"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.

The latest research (published on May 2, 2025, in the journal Cell Press) is showing great promise in the fight against the deadly effects of snake bites:

Scientists have developed what they believe is the most widely effective antivenom ever — and the secret ingredient came from one man’s blood.

In the course of their research, the team found a man, Tim Friede, who had been bitten hundreds of times by 16 species of deadly snakes — the poison lethal enough to kill a horse, according to the scientists — over an 18-year period.

It turns out Friede was intentionally subjecting himself to the snake bites (over 200 of them!) and venom (over 700 doses!) in order to self-immunize against the deadly effects. He would start with very small doses, so as not to produce a fatal response, then gradually increase the exposure so his body could adjust to the poison over time. The result was a sort of "hyper-immunity" which makes him virtually impervious to a wide range of venomous toxins.

Now, rich in anti-venom antibodies, components from his blood are being developed into a very broad based antitode to combat the toxic effects of snake bites in others who have been bitten.

Don't bellieve it? Here's a link to his YouTube channel with plently of "sssssss"cary videos.

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.