Pope John Paul II: Heresy: Christianity in China: God's Judgement: Reverse Racism: Caring
A Caring World!
Letters from R.P.BenDedek.
Part 1
Letters 1 - 4
In addition to my writings at KingsCalendar, I am a contributing Columnist at Magic City Morning Star News and usually publish there in my international Column. Sometimes however I publish in the Letters section. Such letters are not usually included in my links to Magic City Articles.
Today I was looking for something that I had written at Magic City and not finding it, I thought to check the 'letters' section. There it was! So I thought perhaps it is time to put some of those letters on line here at KingsCalendar. They are a 'mixed bag of nuts' but do give some more insight into my opinions.
The letter sent By Anonymous entitled "Agreement from Australia," was comforting for me to read, in view of an accusation made against me that I was not only racist but promoting Racism.
The point I was making in "Australia's Racist Shame. Or is it?" had absolutely nothing to do with 'Migrants' or 'ethnic groups', and everything to do with 'white, Australian, activist groups' that terrorise society through the abuse of political correctness and anti-vilification laws.
I can well imagine that the underlying cause of these recent riots, was:
Home Grown Aussies get fed up with being labeled and abused for saying what they think.
Not free to discuss, opinionate or argue any given point for fear of abuse or for fear of being 'prosecuted', they get angry.
The anger is suppressed until it becomes rage.
Rage eventually gets vented in uncontrollable ways.
In the meantime, the Ethnic groups, because of all the media attention to terrorism; and hearing, feeling and sensing the tension in the home grown Aussies, got on the defensive (which is natural).
Finally something happens, and it just escalates. The 'whites' misdirect their anger that rightfully should be directed toward the activists and thought police, onto the 'ethnics', and the 'ethnics' resenting their 'outcast' status, dish it right back. In the end, both groups are fighting for exactly the same cause - freedom to live their lives in peace, in Australia.
Laws don't stop hatred, they can only punish and/or suppress it. The solution to the 'Racial' hatred, is to find the root cause. The point of all my articles, is that the root cause is to be found in the abuse that the home grown Aussies have received, not from migrants, but from the thought police, whose ultimate agenda is simply to stifle 'all' dissent or 'disapproval' on any matter, so that they can pursue their agendas without interference.
It was precisely this topic about which I had just finished a 3500 word article, when I first saw the news about the riots, and penned the article mentioned above. (See Also: Political Correctness Corrupting Democracy)
There are no Lebanese in my family, but there are different religions represented, including the Muslims, Buddhists, Christians and others, and the family is composed of 'Whites', Asians, 'coloured' and Black people. (As my son once joked - "You never know Dad, if you are lucky, you might one day end up with a 'white grandkid'.
We are all different, but all the same - 'We are Proud Aussies!
I've been following the Rev. Swank's articles in relation to Pope John Paul II and his passing, and have been rather pleasantly surprised by his comments.
Although I am not personally and specifically aware of Rev. Swank's particular theological association, I do know that he is a born again Christian, and it has been my experience that such folk tend to be (shall I be polite and say) negative toward anything Roman Catholic.
Many years ago, a church worker (now a Pastor) running some type of "home group" or Bible study, invited me to speak to his little group. I've never been particularly sure what his purpose was in doing so, and I was left "carte blanche" as to what I did and said.
Knowing nothing about his people, but a reasonable amount about him, I decided to stir him up a bit. You see, while he was a wonderful person (a white South African), he really was an evangelical fundamentalist of a type that could not stomach Roman Catholics. So I decided to tackle that issue.
I went to his group, and asked for their assistance in understanding their particular Christian theology. Toward this end, I had prepared 20 statements of faith concerning which I required their assent, dissent, and advice.
I gave each person an 'A4' copy of these articles, and asked them not to unstaple the flap at the bottom of the page. They spent a good deal of time confirming that I had indeed understood their faith, and that the statements I had recorded on the papers, were in fact correct.
