In that day,” declares the Sovereign Lord,“I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight. Amos 8:9 NIV
[ Updated 8/19/17 to include a humerous post at the end-We love our readers!]
As many of you know, I became a Christian when I was watching Star Trek as a lonely and confused 17 year old teen. God spoke through a Life magazine article titled The Groovy Christians of Rye, New York. I was skimming the article while watching my favorite show. I was, am, and most likely will continue to be fascinated by the stars, often wondering what is out there. I remember wanting to be an astronaut as a middle schooler and an astronomer as a teen. Unfortunately, I am not a terribly coordinated and athletic person and my math skills are limited to being able to add and subtract quickly in my head. Astrophysics was beyond the gifts I had been given.
God saw fit to keep me earthbound and sent me on a journey in public health nursing where I would see, first hand, the devastating results of child abuse, domestic violence, drug addiction and poverty. My nursing skills would be invaluable when my 3 year old daughter was diagnosed with a brain tumor.
However, my fascination with the universe continues to this day. I love science fiction and I enjoy exploring the science behind creation. I still remember, roughly 6 months after becoming a Christian,a new friend handing me a copy of the first book of CS Lewis's science fiction trilogy, Out of the Silent Planet. I was thrilled to discover that Christians not only read, but wrote, science fiction. I will list a few of my favorite books at the end of the post.
Is the coming eclipse a sign of God's judgment on America?
Recently, I was startled to learn that some Christians were saying that the coming eclipse might be a sign of God's judgment on America. Google it. Rev. Mark Creech wrote The Solar Eclipse: A Sign of Judgment for America?
It's significant, I think, that the coming solar eclipse on August 21st is called the Great American Eclipse. It will arch the country from Oregon to South Carolina. This total eclipse will touch only one country: the United States. A century ago, the total eclipse of 1918 swept from the west coast to the east coast too, but it also visited the Bahamas. This one, with its possible implications of a coming judgment, seems strictly for America.
America is definitely ripe for judgment. This nation has become a fountainhead of moral putridity, and its influence is global. Judgment is always an act of God's justice against sin, but it can also be an act of his mercy. When God judged Adam and Eve for their sin, sentencing them to death and casting them out of Eden, it was an act of mercy lest they should live in an eternal state of depravity
…Is it a sign from the heavens calling upon our nation to turn from its sins and to Christ or suffer the consequences? I don't really know. What I do know, however, is that we would be wise to treat it as though this very well may be the case.
Charisma Magazine posted How You Can Pray During This Rare Solar Eclipse.
To start with, the Talmud does in fact state that an eclipse Is a bad omen for the world, a darkness coming because of sin. However, the ancient Jews knew that eclipses were natural phenomenon and could even predict them. The rabbis viewed eclipses as warnings against sin and judgment. Some held that eclipses were an opportunity for prayer and introspection.
…For believers, we agree that eclipses are times of prayer and introspection, a time to unify in Christ as shown by the symbol of the moon, representing believers (Ps. 89:37), joining in the sun, representing Christ (Ps. 19). We also agree that for non-believers eclipses are a warning of judgment to come and therefore and are fearful omens.
The coming eclipse could be looked at as a sign of God's careful care in creating this planet
What is a solar eclipse?
In What is a Solar Eclipse, it is defined as:
An eclipse of the Sun happens when the New Moon moves between the Sun and Earth, blocking out the Sun's rays and casting a shadow on parts of Earth.
The Moon's shadow is not big enough to engulf the entire planet, so the shadow is always limited to a certain area (see map illustrations below). This area changes during the course of the eclipse because the Moon and Earth are in constant motion: Earth continuously rotates around its axis while it orbits the Sun, and the Moon orbits Earth. This is why solar eclipses seem to travel from one place to another
The article goes on to define a total eclipse as:
Total solar eclipses happen when the Moon completely covers the Sun, and it can only take place when the Moon is near perigee, the point of the Moon's orbit closest to Earth. You can only see a total solar eclipse if you're in the path where the Moon's casts its darkest shadow, the umbra.
Why the sun's location and the rotation of the moon and earth are vital to life as we know it.
I have read a number of articles that point to the exquisite alignment of factors that make this planet perfect for life. For example, read What is it about Earth that makes it just right for life? on the website, How Stuff Works. In the article, they discuss the Goldilocks Principle. The Goldilocks Principle applies Earth, Mars and Venus. It appears the Earth's atmosphere is *just right.*
Venus' atmosphere is too hot and heavy to sustain life while the atmosphere on Mars is too thin and frigid. That leaves Earth balanced between two inhospitable extremes.
Here are a couple of pertinent observations from the article.
The right moon: Our large moon ensures climate stability by minimizing changes in planetary tilt. If our planet didn't have a tilt, it wouldn't have seasons. Likewise, a severe tilt would result in extreme seasons.
The right star: The sun provides Earth with the energy for life and is thankfully rather stable. Imagine baking a pot roast with an oven that might suddenly surge in temperature, die or explode. It wouldn't work for your pot roast, and it certainly wouldn't work for life.
Another article, 15 “Goldilocks" Factors That Allow Life on Earth to Exist, points out:
1. Proximity to the Sun allowing liquid water.
This is essentially the greens-fee for any form of life in the universe. Yes, it's possible that life can exist without water but those ideas are purely theoretical and no empirical evidence exists to support the assumption.7. Earth's moon.
Our moon has a remarkable, stabilizing affect on our planet. Without the moon, the rotation of the Earth would result in a day that averages about 4 hours. The moon has slowed us down to a comfortable 24 hours and has also stabilized Earth's rotation on its axis.
8. Stability of the Sun as a star.
Our sun is actually a very average star in terms of size and activity. That's a good thing. That means the radiant heat and radiation is typically consistent although occasional solar flares do show up to send out bursts of radiation. Fortunately we have survived those rare bursts for thousands of years. Our sun is also a solitary star. It's believed that 85% of stars in the Milky Way are binary stars. It's interesting to think about two stars orbiting each other, but for planets in a solar system the gravitational forces would wreck havoc on the planets and probably cast asteroids and comets around like shot from a shotgun.
13 Incredibly Lucky Earth Facts adds:
3. Stable Rotation: Earth's rotation brings the sun up each morning and, thankfully, puts it back down. If it weren't for this, one side of the world would be unbearably scorched and the other would freeze life to death. So you know, the moon is stealing some of Earth's rotational energy, slowing us down by about 1.5 milliseconds every century. If you can hang around for about 140 million years, you'll finally get that extra hour in the day you've been wishing for.
What am I driving at?
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.(Gen1:1). God designed every aspect of this planet along with our sun, moon, solar system, placement in the Milky Way, etc. His was not a "let's throw it out there and see if it works" sort of creation. He was fastidious in His plan for the perfect place for His people.
So, when that eclipse happens on August 21, consider it to be a demonstration of His deliberate planning. He gave us a wonderful home. Eclipses occur because of the God- designed, consistent rotation of the earth and moon. In fact, it would be concerning if eclipses did not occur.
I plan to enjoy God's wondrous creation during the eclipse and think about his incredible and meticulous plan for our well being. The eclipse is an example of his love, not his judgment.
