As was noted about a year ago in a previous article pork is not good for you.  It seems that this issue has cropped up yet again in the news.  This time a woman was severely debilitated as the result of a worm that was in the pork working its way into her brain.  Fortunately the debilitation was only temporary until the worm was removed via surgery.

YouTube has a number of videos about Coke and pork.  Some of them a hoaxes and some of the them are just plain stupid but the fact remains that pork often has parasites and you just don't know which do and which don't.  Better to 1) obey G-d and 2) avoid the consequences.  Do a quick Google search on pork brain worm and see what all comes up.

California Institute of Technology has this article on brain worms and brain amoebas.  They do exist and the article points out that the "pork tapeworm is one of the most common disease-causing brain parasites".

G-d does not make up arbitrary laws.  He knows that pork is not good for humanity.  He has repeatedly told us not to eat it (and other things) that are unsuitable (Leviticus 11:1-23, Deuteronomy 14:3-20).  Peter declares that he never ate anything unclean in Acts 10:14.  He was a good disciple of the Master and in the same way we should also avoid unclean animals in our diet.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for Wednesday, February 4th, 2009 was cognate.

1 : of the same or similar nature 2 : related; especially : related by descent from the same ancestral language

This brings to mind one of the very first word studies I ever did.  I was using Vine's Expository Dictionary [ed- the paper version... not online.  I don't think there was an "online" back then. :) ]

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for Thursday, January 29th was indubitable.

This takes me back to childhood memories of the Three Stooges (who were Jewish!) and their statements using "indubitably". :)

M-W provides this definition:

too evident to be doubted : unquestionable

The Merriam-Webster word of the day for Wednesday, January 28th was primogeniture.

M-W provided the following definition:

1 : the state of being the firstborn of the children of the same parents 2 : an exclusive right of inheritance belonging to the eldest son

 

This brings to mind a passage from Colossians:

Unless you are already familiar with the term you might be upset if you heard someone use Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 24th to describe Messiah.

The word is cynosure and M-W provides the following definition:

1 : the northern constellation Ursa Minor; also : North Star

2 : one that serves to direct or guide

3 : a center of attraction or attention

Merriam Webster's Word of the Day for Monday, January 26th was engender.

1 : beget, procreate

2 : to cause to exist or to develop : produce

3 : to assume form : originate

During a recent study a question came up around the Hebrew word et. In Hebrew, et can serve as what is called an "object marker" (OM). It appears before an object that receives an action in a sentence (what we might call the direct object in English). Et points to the direct object. Here is an example from Genesis 1:1-

The Merriam-Webster word of the day for January 22nd was reconcile.  Here is the definition:

1 a : to restore to friendship or harmony b : settle, resolve 2 : to cause to submit to or accept something unpleasant 3 a : to check (a financial account) against another for accuracy b : to account for

Some very obvious references can be made with Scripture.  Here is the etymology:

After a long break from words that brought anything Scriptural to mind...

The Merriam-Webster word of the day for January 21st was "palatable".  These meanings were given:

1 : agreeable to the palate or taste

2 : agreeable or acceptable to the mind

In the first article of this two-part series on Debunking the Myths of Christmas we addressed the origins of Christmas itself.  This second article is dedicated to examining the origins of many of the traditional trappings of Christmas.

Part 2: Where do the traditional trappings of Christmas come from?

Christmas trees

Tree worship was common among the pagan Europeans and survived their conversion  to Christianity in the Scandinavian customs of decorating the house and barn  with evergreens at the New Year to scare away the devil and of setting up a tree  for the birds during Christmastime; it survived further in the custom, also  observed in Germany, of placing a Yule tree at an entrance or inside the house  during the midwinter holidays.

Encyclopedia Brittanica on Christmas trees