Whose house is this?

Love Me or I'll Sue You!

How does the gay community by suing a flower shop for not providing flowers for a gay wedding think this is going to help their cause? Does suing someone cause them to love you.

Do Jews sue restaurants that do not provide kosher food? They could use the same stupid discrimination argument that the LGBTQueers are using, but they don't because they are reasonable human beings. Maybe vegetarians should sue all restaurants that won't provide veggan food. The gay Nazi agenda is using this as a bully pulpit and it will cause people to hate them all the more.

Name That Cut

We have created a series of light hearted video skits in which we give tid bits about the history and theology of various religious groups, then the name of the group is given after ringing the bell.  Its all way too much fun.  Click here for fun http://vimeo.com/59346289

IS IT JESUS, OR POISON? http://youtu.be/-rDVYGzLpnU A pretty maid, a Protestant, was to a Catholic wed To love all Bible truths and tales, quite early she’d been bred. It sorely grieved her husband’s heart that she would not comply, And join the Mother Church of Rome and heretics deny. So day by day he flattered her, but still she saw no good Would ever come from bowing down to idols made of wood. The Mass, the host, the miracles, were made but to deceive; And transubstantiation, too, she’d never dare believe. He went to see his clergyman and told him his sad tale. “My wife is an unbeliever, sir; you can perhaps prevail; For all your Romish miracles my wife has strong aversion, To really work a miracle may lead to her conversion.” The priest went with the gentleman—he thought to gain a prize. He said, “I will convert her, sir, and open both her eyes.” So when they came into the house, the husband loudly cried, “The priest has come to dine with us!” “He’s welcome,” she replied. And when, at last, the meal was o’er, the priest at once began, To teach his hostess all about the sinful state of man; The greatness of our Savior’s love, which Christians can’t deny. To give Himself a sacrifice and for our sins to die. “I will return tomorrow, lass, prepare some bread and wine; The sacramental miracle will stop your soul’s decline.” “I’ll bake the bread,” the lady said. “You may,” he did reply, “And when you’ve seen this miracle, convinced you’ll be, say I.” The priest did come accordingly, the bread and wine did bless. The lady asked, “Sir, is it changed?” The priest answered, “Yes. It’s changed from common bread and wine to truly flesh and blood; Begorra, lass, this power of mine has changed it into God!” So having blessed the bread and wine, to eat they did prepare. The lady said unto the priest, “I warn you to take care, For half an ounce of arsenic was mixed right in the batter, But since you have its nature changed, it cannot really matter.” The priest was struck real dumb—he looked as pale as death. The bread and wine fell from his hands and he did gasp for breath. “Bring me my horse!” the priest cried, “This is a cursed home!” The lady replied, “Begone; tis you who shares the curse of Rome” The husband, too, he sat surprised, and not a word did say. At length he spoke, “My dear,” said he, “the priest has run away; To gulp such mummery and tripe, I’m not for sure, quite able; I’ll go with you and we’ll renounce this Roman Catholic fable.” (Irish Poem; Author Unknown)

Marvelous Work & Wonder?

A Marvelous Work and a Wonder?  A Review by Dale Brown

Originally published in 1950 this Mormon book was written by LeGrand Richards to assist missionaries in their evangelism. Mr. Richards lived from 1886 to 1983 until his death at 96 years of age. He served as a member of the quorum of the seventy in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The opening chapter is most revealing in its bold statement, “The position of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or Mormon Church, will be discussed from the point of view that it is the only Christian church that does not depend entirely upon the Bible for its teaching. Had all the Bibles in the world been destroyed, the doctrines and teachings of the Church would have been found to conform to Bible teachings, since they were received by direct revelation from God. We appeal to the Bible to prove that the truths received through the restoration of the gospel are in accord with its teachings.”

On page 5 we read “We suggest the reader assume the position of judge and jury, withholding his verdict until the evidence herein presented has been fully considered.”

So in examining the Marvelous Work we will apply some critical thinking and see what we find.