When all was done, I asked them to unstaple the flap at the bottom of the page. As they did so, there was a collective audible gasp, a stunned silence, and then shock of all shocks, TEARS!
Within that flap was written something to the effect that the above stated articles of faith, were directly and exactly copied from the documents of Vatican II, and the relevant references were provided.
I had not known what to expect once the revelation was made, but had hoped that the man in charge would be a little more charitable to Roman Catholics. What I did not know, suspect or expect, was that more than half of the people gathered there were ex-Roman Catholics.
As for the tears, well it seems that many folk had been fearfully sick for the eternal future of their Roman Catholic loved ones, and the revelation that they shared the same articles of faith, suddenly lifted heartfelt burdens.
My intent that night was to show the common ground of faith in Christ. All too often and predictably so, the evangelicals I have encountered spend their time converting people to theology. Never finding common ground, they spend their time proving how people are 'not saved'; are not "true" Christians. In short, they spend their time, not spreading the good news, but the bad news.
It was wonderful to read the Rev. Swank's comments. Having personally studied in both evangelical (born again) and Roman Catholic (Liberal) universities, it's actually nice to have heard anyone at all say anything at all nice about the Pope. He, it seems to me, has been viewed by both sides as the devil incarnate.
Ah Well, that's politics for you! Yep! I said "politics!"
P.S. On the Vatican and the AntiChrist; I once read a wonderful assignment on the topic of the AntiChrist, written by a member of the Assemblies of God Church, which succeeded in proving that it is that particular church which is the AntiChrist! And he got full marks! He actually did this deliberately to prove that the university was indeed Academic and not dogmatic.
I've just read the article by John McLaughlin entitled: Be Christlike, Support Magic and noted your reply at the bottom.
I want to make a comment about it, but I must first point out for your readers, that as a person of a different nationality, and living in a third country, my comments do not refer to the politico-economic issues touched upon in relation to your local community. Instead, I want to go straight to the 'Christian Believer' issues evident in both the article and its' response.
Many years ago, I lived in a small community, in a dead end street. Everyone knew everyone, and everyone got on well together.
There was a woman in the street who had operating in her home, a 'home bible study', as part of a big born again Christian Church located quite some way away. Even though it was my wife who was raised a born again evangelical Christian, it was I who eventually joined the group. It was a wonderful group of people who were able to sit down and discuss theological issues, irrespective of disagreements.
One day, the Main Church announced that they were sending an 'official LEADER' for the group. It was the beginning of the end.
Now I admit that I am a clown - a stirrer - a heretic - or whatever I need to be in order to make things more lively and interesting, and everyone in that group knew that. One day I was introduced to a new couple, and Francie who ran the group, said; 'Don't pay any attention to R.P. He likes to upset people to see what they are made of. He's quite harmless really.
Now with this confession in mind, on the third week that the group was under the leadership of this appointed teacher, I walked into the assembly, with a book of Mormon under my arm. Someone yelled, 'Hey mate! Wrong book!'
I looked down, and feigning surprise, said: 'Oh, tonight is the Christian one?' Everybody laughed, except the leader.
Never have I been so penitent for a wrongdoing. That Leader subjected us to a two hour session on 'The Deception of the Devil'.
Eventually, being able to bear the man no longer, and knowing that at the very least, my interruption would be a welcome relief to the others, I began to question the leader about 'Deception'.
His arguement was based on the fact the Jehovah Witnesses and Mormons are deceived by the devil. They don't have the truth in them. I asked him how it was that he knew that 'he' had the truth, to which he replied that he had the Bible. I pointed out that they also had the Bible, to which he replied that they didn't have the truth about the Bible. When asked again how he knew he had the truth, he replied that he had the Spirit of God. I pointed out that the others claimed the same, so it was hard to know which to believe.
