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END-TIME
CHURCH / PLURALISM
- GREETINGS
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- QUICK VIEW OF UPDATED INDEXES
http://cephas-updates.cephasministry.com
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- NEITHER THEIR GOLD AND
SILVER SHALL DELIVER THEM
-
- (Zephaniah, before Jeus came
to earth, was given the message that Jesus was to be the sacrifice
and that the Day of the Lord is at hand and those who do not
believe will be in deep trouble if they don't repent.)
-
- "The word of the LORD
which came unto Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah,
the son of Amariah, the son of Hizkiah, in the days of Josiah
the son of Amon, king of Judah. I will utterly consume all
things from off the land, saith the LORD. I will consume
man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the
fishes of the sea, and the stumblingblocks with the wicked; and
I will cut off man from off the land, saith the LORD.
I will also stretch out mine hand upon Judah, and upon all the
inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off the remnant of
Baal from this place, and the name of the Chemarims with
the priests; And them that worship the host of heaven upon
the housetops; and them that worship and that swear by the LORD,
and that swear by Malcham;
-
- And them that are turned
back from the LORD; and those that have not sought the
LORD, nor enquired for him. Hold thy peace at the presence
of the Lord GOD: for the day of the LORD is at hand: for
the LORD hath prepared
a sacrifice, he hath
bid his guests. And it shall come to pass in the day of the LORD'S
sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king's children,
and all such as are clothed with strange apparel. In the same
day also will I punish all those that leap on the threshold,
which fill their masters' houses with violence and deceit.
-
- And it shall come to pass
in that day, saith the LORD, that there shall be the noise of
a cry from the fish gate, and an howling from the second, and
a great crashing from the hills. Howl, ye inhabitants of Maktesh,
for all the merchant people are cut down; all they that
bear silver are cut off.
-
- And it shall come to pass
at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and
punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their
heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil. Therefore
their goods shall become a booty, and their houses a desolation:
they shall also build houses, but not inhabit them; and
they shall plant vineyards, but not drink the wine thereof. The
great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly,
even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry
there bitterly.
-
- That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a
day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess,
a day of clouds and thick darkness, A day of the trumpet and
alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high
towers. And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall
walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the
LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their
flesh as the dung. Neither their silver nor their gold shall
be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but
the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy:
for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell
in the land. ( Zephaniah 1:1-18 kjv)
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- We believe every word in the KJV Bible and believe it is
the Word of God and that Jesus is the Christ, God Himself, who
spilled His blood on the cross for our sins and rose again to
prepare a place for those who repent and accept 'His' righteousness
as their righteousness and repent. They are those who accept
Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, Jews first and then Gentiles.
"Behold, I stand at the door,
and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will
come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."
We invite you to take this opportunity to say 'yes' to Jesus
and commit your life to Him only by clicking on this link: Salvation
- Luke 12:20,21 "But
God said unto him, "Thou fool,
this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall
those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth
up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."
We pray the Lord will bless you with a thirst for truth and a
desire to serve Him exclusively, in Christ Jesus, Cephas Ministry
/ Cephas Library.
- For the updated (red sparkles) main index go to http://www.cephasministry.com/index2.html
- -----
- Cephas Ministry cordially invites you to subscribe
to our free newsletters for controversial Cephas News
Updates regarding the Church / Global Issues / Israel, edited
by Rita Williams and Rapture Watch by the late Jamma Mokhriby at http://www.cephasministry.com/mail/
- Cephas Ministry advocates KJV Bible study only for truth
necessary to become part of the Bride of Christ. The Bible states
that it is the only truth available to us. .
- If you have questions about our present situation, you might
check out excellent related websites:
- Paul Proctor, Biblically Speaking Archive: http://www.newswithviews.com/PaulProctor/proctorA.htm
- Jamma of Rapture Watch, Biblical perspective: http://rapturewatch.cephasministry.com
- James Sundquist of Rock to Salt addresses heresies of
Christian Psychology, Purpose Driven & Church Growth Movement:
http://rock-to-salt.cephasministry.com
- Avenue of Light exposing the Vatican http://www.xanga.com/AvenueOfLight
- Cephas Ministry / Library Exposes heresies, cults, sects,
rock music, witchcraft, New World Disorder: its effect on our
lives and Israel: http:/www.cephasministry.com/index2.html
- Cephas Updated News Index: http://www.cephasministry.com/index_news.html
- MORE GREETINGS to all and the newcomers to this list. We'd
like to introduce ourselves. George and Rita Williams founded
this ministry. We were Mormons (Temple Mormons) for 20 years.
We prayed to God in 1992 to allow us to do a ministry speaking
out against Scientology. Six months later God led us to the truth:
out of the cult of Mormonism. We did not know at the time we
were in a cult. No-one had witnessed to us in 20 years.
- The Holy Spirit brought us to information about all the cults
and the present development of the New World Order. We began
bringing our research to you. Because all the research was already
done, we decided to build a library within Cephas Ministry. Our
newsletters are not designed to provoke
anger which is strictly prohibited in Scripture. It is to shed
light on activities by those who would deceive those who are
recorded in the Book of Life by devious methods and systematic
plans.
- We are Bible students and have left all worldly organizations.
We attend church if the message is from the authorized KJV Bible.
The focus of these newsletters is to prove why we had to leave
the world system. We are called 'Watchmen on the Wall' which
God always had during the Old / New Testament Times.
- To understand what is happening, one has to know the Bible
to compare notes.
- The first section is about the church.
The news about churches is unedited unless indicated by Ednotes.
