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A Learned Treatise by a Former Rocket Scientist
The Tarleton Project
Here is a link to a PDF of Joseph Tarleton’s work.
TRANSCRIPTIONIST’S PREFACE
Creationist like the administrator will take exception to Joseph Tarleton’s chronology, but he has not yet embraced the Bible as a true indicator of the age of God’s handiwork. God has laid the grounds for misdirection for those who neglect to research things the angels desire to look into. Science is like one of Christ’s parables, which He explained the purposes of in Mark 4:11-12…
“And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.”
Tarleton stands in desperate need of forgiveness, as do we all. For the moment, however, he remains blinded by science. He is headed in the right direction with his attempt to reconcile Genesis 1-9 with his own informed theories regarding the formation of life on earth.
God, as Creator, neatly manages to cut the Gordian Knot that hopelessly entangles speculation about the origin of life in the universe. The byways and dead-ends that mark the author’s journey toward ultimate truth are evident in the artifact on display below. Christians know the truth, and will take Tarleton with a grain of salt.
SOLAR ILLUMINATIONS AND THE ALPHASPHERE AND THE BOOK OF GENESIS
To develop the geological formations found today, planet earth would have to first go through a period of embryonic-like stasis, and a subsequent phase of accelerated differentiation that would have been amazingly similar to that which is described in the first nine (9) verses of the Book of Genesis. A short summary follows.
As our young Sun developed the foundation of the earth was formed as planetesimals merged. But then our planet gained a deep layer of ice-covered sand (metallic silicates), or to quote Carl Sagan, “Star Stuff.” Young earth, as described by Genesis 1:2, would have looked very much like the planet Mars. The earth was “…without form, and void.” This sand and ice layer shall be designated the Silexis Matrix, or, alternately, the Silica Ice Womb. The ice within this protective layer is the main source of earth’s water as described in Genesis 1:7, “…the waters which were above.” (See Illustration)
At great depth within this ice and sand overlay, liquid water met extremely hot deep magmas, setting off an enormous moon-forming eruption. This event was followed by the formation of subterranean caverns, cavities, and/or voids that subsequently filled with matrix melts and extremely hot water. This subterranean realm shall be designated the Alphasphere, a location that is described in the Genesis 1:7, “…the waters which were under.” These conditions prevailed for billions of years (the Precambrian Era) as granite solutions percolated, and the progenitors of life developed in Alphasphere voids and micro-oceans around the world.
When our Sun finally entered main sequence, a condition referred to in my hypothetical as Solar Illuminations, the resultant thermonuclear shockwave seperated the earth and moon. Direct sunlight caused the collapse of the frozen matrix, pushing hot liquid granites up into the Alphasphere. This hot liquid rock filled the subterranean voids which served as temporary molds.
For hundreds of millions of years, our planet went through a stage of accelerated differentiation and evolution (the Cambrian Era) as heavy matrix silicates were converted into seafloor crusts. Less dense granite formations rose toward the surface, a process described in Genesis 1:9, “…Let the waters under heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear.” The rest is just history.
At the commencement of my investigations, it was not my intent to either confirm or deny the accuracy of the Biblical account of Creation. My sole objective was to satisfy my curiosity. I was led in a direction that was exclusively determined by an objective analysis of the scientific evidence. I was therefore amazed to discover that my conclusions, far from contradicting the scriptural account of the initial formation of the world that is found in the Book of Genesis, appears instead to validate it.
This unexpected correlation appears to offer strong evidence that ancient civilizations, and the observers of these civilizations who recorded their insights such as Moses, had access to extremely advanced scientific knowledge. I urge you to read my hypothetical entitled Solar Illuminations and the Alphasphere, and then decide for yourself.
Joseph B. Tarleton
Genesis 1 – King James Version (KJV)
1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
SOLAR ILLUMINATIONS AND THE ALPHASPHERE
BY JOSEPH B. TARLETON
2011ANNOTATED BY THE AUTHOR 8/21/2017
Solar Illuminations refers to a point in time when our sun entered main sequence. In other words, when the lights came on. This event would be accompanied by a massive thermonuclear fusion shockwave.
The Alphasphere refers to worldwide subterranean caverns, cavities, and/or voids that existed for billions of years before our sun entered main sequence. (The Precambrian era) “The Precambrian was a strange place, with hints of what we know, but much more that is unfamiliar. The past, as L.P. Hartley said, is another country. They do things differently there.” *
*Richard Fortey, Earth
The following hypothetical/model covers a timespan from earth’s initial formation through to the Cambrian Explosion. Here, I will attempt to show the Precambrian was not merely “another country,” but was dominated by the first, but now extinct earth sphere which formed within a deep layer of sand and ice.
I hope that this model will lead to a better understanding of that mysterious time.
ABSTRACT
The following hypothetical mechanism may provide a key to unlock other illusive earth phases demonstrating fundamental changes of form, climate, and habitat during the Precambrian Era and settle some discourse related to conditions conducive to the development of granite-gneiss complexes, greenstone belts, banded iron formations (BIFs) and Precambrian life.
Research based on current literature and scientific text led to the discernment of at least two (2) previously unexplored primordial earth phases and/or Precambrian earth conditions. The first will be referred to as the Silexis Matrix or Silica Ice Womb which, acting as a protective shield or shell, facilitated the existence of the second, the Alphasphere, where the basic components of the microcontinents percolated and the progenitors of life propagated. With this model numerous enigma of historic geology, including the origin of the moon, fall neatly into place.
This is a nontechnical presentation by
Joseph B. Tarleton 2011
NOTES
A deep layer of the metallic silicates,* the Silexis Matrix, provided an abundant source of sand, pressure, and temperature necessary to develop granite formations, greenstone belts, and banded iron formations on a global scale.
Professor S. Warren Carey believed in an expanding earth theory where the continental crust fit together like the pieces of a peeled orange. Carey proposed the continents split, as the earth expanded, forming the oceans. But it was then confirmed the oceans existed prior to the assemblage of any continents.
The expanding earth theory also failed to answer other geological riddles, but keep in mind that if we bring all the continental foundation back together the resulting sphere would measure about 3/5 of the earth’s current size. This is a critical clue, but the existence of almost pure granite on a massive scale, greenstone belts, and ultramafic formations led to complete resolution.
This model works only to explain conditions on primordial earth necessary to develop that which is evident in the field today. The Devil is in the details.
* Mostly sands and various metals.
SOLAR ILLUMINATIONS AND THE ALPHASPHERE
Over the eons supernova events enriched the interstellar medium with perhaps a billion solar masses of heavy elements forming gigantic clouds of metallic silicate granules composed of silicon, oxygen, magnesium, and iron, along with various elements of carbon and other trace elements. As these granules cooled compounds of water, methane, and possibly molecules crucial to the development of life condensed on the surface to form ice jackets around each. Crystals, if you will, secure in icy crystalline lattices, many possessing magnetic properties, each particle a tiny spaceship destined for horizons yet to exist. These galactic emissaries were accompanied by conglomerates varying in size and composition and could be classified as asteroids, comets, or even disengaged planetesimals. Star-stuff born of multiple supernovae and other cataclysmic events; the essence of rock and worlds alike.
It was one of these colossal clouds of interstellar star-stuff that, under the influence of gravity and magnetism, contracted to form our protosun and protoplanetary disc. Within this “solar nebula” our embryonic sun had not yet achieved thermonuclear fusion, but did possess the mass to effect surrounding space, creating gravitational and magnetic eddies where the planets of our present-day solar system began to form.
NOTES
Metallic silicates are better known as common sand, or quoting the late great Carl Sagan “star-stuff” as it is the product of supernova events.* It is one of the most abundant materials on earth and in space.
Our Sun, composed of star stuff, did not just suddenly blink on. For billions of years the young sun appeared as a rather large red orb in Precambrian times. Our solar system was a very cold place.
Furthermore, any direct “sunlight” would be blocked by the solar nebular cloud and protoplanetary disk.
Precambrian earth was a frozen world very much like present day Mars.
*Giant exploding stars.
The initial formation of the protoplanet earth was a very hot and sterilizing event as massive nebular matter collided to form the foundation of our planet, but would eventually settle into a relatively mild process of accretion mainly involving those tiny ice-covered silicates and carbons. For many years the young earth, with no appreciable atmosphere, would sweep up star-stuff that wandered into its orbital region only to acquire a thick, icy protective blanket pockmarked by occasional meteoric bombardment; a silica ice-womb, or the Silexis Matrix.
