Ryan Marcus — It’s all Frank’s fault!

I just got a homepage for my band up and running! All of our music is free. We have released one album, and we have podcasted the first song of our second album.

http://sarigity.cjb.net

i find it really anoying that most people cheat at something. Tke the national presedents fitness test for example. I know that 70% of 8th grade boys cant do like 70 situps in a min but there is stuff like that all over it. Because of this many people cheat making it worse. More than half the people at my old school prabably cheeted on it at some time. Some person it my science class was complaining that the person behind her in her spanish class tells on cheeters so she thought she might get caught. Another guy at my table was playing with the paper he planned to get all the multiple choice answers off of for the test. As I like to say 1/2 the people are morons and the rest are idiots.

I hate people who complain about other people exposing others. Why does ANYBODY do that? This person has gone and done the correct thing. Don’t get on there case! If you go to Princton, and somebody has evidence that you knew somebody was cheating, and you don’t say anything, you can get kicked out.

I think cheeting is about beating the teacher or the system, which in most cases both suck. Maybe if tests were distrubted randimized over WI-FI to the students there would be some hope. But for now we need to elminate the need to cheet. We need to make it so if you cheet you will be screwed even if you are not caught. Tests are suppose to be for the students good right? I admit they arn’t, but that is the problem.

Yep.

Thanks again Craig!

Interesting topic in health class today… We watched one of those videos that dealed with conflicts (it was surprisingly not corney!). In this “episode” somebody knew that somebody else was cheating on a test, and this persons friend was bothering her about it. Her friend was telling her to report the cheating person, however, she felt that it was none of her business.

At this point, the video pauses for the class to think up a solution. I thought that the problem should simply be ignored; these people who are cheating are going to get stung in the butt anyway. There is’nt really a reason to report them, because they are going to get caught.

This totaly ticked off our health teacher. He raised a lot of good pointes… America’s the most violent nation — in the world. We have more people in jail then any other country, as well as the most people murdered PER DAY. Our health teacher said that, we as Americans, ignore these small problems. Then we ignore sliently larger ones, and so on. His thoughts where to just jump on it; Tell the teacher, and let everybody know you did.

I think there is a line that is drawn there. If you see someone get murdered, its time to get involved. If somebody’s going to cheat on a college exam, its time to get involved. If a ton of morons are going to try to sell questions for a math test in a middle school, let them be. The teacher’s going to find out.

Now, what if one of these people is somebody you like? You would’nt want to tell the teacher, but, according to our health teacher, you should anyway. Having somebody you know involved complicates things; I would talk to him/her and tell them not to cheat, because sooner or later, your going to get found out, and its not going to be pretty.

End of rant.

Take your pick, drawing a line, or reporting everything; both work.

Here is a little fragment of a paper I am writing… This fragment is about the mormons. I try to be as analytical and open minded as possible, and I try not to throw in any of my own opinion.. Enjoy!

I’ve divided the mormons beliefs into three categories: Family, the purpose of life, and the nature of God. (They capitalize it.)

Family
The mormons believe that families are a very important part in God’s plan for us. They believe that, while you can’t change the family your born into, you can, every day, strive to make that family better.

Although families are important, God also acts upon you as an individual. The mormons believe that each of us is a beloved son or daughter of our Heavenly Father, all human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God, Human life is a gift from God and is important in God’s eternal plan, and that each person has a divine nature and destiny.

The church of Jesus Christ of the LDS also has views on marriage… They believe that marriage occurs between a man and a woman (and only a man and a woman) for the purpose of companionship, and to “multiply and replenish the earth” (Genesis 1:28). They also believe that a husband and a wife should love each other, and are considered equals.

The mormons also believe that families are forever… Not just in this life. They believe that, when you die and if you enter one of the three levels of heaven, you will still be with your family.

The mormons also believe that children are a gift from god. They believe that they do not possess the power to create life, and God does.

They also believe that “happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.” The mormons strongly believe that the teachings of there religion should be re-taught, re-lived, and re-enforced in everything you do.

The people of the LDS also believe that children learn about love, trust, loyalty, cooperation, and service in the family, that they learn how to behave in a community, and that they develop the attributes of good citizenship by first learning them in the home.

In conclusion: The mormons strongly believe in family values, do not support gay marriage, and believe that you must become married and have children, and you must be married before the latter.

Nature of God
The mormons say that all people believe in a supreme being… although they may call him (yes, HIM) by different names.

The mormons believe that they are commanded to love God and Jesus Christ. They believe that as you come to know and love God, you will find greater peace and joy, both in this life and in the life to come.

The mormons believe that God is the father of our (that our refers to all humans, not just LDS) spirits. They believe that you live with God as a spirt before you are born, and that God puts you into this world as a test. Your goal in this life (in the beliefs of the mormons) is to find your way back to God.

I think the mormons views about Jesus are best summed up with this:

Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is Heavenly Father’s Only Begotten Son in the flesh. He is our Redeemer. Through Jesus Christ, Heavenly Father has provided a way for all people to become like Him and return to live with Him forever.

We love Christ. We worship Christ. He is our example and our Savior.

The mormons do believe in the Holy Ghost/Spirt. However, they refer to what is commonly known as “The Trinity” as the Godhead. The believe the Holy Ghost/Spirt is a tool of God used to guide you to him.

The mormons will not come out and tell you the above.. You have to research and poke and pry a bit.

Purpose of Life

The mormons view this incredibly complex subject in a very simple, almost child-like way. You are a child of God. Before you were born, you lived as a spirit with God, your Heavenly Father. You came to Earth to learn to be more like God. When your life on Earth is over, you can return to live with your Heavenly Father.

The mormons believe that the purpose of life (even though its SO clear that its 42! ) is to learn to more like God and find your way back to him. They believe that your trial on earth will teach you the differences between good and evil, and it will let you gain experience to become more like your heavenly father.

The mormons also have strong views on how to achieve greater happiness… I read the same quote that I am about to give you, but I interpret it much differently then others, so I will let you do the work:

Many people define happiness as possessing things that of themselves cannot bring lasting happiness—such as wealth, power, beauty, and fame.

But from an eternal perspective, true happiness comes from developing attributes such as goodness, love, justice, and mercy. It comes from serving God and others, and from preparing to live with our Father in Heaven again. Heavenly Father knows that many things contribute to your happiness—such as work, a healthy lifestyle, friends, family, and personal achievement. But your deepest, most lasting happiness will come from knowing God’s plan and following it.

And finally… the award winning question.. Why do good people suffer? By reading the above, you can probably already guess the mormons views on this subject. As you know by now, the people of the church of Jesus Christ of the LDS believe that life is a trial… And like any trial, there are obstacles.

Conclusion
Of course, I have barley scratched the surface of this religion, and if you want to learn more, go visit your local mormon church. They are a welcoming group of people who will welcome you, as soon as you express interest in them

Hope you enjoyed it!

Please repost any comments that don’t appear to be there… Sever switching lag time.

Please use ryan@marcusfamily.info