The church as we knew it, is undergoing disintegration. This
began on a fast track in the early nineteen sixties when the
Catholic Church produced liberal Vatican II to replace Vatican
I.
- The trend since then has been ecumenical which is truly what
the word 'Catholicism' means: a universal religion all
inclusive and multicultural. The Bible calls for a final church
and today's church doesn't resemble what Jesus taught. The Word
of God has undergone many changes to fit the progressive modes.
Many new Bible tranlations have brought confusion. The Bible
calls for a falling away from the truth before
Jesus comes back for His Bride. The true believers are called
'Ekklesia.' Our newsletters prove this fact and prove that the
Bible is true from beginning to end.
- The second section is about globalism
where we bring your attention to the social, political and global
trend, the so called democratizing what is left of the world.
This is a deception since the underlying new world global government
is developed by implementing sustainable development. The
Bible prophesies that there will be ten kings (ten horns), each
king (horn) will receive a region of the world as a reward for
work well done for the Antichrist. This is the reason for the
present development of NAU (The North American Union) as well
as the war in the Middle East. It again proves that we are moving
to closure of the times of the Gentiles prophesied in the Bible.
The end result will not be Democracy but a form of Fascist Communism
(Public/Private Corporations enslaving mankind).
- The third section compliments End Time
teachings because Israel is the time piece of the Biblical Prophecy.
1948 was the beginning of the figtree representing Israel, coming
back to life. Israel was allowed to return to its land. Israel
is the rock upon which the world stumbles and crumbles. We watch
and visit Israel for signs which point to the Tribulation to
confirm that we are moving into that space of time.
- Watchmen on the wall do not solicit memberships. We have
an email group that gets information when we upload new information
and newsletters whenever it is possible time wise. We love the
Lord with all our hearts and minds and we love all people God
has created but especially those who love our Lord and Savior,
Jesus Christ. Our Mission and Statement of Faith are at http://www.cephasministry.com/statement_of_faith.html
- To email go to: http://www.email-cephas.com
- To subscribe or unsubscribe go to: http://www.cephasministry.com/mail/
-
 TODAY'S 'HOLY SCRIPTURES' STUDY:
THE RAPTURE {CATCHING-AWAY} OF BELIEVERS
- THE FEAST OF "IN-GATHERING"... AN OLD TESTAMENT
HINT ABOUT THE RAPTURE
(Exo 23:14-16 KJV)
Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year.
{15} Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread:
(thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee,
in the time appointed of the month Abib;
for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before
me empty:)
{16} And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours,
which thou hast sown in the field:
and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year,
when thou hast GATHERED* in thy labours out of the field.
* The Hebrew word for "gathered" means " to receive,
to take away, to take up. Jesus said:
(John 14:1-3 KJV)
Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also
in me.
{2} In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so,
I would have told you.
I go to prepare a place for you. {3} And if I go and prepare
a place for you, I will come again,
and RECEIVE you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be
also. Whole study:
- http://bible-studies.cephasministry.com/the_rapture_50.html
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- IN GOD WE STILL TRUST IN 2008
 in_god_we_still_trust.wmv
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- A PROPHETIC WORD BUT DON'T HOLD US TO IT
- by David Wagner on: January 01, 2008, 09:30:15 AM
- http://xsorbit25.com/users5/forzionssake/index.php?PHPSESSID=74d905305c068514d09e6377ca8d1c91&topic=23547.new
- -----
- BAPTIST WORLD ALLIANCE - WORLD NEEDS COMMON WITNESS OF BAPTISTS
AND CATHOLICS TO CHRIST, SAYS THE POPE
- Catholic News Agency - Vatican City, December 6th, 2007 -
Baptists leaders from around the world met with Pope Benedict
XVI this morning at the Vatican as the second round of Baptist-Catholic
talks continued. Saying that the lack of unity among Christians
contradicts Christ's will, Benedict XVI told the Baptist delegation
that the world needs "our common witness to Christ and to
the hope brought by the Gospel Continued: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=11189
-
- -----
- KING, POPE STRESS PEACE, JUSTICE pope_arabia.jpg
 Pope Benedict XVI greets Custodian
of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah at the Vatican on Tuesday
during their historic meeting. (EPA)
ARAB NEWS - Khaled Almaeena - VATICAN CITY, November 2007 - Custodian
of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah held a historic meeting
yesterday with Pope Benedict XVI and called for dialogue between
Muslims, Christians and Jews in order to promote peace, justice
and moral values. The warmth exuded by the two leaders on a chilly
morning set the tone for the day. Greeting the king with a smile,
the pope was effusive and eloquent in his actions as he warmly
welcomed the Saudi monarch. The two leaders clasped hands on
meeting and smiled before embarking on their historic talks.
The king and the pope held talks for about 60 minutes in the
pontiff's library with the help of interpreters. Benedict spoke
in Italian and the king in Arabic. The Vatican said the meeting
was cordial. During the meeting, King Abdullah emphasized that
dialogue between religions and cultures was essential in order
to promote tolerance, get rid of violence and achieve peace and
security for all peoples. The Vatican talks assume great importance
as King Abdullah met the pope, the leader of Roman Catholics,
as custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. Continued: http://www.cephas-library.com/catholic_king_pope_stress_peace_and_justice.html
- -----
- PAPAL CLAIM TO AUTHORITY [Adobe pdf file needs Adobe
pdf Reader]
- Papal.Claims.To.Authority.pdf
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MEL GIBSON REVEALS TRUE PURPOSE OF THE PASSION - LEADING PEOPLE
TO CATHOLOCISM
- Lighthouse Trails Special Report: In 2004, when Mel Gibson's
The Passion was released, few Christian leaders spoke up against
the film. Believers like Roger Oakland did but not without a
price. Oakland and others who also tried to warn people about
the film's underlying Catholic themes, were ostracized and scorned.