Deep beneath this frozen Mars-like terrain explosive pressures came into play as liquid water made contact with magmas created by gravitational compression and radioactive decay setting off enormous pressure-releasing eruptions of extremely hot silicate melts, penetrating the matrix with heavy CO2 clouds, steam, and a colossal orb of igneous rock (Anorthosite, Olivine, and Pyroxene) indicative of deep earth origins, which spun off Precambrian earth to become our present-day moon. A polar shift* and/or diamagnetic properties may have influenced the separation. Subsequent reductions of internal pressures caused many subterranean faults and fractures; the Alphasphere is born as a lopsided moon received a final eruption of high temperature earth magma prior to separation. (see Figure 1)
* A geomagnetic reversal.
FIG. 1 NOTES
Illustrations One (1) through Five (5) are idealized cross sections. Earth’s moon is slightly pear-shaped with the pointed side always facing earth. (See 1959 Lunik III photos)
The lunar far-side “Mare” Orientale, with its concentric rings, is not an impact crater or a “mare”. It is a volcanic caldera created as Precambrian eruptions formed the moon, resulting in a far-side crust about 3 times as thick as the nearside crust.
The nearside, as seen from the earth, shows cross-sections of enormous moon-forming lava feeders, magma tubes, and/or magma chambers.
Note also one-half of the moon’s circumference is nearly pristine, exhibiting far less cratering. This not only demonstrates the moon’s face was shielded by the Silexis Matrix, it also gives an indication as to how deep the matrix extended. Here I strongly encourage you to review nearside and far-side photos of earth’s moon.
Lunar magnetic research may confirm this earth-moon formation mechanism which facilitated the formation of worldwide subterranean caverns, cavities, and/or voids.*
NOTES
The solar nebular theory dictates a counter-clockwise spin of the protoplanets and the protoplanetary disc, therefore, most of the final accretions would be a relatively gentle event as planet earth developed a thick layer of ice-covered silicates. (The Silexis Matrix)
The deep matrix is Professor Carey’s missing 2/5. And will become the source of earth’s seafloor crust and water.
At depth the matrix produced extreme pressures and heat resulting in an eruption of deep pre-biosphere molten material that would become earth’s moon.
After this colossal eruption cavernous voids developed and filled with hot water, clays, liquid quartz, and various matrix silica melts. The depths of these voids would vary worldwide.
Liquid water formed hot subterranean micro-oceans worldwide where any carbonic acids would precipitate calcium carbonates.
The earth/moon separation may have been caused by a number of events such as geomagnetic reversal, an impact, or a solar thermonuclear fusion shockwave.
*The Alphasphere.
The subterranean Alphasphere, existing at various depths world-wide, consisted of independent and semi-independent pockets, veins and irregular caverns and cavities. Most of these voids would be accompanied by some form of hydrothermal vents and/or fissures. Some cavities were carved into the matrix by heat, steam, and various liquids. If we could go back in time and strip away the silica ice blanket, Precambrian earth would appear to be a steamy, pocked orb blistered with a plague of boils.
It is here, in and around the Alphasphere, under extreme pressures and temperatures, liquids met mantle slags to produce granite-gneiss complex mixtures and greenstone belt elements as regular hydrothermal eruptions precipitated banded iron formations (BIF’s), forming the components of microcontinental cratons; the building blocks of present-day continental shields. It is here in hot liquid water-filled “tidal pools” of the Alphasphere, shielded from deadly cosmic rays by the Silexis Matrix that the progenitors of life (the hyperthermophiles) evolved and propagated in a dark, cyclical environment rich in quartz and various clays.
Life in these extreme environments would be long and hard. Soft, flat body designs and long tactile feelers would be some of the most environmentally functional traits. Very little energy would go to waste, explaining (in part) the scarcity of Precambrian fossilized remains. (See Figure 2)
FIG. 2 NOTES
Our young sun is still no more than a red glow in Precambrian times.
With no atmosphere to speak of, the ice and sand matrix continues to protect Alphasphere life forms from deadly cosmic radiation and meteoric bombardment.
The lower Alphasphere voids were lined or filled with hot liquid quartz, granites, greenstones, and other matrix silicate melts where various elements and compounds percolated and mixed with magma slags.
The upper voids consisted mainly of hot water pumped through hypothermal vents to facilitate hot subterranean aquatic environments world-wide (the micro-oceans).
For billions of years the Alphasphere simmered as meteorites, large and small, accumulated on the surface of our frozen Precambrian world.
NOTES
The very shape of the subterranean Alphasphere voids may help us better understand granite formations and ophiolite sequence obduction processes.*
Within Alphasphere voids, BIF’s precipitated in the early Precambrian, then again for a short period of time during a phase of accelerated differentiation.
Dark Alphasphere voids, rich in various hot liquids existed for billions of years where a very primitive form of life evolved without eyes, simply because of the fact that in total darkness there was no stimulus for vision.
The deep, hot subterranean micro-oceans of the Alphasphere could or would generate massive volumes of carbon dioxides to precipitate calcium carbonates.
*An ophiolite sequence is a massive chunk of primordial seafloor that has somehow been trapped, moved, or obducted to dry land, such as the mountains of Oman and the Troodos Mountains of Cyprus.
A protective frozen matrix continued for many years with few significant geological changes until our sun achieved thermonuclear fusion which triggered a period of accelerated differentiation. With the ensuing matrix melt, intensified by thick Precambrian greenhouse gas clouds, the Silexis Matrix collapsed. The initial pressures pushed the plastic granite-gneiss mixtures and metamorphic elements further up into their corresponding cavities and Alphasphere voids. Water World is born where dense matrix materials, combined with water, migrate into the mantle, setting off a second round of banded iron formations (BIF’s) simply because the necessary elements and conditions are once again made available. Meteorites sank to merge with viscous microcontinents, or continued to the mantle and beyond. A few simply rode the sands to be found much later setting comfortably on dry land.
The moon, much closer to Precambrian earth, produced colossal tides causing severe currents which, combined with matrix sands virtually sand-blasted this evolving new world. In this turbulent world-wide transmogrification those organisms unable to adapt were either consumed or swept up in the chaos, further explaining the rarity of fossilized Precambrian fauna. (See Figure 3)
FIG. 3 NOTES
With the warmth of direct sunlight planet earth enjoys a period of accelerated differentiation triggering a phase of world-wide flooding and an unprecedented cycle of erosion which is recorded, at the “basement-rock” level, in the form of the Great Unconformity.
At this point most of the Precambrian fauna evidence is simply sandblasted away.
Meteorites that originally impacted the frozen matrix would eventually be found setting on dry land.
NOTES
When the sun enters main sequence an enormous thermonuclear shockwave separates the earth and moon. Earth falls into the Goldilocks zone where the matrix melts and collapses, pushing hot liquid granites, gneisses, and greenstones up into the Alphasphere voids. The late great Eduard Suess (1831-1914) was correct in saying “It is absolutely necessary that the injection of a granite mass, possessing so high a temperature as to be capable of altering the surrounding rock, should be preceded by the formation of a corresponding cavity.” (See Das Antlitz Der Erde- The Face of the Earth, 1904-1909)
Many granite formations owe their size and shape to Alphasphere cavities which served as temporary molds. Here I encourage you to view photos of unusual granite formations such as the atypically deformed, yet natural granite formations atop Mount Kinabalu in Borneo.
With the matrix melt, massive volumes of water and metallic silicates were flushed through deep hydrothermal vents resulting in a second round of banded iron formations (BIF’s).
Surface impact craters disappear with the melt as surface debris sinks to new levels.
Over time massive volumes of dense matrix matter, mostly metallic silicates, continued to dive into the mantle fueling eruptions of moon-like magmas between the microcontinental compartments, launching the process of sea floor spreading and cratonic assemblage, creating the foundations for earth’s original continents. As the microcontinental compounds had not yet crystallized or fully solidified, a process of “plastering-on” culminated in a solid patchwork or amalgamation of the different rock types making up our present day continental shields. At the same time a massive volume of heavy elements sank to the core, further stabilizing earth’s rotation and enhancing or intensifying earth’s dynamo and magnetosphere, rerouting harmful solar and cosmic rays.
Relieved of extreme Precambrian earth living conditions, and with a new and very powerful energy source (direct sunlight), adaptive Precambrian fauna roared explosively into the Cambrian era, forming skeletal frames, teeth, protective shells, and eyes.
Simultaneously, various photosynthesizing organisms proliferated in a worldwide ocean pushing more oxygen into a continually transforming atmosphere where the first rains had already been scrubbing away harmful toxins in preparation for the next stage of world development. (See Figure 4)
FIG. 4 NOTES
A large volume of matrix silicates were absorbed and converted to upper mantle magma and seafloor crust as heavier elements fell deeper toward earth’s core.
At this point, however, our earth has not shrunk or expanded in the warmth of direct sunlight. The outer elements and compounds (mostly matrix silicates, ice, and water) have effectively shuffled around to establish a new equilibrium.
Liquid granite mass injections came to an end, as did the Alphasphere itself, during this global transformation.
Over time an abundance of silicates erupted worldwide as enormous formations of igneous rock resulted in traps, plateau basalts, and basalt dikes.
