"The sin nature of man is the only religious doctrine that can be scientifically, empirically verified. All you have to do is observe people." G.K. Chesterton (1874 – 1936) was an English writer, lay theologian, poet, philosopher, dramatist, journalist, orator, literary and art critic, biographer, and Christian apologist.

"Sin is the best news there is ... because with sin there's a way out. You can't repent of confusion or psychological flaws inflicted by your parents--you're stuck with them. But you can repent of sin. Sin and repentance are the only grounds for hope and joy, the grounds for reconciled, joyful relationships." John Alexander was a 21st century American pastor, teacher and author who devoted his life to the study of church and Christian community.

"There are only two kinds of people: sinners who think they are saints, and saints who know they are sinners." Author Unknown

“The Bible will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from the Bible.” Dwight L. Moody (1837 – 1899),was an American evangelist and publisher, and founder of the Moody Church, the Moody Bible Institute, and Moody Publishers.

"It is after you have realized that there is a real Moral Law, and a Power behind the law, and that you have broken that law and put yourself wrong with that Power--it is after all this, and not a moment sooner, that Chrsitianity begins to talk." C.S. Lewis (1898 – 22 November 1963), was a novelist, poet, academic, medievalist, literary critic, essayist, lay theologian, broadcaster, lecturer, and Christian apologist, best known for his works MERE CHRISTIANITY and THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA.

“The worst sin toward our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them: that's the essence of inhumanity.” George Bernard Shaw (1856 – 1950) was a famed Irish playwright and a co-founder of the London School of Economics.

“If nothing else, there's comfort in recognizing that no matter how much we fail and sin, death will limit our suffering.” Chuck Palahniuk (1962 - ) is an American novelist and freelance journalist.

“Sin has many tools, but a lie is the handle which fits them all.” Edmund Burke (1729 – 1797) was an Irish statesman, author, orator, political theorist, and philosopher.

“Man's sin is in his failure to live what he is. Being the master of the earth, man forgets that he is the servant of God.” Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907 –1972) was a Polish-born American rabbi and one of the leading Jewish theologians and Jewish philosophers of the 20th century.

“It will never do to plead sin as an excuse for sin, or to attempt to justify sinful acts by pleading that we have an evil heart. This instead of being a valid apology, is the very ground of our condemnation.” Archibald Alexander (1772 – 1851) was an American Presbyterian theologian and professor at the Princeton Theological Seminary.

“One of the peculiar sins of the twentieth century which we've developed to a very high level is the sin of credulity. It has been said that when human beings stop believing in God they believe in nothing. The truth is much worse: they believe in anything.” Malcolm Muggeridge (1903 – 1990) was a British journalist, author, media personality, and satirist.

“God had one son on earth without sin, but never one without suffering.” Saint Augustine (354 – 430) was an early Christian theologian and philosopher whose writings influenced the development of Western Christianity and Western philosophy.

“Everything that used to be a sin is now a disease.” Bill Maher (1956 - ) is an American political satirist, writer, producer, television host, and stand-up comedian.

“All human sin seems so much worse in its consequences than in its intentions.” Reinhold Niebuhr (1892 – 1971) was an American theologian, ethicist, and seminary professor, best known as author of The Serenity Prayer.

“One leak will sink a ship: and one sin will destroy a sinner.” John Bunyan (1628 – 1688) was an English writer and preacher best remembered as the author of the religious allegory The Pilgrim's Progress.

“Sin is too stupid to see beyond itself.” Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809 – 1892) was Poet Laureate of Great Britain and Ireland during much of Queen Victoria's reign and remains one of the most popular British poets.

“The reality of loving God is loving him like he's a Superhero who actually saved you from stuff rather than a Santa Claus who merely gave you some stuff.” Criss Jami (1987 - ) is an American poet, essayist, existentialist philosopher.

“Men will allow God to be everywhere but on his throne.

Among the ancient Aztecs, red dye was collected as a yearly religious tribute. Acquiring this bright colorant required hundreds of subjects to comb the desert in search of its source-the tiny female cochineal beetle. Making just a pound of this rare extract required the harvesting of about 70,000 of these insects!

After the arrival of Cortez in the1500s, Spaniards traded for the dried remains of the cochineal beetle, whose red dye created a brilliant color that no one could duplicate by any other source. Soon after, Europeans used it for coloring fabrics. In the years that followed, Michelangelo used it in paintings and the British and Canadians for their red coats.

Today, less expensive synthetic dyes have mostly replaced this insect dye, but it is still used as a natural FDA-approved coloring for food, drugs, and cosmetics. Strange as it may sound, some brands of fruit juice use this beetle as colorant. It's also fascinating to note that Spanish traders never told the Europeans of the dyes origin. And because the little beetles looked so much like seeds, they were traded as grain.

Have you ever heard of the Poison Garden?

The Alnwick Garden [located in Alnwick, UK] plays host to the small but deadly Poison Garden—filled exclusively with around 100 toxic, intoxicating, and narcotic plants. The boundaries of the Poison Garden are kept behind black iron gates, only open on guided tours.

Visitors are strictly prohibited from smelling, touching, or tasting any plants.

Entry to The Poison Garden is included with your day ticket but please note tours are subject to availability.

Wait, what?! A garden filled with nothing but poisonous plants?!

A combination of dark, ivy-covered tunnels and flame-shaped beds creates an educational garden full of interest and intrigue, where the most dangerous plants are kept within giant cages. ... The Poison Garden is home to around 100 species of dangerous, toxic and harmful plants, each of which has the potential to severely injure you! These are some of the most dangerous to look (but not touch) out for on your tour:

Laburnum 
Atropa Belladonna
Helleborus Odorus 
Monkshood 
Ricinus communis 
Giant Hogweed 
Opium Poppy
Gympie- Gympie
… and hundreds more!

Aparently, though quite deadly, these poisonous plants can be quite beautiful and alluring ...