Too Smart — Too Sophisticated to Believe in God?

 

Graphic:  Slide Share . net

The following post over at American Thinker starts off discussing the suicide of Anthony Bourdain, and shares a pertinent Bible verse.

“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36) Bourdain was famous, and worth $16 million.

Kate Spade’s suicide happened shortly afterwards.  What would bring millionaires like this to such despair that they would take their own lives?

We found out that Robin Williams killed himself because of a disease he had and he didn’t want to be a burden to his family.

I’m no expert on why people commit suicide, but apparently there could be many reasons why people, unfortunately, follow through on it.

But this post isn’t only about that tragic state of affairs.  The next paragraph in Mr. Marcus’ post is the main reason I wanted to share it here.

Folks, we live is such an evil time that merely suggesting that people are better off with God in their lives is venomously attacked and branded fanatical religious hate speech. But I am going to go there anyway.

Have you noticed that oftentimes, evangelical Christians are being blamed on news programs for the election of Donald J. Trump?  Never mind those 30% (a diverse crowd, by the way) who had voted for Obama in the two previous presidential elections, but decided to vote for Trump over Clinton in 2016!

Below is the rest of Mr. Marcus’ essay.   His brilliant essay included many of the thoughts and conclusions that I have come to believe regarding the hatred being spewed here in America ever since the election of 2016.

 

Mr. Bourdain, and I suspect Ms. Spade, were leftists. Typically, leftists think themselves too smart -– too sophisticated to believe in God. Remember the closed-door fundraising event at which Obama demeaned fly-over-country voters for clinging to their guns and religion?

On the Christian-hating “View” TV show, Joy Behar called Vice President Pence “mentally ill” for saying he talks to Jesus. Historian David Barton documents how America was founded upon our Founders praying and receiving guidance from God.

In 1798, founding father John Adams said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.” Today, Christian politicians are branded “dangerous” by leftist-dominated mainstream media.

The Democrat party hijacked by leftists removed God from their platform. When Democrats voted God back into their platform the convention floor erupted with angry boos. Can you imagine a political party so wicked that they boo God?

Leftists laugh at Christians. Leftists erroneously believe man is the ultimate power, capable of regulating equal outcomes. They foolishly believe man can save or destroy the planet. Michael Crichton brilliantly articulates leftist folly in his novel Jurassic Park. Believing themselves to be wiser than God, leftists always fight to change God’s original intent regarding biology, marriage, and gender.

This scripture nails the leftist mindset. “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.” (Romans 1:22) Folks, we witness their foolishness every day. They say that if a man awakes feeling like a woman that day, he should be legally permitted to use public women restrooms. They say that teachers addressing students as boys and girls is hateful and exclusive and must not be tolerated. They say four-year-olds must be introduced to homosexuality and taught “gay love is beautiful”.

For eight years Obama forced anti-God extreme liberal foolishness down the throats of mainstream commonsense thinking Americans. Thank God Trump is rolling back Obama’s war on Christianity, restoring our constitutional religious liberty.

Obama was the left’s dream president. He aggressively stripped the God of Christianity from our government. Obama chastised Christians at the National Prayer Breakfast. He relentlessly tried to bully the one-hundred-year-old Little Sisters of the Poor into funding abortion services, an anathema against their religious convictions. Obama enthusiastically honored homosexuals, Black Lives Matter, and Muslims with celebrations at the White House while turning away the National Day of Prayer. Obama was the most biblically-hostile president in U.S. history.

Disney’s movie, A Wrinkle in Time, starring Oprah Winfrey struggled at the box office. Perhaps the reason is leftist producers stripped Bible quotes, a reference to Jesus and historical Christian figures from the movie adaptation of the beloved children’s book.

While threatening to jail anyone disrespectful of Islam, leftists boldly display disdain for Christianity. They hate Jesus for saying, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

How dare Jesus declare himself the only way to heaven. Liberal media goddess Oprah has decreed that Jesus is not the only way to God. Oprah foolishly professes herself to be wise, too enlightened to believe Jesus Christ is the only path to God.

The gangster movie Scarface has a strong biblical message. Drug lord Tony Montana had everything he thought would bring him happiness; power, a mountain of cocaine, extreme wealth, and beautiful women at his command. And yet, Tony was miserable. All Tony’s stuff could not fill that spiritual void inside which produces peace, happiness, and a fulfilled life.

Sadly, Mr. Bourdain’s and Ms. Spade’s extreme wealth, power, and fame failed to produce inner peace and happiness. Both are unfortunate casualties of leftist mindsets, too smart and too sophisticated to humbly trust in the God of Christianity.

Lloyd Marcus, The Unhyphenated American

Hat tip: The American Thinker: Bourdain: Casualty of Leftist Mindset

Hat tip also to: Truth 2 Freedom’s blog where I first found the link to the article.

*******

Personal story.

A few days ago, I got into a conversation with someone with whom I have known for a long time.  She appeared to be conservative, and has claimed that she is a Christian.  Some tough situations within her family life had caused great pain and sorrow.  During our subsequent discussions, she rarely mentioned anything about her faith anymore.

I have been trying to avoid getting into left vs. right arguments with people who dislike President Trump.  However, in this case I realized that this particular woman did not know basic facts about the last election or the vitriol that followed and has been ratcheted up over the last 20 months.

She objected to Trump winning, despite the popular vote that Hillary ended up with on election day.  I explained to her why the Founders decided to utilize the Electoral College method when electing the president.  She truly did not understand it until I had explained it.

During our conversation, she indicated that she personally dislikes Trump.  I agreed that he isn’t the typical, smooth politician and that he has said some regrettable things.  However, despite his personal failings,  I shared several of the many accomplishments of his administration and she agreed that he is doing a good job of turning this nation around.

I mention this because of the above article written by Lloyd Marcus.  People, Mr. Marcus completely NAILED IT in regards to the void of proper discussions going on today.  Instead, it’s only hatred, meanness, derision, mocking, threatening, and dangerous vitriol that is constantly being spewed by radical leftists.  Many, apparently, cannot even fathom having a decent conversation with those on the right or those who support President Trump.

Obama was their “prized” president.  He espoused most of everything on the leftist side of the political spectrum that they believe in.  But, even when he didn’t like some of the policies that came about, they forgave him (or ignored the issue) because of their love and agreement of this man’s political ideology.  They had the mentality that Obama “could do nothing wrong” and the media of mass deception kept that image alive by oftentimes not reporting the truth.

Now, because President Trump is mostly the complete opposite of Obama, the leftists have, and continue to be, losing their collective minds.  The media and celebrity negative rancor dominates 95% of the news broadcasts; oftentimes completely ignoring all of the great accomplishments that President Trump has done for our nation, economy, and people.

It’s truly sad that so many people do not allow those with opposing views a voice on news programs.  They ignore the other side in their conversations.  More distressing, is that when they report, they can’t seem to do it without being hostile, nasty or even downright hate-filled and dangerous!

Prophetic update: Is the Great Deception here?

Some call it fake news. Jesus called it deception. When His disciples asked about the signs of the last days, Jesus began by giving His followers this warning: “Take heed that no one deceives you” (Matthew 24:4).

We live in an age of deception – fake news, false advertising, viral lies and click bait. The mainstream media perpetrate falsehoods regularly, as do various alternative media.

But one of the major sources of 21^st-century deception can be found in an unlikely place: our schools. For instance, the U.S. Department of Education urges all public schools to teach Islam.

It’s really just thinly veiled propaganda, though they would certainly not use that word. The DoE says schools should teach Islam “to create an anti-bias learning environment.”