Eclipses are common in the world, not rare,
In the post, Solar Eclipses for Beginners, there is a chart which shows how many total eclipses will occur in the span of 6 years. For example, in 2016, there was a total eclipse which could be seen in Sumatra, Borneo and Sulawesi. Strangely enough, I do not remember hearing famous Christian leaders discussing the possibility of God judgment on Borneo. This lovely island (the third largest island in the world) is home to 21 million+ people.
When I Googled *Borneo, eclipse and judgment* for 2016, I got nothing but the report of the eclipse. When I Googled *America, eclipse and judgment,* I got page after page discussing God's potential judgment on America.
Sometimes, I think we can become a bit egocentric in America. If it happens to us, it must be isuper mportant, because…why? I think this is worth mulling over and I would love to hear your thoughts.
Science and fantasy fiction with a faith bent
Here are a few of my favorites. I would love for readers to suggest others.
Out of the Silent Plant Trilogy by CS Lewis
The Lamb Amongst the Stars Trilogy by Chris Walley
Speaker for the Dead (2nd book in the Enders Game Quartet) by Orson Scott Card
Circle Series 4-in-1 (The Circle Series) by Ted Decker
Unwind Dystology by Neil Shusterman (My son-in-law and I enjoeyd these books so much that he would text me from work when he read on break.) What does being alive really mean?
A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter Miller
The Sparrow by Mary Dorai Russell
The Book of Strange New Things by Michael Faber
The Wrinkle in Time Quintet: Books 1-5 by Madeleine L'Engle
Do I really need to list The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R, Tolkien?
Updated 8/19/17: A really funny post about prophecy and the eclipse-wish I had thought of it.
Special thanks to our reader Ian who hails from acroos the Pond and is therefore not included in the *American Eclipse Judgment Day.*
Read Total Eclipse of the Mind by John Swanson. Here is an exmaple from the post in which he is answering questions by proving this exlpipse is a sign.
Admittedly, the Bible has a lot to say about Jerusalem. But nothing to say about Salem, Oregon. Sorry!
Jerusalem was originally called “Salem” in the days of Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18) who was a foreshadowing of Christ or possibly even a Christophany.
You are right!
If that isn’t interesting enough, the closest road to the exact point where the two eclipses cross is Salem Road in Makanda, Illinois. What are the chances of that?
You got me there… not too great… but again, what Biblical text tells us to look for this sign of two eclipses crossing on Salem Road in Makanda, Illinois? Didn’t see those names in my Bible concordance.
After crossing Salem, Oregon, the path of totality then crosses Madras, which means “Mother of God” (reminiscent of the Revelation 12 Woman). Then it crosses the city of John Day, which of course reminds us of the Apostle John who recorded the Book of Revelation and described to us the Day of the LORD.
Ok… you’ve lost me now… My name is John and I think I am going to call it a day!
After that it crosses Weiser, Idaho, which is German for “wise man”.
Ian- thanks. I needed to read that!
It’s my birthday and I’m excited. Praise the Lord for his amazing creation.
Also FIRST
Deuce
On the day that Christ was crucified – God’s greatest gift of love for us – darkness fell at mid-day in Jerusalem. “At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon” (Mark 15:33).
3
To those who get their beliefs from Charisma and ChristianPost…I have some beachfront property to sell you in Kansas…
Those two websites are always good for a laugh. Or a sigh.
In all seriousness, these people that peddle this misinformation (especially Charisma) are, in my opinion, an embarrassment to the Church. They are so focused on end times prophecy stuff and how it relates to the U.S., they might as well believe that the U.S. is the center of God’s creation. And of course it all depends on who’s in the White House, or should I say, which political party is in the White House.
I plan to enjoy this eclipse, too. I’ll be watching with my kids (with proper eye protection).
My attitude is a product of having heard “wolf” cried one too many times. I’m weary of it. If you take them all to heart, we’d have been dead from judgement a very long time ago. I’m going to enjoy what time I have left.
I’ve heard two opposing stories about the eclipse based on it’s path.
1. It’s a promotional event for Pastor Pee, Pee Nob’s new church.
2. It’s a partial covering for the revealing of Al Mohler’s glory.
This post made me check my calendar—no, it’s not April 1…..
This is so embarrassing for the already embattled church in America…
I better go check my grilled cheese sandwich for an image of Christ!
I’ll let you know if a miracle has occurred in a kitchen in Northern California today…
@ Katie:
That is exciting! Happy Birthday! 🙂
Thanks for this. It’s a good counterbalance for all of the eclipse lunacy that I’ve been seen on YouTube. It makes me a bit angry. This whole image of some vague message of judgement being represented by the eclipse paints a picture of God as an angry old man with poor communication skills.
I enjoyed this post. There’s a good article in Baptist Press about the eclipse also. Yes, it’s a sign of God’s glory, not His judgement coming!
http://www.bpnews.net/49394/eclipse-displays-gods-glory-astronomers-say
“When I Googled *America, eclipse, judgment,* I got page after page discussing God’s potential judgment on America. Sometimes I think we can become a bit egocentric in America…I think this is worth mulling over and I would love to hear your thoughts.”
I think the United States suffers from a mixture of Xenophobia and an unhealthy dose of Nationalism. I would posit that there’s a large portion of American Evangelicals that belong to that category. Many of those Evangelicals are psychologically unbalanced due to their fixation on the End Times. Since God’s Judgment and the End Times is the driving force behind much of their theology, they are constantly preaching Doom and Gloom in order to scare people into repentance. It is a belief system steeped in fear: Fear of the Foreigner, Fear of the Ungodly Sinners taking over society, Fear of the Government, Fear of the Church being infiltrated by forces of darkness – Fear of anything outside their belief system. Hence, they are always looking for signs of God’s impending judgment.
Well, y’all. My house is inside the path of totality – 2 minutes and 24 seconds of it in my own back yard. That’s where I’m a stayin’. Got my eclipse glasses ……
Meanwhile, my daughter and sil are in Hopkinsville. They live near the Western Kentucky State Fairgrounds – very near. My sil is signing in visitors at Debow Park, adjacent to the fairgrounds, tonight. ~~~~He had to work on the phone systems earlier today. The city was getting so many phone calls that the phone systems crashed.
Campers and RVs are parking and setting up camp on the bypass. The city is setting up temporary access to electricity for them. My daughter is prepared for power failures. It’s getting crazy! My daughter is stocked up on “doomsday” supplies! Sil has already came home for coffee, lights (lanterns and flashlights), and batteries because the city didn’t have enough of any of those!
GSD wrote:
Such obsession makes Christians look like Crazy Nutjobs. Sadly, they lack any sense of self-awareness.
Nancy2 (aka Kevlar) wrote:
Nancy, why all this craziness in Kentucky? Life is the same as usual here in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania.
Darlene wrote:
The point of longest totality is just slightly WNW of Hopkinsville. NASA is already here, Gov. Matt Bevin is coming, Ivanka Trump is coming, multiple news stations are coming ………….
Uhm, besides all that, we prolly just have more Baptists here than y’all got in the Poconos. : )
@ Darlene:
Hey Darlene – my response is hung up in customs. I’m sure it will pop up sooner or later.
@ Nancy2 (aka Kevlar):
Now that I read a bit about this year’s total eclipse, I see that Kentucky is one of the states that will be in the best position to have an excellent view, or as you said, “the path of totality.”
