Sunday, March 31, 2019
Saturday, March 30, 2019
Friday, March 29, 2019
Global Major Illegal Market Worth Estimated
Counterfeiting $1026 billion
Drug Trafficking $539 billion
Human Trafficking $150 billion
Illegal Logging $109 billion
Illegal Mining $30 billion
Illegal Fishing $25 billion
Crude Oil Theft $9 billion
Illegal Arms $3 billion
Human Organ Trafficking $1 billion
TOTAL $1096 billion
DRUGS
Marijuana $235 billion
Cocaine $119 billion
Heroin/Opiates $103 billion
Narcotics/Other $82 billion
TOTAL $539 billion
Drug Trafficking $539 billion
Human Trafficking $150 billion
Illegal Logging $109 billion
Illegal Mining $30 billion
Illegal Fishing $25 billion
Crude Oil Theft $9 billion
Illegal Arms $3 billion
Human Organ Trafficking $1 billion
TOTAL $1096 billion
DRUGS
Marijuana $235 billion
Cocaine $119 billion
Heroin/Opiates $103 billion
Narcotics/Other $82 billion
TOTAL $539 billion
Trump Threatens to Close the Border Over Caravan, Here's What It Could Cost, Including Underground Market
The USA exported $265 billion in goods in 2018. It imported $347 billion, bringing the total to $612 billion. The illegal drug trade across the border is worth $13 billion, human trafficking amounts to $500 million. Total estimated a $626 billion.
Ever Increasing Down Pours
Heavy Downpours
Heavy downpours are increasing nationally, especially over the last three to five decades. The heaviest rainfall events have become heavier and more frequent, and the amount of rain falling on the heaviest rain days has also increased. Since 1991, the amount of rain falling in very heavy precipitation events has been significantly above average. This increase has been greatest in the Northeast, Midwest, and upper Great Plains – more than 30% above the 1901-1960 average. There has also been an increase in flooding events in the Midwest and Northeast, where the largest increases in heavy rain amounts have occurred.
Ever Increasing Drought in the World
Drought
Texas Summer 2011: Record Heat and Drought
Higher temperatures lead to increased rates of evaporation, including more loss of moisture through plant leaves. Even in areas where precipitation does not decrease, these increases in surface evaporation and loss of water from plants lead to more rapid drying of soils if the effects of higher temperatures are not offset by other changes (such as reduced wind speed or increased humidity). As the soil dries out, a larger proportion of the incoming heat from the sun goes into heating the soil and adjacent air rather than evaporating its moisture, resulting in hotter summers under drier climatic conditions.
An example of a recent drought occurred in 2011, when many locations in Texas and Oklahoma experienced more than 100 days over 100°F. Both states set new records for the hottest summer since record-keeping began in 1895. Rates of water loss, due in part to evaporation, were double the long-term average. The heat and drought depleted water resources and contributed to more than $10 billion in direct losses to agriculture alone.
Heat Wave Are Increasing in the World
Heat Waves
Coast-to-Coast 100-degree Days in 2011
Heat waves are periods of abnormally hot weather lasting days to weeks. The number of heat waves has been increasing in recent years. This trend has continued in 2011 and 2012, with the number of intense heat waves being almost triple the long-term average. The recent heat waves and droughts in Texas (2011) and the Midwest (2012) set records for highest monthly average temperatures. Analyses show that human-induced climate change has generally increased the probability of heat waves., And prolonged (multi-month) extreme heat has been unprecedented since the start of reliable instrumental records in 1895.
The World is Warming
As the world has warmed, that warming has triggered many other changes to the Earth’s climate. Changes in extreme weather and climate events, such as heat waves and droughts, are the primary way that most people experience climate change. Human-induced climate change has already increased the number and strength of some of these extreme events. Over the last 50 years, much of the U.S. has seen increases in prolonged periods of excessively high temperatures, heavy downpours, and in some regions, severe floods and droughts.
Healthcare, Housing, Security, Clean Air and Water, Healthy Food and Nature with the New Green Deal
Health Care, Housing, Security, Clean Air, and Water, Healthy Food and Nature
Providing all people of the United States with — high-quality health care; affordable, safe, and adequate housing; economic security; and access to clean water, clean air, healthy and affordable food, and nature
This is lumping a lot of things in together. The quibble here between progressives and conservatives will be whether the US government should be providing access to health care. Many Green New Deal supporters all support "Medicare-for-all," which is both a general idea that many Democrats are behind and also a specific policy proposal that has fewer supporters.
