Articles written by John Devera - Page 2

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About me - John Devera

John DeVera is a professional writer who ascribes heartily to the dictum of Samuel Johnson that "No man but a blockhead ever wrote, except for money." As yet, his career has not allowed him to wallow in the luxury to which he would like to be accustomed, but

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Entertainment > Movie Genres Top five movies of all time: 5 of 145
A list of best movies is so very subjective. And such a list almost always suffers from the biases and lack of knowledge of the author. For instance, in the first case, I know Gone with the Wind and The Sound of Music are great movies, but as a guy, the testosterone coursing through my veins will not allow me to nominate eith... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Spiritual Insights How can we change our destiny?: 3 of 85
Being able to change your destiny is secondary to understanding destiny. If you don't have a personal definition for destiny, then you have no concept of what it is you wish to change. Destiny means different things to different people. To change your destiny, examine the different meanings people ascribe to that word.DETERMI... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Religion & Spirituality (Other) Why Christianity and Islam can't integrate: 1 of 27
Islam and Christianity cannot meet at some happy point where we can both agree to disagree, because Christianity and Islam are diametrically opposed to each other. Now this may sound harsh, politically incorrect and even reactionary, but the core beliefs of the two faiths are not at all viably ecumenical.1) Christianity belie... More..
Arts & Humanities > Philosophical Concepts What is true love?: 3 of 76
The English word "love" can mean so many things to so many people in so many circumstances. The ancient Greek philosophers had five different words for "love," each with its own symptoms and prognoses. In attempting to discover the meaning of "true love," let us examine the different kinds of love and see if we can find which... More..
Arts & Humanities > Horror, Mystery & Suspense Best horror stories in the fiction genre of books: 1 of 24
The best horror stories are those that cause a frisson, a horripilation that strikes at the core of our fears and our desires. In addition to the best horror stories, I have compiled a short list of those horror stories which are definitely NOT scary.1) "The Tell-Tale Heart, by Edgar Allen Poe, is the scariest horror story ev... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Self-Healing The benefits of forgiving: 2 of 47
Oh goody. Let's try an experiment. Think of a person who has wronged you. Go over every detail of how you were victimized and hurt and betrayed by this person. Ready? Good. Now, here's the experiment; think as hard as you can about hurting that person. WILL that person to feel pain. Mentally try to cause anguish in that perso... More..
Entertainment > Entertainment (Other) Most powerful superheroes: 5 of 107
The most powerful superheroes must balance their weaknesses against their amazing powers to add up to a net gain. Considering that every superhero is a flawed human (excluding Superman, of course), this is not a simple equation. Strength, intelligence, resourcefulness, and ability to manipulate the environment around them are... More..
Arts & Humanities > Fantasy & Science Fiction Suggested readings in science fiction: 1 of 21
Science Fiction is a terribly misunderstood genre. When a novel is so well written that it becomes literature, it somehow becomes more than science fiction. On the other hand, if someone wishes to trash talk a good novel, it's easy enough to dismiss it as "merely" science fiction. The great difficulty in any introduction of s... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Bible Study Is the Bible trustworthy?: 8 of 160
The bible is trustworthy. But the Bible is not a science book. If God wrote a science book, I would certainly enjoy reading it, but that's not the Bible's purpose. The Bible is not a self help book. Quite frankly, we are unable to help ourselves. The Bible is not a history book. If it were, it would have been constructed in c... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Religion & Spirituality (Other) Lucifer and the Devil: 1 of 20
The name Lucifer is really separate from the name Satan. In the Old Testament, where both names appear, there is a very different attitude towards the two than you might suppose.Lucifer, which is a Latin translation of a Hebrew phrase meaning "Son of Dawn," refers to a King of Babylon. Now the Hebrew word is Helel, which can ... More..