- NEWS RELEASE:
The Passion of the Christ: Definitive Edition is now available.
This two DVD set includes a tract that presents theological commentary
by Mel Gibson, Father* William J. Fulco, Father* John Batunck,
and Catholic apologist Gerry Matatics. The discussion is an analysis
of the film explaining the Roman Catholic view that "Mary"
shares a role in redemption and that "Jesus" is present
in the Eucharist, along with numerous other comments supporting
Roman Catholic extrabiblical dogma. (Note:* the Bible teaches
that we should call no man "Father" - Matthew 23:9).
In 2004, before the film was released, Understand The Times posted
a commentary by Roger Oakland and Jim Tetlow titled "Passion
Evangelism." The purpose of this commentary was to send
out a warning that Gibson's film promoted a Roman Catholic agenda
to point viewers to the Roman Catholic "Mary" and the
Roman Catholic "Jesus". This commentary was also published
as an appendix to the book Another Jesus: The Eucharistic Christ
and the New Evangelization authored by Oakland and Tetlow. The
comments made by Gibson, Fulco, Batunck and Matatics in the new
Definitive Edition confirm the warnings made in the "Passion
Evangelism" commentary. Statements made by Gibson, Fulco,
Batunck and Matatics taken from this discussion showing that
the film was designed to promote Roman Catholicism will be posted
at http://www.understandthetimes.org at a later date.
- http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/index.php?p=642&more=1&c=1
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- EQUESTRIAN ORDER OF THE HOLY SELPUCHRE [ JESUS ' TOMB]
 The Equestrian Order
of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem can trace its origins to Godfrey
de Bouillon of the first Crusade, who gathered around him a group
of knights who were entrusted with the protection of the religious
Chapter of Canons who were present at the Holy Sepulchre of Christ.
For twenty years, these knights, and those who came to join their
number, protected the Christian presence at the Holy Sepulchre,
taking as their banner the red Jerusalem cross popularized by
the crusading knights. By 1113, Pope Paschal II officially recognized
their existence and purpose. It was not until 1122 that Pope
Callistus II issued a bulla establishing them as a lay religious
community with specific responsibilities of guarding the Basilica
of the Holy Sepulchre and the city of Jerusalem in defense of
Christianity against Muslim attack.
The Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem was established, and the knights
of the Holy Sepulchre played an integral role in advancing peace
in the territory. The Muslim attacks, however, did not cease,
and defense of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre which was built
by the earliest knights of the Order and still stands today,
covering both the site of the crucifixion of Christ and His burial
place became impossible. The earliest band of knights fled to
the city of Acre, to the fortress of St. John, where they were
received by other groups of besieged crusaders. They remained
there from 1245 until the great fortress fell to the Muslims
in 1291, ending the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem. A diaspora then
took place among the Christians in Palestine. Many of the knights
of the Holy Sepulchre remained in the Mediterranean basin; others
fled as far as France and Spain. The works of the Order continued
as far away as Poland, where knights had settled and later their
descendants continued in the spirit of the defense of Christianity.
The activity of the Order, indeed its identity, in Palestine
shifted from the knights, who returned to their own countries,
to the religious Order of St. Francis, which had custody of the
monastery of Mt. Zion. This group of Franciscans preserved the
mission of the crusading knights of the Holy Sepulchre for centuries,
mindful of the original bulla of appointment that entrusted the
basilica, as well as the faithful, to the order's protection.
In 1330, Pope John XXII named the prior of the Franciscan house
Custodian of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre. The custodian served
as deputy to the pontiff, who reserved unto himself the governing
authority of the Order, and yet, the custodians, in all effect,
were responsible for all aspects of the Order's growth and governance,
including the calling of new knights. http://www.order-of-the-holy-sepulchre.org/
- PAPAL ORDERS: THE EQUESTRIAN ORDER OF THE HOLY SEPULCHER
OF JERUSALEM
- By Guy Stair Sainty http://www.chivalricorders.org/vatican/holysep.htm
- http://www.geocities.com/heartland/estates/5126/eohs.html
- http://www.ritterorden.de/
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- CHURCH AND STATE - IT'S NOT EASY BEING THE PRESIDENT'S PREACHER
THE REVEREND IS MOST LIKELY A MEMBER OF THE EQUESTIAN ORDER -
THE SYMBOL IS ON HIS ROBE
- Inside the Beltway has written numerous times about the Rev.
Luis Leon, rector of St. John's Episcopal Church, a
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- Lafayette Square landmark overlooking the White House and
where, on most Sunday mornings, you will find President Bush
seated quietly, hands clasped in front of him, in pew 54. Mr.
Bush and Mr. Leon, a Cuban immigrant, have become close
friends in recent years. Not only has the rector been Mr. Bush's
White House dinner guest, the president honored him earlier this
year by having him deliver the inaugural prayer. The Reverend
Dr. Luis León is the fourteenth Rector of St. John's Church
in Washington, DC. Since his ministry began in 1995, he has specialized
in building inner city parishes through spiritual leadership,
preaching, excellence in worship and liturgical music, stewardship
and outreach. Prior to his time at St. John's, Rev. Leon served
as Rector of Trinity Church in Wilmington, Delaware and St. Paul's
Church in Paterson, New Jersey. During his tenure St. Paul's
was named "Church of the Year" by the New Jersey Council
of Churches in 1985. Rev. Leon began his spiritual journey
when he was baptized into the Episcopal Church in Guantanamo,
Cuba. He came with his sister to the United States in 1961
at the age of twelve and was supported by the Episcopal Church
in Miami.