It starts with the testimony of Joseph Smith a 14 year old lad who had issues with the churches of his day and claimed he had inquired of the Lord which church he should join. On page 9 we read, “I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that...'they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.” This is a slightly revised version of what is usually found in Mormon literature.  They usually claim “that all of their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt.” So the Lord using King James English starts out attacking all of Christendom and its creeds claiming they have no power. Apparently he was unaware of Charles Finney and other evangelists who were changing lives by the power of God through the simple preaching of the gospel during this time.

On page 34 it is claimed that the gospel had been totally removed from the earth thus it was necessary in this “dispensation of the fulness of the times” for Joseph Smith to restore it to the earth. So, for over 1900 years there was no gospel. Now that sounds suspicious

So when Jesus said in Matthew chapter 16, upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it” He was wrong. Smith obviously did not know who the rock was. The biblical Psalmist wrote, “My soul waits in silence for God only; from Him is my salvation. He is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken.” (Psm . 62:1&2) Smith was obviously shaken. “The Rock! His work is perfect”(Deu. 32:4)

The Mormons claim the church must have a prophet to lead it. The problem however is that the Bible records many prophets operating within the early church, and some of them are women, such as in Acts 13:1 and 21:9&10. So here the Mormons fail the biblical pattern once again as when they send out young kids with no life experience and give them the title “elder”. They fail not only the Biblical test but the mere definition of the words.

Unbeknown to many who would read the Marvelous Work and a Wonder they are not aware that the early Mormon gospel included much occult Masonic ritual. And today, as found on pages 172 the Mormon gospel includes proxy baptism for those already dead, neither of which are found in the gospels or even the Book of Mormon. They dream it up as they go along.

On pages 72 &73 we are told that the origin of the American Indians came from Lehi, a Jewish family that sailed to America about 600 B.C. Two of his sons, Laman and Lemuel were cursed because they sinned, and a skin of blackness came upon them. Through the modern science of DNA research however it has been proven that there is no Jewish connection to the American Indians. LeGrand's book fails to mention that the Book of Mormon in 2 Nephi 30:6 and 3 Nephi 2:15 also claims that blacks can become “white and delightsome” again through Mormon repentance. Has anyone ever seen such a thing?

This wild story Joseph Smith supposedly got from some gold plates found buried on the Hill Cumorah in New York. These golden plates however are nowhere to be seen, and the church has made the big stretch of pointing to the ruins thousands of miles away in Central and South America to validate such myths.

The Book of Mormon records many animals, coins, silk and other things in the Americas between 600 B.C and 400 A.D. which did not exist until they were brought here by European explorers after 1492 when Columbus sailed the ocean blue.

While Mormons claim their story a “Marvelous Work and a Wonder” it is more correctly labeled a “Ridiculous Work and a Blunder”.

What Happened to Mormon Doctrine?

A book which was once considered a standard work of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is now out of print and being quietly swept under the rug. Written by Bruce R. McConkie, a member of the First Council of the Seventy of the Mormon Church, the book has come to be known as simply “Mormon Doctrine”. It was first published in 1958 but the forceful and blunt language and style presented a bit of an embarrassment for the church for a number of reasons. It is simply too clear in its portrayal of Mormon beliefs. It has been a valuable reference tool for critics of the church who could easily look up some of the unorthodox doctrines of Mormonism and quote from what was once considered an official statement in bold print.

Like the 26 volume set of the Journal of Discourses first published in 1853 Mormons today will often claim that it is not a good source for church beliefs. In fact if one quotes from Journal of Discourses which includes sermons from Joseph Smith and other early church leaders you will often be accused of citing anti-Mormon literature because some of it is so bizarre and unbelievable.

Pressure from church president David O McKay eventually lead to a revised version to be published in 1966. This version however still included many troubling pages. Mr. McConkie died in 1985 and as copies of his Mormon Doctrine began to disappear from the shelves of Mormon bookstores it became clear by 2010 that the church was not too eager to republish it and began sweeping it under the dirty rug of Mormon history. While claiming that McConkie's book is not “official doctrine” of the church they have yet to publish anything that can be referred to as official systematic theology of Mormonism. Mormons in the political arena are most embarrassed by things that are a detriment to their public image, Mormon Doctrine being one of them.