Many regularly teach the religious doctrine that God and Allah are the same. Forget the “separation of church and state” arguments for the moment. This one teaching alone is a form of gross – and deadly – deception. And the deception is being inculcated in our malleable children, by order of the state!

In 2017, truth became even more subservient to political correctness. Isaiah 5:20 says, in part, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil …” Those words perfectly describe the pervasive spirit of deception that seems to have settled upon our world.

Another sign of the end times is an increase in the persecution of those who name the name of Jesus Christ.

Christianity Today reported, “For the third year in a row, the modern persecution of Christians worldwide has hit another record high.” Fox News said, “Nearly one in 12 Christians across the globe lives in an area where there is high-level persecution against members of the religion.”

A Yemeni man called “Sam” told CBN News: “Life for Christians in Yemen is very hard. For that matter, across the Middle East, there’s not a country where Christians are not suffering for their faith. This is our reality.”

But 2017 also found the persecution of Christians arise in unexpected places. Canada enacted Bill 89, which gives the state the power to take a child away from his or her parents if they do not agree that their child is transgender.

Jack Fonseca of Campaign Life Coalition warned: “[W]e’ve entered an era of totalitarian power by the state, such as never witnessed in Canada’s history. … Bill 89 is a grave threat to Christians and all people of faith.”

Even in America, it is becoming dangerous to be a Christian – especially one who is willing to take a stand for Judeo-Christian values. In 2017, the U.S. Supreme Court heard the case of Jack Phillips, the Colorado baker who declined to make a wedding cake for a homosexual couple. His story is a reminder that following Christ may soon harm a believer’s ability to hold a job or run his own business in a Western nation.

Over the last few decades, some Bible scholars have postulated that the “mark of the beast” might be a computer chip inserted under a person’s skin. The chip would serve as an identifier and repository of vast amounts of information about the individual.

From critical medical information to credit and banking information, the chip would guarantee security and convenience. It would also make possible an amazing Bible prophecy concerning the Antichrist’s partner, the False Prophet.

Revelation 13:16-17 foretells, “He causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand, or on their forehead, and he provides that no one should be able to buy or sell, except the one who has the mark.”

In July of 2017, a company in Wisconsin implanted tiny computer chips into the hands of about 50 employee volunteers. These chips only allow them to open doors and buy snacks from vending machines without money. In other words, they’re to make things more convenient for the busy employees. It sounds harmless enough, but it portends more ominous possibilities in the future.

Last year, the New York Times called certain toys “the cyber security nightmares of 2017.” The paper was referring to the fact that more and more toys contain cameras and microphones that connect to the internet – and constantly gather data.

Today, toys spy on us. Cell phones spy on us. Televisions, cars and even refrigerators spy on us.

In 2017, TSA began using facial scans at some airports. In October, the liberal Slate magazine reported on legislation pending before Congress. It said, “… an alarming section of the bill would give… a green light to begin using biometrics to identify people in airports nationwide… right now there’s only one technology fit for a biometric surveillance system: automated, real-time face scans

Read it all: WND: Prophetic Update: Is The Great Deception Here?

I wanted to copy and paste more of the article, but my computer is acting up and I keep getting the message: “WND is not responding.” I think that such a message, in and of itself, is a deception being done by g00gle in order to keep readers from that conservative website. Or, maybe it is just my computer? (I received a Mac laptop for Christmas and am anxious to learn how to use it so that I don’t have to deal with these “Internet Explorer” problems anymore!)

I have read that conservative sites are often targeted with difficulties, bans, and even undeserved blocking to make their readership go down. Need an example? Here’s one:

Right Wing News: How Conservatives Are Being Destroyed by Facebook, Twitter and Google Without Even Realizing It

My little ole’ Talk wisdom blog, with only 93 followers and usual readership of anywhere from 20 – 50 viewers each day, isn’t a big threat so g00gle likely ignores this site. [There have been times where certain posts got 100’s of viewers, and in the case of the Stephen Paddock Las Vegas shooting post, my stats rose to the highest level ever; over 2,300 views!]

Back to the topic. Hopefully readers here will go to WND and read the entire article. I would like to cite some of the better comments left there.

1. USPatriotOne • 14 minutes ago

The Bible is very clear on what needs to happen before Jesus’s return and the birth pains this world will go through before his return. There are several birth pains from earthquake’s to weather to signs from space to man’s deceptions and lies against their fellow man/woman to the mark of the beast and on and on it goes..!!! Nearly all these signs have either already come into being or are in the process of manifesting into our very lives whether we want this to happen or not..!!! I never found the Bible (the word of God/Jesus/Holy Spirit) to be wrong in any shape or form. Yes Satan and his NWO/Deep State/DemoRats/Rino’s and Islam lie daily to “We the People” and the World at large that the Bible is wrong, but it’s all part of the great deception engulfing our planet, and yes Jesus is about to return, I believe, all the piece’s to God’s grand puzzle are nearly in place! Satan and his demonic followers know this and their end is NEAR! Praise be to the Lord Jesus Christ! Please Lord Jesus protect Prez Trump and VP Pence along with all Christians and Jews in America, Israel and around the world, I pray this in you most holy name our Lord and Savior “Jesus Christ”…Amen!

2. Al-Franki “el-da dhimmi” • 2 hours ago

Hal’s right, we’re pretty fully ‘decepted’ by now. I do remember his book from the 60’s warning us about end times. That was a long time ago he was telling us this…just remember, God’s ‘time’ is not ‘our’ time. It’s up to us to ‘see’ and heed the warnings no matter the time period.

3.
allpan • 12 hours ago
Great article, right on target. America has a poor teaching problem. We are # 36 out of 75 countries taking the international testing (PITA). We teach everything except the basics. Truly, our nation and others are facing the Judgment of God. There is so much disunity in the USA, violence, hatred and rejection of the Bible, we are truly in the last times. The Tribulation spoken of in the Bible is going to be a shocker to this world.

 

4. Watcher • 11 hours ago

“Today, toys spy on us. Cell phones spy on us. Televisions, cars and even refrigerators spy on us. In 2017, TSA began using facial scans at some airports. In October, the liberal Slate magazine reported on legislation pending before Congress. It said, “… an alarming section of the bill would give… a green light to begin using biometrics to identify people in airports nationwide… right now there’s only one technology fit for a biometric surveillance system: automated, real-time face scans.””

“in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man” (Dan. 7:8)

Cameras have eyes like the eyes of man.

Google: “comparing the human eye and a camera”

That bit of prophecy in Daniel 7:8 is telling us that there won’t be many places to hide from the kingdom of the Anti-Messiah, for camera eyes shall be virtually everywhere. That’s one of many ways in which his kingdom shall as much as possible mimic the coming kingdom of the true Messiah. If people understood that, they wouldn’t be off on a wild-goose chase looking for a Muslim Antichrist…

[Note from Christine: The camera comparison from commenter “Watcher” might be a bit off because the verse continues with, “and a mouth speaking great things.”    However, with the technology of today (and cameras everywhere!), it’s true that “there won’t be many places to hide” from the rule of the Antichrist. Here’s a graphic with a better illustration:

Since “allah” is a false god, IMHO, the Antichrist could be (most likely, secretively) muslim. I did find the Daniel 7:8 verse fascinating in the context of this discussion.]

End of Hal Lindsey’s article:

Why are people so upset with President Trump? Sure, he rubs some people the wrong way. He says unexpected and, sometimes, inappropriate things. He speaks – or tweets – when maybe he should stay silent.

But when you look beyond his bluster and just look at his actions and record, he’s mostly a moderate, right-of-center politician – not at all out of the mainstream.

I think the real reason so many people are obsessed with destroying President Trump can be found in his resistance to the New World Order.