- Click on the link following to see: "As Reverend Luis
León looks on, President George W. Bush lights a candle
during a service of prayer and remembrance at St. John's Episcopal
Church in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, Sept.11, 2007, marking the
sixth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on
U.S. soil. White House photo by Eric Draper" click
on this link to see it
- [Note the Masonic symbols in these pictures. The grip above
and the President's crossed arms. The Pope wears this symbol
on his collar which means Divine Father Deity (referring to the
Pope) of Babylon and Egypt. The cross was used by the Pharoahs
as a ritual who enslaved Israel. On portraits in Israel there
are handcuffs on crossed arms. The symbol relates to Skull of
crossbones as well as honoring Osiris the Egyptian Masonic god.
[Email from truthseekers]].
- -----
- WHITE HOUSE LATEST NEWS JANUARY 18, 2008
- President George W. Bush meets with Dr. Henry Kissinger,
former Russian Prime Minister Yevgeniy Primakov, and other senior
American and Russian statesmen and policy experts Friday, Jan.
18, 2008, in the Cabinet Room of the White House. The meeting
presented an opportunity for the President to hear views from
the delegation on a variety of issues important to the United
States and to Russia and reflects the high value the President
attaches to the U.S.-Russia bilateral relationship. This informal
dialogue, co-chaired by Dr. Kissinger and Mr. Primakov, was initiated
in 2007 with the support of Presidents Bush and Putin, to foster
discussion of important issues on the U.S.-Russia agenda. White
House photo by Eric Draper http://www.whitehouse.gov/index.html
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- LEGALIZING POLYGAMY SHAPES UP A SOCIETAL NIGHTMARE
The Vancouver Sun, Canada - August 31, 2007 - Daphne Bramham
- www.canada.com - British Columbia’s de facto legalization
of polygamy could force a massive overhaul of family law and
result in demands that would overwhelm the taxpayer-financed
social safety net. That’s what Ida Chong, B.C.’s minister
responsible for women’s issues, has been told by her officials
in briefing notes prepared in 2006 prior to her ministry’s
budget estimates being debated. Family law, social programs and
even public and private insurance benefits schemes were established
on the basis of average-sized, monogamous families. No one contemplated
fundamentalist Mormon families composed of several wives and
30, 40, 50 or 100-plus children. As a result, plural wives and
their children have no legal protection or recognition under
current laws and social programs. If their religious or spiritual
marriage is dissolved, there are no laws covering child custody,
support or division of “marital” property in polygamous
relationships. In the event of the husband’s death, only
the first wife and her family are entitled to his property. http://www.religionnewsblog.com/19210/polygamy-27
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- ARTIST DEFENDS 'OSAMA BIN CHRIST' ART [OSAMA UNINTENTIONALLY
GLORIFIED, JESUS HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH TERRORISM]
AAP, via News.com.au, Australia - August. 30, 2007 - www.news.com.au
- Behind a controversial work depicting terrorism mastermind
Osama bin Laden morphing into Jesus today invited those considering
her work to look a little more deeply than the obvious comparison
of good and evil. Queensland artist Priscilla Bracks denied she
had deliberately set out to be offensive. “Absolutely not,
no, no. I am not interested in being offensive. I am interested
in having a discussion and asking questions about how we think
about our world and what we accept and what we don’t accept,”
she said. Bracks’ work and a statue of the Virgin Mary wearing
an Islamic burqa by Sydney artist Luke Sullivan have been entered
into Australia’s top religious art competition, the Blake
Prize. Both Prime Minister John Howard and Opposition Leader
Kevin Rudd have criticised their inclusion. “The choice
of such artwork is gratuitously offensive to the religious beliefs
of many Australians,” Mr Howard said. Bracks welcomed the
criticism. “Well I suppose we always have an opinion on
how they do their job. I am fine with the fact that they might
have an opinion on how I do mine,” she said. “But I
just ask people to think about it a little bit more deeply because
it is a very loaded work which means that there are so many different
meanings.” Howard, Rudd condemn works Prime Minister John
Howard is leading a chorus of condemnation against the decision
to include the Bracks and Sullivan artworks in the Blake Prize
because they appear to ridicule the Christian faith. Mr Howard
said the pieces were insulting and lacked any artistic merit.
“The choice of such artwork is gratuitously offensive to
the religious beliefs of many Australians,” he said. Continued:
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/19209/obama-bin-christ
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- KENYA MOB CHOPS OFF PASTOR'S GENITALS
- East African Standard, Kenya - August 30, 2007 - Robert Nyasato
- www.eastandard.net
A pastor is fighting for his life after protesting villagers
mutilated his genitals. The mob was bitter that a man, who the
preacher had promised to cure through prayer, died during the
‘healing’. On Monday evening, villagers burnt the pastor’s
church, locally known as Oterona in Gesiaga village, Nyamira
District, but the man of the cloth escaped. Residents said the
sect does not believe in conventional medicine. Police said the
villagers caught up with the pastor in his hideout. The preacher
was admitted to Nyamira District Hospital. Hospital superintendent,
Dr Morris Odhiambo, described the pastor’s condition as
stable, but declined to comment further. Local OCPD, Mr Joseph
Kimeli, said no arrests had been made.
