Blog | Reproach of Men

Fighting Crime? – Part 1

“London, England (LifeNews.com) — A trio of economists have released the results of a new study disproving the supposed link between the legalization of abortion and a reduction in crime. John Donohue and Steven Levitt first introduced the repeatedly-criticized theory in 2001 and another report shows it’s untrue.” ((http://www.lifenews.com/int692.html))

“The economists also note that US crime rates fell in the 1990s but that the rates fell not only among younger Americans born after Roe v. Wade, but fell among older Americans as well – indicating abortion likely had no effect on crime.

“Given all this, it seems highly unlikely that the legalization of abortion can, as Donohue and Levitt hypothesized, explain the dramatic drop in crime observed in the US in the 1990s,” the economists write.

The authors also reject the hypothesis that abortion reduced the number of unwanted children who were more likely to commit crimes.

“Prior to the legalization of abortion, unwanted babies did not necessarily become unwanted children,” they wrote.

The authors point to data showing adoption rates in England were significantly higher before abortion was allowed than afterwards — showing many so-called unwanted children were adopted by loving families who wanted them.

“The rate of infants under five who had been adopted at birth decreased from 16 per thousand in the mid-1960s to about 5 per thousand just 10 years later,” they said.

“Rather than just reducing the number of unwanted children, abortion legalization appears to have reduced the number of unwanted infants who would have ended up (through adoption) being wanted children,” they write.” ((ibid))

You know; we didn’t need a study to prove that. That apparently rare thing, “common sense” dictates that abortion would not decrease crime, and would actually increase it. How can that be? Let’s look at the logic behind abortion and see what is actually there.

The advocates of abortion claim abortion is necessary as the child is unwanted, and therefore would be a burden upon the mother and/or the family into which the child would be born. Moreover, since that child is unwanted, it will not be treated well and will grow up in an environment that would cause it to become a social misfit, and would be more likely to commit crime. The child would be a particular burden upon poor, unwed women who cannot provide properly, and would drag that family further down into poverty. We can even go so far as to say that the child, who is unwanted and not aborted, would themselves be far more likely to become a burden upon society as they, being raised in a poverty-stricken home, would also end up on welfare.

In all the justification given above, and I have read and heard all the above-mentioned justifications, it all starts with “the unwanted child.” You know, that’s funny, and not in the ha, ha sense either; it is funny in that the reason the child exists in the first place is ignored. Last I knew, children didn’t just suddenly appear in the womb. No, there is always a cause, and that cause demands the actions of two individuals. Otherwise, children simply don’t exist, and cannot exist. A child comes about as a result of a deliberate act committed by two individuals. Generally speaking, this act is freely engaged in, and usually without thought to the consequences. In other words, the child did not ask to be here, yet now it is here, as a result of the deliberate behavior of two other individuals.

So then, according to those who advocate abortion, the proper response to that is to relieve the responsible parties of their deliberate actions, and make the child pay for what its parents did. An analogy to this would be making the victim of a crime, pay for the criminal’s actions. It seems to me that this is turning justice on its head.

However, not to be deterred, the advocates of abortion have a rejoinder that goes somewhat like this: ‘It’s not really a child as it’s not viable while in the womb. It requires special conditions to live, and thus is not really a person, particularly under the law.’

Really? I suppose then we have had instances of women giving birth to snakes, turtles, pigs, ducks and the like? No? Why is it that every time, all throughout human history, women always give birth to little humans that look remarkably like their parents? Just why is that?

Perhaps it is because that fertilized egg in the womb is actually a person after all, and has all the processes of life occurring in it from the moment it was fertilized? Or is it that all our biology books, and the decades of biological research are in error? And as for special conditions for life, I would tend to think that needing an adequate amount of water every day is a special condition for life. I think that one ought to be able to subsist on coffee, and anyone who drinks water requires special conditions for life. Silly isn’t it? The reality is that determining what special conditions for life are, is very much like beauty — it is in the eye of the beholder. Moreover, if the life of a person you love is at stake, no condition required for them to live is special. On the other hand, if it is someone you hate, well, simply allowing them to breathe air is too much to ask isn’t it?

Perhaps it really all boils down to this: we don’t want to be held responsible for what we do, and the activities we engage in: no matter the consequences.

Isn’t that the logic of criminals? It certainly is utterly selfish isn’t it? It is the “I don’t give rip about anyone else, I want what I want, and I don’t care who it hurts.” attitude.