One question is whether the government would have to essentially end the private health care industry in order to create a public one. That kind of drastic change has the potential to really frighten voters, who punished Democrats for creating the Affordable Care Act in 2010 and then published Republicans for trying to take it away in 2018.
The government already does quite a lot, although some say not nearly enough, on the food, water, air and nature fronts with the Food and Drug Administration, the USDA, the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Park Service, so it's hard to so say what would change under a Green New Deal without more specifics.
Indigenous People and the Green New Deal
Indigenous people and the Green New Deal
Obtaining the free, prior, and informed consent of indigenous people for all decisions that affect indigenous people and their traditional territories, honoring all treaties and agreements with indigenous people, and protecting and enforcing the sovereignty and land rights of indigenous people"
You could see this playing a role in particular in terms of oil drilling, in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge or in terms of standoffs like the one at Standing Rock in North Dakota in 2016. This would certainly be a policy shift for the US government, which has at times seemed to give deference to oil companies.
There could be lost development opportunities, but many Democrats would certainly trade that for the twin objectives of slowing oil dependence and honoring indigenous peoples.
Trade Deals and the Green New Deal
Trade Deals and the Green New Deal
Enacting and enforcing trade rules, procurement standards, and border adjustments with strong labor and environmental protections
In this case, Green New Dealers might align with Trump against trade deals, as Sen. Elizabeth Warren has. She, like Trump, opposed the Trans-Pacific Partnership. He said it was poorly negotiated. She said it didn't do enough for international worker rights. But the Green New Deal crowd goes further and opposes even the deals Trump supports, like the planned US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, which Warren has called NAFTA 2.0.
Trade Unions and the Green New Deal
Trade unions and the Green New Deal
"strengthening and protecting the right of all workers to organize, unionize, and collectively bargain free of coercion, intimidation, and harassment"
Unions have been in a long-term decline in the US. While 20% of US wage and salary workers were in unions in 1983 -- about 17.7 million people, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics -- that was down to 10.5% of wage and salary workers and 14.7 million union workers by 2018. There are many reasons for this decline, not the least of which is the changing nature of US manufacturing.
Unions remain strongest in the public sector and among government workers ranging from law enforcement to teachers. An additional 1.6 million workers are in jobs covered by union contracts but are not members of the unions.
Providing Higher Education with the New Green Deal
Providing Higher Education with the New Green Deal
Providing resources, training, and high-quality education, including higher education, to all people of the United States, with a focus on frontline and vulnerable communities, so those communities may be full and equal participants in the Green New Deal mobilization
There's a lot in this portion, but let's focus on the part about higher education for all people. That sounds a lot like the free-college proposals of recent years. It might not be something any Democrats are going to oppose, exactly. But it's also not something they've found a way to accomplish yet. One free-college proposal, which was not included in Green New Deal but offers a guideline, came from from Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent. He would provide states with $47 billion per year to cover two-thirds of the cost of tuition for students at public colleges and universities. Sanders proposed a new tax on Wall Street trades to finance the program.
Thursday, March 28, 2019
Public Ownership the New Green Deal
Public Ownership and the New Green Deal
Providing and leveraging, in a way that ensures that the public receives appropriate ownership stakes and returns on investment, adequate capital (including through community grants, public banks, and another public financing), technical expertise, supporting policies, and other forms of assistance to communities, organizations, Federal, State, and local government agencies, and businesses working on the Green New Deal mobilization"
The public is going to pay for all of this change, so the public should get a return, is one way to look at this passage. The public as an owner is likely enough to strike fear in many Republicans. And it'd be a sure trigger for them to bring up Venezuela, which has squandered the riches of its state-run oil company.
On the other hand, California is again dealing with the bankruptcy of a privately owned public utliity, PG&E, and debating whether it should be turned into a public utility. How governments should own things is an important question without a clear answer.