NOTES
Lunar samples have proven to be very similar to earth’s ocean floor crust. The slight difference was caused by the effects of living organisms on earth’s composition and some 4 billion years of matrix silicates percolating in Alphasphere voids.
Lunar surface materials were mixed with various foreign elements and compounds from meteors, asteroids, and comets impacting the moon where differentiation has never occurred.
Solar illumination brings an end to the Precambrian era with the matrix melt. Direct sunlight ushers in the Cambrian Explosion which facilitates the formation of a protective oxygen-rich atmosphere.
The Alphasphere comes to an end with the matrix melt as living organisms migrate into what will soon become the new biosphere.
Temperatures and pressures fluctuate as cratonic compositions are jostled high and low on a planet whose surface is dominated by liquid water. Radioactive and/or magnetic clocks are set, as basement rocks are quenched or slowly cooled. Many of these settings are repeatedly reset due to metamorphic events, the results (in part) of evolving geothermal processes driven by plate tectonics.
Stress cracks, fissures, and faults occur, only to be quickly filled by elements, compounds, and/or sediments to form distinct sills and dikes of various sizes and compositions.
The continuing processes and dynamics of tectonic plate seismic activities, fueled mainly by silicates and other elements derived from the Silexis Matrix melt, methodically expanded the ocean basins, causing the dry land to rise up out of the sea.
In time, organisms whose primordial roots can be traced back to an origin in the Precambrian Alphasphere migrate to a newly forming aerobic environment. (See Figure 5)
FIG. 5 NOTES
The foregoing model is intended to display:
1. The Silexis Matrix provided a shield as Precambrian Fauna developed.
2. The frozen matrix protected the face of the moon.
3. Deep Alphasphere voids provided a high-pressure and high-temperature environment capable of melting matrix silicates in mass producing granites, gneisses, greenstones, and facilitated BIF cycles.
4. The Alphasphere voids ARE the corresponding cavities proposed by Eduard Suess that proceeded granite mass injections.
5. The matrix melt resulted in a period of unprecedented erosion, causing The Great Unconformity at the basement rock level.
6. The matrix ice is the main source of the earth’s water.
7. The matrix silicates become earth’s seafloor crust.
8. Matrix silicates fueled plateau basalts, traps, and dikes.
9. Why earth lacks multiple meteor impact craters.
10. A good explanation for why large, seemingly out-of-place meteorites cannot be linked to an associated impact crater. This anomaly now makes perfect sense.
11. Why Precambrian fossil evidence is so rare.
12. Why the Cambrian Explosion* seems to have occurred so abruptly.
These are some of the most obvious resolutions supported by readily accessible data and reference points. There are many more.
*Also known as The Cambrian Radiation.
NOTES
Prime locations to research evidence of this worldwide Precambrian transition would be where hot liquid granite solutions were pushed up into Alphasphere cavities and against matrix silicates.
A good example of such a location is El Capitan, the Dome, and the Half Dome in the Yosemite National Park in California where matrix sands can be observed firmly fused to these formations. (See National Geographic of May 2011 for photographic examples.) One might also choose to examine the relatively inaccessible, and therefore undisturbed atypical granite formations atop Mount Kinabalu in Borneo.
Here again, I urge you to review photos and/or research data of these natural structures which strongly suggest, if not confirm, Alphasphere voids served as temporary molds to facilitate the creation of these weird formations.
We have retrieved rock samples from the moon, finding their composition to be very similar to that of the earth’s oceanic crust. We have sent probes, landers, and robotic rovers to find almost-perfect freeze-frame examples of primordial planet earth in transition. Mars, for example, forming outside of the Goldilocks Zone, remains in embryonic stasis, frozen in time within its own icy matrix. Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto, moons of Jupiter, exhibit “worldwide” frozen oceans, and another of Jupiter’s moons, Io, exhibits some form of sorting or differentiation occurring below a frozen surface. These distant moons conveniently serve as galactic crystal balls, revealing clues to our own planet’s past as we ourselves continue to sail into the future, searching for further enlightenment.
Over the years, several concepts of geological time and measurement have been proposed. German geologist Abraham Gottlob Werner (1749-1817), for example, proposed that all rocks, including granites and basalts, were precipitated in an orderly fashion from an ancient worldwide ocean, but this Neptunian concept failed to explain what may have caused the reduction in the volume of the earth’s ocean, and where all of this water may have come from in the first place.
French naturalist and zoologist Baron Georges Cuvier (1769-1832) proposed that a total of six (6) sudden widespread catastrophes could explain earth’s physical and biological history. Further field observations, however, revealed that it would require far more than six catastrophes to adequately account for the eventful natural history of the earth.
NOTES
There are many Precambrian hypotheticals, such as that of Professor S. Warren Carey (See page 2 notes). Had Carey applied an outer sand and ice matrix to his “expanding earth” he may have come much closer to discovering the key to the mystery he was attempting to unravel.
It is interesting to note that Carey’s ideas were taken seriously by British geologist Arthur Holmes (1890-1965), who pioneered the use of radiometric dating of minerals, and also uncovered the thermal and mechanical implications of mantle convection, thereby validating the concept of plate tectonics.
Scottish polymath James Hutton (1726-1797) proposed that the present-day processes of wave action, erosion by water, and sedimentary deposition has operated throughout geologic time. This concept was later designated Uniformitarianism, and is widely accepted by present-day geologists. Some prefer to use the term Actualism, however, to eliminate the implications of a static world that the term “uniform” seems to imply. The first approach, Uniformitarianism, asserts that the processes that effect changes to the physical universe have remained consistent throughout time, but there exist a variety of manifestations that are the result of these processes. The second approach, Actualism, when applied to the field of geology, states that all past geological action was like all present geological action. The two terms describe a very similar concept, but have historically excluded instances of cataclysmic changes to the landscape.
Another Scotsman, Charles Lyell, helped popularize the revolutionary work of his fellow geologist James Hutton, and introduced the concept of Uniformitarianism to the world in his influential three-volume work Principles of Geology (1800-1833). Its key argument is “the present is the key to the past.” In the twentieth-century, Lyell’s rigorous approach has been tempered by combining it with what might be considered as the opposite of Uniformitarianism- Catastrophism. Both concepts have contributed to the formation of our complex environment.
We now have a chance, through the incorporation of additional research that preserves some aspects of previous approaches, to achieve some level of geologic unification through the principles of differentiation. We may very well discover vestiges of our beginnings which will enable us to better envision far greater prospects that lie just beyond the horizon. New discoveries will continue to contribute to our forward progress.
The application of the hypothetical mechanism that is the subject of this nontechnical presentation may help us acquire a better understanding of our past, and may offer us insights that will allow us to plot a more informative course for navigations into the future.
END
NOTE TO THE READER
I have tried to intentionally falsify this composition, Solar Illuminations and the Alphasphere. Hypotheses are falsifiable if it is possible to conceive of an observation or an argument which could negate them, an indicator that they may not be scientifically valid. I was gratified to discover that, when applied, this model tends to solve most, if not all Precambrian geological mysteries. It also meets the requirements of the problem-solving principle known as Occam’s Razor,* which utilizes the simplest explanation for a phenomenon, one not encumbered by too many assumptions (special pleadings; a form of fallacious argument that cannot be proven).
*William of Ockham’s Law of Parsimony is a foundational principle of Western science dictating that one should choose the simplest and most natural explanation that requires the least special pleadings.
I urge students everywhere to build upon the hypothetical that I have provided, to familiarize themselves with the concepts, and then to contribute to the process. You are invited to fill in the gaps with details, and to correct any errors that you may discover. The elimination of any flaws in the reasoning will contribute to the formation of a useful and durable foundation, one upon which others can build, and one which will hopefully serve as a spur to further discoveries. We can’t possibly know where we are going, until we know where we have been.
You are free to scan, download, and/or copy this paper and its annotations in its original form, and may repost it in its original form as stipulated by the Creative Commons “Attribution + Noncommercial + NoDerivatives” (BY-NC-ND) license. As stated, you are free to build upon the information contained in this work, but this must be embodied in a separate context. Contributors are requested to credit the author, and, insofar as this may prove to be possible, provide a link to, or a facsimile of this source document.
The author may be contacted at the following address-
Mr. J.B. Tarleton
4480 NC Hwy 205
Oakboro, NC 28129
Or by email at-
4josephtarleton@gmail.com
Sunday, February 4, 2018
Saturday, January 27, 2018
A Young Pastor Shares Jesus with the Next Generation
Pastor Danielle Pilgrim
The following information has been gathered from several online sources, and is therefore readily accessible to everyone on earth. Danielle Pilgrim is herself also readily accessible. Should you happen to be in the Atlanta area anytime soon, she would be more than happy to be of service. The service that she specializes in is informing people about Jesus Christ, and of His soon return.
