Posted on 01/31/2015 6:40:14 PM PST by Daniel Clark
Balloon-ey!: Vatican takes wrong lesson from dove attack
by Daniel Clark
On the last Sunday of January, the Vatican released the balloons of peace from St. Peter’s Square. You probably recognize this as a biblical allusion to the Great Flood, when Noah released a balloon that returned to him with an olive leaf in its beak. Mind you, balloons don’t have beaks, which is what made it so miraculous.
Pope John Paul II had started an annual tradition of releasing two doves on that particular day, but last year when Pope Francis let the birds loose, a crow and a seagull swooped down and attacked them. Under criticism from animal rights activists, he replaced the doves with “the balloons that mean ‘peace.’” He had to say that out loud, because nobody would otherwise have recognized that balloons meant peace, because they don’t.
Given his obvious desire to placate liberals, the pontiff could hardly have picked a less suitable substitute. As every good liberal pretends to know, helium balloons that land at sea are likely to choke dolphins. You’d think he’d be aware of this, from reading the “50 Things You Can Do to Save the Planet” poster that he’s probably got nailed to the door of the basilica. Never again should another whole school of dead dolphins wash ashore with deflated balloons clogging their blowholes.
Okay, so that’s never actually happened, but the point is that liberals feel that it has, which is reason enough to demand a ban on helium balloons. They’ve probably even dedicated an awareness week, complete with sensitivity ribbons and everything. The unseen effects of a balloon release are therefore worse than those of tag-team birdfighting. The fate of those doves remains unknown. They might have escaped relatively unharmed. The dolphins, however, are doomed to be slaughtered by those floating, manmade petroleum products, just as sure as belching cows will one day incinerate the earth.
The lesson the pope should have taken from the attack, and passed along to the liberals he means to impress, is that being peaceful did not assure the doves of peace, any more than Chamberlain’s declaration of “peace in our time” protected his nation from Nazi aggression. The way those bigger birds set upon the doves was actually a far more realistic outcome than the way the Vatican had planned it, with the doves flying off to presumably live happily ever after.
He could have demonstrated the folly of moral relativism, and pointed out that all four birds were not equally guilty of creating the violence. He might have used the occasion to explain the facts of life to the people with those “COEXIST” bumper stickers that depict the various letters as religious symbols. When the crescent “C” tries to kill all the others, it is not realistic to distribute blame equally, by complaining that those seven letters just can’t get along.
He might also have prodded the Church to reconsider its failure to distinguish between combatants in the Middle East. If it were up to the Israelis, they’d be content to live in peace, side-by-side with the Palestinians. If the Hamas-governed Palestinians had their way, Israel would be destroyed and all the Jews would be dead. To fault both sides equally for perpetuating a cycle of violence is morally vacuous, and Francis missed an opportunity to acknowledge as much.
Another lesson Francis could have taught was that peace and freedom are often in direct conflict with each other, and that therefore peace for its own sake is not always desirable. Those doves were at peace while they were caged, for instance, but peace at that cost is not acceptable for human beings.
Those Eastern European nations that fell under Soviet domination could not have had both peace and freedom. They could only achieve peace by surrendering their freedom, while staring down the turrets of a fleet of Russian tanks. The Warsaw Pact was officially and cheerfully titled, “The Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance,” but its non-Soviet signatories had been anything but befriended, cooperated with and assisted.
If he looked at it that way, perhaps the pope would stop making such oblivious statements about Communism, in which he seems to credit it with genuine concern for the poor. Maybe he’d write an encyclical on the comparative value of peace and freedom, and how they should govern our responses to terrorism, rather than tritely producing the latest tome of twaddle about “climate change.”
Instead, the lesson he’s taken is when the truth hurts, just make stuff up instead – like balloons that mean “peace.”
-- Daniel Clark is a writer from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is the author and editor of a web publication called The Shinbone: The Frontier of the Free Press, where he also publishes a seasonal sports digest as The College Football Czar.
The Crow represents Socialism and the Seagull, Islam.