Here’s an article about some of the best places to observe the total eclipse on Aug. 21.
http://www.freep.com/story/travel/2017/05/28/solar-eclipse-august/332573001/
I’ve got a Quality Inn booked in Santee, SC, a small town halfway between Columbia and Charleston, to watch this. I’m going with a group of friends (not from church, ironically) and one of my friends ordered a set of (hopefully the correct) eclipse shades for all of us.
Gonna try to do a video capture of the eclipse from wherever we watch it (either our hotel’s lawn or a nearby SC state park), not sure how good the video will be. It should show everything going dark for 2 1/2 minutes before becoming bright again, in any event.
Fun fact: I had to book our hotel back in February, and I snapped up the last room they had.
Rachel, my daughter, just made a run out to Debow park a little while ago with care packages (coffee, food, water, batteries, etc,) for her husband and other people working the park. They are having problems with people trying to camp illegally…….. problems getting them to leave peacefully. Law enforcement is there, but Rachel is worried about her husband’s safety.
It’s only Friday (well, Saturday now for some of you). I have no doubt things will get worse as we get closer to the time of the eclipse. Please pray for the safety …… not just for my family ……. but for all the people, hosts and visitors alike, involved in this eclipse madness across the nation.
@ Darlene:
BINGO.
Nancy2 (aka Kevlar) wrote:
This the same Hopkinsville?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelly%E2%80%93Hopkinsville_encounter
(If so, it’s no stranger to weirdness.)
Darlene wrote:
Bummer, at least in the past when an eclipse occurred the local “shamans” were run out of town. If you claim special revelation from God and miss such a crucial prediction it kinda messes up your credibility.
Darlene wrote:
Proximity to Ham’s Ark.
Or natural Weirdness Magnet.
Headless Unicorn Guy wrote:
Definitely the same Hopkinsville. BTW, I have been to the “Kelly Little Green Men Days Festival” several times. I won’t be going this year because it coincides with the eclipse, and I don’t want to deal with the traffic congestions.
The eclipse is actually on the anniversary of the reported alien sighting.
Hopkinsville was also the home of Edgar Cayce …… I’ll see if I can find a link for him!
Here is a deconstruction of a piece about the eclipse by a Calvinist pastor.
I would encourage you all to read it – it is hilarious !
http://effectualgrace.com/2017/08/07/total-eclipse-of-the-mind/
@ Headless Unicorn Guy:
http://www.near-death.com/paranormal/edgar-cayce.html
This page is very brief, but it has lots of links. Cayce was born just south of Hopkinsville but grew up in a house on 7th street. He died in Virginia, but is buried in a cemetery on the north side of Hopkinsville.
@ Headless Unicorn Guy:
And continuing along the same lines, some classics from Dr Demento:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUusE8Du18Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CREZPNzFs2g
“Sometimes, I think we can become a bit egocentric in America. If it happens to us, it must be isuper mportant, because…why?”
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Americans are insular.
America is so big it generates enough news all on its own — my mother-in-law from another country always comments on that fact when she visits. she’s amazed at how little the news programs in America cover any other news other than what happens in America.
When i’ve traveled, i’m typically embarrassed by many of my countrymen who are also abroad. Many seem to arrive as if they own the place, have all the answers and the right way of doing things. Many are loud and brash and don’t seem respectful of cultures that are quieter and more reserved.
While Americans tend to be insular with regard to the rest of the world, christians tend to be insular with regard to the rest of humanity. A members only exclusive club, and ‘thank God we don’t have to bothered by the riff raff!’
Put American and christian together and more often than not you get Mr. or Mrs. Egocentric Superimportant.
Two representative quotes from the post, with emphasis added:
and
The quaint thing is that (certainly in the first quote, and almost certainly in the second) here we have a churchman essentially implying that it’s the secular nation that is a hive of putridity and needs to repent or face the consequences. Meanwhile, the church is splintered into factions with leaders demanding that “their” members sign legal agreements giving said leaders dominion over them.
We occasionally have analogous stuff going on over here in Blighty; for instance, it was very much in vogue a few years back (and perhaps still is) for Christians to come together in “identificational repentance” for the homosexuals and abortionists.
The problem is always the other person’s sin, of course.
Nick Bulbeck wrote:
What even is that Nick?
Comment 2, now I’m back fae the shops.
Hmm… well, sentencing them to death wasn’t the only part of this act of mercy. There was also the small matter of the Seed of the Woman, who would crush the snake’s heid. (As an aside: a large proportion of evangelicals, as far as I’m aware, believe that it is fundamental to the Gospel that sinners live in an eternal state of depravity, in hell.)
There’s another odd little quote from the full article:
Actually, the Greek does not say that there was an eclipse of the sun. Rather, the English word “eclipse” is derived from the Greek word for “hidden”. The Greek actually just says that the sun was obscured. It’s highly unlikely that God held the moon stationary for three hours, and even if he had, the vast majority of the earth would have remained in daylight as normal. More importantly, to my mind, the verse actually says
The tearing of the veil, separating us from God’s presence, suggests that God was doing far more than just meting out judgement and destruction…
I read somewhere recently that “the Eclipse Demonstrates God’s Meticulous Love For Us, Not His Judgment of Us”. I think that’s true.
@ Beakerj:
Your guess is as good as mine, Beaks…
I think the theory is something like: we identify temporarily as those horrible gays and abortionists, and repent, so that God accepts our repentance as coming from those horrible gays and abortionists and doesn’t kill us all to death. Then we go back to being good people. Phew.
I have run into two distinct types here. One is like my son who is borrowing my van and loading it up with his family and some of his sister’s family and making a one day round drip to South Carolina to view and experience the eclipse. One day round trip to SC with a vehicle full of kids? Can that even be done? Kids have to potty every few miles, or think they do. He must be suffering from some genetic defect which impacts his thinking, and if so it is certain that he got it from his father’s side of the family.
The other type is running around saying ‘so what’ and ‘have these people lost their minds’. These latter people seem to feel more sane and more reliable than those in the other camp and seem to pride themselves on the fact that they just don’t care one way or the other.
I plan to spend the day worrying about my vehicle and my offspring and hoping they get back safely. I have memorized that pamphlet about creative maternal worrying that they give you at the hospital when you have your first child.
I’m about a half-hour away from the path of totality. The university here is having a stadium event and giving out free glasses, which is tempting. A lot of people here are making pilgrimages to Tennessee and SC, but I think I’m just going to hide in my house and watch the shade go funny.
It’s kind of funny to watch everybody go bananas about it, though.
@ okrapod:
I am one of the “so what” people. Not because I don’t think it is glorious but because I tend to get that way when anything brings such mass hysteria. Not a crowd person. But, the excitement of the teens has been infectious. There have been all sorts of science videos shared of the eclipse process and path, historical trajectory, eye safety, etc. they have really gotten into the science. Even affect on eyes. Cool.
The school system (over 100,000 students) really blew it. First you had to request leave to see it. Then school time was changed and the schools would facilitate the viewing, then most glasses they bought for 100,000 students were subpar so that was scrapped except for those whose glasses were ok (smart PTA peeps bought right ones early in some schools) are now upset, blah, blah. Now they can see it on tv in classroom. Now we get daily changes to the policy on what schools are doing or not doing.