In 2017, he refused to recertify the Iran nuclear deal. He formally recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. He pulled the United States out of the Paris Climate Accord. He’s renegotiating NAFTA. He put an end to the Trans-Pacific Partnership. He demanded that NATO members pay their own way. He called the United Nations to account and cut some of its funding. He got tough with the Palestinian Authority. He put the Muslim nations on notice that it’s their responsibility to confront and curb Islamic terrorism. And more.

In other words, he stood up to and fought the globalist elites who were on the brink of cementing their supra-national control of the entire world. And, believe it or not, by doing that and by seeking to return autonomy and sovereignty to the United States – and bring Judeo-Christian values back to the public square – President Trump may have complicated the build-up to the Antichrist’s one-world government.

And doing that guarantees him some terribly powerful enemies – including Satan himself.

That’s why, as we enter 2018, it is so critical that all believers follow Paul’s admonition: “I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity” (1 Timothy 2:1-2).

I would go a step further. I urge you to pray earnestly and daily specifically for our president and vice president. Pray that God will encourage them, give them wisdom and determination, and protect them as they stand in the gap for the America we know and love.

Some people consider the Trump Presidency as a type of reprieve from what is eventually going to come as a result of end times prophecy.  Of course, that would depend upon one’s political, social, and religious beliefs.  Those that hate President Trump [for whatever reason(s)] will likely NEVER see the good that he has accomplished in the first year of his presidency.

No matter what, keep praying people!

Hat tip: WorldNetDaily

The Lies and Viciousness of Leftists

A day ago, Ivanka Trump appeared on Fox and Friends and lamented the viciousness and ferocity being spewed against her father and family. She is absolutely correct! There is no doubt about it that the lies and viciousness of the attacks by the leftist Democrats is truly disgusting! Readers who have been paying attention know about all of the more recent attacks.

1.  Kathy Griffin decapitated head of Trump photo session (sick and evil, to say the least!)
2.  The fact that she was quoted in an article that she intends to “get  to Trump by “going after 11-year-old Barron” is unconscionable!
3.   The play where Trump is mimicked in an assassination attempt.
4.    The 7 month old LIE where the media of mass deception attempted to accuse Trump of collusion with the Russians; and there is much more that I could list.

In another disgusting display of hatred, viciousness, and vitriol, crazy Bernie Sanders went ballistic against Russell Vought in a hearing for his confirmation as President Trump’s pick for deputy director at the Office of Management and Budget.

The following is a copy of a post at FRC.org

June 12, 2017

What does a man’s theology have to do with the U.S. economy? A lot, if you’re Russell Vought. The respected economist, President Trump’s pick for deputy director at the Office of Management and Budget, thought he’d have to answer some tough questions at his Senate hearing last week. But like most of us, he thought they’d be about finances — not faith.

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) flipped that script, launching into an aggressive and bizarre attack on Vought’s Christianity (which Sanders called “hateful,” “indefensible,” and “insult[ing]”). Shouting until he was red in the face (see the video below), he accused the president’s nominee of being an Islamaphobe for believing what the Bible says about salvation. In a tantrum that made the James Comey hearing seem tame, Sanders managed to expose one thing: which one of them is truly intolerant. To Sanders’s crazy, Vought was the picture of poise, calmly explaining that he believes every person is made in the image of God, but that Christianity teaches that Jesus Christ is the only means of salvation and path to heaven.

It was an eye-opening display for most people, who may not have realized the level of contempt many liberals hold toward the majority religion in America. Just think: this is a senator who almost won the Democratic Party’s nomination for president — a man who thinks there’s no room in the public square for people who believe the Bible! I suppose it shouldn’t be a surprise that the same party who wanted God out of their platform also wants Him out of public service. As far as the Left is concerned, Christians in government have four options: they can hide their faith, deny it, recant it, or work elsewhere. Ironically, that makes most liberals guilty of the same prejudice they’re trying to pin on men and women of faith!

As Emma Green wrote for the Atlantic, “It’s one thing to take issue with bigotry. It’s another to try to exclude people from office based on their theological convictions. Sanders used the term ‘Islamophobia’ to suggest that Vought fears Muslims for who they are. But in his writing, Vought was contesting something different: He disagrees with what Muslims believe, and does not think their faith is satisfactory for salvation. Right or wrong, this is a conviction held by millions of Americans — and many Muslims might say the same thing about Christianity.”

Unfortunately, liberals like Sanders have no problem hauling someone’s personal views into the limelight and judging them on those beliefs — whether they impact a person’s public policies or not! Sanders’s Oklahoma colleague, Senator James Lankford (R-Okla.) could hardly believe his ears.

“Bernie Sanders questioned an OMB nominee this week about religion in a way that is dangerously close to crossing a clear constitutional line for how we evaluate qualifications for public service. Article VI of the US Constitution clearly states, ‘no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.’ The First Amendment is crystal clear that the federal government must protect every American’s right to the peaceful and free exercise of religion. We cannot say we have the free exercise of religion and also require people to practice their faith only in a way that government officials prefer… The freedom to be Christian, Yezidi, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, or another religion, or practice no religion, is an American right, and the United States Senate must not waver in our protection of that diversity and freedom. If we waver on the First Amendment, all of our constitutional rights, like free speech, freedom of assembly, and many others, become at risk.”

The Framers saw the possibility for the kind of conflict Bernie Sanders ignited and did everything they could to stop it. As James Madison, the chief architect of the Constitution, observed, “a zeal for different opinions concerning religion” has throughout history “inflamed [men] with mutual animosity, and rendered them much more disposed to vex and oppress each other, than to co-operate for their common good.” To stop those divisions, the Framers made it clear in the U.S. Constitution that there was to be no “religious test” and deferred to the states (many of which had state religions at the time) if they wanted to demand orthodoxy as a condition of public service.

What Bernie Sanders is doing is imposing his own test, a reverse religious test — that people have no religious convictions. But that was never what the Founders intended. It was John Adams, after all, who said “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” If anyone’s on the wrong side of that equation, it’s Bernie Sanders — not the millions of Christians whose faith this nation was founded on. Join the 46,669 other Americans who are demanding an apology from Sanders for his bigotry. Sign our petition here and ask his colleagues to pledge that they won’t oppose nominees on the basis of their religious views. /end of transcript

*******

Even if crazy Bernie manages to “apologize,” it would most likely be out of obligation rather than sincerity of heart.  This man’s atheistic communist ideology is nothing new.  However, it is amazing to me that so many young people followed him during the Dem primary, attended his rallies, and likely voted for him in the Democratic primary.  Perhaps the man didn’t reveal this vicious side of himself?  Maybe the young followers did not know the history of his type of belief system because they weren’t taught about it in either high school or college?  So many were fooled by this awful man!

Sander’s hatred of Christianity and Christian believers who actually read the Bible and follow the true Gospel of Christ was foretold 2,000 years ago by Christ Himself.

Jhn 15:18
¶
“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.

Jhn 15:19

“If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

Sanders is an example of someone who is “of this world.”

Jesus continues:

Jhn 15:20

“Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.

Jhn 15:21

“But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.

Jhn 15:22

“If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.

Mr. Russell Vought was being persecuted for his faith.  Jesus told us to expect this.  However, people like Sanders have “no excuse for their sin.”

Jesus continues:

Jhn 15:23

“He who hates Me hates My Father also.

Jhn 15:24

“If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father.

Jhn 15:25

“But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’[fn]

Jesus’ words here were indicative during the time and events when they were spoken.  However, since the Bible is a miraculous book, we know that such truth was also spoken for all the ages to come.

