I was raised in a very conservative family built on tradition and religion. After years of doubt, I finally came out as an atheist in 2010. Since then my choices in femals has also become more liberal.

I love my current girlfriend very, very much (we’ve been dating for almost a year now) and she was raised in a very liberal family and is used to such things. What I have trouble with sometimes, is that I can’t help but feel a little "tug" from my old days when we talk about our future. For example, we recently talked about changing our names before/after marriage. Currently, she wanted to keep her last name because of advice from her mother (name changing is a hassel) and because "it really doesn’t matter what name she has, as long as we’re together" (her words). I felt that little "tug" from my old days again. Honestly, I would like for her to take my last name (we even talked about each of us changing our last names to a completely different one and I was OK with that). Eventually, I came around and agreed to her request, but secretly don’t favor it.

I dare say I’m a bit more progressive than some of my friends (from Texas), however sometimes when I hang out with her I’m not sure. My question, rather my delima, is what is a good way to tell if I’m being too conservative/tradition-based or just myself? Does the fact that I would like her to take my last name mean I am old-fashioned? She is a sweet lady and I want to do whatever I can to make her happy, while keeping true to myself at the same time.

I apologize for the long explanation and any help is appreciated!

You do sound traditional with your mind frame. In that sense, are you also wanting your girlfriend to be a stay at home wife? You might as well go all out traditional. Are you currently paying for ALL the dates? Traditional also means a guy has to pay for everything – ALL the bills, ALL the dates. Too bad your girlfriend isn’t a virgin, for that would truly be traditional and old-fashioned.

Wake up and smell the 21st century. Times have changed, and not all couples will share the same last name. Learn to compromise; otherwise, your girlfriend will leave you and you’ll be all alone. Let her keep her last name, or change your names together. A marriage is more than just a name. If you truly love her, let the last name thing slide…

For instance, the Bible says that God tells Abraham to sacrifice his own child. If you take that literally, then you are in trouble when you later claim that God is against human sacrifice. If you take it to mean that God is merely testing Abraham, then you believe that God’s ultimate litmus test of a good soul is whether or not a person is willing to kill his own child for him. A (supposedly) "literal" interpretation of the text leads to contradictions which are later only bridged by denials and self-deception.

IF, however, you take Abraham to be a noble-hearted Bronze Age man who was searching for the spiritual truth with all his heart, then you can take the ancient jewish literal view of genesis with a more flexible understanding. He believes God is telling him to do one thing, and ends up doing another. Was it like he personally understood it? I doubt it. Its not like God actually SPEAKS to us when we search for what is spiritually true. But though his voice is silent, it is still nevertheless THERE. So perhaps Abraham’s understanding of what happened was limited, but still graced by God’s truth. Abraham learns that God does NOT want human sacrifice. God wants life, and values family instead, even though Abraham’s understanding of the lessons he learns is limited.

The ancient Jews believed that God sanctioned warfare to take over Canaan, did they not? But what if what REALLY happened was that they couldn’t make the distinction between the self-preservation of themselves, and the preservation of the God that they worshipped?

As I see it, ONLY Jesus is the absolute truth of God on earth. Everyone else was/is fallible. With Jesus, we see that the ancient Jews were entitled to fight for themselves ("Render unto Caesar"–taxation, collective self-defense, etc), but that NO ONE fights for God. The ancient jewish belief in sacred warfare was MISTAKEN.
Abraham was imperfectly searching for God. His belief that God actually wanted him to sacrifice his son was MISTAKEN, just like his descendants were mistaken in believing in spiritual warfare.

Only in Jesus do we see the common thread linking the entire Jewish tradition. He repudiates all the misunderstandings, and fulfills what the good-hearted among the jews were looking for, and building on.
The entire jewish tradition is the story of a growing yet IMPERFECT understanding of what God is on the part of the cultural group who was closest to him. When the time was right, BAM! The messiah shows, and speaks for the quiet voice of God which was always there. What was untrue was always untrue, and what was true now spoke before them.

Jesus also never speaks of scientific matters. He only focus’s on the spiritual foundation of all things. If Jesus truly was a walking expression of God on earth and in creation, and if he spoke with spiritual authority on all things spiritual (overriding old assumptions), is it possible for mankind to combine scientific knowledge with divine revelation? Is it possible to combine things that WE can figure out with our own god-given brains, with the eternal words of the nazarene?

Many say "yes", and I am one of them. Even if peter and paul took genesis to be literal, that still doesn’t mean that genesis doesn’t have striking wisdom on the nature of good evil, and that it is understandable that God revealed himself to humanity through those who had this marvelous wisdom as a foundational premise.

I doubt Jesus was going to tell us that dinosaurs walked the earth billions of years ago, that the universe is unimaginably large, that the earth revolves around the sun, etc etc etc, AND tell humanity of the spiritual truth behind it at the same time. I think he left the scientific stuff for us to figure out, and I’m not alone on this one.

Does anyone else see it similarly?
EDIT: "That Jesus Kid 13"

I know, in part it IS a prophecy about Christ. But I think it is a prophecy which takes place with the first great (yet imperfect) spiritual insights of a remarkable man named Abraham.