He defended himself by pointing out that he had the Bible, the Spirit of God and the truth, and so the argument continued in circles for a little while. Finally I asked him to define 'deception'. After he did so I announced my understanding of his words as this: The person who truly has the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, will never deny this truth, for he knows it to be true; and that the deceived person, thinking that he has the truth, will never deny his 'truth'.
The leader agreed with this conclusion, so I asked him, 'How then do you know that you have the truth, and are not deceived?'. This started off another round of 'I have the Bible, the Spirit of God and the truth.'
In my own life, the thing by which I judge the honesty, openness and integrity of those who proclaim 'truth', is their willingness to judge themselves and their words, to see if perhaps someone's accusation against them is true. Humility always allows for the possibility of error in one's life or heart. Arrogance won't have a bar of it.
For me, 'Fruit' in someone's life has nothing to do with their deeds or accomplishments, but the nature and Character of the Divine that they have cultivated in their hearts. As a famous pentecostal preacher once said to me, 'So many people who claim to be baptised and immersed in the Spirit of Christ, really have a spirit that is anything but Christlike.'
It's always hard for people to know who is a deceiver, but looking at their heart is a good place to start. This is why I wrote in my letter entitled: God's Judgement on the USA that, 'My knowledge of the New Testament tells me that the only way to survive judgement, is to judge oneself first'. It is also why I particularly liked two recent articles at Magic City entitled: Why the World Hates Christians By Ken Christian and Immorality & Our Future By Frank Speed.
I wish you all the best as you try to keep everything afloat over there in them there United States of America, and hope that those who read your newspaper will give their consideration to the agendas of the heart, and not the pocket.
Just the other day I received a belated reply email to the article and I was so impressed by the authors' comments that I have, with his permission, decided to publish them here today.
Why you may ask do I do this? Firstly, it is a great demonstration of true dialogue between two people with different belief systems. In a nasty letter I received in relation to one of my articles, I was asked what sort I parents did I have. My reply to that was that my parents were people with a great sense of humour, and a genuine respect for other people's beliefs. My email reply bounced because the sender only permits person's on his 'access granted' list to actually send emails.
This following letter by Nathaniel demonstrates that there is no need for people to be nasty or offensive when stating their contrary opinions.
Additionally, Nathaniel's email demonstrates that he is a person who 'thinks' about issues, not about 'forcing his opinion' down other people's throats.
I thoroughly enjoyed his email, and I have promised to send him a personal reply in relation to some points he raised. We do not need to share our personal perspectives with the world. It suffices just to continue the dialogue personally.
Before I proceed to show you his email, there is one point I will restate , for I have stated it previously. There can be no doubt about the inhumanity of the treatment of prisoners in China. This point I do not argue. What I do question, is the tendency to view the victimization of Christian prisoners, as 'Christian persecution'. In those places where prisoners are mistreated or murdered, it is because the guards are monsters, with little respect for human life. It does not matter if that life is in prison for religious beliefs, murder, prostitution or whatever.
Just this last week it was revealed that a policeman who was arrested, charged and imprisoned for his wife's murder, was in fact innocent. His wife turned up recently, married to another husband. That policeman had endured torture and threats for years, and is now seeking compensation from the government.
Whatever the issue that may be raised here at Magic City Morning Star News, or elsewhere, respect for the opinions and beliefs of others should never be pushed aside in order to 'score points'.
True respect allows others to have different opinions.
Here now is Nathaniel's reply.
Dear BenDedek
Your article was very interesting - but it seems to me that you may have failed to consider a few things.
Were the Bibles you observed as being "freely available" edited in any way, or were they complete? This matters a lot to the believing Christian, especially in light of the 1600+ year old canon, and the meaning that it holds as a whole.
