Articles on Religion: The difference between then and now is that in the days of these prophecies, these nations were tools of judgment that God used against his faithless people whereas today Israel has just been reborn - regathered from all the nations of the earth unto which God had scattered them. Many there are who do not believe in the Scriptures, but it surely cannot escape anyone's attention, that the principle nations named in the Bible, still exist. Israel has returned, and once again the world is returned to witnessing the battle between the people whom God has chosen and their historical enemies. The Bible: Theology: Separation of Church and State: Roman Catholic attitudes: Pedophilia: Jerusalem: King David: abortion etc.
Since the introduction of the 'Writers Journal' at Kingscalendar, the number of articles written by other writers and published on this site has increased exponentially and this has required reorganizing the site.
Most general articles that in some way or another related to Religion, or the Bible, have now been assembled together in one section.
Shortly after 9/11, President Bush stated, "The face of terror is not the true faith of Islam. That's not what Islam is all about. Islam is peace." With all due respect, I think that by now, so many years after 9/11 and so many terrorist attacks later, the observers of Islam and the Muslim world would disagree with Mr. Bush's propitious summation of Islam and the Muslim mindset toward the Western world. What is truly amazing to me is that, through it all, Islam the religion is never connected to these exclusively Muslim crimes.
Shavou'ot -- a spiritual holiday -- follows Passover -- a national liberation holiday: from physical liberation (the Exodus) to spiritual liberation/enhancement (the Torah), in preparation for the return to the Homeland.
For the past several years, anti Christianity has intensified as the Arab Spring was ushered into the Middle East and North Africa, ancient homelands to Christians. Alarming stories of persecutions fill the newswires as Christians are harassed and either driven out of their ancient homelands, or transcended into second class citizens. It has also been fashionable to attack and ridicule Christianity in the entertainment industry under the guise of being cutting edge, as comedians and entertainers mock Christianity. Although it is painfully obvious these same artists lack the courage to browbeat Islam, a religion that will actually fire back at them. A college professor at Florida Atlantic University, assigned his students to write the name of Jesus on a piece of paper, then put it on the ground and stomp on it.
Passover highlights the fact that the Jewish People were passed-over by history's angel of death, in defiance of conventional wisdom. Non-normative disasters have characterized Jewish history ever since slavery in Egypt and the Exodus: the destruction of the two Temples, exiles, pogroms, expulsions, the Holocaust, anti-Semitism, daily Arab/Muslim terrorism and wars, etc. The 1948 re-establishment of Jewish sovereignty -- against global, regional, economic and military odds - constituted a modern day Exodus and Parting of the Sea. Principle-driven tenacious defiance-of-the odds constitutes a prerequisite to Jewish deliverance in 2013, as it was during The Exodus some 3,450 years ago.
The eight day celebration could be intended to make up for the holiday of Tabernacles, which could not be celebrated due to the war of liberation. The shape of the digit 8 represents infinity: no end to divine capabilities, as evidenced by the survival of the Jewish People against all odds. The root of the Hebrew word for 8 (Shmoneh) is "oil" Shemen which is also the root of "Hasmonean" (Hashmonayim). The Aramaic name of the month of Kislev is Kislimo, which is "heavy" in Hebrew. The spelling of "heavy" is identical to the spelling of "oil".
"Think of the story of Jesus walking on the water, found in Matthew 14:22-33 and Mark 6:45-52," Strobel writes, quoting a scholar he was interviewing. "Most English translations hide the Greek by quoting Jesus as saying, 'Fear not, it is I.' Actually, the Greek literally says, 'Fear not, I am.' Those last two words are identical to what Jesus said in John 8:58, when he took upon himself the divine name 'I AM,' which is the way God revealed himself to Moses in the burning bush in Exodus 3:14. So Jesus is revealing himself as the one who has the same divine power over nature as Yahweh, the God of the Old Testament."
Evil men will rise up, good men will suffer, but salvation, deliverance and blessing is the promise unto those whose hearts seek after the Lord. Today, we see the battle lines drawn in so many quarters. Many believe that God and his people must be overthrown! But those who seek to do so are unaware that God and his promises are real and so they do not know against whom they stand. But we, those of us who remain faithful and true to the Spirit of Christ - living our lives without malice, hatred or evil intent - we shall see the Glory of God arise, either in this life or the next.
Today we look at what is termed 'The Historical Interlude' - Isaiah Chapters 36 through 39. This section deals with the Assyrian King Sennacherib's invasion of Judah, and records the correspondence between him and King Hezekiah of Judah and they duplicate what is recorded in 2 Kings 18:13 - 20:19 and 2 Chronicles 32:1-23. For this reason then, I feel it necessary today to preface this examination of the Prophet Isaiah with an historical note.
Today we commence at Isaiah Chapter 28 with words of Judgment on the prophets, priests and leaders of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and proceed through to Chapter 31 by which point the Lord has pronounced judgment not only on his erring people, but upon Assyria who was his instrument of chastisement, and on Egypt to whom the people relied for security. Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD!
Today we commence with Isaiah Chapter 23 and the Word of Lord against Tyre. This merchant city state is probably not as well known as other places such as Egypt, Assyria and Babylon but is does behoove us to stop a little and pay attention to it. Tyre (part of Lebanon) juts out from the coast of the Mediterranean and is located about 80 km (50 mi) south of Beirut. Tyre originally consisted of two distinct urban centers, Tyre itself, which was on an island just off shore, and the associated settlement of Ushu on the adjacent mainland. Alexander the Great connected the island to the mainland coast by constructing a causeway during his siege of the city, demolishing the old city to reuse its cut stone.
For the most part however these chapters concern countries which still today afflict Israel - Moab (Jordan), Syria, Ethiopia/Egypt, Assyria (Iraq) and Babylon (Iran). The difference between then and now is that in the days of these prophecies, these nations were tools of judgment that God used against his faithless people whereas today Israel has just been reborn - regathered from all the nations of the earth unto which God had scattered them. Many there are who do not believe in the Scriptures, but it surely cannot escape anyone's attention, that the principle nations named in the Bible, still exist. Israel has returned, and once again the world is returned to witnessing the battle between the people whom God has chosen and their historical enemies.
God will send judgment against the leaders who "decree unrighteous decrees"; who "turn aside the needy from judgment". These people will fall foul of judgment, imprisonment and death. Verse 5 names Assyria as the rod of God's Judgment. And indeed in 722BCE the Northern Kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrians and in 586 BCE the Southern Kingdom fell to the Babylonians. (Verse 11 Shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols?) Remembering that in Isaiah Chapter 1 it is stated that Isaiah's ministry extended from the reigns of King Uzziah to that of King Hezekiah (when the Northern Kingdom Fell), what we have in this chapter is a prophecy of a Nation that will not pose a threat for another hundred years.
The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail. For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed. When our nation's leaders do not harken to the Word of God, the priests and ministers have a duty to do right, and should they not, then the people must still do right and reprove the religious and secular leaders. But when the leadership leads the people away from the Lord, all manner of evil will arise in the land and that evil has natural consequences.