Atlanta is only the most recent of the many milestones that have marked her personal pilgrimage (an unavoidable pun for the majority of her aspiring biographers, including this one). Pastor Pilgrim’s life’s journey is planned in such a way as to eventually arrive, after many intervening trials and temptations, at the same destination that most famous of literary pilgrims, Christian, struggled to reach. At the end of his fictional trek he is grateful to be admitted to heaven. At the end of this sentence is a link to an 1853 edition of Protestant dissenter John Bunyan’s 1678 allegory THE PILGRIM’S PROGRESS.
During her installation at Berean, some prepared biographical material (“...a very powerful bio,” stated her new supervisor, Fredrick Russell) about the new pastor was read to all by Dr. James Lamb, another pastor on the Berean staff. A transcription will be provided below the Coat of Arms of Trinidad and Tobago…
Danielle Pilgrim is a native of the beautiful twin Island of Trinidad and Tobago. She came to the United States at the age of 14 where she was introduced to the Adventist Church and its message. After attending church services for over a year, she fell in love with Jesus, and decided to express her devotion to God publically through baptism. Her decision to follow Christ brought fierce opposition from a close family member, and subsequently prevented her from following through with her decision. Despite this opposition, at the age of 16, because of her deep love and commitment to Jesus she decided to follow through with her decision and was baptized during a summer evangelistic meeting.
Although Pastor Pilgrim is the only Adventist in her immediate family, she became very active in the mission of the world church. She was an active member of the Youth Preacher’s Core Movement in Brooklyn, New York. For several years she served as a Bible worker and production manager for many evangelistic meetings. In 2008 she took off a year from completing her Bachelor’s degree and served as a Bible worker for one year for the Southeastern Conference at the Waycross and Brunswick churches located in south Georgia.
Pastor Pilgrim is also a published author. In 2013 she published her first Biblical word search puzzle book. This was a project she had been working on while completing her Master Guide program. This project was designed with the intent of creating a book that is interesting, educational, and fun for young people to learn more of God and the Bible.
Pastor Pilgrim attended the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University to enhance her knowledge for ministry. While in the seminary, she served as an Intern Pastor at the Shiloh Seventh-day Adventist Church in Chicago under the leadership of Pastor Leeroy Coleman. In addition to leading out on Sabbath services and revival, she led out in engaging the church in personal and community outreach.
As of last week, praise the Lord, she completed her Masters of Divinity at the seminary, and she is fired up, passionate, energized, and inspired to build up the Kingdom of God. Danielle Pilgrim’s deepest desire is to be used by the Holy Spirit to bring her family and others to Christ. It is also her deepest aspiration to equip the church for the purpose of soul-winning, and to usher in the second coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
At the conclusion of these remarks, South Atlantic Conference President William Winston offered additional remarks regarding the most recent reemergence of a recurrent controversy within the ranks of the Seventh-day Adventist Church as to whether women should, or should not be allowed to preach. A provision that would have enabled local divisions and conferences to decide for themselves about this issue had just been voted down at the General Conference of the church held in San Antonio. But the concept of women in ministry is important, so he encouraged the pastor to ignore detractors both inside and outside the walls of her new church home, and to simply “…shake the dust off your feet, and move on.”
President Winston’s initial interview with her while she was still attending the theological seminary had impressed him with her quality both as a person and as a pastor. The Northeastern Conference had hoped to lock her in upon graduation, but she had graciously declined, awaiting the fulfillment of a promise made to her by the South Atlantic Conference through its minister plenipotentiary, Elder William (a man so smooth that butter would not melt in his mouth, and, providentially, chief of a conference that yet remains uncompromised by scandal). As was the case with the legendary first president of the “regional” South Atlantic Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Harold D. Singleton, its most recent leader William Winston is also a “good people-picker.”
Danielle Pilgrim is a native of the beautiful twin Island of Trinidad and Tobago. She is a recent graduate of the Seventh-Day Theological Seminary of Andrews University where she earned her MDiv degree. Along with sharing the gospel through preaching, she is passionate about discipleship and evangelism.
THE PASTOR’S CURRICULUM VITAE, COPIED FROM LINKED IN–
SOME MISSING LOGOS FOR DANIELLE’S EMPLOYERS TO PLACE ON LINKED IN, SHOULD THEY CHOOSE TO BECOME LINKED–
Danielle Pilgrim is a native of the beautiful twin Island of Trinidad and Tobago [this phrase definitely sound familiar]. She migrated to the United States at the age of 14. At an early age Danielle fell in love with Jesus and accepted him as her personal Savior.
As a teenager, Danielle was an active participant in the Youth Preachers Core Movement in Brooklyn, New York. For several years she served as a community Bible leader and production manager for many evangelistic events. In 2008, Danielle took a year off from completing her bachelor’s and served in two small churches in South Georgia: Waycross and Brunswick. During that season, she had the privilege of leading people to Christ, which only deepened her desire to serve the Lord as a career pastor. When she returned to New York, she was asked to serve in her home church as the first young female Elder.
Danielle is a published author, where in 2013 she published her first Biblical Word Search puzzle book. This project was designed with the intent of creating a book that is interesting, educational, and fun for young people to learn more about God and His Word. In addition she wrote a groundbreaking article in Spectrum magazine called “Church Beyond Walls.”
Pastor Pilgrim has always been convinced that God called her to pastoral ministry, and as such, she applied and was accepted into the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University to enhance her gifts and knowledge in preparation for full time ministry. While at the seminary, Danielle was very active in ministry: she served as an intern pastor at the Shiloh Seventh-day Adventist Church Chicago, serving in multiple capacities in that large congregation.
Danielle completed her Masters in Divinity December 2015, and was assigned as the Youth and Discipleship Pastor of the Berean Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. She made an immediate impact on the congregation and the youth of the church as a result of her passion and total engagement in both the church and broader Atlanta community.
Pastor Pilgrim started at Berean the first annual teen girls retreat, inaugurated a creative process of engaging youth in community service, begin a youth discipleship class, and facilitated high impact youth Worship services. She was also instrumental in restarting a mentoring program for young teen males. As part of her Discipleship ministry, Danielle has also put in place at Berean a new member integration process that connects [transitions would have been a better choice] new members smoothly into the life of the church.
Pastor Pilgrim is fired up, passionate, energized and inspired to build up of the kingdom of God. Pastor Pilgrim’s deepest desire is to be used by the Holy Spirit to bring as many people as possible to Christ.
Finally, Danielle also has an emerging passion for community engagement beyond the church walls, having already launched her a Non Profit organization call “Happy Feet” which focuses on providing foot products for homeless and underprivileged people.
This Pilgrim’s Journey: How One Pastor Breaks Down Barriers and Breaks New Ground
If you’d asked a young Danielle Pilgrim growing up on the Caribbean island of Trinidad and Tobago whether she could envision herself becoming a pastor, the answer, more than likely, would have been an emphatic “No!” followed by a hearty laugh. Life, however, has a way of taking us places that we never imagined. After moving to the United States at the age of 14, she was introduced to the Adventist faith a few years later. Today, not only is she still active in the Church, but she is an associate pastor at one of the most recognized churches in North America, Atlanta Berean in Atlanta, Georgia. Recently, she became an award-winning pastor too.
Pilgrim was recognized as the Youth Pastor of the Year at the 23rd Annual Gospel Choice Awards in Atlanta, Georgia, on September 25, 2017. This prestigious honor has been bestowed upon many other leaders of note, and Pilgrim joins a long list of luminaries in ministry. In attendance were her fellow pastoral staff members, including Fredrick Russell, senior pastor; her family; and many members of the Berean congregation.
Prior to receiving her master of divinity degree from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan, Pilgrim received her bachelor of science in community health education from City University in New York. This informs her passion for taking the impact of the Church beyond the four walls of the building, and making it felt where it matters most- where the people truly live. She has created several initiatives to effect the change needed in communities, and joined forces with others who are actively working to make a difference.
Pilgrim has also launched her own foundation, Happy Feet, which seeks to provide relief for individuals who are homeless and in need of clean/new shoes and socks. Pilgrim is also an active leader in The And Campaign, a non-denominational community organization that seeks to bridge the divide between social justice advocacy and faith-based groups.
“We have a calling to do so much more than feed the sheep that are already within the fold,” Pilgrim says. “Our commitment to spreading the Gospel means showing up in places where the Light of Jesus seldom shines. It means doing things to expose the Heart of Christ that makes us vulnerable and transparent. It means being as authentic in our service as we are in our worship. That means being real Christians, and showing real love to real people in the real world!”
With a name like Pilgrim, is it any wonder that she is a groundbreaking trailblazer in her own right? Her primary determination is simply to take Jesus where He isn’t, so that He can be fully represented and fully known for Who He is. Whether winning souls or winning awards, Pilgrim is all in for God’s Kingdom!