I used to think that Bernie was treated unfairly by the Dems.  The super delegate methods imposed in order to get HiLIARy the nomination was a nefarious political move to push him out of the contest.  After hearing the truth about Bernie’s horrible views of Christianity, I feel that America had dodged a second  political “bullet” of disaster.  He might have been even worse than HiLIARy – if such a notion is even possible!

Be prepared.  The ongoing far-leftist Dem vitriol will most likely continue throughout Trump’s presidency.

I will continue to rely on my Savior, Jesus Christ.  The Holy Spirit is here to guide me unto all truth, and I can rely on Him no matter what comes my way.

Jhn 15:26
¶
“But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.

Jhn 15:27

“And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.

My recommendation?

Romans 8 is a great portion of Scripture to refer to any day, but especially in this day and age!

The vicious vitriol we face here in America pales in comparison to what Christians are facing in other countries that are battling ISIS.

Rom 8:35

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Rom 8:36

As it is written:

“For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”[fn]

Rom 8:37
¶
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

Even in death, we are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ!

Rom 8:37
¶
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

Rom 8:38

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,

Rom 8:39

nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Hat tips to all  links.

Quote:

“When someone is vicious like that towards a person, it is often the result of a deep spiritual problem.” – Charlie Watson Jr.

Col 3:15

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.

Col 3:16

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

Col 3:17

And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Should Compromising Religious Beliefs Be the Price of Citizenship?

Yesterday, I posted the content of an email entitled  “Conscience Rights for All” that I had received from Alliance Defending Freedom. Today, I was not able to find a link to the article. However, there is a link at the ADF site which shares an excellent essay on this topic from The Public Discourse website. The post goes into more detail regarding this very important issue and the current battle going on within the courts of our nation.

The Public Discourse: SOGI Laws: A Subversive Response to a Nonexistent Problem.

Excerpt:

The “price of citizenship” in a free society can never include our freedom of conscience. If we surrender that, then we have surrendered free society itself.

Throughout history, every person under every regime has had—in the most elemental sense—the freedom to form a unique set of beliefs and values. But, uniquely, citizens of the United States have long been guaranteed the fulfillment of that freedom. That is, we possess the freedom to live peacefully according to our beliefs and to follow the dictates of our conscience.

This freedom—codified by the First Amendment—is a pre-political right that rests in our dignity as human beings. But the cultural movement for “tolerance” and “inclusion” has reduced freedom of conscience to a lesser-than right, a token that exists subject to the decisions of judges and lawmakers.

In recent years, laws that provide special privileges to individuals based on their self-proclaimed gender identity or sexual preferences have emerged across the country. Commonly known as SOGI (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity) laws, these legislative undertakings are typically fueled by activist groups and represent a subversive response to a nonexistent problem. Available data confirm there exists no significant social pattern or practice of unjust discrimination against these groups. This is not only because the vast majority of Americans already respect each other and are fair-minded, but also because anyone engaged in baseless discrimination faces the prospect of social and financial consequences brought on by public pressure and boycotts.

SOGI laws, however, use the full force of the law to punish individuals who seek to live peacefully and to work in a way that is consistent with their consciences. Elaine Huguenin, Barronelle Stutzman, Jack Phillips, and Blaine Adamson are just a few of the small business owners who gladly serve all people without exception, but who also face legal punishment because they declined to participate in certain events or to create custom art that would have violated their consciences. In Elaine’s case, she politely declined a request to use her expressive photography skills to tell the story of a same-sex commitment ceremony. Her attempt to remain peacefully true to her faith’s teachings about marriage led to a seven-year court battle that culminated in a ruling by the New Mexico Supreme Court against her and her husband, Jon. One justice stated that the Huguenins “now are compelled by law to compromise the very religious beliefs that inspire their lives,” and added that this compulsion “is the price of citizenship.”

Barronelle Stutzman is a 72-year-old grandmother who faces the loss of her business, savings, and home for referring elsewhere a request by a long-time friend and customer that she participate in the celebration of his same-sex wedding by designing custom floral arrangements for it.

In Iowa and Massachusetts, not only religious citizens but even houses of worship are under attack. Churches currently face government-imposed mandates requiring them to open their restrooms to individuals based on their subjectively determined sex rather than biological reality.

Conditional Surrender Fails to Advance Religious Liberty.

[In] the current cultural standoff, proponents of religious freedom and freedom of conscience simultaneously confront opportunities for victory and defeat. We can either choose to enter the arena and strive valiantly for victory, or we can join “those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat,” choosing to negotiate the terms of our own surrender. Now is not the time to partner with proponents of SOGIs in hopes of catching a few crumbs of liberty that fall from the table. Freedom of conscience is not a token to be surrendered as the price of citizenship in a free society; it is the mark of citizenship and the fruit of a free society.

James Gottry is a lawyer and writer with Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian legal group founded to preserve and defend religious liberty.

Read it all at:

The Public Discourse: SOGI Laws: A Subversive Response to a Nonexistent Problem.

Related article:

The Federalist: BuzzFeed Wants To Destroy Chip And Joanna Gaines For Being Christian And Wildly Popular.

Hat tips to all links.

Why Is That?

If you are a Christian conservative, you might be asking the question, “Why Is That?” regarding the great divide that has happened during and after this contentious election of 2016. The liberal lunatic policies over the past 8 years under the 0bama BADministration has brain-dirtied many groups of people, especially many of the self-named  “coddled childish” Millennials. Those that “came of age” during that time most likely don’t even know about correct history because of the liberal leftist lies that have been drilled into their brains.

Why Is That?

Well, by the end of this post I’m going to make a simple, but hopefully accurate, attempt to answer that question.

Fellowship of the Minds reports: “Hillary Uses Jill Stein to Steal Election Via Voter Recounts in Battleground States.

Read it all at that link, but here is a pertinent excerpt:

Jill Stein made her intentions known on her Facebook page around 4 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 23. By this afternoon (Nov. 26), Stein has raised more than $5.8 million, with the goal now upped to $7 million. See for yourself at Jill2016.

In other words, in just 3 days Stein raised $5.8 million, all by crowd funding! The same Jill Stein who was the only candidate on the November ballot to rely on public money — four federal payments totaling $456,000 under the Presidential Election Campaign Fund — for her own failed presidential campaign.

So who are these millions of Americans who are donating to Stein’s vote recount war chest?

As in robots. Machines. Not real people.

How do we know this?

Because the donations came in and are still coming in in REGULAR intervals — even at 3 a.m. when most Americans are asleep.

Two days ago, freelance journalist Jim Stone wrote:

“JILL STEIN’S ELECTION RECOUNT IS BEING PAID FOR BY A BOT! A bot is pulling cash from a central fund, and giving it out at a pre determined rate. Go to Jill Stein’s fundraiser page and watch the progress. You will see that her funding is coming in at a PERFECTLY CONSISTENT 160,000 an hour. I watched this yesterday and last night carefully, and noted that at night, when everyone is sleeping and right through the time when the whole world slows down, her donations for this came in like clockwork, with no deviation from the steady pace whatsoever. The only way that can happen is if a bot was set up to fake her getting donations from multiple people, and whoever set it up did not consider the fact that practically everything would come from America, and practically everyone is asleep at 3AM. LAST NIGHT IT SHOULD HAVE SLOWED DOWN. IT DID NOT. IT JUST MARCHED RIGHT TOWARD THE FINISH LIKE AN OBEDIENT SOLDIER. It went straight to 2.65 million by six AM. I can calculate: IT WILL GO TO 4.5 MILLION IN 28.125 HOURS. Oh, a few people will pitch in for real, so I’ll say 27 hours . . . . Yes folks, we are watching the election steal as it happens. They could not do it by threatening electors, so now we have this. And it is all based on false claims, because Michigan CANNOT BE HACKED. Michigan has a CERTIFIED [paper] VOTE. There is NO WAY THIS IS LEGIT. And that means ONE THING – there are liars doing it, powerful liars who know in advance they are going to find what they are looking for.”