Always best to have your own plan.
It’s hard for me to accept that any event predictable to a fraction of a second years in advance is an omen of any kind. Now, if God wants to make a statement to be noticed perhaps something unpredictable is in order. Say, how about sending part of Himself to our planet for 30+ years starting as an infant born from a virgin in an out-of-the-way place in the middle east. We should take some of the traditional accounts seriously instead of trying to put bizarre interpretations on the laws of physics.
Lydia wrote:
It has! Someone shared this link. Type in your zip code (or postal code if you’re in Canada) and it shows you what the eclipse will look like over your area. It also gives the start, peak, and ending times. Pretty cool.
https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/usa
For some good sci-fi, try just about anything by Larry Niven and/or Jerry Pournelle. The Ringwood series and the Fleet of Worlds by Niven, and The Mote in God’s Eye by N & P are great.
First: so glad to see “The Book of Strange New Things” on your list. I am not a science fiction fan usually, but read this last year and LOVED it. Still thinking about it, and recommending it to all my friends.
Second: I am also in the Path of Totality (which sounds like something from a 70s self-help book, but whatever). With today being freshman move-in day for 2 local universities, plus the 100,000 people we’re being told are headed this way, should be an interesting weekend. Like many locals, I filled up my car, got extra cash, and bought groceries earlier in the week! My workplace is closing from 2-3 on Monday so we can watch the eclipse. Some are closing down all afternoon. First day of school here was delayed to Tuesday.
I agree that there is spiritual significance to the eclipse — it is a showcase of our God’s amazing creative power and the detail of his design. “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” (Psalm 19:1)
Lydia wrote:
I bet the manufacturer/supplier of those glasses bought some ISO-certified ones for his family to use. It was sick for them to produce and sell glasses that will not protect children from damaging their eyes. One of the top-10 worst scams to hit America.
I’m in north GA and we are getting our own share of “eclipse hysteria”.
When an UNSCHEDULED eclipse hits the world, THEN I will worry about God’s possible judgment. Until then, I’ll relax and probably enjoy the TV coverage of Monday’s scheduled eclipse.
Nancy2 (aka Kevlar) wrote:
I hope this brings a little extra cash flow in to your local economy. Not at the expense of people’s safety, though. Most locales spend a lot of resources preparing the infrastructure for events like this. It’s overwhelming to suddenly have all of those crowds just show up. Hoping it all goes well, Nancy2.
Tina wrote:
And beware, if it is accompanied by a great earthquake! “When the Lamb broke open the sixth seal, I looked, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun grew black” (Revelation 6:12).
You will all be very, very sorry when you look around and see a neat pile of folded clothes* from various neighbors, scattered around you, right at the moment of peak darkness. Don’t let the metaphor be lost on you. Lest on that (<- italics) day you realize *you*, yes *you*, have been left behind. Heed the warning from the sky. Only about two days left to repent!!
*There's a video on YouTube that points out how polite God is when he raptures people. He always folds everyone's clothes before/during/after* he takes them.
*It happens in a blink of the eye so determining the when* of God's human snatching and exactly how God interacts with our conception and measure of time and different dimensions and how eternity works never ceases to amaze and confuse me when I try to think about it too hard.
*I am just joking about the rapture* Eclipse just in case that isn't clear. I don't believe in the rapture, actually.
*I am a partial-preterist when I read much of the New Testament, which totally changed/changes how I used to read Revelation, which has become one of my favorites in Scripture as it always seemed so "other" and scary* otherwise. And it also changed how I see and trust God, by default.
*I was a kid in the 90's early 2000s and got much of my end times and some basic theology from the Left Behind series. I still remember Chloe and Buck Williams struggling with the ethical dilemma of whether to bring a child* into the world while God was busy wiping everyone out and demons were indwelling who knows who and you didn't know who to trust! I think their thesis/conclusion was that it would all be over at the end of 7 years, so why not!?
*My asterisk thing just kept going for the fun of it but I am done now 🙂
Nancy2 (aka Kevlar) wrote:
Oh my, Cayce was born there? Surely this is also a sign of impending apocalypse? I’ll have to check out, Coast to Coast, and see what their take on the eclipse is!
Max wrote:
Yes. They should be sued, sent to prison. Hope no one is harmed by them.
@ Katie:
What a way to celebrate!
Tina wrote:
Me too, that would be a sign of something apocalyptic.
Meanwhile no hysteria here in CT. as we aren’t in the direct path.
@ Max:
If you read through a couple of those reference, there is a discussion how movable tectonic plates are necessary for the balance of life on the planet.
dee wrote:
Eons ago, I received a B.S. in biological sciences, with a minor in geology. I’m familiar with studies suggesting that plate tectonics contribute to the water and carbon cycles on earth. The essential ingredients of life must be balanced – not too thick and not too thin … the same way I like my haircut. God may not have anything to do with my hairdo, but He has his creation under control!
Tina wrote:
When the sun actually goes dark (as distinct from, is hidden behind the moon as seen from around 0.01% of the earth’s surface, and that ignoring the night-side of the planet), then you really need to worry about God’s possible judgment.
There was the solar neutrino scare a wee while ago, but that turned out to be a false alarm – indeed, it paved the way for the discovery of neutrino oscillation. But neutrinos are unbiblical anyway.
@ BeenThereDoneThat:
Hopkinsville alone is expecting a $30 million dollar boon.
Nancy2 (aka Kevlar) wrote:
St. Joseph, MO is also expecting an economic boost. Unfortunately, the latest weather forecast calls for cloudy skies there. The folks making big money right now are selling scarce $1 eclipse glasses for as much as a $1,000 on ebay! Hmmmm, I should ask my daughter and son-in-law to pay me current market value for the two pairs I gave them weeks ago.
“Sometimes, I think we can become a bit egocentric in America.”. Dee
Understatement of the month . . .
Thank God that his times of judgement are predictable. The next time of God’s judgement is… (checks future eclipse times)… in xyz years…
Herringbone wrote:
i really enjoyed that one.
I’ll tell you what could be a sign of judgment: that I booked a trip to Greenville, am leaving Sunday night, and I was oblivious to the eclipse happening. I could’ve changed on Southwest, but the Monday night flights were sold out at least a month ago. However another total eclipse is coming directly to my home of Dallas in 2024, and I’d accept if God was ready to judge there.
Headless Unicorn Guy wrote:
Well, you forgot to mention Southern Seminary, CBMW, CJ Mahaney’s Church, and the semi-annual T4G event, all in Louisville. Along with Ham’s parks, they are in the central part of the state, also known as “The Golden Triangle.”
The path of the eclipse goes through the Western tip of Kentucky, a part of the state that is so far west, some people in the golden triangle don’t even know it’s here. At least, until an eclipse happens.
I wish we were clear of the weirdness magnet. But we are, after all, the birthplace of Maranatha.
Darlene wrote:
Perfect, Darlene. SO true.
I think our atonement theory also contributes to this. The main idea of Penal Substitutionary Atonement seems to be that Jesus died to appease the anger of the Father, so the cross becomes Divine Anger Management. But somehow, God [at least the Father] is still angry. So he goes around marking a big X on nations that He’s really mad at, just looking for someone to judge.