Frederick Bussey is the communication director at Berean Church in Atlanta, Georgia.
VALIANTLY ATTEMPTING TO SHIFT PARADIGMS: PASTOR PILGRIM’S JULY 24, 2015 ARTICLE IN SPECTRUM MAGAZINE–
A Church Beyond Walls: A Call to Surrender
“Now let’s get back to the mission of our church.” This has been one of the most repeated phrases among Seventh-day Adventists following the 2015 General Conference decision regarding women’s ordination. This phrase suggests that because we have been deeply engaged in study and discussion on women’s ordination, that this has caused us to lose focus on our mission of reaching the lost.
While our theologians have been in deep study and our church members engaged in heated debate, our attentions have been misguided from pursing our mission. And although we had tabled this discussion for several years, its reappearance distracted us from our Divine mandate found in Matthew 18:19-20. Or so the theory goes.
We disregard the fact that on any given Sabbath or weekday (whether in the heat of a women’s ordination debate or not), less than half of our church bodies participate in consistent community outreach. The truth is, our decline in being mission-focused has not been a result of the discussion on women’s ordination or because of any other agenda item that has arrested our attention. The decline in fulfilling our mission is a result of us not being totally surrendered and “living with a self of indebtedness to Christ in regard to every unsaved soul” (Oswald Chambers, “My Utmost for His Highest”). The fulfilling of our mission has never been contingent on the items on our church board agenda; neither has it been stopped by laws signed by legislators. The fulfilling of our mission has been and is dependent on our complete surrender to the will of our Savior.
In Romans 12:1, Paul urged his audience to “present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” This is translated in other versions as, “spiritual service of worship.” To present ourselves as sacrifices means surrendering the right to ourselves to God. This means that we no longer hold possession of our will, but God replaces our will with His own.
We know that it is God’s will that we live mature and holy lives (Matt 5:48, Rom 12:1). But beyond His desire for us to live purely, God’s ultimate will is that all men and women be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 2:4, Rom 10:13).
The prevailing questions as stated by Paul (and I paraphrase here) are, “How then can men call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14). As Christians, our primary calling is to preach and proclaim the gospel of God. In “My Utmost for His Highest,” Oswald Chambers writes pertaining to Paul, that “he was recklessly abandoned, totally surrendered, and separated by God for one purpose – to proclaim the gospel of God.”
I am convinced based upon the word of God that our congregations are graying, our youth are leaving, and our engagement in mission is declining because we have not surrendered our wills, biases, perspectives, and ideologies to God. The fact remains that the call to surrender precedes the call to revival and reformation. It is only by daily surrendering our wills that our churches can be revived, our communities survive, and our mission thrive.
We are misguided when we think that attending church services is enough; when we think singing in the choir is enough; when we think that taking positions in the church to serve each other is enough; when we think passing out tracks once a month is enough. The call to surrender is the call to take our worship beyond the church walls. It is the appeal to make our hearts God’s home, our minds His mind, and our hands and feet His instruments.
Our intentions – as good as they may be – are not enough when our immediate non-believing families, co-workers and surrounding church communities are dying as a result of being disconnected from their Savior’s love. We cannot take pride in the fact that our church is different and peculiar because, as one pastor said, “If our difference isn’t making a difference then we are just being weird.” Ellen G. White, in “Desire of Ages,” states in reference to the children of Israel, “they hoarded the living manna, and it had turned to corruption. The religion which they tried to shut up to themselves became an offense. They robbed God of His glory, and defrauded the world by a counterfeit of the gospel. They refused to surrender themselves to God for the salvation of the world, and they became agents of Satan for its destruction.”
Is it possible that we are following in the footsteps of Israel? We certainly cannot discount that as a worldwide church we have exerted a lot of effort to feed the poor. We have also created many programs and processes to reach the lost. But, there comes a time when we have to ask ourselves the very daunting question, “am I doing enough?”
It is evident that God uses our programs and ministries as conduits to reach the lost but is it enough? I believe that God is waiting for all of us collectively, but even more so, he is waiting for each one of us individually to recklessly abandon ourselves to Him so that he can do for the world what he has done for us. It is when we surrender ourselves completely to him that he can use our lives and not just our programs to “bring good news to the afflicted, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for captives and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord” (Isaiah 61:1-2). This is the idea of a church beyond walls, where those that make up the body of Christ are daily surrendered to God and take a piece of heaven with them wherever they go. This is our mission: constant worship through total surrender. Our daily lives bearing testament to a wonderful Savior.
It was this type of reckless abandonment that embodied the life of the disciples and the first century church. There were distractions, yet they fulfilled their mission. There were introductions of false doctrines yet they were still persistent. They studied their bibles daily, they witnessed faithfully, and they baptized thousands consistently. They were truly a church beyond walls and their lives were the epitome of mission. God is calling women and men, boys and girls, preachers and laymen, to consistently fulfill the mission of our church. So today I invite you to join me in answering the call put forth by Chambers of daily surrender; abandoning your will for God’s will, and “living with a self of indebtedness to Christ in regard to every unsaved soul.”
Danielle Pilgrim is [was] a student at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary on the Campus of Andrews University.
THE ADMINISTRATOR’S INEXPERT MINI-BIO OF FRESHLY-MINTED PASTOR PILGRIM FROM DECEMBER 20, 2015-
Pastor Pilgrim is a native of Trinidad and Tobago. Her family relocated to the States when she was 14, where she was introduced to Adventism. She was discouraged from becoming an Adventist by a close family member, but eventually made the commitment when she was 16. She was active in missionary work at her new church, and spent a year (2008) as a Bible Worker in Waycross, Georgia. I seem to recall President Winston mentioning that she was an Elder at her church in Brooklyn while still very young, a kind of prodigy. She was also heavily involved with the Pathfinders. She received a BS in Community Health Education from the City University of New York. She is the published author of an educational puzzle book. She commenced attendance at Andrews University. While a seminarian, she interned at Shiloh Adventist Church in Chicago, and also served at the Grace Place in South Bend, Indiana. Just last week she completed her Masters of Divinity.
Friday, January 26, 2018
Sunday, January 21, 2018
Wednesday, January 17, 2018
Friday, January 12, 2018
Hugh Martin's Contribition to Western Civilization
Hugh Martin was a long-time amphetamine addict and it was withdrawal symptoms that likely caused a series of nervous breakdowns in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Eventually, he was able to beat his addiction and became a born-again Christian, converting to the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Monday, January 8, 2018
Hey, guys! Let's put on a show!
Come Adore Him- A Laura Davis Production
Come Adore Him, a Christmas Musical Theatrical Production was presented at Berean Seventh-day Adventist Church, Atlanta, Georgia. The performance itself begins with a musical prelude that commences at time marker 46:04 in the linked video. It was sung by a white-robed choir/chorus. The source of the introductory song is the 1992 ensemble gospel album Handel’s Messiah: A Soulful Celebration. It is titled And He Shall Purify, an arrangement (or more precisely, a rearrangement) of the renown Baroque prototype by Michael O. Jackson and Mervyn Warren. Many genres are represented in this album, including spirituals, blues, ragtime, big band, jazz fusion, R&B and hip hop. This one can be described as Stevie Wonder-style Motown, which would place it in the heterogeneous R&B family tree .
For modesty’s sake, a high-resolution image of these dancers will not be exhibited. To quote Job 31:1- I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid? The author shares Arthur Schopenhauer’s prudish and puritanical attitude toward ballet, which is a byproduct of the philosopher’s insightful hierarchical categorization of art forms based on the means whereby they make their appeal to the art-lover (after Plato, and after Ellen G. White as well). An excerpt from Schopenhauer’s The World as Will and Representation will follow a low-resolution screenshot of beautiful young dancers, dancing beautifully, one lifted from the YouTube video of the performance.
Opposites throw light upon each other, and therefore the remark may be in place here, that the proper opposite of the sublime is something which would not at the first glance be recognized, as such: the charming or attractive. By this, however, I understand, that which excites the will by presenting to it directly its fulfilment, its satisfaction. We saw that the feeling of the sublime arises from the fact, that something entirely unfavorable to the will, becomes the object of pure contemplation, so that such contemplation can only be maintained by persistently turning away from the will, and transcending its interests; this constitutes the sublimity of the character. The charming or attractive, on the contrary, draws the beholder away from the pure contemplation which is demanded by all apprehension of the beautiful, because it necessarily excites this will, by objects which directly appeal to it, and thus he no longer remains pure subject of knowing, but becomes the needy and dependent subject of will.
