The Massive Ark on the Moon (very OT, but of high interest)

Jan 28, 2015 - 12:20pm PT
Trivia Question:
By the way, how many Bibles did your famous relative John Muir own?
A lot. I think about 13. If I remember right.

And you pulled this number from where? Based on your rather shaky grasp on reality evinced by your previous propositions, again, we'd better see a citation. A citation based on fact.

When John Muir died in 1915, his entire collection of books fell to his daughters. An unpublished inventory of his estate, prepared by his daughters, Wanda and Helen—evidently for probate purposes—listed, shelf-by-shelf, the volumes in the second-floor room of the "Big House"—now known as the Muir-Strentzel Home—which Muir used as a study. In this inventory, there were approximately 1,600 books; Helen took 280 volumes to her home in the Mojave Desert at Daggett, and the remainder stayed with Wanda and Thomas Hanna who, eventually, moved the books and bookcases to their new residence of Dr. Strentzel's old home about a mile from Muir's estate in Crockett.

After Wanda died, the library was transferred to her five children (principally, Richard Hanna), and these books were deposited at the Holt-Atherton Library in 1970. Hanna's collection of Muir's books was eventually donated to the Huntington Library in 1973.

Not all of the books on the 1915 list were acquired by Muir. Part of the library came from his wife's family, the Strentzels. John Strentzel's wife, Louisiana, had a strong religious (Methodist) bent and collected tracts, hymnals, and other pieties which were added to the bookshelves. At least eighty such books must have come from this source.

While not all of these books could be considered part of his working library, at least 350 had little practical or literary interest to Muir. Most all of the books in Muir's collection were acquired after 1880, once home, family, and wealth made it possible for him to read and store such a collection.

Many more details about John Muir's book collection can be found at http://www.pacific.edu/Documents/school-college/centers/john_muir/Fall2003.pdf

Even if you are correct that Muir "owned" thirteen bibles (which is questionable), this would not be surprising given the Victorian age in which he lived. Even so, this would be much less than one-percent of his collection. Not a lot.

Of course, your mention of this "Trivia Question" is a blatant attempt to insinuate that Muir ascribed to your bizarre, aberrant, and, frankly, batshit biblical hokum, and that his mention should lend some kind of imprimatur to your weird, self-delusional reinterpretation of the Bible. For all of Muir's apparent religious underpinning, his beliefs were grounded in Romanticism, Naturalism, and the New England Trancendentalists such as Emerson and Thoreau; his earlier religious ascription was decidedly New Testament, at best. John Muir's outlook was most certainly NOT that of a harsh, old-testament, anti-literate, fundamental Calvinist preacher like his father, Daniel. And you don't get to put on John Muir's mantle to bolster your views…

If you think that Muir's ownership of a few bibles means that he thought like you, then I've got a massive ark on the Moon to sell you.

"Geological studies and theories

Pursuit of his love of science, especially geology, often occupied his free time. Muir soon became convinced that glaciers had sculpted many of the features of the valley and surrounding area. This notion was in stark contradiction to the accepted contemporary theory, promulgated by Josiah Whitney (head of the California Geological Survey), which attributed the formation of the valley to a catastrophic earthquake. As Muir's ideas spread, Whitney would try to discredit Muir by branding him as an amateur. But Louis Agassiz, the premier geologist of the day, saw merit in Muir's ideas, and lauded him as "the first man I have ever found who has any adequate conception of glacial action."[23]

In 1871, Muir discovered an active alpine glacier below Merced Peak, which helped his theories gain acceptance. He was a highly productive writer and had many of his accounts and papers published as far away as New York. Muir's former professor at the University of Wisconsin, Ezra Carr, and his wife Jeanne, encouraged Muir to put his ideas into print. They also introduced Muir to notables such as Emerson, as well as leading scientists such as Louis Agassiz, John Tyndall, John Torrey, Clinton Hart Merriam, and Joseph LeConte.[citation needed]

A large earthquake centered near Lone Pine, California in Owens Valley (see 1872 Lone Pine earthquake) strongly shook occupants of Yosemite Valley in March 1872. The quake woke Muir in the early morning and he ran out of his cabin "both glad and frightened," exclaiming, "A noble earthquake!" Other valley settlers, who believed Whitney's ideas, feared that the quake was a prelude to a cataclysmic deepening of the valley. Muir had no such fear and promptly made a moonlit survey of new talus piles created by earthquake-triggered rock-slides. This event led more people to believe in Muir's ideas about the formation of the valley."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Muir

Dude, are you even remotely aware that you are deranged? Off-the-hook unhinged? Batshit crazy? I hate to be so blunt, but hey. You are a way, way fringe dude.

1 Peter 2:9 (KJV)
"[9] But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:"

And I didn't type anything I cut and pasted. The Hebrew proscription is against SAYING the name, not seeing it written. It's in the Torah.

Haha, at this point I'm not sure anybody knows how to say the name. Hebrew is different than two millennia ago.

Revelation 19:10-16 (KJV)
[10] And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
[11] And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
[12] His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
[13] And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
[14] And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
[15] And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
[16] And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.