It seems to me that this kind of attitude fosters and engenders an increase in crime, and not a decrease. It also fosters the abdication of personal responsibility, which is precisely what we have observed since the decision of Roe v. Wade in 1973. Moreover, that attitude of ‘I’m not responsible’ permeates throughout all society and affects every portion of our life.

Additionally, we do know, whether we consciously admit it or not, that we are making the innocent pay for the crimes of the guilty. You know, we are outraged when a criminal sues the victim of his or her crime because the criminal was injured either on the victim’s property, or by the victim, and the criminal wins the lawsuit. But we think nothing of the woman who aborts her child because it is “unwanted,” or she “can’t afford it.” At least when the criminal brings a civil lawsuit, it doesn’t result in the death of the victim of their crime. This not to say that I think criminals should be allowed to sue victims of their crime — they shouldn’t. It is merely to point out a dichotomy in our thinking. We are outraged by one, but not the other — wonder why?

No, if we really sit down and look at our society and the changes it has undergone since 1973, we can see the outworking of the underlying attitudes and thought processes present in the whole concept of abortion. Common sense dictates that not only would crime not drop as a result of abortion being legalized, but would actually increase. Even if the way crime is reported is changed so that the statistics don’t seem so bad, we can still see the degradation of society and the loss of respect for the rights of others.

We all know, whether we are willing to admit it or not, that abortion is taking an innocent life. We have codified the ability of the guilty to take the life of an innocent, and that taking of life is entirely without consequence under the law. In short, we have said that certain innocent parties have no right to life under the law. Just how do you think that impacts the rest of our rights, since all other rights must have the right to life to be effective?

Think about it: what an oxymoron to say that we can reduce crime by killing innocents.

Wonder what the LORD has to say about that . . .

A Hymn of Repentance

There are some hymns that are very simple, yet they capture the true perspective of their particular subject. One such hymn is Fanny Crosby’s Jesus My All, which is set to the melody “Bethany (Mason) composed by Lowell Mason.

Repentance is one of the great gifts that the LORD God bestows upon man. Without the LORD bestowing this gift upon us, we would have no hope of salvation. In and of ourselves, we will never repent. The Jews of old knew this as they replied to Peter after he rehearsed the conversion of Cornelius and the bestowing of the Holy Ghost upon them:

When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life. (Acts 11:18)

We are also reminded by the Lord Jesus Christ that repentance is utterly necessary for salvation:

There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. (Luke 13:1-5)

Even after salvation, repentance is still necessary as we are not freed from this flesh and all its wickedness. We are reminded that we are to continually grow in Christ, else we are subject to lose the ability to repent, and will then be set on a shelf, totally unused of the LORD.

Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we do, if God permit. For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. (Hebrews 6:1-6)

What a terrible way to stand before our Lord and Saviour — to suffer the loss spoken of in I Corinthians, chapter 3:

For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. (I Corinthians 3:11-15)

With that, I leave you with the words and a link to the melody.

Jesus, My All
Bethany (Mason)

Lord, at Thy mercy seat, humbly I fall;
Pleading Thy promise sweet, Lord, hear my call;
Now let Thy work begin, oh, make me pure within,
Cleanse me from every sin, Jesus, my all.

Tears of repentant grief, silently fall;
Help Thou my unbelief, hear Thou my call;
Oh, how I pine for Thee! ’Tis all my hope and plea:
Jesus has died for me, Jesus, my all.

Still at Thy mercy seat, Savior, I fall;
Trusting Thy promise sweet, heard is my call;
Faith wings my soul to Thee; this all my song shall be,
Jesus has died for me, Jesus, my all.

Words: Fanny Crosby, 1866.
Music: Bethany (Mason), Lowell Mason, 1856.

An Answer to David @ War on Guns

The following is an answer to David Codrea who runs the War on Guns blog. He disagreed with my assertion that it is wrong to lie – period. This disagreement arose over the issue of the Olmert government in Israel taking government issued guns away from settlers, and the settlers giving them up. David held that it would be fine to lie to the government. I hold that it is never right to lie, as that is a sin before God.

Please be advised, this is a much longer article than I normally publish on the blog. However, I do believe you will be blessed by it.

I know David, you think you’ve got me. That’s all right. However, my reply will not be short, as you require a decent, proper answer to your assertion.