This particular passage is an eschatological reference to the coming of Christ at the end of the age. Despite all the evil in the world, God speaking via the prophet says: For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low. (verse 12) And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. (verse 17)
The message in the books of Isaiah, Amos, Hosea and Micah are almost identical. Secular and religious leaders and those with the power that comes from wealth neither paid attention to doing what was right in the eyes of God nor treated the common man with decency and dignity. When leadership fails to set the right example for society, that society crumbles, and since these societies - Israel and Judah - were the chosen of God - 'a light of the Gentiles' - the people of God through whom the world would come to know God, that society could not be allowed to degenerate to the level of the common pagan world. Chastisement leading to repentance was a necessity and the time was drawing near.
At the height of the reigns of King Uzziah of Judah and King Jeroboam II of Israel, Israel enjoyed peace and prosperity due mainly to the weak political and military state of affairs in Syria and Assyria. One can only assume that the relative peace, security and prosperity led to a decrease in dependence on religious faith and following the Law of God. Hence we have 4 prophets arise to chastise the people and warn them of impending disaster. (Isaiah, Amos, Micah and Hosea).
The original command to anoint Jehu as king over Israel (not Judah) was given to Elijah the prophet in 1 Kings 19:15-17 in which he is commanded to anoint Hazael as King over Syria (in place of BenHadad) and Jehu over Israel in place of Ahab's son Jehoram. And there is a promise from God that those who escape from Hazael will be slain by Jehu and those who escape Jehu will be slain by Elisha. But even though the Scripture talks about killing the King of Israel's heirs (the house of Ahab), no where does it say that anyone is to kill the King of Judah "Ahaziah", who was either Ahab's grandson, nephew or son-in-law. (2 Kings 8:18 makes his mother to be the daughter of Omri and therefore sister of Ahab and so he was Ahab's nephew, while verse 26 states that his mother was Ahab's daughter therefore he was Ahab's grandson but verse 27 refers to him as son-in-law).
Hosea's message: The people having chosen kings to lead them, put their faith in the kings rather than God and as the Kings and leaders failed to listen to the voice of God, the people became further and further removed from God. The end result in Israel was the fulfilled promise of the destruction of Samaria. Hosea 1:4-7 states that God will no longer show mercy on the Northern Kingdom but will cause it to cease to exist. This was accomplished in 722 BC when the capital city Samaria was taken by the King of Assyria during the reign of King Hoshea and the people were sent into exile. Mercy is however granted to the Southern Kingdom of Judah.
An Overview of the Prophet Amos during the reign of King Uzziah, prior to Assyrian incursions into Syria, Israel and Judah. The prophecies take place about 30 years prior to the destruction of the Northern Kingdom Israel and the exile of its people, and less than 200 years before King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon took the Southern Kingdom of Judah into exile in Babylon and destroyed King Solomon's Temple. Amos Chapter 1 verse one says that the prophet Amos was a herdsman from a place called Tekoa and relates that the things which he saw concerning Israel and Judah occurred in the latter years of the reign of King Uzziah of Judah (2 years before the earthquake of 759 BC) during the final few years of the reign of King Jeroboam II of Israel - perhaps no more than 6 years.
Shavou'ot is a derivative of the Hebrew word "Shvoua'" -- vow, referring to the exchange of vows between God and the Jewish People. The origin of Shavouot occured 26 generations following Adam and Eve. The Hebrew word for Jehovah equals 26 in Gimatriya (assignment of numerical values to Hebrew letters). There are 26 Hebrew letters in the names of the Jewish Patriarchs and Matriarchs: Abraham, Yitzhak, Yaakov, Sarah, Rivka, Rachel and Leah.
Yehudit Katsover and Nadia Matar filed a petition against the Israel Police with the High Court of Justice, concerning the Tisha be-Av eve march, a march for which thousands of marchers gather, and which the movement has conducted for eighteen years on a fixed route, in a time-honored practice...for eighteen years there has not been a single incident caused by friction, not even a year ago when Ramadan fell on the same date. If the police fear violence by the Arabs, they should be distanced from the area, and not Jews.
When Ministers do not implicitly trust God, but give into the fear that a negative public opinion will affect their church and ministry or bring shame to the name of Christ, then they demonstrate two things. The first is their lack of trust in God and the second is their ignorance of the Scriptural truth about Christ, his people and the church, which is, that they will be reviled. When Ministers and individuals take their eyes off God, whatever their eyes rest on takes the place of God and whatever takes the place of God is an idol, and idolatry has no place in a Christian's life.
Faith without works is as equally as dead as works without faith and it is an easy thing to inadvertently shift the focus of our lives away from 'Christ', to a focus of 'being' the faithful servant and doing 'the work of God' and in the process, to become a poor facsimile of what we once were. We must give comfort and give good counsel, but we must remember to trust and rely on the 'Real Counselor' - the Holy Spirit to continue to do his work in any one individual's life. If they reject us, it matters not! We are not masters. We merely serve the master. When our Religion and its ritualism replaces our relationship with God and by default, with our fellow man, we have made our religion a 'false religion', and our ritual practices become idolatry.
Passover's centrality in the American ethos, inspiring the Puritans, the Pilgrims the Founding Fathers and contemporary American morality and state of mind. The Pilgrims considered Britain "modern day Egypt," the British king was "the modern day Pharaoh," the sail through the Atlantic Ocean was "the modern day parting of the Sea" and America was "the modern day Promised Land." The term Federalism is based on "Foedus," the Latin word for "The Covenant." The Founding Fathers were inspired by the political structure of the semi-independent 12 Tribes (colonies), which were governed by tribal presidents (governors) and by Moses (the Executive), Aaron (the Judicial) and the 70 Elders (Legislature), a role model for US democracy.
When Jesus said that he did not condemn the woman, it was not a matter of 'forgiveness or compassion'. It was a statement of fact. He could not condemn her or pass judgement against her without witnesses. When he said 'Go and sin no more' it might be considered to have been a recognition of the truth of the allegations against her but more importantly, it was simply sound advice. Had Jesus spoken the modern vernacular he might have added: 'Or next time you won't be so lucky'. - While I understand that the church must 'fight the good fight' against the mounting pressure from a secular society to tolerate, accept, and embrace our homosexual brethren, I must admit to being somewhat bemused by hellfire and damnation preaching coming from church pulpits.
God's ways may not be our ways but his judgments tend to be accurate! God sees past all that you do and say. He sees the 'real' you. Only God can truly know whose identity is Holey, Whole or Holy. Jeremiah's job description required saying a lot of things that just didn't sit too well with the 'powers that be', both religious and secular. Moses was a rash man with a temper that made him careless. For decades his life just didn't go the way he had planned it and by the time he was content enough with his life and ready for a peaceful retirement, it was thrown into turmoil again by a pesky deity who for some reason considered him the best person for the job of 'leader'.
The name Esther is also a derivative of Ishtar - a Mesopotamian goddess, Astarte - a Phoenician goddess. In fact, the one day pre-Purim Fast of Esther (commemorating the three day fast declared by Esther in order to expedite deliverance), was cherished by the Marano in Spain, who performed Judaism in a clandestine manner. The Scroll of Esther is the only book in the Hebrew Bible, in which G-D's name is hidden/absent. It has been suggested that the explicit name of G-D is absent because the Scroll of Esther is the only book in the Hebrew Bible, which deals exclusively with the Diaspora and not with the Land of Israel.