Yesterday, the Wisconsin Elections Commission said it had received Stein’s petition for a recount.

What you can do:

(1) Spread the news by publicizing this post on social media and via email.

(2) Keep the recount honest by:

• Volunteering for the recount. Sign up here.

• Politely warning the election officials in the 3 battleground states that you’ll be watching:

  • Wisconsin: Ph: 1-866-VOTE-WIS; Email: elections@wi.gov

  • Michigan: Ph: (517) 373-2540; Twitter: @michsos; wesite: http://www.michigan.gov/sos/0,1607,7-127-13162—,00.html

  • Pennsylvania: Ph: (717) 787-6458, (717) 787-5280: Twitter: @PAStateDept

My husband correctly stated that the two months prior to Trump being inaugurated will be very dangerous times.  I must agree with him because the satanic globalism billionaire goons and their minions will NEVER rest until they get their “power” back!

Why Is That?

Next, we have the truth about the death of a horrible dictator – Fidel Castro, yet pansies (like Colin Kaepernick) say the dumbest things!  Why?  He probably doesn’t  know (or, more likely refuses to acknowledge) the decades of suffering under Castro’s tyrannical communist rule!

Why Is That?

Kingsjester’s blog nails it with the truth, once again!

I could go on and on…but my savvy readers here know what’s going on and most of you are aware of the reasons for it.

While reading an article over at WND, I ran across some comments that explain why the globalists, often with differing agendas, unite together for the same cause.

Why Is That?

WND: Fight Over Gay Wedding Cake Given New Life

Now, this news report discusses a case in Northern Ireland. However, the same religious discrimination problems have come up here in the United States.

Excerpt:

The infamous Northern Ireland case penalizing a family baking company for refusing to promote “gay” marriage with a wedding cake may have a new life.

WND reported earlier when an appeals court in Belfast refused to offer relief from the penalties for Ashers Bakery in Northern Ireland for violating that nation’s nondiscrimination laws.

And it was reported that the owners were considering taking their fight to the European Court of Human Rights.

But now, according to the Belfast Telegraph, a door has opened.

Senior judges in Belfast say that a section of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 may give the McArther family, which owns Ashers Bakery, a path to the Supreme Court.

“You need to make a decision whether you wish to pursue it,” Judge Declan Morgan told lawyers for the family this week.

David Scoffield QC, for the McArthurs, told the court: “We are happy to look at that and confirm our submissions in writing.”

The Court of Appeal last month affirmed a fine for Ashers for discriminating against Gareth Lee by refusing to make a cake for a “gay” wedding.

The bakers said they didn’t care about, or even know about, his sexual choices, but the message was what their Christian faith would not allow them to promote.

Last year a Belfast County Court ruled the bakery discriminated against Lee on grounds of sexual orientation and religious belief or political opinion. The firm was also ordered to pay £500 compensation.

The family’s representatives explained the rejection of the cake order was solely because of the message that violated their faith – it had nothing to do with Lee himself.

John Larkin, Northern Ireland’s attorney general, backed the McArthurs. He said they should not be forced to endorse a message with which they disagree.

Officials with the Christian Institute, which took part in the fight on behalf of the family, have reported that Larkin also has the option of seeking higher court review, but that was on hold pending the family’s decision.

Simon Calvert, of the Institute, said the family’s representatives had asked the Court of Appeal whether there was any further appeal route available.

Read more at WND

Why Is That?

You may be asking, what does each of these separate incidents have in common?

Well, I think that the following comment thread over at WND explains it quite well:

Tatiana Covington

And this is all about a cake?

nomark to Tatiana Covington

No.  It has nothing to do with a cake.  It has to do with freedom of religion, freedom of speech and the right of religious conscience.

aurora9

I had once seen a video on my computer of a gay person who wanted to order a cake, with a gay inscription, at a muslim bakery.  The owner had directed him to a different bakery but was not prosecuted for it.  There is nothing fair about globalism and they lean in favor of Islam, as many of us have already witnessed!

nomark to aurora9

The reason for this is Christianity threatens globalism because it puts God first, family second and the state third.  That undermines them.  The reason globalists not only “tolerate” Muslims but in fact encourage them, is the globalists see Islam kinder spirit and global government is using Islam to destroy Christianity.  The globalist adhere to the tenant “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” and so embrace Islam (for now).

Also you can see how they have tried to associate radical Islam with all religions.  It didn’t work, in fact it back-fired, but that was the plan.

Recall HiLIARy Clinton stating that

“And deep-seated cultural codes and religious beliefs and structural biases have to be changed.”

 

Go listen to the video where you can listen and watch her state this!

I STILL thank God every day that she lost the election!

The question, “Why Is That?” has now been answered.

Hat tip for graphic: The Common Sense Show

Update.  Since the graphic is blurry and difficult to read, here is what is written.

Progressive, Socialist, Globalism:

• Radical Socialist Globalism
• Increase Taxes/Regulations
• Economy/Jobs Collapse
• No Wall/ More Illegals/Refugees
• Amnesty in First 100 Days
• Domestic Terrorist Embeds
• More Expensive Obamacare
• Pro-Trans Pacific Partnership
• Debt:  20+ Trillion Near Default
• Email, Benghazi Scandals

*******

American Nationalism:

• Capitalism
• Reduce Taxes/Regulations
• Economy/ Jobs Explode
• Build Wall/ No Illegals/Refugees
• No Amnesty/No Free Ride
• Terrorists Destroyed
• Repeal Obamacare
• Anti-Trans Pacific Partnership
• Debt Eliminated
• No Scandals

 

Hat tips:

Fellowship of the Minds

Kingsjester’s blog

Hat tips to all additional links!

The Increase of Intolerance

The Increase of Intolerance

America was once a place where Christians were free to worship and live according to their consciences.

OVERVIEW of CHAPTER 3*

In fact, our country was built upon the principles of religious tolerance, individual liberty, and the right to dissent. In our founding documents, the source of these rights and freedoms is clearly acknowledged as God, not the government. Yet, the moral sea change we have experienced in the past century has so turned our culture on its head that to exercise those rights and freedoms means that a Christian risks marginalization, repression, and even outright persecution.

In the media, those who adhere to Christian values are portrayed as bigoted and backward, anti-woman and anti-gay, willfully ignorant and woefully out of touch. Government mandates seek to force Christians to act against their consciences and support practices the Bible calls sin. People are dragged to court for praying in schools or posting about their personal religious beliefs on their own private social media accounts. Jobs are lost, businesses are bankrupted, relationships are severed.

How are American Christians responding? Often with anger, bitterness, and withdrawal from the public square.

But how did the first Christians respond to persecution? When believers were being flogged, stoned, burned alive, and thrown to wild beasts in the arena, were they surprised? Incensed? Litigious? What about the millions of believers all across the globe today who suffer daily humiliation and violence as a result of their faith? What do they know about oppression that American Christians have yet to learn?

The Increase of Intolerance gives us biblical insight about what Jesus meant when He advised His would-be followers to count the cost before taking up their crosses. We’ll discover what suffering has to teach us about ourselves and our God. And we will be confronted with the unsettling question: Will I have the courage to stand against the persecution that is coming?

This message was also intended to encourage God’s chosen people while they were captives in Babylon. God wanted to show them that there was much more to their future than they could see.

It was God, not Nebuchadnezzar, who held the key to their future and the future of all humankind.

* Excerpt from: People Are Asking…Is This the End?

Jesus told us what to expect when we confess our sins,  repent at the foot of the Cross, and invite Him to dwell in our hearts through the power of the Holy Spirit.