To begin, the commandment of the LORD God is very plain:

And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. (Matthew 19:16-19)

Moreover, to lie, is to follow after the father of lies, the Devil:

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. (John 8:44)

Thus, lying is not an option as it directly disobeys the express command of God. Thus, it appears that we are left between a rock and a hard place by your scenario. However, there are some things that are beyond our limited understanding, but not beyond the understanding, scope and power of the LORD God.

Now, I will not tell you that one must blindly believe and trust the LORD God for the outcome for such situations as that would be superstition. The LORD does not operate through, nor does He acknowledge superstition. Instead, one must operate by the instrument of faith.

Thus, the instrument of faith is extremely important to understanding everything that follows. (more…)

Another god

By embracing the wage issue as a core part of their message, progressives have seen direct political gains. In an era of frayed relationships with the faith-based community, the issue has created an alliance for progressives with religious leaders, especially Catholic and other denominational officials who have made living wage issues a core part of their social justice teachings. It gives progressives what the Rev. Steven Copley, who led a recent successful minimum wage drive in Arkansas, calls “a moral issue, a faith issue and a family values issue” to rally supporters. ((http://www.progressivestates.org/content/483/))

I have to ask: Just who do you serve Stephen? Do you serve the LORD God, or man in the form of a communist, humanist agenda? By the way, just what does the “minimum wage” have to do with preaching the gospel? Where is that in the “great commission?” If it is there, I sure don’t find it at all. Moreover, I cannot find it anywhere in the New Testament either. Would you mind citing chapter and verse for me?

But that is not all you are involved in is it? Somehow, you find it necessary to ally yourself with socialist and communist causes under the guise of “progressivism.” ((http://www.reproachofmen.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/Progressive_States_Network-_-Networks_Board_of_Directors.pdf)) You know, as one who has to work for a living, and has been underpaid at times, I really do not appreciate what you are doing. Why? Because it is simply not your job.

As a supposed minister in the Methodist denomination, do you really think you are helping the cause of the gospel of Jesus Christ by your actions? Or, is that simply a cover for your political and social leanings, which are actually communist?

I have to ask, as I am compelled to preach the gospel and show forth Christ in every aspect of my life. What about you Stephen? Or, has Methodism drifted so far away from service to God that they tolerate, and even encourage one of their ordained ministers to engage in political and social activism?

Just what god do you serve Stephen?

You are of course aware that you will be held particularly accountable for wrapping yourself with the name of Christ, and using it as a front for wicked, humanistic purposes don’t you? Are you also aware that you are to be obedient to the laws of the land, beginning with the Federal Constitution? Moreover, this includes immigration law as well? After all, it is written:

Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. (I Peter 2:13-15)

You know, I don’t see the Apostle Peter or the Apostle Paul overthrowing the Roman system, or even advocating for changes in its laws anywhere in the New Testament. Moreover, it is utterly plain that the Lord Jesus Christ, who you claim to serve, did not do so either.

You know what Stephen, it appears to me that you actually need the gospel just as much as Vladimir Putin. Funny how that all your studies in seminary never seemed to get that point across to you. Perhaps it is because you didn’t actually enter seminary to learn to be a preacher anyway, but found it a easy way to ride the gravy train. After all, what really is expected of a “professional minister” anyway?

A couple of last things Stephen; if you don’t recognize the passages, I won’t be surprised.

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matthew 28:19-20)

For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. (I Corinthians 1:17-18)

Oh, and as for your “title” of Reverend, I know that you will eat that one day:

He hath shewed his people the power of his works, that he may give them the heritage of the heathen. The works of his hands are verity and judgment; all his commandments are sure. They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness. He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever. (Psalm 111:6-10)

Finally, you remind me very much of Jeremiah Wright, since you two seem to have the same agenda. You and he both remind me of what the Scripture has to say about those who pretend to serve God, all the while serving themselves:

But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. (II Peter 2:1-3)

It seems to me you serve another god Stephen. You would do well to comprehend that its awful hot in Hell and that eternity is a awful long time to be there.

The Short-sightedness of Man

Yesterday, I wrote an open letter to Vladimir Putin that, quite literally could have been written to any number of individuals. All one would have to do is take out the specific references to Putin’s activities and substitute the activities specific to whoever you were writing to. The fact is, everyone is in need of salvation, and the only people who would not need to receive the letter are those who have already heeded the message to repent and believe the gospel.