An example of the failure of directive leadership to bring about transformational can be found in Mikhail Gorbachev's 'Perestroika'. Following decades of communist oppression, the nation was largely comprised of passive, conformist and pragmatist followers who lacked any form of initiative or sense of responsibility. Gorbachev failed to see that this group of people needed a directive style of leadership - a leader who would tell them exactly what to do. He was unable to collectively mobilize his future leaders to implement his vision of change.
The supportive behavior of the leader, both emotionally and with the use of planned training programs, will significantly improve the followers' commitment to the organization. When tasks are tedious, monotonous and boring the follower looks for a leader who shows not only kindness and an understanding attitude but also one who creates harmony in the working environment by providing needed resources, emotional support and rewards.
The US covenant with the Jewish State dates back to Columbus Day, which is celebrated around Sukkot (October 8, 2011). According to "Columbus Then and Now" (Miles Davidson, 1997, p. 268 ), Columbus arrived to America on Friday afternoon, October 12, 1492, the 21st day of the Jewish month of Tishrei, the Jewish year 5235, the 7th day of Sukkot, Hoshaa'na' Rabah. Hoshaa'na' Rabah is considered a day of universal deliverance and miracles. Hosha' is the Hebrew word for deliverance, and "Na'" - the Hebrew word for "please" - is equivalent to 51 in Gimatriya. Thus, Hoshaa'na' Rabah is observed on the 51st day following Moses' ascension to Mt. Sinai.
Yom Kippur culminates the ten days of a genuine, heart-driven atonement/repentance, which begin on the first day of the Jewish month of Tishrei - an Akkadian word for forgiveness and Genesis. It is observed on the tenth day of Tishrei. Yom Kippur's central theme is the plea for forgiveness from fellow human-beings, highlighting the most essential attributes of constructive leadership, healthy relationships and family and national cohesion
There have been many things which Scientists have taught and believed which were later overturned when more information came to light and understanding of the universe increased, but it didn't stop them then and doesn't stop them now from 'believing' that they are totally right and that everyone else is wrong. (Ever counted up how many times they discovered the 'Evolutionary Missing Link' only to discover later they were wrong?) After the earth blows up they are going to go around saying 'I told you so! - I told you so!'. Of course if it doesn't end they will walk around disappointed and depressed, looking for a reason as to why 'the end' was postponed. (They'll probably determine that those rotten greenhouse gasses blocked out the sun's radiation and ruined their prophetic utterances).
Rosh Hashanah - unlike all other Jewish holidays - is a universal (stock-taking, renewal and hopeful) holiday. It is celebrated on the sixth day of The Creation, which produced the first human being, Adam. Rosh (Hashanah) means in Hebrew "beginning," "first," "head," "chief." The Hebrew letters of Rosh constitute the root of the Hebrew word for Genesis, "Bereshit", which is the first word in the Bible.
Collecting prot¨¦g¨¦s enables all leaders to achieve far more than they could on their own and their influence extends far beyond their own realm and lifetime. It is vitally important that leaders be collectors of prot¨¦g¨¦s. Growing future leaders is not for prima donnas. It requires more than just the anointing for the position of leadership. It requires stamina and commitment
The Western media would like us to believe that Anders Behring Breivik has many cohorts just waiting in the wings to act out the same acts of violence and terrorism. Breivik was a lone wolf who believed his country and its cultural traditions were disintegrating. He believed that Islam and Muslims were the elemental root cause of this disintegration. Western media has branded Mr. Breivik a "Christian fundamentalist". The truth is that Christian fundamentalists are not in the habit of killing their own. Muslim fundamentalists are. Christian fundamentalists are a rather suspicious and simplistic bunch, but they're not notorious for murdering children. Muslim fundamentalists are.
Transformational leadership is the ability to bring together leaders and followers in agreement and relationship, empowering them to create an intended real transformational change. This is seen so magnificently in the leadership of Deborah, someone in that relationship who had a heart for the people. What most of us fail to realize is the far-reaching consequences of this agreement. Deborah's heart for the people not only galvanized a relationship and an agreement between herself and Barak but it also galvanized a relationship and an agreement between the followers and leaders of Israel to create an intended real transformational change.
Exemplary followers are courageous followers. Unlike the passive followers, they assume responsibility for their own behavior and its impact upon the organization. Unlike conformist followers, they feel comfortable about drawing the leader's attention to any action the leader might be doing that would or could hurt the organization's direction. Exemplary followers seek out the needs of the organization and actively find ways to serve those needs, unlike pragmatist followers who are always looking out for themselves. Exemplary followers courageously support their leader through the difficult stages of transformational change rather than displaying the alienated followers' cynical attitude to change.
Shavou'ot - a holiday of spiritual and physical liberty - is celebrated 50 days following Passover. The Jubilee - the corner stone of liberty and the source of the inscription on the Liberty Bell - is celebrated every 50 years. Judaism highlights the constant challenge facing human beings: the choice between the 50 gates of wisdom and the corresponding 50 gates of impurity. Egypt represented the gates of impurity and the receipt of the Torah represented the gates of wisdom. The 50th gate of wisdom is the gate of deliverance. The USA is composed of 50 states.
While such strong faith is potentially advantageous to their relationship with God, it dismisses the possibility that Genesis is what we misunderstand. But, if that is the case, and the earth is old, then where is the theory of Old Earth Creation that keeps Christian Theology intact? In all my years of looking for it, it isn't there. Enter Geocreationism. - Combined with the literal meaning of "yom", scripture is not requiring a creation day to be a 24-hour period. Sundown for God becomes the time God chose, not a time imposed. It means the earth may be old, and God created it in 6 literal days.
It is because they have evil hearts that turn the truth into a lie. Knowing the truth which is clearly visible to all, they turn aside into the darkness because their hearts are filled with rebellion - rebellion against - GOD! Yep! That's right! Against God!
"How many degree of beneficence hath the Almighty conferred upon us?! If He had brought us forth from Egypt, and had not executed judgment upon the Egyptians, it would have sufficed (Da'ye'nu)... If He had inflicted justice upon them..., it would have sufficed (Da'ye'nu')..." If there would not be havoc in Arab lands, highlighting the Jewish State as the only stable, reliable, credible, capable, predictable, democratic and non-conditional ally of the USA - Da'ye'nu
Nineveh was an evil city looking for God. Nineveh was evil by what it did. And why would a city looking for God do evil? Because consciously, they were not so much looking for God, but needing Him, without realizing it was Him they were needing. When people need God without understanding their need, they will look to extraordinary sources for it, and doing good is the surest way to find Him... but it is also the hardest. Doing good is a long term plan, and for many who view it selfishly it will seem unrewarding. Doing good requires self-sacrifice, and people in pain often feel sacrificed already.
Encountering the narcissistic and succession syndromes cannot be avoided in leadership. It is the way we deal with the dark-side of our narcissistic personality, the way in which we learn from it, that becomes the maturing process required in order to become a transformational leader. This maturing process allows the charismatic revolutionary leader to be resurrected with the great gift of grace - charisma. Queen Elizabeth the First's ability to create on-going transformational change was due to her ability to engage in covalent activities with those around her and to groom and provide a successor to the throne.