He told us that when we are born again in Him, we are “not of this world” any longer. He warned us that we would be “persecuted for righteousness’ sake.” He told us that we would be reviled and persecuted. He told us that they will “say all kind of evil against” us…FALSELY…for His sake. He told us that we will be blessed, because our REAL home is in the kingdom of heaven!

Mat 5:10

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Mat 5:11

“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.

 

Mat 5:12

“Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Mat 5:13

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.

Mat 5:14

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.

Mat 5:15

“Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.

Mat 5:16

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Hat tips: DavidJeremiah.org, Blue Letter Bible, and graphics links.

Remaining Obedient to God

I watched the first movie, “God’s Not Dead” again last evening.  I thought it was a good film even though many non-Christian reviews were negative.  [See Wikipedia and scroll down to “critical reception” for examples.]

Plugged In had a good review of the film.

It was interesting to me to read Wikipedia’s opinion about the visit and verbal exchange of a son (Mark) in the movie (who previously refused to visit his mom who suffers from dementia) versus what is written over at Plugged In.

Wikipedia:

Mark at last visits his mother, only to taunt her; she responds that all of his financial success was given to him by Satan to keep him from turning to God.

Plugged In:

Mina’s dementia-afflicted mother serves to stimulate thought about how serving God doesn’t always iron out all of life’s wrinkles.

“You prayed and believed your whole life,” Mina’s brother says to their mother, almost as an accusation. “Never done anything wrong. And here you are. You’re the nicest person I know. I am the meanest. You have dementia. My life is perfect. Explain that to me!” Then, in a moment of unexpected spiritual clarity, she does. “Sometimes the devil allows people to live a life free of trouble because he doesn’t want them turning to God,” she tells her shocked son. “Their sin is like a jail cell, except it is all nice and comfy and there doesn’t seem to be any reason to leave. The door’s wide open. Till one day, time runs out, and the cell door slams shut, and suddenly it’s too late.”

Indeed, in the face of difficulty, we hear a lot about God always being good, and having a plan for our lives.

It is interesting to note that after saying such a coherent message, the mom goes back to her dementia-induced state, turns towards her son and asks, “who did you say that you were?”

In contrast to the accusation-filled son Mark, whenever the daughter (a Christian named Mina) visited her mom, she patiently told her (as often as necessary) that she is her daughter.

At the end of the film, Mark (of the mom with dementia) acts as arrogantly and detached as ever from what his mother warned him about being in the state of “their [his] sin is like a jail cell.”

The man obviously rejected the warning, but the Bible tells each of us that “your sin will find you out.”

Num 32:23

“But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the LORD; and be sure your sin will find you out.

In Matthew 4 (just after Jesus was tempted by satan for 40 days and nights in the wilderness) we find:

Mat 4:12

Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee.

Mat 4:13

And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali,

Mat 4:14

that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

Mat 4:15

“The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles:

Mat 4:16

The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light,
And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death
Light has dawned.”[fn]

Mat 4:17

From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Since satan had the gall to tempt Jesus, the Son of God, he certainly will tempt any and all of us! However, as we see in the case of Mark in the movie, living a life of ease (yet separated from God for all eternity) still fulfills satan’s goal of taking unrepentant souls to hell with him.

 

Plugged In’s review is more in line with what Jesus tells us in Scripture.

Jhn 16:33

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will[fn] have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Speaking of experiencing tribulation in this world, God’s Not Dead 2 came out in April, 2016. I haven’t seen it yet but a blog I ran across describes a real life example of a situation that is depicted in the film.

God’s Not Dead blog: When God’s Not Dead 2 Plays Out As YOUR Story!

What is God’s purpose to allow us to go through tribulation (in whatever form it may arise) in this fallen world?

I think this paragraph explains it:

News of our legal case reached people all over the world, and some of them contacted me to encourage me and show their support. It’s amazing how God took a simple decision to remain obedient in my freshman year and turned it into a tool that reached the ears of thousands with the name of Jesus.

Remaining obedient often pits Christian believers against the secular worldviews that would have us shut up, sit down, and accept the immoral deluge that is afflicting our free speech, freedom of association, freedom of conscience, freedom of outwardly professing our faith, and freedom FROM having immorality forced upon our families.

I applaud individuals like Chase Windebank, who didn’t know what the ultimate outcome would be, yet pressed on about what he knew God would have wanted him to do. Stand up for his faith in Jesus Christ!

Chase concludes his post:

It took nearly eight months for my case to come to a close. The outcome? A victory on the side of free speech! Now, if any other public school student is refused the right to pray during their free time at school, they can use my case as an example to aid in their own victory.

God was faithful to sustain me, and all of those rich memories came flooding back as I watched GOD’S NOT DEAD 2. Even though I am now far removed from it all, it felt so real and present. There were times I literally stood up and jumped in excitement for the case being made on behalf of Ms. Wesley.

The thought and scholarly guidance that this movie undertook in order to depict the truth of what our nation is dealing with was phenomenal. Remember with me, for this is the foundation upon which our nation was built. Remember it well by going to see this film. Be Blessed!

Chase Windebank is a Colorado native who loves hiking through the Rocky Mountains, teaching Taekwondo, and writing. His goal in life is to stir up passion in his generation for the things of God, and to show people the true treasure of the Gospel in his everyday life.

Hat tips to all links.

‘What could be more satanic than political correctness, the crime of free-thinking?’

This morning I read an article over at WND (A Free Press for a Free People) that accurately explains that there is something decidedly satanic about leftists’ politics, and he [Michael Walsh] cites classical literature and history as his proof.

If you shake your head in disbelief about the young voters seen on TV cheering on the socialist/communist Bernie Sanders, that article will help explain why such an unthinkable mindset of satanic leftist beliefs has taken its grip upon these brain-dirtied people!

See Romans 1:16-32

Excerpt:

Walsh observed how the left and the devil have the same aims: destroy the traditional and established order.

He wrote, “Critical Theory is the very essence of satanism: rebellion for the sake of rebellion against an established order that has obtained for eons, and with no greater promise for the future than destruction.”

Critical Theory was the brainchild of the Frankfurt School, and it has come to dominate thinking in American academia, with its call to question any and everything.

Walsh said the theory in practice became an attack on everything of value. He described the real goal of Critical Theory as an attempt to demolish Western civilization.

He called it, basically, “a juvenile revolt against your parents.”

The author described the work of the Frankfurt scholars as grounded in an ideology that performed “an unremitting assault on Western values and institutions, including Christianity, the family, conventional sexual morality, nationalistic patriotism … Literally nothing was sacred.”

Walsh described how these leftist thinkers maintain everything we stand for, the values and traditions of America and all of Western Civilization, is arbitrary and capricious. An illustration would be how many on the left consider gender roles to be a subjective matter of personal preference rather than a fixed matter of biology.

During the time that homosexual “marriage” was being debated here in California, I had a blog up called Protect Biblical Marriage [Note: I left Bl0gger because they created a new rule that I disagreed with.] If you take the time to read some of the posts there, you would see dire warnings about the “end game” regarding the radical gay agenda.

Excerpt:

“In California, religious rights, moral rights, parental rights, business owner rights, property owner rights, physicians’ rights, and the right of association are being trampled by the intolerant ‘LGBT’ agenda,” [Randy] Thomasson said. “And despite their lust for dominion and their incessant attacks on other persons’ constitutional rights, the homosexual-bisexual-transsexual activists deceive themselves and others by claiming to be ‘victims’ of peaceful people who have a conscience on these sexual behaviors. But who’s trampling whom? American rights or so-called ‘gay rights’ — you can’t have both, because the latter eliminates the former.”