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/19194/kenya-mob-chops-off-pastors-genitals
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- TYNDALE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY COURT TEXAS LAW INTRUDES ON
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
AUSTIN TX: - AP, via the Houston Chronicle, USA - August 31,
2007 - Kelley Shannon - www.chron.com - The Texas Supreme Court
reversed lower court decisions today and ruled that state restrictions
on what unaccredited religious institutions can call themselves
and their education training violate the First Amendment. The
court said banning an institution like the Tyndale Theological
Seminary in Fort Worth from using the term “seminary”
in its name violates the Constitution. Three religious organizations
waged the legal fight. Tyndale, one of the schools, was cited
in 1998 for violating a law that requires seminaries to be accredited
and prevents unaccredited institutions from awarding degrees.
It was fined $173,000 by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating
Board. Plano-based Liberty Legal Institute represented the schools
and argued before the court in 2005 that the state has no business
regulating how pastors are trained. State law requires institutions
to meet certain standards if they call themselves a college,
university or seminary. The court ruled that the law as it pertains
to seminaries intrudes upon religious freedom. “This decision
is a huge victory for all seminaries not only in Texas but nationwide,”
said Kelly Shackelford, the institute chief counsel. “Seminaries
are going to now be free to be seminaries … The shackles
are off.” The case is not about secular teaching and degrees,
but about purely theological education, he said. Shackelford
said the ruling means the plaintiffs can try to recover attorneys’
fees incurred in the case. The Texas Attorney General’s
Office represented the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
and told the court that the state law aims not to regulate religion
but only the quality of post-secondary education in Texas. The
law was written to crack down on degree mills
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/19215/court-texas-law-intrudes-on-religious-freedom
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- THE GOVERNMENT STRIPS GOD FROM THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT
- Posted on 10/29/2007 by dvan The National Park Service, a
branch of the federal government, has joined the Veterans Administration
in establishing anti-Christian bigotry as public policy.
- http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1918238/posts
- -----
- OPRAH SPONSORS THE COURSE IN MIRACLE HERESY TO INDOCTRINATE
MILLIONS OF WOMEN Continued: http://www.cephas-library.com/new_age_oprahs_plan_to_bring_new_age_to_women.html
- Go to Index Course
in Miracles and see implications.
- -----
- OBAMA CRITICISES OPPONENTS' IRAQ VOTES
December 28, 2007 - Holly McQueen/ The Register - Staff - By
JASON CLAYWORTH - "One of their most famous members, and
also a 32nd degree Prince Hall Mason, became a US presidential
candidate for 2008. His name is Barack Hussein Obama."
Barack Obama, speaking at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center
in Des Moines on Thursday, criticized other Democrats’ votes
to authorize the war in Iraq. (afbeelding kan niet worden meegenomen)
http://www.sarajevo-x.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=36907
- Written by Dzenan Causevic - Prince Hall is a first black
masonic lodge in the US, named by its founder and master who
was the most famous black individual in the Boston area during
the American Revolution and through the turn of the nineteenth
century. Prince Hall was the slave of a Boston leather-dresser
named William Hall in the late 1740s, who earned his freedom
on April 9, 1770, as reward for 21 years of steadfast service.
Prince Hall and 14 other free black men, in and around Boston
area, approached a British army lodge of Freemasons attached
to the 38th Foot Regiment, stationed near Boston. Hall and the
others were initiated into the lodge on March 6, 1775. The regiment
withdrew from the area a short time later, and Sergeant John
Batt, who had been in charge of the initiation, issued a limited
permit on March 17 allowing the group certain Masonic privileges
as well as permission to meet as a lodge. On July 3, 1775, the
group formed African Lodge No. 1, the first lodge of black Free
and Accepted Masons in the world, and Hall was made master. Provincial
Grand Master of North America John Rowe granted the lodge a second
limited permit to continue their activities.
- Continued: http://www.cephas-library.com/masonry_obama_32nd_degree_prince_hall_mason.html
- -----
- PROMINENT DALLAS MINISTRY SAYS ROMNEY NO CHRISTIAN
Deseret Morning News, USA - Oct. 19, 2007 - Lisa Riley Roche
- deseretnews.com - GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s
membership in the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
has come under fire again — this time by a prominent Dallas
minister who told his congregation Romney is not a Christian.
The Dallas Morning News has reported that the Rev. Robert Jeffress,
pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, said in a sermon
on Sept. 30 that while Romney “talks about Jesus as his
Lord and savior, he is not a Christian. Mormonism is not Christianity.
Mormonism is a cult.” The newspaper story published Thursday
said some members of the pastor’s large audience began to
applaud as he continued his discussion of Romney’s faith
as part of a talk titled “The Power of a Positive Purpose.”
“What really distresses me is some of my ministerial friends
and even leaders in our convention are saying, ‘Oh, well,
he talks about Jesus, we talk about Jesus. What’s the big
deal?’ It is a big deal if anybody names another way to
be saved except through Jesus Christ,” the pastor said.
The Rev. Jeffress had prefaced his remarks about Romney by saying,
“I’m going to get in trouble I know for saying this,
but I think it needs to be said” and that he was “neither
for nor against Mitt Romney … he may make a worthy president.”
Continued: http://www.religionnewsblog.com/19690/mormons-are-not-christians
- -----
- BLASPHEMY IS RUNNING RAMPANT THESE DAYS WHICH LINES UP WITH
PROPHECY
- "GOOD LUCK FINDING JESUS: HE IS SOLD OUT
 "
- The Virginian-Pilot, USA - October 23, 2007 - Steven G. Vegh
- hamptonroads.com
- Norma Venning was surprised to encounter Mary, Moses and
Noah in the toy aisle of her local Wal-Mart on a recent morning,
but there was no sign of Jesus - the son of God had already sold
out.