In succumbing to the dark-side of leadership, charismatic revolutionary leaders become the very thing they detested in the previous leadership: people who holds on to the status quo, jealously guarding what they have established. Charismatic revolutionary leaders who are extreme narcissists will surround themselves with subordinates who are loyal and uncritical. They make decisions without gathering adequate information. The lack of debate and open discussion will make the leadership team vulnerable to what they don't know which will often result in missed steps in the decision-making process
The Pilgrims considered Britain "modern day Egypt," King Charles was "the modern day Pharaoh," the sail through the Atlantic Ocean was "the modern day parting of the Sea" and America was "the modern day Promised Land." Passover has four names: The holiday of Pesach (Passed-over; sacrifice), the holiday of liberty, the holiday of Matza and the holiday of spring.
Charismatic and transformational leaders are superb masters of the art of public speaking to stir followers' dissatisfaction with their present situation and instil a sense of 'correctness', a moral striving to a higher level of social change. Permanent change however cannot take place solely because of the charismatic and transformational leader's vision, self-confidence and rhetorical skills. The vision firstly needs to correspond with the followers' needs and values. Secondly, the vision needs to be reinforced by actions of self-sacrifice that demonstrate the leader's commitment to the vision. Only then will the rainmaker become an agent of change. Once the charismatic revolutionary leader's task has been completed, unless they mature into transformational leaders they will either be challenged and remove or fall prey to the dark-side of leadership.
Preaching a specific time whether it be a year or a decade for the return of Christ, or for Armageddon, or for the end of the world (whichever is appropriate for your theology), is fine as long as you don't use the Bible as your 'proof'... Pastor Keys actually made a point of telling one class that I was in, that anyone who preaches anything near to a 'specific time' for the return of Christ, is deceiving the congregation. St. Paul and the other apostles obviously thought that Christ would return in their lifetimes, but it didn't happen.
Charismatic and transformational leaders, by their personalities and natures, are agents of change characterized by a restless energy to create, by a constant sense of dissatisfaction with the status quo. Their impulsiveness and impatience for change cause them to continually seek out new opportunities and new ways of doing things. Charismatic and transformational leaders' creativity, inspiration, insight and vision allow them to exhibit their tremendous capabilities in creating enormous change in an organization.
The things that distinguish leaders who run with horses from those who walk with footmen, those who shuffle along under the anointing (Jeremiah Chapter 12 Verse 5), is their ability as leaders to live a life of purpose that stretches beyond their own time. This ability allows them to implement a succession plan by recruiting and growing future leaders to become giants: leaders of great purpose and direction for the Kingdom of God. Historian Clay Jenkinson wrote: "To understand Jefferson, you need to know that he was a collector of Protégé. He could never have achieved what he did without able-bodied men." Jefferson's success was largely due to collecting Protégé.
Pastor Tony Key's professional career includes extensive experience in leadership positions in non-profit organisations, ministry, education, industry and churches. He has been actively involved in a vast range of leadership roles, which includes experience as the Director of two Christian tertiary education centres, Church Pastor, Assistant Principal of a non-profit Christian School, Factory Manager, Youth Worker, Crusade Co-ordinator, and an administrator for a theatre company. He has travelled extensively throughout Australia and the world, preaching and ministering in churches as well as conducting leadership seminars for churches, bible colleges, missionary and not-for-profit organisations and meeting in a consulting role with church leaders.
My own religious background and theology is quite different to that of Pastor Keys, but during my 3 years in that college, I learned so much, not just about Christianity, but business, sociology, cross cultural communication, psychology and counselling, research and planning and of course teaching. All of these have empowered me in my teaching in China.
But the most gripping gravesites I have ever come upon were underground. We were all caught up in the eerie glow that fenced us in to right and left. Yet more - the time frame of hundreds of hundreds of years past closed in upon our fancies.
I was so pleasantly surprised to hear Julia say that she found it rewarding to be near her husband, care for her husband, being home with him so that they could spend time together. In her response to Oprah Julia used the word "devotion." She said that she found the devotion in love for her husband was nourishing.
Presently, a guard came through the mechanized door. It slowly opened, hiding its thick frame inside the wall. Prisoners' names were called out. I recognized my friend's name. I could then get up, walk toward the door, and file in line for processing.
Today, what is it that you are dealing with by way of injustices and spite from others? What hurts are bombarding your character, your integrity? What people are plotting for your undoing?
A young lady recalled her 83 year old grandmother with fondness when she said that she could "walk to the grocery store and back in sweltering heat and bake dessert for l00 members of her Lithuanian club, while my high school classmates are complaining about having to park their Camaros at the far end of their parking lot. I only hope that I'll have half her energy when I am 30."
The term "apologetics" derives from the Greek word apologia, which means "to defend" or "to make a defense." Thus, apologetics is a discipline dedicated to the defense of something.
Days moved into weeks and weeks into months. I wondered: will I ever return to the pastorate? Will Priscilla ever recover fully? Will our marriage ever be completely restored? Will life ever return to what it once was? What effect is this having on our daughter?
The Bible speaks of a fetus as a person, not simply tissue that can be discarded if found to be a bother or nuisance. Since the fetus is a person from the moment of conception, then the destroying of the fetus is killing a person.
The Chinese Government strongly opposes any person from a foreign country who attempts to upset the equilibrium of Chinese Society. While I am sure you might find some fault with this, the fundamental assertion is sound. It may also be found in such places as Saudi Arabia.
It was the Irish it was through the sweat of their brows who helped build up these fine United States of America, and sure it is I be hopin that the new wave of stocky lads will once again help pull this country to its feet.- I think if any heretic could have convinced me to convert from the Mother Church, it would have been Rev Schuller. And thanks be to God that I didn't eh? - There be those amongst us who rejoice to see America's shame right now; young people fightin their ideological battles; too young to know right from wrong; too enjoyin of the battle to know for whom they fight.
The problems that faced Israel 2000 years ago were the same as we face today in the West. As in Ancient Israel, our Western Judeo-Christian societies are filled with those who have no love for our foundational religion, traditions, culture or history.
I tried every day to phone me beloved Mary, the wife, not the Blessed Virgin, but she never once answered the phone. And then one day she called. 'I'll be home tomorrow pet!' she says. Well now I nearly broke down in tears. I thanked the Blessed Virgin and every saint in heaven for the answer to me prayers and eagerly awaited me Mary's return. And sure enough, at 11am the next day, she arrived home. - Where I originally hail from, we have a fondness for hung parliaments. 'No good parliament like a hung one!' we like to say back home. A lot less problems there would be in the world if all parliaments were hung when they start carin more for themselves than for the people they are supposed to be lookin after
According to the 'Guide To Online Schools', the site is an online education directory that specializes in online degrees, online schools, and distance learning. They help adult students find the best online schools, online colleges, and online universities with the best degrees and distance learning programs. I thought the site was rather interesting and wondered why someone thought it necessary to create it, but apparently there is a lack of 'general information' available on the net for those seeking a theology based education.
Islamics already know what they are going to do. They are going to lift their false theos up as Islam World Rule Master. The Iranian President is at the front of the Muslim pack to see that that is in place, even if the globe is set on fire to do it.
It has become popular in recent years to consider the divine nature of Christ as simply a doctrine invented by Christians long after Jesus' death. In his blockbuster book The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown alleged that Jesus' deity was concocted 300 years after His crucifixion.