Confessing my ignorance:
I did not know that dolphins even had blow holes, so I looked it up and sure enough, they do.
can you say omen
Jesus blows up balloons all day
Sits on the porch swing, watching them fly
You have to wonder if the attack on the doves last year says anything about the Pope who released them.
“balloons of peace from St. Peter’s Square”
Right...
Who would have known he was anti-dolphin?
Last week he was against squirrels.
I always thought balloons represented war - that’s the way it was when I was growing up - and balloons were filled with hydrogen...
You and I in a little toy shop
Buy a bag of balloons with the money we’ve got.
Set them free at the break of dawn
‘Til one by one, they were gone.
Back at base, bugs in the software
Flash the message, Something’s out there.
Floating in the summer sky.
99 red balloons go by.
99 red balloons.
floating in the summer sky.
Panic bells, it’s red alert.
There’s something here from somewhere else.
The war machine springs to life.
Opens up one eager eye.
Focusing it on the sky.
Where 99 red balloons go by.
99 Decision Street.
99 ministers meet.
To worry, worry, super-scurry.
Call the troops out in a hurry.
This is what we’ve waited for.
This is it boys, this is war.
The president is on the line
As 99 red balloons go by.
I was once out on a charter boat, fishing, when some dolphins came in close to the fantail...a very low fantail.
Touchy-feely birkenstocker leans over to "pet" the nice dolphin, just as he blows.
Dolphin snot all over a liberal tree hugger is funny, particularly when said liberal tree-hugger threatens to kill the poor dolphin and all his family tree and close acquaintances.
(I really don't think dolphins blow snot, but whatever the liberal douch had to wipe off his face and chest was still funny as hell.)
Dove => balloon => Peace.
OK
So what happens when a crow and seagull pop the balloon?
wouldn’t that still have the same meaning? peace is popped?
oh, wait, we don’t care what happens to the balloon as long as it went up up and awayyyyyy.
It’s a shame the Pope did not see the warning God sent.
God uses animals to warn and teach.
We need to send this Pope a Bible.
Your tagline is one of my favorite verses.
Oh great. Now how are we going to talk like Mickey Mouse?
It was better in the original German.
I don’’t think he’d read it. This Pope sucks.
Dude, it’s a marine mammal!
Balloon-ey!: Vatican takes wrong lesson from dove attack
The Shinbone: The Frontier of the Free Press ^ | January 31, 2015 | Daniel Clark
New Year’s Idea: Prayer Balloons
If I believed in magic, (which I don’t) I would have to say that balloons have a magical quality. No matter where you put them in a room, children will unavoidably be drawn to them. Even uninflated balloons are full of potential for kids. Don’t believe me? Place a basket full of balloons in the center of your classroom table. You’ll have to move them! If you’re like me, you have probably used balloons in your children’s ministry class. These handy, inexpensive items are perfect for illustrating many different bible topics, like dealing with anger before you pop or how the Holy Spirit lives inside us.
And other cool way to use a balloon is as an object lesson for prayer. Teaching kids that prayers are more than words, they are powerful messages to God who hears every single word. It’s an important lesson to teach if building a strong foundation of faith is a priority for you. When we talk to God, these special messages travel quickly to God’s ears. For this New Year’s object lesson, you need latex balloons, string, scissors, small pieces of paper and pens. It’s a good idea to teach a lesson on prayer before this activity. Use prayer balloons at the beginning of the year so kids can start the year with an emphasis on prayer.
Encourage the kids to write their prayers on a piece of paper. (They can leave them unsigned for privacy.) You may need to give them several minutes to collect their thoughts and write their prayer request. Each child should then roll up his prayer like a scroll, then cinch it closed with a string. Tie the string to the balloon string and head outdoors. Lead the kids in a prayer and release the balloons!
A sea of balloons rising up to the heavens is a powerful demonstration to kids about prayer. This is also a terrific object lesson for teens too!