There are several flaws in your reasoning, as I see it. First, believing personally that the Bible is in fact, infallible in terms of the doctrines, themes and ideas conveyed (I am not a believer in the "King James Only" ideology, nor does it damage my faith in the slightest to recognize that there are in fact textual errors and numerical errors in various translations), it does not seem to be exclusive of the possibility of government persecution. The Church began under severe persecution in the 1st century - and certainly, in past decades, there has been severe persecution in China, the Sudan, Soviet Russia, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and other places. Jesus himself warns about this. Of course, it doesn't hamper the power of the message (in fact, it often seems to refine and empower it), because the message is timeless, for all people in all situations. Why should the persecution of Christians invalidate the message?
Second, you mentioned that you weren't sure whether or not the Chinese government banned certain doctrines from being taught. Wouldn't that be rather important in determining whether or not the need for secretive worship still exists, if one desires to remain true to ALL of ones faith? Of course, you may be right, and if you are, then wonderful! I'm glad that China would ease restrictions, if that is indeed the case. But I'm not entirely sure that is the case either. So, if they are, then perhaps some of the "underground" will cease to be so. But you listed three other points, which I'd like to address:
1. comparing a church which violates the laws in the West versus one in China seems to be an extremely bad comparison, because it assumes that the restrictions and laws pertaining to religious expression are equal in those places. I beg to differ - I'm sure that the laws in China are FAR more restrictive and prohibitive than those in the United States. While Scripture teaches submission to Government, it makes the exception when Government law contradicts God's - and at that point, the choice for the believer is obvious.
2. While all governments seek social stability (this is the very purpose of government), it should be fairly obvious that the means to this end are not equal, and may violate what we understand to be "human rights". China's government is decidedly Communist, and founded squarely upon Marxist and Stalinist principle - which explicitly decry any religion as dangerous. The U.S. has religion as part of its founding principle - and so the two are almost opposite in terms of their approach.
3. This goes back to what I discussed earlier - but I'm afraid your summary of what Christianity teaches is not only somewhat innacurate, but also entirely oblivious to the Whole Point. While I am quite sure that there are many "true" believers in the Chinese "sanctioned" churches (I would never speculate to judge the heart of anyone just because they belonged to a certain group), I find it hard to believe that they are able to declare and hold to everything the unedited Scripture teaches with the full approval of the Chinese Government. Again, the restrictions may in fact be easing, and if they are, then the underground churches may emerge - and if so, again - great! But to suggest that they are psychologically keeping themselves in that position is both laughable on the one hand, and on the other, a despicable insult to the testimony and faith of an awful lot of good people.
It seems also that your estimation of the Chinese government is incredibly naive, considering both past and present behavior. Even in a "free" country such as the U.S., and being a native New Yorker, I question the effectiveness and sincerity of many internal investigations into the behavior of police officers and other officials, when the evidence seems clear on the outside, but no one is convicted. Also, it is quite well known that governments will sacrifice "underlings" to satisfy a particular outrage (remember Rodney King?) but take no interest in actually solving the problem. In many Asian, Middle Eastern, and other governments, the behavior of police and government agents is of absolutely no concern as long as the goal is achieved, and worlds "whistle blowers" are kept quiet. Even in the U.S. - much less China.
Not all governments are equal. The Marxist approach, I believe, is inferior for many reasons. Chairman Mao and many other leaders are inferior to many in the West (no matter the political stripe). The moral, ethical, religious and political relativism that suggests otherwise is silly.
Thank you for your article nonetheless - these dialogues are invaluable to thinking people - and I genuinely appreciate your thoughts.
R.P.BenDedek is from Brisbane Australia and is the author of 'The King's Calendar: The Secret of Qumran' at http://www.kingscalendar.com His academic articles set forth Apologetics for and results of his discovery of an "artificial chronological scheme" running through the Bible, Josephus, the Damascus Documents of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and Seder Olam Rabbah.
He writes photographic 'Stories from China' and social editorial commentaries, both at KingsCalendar, and as a contributing newspaper columnist. He currently teaches Conversational English in China and in addition to his English Lessons at KingsCalendar, he has created specific sites for Students of English.