Labor Laws Proposal in Congress and Senate
Labor Laws
Strengthening and enforcing labor, workplace health and safety, anti-discrimination, and wage and hour standards across all employers, industries, and sectors"
There's a patchwork of wage laws across industries. Tipped workers, like restaurant employees, have a lower minimum wage. Some states have enacted much higher minimum wages for their workers. Creating new laws on this front would require a national debate. Discrimination is already illegal. But it also has very little to do with climate change.
Green New Deal and Guaranteed Job, Leave, Vacation and Retirement
Guaranteed job, leave, vacation and retirement
Guaranteeing a job with a family-sustaining wage, adequate family and medical leave, paid vacations, and retirement security to all people of the United States"
Here we veer from the climate change portion of the document to goals that seem even more difficult to achieve. Would a family-sustaining wage mean different pay for people with different numbers of children? Would it require that both adults in a given household work? The living wage in Springfield, Illinois -- chosen randomly -- in MIT's Living Wage calculator is $11.41 per hour for one adult and $18.44 for two adults and two children. If one of the adults is working part-time, the baseline hourly wage rises to $26.39.
Things change when you factor in benefits. An interesting 2018 report from the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities with some back-of-the-envelope calculations on the cost for a federal jobs guarantee suggested the government could provide 9.7 million jobs to the under- or unemployed at a mean wage of $32,500 to account for different levels of experience, etc. Adding in taxes and benefits makes the annual cost of each job about $56,000. So the total cost to the government each year would be about $543 billion.
That's less than the nearly $674 billion the government spends on the Pentagon's budget. It is much less than the government spends on safety net programs Medicare and Social Security each year.
The Green New Deal and Beef and Milk Production
Cows and climate change and the Green New Deal
Working collaboratively with farmers and ranchers in the United States to eliminate pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector as much as is technologically feasible"
This element has already been boiled down to cow farts, according to the President and that prematurely published set of FAQs. Cow and livestock emissions are something that deserves attention. This is not about your purebred heritage cow, but rather about industrial agriculture.
Beef is responsible for 41% of livestock greenhouse gas emissions, and that livestock accounts for 14.5% of total global emissions, according to a CNN special report this year, which also pointed to the UN Panel on Climate Change Report, which suggested changing diets worldwide could contribute 20% of the effort needed to keep down global temperatures. The USDA projects the average American will eat about 222.4 pounds of meat and poultry in 2019, 53.4 pounds of which will be beef.
Low Tech and the Green New Deal
Low-tech solutions
"removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and reducing pollution, including by restoring natural ecosystems through proven low-tech solutions that increase soil carbon storage, such as preservation and afforestation"
This could cover a lot of things, one of which, essentially, would be planting trees to combat climate change. It's a thing. It's been tried in Israel and Europe and there are efforts to reforest in Brazil. It is the cutting of rainforests there, however, that plays a bigger role in climate change. Carbon Brief has a handy world map. The US Department of Agriculture and the Forest Service have a complicated cost estimate for afforestation in every county in the US. Another might be the protection and rehabilitation of wetlands to guard against the effects of climate change.
Wednesday, March 27, 2019
Transportation and the New Green Deal
Transportation and the Green New Deal
Overhauling transportation systems in the United States to eliminate pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector as much as is technologically feasible, including through investment in (i) zero-emission vehicle infrastructure and manufacturing; (ii) clean, affordable, and accessible public transportation; and (iii) high-speed rail"
There are models to encourage low-emission vehicles that the current government is abandoning. Some federal tax incentives for people buying electric vehicles are running out (Tesla!) and haven't been renewed. Others, like increased emissions standards, have been jeopardized by the Trump administration. Relatively cheap gas in recent years also hasn't helped Americans move toward better fuel efficiency.
But encouraging people with a tax incentive is different from overhauling transportation systems. And that's hard: Just days after the Green New Deal was introduced, California's new governor, Gavin Newsom, a Democrat and progressive, nixed his state's planned high-speed rail line from Los Angeles to San Francisco to instead focus on three smaller Central Valley communities. One reason Newsom said he didn't end the program altogether was that he didn't want the state to have to return a $3.5 billion federal loan.
Green New Deal and Energy Efficiency
Energy efficiency
Upgrading all existing buildings in the United States and building new buildings to achieve maximum energy efficiency, water efficiency, safety, affordability, comfort, and durability, including through electrification.