And that creates fear. Too many people have memories of an angry father, and they project that onto God. This End Times Eclipse/Rapture mania just amplifies that.
Many churches are built on fear. They run on fear. And, they create Dones. People who, like me, are Done with churches who try to motivate [and control] me with fear.
A quick story. A pastor friend of mine got a question on Facebook from a man who was concerned about the Rapture. This man was honestly worried his little doggie, who he was going to leave in the house while he went to watch the eclipse. If the Rapture happened during the eclipse, which he considered a distinct possibility, what would happen to his doggie?
“Fear is the mind killer.”
ION: Cricket
The Windies are 9 wickets down at Edgbaston and, unfortunately, it’s looking as though Blackwood is going to run out of partners before he gets his ton. A shame, as he’s played extremely well and deserves one.
Aaaaaand….
As I type, Cummins has been run out for a duck. Blackwood stranded on 79. More than the next five highest scorers put together. Next question is, will Root enforce the follow-on or will England go for a few overs of 20-20 practice to bat the Windies decisively out of the game? Though, TBH, with a first-innings deficit of 346, they’re probably already out of the game.
ION: Cricket update
Well, that one didn’t take long. The Windies are straight back in. This from Tuffers* in the TMS inbox:
Quite so. Come on, Windies, gi’ it some ommer.
* Tuffers = Phil Tuffnell, former England spinner. Oh, and TMS = Test Match Special, the BBC’s standard repository of international cricket.
Max wrote:
That’s crazy! Every place in my town is sold out. We managed to procure the last pair of glasses that JC Penney Optical was giving away for free. Each store received 10 pair to give away. We like free.
Herringbone wrote:
Yep. Them guys conjure up some good sci-fi.
Lucifer’s Hammer was my fave out of their works.
Max wrote:
Criminal is more like it.
No conscience.
No moral compass.
Beakerj wrote:
Buzzword Bingo.
Muff Potter wrote:
Truly Reformed/Mega-Pastor Material.
GSD [Getting Stuff Done] wrote:
Yeah. Thay don’t even tawk lack we do. Differnt accent, alltogether!
Nancy2 (aka Kevlar) wrote:
What gets me is the synchronicity. Eclipse mania going on (ed. delete) during Little Green Men Days on the anniversary of “UFO Goblins vs Shotguns” in Edgar Cayce’s home town.
You could NOT make this up. All that’s missing is an appearance by Mothman or a tall skinny dragon made of mismatched animal parts with a voice like John DeLancie.
Muff Potter wrote:
I anticipate law suits will be flying after the eclipse. From schools that bought thousands of bogus glasses and had to cancel planned activities with their students … to individuals who actually received eye damage from wearing them. If you can catch the scammers, it will be a dark time for them for sure.
Headless Unicorn Guy wrote:
The “elect” will be protected from wearing fake glasses … it has been predestined.
emily honey wrote:
When it comes right down to it, we only ‘know’ what we can measure in agreed upon units.
We ‘know’ so very little about ‘bigness’, ‘smallness’, ‘longness’ and shortness’…
The German mathematician Riemann and the Indian mathematician Ramanujan barely scratched the surface.
@ elastigirl:
to clarify, there’s a lot i love about American — work ethic, initiative-taking, and pioneering spirit, in particular. those make me very proud.
@ emr:
You are gonna love this. Amazon is developing a TV series based on the Book of Strange new Things. You can watch the pilot now called Oasis. I watched the pilot not knowing it was based on the book. The entire time I was viewing it, I kept saying to myself “They ripped off that book.”
https://www.theverge.com/2017/3/19/14973582/oasis-amazon-pilot-season-richard-madden
elastigirl wrote:
Same here.
I also believe that she (America) will endure, and that she’s still the gem of the ocean.
Stan wrote:
ROLF!!!
GSD [Getting Stuff Done] wrote:
True, and one wonders if fear is also a money-maker. Create a fear, then supply the solution for the pseudo-fear, at a price for a profit. Snake oil, capitalism, profit, power.
emr wrote:
Beautiful.
Ian wrote:
This is so good that I am going to update my original post to include it. Thank you!!!
See the update in the post. You will enjoy it-Promise!
“For believers, we agree that eclipses are times of prayer and introspection, a time to unify in Christ as shown by the symbol of the moon, representing believers (Ps. 89:37), joining in the sun, representing Christ (Ps. 19). We also agree that for non-believers eclipses are a warning of judgment to come and therefore and are fearful omens.” — Charisma Magazine
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
No, we don’t.
gah, i more than hate it when others think they can speak for me. especially those with the mic.
dee wrote:
You’re right — that’s great! Thanks for the heads-up.
@ dee:
Well, this guy has obviously never heard of neither the Kelly little green men nor Edgar Cayce. However, it’s quite probable that he might have stumbled across a bottle or two of Lights Out Total Eclilse moonshine from Casy’s distillery!
http://www.12newsnow.com/news/eclipse/kentucky-moonshine-distillery-brewing-up-eclipse-cash/460286894
@ emr:
The path of totality.
(I just had to repeat that.)
Dan from Georgia wrote:
There’s plenty of crazy stuff at both sites, but don’t totally count Charisma out. One of its former editors, Lee Grady, writes a weekly column and has spoken out eloquently against spiritual abuse.
@ Max:
Oh, it’s panic mode trying to get the word out. Notifications like crazy. Talk about a big let down. One school the PTA bought the right kind a while back but now can’t use them. Word in the corridors of power says the school system backing off totally because of legal concerns and lack of signed permission slips. Now concerns are for kids looking at it without glasses on the way home on the buses. Life sure is complicated from when I was a kid.
I wonder if the 100,000 pairs of glasses would work for 3D movies? 🙂
JYJames wrote:
“Fear is the money maker.”
Hal Lindsey
[He didn’t really say that.]
I’ve heard that Edgar C. Whisenant used the proceeds from his “88 Reasons” book to buy a nice beach house in the Bahamas. Can’t confirm, but it sounds about right. Guys, maybe we’re in the wrong racket! Truth doesn’t seem very profitable at the moment.
I’ve been too busy all summer to even think about the eclipse (even though I wrote a paid blog post about it for a Gatlinburg vacation-rental firm, as part of my retirement freelance gig). Last week we moved my younger son into his off-campus apartment for his senior year at UNC Wilmington; plus we put our older son on a plane heading to his ESL-teaching job in Tianjin, China. Since then I’ve had time to think about the eclipse. I don’t plan to watch it myself — I didn’t have time to get the special glasses (too busy and preoccupied). But I am worried about younger son, as Wilmington is in the path if 96-percent totality. Luckily UNCW is giving out free NASA-approved viewing glasses at two locations on campus. But will my crazy son actually heed the warnings and get the glasses? Just one more thing to worry about. Okrapod is right. Moms never stop worrying.
@ BeenThereDoneThat:
The heat is a big problem this time of year.. EMS capacity and such. I would rather be at Ky Dam Lake District. We loved going there as kids cause we could say Dam a lot without getting in trouble. And it’s all we said for a week. Parents really do deserve extra crowns for what they put up with.
@ emily honey:
Related to Rapture: My cousin moved to Romania after the wall fell to run a small school. On a visit home she purchased the Left Behind Series. It’s quicker to fly into another country and drive to her city. But no problem in other country when they searched her bags. However, Romanians confiscated them at the border as subversive. 🙂
@ Lydia:
LOL!