The idea of an open letter is not a new thing, even in Scripture. Nebuchadnezzar wrote an open letter to all the earth after the LORD humbled him and he repented and believed (Daniel 4). Darius wrote and open letter to all the earth as well admonishing them to fear the God of Daniel — which is the LORD God (Daniel 6:25-27). Of course, that was also a time when people weren’t so “rational” and could consider that an event was indeed of God.

There is also another open letter in Scripture, and it is the one that I was reminded of yesterday when I was composing the letter to Vladimir. It comes from Psalms , and is a reminder to every person in this world of how short-sighted each of us are. I would that you read it in its entirety and consider what it states about us, individually and collectively. After all, there is one end appointed unto man — the grave, and then judgement:

Hear this, all ye people; give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world: Both low and high, rich and poor, together. My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding. I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp. Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about?

They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him: (For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:) That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption. For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others. Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names. Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish. This their way is their folly: yet their posterity approve their sayings. Selah. Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwelling.

But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah. Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased; For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him. Though while he lived he blessed his soul: and men will praise thee, when thou doest well to thyself. He shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see light. Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish. (Psalm 49)

Oh blind and foolish man. Repent and believe the Gospel.

WordPress 2.5 Update

Last week I wrote a note that I had upgraded to WordPress 2.5 and was not entirely happy with the result. I lost one of my favorite plugins and the blog was running slow, etc. I was pretty much not happy with things overall concerning the blog and software to run it.

However, things change. For one, the host fixed the problem with accessing the blog in a timely manner so that access time went from 3-5 minutes down to 3-10 seconds (for dial-up that is pretty quick). Also, the plugin I like so well got upgraded to work with version 2.5, and I found that Firefox 2 works better with WordPress than Opera 9.26 when working in the admin pages. Additionally, I went back in a tweaked some of stylesheets to change the appearance a bit (hopefully for the better).

Now that these things are working better I can go back to my plan of changing the theme from fixed width to liquid, or at least elastic. We shall see how that goes.

Dear Vladimir,

I am well aware that this letter could be written to virtually anyone on this earth and be equally applicable. However, since I have been observing your antics as the leader of the Russian Federation, I am constantly reminded of how short-sighted man really is. In all your machinations to openly reassert communist rule in Russia, you have proved that you know little and understand less about how you will be judged for the things you do. Beyond doubt, you did not think twice when you gave the word to have those opposing you murdered. Never mind that they performed an actual service to you in checking your aberrant behavior. Instead of listening to them, you unceremoniously got rid of them. How very sad for you.

You see Vladimir, you are not the end all, be all, and neither is the communist doctrine you believe in. I am certain that you either know the truth, or could easily find it out concerning Karl Marx and what he really was. After all, it is no secret that he was a bum who depended upon everyone else to support him while he whined about the social and economic order of the day. He doesn’t sound like much of an authority to look to for one’s ideas on how things ought to be done in this world.

But Marx’s problem was actually much bigger than that. Like you, Karl Marx did not believe that God exists, despite all evidence to the contrary. Now, I can kind of understand why he would have problems in that arena, as the state churches in Europe really do not present Christianity as it actually is. Instead, the Christianity they present is warped and twisted so that the leaders in those churches can ride the gravy train on the backs of all those duped by such a system. And that, all with the permission, blessing, and support of the government they are in bed with. So much for the Lord Jesus Christ being the head of those churches. No, instead of them being administered by the Holy Ghost, they are administered under the auspices of the State which coddles and supports them. So, I can kind of understand why Marx had the problem he had.

However, now, like then, the word of God is easily available to virtually everyone who wants it. Moreover, it really is not man that seeks after God, but God who seeks after man to bring man to the right way, and an acknowledgement of the instinctual knowledge the LORD God has put in all of us: that God is real, our Creator, and that He rules over us. It is quite plain in the Scripture that this is the case:

The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one. (Psalm 14:2-3)

Which is why the LORD seeks us:

Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. (John 4:21-23)

Of course, as I referenced above, we all do know that God is real and He exists. That is why you atheists fight so hard against God. You are trying to rid yourself of an instinctual knowledge. Let me assure you, you will never make that knowledge go away:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. (Romans 1:18-21)