- “I didn’t even know it existed. I think it’s
a wonderful idea,” the retired school worker said of Tales
of Glory, a line of talking, Bible-based dolls on the shelf at
the Wal-Mart off Battlefield Boulevard.
- For the first time, the world’s largest retailer is
stocking a full line of faith-based toys along with its usual
cast - including a GI Joe Combat Squad action figure with a gun
the size of his body and a 3-foot remote-control concept car
dubbed Big Time Muscle. Wal-Mart is test-marketing the posable
figures in 425 locations; two are in Chesapeake and one is in
Virginia Beach. Continued: http://www.religionnewsblog.com/19721/jesus-doll
-
-
- -----
- CONVERSATION WITH GOD
- In the last couple years there has been an unusually high
number of movies that have an obvious and clear New Age message.
Indigo Children and Bee Season are two
of those along with more recent releases such as The Shaggy
Dog and Peaceful Warrior. Now, soon to
be released (October), is Conversations With God, based on the
very popular book series by New Age writer and actor Neale
Donald Walsch: August 8, 2006 -- (Los Angeles, CA) "Conversations
with God" the book series that inspired and changed the
lives of millions around the world is now a film that opens nationwide
on October 27, 2006 (released by Samuel Goldwyn Films). Adapted
from the books by Neale Donald Walsch, "Conversations with
God" tells the true story of Walsch (played by Henry Czerny)
who, at the lowest point in his life, asks God some very hard
questions. The answers he gets from God/within become the foundation
of the internationally acclaimed book series that has sold over
7 million copies and been translated into 34 languages. The film
chronicles the dramatic journey of a down and out man who inadvertently
becomes a spiritual messenger and bestselling author. Read the
rest of this article from Religion News Service http://www.religionnews.com/press02/PR080806.html
- -----
- NEW AGERS WILL HAVE YOU BELIEVE THE WORLD IS TO END IN 2012?
[NOT ACCORDING TO THE GOSPEL. THE 1000 YEAR MILLENNIUM
IS STILL AHEAD]
- "... But things get stranger still. The ratio of one
of the inner corner-to-corner pentagram lines to any of the outer
sides of the pentagon is the Golden Mean: roughly 1.61803 to
one. This was beloved by the Greeks, and various ratios in the
human body approach this ratio. In most cultures the closer the
ratio, the more attractive the person is considered. Then there
is the Fibonacci series:1,2,3,5,8,13, 21,55,89,144,etc. Each
consecutive number is formed by adding the two preceding, and
as you get higher up the series the ratios get closer and closer
to the Golden Mean. A spiral formed from these numbers, the Fibonacci
Spiral, is found in whirlpools, galaxies, hurricanes, tornadoes,
snail shells, rams’ horns, and certain bacteria. If you
extend such a spiral at right angles to its plane, you get a
helix, as in DNA. And if you are beginning to suspect that this
cannot all be coincidence, we’re just getting started. There’s
more.
- As the Earth turns on its axis every 24 hours, that axis
slowly wobbles every 25,920 years. Often called a Great Year,
this is almost certainly one of the causes of ice ages. This
Great Year is divided into twelve astrological ages, and each
of these is 2,160 years long, or ten times the 216 degrees discussed
earlier. Every 72 years (that number 72 again) the axis moves
one degree around this circle. And if that’s not enough,
the average healthy human heart at rest beats 72 times each minute.
It would seem that the human body in some way resonates with
the solar system and perhaps with the entire universe.
- Continued: http://www.december212012.com/articles/news/This_Age_Ends_2012.htm
- -----
- THE TRUTH ABOUT HELL
http://www.av1611.org/hell.html
- -----
- SCORES LOSE JOBS AS HOLY LAND UNDERGOES EXTREME MAKEOVER
- NEW OWNERS PREACH PROSPERITY GOSPEL, IN OTHER WORDS HERESY
- The new owners preach the prosperity gospel while boosting
park attendance.Mark I. Pinsky - Orlando Sentinel Staff Writer
- October 21, 2007 - Paul and Jan Crouch, founders of the world's
largest Christian media empire, walk a little slower these days.
But that hasn't slowed down the whirlwind transformation of their
newest acquisition: Orlando's Holy Land Experience theme park.
When their Trinity Broadcasting Network purchased Holy Land for
$37 million in June, longtime employees and supporters hoped
the takeover would usher in a new era of financial stability
for the park. However, once the first family of old-school American
televangelism settled in, they began reshaping it. More than
50 employees -- or a quarter of the work force -- were fired
or laid off. Scores of trees buffering the re-creation of first-century
Jerusalem from I-4 traffic were cut down. The cavelike interior
of the biblically themed Oasis Caf was painted purple. Furnishings
left behind by the previous owners were dumped, and then replaced
by opulent and expensive new pieces. Continued: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-holyland2107oct21,0,3805392.story?coll=orl_tab01_layout
- -----
- HOLY LAND PURCHASE BY TRINITY WAS COMPLEX DEAL
October 21, 2007 - Mark I. Pinsky, Orlando Sentinel researcher
Susan - Holy Land Experience's transfer to Trinity Broadcasting
Network was a complex deal involving five nonprofit, tax-exempt
organizations: Holy Land Ministries, Trinity and the Grace, Van
Kampen and Sola Scriptura foundations. The three foundations
are all controlled by the family of the late Robert Van Kampen,
a longtime financial backer of Holy Land. According to Trinity's
attorney, Colby May, the $37million payment was divided this
way: •$8million went to repay the Grace Foundation for money
it had lent Holy Land over the years. •$12million went to
Sola Scriptura for 10 acres of vacant land across from the 15-acre
theme park on Conroy Road. Trinity plans to use the vacant property
to build a broadcast facility for local Christian television
station WTGL-Channel52, whose license Trinity purchased last
year for $50million. Federal Communications Commission rules
required the billion-dollar broadcasting network to operate local
facilities for the new station.
