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     I was considering something that I wrote on the page Two Separate Traditions and I edited a few paragraphs for the benefit of those who are optimistic by nature, and I also added a reference to the Golden Calf story. The Exodus tradition was in its original form one of the more cheerful and optimistic traditions in the Bible, and I do not want to seem to be denigrating optimism, and simply express my own point of view on this page. The two edited paragraphs read as follows:

      Now as I pointed out above, the author of Hebrew ignores one fact in his dark broodings, and that is that the version of events that he prefers (the dark, brooding pessimism and cruelty of the Numbers narrative) is one, and only one, tradition, and one, and only one version of events. An optimistic tradition also existed, a tradition that did not include the plagues and fires and sinkholes of the Numbers tradition, but, as I mentioned, there has always been some peculiarity in the religious mindset that gets people fixated on horrors, and so this fact goes unrecognized. Anyone who has read my piece on the Golden Calf will notice that there is also an optimistic tradition woven together with a pessimistic tradition in the book of Exodus itself (I am not suggesting that Exodus in its finished form is a completely optimistic tradition). The pessimistic tradition is the famous (in all those movies) story of the Golden Calf. You will notice when you read the 105th psalm that is a recapitulation of the optimistic Exodus tradition that there is no mention of a Golden Calf, which supports my contention in the piece on the Golden Calf that this is a later tradition interpolated into the book of Exodus by Northern Levites. It is also interesting to note that there is no mention in this Psalm of the Sinai mountain top tradition, which leads me to believe that perhaps it was the Northern Levites who first invented that story as well.

      It would seem to me that the ruthless sadism and overbearing cruelty of the God of the Numbers tradition is detestable (that truly has to be the most morbid tradition ever recorded), but at the same time the overly optimistic portrayal of human relationships with God of the Exodus crowd is also an inadequate description of reality as we have come to know it. I am by nature an optimistic person myself, but I have learned to temper my optimism with skepticism (perhaps for emotional reasons, because in that way I am prepared and it isn't nearly as painful to be disappointed). I would like to be as optimistic as that book of Exodus crowd, but something inside of me says, 'not complete.' So I keep thinking that by itself that tradition fails to adequately address and account for the abandonment issues people must deal with when considering God and their fate at the hands of God, and it also fails to adequately account for the pain and suffering humanity experiences at the hands of evil or human aging, decay, and death. None of these things can be adequately explained by a purely optimistic viewpoint, but to turn to total pessimism and harbor dark broodings about the nature and motives of God, even portraying God as an overbearing, gigantic, all powerful sadist is not a proper response either, but rather is destructive of faith and trust, and works against any true reconciliation.

     While I am on the subject of optimism, I should note that my website has only been up for a matter of weeks, and already I have received about 20 emails. My last log file only covered the first three days my site was up, and already I had fifty hits in those first three days. Now I do not know what the industry average is for sending email, but I know that of all the surfing I do, I rarely send emails, so perhaps this is the same for most people. Let us suppose the average email rate was 5 per cent. That would mean that already about 400 people have visited my website, which is great, because I was thinking I might have to sit on the web for a long time before I established any kind of a presence, so I feel this is a promising start.

      I received the following testimony:

I've seen the flying objects you describe,includeing the cone. I've also seen a triangle shaped one and a diamond shaped one along with many differnt types of u.f.o.s. I've seen them sense I was a small child. And I've had simular experiences. I just recently moved to Denver Colorado where my father lives. I had never told him of the things I have seen and experienced, but as he has an intrest in u.f.o.s, I told him I had seen many, almost every day. He believed me, so I said lets go out side and take a look . Within a couple of minutes one appeared. Over the next couple of days we seen many more. My dad became very excited and went out and bought a camcorder. That was one year ago, we now have over four hours of vidieo tape of many differnt types of craft, and a few things that almost look like their alive. Its sounds like we have traveled simular paths in life, I have been showen the inner light and I have tried to show people that the path to spiritcuality starts within. But it mainly falls on deaf ears. One thing Me and my children did witness and I was wondering if you have seen something simular is, one Saturday afternoon Me my son Malachai and daughter Patsy were sitting outside when I began watching a cloud. I looked away for a second and when I looked back it had took the shape of an Angel, spread wings long flowing hair bare breast Eyes nose feet everything. Me and my children stared at for a minute or two in ahh, when I remembered the camcorder. I got vidieo of her. the image isnt as clear as when we first started watching it but its still got alot of detail to it. The next afternoon me and my two children were sitting outside waiting to tape a ufo. I hade the camera running and was trying to focus on a ufo when my son said dad look. I took my eye away from the camera and looked where he was pointing. He was pointing to an erea in the sky almost stright above us. I,ll describe this the best I can. It looked like a hole had opened up in the sky and gold leaves were being poured out of it like a huge waterfall. It looked like we would be covered, buried by these gold leaves. But none of the leaves ever hit the ground. They would lightly float down to about tree top leval and disaper. I got all this on vidieo too, but the vidieo dosnt do justuss to what we witness that day. Whats your thoughts on this and have you witnessed this?

     Well, being an optimistic person by nature, I like to give people the benefit of the doubt, but to tell you the truth, I think you are pulling my leg. That other person who wrote before I believe, but I think you are yanking my chain, trying to have some fun. However, if you are in fact telling me the truth, then I apologize profusely. Those of you who have seen these things, please do not refrain from sending me your testimony, for fear that I might disparage what you have to say. There are just some things about these email that seem 'to much' (but then again, maybe that is that cynicism of mine kicking in). Nevertheless I will post the letter, and let others make up their own minds about these matters.