Prayer Balloons
So how might you help your youth explore the themes of Pentecost and metaphors for the movement of the Spirit? Here are a few simple ideas to get you thinking:
Balloons - Invite youth to blow up red balloons, but don't tie them. Use sharpies to write prayers on the balloons or perhaps gifts of the Spirit that they possess or that they see in the group. On cue, have everyone release their balloons and enjoy the moment of mayhem as they fly all over the room. Invite them to reflect on how this might be like the movement of God's Spirit.
Gospel Balloons
This is a site dedicated to teaching, sharing and promoting Gospel balloon ministries. Take a little time and check out the various sections. Let me know which sections are (or will be in time) the most useful. Send me any ideas that you have that may help this site further aid you in your ministry.
Gospel Balloons
Balloon Art Ministry
Scriptures Float Into North Korea Via 'Balloon Offensive'
Scriptures Float Into North Korea Via 'Balloon Offensive'
4:37PM EDT 10/6/2011 George Thomas/CBN News
Bibles in balloons
One human rights group is taking action to spread the gospel in North Korea via balloons. (CBN News)
When it comes to human rights and religious freedom, North Korea is the worst of the worst.
For Christians, the price of belief in God could mean death.
One human rights group is taking action with an unusual aerial offensive to encourage the country's secret believers.
Target: North Korea
Just before sunset, a vanload of undercover Christians from Seoul heads north. For their protection, CBN News concealed both their faces and names.
"What we are doing could get us into trouble," one Christian named "Peter" said.
"We are going here some four miles from the North Korean border and close to the Demilitarized Zone," he told CBN News.
The Demilitarized Zone, or DMZ, is one of the most heavily fortified and potentially dangerous places on earth.
One million armed North Korean troops stand ready on their side of the DMZ; the South has just as many.
One factor that could ruin the whole excursion—the weather.
"One slight change in the wind direction could mess up the mission," Peter said.
Operation Dandelion
Peter dubbed the mission Operation Dandelion. "We started this project back in 1991, and just as a dandelion needs the wind to spread its seeds, we need the wind to spread the message," Peter explained.
That message is the Word of God printed in the Korean language on thousands of bright orange balloons.
"It's almost impossible to get Bibles into North Korea, so using balloons is one of the most effective ways to share the gospel," Peter said.
A tank in the back of the van pumps helium into the balloons. The team works quickly, all the time keeping tabs on the wind direction.
Prayers are whispered—then the release. A few minutes later the balloons begin their slow drift across North Korean airspace.
"By sending these balloons, we let our North Korean brothers and sisters know that we are praying for them and the Scriptures on the balloons are meant to encourage them," one undercover believer said.
How it All Began
The earnest prayers began at an undisclosed location in Seoul.
Every week since 1991, 78-year-old Oh Mo Duk, along with a handful of other believers, has been preparing each balloon for the flight into North Korea.
"I was born in North Korea. This is my way of helping to get the gospel back to my countrymen," she told CBN News.
This is how the balloon Bible smuggling works: A hole in the balloon is filled with helium. A strip of tape is placed around it and then of it goes into the skies of North Korea.
"The helium will leak out of the balloon and eventually fall to the ground," Duk explained. "And when someone picks it up, they'll be able to read all 16 chapters of the book of Mark."
Many more articles about the use of balloons in Christian ministry
I confessed my ignorance in the matter, at the beginning of my reply. I knew that dolphins, like whales, were air breathing mammals, it just never occurred to me that, like whales, they too had blow holes.
Unlike some FReepers, (not talking about you friend), I do not think I know everything about everything and I'm willing to learn, so I looked it up
On the religion forum, an atheist had made the comment, that he had "read the bible three times, cover to cover" and knew it better than most Christians.
I replied to him that I had read both testaments more than 50 times, "cover to cover" and that I claimed to know nothing except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Then I gave the full quote from Paul's letter to the Corinthians: "For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified".
He didn't reply further but I hope that I gave him something to think about.
I want to meet him in heaven some day and I won't get to, unless he accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior.
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