When I was bein raised by me godly Irish Catholic family, I was taught to be charitable in thought and deed. St. John of the Cross said that at the end of our life, we shall all be judged by charity. What then is charity but love, for that is the meaning of charity in the Holy Writ. - I mean to say, with the approval rating of President Obama slipping away more and more every day, you wonder why it is that the Democrats don't just up and dump him like the Aussies did their leader. But we can't now can we? We have a different system
But when it comes to things 'religious' and 'political', well now you don't have to have no spiritual gifts from the Almighty to discern that there are always goin to be those who get irate with what another does or does not say, do or write. It's the way of the world don't you know? And didn't we Irish see enough of it in Northern Ireland? For some, Politics is just like a religion, and I'm sure the same applies in Mr. Ben's Australia as it does here in the good old U.S. of A. We all have our favorite 'gods' - 'idols' the Good Book calls them (Hollywood is full of them). And sure it is that we get upset if someone tramples under the foot, some idol that we worship; or else fails to worship at the shrine of which we ourselves are devotees.
Skeptics frequently claim that the writers of the Bible such as Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John "invented" moments in the life of Jesus. They question how the Gospel writers knew what Jesus thought and did when He was alone.
Far be it from me to be able to make a true and accurate judgment of the goings on in anyone's household or marriage, or to self righteously condemn or condone anyone's divorce, but saint's preserve us, how is it possible for parents to put their own ill feelings and needs above the right of a child to a full and happy life? - He told me that some people can only be happy when everything is going aright in their lives, but that God had blessed Mr. O'Donnell with a spirit of joy for all the suffering his life had seen.
At present, Earth is experiencing the pre-Christ Return era. The Middle East is fierce with the old tensions between Isaac (Hebrew/Jew) and Ishmael (Arab). These two factions have fought for centuries; now they are reaching the zenith of hostilities, thereby threatening world peace. No human efforts will solve the hostilities. Hamas, for instance, is committed to kill off every Jew even if it means every Muslim yielding to suicide in Allah's name. Therefore, Muslim extremists will never call it quits; it is against their cultic creed.
John J. (Jack) Walsh is a guest columnist at Magic City Morning Star News, and has been contributing weekly articles since December 2009. Each month, his previous articles at Magic City are put together in one file here at KingsCalendar. Do Enjoy!
A rather incongruous situation exists among America's politicians, judges, academicians, and even many of the rank and file Americans. On the one hand, they claim to be true Americans-genuine patriots. On the other hand, they disdain Christianity and live contrary to the moral principles contained within the Christian religion.
Excommunication is like a glass of fine Irish Whiskey with Water. An abomination! Excommunication is an utterly useless waste of time, words and effort if you ask me. I understand the Biblical meaning and purpose of it, and that frock wearing nancy that did it to you was nowhere near the mark.- But you know, as the old saying goes: If you're enough lucky to be Irish you're lucky enough! and luckily I learned as a child how to say 5 decades of the Rosary in under a minute.
In the 'Catalik' church you see, before you can become an official saint, you have to have performed a few miracles. And there's the rub! How can dead people work miracles? - Now cousin Jack as we called him was a good God fearing Christian man and like any good Catholic, was determined to spend Christmas eve at Mass with the family. So off he went leaving a new junior officer in charge. A right conscientious young berk he was.
The father offers his daughter to a man. A mock "wedding" takes place without any official documentation. The same daughter is then available later for another "wedding" to another Muslim male. This is carrying on the custom of "back door" marriages. This is the "great religion" that Marxist Muslim Barack Hussein Obama lifted high at this year's Ramadan dinner at the White House. Allah would be pleased to have them raped and dead. Verse after verse in the Koran teaches that non-Muslims are to be done away with.
The ancient Mayans are another example of our "finely tuned" forefathers. More than one thousand years before astronomers found that the length of a year was precisely 365.2422 days, the Mayans (without computers or modern measuring devices) calculated it to be 365.2420 days long.
Gentile Christian Difference: Christian Saints Vatical Pope Benedict: Apostasy and homosexuality: Holy Spirit Evangelism. There are Gentiles who are not Christians who pose as Christians. For instance, during the Crusades there were scores of church people under the power of the church who called themselves "Christians" but they were not. They were merely church people who delighted in their power over others. In fact, these humans when hurting others were of Satan while calling themselves Christians. They were Gentiles calling themselves "Christians." They were frauds. They were hypocrites. True Christians would not have acted out what the killers and torturers did during the Crusades.
No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men more than the people of the United States. Those founding fathers' and mothers' prayers on behalf of the Republic are still resounding powerfully before the eternal throne of God. Those intercessions were not for naught. They are mighty to this day. Therefore, I join those intercessions in this time of crisis. Millions of other Christians are doing the same. This righteous remnant belongs to God, is honored by God and will be empowered by this God.
You have been ousted from your pulpit. The enemy has taken advantage of you. They have bloodied you up. Or perhaps you have quit. No one ousted you. You burned out. And there you sit, stunned and undone. In any case, there is no ministry called "local pastorate" any more. You are gone, out, unpasted, unglued, no more. - With the troublemakers in my local congregation going to him with their manufactured grievances, he then unreasonably concluded he had leverage by which to oust me. So he did, with the help of his advisory board - clones of the superintendent. Politics works its devilment not only among the ecclesiastical clergy but the laymen who side in with the dark political mode.
God brought Lazarus back from the dead. But no god of any world religion has brought himself back from the dead. No goddess of any world religion has brought herself back from the dead. Only the Judeo-Christian faith points to a Messiah-Christ who was murdered by evil betraying hands, then canceled out their plot by bringing Himself back from the dead. We are here to glorify Jesus. If the Holy Spirit came upon Church Age disciples to glorify Jesus, then cross bearers will do the same for they are the ones overcome with this same Spirit. Therefore, this Spirit will work out His mission of always glorifying Jesus by way of those whom He possesses. Consequently, we are not waking up mornings to bring glory to a denomination nor creed nor liturgy nor self. We are breathing to breathe out glory unto Jesus the Sinless Sacrifice.
Driving past our village churches, I am reminded of an Easter when I gladly worshiped in a most unusual church. My wife and I had found ourselves seated in the midst of jubilant singers. They had been giving forth boisterously in song for several days. That is the reason they had rowed down the Courantyne River-to strum guitars, lift their voices in praise and expound upon the Scriptures. "God is real to us," Nathaniel stated quietly, yet with conviction. And looking into each of their faces, one knew the rest echoed his surety. So there was the church! Alive and well. Interestingly enough, there was no church building. At least not in the sense that one would expect. Where we had clustered was underneath the pastor's house. That was the church space!
If this lavish spending in the face of our economic woes were not insult enough, he has the audacity to appoint as Treasury Department head, a man whose own financial background demonstrates the folly of his appointment. The man did not pay his Medicare and Social Security taxes, and even employed an accountant for two years while 'forgetting' to file the fellow. That great economist who failed to pay taxes to the value of $34,000, now informs the media that his office is going to slip the handcuffs over stealers like himself. I guess it "Takes one to frisk one".
It is a special mitzvah , based on our presence in Israel, to establish a Sanhedrin,' Rabbi Meir HaLevi, one of the 71 members of the new Sanhedrin, has explained. 'The Rambam [12th-century Torah scholar Maimonides] describes the process exactly in the Mishnah Torah [his seminal work codifying Jewish Law]. When he wrote it, there was no Sanhedrin, and he therefore outlines the steps necessary to establish one.