Without having to Google, we know there are a LOT of buildings in the US. Upgrading all of them would certainly make the green building industry explode. Would it be done through tax credits? Grants? Large-scale building upgrades have been tried before, including in the 2009 stimulus, which put $4.5 billion toward retrofitting federal buildings and $3 billion toward retrofitting public housing projects. Here's a HUD report on the public housing effort, which argues that savings on electricity and water costs were achieved. However, to repeat, there are a LOT of buildings in the US, and no one knows what it would cost to make them all "green."
Green New Deal and Smart Grids
Smart grid
"building or upgrading to energy-efficient, distributed, and 'smart' power grids, and working to ensure affordable access to electricity"
Improving the nation's patchwork electrical system is an enormous undertaking that Congress has been grappling with for more than a decade. It provided funds toward a smart grid -- a reimagined electrical grid that makes use of technology to improve reliability and efficiency -- as part of the 2009 economic stimulus, but not explicitly since then. The Department of Energy has provided some funds since then, according to the Congressional Research Service, putting $3.6 billion each year toward the smart grid -- not nearly enough to implement it nationwide by 2030. It'll cost hundreds of billions of dollars over 20 years, according to estimates, but greatly improve the country's electrical infrastructure.
Green New New Deal and Renewable Energy Plan
Renewable energy
"meeting 100 percent of the power demand in the United States through clean, renewable, and zero-emission energy sources"
This would be a wholesale turnaround in US energy. Renewables -- including hydroelectric, wind, biomass, solar and geothermal -- currently account for about 20% of US energy production, about on par with nuclear energy as outlined by the US Energy Information Agency. Natural gas accounts for the largest share -- about 32% -- and coal isn't far behind, at 30%. The current projection is for renewable energy to account for about 31% of US energy generation by 2050, with steep drops for nuclear and coal.
Tuesday, March 26, 2019
Trump Administrations Zero Tolerance for Asylum Seekers Has Problems
EL PASO, Texas — President Trump's administration has repeatedly said his “zero tolerance” border policy only applies to migrants who illegally try to cross into the United States. But his hardline approach also ensnares asylum seekers attempting to enter legally.
“One of the great concerns now is that there are reports of some families who cross through the port of entry that they are separated and prosecuted criminally. Those that are due seek asylum through the normal process and that are following the right procedures in doing so are treated the same as those that do not.
That's because U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers have discretion in determining if a child is in danger — or if a child and their custodian are related. CBP also has the power to decide if that parent or custodian should be “referred for criminal prosecution” and thus, separated from their child.
In other cases, asylum seekers are running into roadblocks even before they can officially log their claim. Recently, officers have stopped asylum seekers at the border and told them to come back later because the detention centers were full.
Monday, March 25, 2019
Sunday, March 24, 2019
Roman Catholic Church
ROMAN CATHOLIC
Note: (1) Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox have much in common. (2) Anglican/Episcopalian has much in common with the Catholic church, considered a "bridge" denomination between Protestant and Catholic.
Belief in Deity: Trinity of God the Father, God the Son (Christ), and God the Holy Spirit, which comprises one God Almighty -- incorporeal spirit.
Incarnations: Jesus Christ is God's only incarnation, Son of God and God.
Origin of universe and life: A literal interpretation of the Book of Genesis is held by some, but the Church maintains that God gave humankind both supernatural revelation in the Bible and natural revelation through the rational human mind. One may harmonize science with the Book of Genesis in that a "day" in the Bible is not defined as a 24 hour day. It is infallible that God created the universe from nothing, thus if the "Big Bang" theory is true, then God created this event. If evolution did occur, it only occurred under the choice and control of God, and only with the understanding that God breathed the first soul into the first man and all souls are immediately created by God
After death: God judges who will go immediately to heaven or hell and who will experience the suffering and joys of purgatory for purification of all sins before heaven. Afterlife reward and punishment are relative to one's faith and deeds. Hell is considered a place of torture (eternal fire), especially the torment of eternal separation from God, a condition of one's own making by lack of faith in God and by committing an unrepentant mortal sin(s). Christ will return to resurrect body with soul and judge each for eternal happiness in a perfectly renewed universe in Christ (heaven) or for eternal torment in hell.