The next time someone attempts to claim that conservative Christians are “trampling” upon the ‘LGBT’ agenda, please explain to them that in California, the religious rights, moral rights, parental rights, business owner rights, property owner rights, physicians’ rights, and the right of association are being trampled by the intolerant ‘LGBT’ agenda!

The old saying that “a picture is worth 1,000 words” holds true with this graphic:

H/T: Kingsjester Blog: America Pushes Back: Mississippi Governor Signs Religious Objection Law [Great post – read it all!]

Why would such a law be created? Because the rabid LGBTQ…xyz crowd is making it necessary!

Excerpt from article cited at that link:

Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant on Tuesday signed a far-reaching law allowing people with religious objections to deny wedding services to same-sex couples and protecting other actions considered discriminatory by gay rights activists.

The measure also clears the way for employers to cite religion in determining workplace policies on dress code, grooming and bathroom and locker access, drawing criticism from civil rights leaders.

Bryant, a Republican, said in a statement he signed the law “to protect sincerely held religious beliefs and moral convictions of individuals, organizations and private associations from discriminatory action by state government.”

Excerpt from Kingsjester blog post :

This morning, on a great Conservative Website, which I am privileged to be a contributor to, www.hotgas.net, you will see posted a News Headline, which reads, “Christian Persecution Up Under Obama”.

Boys and girls, if you haven’t noticed yet, America is being torn apart around us.

We have a president and a political minority in this Sovereign Nation, who not only champion, but embrace the practice of murdering babies in the womb, and declare that deviant sexual practices, which were one of the factors which led to the downfall of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, are healthy, normal, and a “Civil Right”.

What’s next?

Your Honor, my German Shepherd and I want to get married. We are in love.

We have average Christian Americans, who are being sued for exorbitant amounts of money and losing their businesses, because they refuse to violate their Christian Faith, a faith which has been the anchor of the overwhelming majority of citizens in this country, including our Founding Fathers.

Does that make any kind of sense to you?

What in the Wild, Wild World of Sports is a’goin’ on around here?

I believe it all starts at home.

This current generation has, in many cases, been raised without knowing Jesus Christ, or if their parents tried to introduce them to Him, they became seduced by popular culture, and tossed their parents’ Christian Faith aside, because it actually required them to exercise individual responsibility, moral courage, and humility, which involves caring for someone other than yourself.

Popular culture teaches that no one is more important than you are and that self-absorbed philosophy is what we are seeing being played out before our eyes today.

We have raised a generation of spoiled brats who have grown into selfish adults.

I have often thought how is it possible that these young people following Sanders could possibly be duped into thinking that the “cultural Marxism” that this atheist espouses would be good for them and our nation?

Now, let’s go back to the WND article to find out.

Excerpt:

How could this have happened? How could the American elite have fallen for the philosophy of the losers?

Walsh maintains, following World War II, the cultural Marxist philosophers of the Frankfurt School who emigrated from Germany and entered American academia persuasively peddled an illusion: a utopian paradise on earth, meant “to tempt and seduce Western civilization into self-destruction, with shame and doubt as its principal snares.”

In his book, Walsh said the left has erected “a modern Devil’s Pleasure Palace, a Potemkin village built on the promises of ‘social justice’ and equality for all … a world without want or cold or fear or racism or sexism … a world that sounds very much like heaven,” but, instead, “this world has become hell.”

He said that was evidenced by, “The corpses of the untold millions who have died in the attempts of the literally Unholy Left to found the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth, divorced from God,” which, he notes, is also the same ambition as Satan’s: to reclaim heaven, but without God.

“Since few people would willingly consign themselves to Hell,” penned Walsh, “Lying is the centerpiece of both the satanic and the leftist projects … the rebels must always mask their true intentions.”

And being rebels is what the left and Satan have most in common, in the view of the author.

[Walsh] observed how the left and the devil have the same aims: destroy the traditional and established order.

He wrote, “Critical Theory is the very essence of satanism: rebellion for the sake of rebellion against an established order that has obtained for eons, and with no greater promise for the future than destruction.”

All we can do is pray for, and warn people who have fallen for such snares devised by the devil.

2Th 2:7

For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He [fn] who now restrains will do so until He [fn] is taken out of the way.

2Th 2:8

And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.

Th 2:9

The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders,

2Th 2:10

and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

Hat tips to all links.

Matt Walsh: Dear Christians, Please, Please Stop Apologizing For Your Faith

Matt Walsh is making a request (and case) for Christians. He has written: Dear Christians, Please, Please Stop Apologizing For Your Faith

Excerpt and link to read rest of post:

If I could get every Christian in the country to read just one thing I’ve ever written, it would probably be this. I just want all Believers in this country stop being ashamed of their faith, and I especially want them to stop backing away from their faith when the peanut gallery has a hissy fit about it. Seriously, if you decide to read one of my rambles all the way to the end, make it this.

There’s a reason I’m bringing this up. A prominent athlete was the latest Christian to get beaten into submission because he spoke boldly about the Bible’s teachings on homosexuality. In the span of about 36 hours he went from highly respected to roundly despise, all because he revealed himself to be a Christian who actually believes all that stuff in his Holy Book. Imagine that. But then, when faced with the backlash, he apologized. It seems like they always apologize. The progressive hordes almost always get their apology if they stomp their feet loudly enough.

But this is just the most recent example. I’m using it to make a broader point. Overall, it seems we have four types of Christians in this culture: 1) Those who’ve effectively renounced their faith and adopted liberal positions on things like gay “marriage” and abortion, etc. 2) Those who hold to their faith but remain silent for fear of mockery and persecution. 3) Those who speak but then apologize for speaking. 4) Those who stand by their faith publicly and never, ever, ever apologize for it, no matter what happens.

Sadly, I feel like the Christians in category 4 are a small, minuscule, rapidly disappearing minority. But if the Christians in category 2 and 3 would join those in 4, we might just stand a chance. Please read this all the way to the end, and share if you think it warrants it:

CLICK HERE TO READ MY LATEST POST.

My comment at the blog post (not at the Blaze):

Same-sex marriage is a perversion of the institution of marriage and an offense to God who created marriage.

Jesus told us that the signs of the end times would be as in the days of Noah and the days of Lot. As Solomon once stated, “there is nothing new under the sun.” The current aberrant acceptance for all things homosexual isn’t new or “progressive” in any way, shape or form. It was sinful, done, and celebrated in the beginning when man was fallen and involved in perversion. Those who teach the opposite of what is good re: sexual relationships today are no different from the ones who taught such abominations thousands of years ago.

Jesus said in Luke 17:26-30, “And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when Son of man is revealed.”

Jesus being a first century Rabbi, like most Jewish teachers, coupled Sodom with the flood generation as a typical image of evil. His intent was to inform his audience that at His second coming the conditions of the world would mirror Noah’s days and the days of Sodom and Gomorrah.

As in the Days of Noah

The Midrash Rabbah Genesis is a specific form of rabbinic literature of ancient Judaism commentaries of the Hebrew Scriptures. It is based on the interpretation of the Torah (Old Testament). It speaks about the subject of same-sex marriage during the days of Noah.

The rabbis wrote in the Midrash Rabbah Genesis that the flood in Noah’s day was primarily triggered when males starting writing marriage deeds with other males, and between men and beasts (bestiality). Based on the account of Midrash Rabbah Genesis, same-sex marriages took place during the days of Noah. There was nothing new under the sun and this is stated by Solomon in Ecclesiastes 1:9. Lot in Sodom and Gomorrah is synonymous with the destruction of the flood generation in Midrash Rabbah Genesis. It states in the Midrash Rabbah Genesis that Lot pleaded all night for mercy for the Sodomites, and that the angels permitted him to plead for them. But once the people said, “… bring them out [the angels] so we may have sex with them,” mercy ran out. The angels told Lot, “for now on you have no right to plead anymore.” Judgment was sent upon Sodom. Flood water was the judgment of God on the people in Noah’s day. Fire and brimstone was the judgment against Sodom and Gomorrah.