Click here for video and some strange quotes from Mormon Doctrine http://youtu.be/iJPcJa4IicU

The Reliability of the Bible

Is it Reliable?by Dale Brown
A common criticism of the 66 books we call the Bible (the Book) is that is has been rewritten and translated so many times that it no longer contains a reliable record of the original events. If this is true, Jews, Christians and every off-shoot of these two monotheistic religions are to be most pitied. Even the fool who dates his check is acknowledging to some degree that something happened two-thousand years ago that affects how we look at time.

By taking this stand one has to ignore piles of manuscript evidence that is still available in museums and library archives throughout the world. When the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in the caves of Qumran (1948) scholars were amazed to find manuscripts dating back to about 200 years B.C. that showed the text of the Old Testament has been reliably passed on to us. At the time of Christ the O.T. Was commonly written in both Hebrew and Greek. Both text origins can be compared. The Hebrew scrolls were those used in the temple by the religious leaders and there was the Septuagint (LXX), a Greek version that came about around 250 B.C. as a result of the desire to get all the wisdom of the world into the library of Alexandria, Egypt. Then, though of lesser value, there are the paraphrased Targums and Samaritan Pentateuch texts.  Some of the New Testament manuscripts that are available to us today are the Bodmer Papyrus, the Chester Beatty Papyri, the Codex Sinaiticus, etc., all of which date back to the first five centuries. The John Ryland Manuscript of John's gospel dates back to the first century.

THE DIGS  Archaeology is a great supporter of the authenticity of the Bible. In 1868 a stone was found, which has come to be called the Moabite Stone. On it was engraved (830 B.C.) a story in the language of Moab which paralleled the Biblical story in 2 Kings chapter 1&2 and 2 Kings 3:4-5, with reference to the “House of David” and the “vessels of Yahweh.”
Israel and the Levant is full of digs which prove many of the stories of the Bible. Some inscriptions, such as the one engraved into the wall of Hezekiah's Tunnel in Jerusalem validate Biblical stories. In fact, through the science of paleography (the study of language style and evolution) even the dates of events can be pinpointed to within a few decades.

FATHERS  There is ample evidence from the letters of the church fathers such as Polycarp, Ignatius, Clement, Irenaeus etc, in the first two centuries to give us authoritative understanding of what was considered Scripture and what was not. Some argue that John could not have written both the gospel and the book of Revelation because the style is different. One might compare their term papers with their love letters to see the difference in style. Irenaeus (A.D. 120-202) claimed that John wrote both. Outside of the church there are writings of early historians such as Josephus (A.D. 37 – 100) which bear record of the Biblical literature's credibility.
There is internal evidence to it's credibility such as the Biblical writer's reference to people and secular events in history which can be checked out elsewhere. For those who question the authority of Apostle Paul's epistles we can turn to the testimony of Peter who claimed that Paul's letters were Scripture (2 Pet. 3:15&16).

PROPHECY  The Bible is uniquely different than most all other religious books in that it is full of prophetic messages. Hundreds of O.T. prophecies can be seen fulfilled in history. It is not necessary to go to difficult apocalyptic books such as Revelations. Many of the prophecies of Jesus in the N.T. can be seen fulfilled such as the destruction of the temple and the scattering of the Jewish people in Matthew chapter 24 and Luke 21.

BUT JESUS DID NOT WRITE THE GOSPELS  It is far better from a legal standpoint that witnesses other than Jesus wrote the gospels. As He said, “If I alone bear witness of myself my witness is not true” (Jn. 5:31...36, Jn. 8:13).

IS GOD REALLY DEAD?  Many government leaders over the centuries have gone to great lengths to destroy the Bible yet is continues to be published at an alarming rate. God even has a sense of humor about it. Voltaire the French infidel who died in 1778 said that 100 years after his time Christianity would cease to exist. 50 years later the Geneva Bible Society was using Voltaire's house and printing press to print Bibles.