@ JYJames:
I am a capitalist. It’s hard work to make profits in most endeavors and you often lose a lot in the process. No enduring relationships with scams, though.
Latest:
Windies have 5 second-innings wickets remaining, and need to score 244 to make England bat again. It’s nigh-impossible to see past an innings defeat.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, we’re about to catch up with the second series of Fargo on Netflix (other online paid thingies are available).
Series one starred Bilbo Baggins. Series 2 stars (along with Obi Wan) David Thewlis – one of my absolute favourite actors. Unfortunately, that means he does a spectacular job of portraying an utterly loathsome scumbag (I’ve seen a trailer) and I fear I may – paradoxically – find his character unwatchable!
@ Nick Bulbeck:
Make that 4 wickets.
@ Nick Bulbeck:
Make that 3 wickets. Stuart Broad on a hat-trick…
No hat-trick this time.
Wait – no no no no no no no! David Thewlis is Season 3. False alarm.
@ Nick Bulbeck:
And another wicket’s gone.
And I’m up to 8 consecutive posts. This should be some kind of record.
Anyway, Stuart Broad has now passed Ian Botham as England’s second-highest wicket taker in test cricket (behind Jimmy Anderson, on 490, and also playing today).
And that’s 10.
@ Nick Bulbeck:
I had a friend ask me “Who is Nick Bulbeck?” She liked your comments. If I was asked the same question today, I would say “This is Nick Bulbeck!”
Lydia wrote:
Everyone should just skip the glasses and just observe their surroundings. About forty years ago my wife and I pulled off the road and walked up a hillside to view an eclipse. There were about several dozen other folks also there milling around that had done the same.
I don’t think it happens all the time but in our case there was a remarkable fluttering interference pattern on the ground just before totality. Had I used darkened glasses and been looking at the sun I would have missed it. Right after the transition it was simply extraordinary to look up and see that dark disk in the sky. I think one of the most memorable things was some guy driving by on the highway below, he didn’t even stop to get out and observe the event.
So my recommendation is to set aside the technology and just witness the event unaided. If you do take photos, set it up before hand and have it automated. You don’t want the distraction, it all goes by pretty fast.
Thersites wrote:
My daughter is setting up her Nikon in her back yard on a tripod, time lapse photos.
@ Lydia:
Would that have anything to do with Nicolae Carpathia being Romanian – the book’s anti-Christ and the ultimate tool of Satan? lol.
So: having resumed their first innings on 44-1 today, the Windies managed to get bowled out twice in the same day and lose by an innings and 200+ runs.
The days of Garner, Marshall, Ambrose, Holding and Walsh skittling all and sundry seem a long time ago…
dee wrote:
Bah! Who cares.
You’re all rubbish.
Up Yours,
Roger Bombast
I’m Nick Bulbeck!
Lydia wrote:
Lydia: Wait a minute. The eclipse is on August 21. Do you mean to say that students have already gone back to school in your neck of the woods? In my area, most school districts will not be open for school until the last week of August, and in some cases till after Labor Day weekend.
i]Mae wrote:
I’ve been entertained by Coast to Coast on many occasions while driving in the car late in the evening. With all this Eclipse Madness, I gotta say: Where is Art Bell when we need him? 😉
Darlene wrote:
School started back for our kids on Aug, 8 – Todd County, KY. I think Christian County (Hopkinsville/Eclipseville) schools started on the 7th.
Darlene wrote:
Coast to Coast is my weirdness fix.
Nancy2 (aka Kevlar) wrote:
Whoa, Nellie! That’s crazy early.
@ elastigirl:
I had it over the 20+ year period that Harold Camping kept predicting the end of the world (I live in the San Francisco Bay Area) and then this year some of my friends were totally into all the nonsense of the blood moons. I find it embarrasing when I try to talk about Jesus with people and the first question is if I believe goofy things about eclipses.
@ Linn:
i live in those same environs.
i prefer to focus on the practical. God/Jesus/Holy Spirit and me (or you, or Joe or Joanne Schmoe) partnering together. My abilities joined with God’s power that works in me. To use my gifts, talents, skills, knowledge, energy, time to make the world a kinder, healthier, cleaner, safer place.
and to be responsible for managing & funding my own life and all its days.
i fail to see how spiritualizing solar eclipses & a moon that appears red due to debris or lunar eclipse is at all relevant. beyond being a distraction from the work of a responsible life.
@ Linn:
” I find it embarrasing when I try to talk about Jesus with people and the first question is if I believe goofy things about eclipses.”
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
yes, embarrassing, indeed. nothing like unmoored christians making a liability of themselves for the cause of Christ.
how many times a day do you think Jesus says “good grief”?
The weans are mostly back tae school next week in Scotland.
IHTIH
Darlene wrote:
May be, but school’s out for the summer by May 18th or so!
Linn wrote:
And tornadoes, bridge collapse, sinkholes, etc!
Darlene wrote:
I dunno about Lydia, but schools have been in for two weeks here. They are having an extended day tomorrow to watch the eclipse.
Nancy2 (aka Kevlar) wrote:
Same in my neck of the woods. School season starts mid-August, ends mid-May. School districts have a certain number of “snow days” built into their calendar. If they exhaust them, they will extend the school season.
As a side-note, the Japanese school year begins in April, ends in March! Children go to school Monday-Friday and some Saturdays, with Japanese schools producing a 99% literacy rate. For various reasons, American public school education lags behind Japan, Russia, UK, Sweden, Germany, and several other countries. Government programs to educate to standard tests have something to do with that I think … rather than length of school year.
ishy wrote:
Same here in CT. Some schools will start the last week in August. In Northern NE, most schools start after Labor Day. All public schools get out mid to late, June.
@ ishy:
Went back the 16th. Out by end of May.
@ Max:
Back when I was working with Japanese manufacturers, they were appalled at our school system. They got together, pooled their resources and started weekend schools at local community colleges paying for space and teachers. In the more rural areas they bused their kids a hour one way to attend. They take education seriously.
@ Darlene:
When I was a kid, it started right after Labor Day and the big state fair was over.
By the way, our school system bought the subpar glasses from Amazon.
@ emily honey:
Yes! She had no idea and just wanted to see what all the hoopla was about so was going to read them when she got back to Romania. She had not had time to connect the anti Christ with Romania! It was a bit chilling for her.
@ Thersites:
This is my position. We are going to a vast park. I plan to watch the birds. I am not a scientist or a shaman but I could not get over the reports of how animals were basically a warning radar before the Tsunami. Animals are so interesting. I never look at the sun. Even in a total eclipse with proper glasses.
Lydia wrote:
Oh, but they got a great deal!! For months, various organizations/media have been getting the word out about the need to buy ISO-certified eclipse glasses from approved manufacturers. Public school officials should have paying attention.
As a side-note, the line wrapped into the parking lot at the local Hy-Vee grocery store yesterday to buy the last of the glasses in this region. Again, folks knew about this a long time ago, just as they were warned here a week in advance of an ice storm a few years ago that caused widespread power outage for two weeks – that time they were standing in line for water and food.