When cheering for someone turns into adulation, something is wrong. Excessive adulation is indicative of a personality cult. The cult of personality is often created when the general population is discontent. A charismatic leader can seize the opportunity and project himself as an agent of change and a revolutionary leader.
The 19-year-old Shawbo Ali Rauf was slain by her clan because of disgracing their "honor." They found a number on her cell phone that was unidentified. Genocide is increasing in the name of Allah. / The site responds to specific reports that female housemaids are imprisoned and raped, even murdered, others giving birth to children in prison. / Therefore, Christians under the authority of Scripture are to intercede with heaven on their behalf. Christians believe in the power of prayer. They also believe that with God nothing is impossible.
Once again, non-Catholics are regarded as second-class. They cannot be considered a part of the full force of Christian truth. They are not admitted to the sacramental table in a Catholic sanctuary. Yet the table belongs to Christ, not any church. Therefore, anyone confessing Christ as Redeemer should be welcomed at His table. He is the host, no religious body. However, Rome considers it otherwise. The truth is in the Bible itself. Wherever one is born again of the Holy Spirit, that one has come into the Kingdom of heaven. That is according to the Head of the Church itself, Christ Jesus. (Read the Gospel of John, chapter 3).
"In a report, Chief Inspector of Prisons Anne Owers said that some terror detainees 'committed to a radical interpretation of Islam' are trying to pressure other prisoners to convert." / He considered her Christian testimony to be black magic, so he put an arrow in her chest./ are there cries of outrage from "moderates" upon learning that this Christian was slain in the name of Islam? None. Muslims slay and burn down and march through boulevards crying out their hellish slogans against Jews and Christians. However, when a Christian blogs truth he's taken in.
parishes are closing left and right in Boston, which became ground zero for the outing of the sexual abuse scandal, New York City, and in Connecticut, and that list is by no means complete. Catholic schools and hospitals are also failing from the financial bite. It seems many more are being hurt by the few who are allegedly being helped. No surgeon worth his salt would ever allow a patient to hemorrhage like this. No reputable civil engineer would ignore such a leaking dam. Why does the prostrate Catholic Church just knowingly and willingly lie there, taking this, and slowly deflating to its eventual demise like a balloon with a pinhole in it?
"Hamas Admits to Using Women, Children As Human Shields" Fathi Hammad proclaimed in a speech televised on Hamas' Al-Aksa television: "'[The enemies of Allah] do not know that the Palestinian people have developed [methods] of death and death-seeking.
U.S.A. Pullout from War in Iraq: Obama: Troop Withdrawal Republican frontrunner John McCain drew sharp distinctions with his Democratic White House rivals over Iraq, saying an untimely US withdrawal would bring about 'genocide. The truth is that blood would flow from border to border, then spill over. Al-Qaeda would then take that as an open invite to invade America
No wonder Turkey presented itself to the European Union as a totally secular nation not given to any religious preferences, thereby deserving a place in the EU alongside the other countries as a civil people. Turkey, very much Muslim though praising itself as uniquely secular, has now set the scope for criminalizing all who expose Islam for what it is -- not so much a religion as a killing cult.
XinJiang is Muslim territory! It is now populated with Han Chinese who have been paid to go live and work there. Call me cynical if you must, but I can't help wondering if the real issue here isn't about some Local people wanting to get rid of, not only of the Han Chinese, but a foreign religion. That is not meant as a slight against Muslims, for in fact I have many Xinjiang friends, but 'greasing the wheel' is common practice in China, and a greased palm could solve a lot of problems if for instance you had (Han Chinese) foreigners trying to convert your kids to another religion.
The difference between Martyrdom and Suicide is that the Martyr will gladly die for his faith, if that is the lot that befalls him; whilst a suicide takes matters into his own hands. The early Christian church had to stop people from seeking martyrdom. It is a contradiction in terms. When one lives in China and encounters Christianity everyday, one finds it hard to believe that there is a necessity to have Christian Martyrs in China.
Antediluvian First Calendar provides an overview that connects the Mayan calendar with the earliest Bible calendar -- the Antediluvian Patriarchs. Ancient calendars in the Holy Bible had lunar/solar calendar origins. The work at http://www.timeemits.com develops tools from the three oldest known lunar/solar calendars: Jewish, Mayan and Egyptian. Chapter 5 in Genesis lists the ages of the Antediluvian Patriarchs. The "begat" family of Adam measured time with a lunar/solar calendar similar to the Mayan calendar.
At any rate, it is a free country, and we still have the right to express our opinions. Neither a presentation containing 'some' facts, nor one containing big words, should ever sway us to swallow 'hook line and sinker' everything that a speaker says, and in the process, to abandon our own traditions. Now when it comes to ideological perspectives, it is only natural to seek to justify your own with 'proofs', and additionally to find weakness and fault in the opposing ideology. I often wonder why the God of Abraham did not set up a formalised religion in Abraham's day. Perhaps the answer can be found in the Pauline writings which state that God approves of those who live by faith (as opposed to those who live by theology).
The thinking behind Political Correctness is that if you say anything with which we disagree, we will punish you using laws that we had introduced for the specific purpose of controlling the voices of the population. I was asked last week why I object to Multiculturalism. My answer was that I do not in fact object to multiculturalism. What I object to is it's symbiotic relationship with totalitarianism - with Political Correctness. When you punish me for not deceiving you with politically correct language, I object. If you ask me a question, I will give you my honest opinion. If you are a Politically Correct person who prefers that I lie, then sod off
The overarching theme to the fundamentalist, whether Muslim or Christian, is that God is to be worshiped, respected, feared & obeyed above all else. All other considerations take a back seat to God
This event actually happened in the Kansas House (not Senate) in Topeka on January 23, 1996. Joe Wright is the pastor of Central Christian Church in Wichita and was guest chaplain that day. Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio program, "The Rest of the Story," and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired.
Their churches are to be respected. They are neither to be prevented from repairing them nor the sacredness of their covenants. No one of the nation Muslims is to disobey the covenant till the Last Day (end of the world)
So am I a prophet as a couple of religious fundamentalists requested to know? If I am, then I don't understand why many more are not? My "prophetic vision" does not come from thunder and blinding lights, accompanied by supernatural voices, it comes from a mind that has learned the hard way not to trust people who claim to have the truth, and one that prefers to look at everything honestly while totally aware of the human preponderance toward prejudice
So what do you call it when statistical probability says that something is impossible, and yet it happens? Well, I suppose when it comes to being struck by lightning, you would call it "bad luck". But what do you call it, when at various points throughout history, a group of people suffer national disasters on the exact same date that their religious deity first pronounced destruction on them, and which coincides with the same date that on two occasions, they had their religious temple destroyed by enemy troops?