- •$17million was donated to a new foundation, a successor
to Holy Land Ministries called The Master's Gate.
- Scott Pierre, former chairman of Holy Land Ministries and
son-in-law of Robert Van Kampen, became chairman of the Master's
Gate Foundation. That sum represents much if not all of what
the Van Kampen family and its foundations have contributed to
Holy Land since its conception. Submitted by Yours in Christ
Jesus,
Jackie Alnor - www.apostasyalert.org
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-asecholylandside21102107oct21,0,692117.story?coll=orl_tab01_layout
- -----
- CHAIRMAN SAYS ORU OVER $50M IN DEBT
Oral Roberts University 'Struggling Financially,' With More Than
$50M in Debt, Board Chairman Says
 The Associated Press
By JUSTIN JUOZAPAVICIUS Associated Press Writer
TULSA, Okla. Oct 24, 2007 (AP)
Share Oral Roberts University, which is fighting accusations
that its president misspent school funds, faces a crippling debt
load, the chairman of the school's board of regents said Wednesday.
Chairman George Pearsons told The Associated Press that maintenance
costs and low financial support from donors have put the evangelical
university $55 million in debt. University spokesman Jeremy Burton
later said the debt is actually $52.5 million. Related Story
Oral
Roberts Says Devil Won't Steal ORU
- "Honestly, we've been struggling financially,"
Pearsons said. "Really my goal and it's a big one my goal
is to obliterate the debt." The announcement comes a week
after the school's president, Richard Roberts, took a leave of
absence to fight a lawsuit brought by three former professors
who claim they were wrongfully dismissed. Among the accusations
the lawsuit makes against Richard Roberts and his wife, Lindsay,
are that they used school funds to remodel their home 11 times
in 14 years, sent their daughter and several of her friends on
a $29,411 senior trip to the Bahamas on a university-owned jet,
and that they spent school money to provide their daughters with
a stable of horses. The couple has denied any wrongdoing. Richard
Roberts has said the lawsuit amounted to "intimidation,
blackmail and extortion." Richard Roberts' father, Oral
Roberts, has returned to Oklahoma from California to take a greater
role in guiding the school he founded in 1963.
- The 5,700-student university is a product of Oral Roberts'
ministry, which grew from Southern tent revivals to one of the
most successful evangelical empires in the country. The university
reported nearly $76 million in revenue in 2005, according to
the Internal Revenue Service, and one former regent said its
endowment once approached $60 million. Its endowment today exceeds
$34 million, a university spokesman said. Its operating budget
for 2007-2008 was more than $82 million. Pearsons has been the
regents chairman since June. He is overseeing an outside firm's
investigation of the allegations documented in the lawsuit. http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=3772031
- http://www.religionnewsblog.com/19747/oral-roberts-university-15
- -----
- ORAL ROBERTS UNIVERSITY TAKES $62 MILLION GIFT
AP, via KansasCity.com, USA - January 14, 2008 - Juston Juozapavicius
- Leaders of Oral Roberts University voted unanimously Monday
to accept a $62 million donation from an Oklahoma City businessman
that will help alleviate debt at the scandal-plagued Tulsa school.
- Mart Green, the founder of the Christian office and education
supply store chain Mardel, will take over as chairman of a new
board of trustees that will replace the current panel of 21 voting
regents as a result of his donation. Green’s family will
have one vote on the board, which will be made up of nine to
22 members, including school founder and chancellor Oral Roberts.
Former regents will transition to a nonvoting, newly formed Board
of Reference under the plan. “We felt like the ideas that
we brought were more valuable than $62 million,” Green said
at a news conference Monday. The change could take place as early
as next month.
- Green announced plans for his gift in November, more than
a month after a lawsuit was filed by three professors accusing
former university president Richard Roberts of lavish spending
at a time when the university faced more than $50 million in
debt. Roberts resigned five days before Green announced his donation.
Green, who did not attend Oral Roberts, pledged a total of $70
million to the 5,700-student university but allowed only $8 million
to be used immediately and withheld the rest until his family
could review the school’s financial records and until regents
could consider other stipulations. The school, which had announced
last fall it was more than $50 million in debt, was struggling
for an economic lifeline, as parts of the 1960s-era campus fell
into disrepair. “I feel a great relief,” said Pearsons,
who will be replaced by Green after the transition. “We
can breathe financially.”
- John Swails, one of the professors making accusations, reached
a settlement last week after a session of court-ordered mediation
talks that resulted in his reinstatement at the school. Other
terms were confidential. Two other professors, Tim and Paulita
Brooker, are continuing their lawsuit alleging that they were
forced out after reporting the evangelical school’s involvement
in a local political race and after they gave school regents
a copy of a report documenting alleged moral and ethical problems
of Roberts and his family. In the weeks since Green’s November
announcement, televangelists Benny Hinn, Jesse Duplantis, Creflo
Dollar and I.V. Hilliard all left the board of regents. Hinn
and Dollar are among six televangelists being investigated by
U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa to determine whether they violated
their organizations’ tax-exempt status by living lavishly
on the backs of small donors. They have denied wrongdoing. http://www.religionnewsblog.com/20364/oru-4
- -----
- ORAL'S FORMER PILOT COPELAND EXPOSED TO BE A MASON
- Kenneth Copeland has stated that Jehovah means Half Male/
Half Female and that God is as much female as he is male. He
amplifies this strange teaching by also saying that Adam was
originally half male and half female.