Why wrongdoing? Due to Adam and Eve's original sin, all are born sinners and are prone to the influence of Satan, but all have the potential to attain righteousness.
Salvation: One strives for salvation through worship and prayer to God the Father, in Jesus Christ, through the working of the Holy Spirit; good works, and seven sacraments, including one (infant) baptism and Communion. One's salvation must be restored after the commission of mortal sin by repeating the sacraments of Repentance/Confession and Communion. Confession of "venial" (less serious) sins to a priest are recommended but generally not required for salvation.
Undeserved Suffering: Some suffering is caused by the inheritance of mortality originating from Adam and Eve's disobedience to God, which includes vulnerability to illness and disease. Also, Satan's presence causes pain and suffering. Suffering is God's design to test, teach, or strengthen belief in Him; the greater the suffering of innocent believers, the greater will be their reward afterlife.
Contemporary Issues: Abortion is considered to be a form of murder, an act worthy of excommunication. Homosexual behavior is unacceptable. Women and men are considered equal in dignity and value; however, it is a priority to enable and encourage women to be mothers and wives, which are highly valued roles. Marriage is considered a sacrament and permanent until the death of a spouse. Divorce is not recognized, therefore remarriage results in sinful behavior unless the first marriage is nullified, declared invalid and non-sacrament, by the Church. Remarriage after civil divorce (without nullification) results in an inability to receive Church sacraments.
Jehovah Witness and Its Origins (Indiana USA)
JEHOVAH'S WITNESS ("Watchtower Bible and Tract Society")
Belief in Deity: There is one God Almighty - a Spirit Being with a body but not a human body. There is one God and no Trinity.
Incarnations: Incarnations: Christ is Lord and Savior, but not God (Jehovah) incarnate, not a God-man but inferior to God, not part of a Godhead. He was a created spirit being, God's only begotten a son, sent to Earth as a perfect human. His sacrifice became the "ransom" price to redeem mankind from sin and death. God created all in heaven and on Earth through Christ, the "master worker," God's servant. After Christ's resurrection by God, he was "exalted" to a level higher than an angel.
Origin of universe and life: God created the heavens and earth in six days but each "day" is equal to thousands of years. God created and controls all processes and events.
After death: Other than the "little flock" of 144,000 faithful Christians who rose to heaven to rule over the earth with Christ, a process completed since 1914, people cease to exist after death; the soul does not survive. At a time appointed by God, Jesus Christ will cleanse the earth, destroy the wicked, eliminate Satan, evil, illness, and death. God will recreate the body and soul of each of the righteous (and potentially righteous) to spend eternity on this restored, paradisiacal earth.
Why evil? The original sin caused humans to inherit death and sin. Satan and his demons pervade the earth as spirits tempting all to sin, which God allows as a test of faith in Him.
Salvation: You must show faith in God and in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Adhere to the practices, requirements, commandments, laws, and sacraments of the faith. "Witnessing" and active sharing of their faith with others is fundamental. Avoid behaviors that God dislikes, including the celebration of birthdays and holidays originating from false religions.
Undeserved suffering: Much suffering is caused by the inheritance of mortality from Adam and Eve, which includes vulnerability to illness and disease. Also, those who choose to succumb to Satan's temptations may suffer self-inflicted damage to their health. Satan and his demons cause great misery. God has allowed the situation to continue so that mankind can discover that God's rule is better than independent human-rule. He has allowed Satan to cause suffering to challenge Satan's claim that God's creation, humans, would turn from and curse God under pressure.
Contemporary issues: Abortion is wrong. Homosexuality is a serious sin. Gender roles are defined -- men are the head of the household and women are loving caretakers who assist the husband in teaching the children. Divorce is permitted under certain circumstances, but Jehovah hates remarriage unless the divorce occurred as a result of adultery. Service in armed forces or any form of allegiance to government is prohibited; one must only show allegiance to the Kingdom of Christ. Blood transfusions, along with ingesting blood, are considered wrong, as God said the soul is in the blood. Bone marrow transplants are left to the individual conscience. (Note: all other forms of medical treatment are acceptable.) Jehovah's Witnesses persistently promote their belief system, especially through the dissemination of Watchtower Society literature and door-to-door contacts.