The book of Enoch is not inspired, and thus not part of the canon of Scripture, however the book of Jude contains some quotes from it. Enoch is being used by the author as a good reference resource.

The book of Enoch was written before the birth of Christ and although it is not an inspired book, it is a good resource. Parts of it are quoted in Jude 14-15. 2nd Enoch 34-1, 3-4 states, “God convicts the persons who are idol worshipers and sodomite fornicators, and for this reason he brings down the flood upon them. And all the world will be reduced to confusion by iniquities, wickedness and abominable fornications. That is, friend with friend in anus, every other kind of wicked uncleanness which is almost too disgusting to report, and the worship of the evil one. And that is why I shall bring down the flood onto the earth, and shall destroy everything, and the earth itself will collapse in great darkness.” Second Enoch states that perverse homosexual relationships were the main cause of the flood. Both Midrash Rabbah Genesis and the second book of Enoch state that God frowns on homosexuality in cultic prostitution, and in so-called “loving consensual” homosexual relationships. So don’t believe the liberal Christian theologians, gay-affirming churches and inclusionists. Homosexuality and same-sex marriage are an abomination in God’s eyesight.

What Does the Bible Say about Same Sex “marriage”?

The answer, according to the Bible, is that everyone inherently knows that homosexuality is immoral and unnatural, and the only way to suppress this inherent knowledge is by normalizing homosexuality and attacking any and all opposition to it. The best way to normalize homosexuality is by placing gay marriage/same-sex marriage on an equal plane with traditional opposite-gender marriage. Romans 1:18-32 illustrates this. The truth is known because God has made it plain. The truth is rejected and replaced with a lie. The lie is then promoted and the truth suppressed and attacked. The vehemence and anger expressed by many in the gay rights movement to any who oppose them is, in fact, an indication that they know their position is indefensible. Trying to overcome a weak position by raising your voice is the oldest trick in the debating book. There is perhaps no more accurate description of the modern gay rights agenda than Romans 1:31, “they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless.”

To give sanction to gay marriage/same-sex marriage would be to give approval to the homosexual lifestyle, which the Bible clearly and consistently condemns as sinful. Christians should stand firmly against the idea of gay marriage/same-sex marriage. Further, there are strong and logical arguments against gay marriage/same-sex marriage from contexts completely separated from the Bible. One does not have to be an evangelical Christian to recognize that marriage is between a man and a woman.

According to the Bible, marriage is ordained by God to be between a man and a woman (Genesis 2:21-24; Matthew 19:4-6). Gay marriage/same-sex marriage is a perversion of the institution of marriage and an offense to the God who created marriage. As Christians, we are not to condone or ignore sin. Rather, we are to share the love of God and the forgiveness of sins that is available to all, including homosexuals, through Jesus Christ. We are to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) and contend for truth with “gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15). As Christians, when we make a stand for truth and the result is personal attacks, insults, and persecution, we should remember the words of Jesus: “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you” (John 15:18-19).

Hat tip:
The Matt Walsh Blog

More posts on this issue:

Talk Wisdom: The Days of Noah and Lot

The Power of Prayer

It is certainly funny – not the “ha ha” kind of funny, but the kind that means:

3. warranting suspicion; deceitful; underhanded:
We thought there was something funny about those extra charges.

and

5. curious; strange; peculiar; odd:
Her speech has a funny twang.

Read these articles:

TODD STARNES
School threatens to fire praying football coach

• FLASHBACK: Football coach says he will defy school’s prayer ban
• STARNES: High school quarterback penalized for thanking God

Excerpt from first link:

For years the former Marine combat veteran would walk alone to the 50-yard line and offer a prayer of thanksgiving and blessing after football games. He drew inspiration for his post-game prayers from “Facing the Giants”, a popular faith-based film. Over the years, players and coaches from both teams would join him — on their own volition. 

On Sept. 27th [Superintendent Aaron] Leavell fired off a letter to the coach warning him to cease and desist. 

“Your talks with students may not include religious expression, including prayer,” he wrote. “They must remain entirely secular in nature, so as to avoid alienation of any team member.”

In his most recent letter, Leveall said the school district would be glad to provide a place for Coach Joe to pray — so long as it was in private — “not observable to students or the public.”

“For example, a private location within the school building, athletic facility or press box could be made available to you for brief religious exercise before and after games,” Superintendent Leavell wrote. 

To be clear, Coach Joe is forbidden from bowing his head, taking a knee or doing anything that might remotely be construed as religious.

“While on duty for the District as an assistant coach, you may not engage in demonstrative religious activity, readily observable to (of not intended to be observed by) students and the attending public,” the superintendent added.

That means he’s not even allowed to bow his head behind the bleachers where the kids are smoking pot. 

Liberty Institute, the nation’s largest law firm specializing in religious liberty cases, is preparing to initiate legal proceedings against the school district — accusing them of religious discrimination.

“They’ve already punished Coach Joe by denying his request for religious accommodation,” attorney Hiram Sasser told me. “Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, they’ve already violated his civil rights.”

Superintendent Leavell stressed in his letter that the district does not prohibit prayer or other religious exercises by its employees.

“However, it must prohibit any conduct by employees that would serve as District endorsement of religion,” he said. 

Sasser said the district’s argument is outrageous. 

“What they are saying is he cannot pray by himself, he cannot simply take a knee at the 50-yard-line,” Sasser said. “That’s like telling a coach he can’t wear a yarmulke if he’s Jewish, he can’t wear a turban if he’s a Sikh, he can’t pray to Mecca if he’s a Muslim, he can’t wear a cross necklace if he’s a Christian.”

Late last week State Superintendent Randy Dorn released a statement backing the school district.

“It’s unfortunate when the actions of one employee affect an entire district,” Dorn said.

As if a football coach who prays for his team is doing engaged in some sort of criminal enterprise. 

Dorn went on to suggest that teachers like Coach Joe are not good role models. 

“School staff exercising their right to silently pray in private on their own is fine. But leading a prayer isn’t,” he said. “School officials are role models; leading a prayer might put a student in an awkward position, even if the prayer is voluntary. For students who don’t share the official’s faith, players, the official’s public expression of faith can seem exclusionary or even distressing.”

For the record, Coach Joe never invited anyone to pray with him — especially students. They chose to participate by their own free will. 

Sasser said the state superintendent does have a point – there are people in the state of Washington who feel disenfranchised — Christians.

“When they find out a coach can’t even silently pray at the 50-yard-line, there’s no greater message of hostility than that,” Sasser told me. “This is not a school being neutral. This is a school being hostile to religion – and we are going to hold them accountable.”

Provided Coach Joe still has a job on Friday night, he plans to do what he’s done after every other football game. 

“I’m going to keep on praying,” he said.

Good for this coach!  He is willing to STAND UP for his First Amendment rights which includes freedom of religion, freedom of association, and freedom of speech!

It’s “funny” [see above definitions] how individuals like Aaron Leavell, who is obviously an advocate for secularism, deems voluntary prayer by a coach, his team, and teammates from the opponents (no less!) as “exclusionary” and/or “distressing.”  Whether or not Aaron Leavell believes in prayer, it sure seems as though he thinks that prayer is powerful enough to cause the angst of non-believers  like him, and thus make a demand for its exclusion!

UPDATE:

VIDEO: School threatens to fire praying football coach.

Hat tip: Fox News Channel