Now I know that you, like many others dismiss this and say that you cannot see any evidence of God. However, you must understand that God responds to you based upon whether you are really interested in finding out the truth of who you are, and what you are about. The Lord does work to show you who you really are, but there is a point where He will let you go. After all, the LORD God is not worried. You are of absolutely no threat to Him. In fact, you are not even a threat to the one who influences and controls you — the Devil. To put it bluntly, you are simply a pawn in the game. Unfortunately, you are on the “short end of the stick” as it were, and like your master, you also will lose. You would do well to be mindful of the following admonition about how the LORD presents Himself to man:

With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful, and with the upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright. With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself unsavoury. And the afflicted people thou wilt save: but thine eyes are upon the haughty, that thou mayest bring them down. (II Samuel 22:26-28)

Again, this is based upon what is in your heart:

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. (Jeremiah 17:9-10)

Now, I need not explain what the words say as I am certain your grasp of English is better than most Americans. Nor need I explain the following as pertaining to your accountability before God:

Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save. Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. (Isaiah 45:20-23)

And again:

Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11)

It doesn’t matter whether you believe this or not Vladimir, it is true. Moreover, it has always been true, and will remain true for all eternity. No one can or will change that, no matter how much they want to. What you have to look forward to is simply this — one day you will die, just like the folks you have had put to death. When you draw your last breath, all you have to look forward to is an eternity of suffering beyond your wildest imaginations. I would say that it would be unbearable, but the LORD God is able to ensure that you will bear it. If you think you will merely “wink out of existence” you are sadly mistaken.

There is one thing though: you will have a short break in your suffering: just long enough for your trial before the Lord Jesus Christ whom you have thus far rejected:

And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:11-15)

You know, it is sad that your allow your position in this world to stand in the way of saving your own life. No, it seems to me that your pride is such that you could not come to terms with the fact that you must repent and believe just like everyone else. There is no “other standard” existent for you and those in your position. That simply is not the way the LORD God operates. No, the standard the LORD God set for man has been the same from the Fall of man and will continue until the last man on earth dies:

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)

Vladimir, like so many others, you are in a sad case. Repent and believe the Gospel.

Al Gore’s Flat Earth Society

There are some things that simply defy explanation — and I am not talking about the processes of nature. Rather, what I refer to is human behavior. There are some things that men do that simply defy explanation, and this post is about one of those things.

As I am certain all know by this point, that Al Gore, Jr. has been on a crusade to war against “global warming” and has spared no effort is seeking to accomplish his self-appointed task of saving the earth against the ravages of modern human habitation. From his point of view, modern, industrialized man is producing excessive pollutants, particularly carbon (a basic element) and that is driving the earth’s overall temperature up, and will result in the destruction of civilization as we know it.

Now, I (as many others also) have pointed out that we cannot reliably predict the weather 5 days in advance, so how is this possible that we will know the weather 40 years from now? Moreover, it has been proven that the number one “greenhouse gas” is actually water. Sadly, it covers 70% of the earth’s surface and there is nothing we can do about that. (Since that’s not much of a bogeyman, and we can’t do anything about it, Al Gore can’t seem to use that in his campaign. Wonder why?) It has been pointed out by many that the entire database of information Al Gore and others use to promote their scenario is flawed in the way the data is interpreted. However, that is not enough to persuade Al and friends to hold their horses and wait for better data. Instead, they charge ahead full steam and say we must change seeing that when we finally get “good data” it will be far too late. This is a wonderful bit of self-justifying logic that is used to bludgeon opponents into submission (or at least keeping their mouth shut).

It is the self-justifying logic that requires question here — along with a lot of other things the “climate change” advocates state. Where I differ with the other opponents of Al Gore and company is the basis upon which to challenge the presumptions of global warming. Where most talk about data, statistics, weather patterns, and our overall lack of understanding of the earth’s weather, I see the necessity of a different approach.

Some centuries ago, a certain highly visible religious organization held to the belief that the earth was flat, and persecuted anyone who disagreed. This was in spite of the fact that the Scripture plainly and expressly taught (and still does) that the earth was indeed round, and a ball hanging in space.

Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in: That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity. (Isaiah 40:21-23)

Dead things are formed from under the waters, and the inhabitants thereof. Hell is naked before him, and destruction hath no covering. He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing. He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds; and the cloud is not rent under them. (Job 26:5-8)

Of course, those who followed the Bible back then knew the earth was round, and held in space by the commandment and power of God. Everyone else holding to the view of the Catholic Church, is today ridiculed as being a member of the “Flat Earth Society.” Due to this, it is a little on the funny side of things for Al Gore to refer to his detractors as “Flat Earthers.” Now he means to do this as he believes global warming to be a fact. However, we can believe many things to be fact, when in reality they are not. The funny part about this relates to the fact that the Catholic Church absent the Scripture to come to the conclusion that the earth was flat, and Al Gore has come to the conclusion global warming is occurring absent the Scripture, yet he calls those who question the claims of global warming “Flat Earthers”. Kind like the pot calling the kettle black. It is made more ironic by the fact of his tailoring the presentation to the particular audience of the moment:

“His slideshows are tailored to his audiences. For example, when he talks to evangelical Christians, he includes passages from the Bible.

Gore is trying to redefine this as a moral and spiritual issue. “We all share the exact same interest in doing the right thing on this. Who are we as human beings? Are we destined to destroy this place that we call home, planet earth? I can’t believe that that’s our destiny. It is not our destiny. But we have to awaken to the moral duty that we have to do the right thing and get out of this silly political game-playing about it. This is about survival,” he said.” ((CBS, 60 Minutes, Mar. 30th, 2008))

Now, I will leave our stewardship of this earth to another time and another article. What I wish to focus on is the lack of understanding that Al Gore and others have of the Creator and His ability to create an environment that is well able to withstand man’s physical endeavors. This should not be surprising as they either deny the existence of the LORD God, or they acknowledge Him only long enough to invoke His name to deceive others into believing their cause. Nonetheless, the proof of the LORD God’s understanding was once again shown in an article which was published by the BBC this week:

“Global temperatures will drop slightly this year as a result of the cooling effect of the La Nina current in the Pacific, UN meteorologists have said.
The World Meteorological Organization’s secretary-general, Michel Jarraud, told the BBC it was likely that La Nina would continue into the summer.
This would mean global temperatures have not risen since 1998, prompting some to question climate change theory.” ((Global Temperatures ‘to decrease’))

Now, the article goes on to try to salvage global warming as a valid theory, but the evidence in the article is clear:

La Nina and El Nino are two great natural Pacific currents whose effects are so huge they resonate round the world.
El Nino warms the planet when it happens; La Nina cools it. This year, the Pacific is in the grip of a powerful La Nina.
It has contributed to torrential rains in Australia and to some of the coldest temperatures in memory in snow-bound parts of China.
Mr Jarraud told the BBC that the effect was likely to continue into the summer, depressing temperatures globally by a fraction of a degree.
This would mean that temperatures have not risen globally since 1998 when El Nino warmed the world.
Watching trends
A minority of scientists question whether this means global warming has peaked and argue the Earth has proved more resilient to greenhouse gases than predicted. ((ibid))

Well, what would one expect? After all, the Scripture is express:

He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite. (Psalm 147:4-5)

In the LORD God’s infinite understanding it is obvious that He already knew what man would do, and already prepared a regulator, a thermostat (if you will) to control the earth’s overall temperature. After all, He knew in eternity past that man would fall, long before He ever created man, or this world:

And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. (I Peter 1:17-21)

Now, it would be foolish to say that man is not damaging this earth, we are. However, it is not our physical acts, and so-called global warming that is doing the damage. Instead, the damage is being done by our own wicked hearts and the sin we engage in:

The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish. The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left. (Isaiah 24:4-6)

No, it’s not our “technology” and “modern society” that is doing the damage, but the same wickedness that has existed in the heart of man since the Fall. This same wickedness brought about the destruction of the Flood, and will bring about the destruction of this universe by fire. Thus, it is Al Gore that is actually in the category of being a “Flat Earther” for denying and misusing Scriptural truth.

Socially Responsible?

It is a source of never ending wonderment to me that businesses cannot be about doing business, ethically and morally, and leave social agendas out of their business. After all, what is business about anyway? Businesses exist for the purpose of production and trade of goods and services. That is all. So long as it is done morally and ethically, and has a legitimate product or service, there is nothing to hinder a business from functioning.

However, the leaders of business cannot seem to understand that they would do well to abide by the purpose of business and leave social agendas out of their business. The problem here is that business is not some faceless entity. Rather, businesses consist of individuals working in concert to promote, produce and sell a product and/or service to other individuals or businesses. As such, all decisions made by a business are ultimately individual decisions. One cannot cast off the responsibility of a decision a business makes if one was involved in the decision making process. Even when a decision is spread among the members of a board or committee, everyone involved in the decision shares responsibility for that decision — even when they do not agree with it.