I say all that to say this. TWW has been warning folks for years to steer clear of certain ministers and ministries. But folks ignore their cry. Jesus also warns about a day when it will be too late to do the right thing “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still” (Revelation 22:11). Too late to run to the store then.
The use of an expected, well understood, solar Eclipse, by preachers to further their own agenda of motivating the “masses” to their brand of “judgement for sin” Christianity demonstrates the need for both our preachers, and those in the pews, to be well educated on basic scientific principles. While well educated preachers and pew sitters does NOT guarantee wisdom, or the prevention of sin, it does lower the chance that these types of wacko predictions gaining traction.
The fact that mankind can predict the upcoming eclipse demonstrates the laws of physics that, if you believe G&d created the universe, demonstrates not just the beauty
of the creation, but the order of laws that govern it.. I find that much more edifying than being hit over the head about how depraved America is!
P.S… so some of my scientific colleagues are making fun of Christians calling the eclipse G&D’s judgement.
Darlene wrote:
The kids in my locale have been back to school since 9 August.
Max wrote:
Blizzard of 1978 …….. no spring break for us and we had school on 2 Saturdays…… the last day of school was June 6th.
Education??? Yes, as a mother and a former math teacher, I have a lot of gripes about our educational system!!!
Jeffrey J . Chalmers wrote:
When they (the great generic they) say depraved America, they mean it’s almost always stuff of a sekshul nature.
Anne Graham Lotz has clambered aboard the band wagon too:
http://www.christianpost.com/news/anne-graham-lotz-warns-gods-judgment-great-american-eclipse-194774/
Nancy2 (aka Kevlar) wrote:
Don’t get me goin’ on bad math instruction!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr1qee-bTZI
@ Muff Potter:
Yes. Stop us now!
Jeffrey J . Chalmers wrote:
Totally agree! And this is the area where I think Open Theists get a bad rap.
elastigirl wrote:
This is also my ethos. Radically different and a far cry from fundagelical doctrine which is basically this:
God has no interest in being your friend or in partnering with you. Your existence is based solely on executing his plans and aggrandizing his glory.
Muff Potter wrote:
I watched the video … SCREAM!!
@ Muff Potter:
@ Lydia:
I’m already too familiar with common core. I rebel!
Change topic: I canned sweet potatoes yesterday and Friday ……. before that, it was elderberry jelly. My husband has been brewing sumac tea. Does that sound better than common core???
Lydia wrote:
I fully expect the coyote pack in the pasture behind us to start howling!
A good article on what to expect re: animal behavior: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/08/animals-react-total-solar-eclipse-august-space-science/
I will be watching the birds, too … with a glance at the eclipse at its peak (will reach 97% in our area).
@ Muff Potter:
Sigh…….
Nancy2 (aka Kevlar) wrote:
Have you tried sassafras tea? I have fond memories of gathering sassafras roots as a kid for that … and carving sassafras saplings for walking sticks. We grow Chamomile flowers in our garden for a good decaffeinated tea. Might sip a little while watching the eclipse.
Max wrote:
OH, yeah. Got lots of sassafras around here!
@ Max:
Education now treats students as consumers, and we have to make them “happy”. I am a practicing educator/scientist/engineer, and use math all the time. Math is not “fun”, and it is a great lie to tell students it is/can be fun…. Math is very satisfying when we you work it out… and in the case of the eclipse, working out the math to predict the ecilpse would be very satisfying, but I would never csll if “fun”, or exciting…
For that matter, studing history, or theology, is not “fun”…. it can be hard work, but it can be satisfying…
I am afraid that current, American Evangelicalism is just like American culture…. dumb it down, make it easy and exciting… like Highway ti Hell on Easter Sunday!!!
Muff Potter wrote:
i.e. Cosmic North Korea.
Nancy2 (aka Kevlar) wrote:
Don’t forget Global Thermonuclear War. (“It’s Prophesied! It’s Prophesied!”)
Lydia wrote:
Yup, We certainly do.
Best regards,
God
Muff Potter wrote:
That is the view from the top of the pyramid. The giving units (as they were known at Mars Hill, C-Yattle) in the pews weren’t important except insofar as they contributed to making the lead motivational speaker famous. Or, as Mr Noble put it: if you won’t tithe, give up your seat to someone else who will. When men build pseudo-churches along those lines, it’s inevitable that the pseudo-God they invent to brand their product will “think” just like them.
ION: finally managed to crack 2 hours for Ben Lomond today, clocking 1:54:24 for loch-summit-loch. The record for the annual Ben Lomond Race (over the same route) is 1 hour 2 minutes (it took me 1 hour 12 minutes just to run up), but hey; sub-2hrs could be worse for a diabetic 49-year-old with a heart condition.
Muff Potter wrote:
Watching that reminded me of this math Ma and Pa Kettle video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8XMeocLflc
Jeffrey J Chalmers wrote:
My daughter taught school until “Common Core” came along. She got tired of being forced to entertain students with dumb-it-down new programs that made them less literate than previous generations. She bailed out to start a family. She has been teaching her son in a home classroom since he was 1 year old; he is almost 4 now and knows more than the average 2nd grader in public school. She is now considering home-schooling him so that he can get a better education! As a retired environmental scientist, I teach him about the natural world around him. I tell him to observe things carefully – to really hear what he hears and to really see what he sees. He can identify bird calls, animal tracks, and constellations. He is curious and hungry to learn – public school strips that from a kid.
I had to move a meeting on Friday, so I’m looking at the calendar and thinking, “there are no meetings on the calendar, here, I’ll just stick it RIGHT HERE.”
It turns out I’ve scheduled the meeting across totality for several parts of the country.
I think I’m going to have to move the meeting when I get into work tomorrow.
Nancy2 (aka Kevlar) wrote:
Hell yes.
Max wrote:
I remember my mom laughing at this guy’s rendition. (She despaired at helping me with my math homework, though.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIWaJ0sy03g
Lydia wrote:
We bought our glasses at a regional chain grocery-department store. Then the news came out that people were selling counterfeit glasses, reproducing the “real thing” all the way to the ISO code on the frame.
So my question would be–would the chain superstore glasses be likely to be the genuine article?
Scary business.
GSD [Getting Stuff Done] wrote:
I would imagine any number of kind-hearted non-believers would go door to door to rescue abandoned pets, while secretly (or not so secretly) relieved that the obnoxious christians had all disappeared into thin air.
@ God:
Lol! (Is that the sound of Angels singing……)
@ Jeffrey J Chalmers:
Well said. There is a difference with “fun” and the “satisfaction” from the aha moment after hard work to learn new concept clicks in a young brain. The shame aha moment. That is where self esteem comes from. Earned. That is “exciting” and we must build upon that.
I can remember facilitating a very grudging strategic planning session at a college where faculty was being pressed by admin to see students as customers. They went with “patients”. Hee hee.
Now how did “shame” get in there? I swear the iPad added it!
@ Max:
Thx for the link!!
@ Nancy2 (aka Kevlar):
Oh my yes. But mine are big ginger ale Connoisseurs. They sound like they are discussing the body of a Merlot or Cabernet. We look for néw brands and small batch brewers everywhere we go and still, nothing, but nothing beats Ale 8. Nothing. It’s the best. We were very excited to see it recently featured in a museum Prohibition exhibit because it was produced to help replace outlawed Ale with a ginger kick instead. 🙂
@ refugee:
We gave up. A group of teens are in there converting cereal boxes as I write.