"For if you keep silence at such a time as this, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another quarter, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14)
Making history in one of the world's most historic cities. With the eyes of the world on them, the international LGBT community will bring a message of unity and reconciliation to people troubled by conflict
Fundamentalism as explained by Webster Dictionary has nothing to do with Islam or Muslims. It has to do with Christianity. The massacre of Sabra and Shatila in Beirut was not done by Muslims, but by Christians of Lebanon, protected and supported by the Israelis
In April 1849, the Carlow convent received a visit from the Most Rev. Jean Baptiste Francois Pompallier (Vicar Apostolic of West Oceania), who came to beg the Sisters to found a community in New Zealand (where he later became the country's first bishop). Superior of St. Leo's at the time of his visit was Mother Mary Cecelia Maher. On 27th August, at Antwerp they embarked on the 'Oceanie', and arrived in Sydney Australia in early February 1850
Pope Gregory's speech honed in on one aspect of history, the decadence and fall of the Roman Empire.. The Roman Empire fell because it corrupted from within. By firstly becoming morally bankrupt to the point that even though Rome became a Theocratic state, in rejecting the former national traditions and the then current Christian Laws of God, every man and prelate sought his own pleasure and satisfaction. But when a country and its' traditions, culture, religion and moral values, are subverted from within by the deception, stupidity, ego or political and social avarice of those with no inherent patriotic love of country, the crime, for that is what it is, is not that of the perpetrators, but of the dull witted and lame of spirit, who tainted with fear or complacency, allow the benefits of their lives to be denied their heirs
Multiculturalism, the rabid white political correctness thought police, and the Muslim religious intolerance of Secular Western free and democratic lifestyles, is leading to a clash of civilisations
What I think is interesting about the Danish Cartoon debacle, is that the Muslim world has managed to manipulate the event and get people cowering, a feat that no Jew or Christian has managed in relation to the horrendous 'religious sacrilege' that every so often raises its' head under the banner of 'freedom of artistic expression'. Europe's abandonment of the Judeo-Christian foundations of its culture during the last century has left it devoid of any firewall against the enormous encroaching pressures of militant Islam. We stand at the junction of two crossroads. One is called Hypocrisy, and the other called Truth. The Muslim world has backed us into a corner
This is a lame duck justification for the historicity of Jesus of Nazareth. One cannot use a 'lack of evidence' as 'evidence' of anything. (Except in America where a Jury in a Law court can find a person 'not guilty' of a crime, only to see that person found 'guilty' in a civil case. Totally beyond me!?) If there were other secular records of Jesus, then it is not beyond possibility that they ceased to exist long ago. Bearing in mind however, that according to the New Testament, the Christian movement did not commence within an elitist educated class of citizens, but amongst common folk, it is hardly surprising that there are no 'public' records of him.
There's an Elephant in the Room: By Arlene Peck. In the history of the world, there has never been a Palestinian people (other than the Jews), a Palestinian king, a Palestinian state, a distinct Palestinian language or culture. It never existed! And, it should not now. Why should I be any less surprised by the actions of Israel-hating Jewish leftists - who are actively doing everything they can to destroy their very heritage, pointedly ignoring Jewish welfare and interests, yet proudly and publicly marching for the dolphins - when I am surrounded by the Spielberg's of this world, denying our history, circulating false claims or outright lies in movies concerning things Jews have not done or endorse. Anything goes, in the name of political correctness
This article written by Sarah Honig in 2005 is timeless and still relevant in 2011. In May 1939 America turned back to Europe the German luxury liner St. Louis with 907 distraught Jewish refugees on board, most of whom subsequently perished in the Holocaust. In 1942, due to unrelenting Arab pressure, Britain refused entry to Eretz Yisrael for the nearly 800 Jews on the rickety Struma, docked in Istanbul. All but one refugee drowned.
United Nations held a "Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People." Would it surprise you to know that central to the festivities was a map of "Palestine"...with Israel literally erased from the map? The irony is that Israel has been a member of the UN for 56 years! - Nothing Changed by 2011
There is no barrier (completely encircling) Bethlehem. There is only a fence where the Bethlehem area interfaces with Jerusalem and close to the 1949 armistice line. Only a very small segment of the fence is a concrete wall preventing terrorists from shooting at motorists.
It was Jesus and Jesus alone who came up with a religion that insisted that the church and the state must be kept clearly separate. - Charles Carroll, signer of the Declaration of Independence, insisted: "Without morals a republic cannot subsist any length of time; they therefore who are decrying the Christian religion, whose morality is so sublime and pure...are undermining the solid foundation of morals, the best security for the duration of free governments" (as quoted in Steiner, 1907, p. 475,).
In an astounding return to judicial interpretation of the actual text of the United States Constitution, a unanimous panel of the 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals Tuesday issued an historic decision declaring that "the First Amendment does not demand a wall of separation between church and state."
The real importance is that in this Anti-Israel (Anti-Semitic) century, every effort is being made to rewrite history and present Israel and the Jews as a fictious or insignificant historical people. An ancient seal bearing an archaic Hebrew inscription dating back to the 8th century BCE has been uncovered in an archeological excavation in Jerusalem's City of David, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced Thursday. The find reveals that by 2,700 years ago, clerks and merchants had already begun to add their names to the seals instead of the symbols that were used in earlier centuries
The real importance is that in this Anti-Israel (Anti-Semitic) century, every effort is being made to rewrite history and present Israel and the Jews as a fictious or insignificant historical people. An ancient seal bearing an archaic Hebrew inscription dating back to the 8th century BCE has been uncovered in an archeological excavation in Jerusalem's City of David, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced Thursday. The find reveals that by 2,700 years ago, clerks and merchants had already begun to add their names to the seals instead of the symbols that were used in earlier centuries
"The degree to which the MSM, academia, and other members of the Western intelligentsia live in a fantasy world of narcissistic self-righteousness is extraordinary. But the phenomenon is not new". Maybe the Prime Minister will stand up and say, "Fellow Australians, It's OK to be proud to call yourself Australian. It's OK to be your 'Aussie Uncouth' self, as long as you are decent and law abiding!"
In addressing this issue, let's ignore the jubilation of academia, and the ecstasy of the intelligentsia, for the intelligentsia are anything but intelligent, and academia is anything but academic. They are the wise monkeys of the world, about whom St. Paul wrote, that their wisdom is less than the foolishness of God. I'm going to ignore the devastation of the religious leaders, about whom St. Paul wrote that they sought signs whilst all the time ignoring those signs of God that were plainly visible. This letter is addressed to those 'believers' whose faith has been shattered or is in doubt. This revelation has devastated churches and disillusioned believers, and the question now to be asked and answered, is 'why?'
Ramadan is OK - Christmas is Not! The family took offence at phrases such as "Christmas concert" and "Christmas disco", and the principal's greeting: "I would like to take this opportunity to wish all families a very merry Christmas and a happy, healthy and safe Christmas holiday period." It is high time that we stopped offending people by forcing unwanted words, ideas, themes and belief systems into people's minds and daily activities. Words and Ideologies that offend 'me' as an individual (and I know I am not alone in this) include such terms as: 'Political Correctness', 'Multiculturalism' and 'Words related to politics' such as Left, Right, Center; America, Iraq, United Nations; War, Peace and Triumph.
Religion is of course, the great murderer! Murder is the pastime of religion! In today's western 'decent' religious sphere, 'physical' murder has been replaced with 'emotional and verbal' murder. Character assassination is quite common as self righteous people go about demonstrating their 'righteousness'
Those who want to fight against 'religion in Society'; the ones who claim that they are fighting for 'personal freedoms', are in fact doing just what the Communists do. They 'oppress' religion in the name of the 'people', to protect them from being 'manipulated' by religious authority figures. Oppressing and suppressing religion, is to deny the right of people to believe and associate with like minded people, (and eventually as we have seen in Communist China, this practice fails!). Merely accepting what authority figures say without striving to understand with our minds is the furthest thing from the truth. An honest approach is one which can only be reached by clear, rational arguments.