History has proven that countries which have taken a stand against the God of the Bible have suffered greatly. We have seen the Soviet Union and other communist atheistic countries humbled.

Nietzsche, the famous German philosopher who said God was dead, spent the last twelve years of his life an insane invalid.

Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words shall not pass away” (Matt. 24:34).

WHAT ABOUT THOSE MISSING BOOKS?  There are two sets of books that come to mind when the question of missing books arises. They are the Apocrypha and the Pseudepigrapha.

THE CATHOLIC EXTRAS  The during the Council of Trent (1545-1563) in effort to defuse some the criticism of the reformation, the church of Rome canonized 12 additional books of the apocrypha (doubtful or hidden). They are also referred to as “deuterocanonical (second additional). Though they were around during the time of Christ (some were included in the LXX) they are placed in a lower category than the rest of the Bible for a number of reasons. The Jewish standard Massoretic text does not include them. Jesus referred to the books of the Law, Prophets & Psalms (Lk 24:44) yet made no mention of the apocrypha, therefore Protestants have rejected them as authoritative literature for doctrinal use. 1&2 Maccabees of the apocrypha do however shed some light on Jewish history during the Antiochus revolt (175 B.C.) and the celebration of Hanukkah. Hanukkah, or the Feast of the Dedication (Jn. 10:22) as it is called in the New Testament, was clearly practiced during the life of Christ.

PSEUDEPIGRAPHA  Forgeries by heretics & cultists (much like the Book of Mormon or Jehovah's Witnesses bible) seeking to validate their ideas gave birth to such books as the Gospel of Thomas, Ebionites, Peter, James, the Egyptians, Nicodemus etc. A collection of these Gnostic books called the Nag Hammadi text was found in Egypt in 1945 in Coptic form. One valid point established by these is that a counterfeit is the sincerest form of flattery. Some have mistakenly gone to these questionable books to critic the Bible. The Bible however should not be judged by what fanatics or heretics do or say.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?  After examining some of the evidence for the reliability of the Bible we are confronted not with textual uncertainty (what does the text say?) but with hermeneutic and presuppositional issues (what does it mean). The same problem applies to us reading the constitutional laws of our country. The Constitution outside of its historical context is easily misunderstood. It is therefore important for the Bible student to make an effort to study a bit about the culture and context in which the literature was written. The Bible is not all that difficult to understand if one takes some time to read it with a few simple common-sense rules in mind.
Some of the Bible is written like a historical narrative or journal. Other parts are letters written for instruction, often addressing particular issues. The ones that get us into the most trouble are those that are poetic, prophetic or apocalyptic because of the unusual style. Some of the Bible, like most languages uses euphemisms that are unfamiliar to us. Though some of it is written in symbolic language the best rule for interpretation is to take everything literal unless the context suggests otherwise.

SO HOW DOES IT APPLY TO ME?  God has given us the Bible which is the most clear means by which to understand Him, his nature and how He deals with man. It is the Word of God given in the words of people in history. Within it one can learn spiritual laws that apply to our lives. It is the manufacture's handbook for living. It has been said that those who do not learn from history are destined to repeat it.

The laws of God are much like the natural laws of the universe. One can say he does not believe in gravity but it is not likely he will want to jump off a tall building.

ARE ALL VERSIONS CREATED EQUAL?  It is true that some Bible translations are better than others. The traditional 1611 King James Version (KJV) is a good version but the style is difficult for most to read. A more modern English version such as the New King James (NKJ), the New American Standard (NAS) or the New International Version (NIV) would be a better choice.
Paraphrased versions such as the Living Bible, The Message, and the New English Bible are fun to read but are somewhat lacking in terms of literal meaning.  AVOID: the Jehovah's Witnesses' New World Translation because it has been influenced by the heretical doctrines of the cult. The George Lamsa version based on the Peshitta Aramiaic (Syriac Bible) is one that is questionable because of it's Nestorian and anti-Greek bias. The Recovery Version because of its questionable commentary by Witness Lee. The Clear Word by the Seventh-Day Adventists has its share of problems as well.
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