Creative types, playwrights for example, typically exercise their judgment intuitively. Whether this may represent a considered decision or not, the ominous E minor strain of SDA Hymn 115 provides an apt introduction for the Prince of Darkness’s initial, albeit slightly delayed (due to some technical issue, no doubt) appearance in the drama. It is now time to start providing a few links to some relatively high-resolution images (courtesy of offsite host DeviantArt) to make their own slightly delayed appearance. Shot from a single vantage with an iPhone, they could better be described as archival, rather than as artistic. The inherent limitations of digital zoom are evident in many of these. Click on the links below the posted pics to view and/or download 1600 x 1600 pixel source images, should one be so inclined.
https://uriahsmith.deviantart.com/art/5-come-adore-him-laura-davis-722118292?ga_submit_new=10%3A1514333358
Six minutes of ominous silence (presumably unintentional) preceded the first speaking part of the drama. Were this lull to be narrated, part of the narration might consist of some concluding words from the fourth chapter of Ellen G. White’s The Desire of Ages–
The story of Bethlehem is an exhaustless theme. In it is hidden “the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God.” Rom. 11:33. We marvel at the Saviour’s sacrifice in exchanging the throne of heaven for the manger, and the companionship of adoring angels for the beasts of the stall. Human pride and self-sufficiency stand rebuked in His presence. Yet this was but the beginning of His wonderful condescension. It would have been an almost infinite humiliation for the Son of God to take man’s nature, even when Adam stood in his innocence in Eden. But Jesus accepted humanity when the race had been weakened by four thousand years of sin. Like every child of Adam He accepted the results of the working of the great law of heredity. What these results were is shown in the history of His earthly ancestors. He came with such a heredity to share our sorrows and temptations, and to give us the example of a sinless life. Satan in heaven had hated Christ for His position in the courts of God. He hated Him the more when he himself was dethroned. He hated Him who pledged Himself to redeem a race of sinners. Yet into the world where Satan claimed dominion God permitted His Son to come, a helpless babe, subject to the weakness of humanity. He permitted Him to meet life’s peril in common with every human soul, to fight the battle as every child of humanity must fight it, at the risk of failure and eternal loss.
https://uriahsmith.deviantart.com/art/6-come-adore-him-laura-davis-722405861?ga_submit_new=10%3A1514475744
“For those of you who don’t know who I am, allow me to introduce myself… I am the great! I am the all powerful! I am LUCIFER!”
Were Come Adore Him a rock opera, SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL would have been an appropriate song to license for this introductory scene.
Satan, in mascara, is played by DARRELL PALMES (husband, father, preacher, singer/songwriter, motivational speaker and entrepreneur; the first of an assortment of multitasking thespians in the Come Adore Him cast). The pastor/performer often sermonizes the Wednesday night prayer warriors of Berean SDA Church. The bottom half of this internal LINK summarizes one such sermon.
https://uriahsmith.deviantart.com/art/6-5-come-adore-him-laura-davis-722408233?ga_submit_new=10%3A1514476788
“After Satan convinced Adam and Eve to sin and disobey God, it looked like mankind was lost to Satan forever. But God has a marvelous plan to save man…”
Narration is provided by LAURA BAYNARD, whose close associates all describe her as an angel (and not one of the fallen type).
https://uriahsmith.deviantart.com/art/7-come-adore-him-laura-davis-722412068?ga_submit_new=10%3A1514478532
“OK guys, listen up. Here’s the plan…”
Satan explains to two of his henchmen his plan to deceive the peoples of yesterday and today into believing that God’s laws are an insupportable burden, and therefore not worth the effort it takes to conform to them. The slinking, slithering, sycophantic bad angels are played by Markell and Eddy Dorsainvil, both Haitian by ancestry, but raised in Brooklyn through the grace of God.
The henchmen cavort and caper about their leader Satan as he sings the first of three original songs written by Terra Trofort (scroll down a bit in the linked website for her bio). It is based on Isaiah 14:14, “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High,” and is titled Like the Most High. In a very short GLOSS of the 2015 production of the play, the insensitive and obtrusive administrator noted the similarities between this song and ANOTHER SONG, a yuletide favorite. Here is a LINK to a YouTube video of the slightly less polished 2015 performance of Come Adore Him at Berean.
https://uriahsmith.deviantart.com/art/8-come-adore-him-laura-davis-722419969?ga_submit_new=10%3A1514482151
“I will be… like the Most High.
I will rule beyond the sky.
And for all eternity, mankind will worship me,
And the world will be all mine!”
Lifted from Page 22 of Ellen G. White’s The Desire of Ages– “From the beginning, God and Christ knew of the apostasy of Satan, and of the fall of man through the deceptive power of the apostate. God did not ordain that sin should exist, but He foresaw its existence, and made provision to meet the terrible emergency. So great was His love for the world, that He covenanted to give His only-begotten Son, ‘that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’”
https://uriahsmith.deviantart.com/art/9-come-adore-him-laura-davis-722458986?ga_submit_new=10%3A1514495590
Three Hebrew priests (JOSEPH CHIN KING, MARK LEE, and CEDRIC HINDS) have befuddled a group of Jerusalemites in an attempt to explain the nuances of highly augmented first-century Sabbathkeeping regulations. Their confusing remarks are followed by a second song written by Terra Trofort, Follow the Rules. The retro ambience of the composition (much more Tin Pan Alley than Gospel in style) places it in the same genepool as THIS SONG from Jesus Christ Superstar.
Ellen G. White offers commentary on the degenerate nature of Hebrew ceremonial law at the time of the Messiah’s first advent on Page 29 of The Desire of Ages– “With all their [the priests and rabbis] minute and burdensome injunctions, it was an impossibility to keep the law. Those who desired to serve God, and who tried to observe the rabbinical precepts, toiled under a heavy burden. They could find no rest from the accusings of a troubled conscience. Thus Satan worked to discourage the people, to lower their conception of the character of God, and to bring the faith of Israel into contempt. He hoped to establish the claim put forth when he rebelled in heaven,- that the requirements of God were unjust, and could not be obeyed. Even Israel, he declared, did not keep the law.”
https://uriahsmith.deviantart.com/art/10-come-adore-him-laura-davis-722466787?ga_submit_new=10%3A1514498382
A narration featuring the voice of pre-incarnate Christ in heaven precedes the annunciation by Gabriel (DAY RAMPHAL– link is to a former venture of his, one featuring a positive appraisal of his charactyer) to young Mary (JENNIFER McCURDY). The momentous tidings are followed by a composition written by CHELUANA CHE- (CHIN?) KING , He’s Chosen ME, an evocative minor key song which resolves itself in a triumphant major finale. Here is a LINK to a similarly evocative minor-key composition which never quite manages to cheer itself up (indicative of the grief the peoples who are the subject of the musical it forms a part of endured as European Jews).
https://uriahsmith.deviantart.com/art/11-come-adore-him-laura-davis-722944774?ga_submit_new=10%3A1514720108
“When your baby is born I want you to name Him Jesus, because He will save people from their sins…”
The visitation by Mary to her cousin Elizabeth is briefly portrayed, but (regrettably) not documented by the easily distracted photographer. Decent pictures should be available soon courtesy of THIS WEBSITE. Joseph discovers that his young fiancé is with child, and one not of is making. His intention to forsake impregnated Mary is forestalled by another angel (played by KIESHA KIEZER). Joseph (acted by intern pastor and wunderkind MARCUS LARIVAUX) learns of the unique circumstance that resulted in his intended’s pregnancy, and is informed that his ostensible offspring represents the fulfillment of an old prophecy contained in Isaiah 7:14-
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
https://uriahsmith.deviantart.com/art/12-come-adore-him-laura-davis-722941524?ga_submit_new=10%3A1514717902
“For hundreds of years the Scriptures had said that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, King David’s city, so if the people of God has been really searching the Scriptures they would have been looking for the Lord to be born in Bethlehem.”
Mary, along with Joseph, a donkey, and an experienced donkey attendant now emerged from the rear of the sanctuary/theater. They reach the business end of the theater/sanctuary, where two sets represent portions of Joseph’s ancestral village; an inn at right and a rudimentary stable at left. A helpful citizen directs them to the inn, a presentable stucco edifice. The stable, by contract, is obviously bereft of the Jacuzzi and complementary bottle of shampoos that Joseph humorously seems to anticipate.
https://uriahsmith.deviantart.com/art/14-come-adore-him-laura-davis-722950041?ga_submit_new=10%3A1514723213
“Anything… we’ll take it!”
Joseph is informed by the officious innkeeper (played by Louis Merritt) that the population of Bethlehem, due to the influx of David’s many kin to participate in a mercenary Roman census, has swelled far beyond the feeble capacity of its guest quarters. There is absolutely no room at the inn… “Nada! Zilch!” He is kindly directed, however, to the inn’s distant stable- “At least you will have a roof over your head.” “Any port in a storm,” sailors are known to declare.
https://uriahsmith.deviantart.com/art/15-come-adore-him-laura-davis-722953085?ga_submit_new=10%3A1514724698
Above, Mary, in travail . This travail unexpectedly sustains the comic relief inaugurated by Joseph’s screwball exchange with the innkeeper. Mel Brooks once famously proclaimed- “Tragedy is when I have a hangnail. Comedy is when you accidentally walk into an open sewer and die.” John 16:21, not scripted, is more appropriate Brook’s less charitable observation in this place- “A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.”