Eastern Orthodox and Its Origins (Russia)
EASTERN ORTHODOX
Includes the Church of Greece, the Church of Cyprus, and the Russian Orthodox Church.
Belief in Deity: Trinity of the God the Father, the Son (Christ), and the Holy Spirit, which comprises one God Almighty - incorporeal spirit.
Incarnations: Jesus Christ is God's only incarnation, Son of God and God.
Origin of universe and life: God created the universe and life. The Bible is not intended to be a scientific revelation, and science is not infallible. There is no desire to create conflict between science and Christian faith.
After death: God immediately judges who will experience happiness (heaven), unhappiness (hell), or temporary punishment. Those who kept faith in Christ didn't sin after baptized or repented before death and did good works will find happiness after death. Those whose faith in Christ was lacking or corrupt, or sinned after baptism without repentance before death, or didn't do good deeds will find unhappiness after death. Those whose only transgression was not performing good deeds may be punished temporarily. Christ will return to resurrect and judge all for eternity in either heaven or hell. Level of reward is relative to one's deeds in life.
Why wrongdoing? God made humans righteous by nature, but the original sin of Adam and Eve damaged that nature. All have been potentially saved through Christ's death, but those not "in Christ," born to God, are vulnerable to being with the devil, born to the devil. Satan and his countless evil spirits work to lie and tempt those who are not filled with the Holy Spirit to commit wrongs.
Salvation: All are already potentially saved (through Christ's death and resurrection), are still being saved (through faith), and will be saved in the future (with the second coming of Christ). Demands faith in and prayers to God the Father, Christ, and the Holy Spirit; good works. Required sacraments include one baptism at infancy and the Holy Eucharist with confession and repentance. Adherence to moral laws is essential.
Undeserved Suffering: Some suffering is caused by the inheritance of mortality originating from Adam and Eve's disobedience to God, which includes vulnerability to illness and disease. Also, Satan's presence causes pain and suffering. Suffering is God's design to test, teach, or strengthen belief in Him; the greater the suffering of innocent believers, the greater will be their reward afterlife.
Issues: Abortion is a sin. Homosexual behavior is a sin. Marriage is considered a sacrament and permanent, but divorce and remarriage are not condemned if reconciliation attempts are exhausted. A remarriage wedding ceremony must include prayer and repentance for the commission of sin. Remarriage may only occur three times. Some churches provide "ecclesiastical divorce" and "ecclesiastical remarriage" license.
Conservative Christian Protestant and Its Origins (USA 1930-1970)
CONSERVATIVE CHRISTIAN-PROTESTANT
On a continuum from Liberal to Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant, Conservative Christian is also sometimes referred to as traditionalist, orthodox, fundamental, or Evangelical. Conservative Christian is an umbrella term for Protestant denominations, or churches within denominations, that are Bible-centered, viewing the Holy Bible as the final and only authority, the inerrant Word of God, interpreted literally as law. Examples of conservative Protestant include some churches within Pentecostal, Southern Baptist, Fundamentalist, Evangelical, Lutheran, etc.. Anglican/Episcopalian is often regarded as a "bridge" denomination between Roman Catholic and Protestant. There are more than 2,000 Protestant denominations offering a wide range of beliefs from extremely liberal to mainline to ultra-conservative and those that include characteristics on both ends.
Belief in Deity: Some, particularly Evangelical and Pentecostal, believe God has a perfect human body. Most Conservative Protestants believe God is incorporeal, omnipresent spirit -- a Trinity of the Father (God), the Son (Christ), and the Holy Spirit that comprises one God Almighty.
Incarnations: Jesus Christ is God's only Incarnation. He is the Son of God and God, both fully divine and fully human, part of the Trinity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit that comprises on God Almighty.
Origin of universe and life: The biblical Book of Genesis is inerrant. God created the universe and all life forms from nothing in less than 7 days, less than 10,000 years ago -- not as revealed by modern science. Many resolve the conflict between scientific evidence and the Book of Genesis with the contention that God created the appearance of evolution (perhaps as a test of faith), or that scientific evidence is faulty.