Sorry I’m late to the conversation. Spent the weekend camping with NO COMPUTER, amazing in itself.
From the OP:
Eclipses are common in the world, not rare,
Eclipses are common, total solar eclipses are not so common, on average 2 every 3 years somewhere on earth. The really rare part is the chance of a total solar eclipse at any PARTICULAR spot. According to the link below, the chance of seeing at total solar eclipse at a single location (such as my house on Monday) is once every 375 years! Back in the days before mass media and transportation, I could understand thinking of a total solar eclipse as being God’s judgement, but certainly not today.
Just a personal “scientific” observation: I have seen a 99% annular eclipse in my life (approaching 57 years now). While it was eerie (like turning the dimmer switch on the sun down about half way), I would not call it spectacular. I hear that the extra 1% makes all the difference.
So, if you are able, try to get to the path of totality. I’ll give you my report Monday night.
https://www.space.com/25644-total-solar-eclipses-frequency-explained.html
Lydia wrote:
We lived in Louisville for 19 years and Ale-8-One definitely has a loyal following in Kentucky. Strongest ginger ale I’ve ever tried, though, is Blenheim Ginger Ale, made in Blenheim, SC. That stuff will take the top of your head off.
http://www.blenheimgingerale.com/
Oh, and Happy Eclipse Day!
emr wrote:
A big Baptist Amen to that! When my wife gets cold or a sinus issue, I always am requested to go pick up some. It will clear up your head. It’s not to my personal taste, but I’m not a native South Carolinian. I was raised in Charlotte and born in Watts Hospital in Durham because my folks couldn’t afford to go to Duke. Deb, what is in the Watts Hospital building now?
okrapod wrote:
I was in the ‘maybe I’ll watch it on the internet because I don’t want to burn out my eyeballs’ but then my coworker brought eclipse glasses.
@ emr:
Oh my, Blenheim. It ripped the hide off my tongue. Jamaican ginger!
So, on the train back fae Enbra the noo. Short turnaround, then we’re a’ getting the train back tae Enbra to see the Cirque Eloize at the Fringe. On the plus side, I managed to get lemongrass in Enbra – cannae get the stuff in Alloa for love nor money these days. The local supermarket have started selling tubes of lemongrass paste, but they contain spirit vinegar and taste of nothing else.
IHTIH
Lea wrote:
I’m a low-tech sort of guy. I have eclipse glasses, but also made a Boy Scout shoebox eclipse viewer: http://boyslife.org/hobbies-projects/projects/153637/how-to-make-a-solar-eclipse-viewer/
Just tested it on the full sun. Works great! Like watching the eclipse unfold in real time on a small movie screen in a chair on my deck. Our area is in the 97% eclipse zone.
elastigirl wrote:
Yeah. Eclipses are a natural phenom that’s sort of interesting because it is a rarity. That’s pretty much it.
It’s 9:32 AM PST here in Southern Cal’s Inland Empire and the marine layer shows no signs of abating. 10:18 AM PST is the projected time when the moon does its maximum obscuring of the sun for our latitude. It’s quite possible that the marine layer will not abate by then… oh well as they say…
Lea wrote:
As HUG would say:
…BUT I HAVE A VERSE !!!
so did the masses on pilgrimage to the line of eclipse totality make a cheering ruckus?
my 75% of a total eclipse experience was neat — not all that dramatic, though.
i love subdued light — wish it was like that all the time.
The street lights came on but more like evening. Not darkish. We had 96%. cooled off a little. The actual eclipse shape showed up inside the cereal box. It worked! No birds in sight.
Back to our regular overly scheduled life. 🙂
@ Muff Potter:
Speak English please. (Wink)
We were in the 97% eclipse zone. Birds went to roost, cicadas started singing, temps dropped 4 degrees. My wife and I didn’t act any crazier than usual.
elastigirl wrote:
we had bout 89%. We used the glasses, pinhole boxes and paper and had fun, but glasses were definitely the coolest method!
Well, I haven’t heard any reports of the rapture, so I think we’re all bound here for a little while longer. Put some pics of the shade on Twitter. I was supposedly in 99% totality, but it didn’t get too dramatic.
@ Lea:
neat. Your place of work let you have enough of a break to go outside? (or maybe you had the day off…)
I’m self-employed — make my own hours, here.
elastigirl wrote:
We went up for about 15 minutes…which is the size of a break. So I figure we were good. We basically all went (admin so no customers/patients pressing).
My daughter said that she got “the money shot” with her camera – the diamond ring. Can’t wait to see!
elastigirl wrote:
There were oohs and ahs and just a bit of cheering, and some spacey music being played– probably less than 100 people at the park near our house. Might have watched from home but we have tall pines. We had 100% for 2 minutes and I got a good shot of the ring with no diamond. Really pretty special. I figure God would have been demonstrating his judgment had it not shown up on time.
The eclipse was 100% here, from a point overlooking the Ohio River. Just beautiful, and a little disorienting. I can see how the ancients could see it as a sign or an omen, but from our perspective, it was simply a wonder of nature.
FWIW, the crowds that were expected in our part of the world didn’t show up, although we did see license plates from several distant states.
Lydia wrote:
It did’nt do jack in Southern Cal…
@ Muff Potter:
Thank you. 🙂
@ Nancy2 (aka Kevlar):
The news has been all about the descent from Hopkinsville. I don’t think I gave ever seen a traffic jam on the Pennyrile or WK Parkway.
@ Lydia:
I saw photos and talked to my daughter ……… I’ve been to Hoptown several thousand times, know it like the back of my hand : I’m on the Pennyrile Pkwy on a fairly regular basis: I’m occasionally on the WK ……. never in my life have I seen traffic like the eclipse exit!!!! Unbelievable!
http://www.lite987whop.com/images/0a0downtowntraffic.jpg
14th (Canton Pike/272) and Main. I often take 14 th across town to my daughter’s house ………. nevah, evah, seen traffic like this! Not even during funeral processions of well known and loved locals!
I’ll add my impression of the total eclipse viewed in northern Aiken county (Monetta) SC. Modest traffic and very good sky conditions. The most impressive part was totality and a few minutes on each side of it. I’m very pleased that at age 76 I finally saw a total eclipse of the sun.
I’ll echo a few other comments that have been made. Even knowing it was predicted years in advance I can see how such a dramatic event could be viewed as an omen in the absence of understanding of it.
Viewing conditions were perfect and the eclipse was as impressive as advertised. 1 minute 45 seconds of totality at my house in upstate SC. The corona was beautiful. Don’t think I’ll travel to the central part of the country in 7 years, so I guess it was my first and only total eclipse, unless I live to be 118 year old and keep my eyesight when the next total eclipse rolls by here in 2078.
ishy wrote:
Maybe they will pick us up on the second load, ishy.
@ Nancy2 (aka Kevlar):
Wow.
Did it get really dark?
@ Lydia:
Yes. It wasn’t as dark at my house as it was in Hopkinsville, but it was dark. Rachel, my daughter, said that Hoptown was almost as dark as it is on the night of a new moon.
……… Both places – strange hue right before the total eclipse, too.
Ken P. wrote:
That one will be total here, so that should be more exciting!