One can argue with that, but from a Scriptural point of view, this is very much the case as the LORD God deals with entities in very much the same way he deals with individuals. We are shown this in the incident that was caused by Achan’s taking and possession of the accursed thing:

But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel. And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Bethaven, on the east side of Bethel, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai. And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few. So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai. And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water. (Joshua 7:1-5)

And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff. Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you. (Joshua 7:10-12)

The flip side of this coin is operable as well as the Scripture demonstrates in the matter of Abraham, Sarah and Abimelech:

And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar. And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.
But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man’s wife. But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation? Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this. And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her. Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine. (Genesis 20:1-7)

Throughout the Scripture, it is evident this is the way the LORD deals with the collective endeavors of individuals (entities), whether it is nations, churches, businesses, families, etc. If they are led by those who hate the things of God, then the LORD curses them. If they are led by those who wish to do that which is right in the sight of God, then He blesses. Even if they do that which is displeasing, as in the case of Abimelech, the LORD has mercy. However, we find that not to be the case with Israel and Achan’s sin. Moreover the really sad part is what happened to the thirty-six men who died because of Achan’s sin.

What is the difference between Abimelech and the Philistines, Achan and Israel, and how the LORD God dealt with them respectively? It is a little something called “prior knowledge.” You see, it was customary for men to take more than one wife at the time of Abimelech, and in his ignorance Abimelech took Sarah to wife unlawfully. This was not the case with Achan and Israel. All Israel was expressly instructed that no one was to touch any accursed thing in Jericho. That all spoil was to be burned with certain express materials reserved to the LORD. Failure to obey this command would bring a curse upon the individual and all Israel. Thus, all Israel had “prior knowledge” of what God required of them. This is in contrast to Abimelech and the Philistines who had no “prior knowledge,” and thus were not accursed for Abimelech’s error.

What then does this have to do with modern business and social agendas? Everything. The principles at work here are identical. It is not the purview of business to engage in social “engineering.” Rather, the concern of business is the production and trade of a product or service regardless of who benefits from it. The constraint upon business is morality and proper ethics in all their dealings. It should not concern a business whether a customer’s religion is “approved” by the majority or not. Nor should a business promote one “lifestyle” over another, and the same applies to the political views of its customers. No business should engage in promoting a particular belief over another unless that is expressly why they are in business in the first place. The requirement upon a business is to do that which is just and right in all its dealings.

So what are the consequences of not following the admonition given above? Well, it has everything to do with “prior knowledge” which is available to all in the form of the Bible. We have all already been told what is expected of us. We have all, already been warned by the word of God and history what happens when we refuse to heed the warnings. Moreover, when we refuse to heed them, we will not be treated like Abimelech and the Philistines at the time of Abraham. No, we will be treated more like Israel was in the trespass of Achan — we will be cursed.

The sad part of going against the express will of God is that whose who are not even involved in the decision-making process, will suffer. The employees of Wal-mart, McDonald’s, Cisco, AT&T, American Airlines, Merck and many others will suffer needlessly because the leadership of their companies refuse to heed the warnings given in Scripture about approving of, and supporting that which is an abomination to God. Instead, they have attempted to cover up their wickedness by the clarion call of “social responsibility.”

We should all remember that America was founded with a dependence upon God as her founding document so clearly states:

We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by the Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; . . .
And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

The leaders of certain companies in America may have forgotten this, but Almighty God has not. He will hold them accountable.

Losing the War

Everybody knows that an individual or a nation does not, or should not set about to lose a war — right? It ought to be ingrained in everyone involved in a life or death struggle; that we do not conduct ourselves in such a way as to guarantee dying. This should be reasonable, understood, accepted, and the norm. After all, why would we want to commit suicide, both individually and nationally?

Yet we are. As a nation, the United States of America is doing an excellent job of aiding and abetting its own destruction. Does America have enemies? Certainly she does, and those enemies understand more about how to fight and win wars against a nation and society than Americans do. Back in the late 1950’s a former FBI agent wrote a book titled The Naked Communist, ((This is not an endorsement of his religious views. Mr. Skousen was a Mormon and that doctrine is about as wrong as it gets. However, his personal doctrine does not invalidate what he investigated and found out.)) in which he asserted there existed a strategy by the communists for destroying America from within. In his book, he detailed 45 current goals as of the late 1950’s, and in subsequent editions those goals never changed.