After death: Saved souls experience the bliss of heaven and unsaved souls the torture of hell. On Judgment Day, Jesus Christ will resurrect the dead, reunite body and soul, and judge each for eternity in heaven or on a restored, paradisiacal earth, or in hell. Some believe the souls of the dead will remain "asleep" until the resurrection and final judgment.
Why evil? The original sin of Adam and Eve caused all to inherit sinfulness. Some Conservative Protestants believe that only relatively few people will be saved. The work and influence of Satan prevail among the unsaved and/or those who lack complete faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
Salvation: Salvation is granted by the grace of God alone, through faith in Jesus Christ alone as Lord and Savior -- not through "works" such as moral behavior, good deeds, and generally not through sacraments. Some believe that once saved, or born again, always saved. When performed, baptism is regarded by many Conservative Protestants as a practice for adult believers, rather than infants/children, as it is not considered a sacrament for salvation, but an act of commitment to the fellowship. However, some churches do regard certain sacraments as very important components on the path to salvation (e.g. Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church) including infant baptism, regarding baptism as a miracle from God that creates faith in the heart. Some Protestants regard baptism as a washing away of sin, which may be repeated. Among most, confession/repentance is considered personal, between the individual and God, unless a public sin is involved, and confession to a pastor, when offered, is optional. Some use exorcism to remove indwelling evil spirits. Pentecostals believe that speaking in tongues is a gift from God as evidence of having been saved, and some regard it as the only evidence of having been saved. Preaching the gospel, the Word of God is often regarded as a means for building faith in Christ.
Undeserved Suffering: Some suffering is caused by the inheritance of mortality originating from Adam and Eve's disobedience to God, which includes vulnerability to illness and disease. Also, Satan rules the earth, causing pain and suffering. Many believe that suffering is God's design to test, teach, or strengthen belief in Him; the greater the suffering of innocent believers, the greater will be their reward afterlife.
Issues: Abortion is considered murder. Positions among denominations on divorce vary from unacceptability of divorce and remarriage to acceptance of divorce in certain situations and remarriage.
Islam and It's Origins (Arabian)
ISLAM
Belief in Deities: There exists only one personal God Almighty - Creator, all-powerful, ever-present, and all-knowing -- formless, incorporeal spirit.
Incarnations: None, as only God is worshipped. Muhammad is revered as the last and greatest of about 124 Prophets/Messengers. Jesus Christ was a Prophet/Messenger of miraculous birth who performed miracles, ascended to heaven before the crucifixion, and will return as a Muslim -- but he was not an incarnation of God.
Origin of the universe/life: God created the heavens and earth in six days but the Qur'an refers to a "day" as equal to thousands or tens of thousands (or any large number) of years. In the West, some Muslims allow for the belief in evolution but only as controlled by God.
After death: Saved souls will experience the bliss of heaven and unsaved souls the torture of hell. On Judgment Day, God will resurrect the dead, unite body and soul, and judge all for eternity in heaven or hell. There are 7 layers of heaven.
Why evil? People are not inherently sinners but are, by God's design, free to choose right or wrong, including belief or non-belief in God. Satan and his spirits inhabit the planet and rule the non-believers while Satan cannot touch believers.
Salvation: Obey God's law and Muhammad's doctrine. The path to heaven includes confessing faith in one God, Allah, and that Muhammad is His Messenger; recitation of five prayers daily; giving alms; fasting throughout Ramadaan, pilgrimage to Mecca. Confessing and repenting one's sins is between the person and God, made only to Allah and for Allah. Strict obedience to God's laws (conveyed in the Qur'an) and His prophet's doctrine is required.
Undeserved suffering: Suffering is desired by Allah to erase one's sins. Some suffering is Satan's doing or is the work of his spirit world cohorts ("Jinn"), and is allowed by Allah as a test of humility and faith; suffering/adversity strengthen one's faith, as pain often leads to repentance and prayer.
Issues: Abortion is prohibited. Homosexual behavior is condemned. Gender roles are prescribed. Marriage is a sacred contract (but not regarded as a sacrament), and although divorce is permitted, strong reconciliation attempts and measures are expected to be taken first, per the Qur'an, and there are some waiting periods and restrictions on multiple remarriages to the same woman. Remarriage is not prohibited
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