have utilized it to paint a broad stroke over what is truly a complex and ...

The Ogden, Utah Temple             When I first had the idea of creating a blog my goal was to empty the clutter out of my head and put it down in written form. To that end, I would say that it has been a success. No, I haven’t made any money, garnered legions of followers, or even had many replies to my posts, but I have found a sense of catharsis in venting my thoughts and ideas to the world that I wouldn’t have attained otherwise. Most, if not all, of my posts would be deemed controversial to the majority of my friends and family, which tends to happen to someone who is a bit of an odd sheep among a conventional flock. Nonetheless, I find my little corner of cyberspace to be a breath of fresh air, and it is something I thoroughly enjoy, which is reason enough to continue this endeavor in chronicling the strange world of my mind. This next venture delves into an extremely sensitive, yet far over due, topic that I have been pondering over for many yea...

  Republicans have a huge and clear advantage going into the 2024 election next year. It is no secret that the Biden Administration has had a rough few years, from the tragic withdrawal in Afghanistan, to the post-pandemic recovery, Putin’s war in Ukraine, along with record high inflation caused by the two prior examples, has brought Biden’s approval rating close to what the former president’s was during most of his term. Though it is debatable how much credit can be fairly given to Joe Biden, the general populous of the United States, however, has a tendency to lay all blame on the hands of whomever is leading the nation at the time. We see that with Jimmy Carter during the inflation of the 70’s, George Bush Sr. during the recession of the early 90’s, and Donald Trump during the onset of the pandemic. In all of these examples, the president had little to no power over these events, but the people still judge them for it nonetheless. Today, I would like to share my thoughts on the ...

The Fallen Angel by Alexandre Cabanel (1847)      All stories have an adversary. Sometimes they can be less concrete, such as natural disasters, or inevitable consequences of actions. Usually, however, they come in the form of an antagonist in direct conflict with the hero of the story. The Big Bad Wolf stalks and eats Little Red Riding Hood, The Evil Queen desires to kill Snow White over her beauty, Sauron seeks to destroy all who would come between him and the One Ring. In all these examples, it seems to me that the bad guy is either obsessed with the protagonist or sees them as a hindrance to their own evil agenda. One of the oldest, and most despised adversaries in western culture is, beyond a doubt, the Devil. According to mainstream Christian belief, Satan, or Lucifer, is a fallen archangel who rebelled in a war in heaven and is seen as a rival to God, striving to tempt as many souls as possible into damnation. Within the context of  Christianity, Satan stands ...