Now, one would think that the goals outlined would cover such things as infrastructure, logistical support organizations, government entities, etc. However, they did not. There were some foreign policy goals, a few goals applied specifically to law enforcement, but primarily the goals addressed societal issues and mores. Some of the societal goals outlined are listed below:

20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policy-making positions.
21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV and motion pictures.
22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to “eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms.”
23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. “Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art.”
24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them “censorship” and a violation of free speech and free press.
25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio and TV.
26. Present homo-sexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as “normal, natural, healthy.”
38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand or treat.
40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.
41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents. ((The Naked Communist, W. Cleon Skousen, Published 1958, Eleventh Edition 1962, pp. 258-262))

Well now, that certainly doesn’t seem like much of a way to take down a nation, does it? Actually, it is very much a way to destroy a nation. It will take a while longer than shooting war would, but no nation that has walked the path America is on has ever survived. The reason for this is quite plain in Scripture — the LORD God judged them for their wickedness:

Moreover thou shalt not lie carnally with thy neighbour’s wife, to defile thyself with her. And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, ((The modern day equivalent to this is abortion. Whereas in ancient time they sacrificed to an idol, today the sacrifice is made to the god of self. The unborn child is killed for the convenience of the parents. After all, having a baby in the house severely crimps the party lifestyle and brings considerable responsibility. Moreover, neglect of a child brings child abuse charges and possibly prison. How much easier it is to kill it before it is born and the law acquiesces to the murder.)) neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD. Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. ((And they claim the Scripture doesn’t condemn homosexuality! Yeah . . . right. Whatever lie is convenient.)) Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion. Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you: And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants. Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations; neither any of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojourneth among you: (For all these abominations have the men of the land done, which were before you, and the land is defiled;) That the land spue not you out also, when ye defile it, as it spued out the nations that were before you. (Leviticus 18:20-28)

Even as the LORD God judged the ancient nations, He judges nations today. If we are at all honest with ourselves, we must admit that we have either engaged in, or condoned all things the LORD condemns in both Leviticus, chapter 18 and Deuteronomy, chapter 18. Thus, without ever realizing it, America’s enemies hit upon a workable, effective strategy for the destruction of America. However, this strategy is not new, and they are not the first to use it.

In Numbers, chapters 22 through 25, the incident of Balak calling Balaam to curse Israel is recorded and the results of that event are made known. In chapter 25, we find that Israel departs from the LORD and the following is the result:

And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel. And the LORD said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the LORD against the sun, that the fierce anger of the LORD may be turned away from Israel. And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baalpeor. (Numbers 25:1-5)

However, we are not immediately told why they began to do this. It is not until chapter 31 that we find that Balaam, though he had no choice but to bless Israel, found a way to get money from Balak by telling him how to cause Israel to transgress so the LORD God would curse them.

And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive? Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD. (Numbers 31:15-16)

This also is repeated in a warning to the church at Pergamos in Revelation, chapter 2:

But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. (Revelation 2:14)

So it is that the very same strategy that Balaam taught Balak and the children of Moab to use against Israel, is being used against the United States of America. But how is it that the communists would adopt a strategy that comes from the Scripture when they don’t even believe in God?

It is quite simple actually. You see, whether we believe in God or not is irrelevant to His existence. God exists no matter what. The spiritual world exists also despite what men believe. Moreover, in that spiritual world exists a creature who is opposed to all that God is and has done — Satan.

We seem not to understand that Satan hates man, as man is created in the image of God. Moreover, we also do not seem to understand that Satan is utterly deceitful and easily deceives man. In fact, this is the very thing that makes the atheist the perfect tool for the Devil. The communists do not even comprehend that they are being used of Satan, and the strategy they understand as a workable strategy for the destruction of the United States, comes straight from the Devil. After all, the Devil knows exactly what things a nation and society can engage in that are sure and certain to bring the wrath of God upon that nation.

The sad part of this is that we here in America have this information freely available to us, and we won’t even consult it to understand what is going on. We bemoan the state of our society, but cannot seem to understand why. We should, the answer has been there all along. Worse yet, when we say we understand what is happening, we still engage in, or condone the very things that bring the wrath of God upon us.

We are losing the war. Are we just to proud to repent?