There is only one true way to have faith, and that is to study to the extent of your capacity to prove to yourself the truths evident in our Torah: the basis for such faith is rooted in reason. People often ask me to justify or prove my 'belief' in God. I can't! Because the proof 'resides' within me, and is so intrinsically part of who I am, that to deny that G-d is, would be to deny that I am.
It has been handed down that "envy consumes good deeds just as fire consumes dry wood". The envious man is objecting to God's management of His dominion, as if to say "O Lord! You have put your favours where they do not belong."
Yale University president Ezra Stiles discoursed with visiting rabbis on the Mishna and Talmud. At his first public commencement at Yale (1781), Stiles delivered an oration on Hebrew literature written in Hebrew. Hebrew and the study of Hebraic laws and institutions were an integral part of Yale's as well as of Harvard's curriculum. The Higher Law doctrine of the Declaration of Independence is rooted in the Torah, which proclaims "The Laws of Nature and Nature's God," and appeals to the "Supreme Judge" and "Providence"--terms lacking in Israel's Declaration of Independence
Much of the Prophetic Law of Islam is based upon maslahah, or the Common Good, and it is rational and merciful. The essential reason for the ruling of hijab is to protect women. Since wearing the hijab may not serve that purpose these days in some areas and may in fact put a woman in danger, then the ruling changes under such circumstances. Shaykh Hamza suggests as an alternative that Muslim women consider wearing hats, etc. The point is that a woman does not have to go out looking obviously like a Muslim these days if she feels she would be the object of harm and harassment.
Unfortunately, the West does not know what every Muslim scholar knows; that the worst enemies of Islam are from within. The worst of these are the khawaarij who delude others by the deeply dyed religious exterior that they project. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said about them, "When you see them pray you will consider your own prayers insignificant. They recite the Quran but it does not exceed the limits of their throat." In other words, they don't understand the true meanings
We Muslims are unpersuaded by many triumphalist claims made for the west, but are happy with its core values. As a westerner, the child of civil rights and anti-war activists, I embraced Islam not in abandonment of my core values, drawn almost entirely from the progressive tradition, but as an affirmation of them. I have since studied Islamic law for 10 years with traditionally trained scholars, and while some particulars in medieval legal texts have troubled me, never have the universals come into conflict with anything my progressive Californian mother taught me. ..Westerners, in their advocacy of global conformism, often speak of "progress" and the rejection of the not-too-distant feudal past, and are less likely to reveal their unease about corporate hegemony and the real human implications of globalisation
The campaign of persecution has succeeded. Even as the Christian population of Israel grows, that of the Palestinian Authority shrinks precipitously. Bethlehem and Nazareth, historic Christian towns for nearly two millennia, are now primarily Muslim. In 1922, Christians outnumbered Muslims in Jerusalem; today, Christians amount to a mere 2% of that city's population.
The U.S. Secretary of State found 'the opportunity to call forth once again for China to halt its long-standing persecution of Christians' and 'championed the government relaxing its restrictions on worship.' I don't support 'restriction on worship'. However, I personally think that 'restriction on worship' - and - 'the Communist government forbids organized worship outside state-backed 'patriotic' religious organizations' are two separate issues.
But for this writer, the current political scheming by world powers, falling as it does at this time of the festival of Purim, reminds me that nothing has changed for Jews. Hated by the world from the time Abraham entered the Promised Land, through to the Mosaic Exodus, to the fall of Samaria in 722BC, to the destruction of the Temple and the Babylonian Captivity in 586 BC, to Masada, the pogroms, the Holocaust, the Six Day War and to the ongoing troubles in Israel.
Is not Jesus the 'Word of God'? Is he not the sole center of your adoration and worship? Is it not he with whom you have a relationship? While many things might interfere with or rob you of your desire to have relationship with him, how can anything dissolve him into nothing? How can he cease to be? I am amazed at how many people 'worship' the book. 'The Word of God, The Word of God', I hear fundamentalists preach from street corners, and my question is, 'which word of God'.
The great national cultures -- Italian, French, English, and others -- will likely wither, replaced by a new transnational Muslim identity that merges North African, Turkish, subcontinental, and other elements. This prediction is hardly new. In 1968, the British politician Enoch Powell gave his famed "rivers of blood" speech in which he warned that in allowing excessive immigration, the United Kingdom was "heaping up its own funeral pyre."
We Jews have been trying to compromise with our enemies from the moment of our re-emergence as a sovereign entity. Consistently those efforts have brought nothing but war and strife. Never have we gained any advantage as a result of our attempts to appease our enemies. The only times we had any respite from our enemies were in response to inflicting decisive victories against them. Yet, in spite of this observable fact, we have consistently undone those victories by voluntarily surrendering to the losers!
Only the True Eternal dimension can incorporate that which is both finite and the infinite; for only the Eternal has the mathematical function of infinity, as a true member of it's description. And it is the only one where the universe would be UNBOUNDED. This point of unboundedness is extremely important, as well as that of there being no time. From these points several things emerged for me.
Those that destroy the image of God like to talk about evolution, human rights and various types of 'enlightenment' which result in such things as 'feminism', 'multiculturalism', 'political correctness', and 'societal harmony'. But when you remove this false God and replace him with biological evolution from the primordial slime, the question begs asking, 'Why should we take part in such ideals?'
This fifth column busily at work destroying every value it can lay its hands on and going for the systematic destruction of all the underlying structures of our civilization.The established Church and all other Churches remain silent as even Christian institutions are attacked, denigrated, and banned by government. In Britain, politicians technically commit treason. In America the "separation of Church and State, is used in ways that the founding fathers never intended in order to undermine Christianity. If these people, agents of "evil" succeed, it will be redundant what religion you are because every religion will become an "enemy of the status quo" of political correctness, you will become guilty of "thought crimes" a process that the politically correct are already attempting to legislate as law
Copyright 2013 is held by the nominated authors on this article page.
The Download book does not contain a section on Seder Olam
About the KingsCalendar Publisher
R.P.BenDedek is the owner and Editor of KingsCalendar.com which was originally set up to publicize his research results into the Chronology of Ancient Israel. Those results were published under the title: 'The King's Calendar: The Secret of Qumran'.
Whilst there have been many attempts to solve the chronological riddle of the Bible's synchronisms of reigns of the kings of Israel and Judah and their synchronism with other Ancient Near Eastern Nations, no other research is based on a simple mathematical formula which could, if it is incorrect, be disproved easily. To date, no one has been able to dismiss the mathematical results of this research.
Free to air 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.
During the current economic downturn, this book has been drastically reduced in price but will eventually rise as the economy improves.
Check the Chapter Precis Page to see details of each chapter and to gain access to the Four Free to Air Chapters
R.P. BenDedek writes social commentaries and photographic 'Stories from China' both at KingsCalendar, and as a contributing columnist at Magic City Morning Star News in Maine USA.
He has been teaching Conversational English in China since 2003 and currently (2013) is teaching in Suzhou City Jiangsu Province.