"He believes God is telling him to do one thing, and ends up doing another. Was it like he personally understood it? I doubt it. Its not like God actually SPEAKS to us when we search for what is spiritually true. "

And where in Genesis does it support this theory?

After all, it says that G-d told him to offer Isaac as a sacrifice.
Did He tell him that or didn’t he?
The angel of G-d later tells Abraham to not kill him.
Did the angel say that or didn’t he?
The angel relayed the message that G-d knows that he is G-d fearing because he did not WITHHOLD his son.
So, is the reason he is G-d fearing is because he listened to G-d or didn’t listen to Him?

How to build a traditional style picnic table capable of seating eight people. The table is constructed solely of 2×4 lumber. Go to www.buildeazy.com for plans and instructions.

www.vintageandrare.com Talking to german guitar builder Nik Huber on winter NAMM 2011 in Anaheim, Los Angeles / California. Bio: Nik-Huber-Guitars was founded by Nik Huber in 1996. Since then, the company grew slowly but constantly. Today a team of 5 highly skilled specialists is building around 120 instruments a year. All hand-crafted. Since the first attendance at the Frankfurt Musik Messe in 1997, Nik Huber Guitars gained a worldwide reputation as a serious manufacturer of high-class electric-guitars. In 1999 the expanding company moved to a commercial park in its hometown, Rodgau – 20 km south of Frankfurt/Germany, and resides now in a fully, state-of-the-art equipped workshop. Nik Huber, founder and managing director of Nik Huber Guitars, carries on a more than 100 year old family tradition. In 1896 a heritage of woodworking expertise was born to proud parent Nikolaus Huber in a small village in Southern Bavaria. Today Nikolaus Huber IV carries that expertise forward in the form of exquisite guitars. More than a 100 years of gathering knowledge and passing it on from one generation to the next makes a remarkable difference in a fast paced world like today’s. Basically, what we do, is to turn beautiful pieces of wood into excellent guitars. As easy as it sounds, this process requires not only a reasonable amount of experience. It is also a never ending story of mishaps, dead-end-streets and tiny little pieces of metal that won’t fit into their tiny little holes …
Video Rating: 4 / 5

Imam Mosque – UNESCO World Heritage Site – also known as Shah Mosque and Masjed-e Shah – located in Imam Square – also known as Naghsh-i Jahan Square or Maidan – in Isfahan – The Pearl of Islam – Iran. This mosque is often confused with Jameh Mosque in Iran due to its similar architecture. The mosque is a magnificent example of the extravagant architecture that constituted the glory of Isfahan at the time. It was built by the Safavids, a native dynasty, reunited Iran in the early 16th century and reached the highest point in the reign of Shah Abbas I the Great (1587-1629). He moved the capital to Isfahan (ancient Aspadana) (210 miles (340 km) south of Tehran) and in a exceptional illustration of Iranian town planning, reorganized the whole city in a series of interlinked squares according to the grandest plans conceivable. This was not the first time that the Safavids dynasty had moved their capital, they started moving since their original capital (Tabriz) in 1555, till they established as a world power in Isfahan in late 1590′s. The Maidan itself host Ali Qapu Palace (Fourth Building, located in the west side of the Maidan, built in 1590), Lutfallah Mosque (Built after the completion of the Maidan between 1603 & 1619), Imam Mosque (Built between 1611 & 1630), and the bazaar that connected the old city with the new Maidan. In order to align the mosque with Mecca while maintaining the integrity of the square, the mosque is set at an angle of about 45 degrees to the …

www.timesofearth.com LONDON – Revelers across the Pacific Islands, Asia, Africa, and Europe have welcomed 2011 with celebrations and fireworks displays, and crowds are already gathering across the Americas to mark the start of the new year there. The tiny Pacific island nation of Kiribati was the first to ring in 2011. London hosted one of Europe’s biggest celebrations, on the banks of London’s River Thames. Around a quarter of a million people gathered to watch fireworks as the famous Big Ben at Parliament chimed in the new year. In Dubai, the world’s tallest building was awash in fireworks from the base to its needle-like spire nearly a half-mile (828-meters) above. Sparkling silver rays shot out from the Burj Khalifa in a 10-minute display. In France, police were on alert for terror attacks and for celebrations getting out of hand. Rampaging youths typically set fire to scores of vehicles on New Year’s Eve. Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux said 53820 police officers were mobilized, 6000 more than usual. France has been extra vigilant following threats from al-Qaida and the kidnapping of five French citizens in Niger. As rain clouds cleared, around 50000 people, many sporting large, brightly colored wigs, gathered in Madrid’s central Puerta del Sol square to take part in Las Uvas, or The Grapes, a tradition in which people eat a grape for each of the 12 chimes of midnight. Chewing and swallowing the grapes to each tolling of a bell is supposed to bring good luck, while …
Video Rating: 5 / 5

