For Pianistimo...

[ahinton]

The following, taken from a music magazine (strangely enough) might bring a little amusement to your day:


A teacher was observing her year one class while they were drawing, wandering around to observe each child's work. When she reached one little girl, she asked what the drawing was. The girl replied, 'I'm drawing God'. The teacher paused and said, 'But no one really knows what God looks like'. Without missing a beat the girl grimly replied, 'They will in a minute'.

A number of children were lined up in the cafeteria of a Catholic school for lunch. At the head of the table was a large pile of apples. A nun made a note and posted it on the apple tray: 'Take only ONE. God is watching.' However, at the end of the lunch line stood a large pile of chocolate cookies. A child had scribbled this note beside it: 'Take all you want -- God's watching the apples!'

A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six-year-olds. After explaining the commandment to 'honor thy father and mother' she asked, 'Now, is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?' One little boy (the oldest of his family) responded glumly: 'Thou shalt not kill'.

One day a little girl noticed that her mother had several strands of white within her brown locks. She asked, 'Why are some of your hairs white, Mum?' Her mother thought, and replied, 'Well, every time you do something wrong and make me unhappy, one of my hairs turns white'. The little girl absorbed this for a moment and then asked, 'Mum, how come ALL of Grandma's hairs are white?'

The children had just been shown their class photograph and the teacher was trying to persuade them each to buy a copy. 'Just think how nice it will be to look at when you're all grown-up! You can say, "There's Jennifer, she's a lawyer", or "that's Michael, he's a doctor!"' Then a small voice at the back of room rang out, 'And there's the teacher, she's dead'.

A little girl was talking to her teacher about whales. The teacher maintained that it was impossible for a whale to swallow a human because, although a very large mammal, its throat was very small. The girl continued to state that Jonah had still been swallowed by a whale. Irritated, the teacher reiterated that this would have been physically impossible. Finally the little girl said, 'When I get to heaven I will ask Jonah'. The teacher, still annoyed, said, 'What if Jonah went to hell?' The little girl replied, 'Then you ask him'.



Best,

Alistair

[counterpoint]

That's really amusing 

The best is about the commandment for brothers and sisters 'Thou shall not kill' 

[pianistimo]

yes...but, alistair, the bible says - unless ye become like little children - ye shall in no wise enter the kingdom of heaven.  what say ye to that? 

[prometheus]

Piano's burn in hell. So I will have to sign for Susan when we finally meet each other.

[ahinton]

yes...but, alistair, the bible says - unless ye become like little children - ye shall in no wise enter the kingdom of heaven.  what say ye to that? 

"And lead us not into temptation"! - or, as another translation has it, "and leave us not when in temptation". You are now playing the temptress. OK, so I'll respond, since you ask. What I say is first that what the Bible offers us remains open to all those translation/interpretation socio/politico/historical issues that I am not about to repeat here as they've been explored amply before - then that it seems unclear to me what is meant, allegorically or otherwise, by this reference to "little children", since it could be intended to mean that only those who have not yet developed sufficiently in their own rights can "enter the kingdom of heaven" - or it could mean something quite other than that. Remember the other one about "when I was a child, I thought as a child", etc.; how is that compatible with the illustation that you make here?

Anyway, as you know, my work as a composer is most unlikely to qualify me for entrance into the kingdom of anything, even though I try to do the best that I can to express those things that I feel impelled to express yet which simply cannot be accounted for in words. I have no especial expectations in this regard. Is that enough for you (since you ask)?

Best,

Alistair

[ahinton]

Piano's burn in hell. So I will have to sign for Susan when we finally meet each other.

If that were true (which it isn't), we'd all be itching to get down there to ensure that they didn't!

Neither great pianos nor great piano music nor the composers who wrote the latter for performance on the former "burn in hell" any more than Thal will (even if he does hang onto his five-string tenor banjo, or whatever it is). Anyway, "Piano's" isn't plural; you need to remove the grocer's apostrophe...

Best,

Alistair

[rach n bach]

yes...but, alistair, the bible says - unless ye become like little children - ye shall in no wise enter the kingdom of heaven.  what say ye to that? 

I'd also like to point out that it commands Christians to be "wise as serpents, and harmless as doves."

[ahinton]

I'd also like to point out that it commands Christians to be "wise as serpents, and harmless as doves."

Well, serpents were once musical instruments (although quite how they of their own volition [which they could not have had] could acquire "wisdom" remains unclear) - and the doves as portrayed in Schönberg's Gurrelieder might, however allegedly harmless, have become victims of the attentions of my two cats; so, a Christian is apparently supposed - according to Biblical legend as purportedly translated out of almost all recognition into contemporary language - to understand about the techniques required for assured virtuosity on an ancient musical instrument while at the same time being prepared to become the victim of possibly simultaneous attack by a great Jewish composer and an intelligent and athletic feline. Not much fun there, then...

Ah, well...

Best,

Alistair

[emill]

yes...but, alistair, the bible says - unless ye become like little children - ye shall in no wise enter the kingdom of heaven.  what say ye to that? 

In the article posted by ahinton it is obvious from an adult's perspective that the children with their innocense acted and thought like children. You can even say that when they grow up they will learn and wisen and eventually may have a different viewpoint.

And that is exactly what the bible expects ... that we as adults, despite having learned and wisened through the years and knowing that logic and science may not support what we belive ... that we accept God and His teachings with the same unquestioning belief and faith like children. 

It is not only accepting God like a child with his innocense; but more like accepting and believing with full faith despite the "learning and having been wisened" as one transforms into an adult....  the very essence of faith, the unquestioning trust and belief....  an absolute difficulty, if not an impossible proposition for many "wisened and learned adults".