Mary and Joseph arrive at the stable. The angel Gabriel again appears, this time before a group of nearby shepherds. The heavenly host that annouces Christ’s birth to them is merely implied through the use of dynamic lighting.
https://uriahsmith.deviantart.com/art/16-come-adore-him-laura-davis-723735651?ga_submit_new=10%3A1515070962
A small, white-robed delegation representing the heavenly host is portrayed by twin sisters Shenee Johnson (Cara) and Shenika Johnson (Mia)- collectively known to the world as CARA MIA). The angelic duo sings CeCe William’s Jesus, You’re Beautiful slightly offstage, an fitting serenade, while a trio of adolescent dancers simultaneously celebrates the arrival of the Messiah onstage. The lyrics of CeCe’s song proclaims Jesus to be as bright as the morning star. Here is an incendiary LINK about equivocal Scriptural instances of the term “morning star.” The CeCe song is very pleasing to the ear, and if you are curious as to why this may be you should spare a moment or three to examine THIS BLOG.
https://uriahsmith.deviantart.com/art/17-come-adore-him-laura-davis-723747174?ga_submit_new=10%3A1515078174
“Let’s go into Bethlehem and find the baby that the angel has told us about!”
The grainy image above depicts the lowly shepherds in the act of discovering the lofty Messiah in an extremely lowly place. They excitedly depart the scene so they may spread the good news among the townspeople. Mary now sings the third of songwriter Terra Trofort’s original contributions to the drama, Mary’s Lullaby- My Baby, a brief first-person narrative which contrasts Christ’s divine nature to His present, highly circumscribed existence as Mary’s innocent and beloved firstborn-
“…but for now, you’ll be my baby.
FYI- Here is a LINK to another Marian lullaby by the Chelauna (“Che”) Che- (Chin?) King, who contributed a previous song (He’s Chosen Me) to the drama. The quintessential lullaby for all of eternity is, of course, THIS ONE by Brahms.
https://uriahsmith.deviantart.com/art/18-come-adore-him-laura-davis-723792202?ga_submit_new=10%3A1515096326
“Now when baby Jesus was about six weeks old, Mary and Joseph took Him to Jerusalem to have Him dedicated to the Lord…”
The couple portrayed in the image above are having their own baby dedicated just prior to that of the infant Messiah . They are well-heeled, so the trio of avaricious Temple priests at right are giving them the royal treatment. A rich offering on behalf of their progeny yields a magnificent blessing.
https://uriahsmith.deviantart.com/art/20-come-adore-him-laura-davis-723795662?ga_submit_new=10%3A1515097396
The priestly trio are informed that Mary and Joseph intend to bestow a relatively beggarly offering on behalf of their offspring, the stipulated minimum of two turtledoves, but with a few coppers thrown in for good measure. As the young couple sows, so shall they reap. The sanctimonious priests of Israel are themselves in the process of sowing the wind. Roman Judea will reap the whirlwind in 70 Ad, a few scant decades after Jesus temporarily departs the earth to rejoin His Father.
https://uriahsmith.deviantart.com/art/20-5-come-adore-him-laura-davis-723829030?ga_submit_new=10%3A1515108735
“…those who truly love God can see greatness in the inside. There was such a man in the Temple that day, and his name was Simeon.”
Simeon (played by sagacious Ron Alexander) has been hanging on to life, and hanging around the Temple awaiting the fulfillment of a promise made to him by God that he would personally encounter the Messiah prior to his demise. He verifies , to Mary, her Son’s exalted mission, and delivers a warning that is a colloquial version of the memorable words contained in Luke 2:35- (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
https://uriahsmith.deviantart.com/art/21-come-adore-him-laura-davis-723825829?ga_submit_new=10%3A1515107606
Prophetess Anna (energetically portrayed by seasoned actress Joann “JC” Brown), a devout 84-year-old widow, now confronts young Christ and His parents. Continuing to quote the King James, her reaction is recorded in Luke 2:38- At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
Anna excitedly departs the Temple, praising and magnifying God most vociferously. The priests remain, characteristically befuddled, wondering why people would care to make such a fuss over such a diminutive, two-turtledove nonentity like baby Jesus.
https://uriahsmith.deviantart.com/art/23-come-adore-him-laura-davis-723840140?ga_submit_new=10%3A1515113281
Tenor LUCAN JAMES JR. provides a musical interlude by performing a grammatically corrected version of the original 1934 lyrics originally supplied for the pseudo-spiritual yuletide song Sweet Little Jesus Boy. The Caucasian composer of this number, Robert MacGimsey, was raised amidst a host of incompletely liberated former slaves, and capitalized upon this childhood experience much in the same way as did his much more successful Southern compatriot and contemporary Johnny Mercer.
https://uriahsmith.deviantart.com/art/27-come-adore-him-laura-davis-723865004?ga_submit_new=10%3A1515122553
Wise men have observed a wandering star from their Eastern homeland (signified by the balcony of the sanctuary/theater), and, cognizant of its prophetic import, have followed it to the Roman province of Judea (signified by the baptistery end of the venue) as the seemingly only extant wise-man song ever created provides background music. We Three Kings was written in 1857 by an American Episcopal specifically for a Christmas pageant, and 160 years later it is still working hard at its first job.
https://uriahsmith.deviantart.com/art/24-come-adore-him-laura-davis-723844532?ga_submit_new=10%3A1515114592
The arrival of the Magi is attended by the circuit of a very small caravan of camels (or, more accurately, a dromedaries). The creature depicted above cooperates, and follows the script, but the cooperation of camels (and dromedaries), like that of humans who choose to honor or not to honor God, can only be elicited, and not compelled. Overburdened camels (and dromedaries) will stubbornly lie down, refusing to budge, but God has promised His volunteer army of faithful soldiers that he will not load them up with more temptation than they can bear.
The Magi arrive where the wandering star temporarily comes to roost, Roman-occupied Jerusalem. One of the wisemen unsuccessfully enquires about the location of the prophesized newborn King of the Jews. The representative trio of Temple priests, seen at right in the image above, as noted, contemptuously dismiss the excitement generated among the inhabitants by prophetess Anna’s testimony announcing the Messiah’s arrival. The peoples’ anticipation level becomes elevated via the persistent questions of the resplendent entourage from the East. Word reaches the reigning (albeit one subservient to Rome) King of Judea, Herod the Great.
https://uriahsmith.deviantart.com/art/29-come-adore-him-laura-davis-723866923?ga_submit_new=10%3A1515123257
Herod (acted by Jamaican-born Delmas Campbell), client king of Judea, reigns only on sufferance of his Roman overlords. He greatly fears the potential existence of a rival for his relatively insecure position. He summons his attendant Roman guard, and instructs them to fetch priests who might enlighten him regarding any obscure Scriptural prophecies relating to any purported pretender to his throne.
https://uriahsmith.deviantart.com/art/30-come-adore-him-laura-davis-724568235?ga_submit_new=10%3A1515451586
“Those sneaky, good-for-nothing Jews think they can knock me off my throne and put their king on it? Well I’ve got news for them! He ain’t getting this crown! All I need to know is where He is!”
Satan hovers about Herod, engaged in his usual pursuit- fomenting evil in the hearts of those who choose to reject God’s gracious offer of a more wholesome alternative way of living. Herod is of Edomite ancestry, a son of Esau, but has been raised as a Jew. The ostensible anti-Semitism contained in his vituperative remarks may be a result his rejection as a legitimate ruler by the discriminating sons of Esau’s more highly-favored brother Jacob. Herod proposes to act as wisely as a serpent in eliminating his potential rival, one who will ultimately be revealed as being harmless as a dove (at least until His soon-pending second advent occurs, that is. Get ready for it!).
https://uriahsmith.deviantart.com/art/31-come-adore-him-laura-davis-723905630?ga_submit_new=10%3A1515145060
“Now listen… I’ve brought you here because I have been hearing lots of talk about the birth of the Messiah. I have even been told that we have some guests in the city that have knowledge about His birth.”
The priests overcome their ignorance by actually consulting the Scriptures, and they come up with what their successors will choose to designate Micah 5:2- But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
The Roman Guard is again summoned to serve as Herod’s messengers.
https://uriahsmith.deviantart.com/art/33-come-adore-him-laura-davis-723906782?ga_submit_new=10%3A1515146052
The Roman guard (Ricky Davis, Bradley Scott, Colby Taylor, Terrell Bond, and Jeffrey Holmes II) depart to fetch the Magi.
https://uriahsmith.deviantart.com/art/34-come-adore-him-laura-davis-723907457?ga_submit_new=10%3A1515146566
“Being scholars of the stars, we witnessed the most exciting event in earth’s history.”