A Film by Sarah Macmillan, NORTHERN LANDSCAPES Filmed & Produced in 2008 as part of a series of 4 of my Heritage Documentaries for a permanent exhibition at the Zetland Lifeboat Museum, Redcar. The exhibition also includes ‘ The Fishing Town of Redcar’ ‘Zetland- The Redcar Lifeboat’ & ‘Redcar Celebrates Atonement’ Focusing on the lives & traditions of the local fishing community of Redcar, a town on the North Yorkshire Coast. Recalling fishing days from the early 20th Century to the everyday struggle faced by modern day fishermen. The film also features the traditional knitting of the fisherman’s sweater known as a ‘Gansey’ & the surviving art of model Coble making, the traditional fishing boat of Redcar. Also features folk songs by Greame Miles& The Keelers & incidental music from John Conolly.
Video Rating: 5 / 5

The Canadian Tradition – Quebec Sink Box – Season 01 Episode 03 – Part 04 Taylor Wright explores sink box hunting in Quebec. A Ducks Unlimited Canada sponsored show.

In one of the most spectacular displays of school tradition, the trumpets of the Band of the Fighting Irish gather under the Golden Dome (the Main Building) one hour before kick-off on home game days and play “Notre Dame Our Mother,” and “The Notre Dame Victory March” to a standing-room only crowd. Filmed in the Fall of 2009, over the course of four performances. Soloist – Matt Brown.
Video Rating: 4 / 5

www.facebook.com Bhawan Palace, located at Jodhpur in Rajasthan, India, is one of the world’s largest private residences. A part of the palace is managed by Taj Hotels. Named after Maharaja Umaid Singh, grandfather of the present owners of the palace, this monument has 347 rooms and serves as the principal residence of the erstwhile Jodhpur royal family. Umaid Bhawan Palace was called Chittar Palace during its construction due to its location on Chittar Hill, the highest point in Jodhpur. Ground for the foundations of the building was broken on 18 November 1929 by Maharaja Umaid Singh and the construction work was completed in 1943.[1] Built on the Chittar Hill in southeastern area of the Jodhpur, construction employed more than 5000 men for fifteen years. The building does not use mortar or cement to bind stones together; all of its pieces are carved stones joined together by a system of carved, interlocking positive and negative pieces. A specially constructed train line was used to transport these large blocks of stone. Umaid Bhavan is designed in such a manner that it always maintains the temperature at approximately 23 degrees Celsius. Gardens of the Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur. Model of Umaid Bhawan Palace. The palace grounds cover 26 acres (10.5 ha), out of which the constructed area covers 3.5 acres (1.4 ha) while 15 acres (6.1 ha) are devoted to the lawns. Designed by renowned Edwardian architect Henry Vaughan Lanchester and Indian architect Budhmal Rai, the …

A century ago every port on the coast of North-East England had its own fleet of cobles. Fishermen braved stormy seas to bring back the daily catch in these tiny wooden boats, whose design goes back to the Viking longships. But now more cobles are being destroyed than are being built. And a unique way of life is vanishing fast. This video/DVD tells the story of the coble and features the handful of men who still use the boat for fishing. At Boulmer in Northumberland Main Stephenson’s coble Northern Pride is one of just three still based at the village. In summer he casts his nets close to the beach, hoping to catch sea trout in the way his forefathers did. In winter he goes potting for lobsters and crabs. Off Whitby in North Yorkshire, Shaun Elwick casts lines bristling with 1600 baited hooks as he fishes for cod. Dozens of Whitby boats used to employ this traditional technique, but Shaun’s coble Charisma is one of only two still using the “long lines”. The decline in coble fishing has hit boat-building too. But in a small shed in Whitby Steve Cook and Lennie Oliver are keeping a tradition alive. They’re making a coble for Lennie to use in Robin Hood’s Bay. It’s the first to be built on the coast for 15 years. But it may well be the last. www.northern-heritage.co.uk

This DVD is FREE at www.realdiscoveries.org “To begin at the beginning, there are two sites laying claim to be the actual Tomb of Jesus; the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which we shall look at first, and the garden tomb. Read This Book for FREE By Simon Brown click HERE www.realdiscoveries.org “The site where the Church of the Holy Sepulchre stands has been visited and venerated for longer than its rival, The Tomb in the Garden, “and has all the authenticity of ancient tradition to bolster its claim. The site was discovered by the mother of an Emperor, later to be declared Saint Helena, and her son Constantine the Great ordered the first church to be built. So its credentials are impressive. “In 313 AD, Constantine had declared Christianity the official state religion of the Roman Empire and transformed what was still a minority sect into a religion that would dominate both the Western and Eastern Empires. But over time Christianity fractured into many denominations, each battling with the other for control of the shrine we call the Holy Sepulchre. “St Helena — Constantine the Great’s mother — newly converted to Christianity- set out from Rome for Palestine, to find the site of both Jesus’ crucifixion and His burial. The Romano-Greek historian Socrates Scholasticus, who wrote his Ecclesiastical History less than a century later, tells us that Helena found not only the burial site, but also wood, nails and fragments of the True Cross. “The site was covered by the …
Video Rating: 4 / 5