Herod, attended by his muse Satan, feigns to be even more exited than are the Eastern astronomers about the advent of a divine king within his realm. He asks them to keep him apprised of the progress of their search, and to inform him the instant they discover the object of their quest so that he, too, may render worship and adoration to the Holy One. The Temple priests do not share in Herod’s paranoid sense of curiosity, convinced as they are that they are already sufficiently omniscient beings. With the exception of their unwonted and unwanted subservience to Rome, their part of the world has already achieved perfection. They have absolutely no use for a Redeemer. They inform the populace that tidings of the Messiah’s arrival are but cunningly devised fables. Below is a quoted line from the tail end of T.S. Eliot’s Murder in the Cathedral which mirrors the attitude of the Temple priests, the words of a Knight who seeks to placate a justifiably agitated group of bystanders-
“Thank you, Brito. I think that there is no more to be said; and I suggest that you now disperse quietly to your homes. Please be careful not to loiter in groups at street corners, and do nothing that might provoke any public outbreak.”
https://uriahsmith.deviantart.com/art/36-come-adore-him-laura-davis-723910227?ga_submit_new=10%3A1515148885
“…but the bright star continued to led them to the little town of Bethlehem.”
Enthusiasm for the Messiah’s advent is not in evidence as the wise Easterners enter the sleepy backwater of Bethlehem. Though regrettable, this state of affairs is not inconceivable. Christ’s own disciples will remain largely ignorant of His greater purposes until after His ascent to heaven and the Holy Spirit arrives to offer further enlightenment. The child is found and esteemed, accompanied by an a cappella (“in the manner of the chapel”) rendition of O Come, All Ye Faithful, courtesy, again, of Shenee (Cara) and Shanika (Mia).
https://uriahsmith.deviantart.com/art/38-come-adore-him-laura-davis-723915281?ga_submit_new=10%3A1515153562
The image above is almost identical to A PREVIOUS ONE, but the angel’s message to sleeping Joseph is a new one- “Take Mary and your baby, along with all of the gifts, and leave for Egypt at once!” Joseph and his closest kin immediately depart Bethlehem as two white-robbed ladies (not Cara and Mia) sing When You Believe. This song was created for DreamWorks’ The Prince of Egypt in connection with another Biblical journey, but one that was headed away from, and not toward the splintered reed of Egypt. The wisemen are similarly advised to steer well clear of a mortally vindictive King Herod on their return journey.
Credited female singers for the production include SHARNA ETTINOFFE, ALTHEA (MORRIS-) ROBERTS, previously linked Cheluana Che-(Chin?) King, and apparently unlinkable Janisa McMeans.
https://uriahsmith.deviantart.com/art/39-come-adore-him-laura-davis-723920542?ga_submit_new=10%3A1515157295
The Journey.
Ellen G. White comments on the endangered family’s flight to Egypt in the pages of the book that inspired most of the script for Come Adore Him. The Spirit of Prophecy reveals that their temporary residence in Egypt was financed by the gold given to them by the Magi. Sister White writes on Page 65 of The Desire of Ages–
Satan was bent on shutting out divine light from world, and he used his utmost cunning to destroy Saviour. But He who never slumbers nor sleeps was watching over His beloved Son. He who had rained manna from heaven for Israel and had fed Elijah in time famine provided in a heathen land a refuge for Mary and child Jesus. And through from a heathen country, Lord supplied means for journey into Egypt and sojourn in a land strangers.
https://uriahsmith.deviantart.com/art/40-come-adore-him-laura-davis-723924928?ga_submit_new=10%3A1515160077
“I should have heard something by now!”
Herod is becoming increasingly enraged by the prolonged absence of his recent visitors from the East. The wisdom of the emissaries might have conceivably seen through the hypocritically benign façade that he endeavored to present before them during their recent interview. Under the influence of the malignant being seen at right in the image above, Herod decides that it would be better for thousands of innocents to die, rather than for the babe he so fears to go on living. He now summons his Roman Guard, but rather than to simply serve again as his messengers, they are now instructed to act as his execution squad.
https://uriahsmith.deviantart.com/art/41-come-adore-him-laura-davis-723925361?ga_submit_new=10%3A1515160304
“Now, I want you to go to Bethlehem and find every single child under the age of two AND KILL THEM!”
https://uriahsmith.deviantart.com/art/42-come-adore-him-laura-davis-723925996?ga_submit_new=10%3A1515160660
From Ellen G. White’s The Desire of Ages, Page 65- “Soldiers were at once sent to Bethlehem, with orders to put to death all the children of two years and under. The quiet homes of the city of David witnessed those scenes of horror that, six hundred years before, had been opened to the prophet. ‘In Ramah was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.'”
Narrator- “…this is how our Savior was welcomed to the earth. There seemed to be no place of rest or safety for the baby King; no parades, no celebrations, no singing or rejoicing to welcome Him. The heavenly angels could not believe what they were seeing as they watched the arrival of their awesome King to the earth as a baby. And even though the Scriptures told the people thousands of years before that this would happen, and even though God gave them wondrous signs when it happened, still very few people paid any attention, and very few people seemed to even care.”
https://uriahsmith.deviantart.com/art/45-come-adore-him-laura-davis-724482882?ga_submit_new=10%3A1515408734
The horror of the preceding mass infanticide, one instigated by Satan, and administered by Herod through his proxies, followed by the Narrator’s description of the world’s unenthusiastic reception of their only possible hope of redemption generates a somber vibe in the sanctuary/theater. Terra Trofort begins to sing O Come, All Ye Faithful in a manner that suits the temporarily glum ambience. This bittersweet mood yields quickly enough, however, to one of triumph as the singer’s energy level rises, and as she is joined by other singers (the white-robed heavenly host which has served as the Christian equivalent of a Greek chorus throughout the performance). A faithful adherence to the original cadence of the centuries-old prototype transitions into a much more contemporary style, one embellished with improvisations. The singer is former leader of the Berean SDA Church praise team, BACK IN THE DAY, in which capacity she was assisted by Shenee Holloway and her husband DAVID.
https://uriahsmith.deviantart.com/art/47-come-adore-him-laura-davis-724483078?ga_submit_new=10%3A1515408895
“So there’s nothing really brand new about what you just saw here. This is, literally, the recounting of the first coming of Jesus Christ. But the same conditions, and the same distractions, and the same enemy’s deceiving ways that he tried to block Jesus [with] the first time is the exact thing he’s doing right now…”
Berean Church Lead Pastor Fredrick Russell appears in order to emphasize the relevance of events that transpired in Bethlehem two millennia ago to our own rapidly degenerating epoch. The distractions of first-century Judea that rendered its inhabitants oblivious to the Savior’s first advent were as nothing compared to the cacophonous static that mars the soundtracks of our contemporary lives. People seemed as if they could care less about Christ when He first appeared, but the societal levels of ennui and apathy have undergone an exponential increase since that day.
We are now living in the Information (and Misinformation) Age. An end time increase in knowledge is prophesized in Daniel 12:4. This has a direct bearing on Christ’s second advent. Scripture similarly prophesized Christ’s first advent. Nobody was listening then, and nobody seems to be listening now, despite the grievous penalty that will befall those who refuse to listen. They shall all potentially forever perish, but Pastor Russell provides Scriptural proof that oblivion need not be our ultimate destiny, a verse that everyone (even atheists) should be familiar with-
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
https://uriahsmith.deviantart.com/art/48-come-adore-him-laura-davis-724488396?ga_submit_new=10%3A1515414294
Pastor Russell now issues an appeal to hitherto lost sinners, and the chorus takes his place on the platform to perform a Norman Hutchins seasonal composition, Emmanuel (the link reveals a relationship between Hutchins’s effort and this AL GREEN CLASSIC). The multitudinous cast appears sequentially, in categorized phalanxes (Evil Angels, Priests, Israelites, Wisemen, Shepherds, Guards, featured players, etc.), for the curtain call (sans, of necessity, a literal curtain).
https://uriahsmith.deviantart.com/art/50-come-adore-him-laura-davis-724489820?ga_submit_new=10%3A1515414608
Hitherto occluded narrator Laura Baynard emerges from the penumbral gloom to mount the platform to graciously accept well-deserved accolades, the penultimate member of the populous ensemble to do so.
https://uriahsmith.deviantart.com/art/51-come-adore-him-laura-davis-724490280?ga_submit_new=10%3A1515415054
Writer and Executive Producer Dr. Laura Davis takes the final bow.
The venue is slowly evacuated, but the last person to leave cast a backward glance, then pauses to immortalize the scene and scenery.
The morning after in the lobby/narthex- a donkey has grown attached to the place, and apparently refuses to go home…
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