According to the book "The Secret Teachings Of Freemasonry"
by Gordon Mohr this is exactly what the Masonic Lodge teaches:-
(on pages 107-108) In his first initiation stages he (the Freemason)
learns: 1 - That the rite of initation for Apprentice Masons
represents in dramatic fashion the origin or birth of Nature's
god - the Great All. It signifies the non-existence of a supernatural
person God, such as that of Christianity. It signifies that the
two principles of "matter" and "form", "male"
and "female," are always eternally generating,"
(reproducing). It looks on God as a hermaphrodite, and creation
as the beginning of the "generation process." Taken
from: Speculative Masonry, by Brother J. Yorke, Grand Master
of the Ancient Rite pages 3 & 54 Continued:
- http://www.theforbiddenknowledge.com/hardtruth/kennethcopeland33rddegreefreemason.htm
- -----
- MAHARISHI STEPS DOWN AS HEAD OF MEDITATION EMPIRE
- Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who became a guru to the Beatles,
stepped down this month as the head of the organization that
brought transcendental meditation to the West, an aide said on
Monday.
Continued: http://www.religionnewsblog.com/20454/transcendental-meditation-9
-
- -----
- POSITIVELY DANGEROUS OSTEEN [needs Adobe pdf reader]
- http://www.cephasministry.com/positively_dangerous_osteen.pdf
- -----
- ABOUT OUR FUTURE: (Important)
- NORTH AMERICAN UNION AND VCHIP TRUTH
Email:from Ron White - February 2, 2008 - Like it or not, this
is coming. It will happen, regardless of what we citizens may
try to do. The important decision for citizens is to NOT take
the RFID [CHIP] if you are a believer in Christ Jesus, in any
form, especially the injected chip, no matter what! To take the
chip gets one a one-way ticket to hell / Hades forever!
This video meshes very well with biblical prophecy and is likely
100% true. (If the video doesn't open, re-type it, then click
it again.) Well worth watching more than once. Very serious stuff!
The question is "when" will this be made mandatory?
The answer to this is, shortly after a peace accord with Israel
is "confirmed" with many nations, namely the Roadmap
for (pseudo) peace. President Bush said in his last State of
the Union address that this peace accord would be signed this
year, as have Israeli PM Olmert and Palestinian President Abbas.
Watch for the peace summit in Moscow hosted by Vladimir Putin
this summer to get the "Roadmap" confirmed. Ignore
such things to one's own peril. Personally, I want everyone whom
I know and love to know these things, so they know what to do
or not do, even if it means not taking this chip results in imprisonment
or death. Better to die physically than eternally. Denial is
ignorance and leads to death -- knowledge leads to freedom and
life.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuBo4E77ZXo
- -----
- ANONYMOUS POSTS ANOTHER VIDEO AGAINST SCIENTOLOGY FEBRUARY
10 A DAY OF ACTION AGAINST THE CULT
- CNet, USA January 28, 2008 - Robert Vamosi - www.news.com
- A group calling itself Anonymous is continuing its war against
the Church of Scientology with a new video posted Monday. In
its latest video message, the group seeks to dispel the notion
it a group of super hackers and, as though to prove it, includes
a call for real-world protests outside Scientology centers worldwide
on February 10. Friday night, the Church of Scientology issued
a statement about the online attacks.
- Continued includes a : http://www.religionnewsblog.com/20455/scientology-cult-17
- -----
- NEARLY 50% OF GERMANS CONSIDER TOM CRUISE DANGEROUS DUE TO
HIS AFFILIATION WITH SCIENTOLOGY
AFP, via News24.com, France - January 28, 2008 - www.news24.com
- Berlin - Nearly half of Germans consider Hollywood film star
Tom Cruise to be “dangerous” due to his affiliation
with the Church of Scientology, according to a poll published
on Sunday. Forty-seven percent of those surveyed answered “yes”
when asked by the TNS Emnid polling institute: “Do you consider
the avowed Scientologist Tom Cruise to be dangerous?”. Forty-two
percent said “no”. Continued: http://www.religionnewsblog.com/20452/church-of-scientology-3
- -----
NEW POPE PUSHING FOR MOTHER OF THE WORLD
- Issue Date: November/December 2007 - The new pope continues
the tradition of pushing the RC Virgin Mary goddess as the unifying
force in the world. In September he toured several of the Marian
shrines in Europe, speaking of “the significance of the
Mother of God.” “In her maternal love, Mary continues
to take under her protection people of all languages and cultures,
and to lead them together, within a multiform unity, to Christ.
In our problems and needs we can turn to Mary,” he said.
In this statement we see how the Mary goddess is positioned between
man and Christ. Instead of trusting Christ alone, the people
are encouraged to trust Mary instead. We also see how Mary is
moving to bring “all languages and cultures” together.
How is she doing this? Through special visions called “apparitions,”
according to the book Queen of All by Jim Tetlow, Roger Oakland
and Brad Myers. “She appears as a living, breathing, three
dimensional lady enveloped in exquisite light,” according
to the visionaries and seers that see her. Through these, she
speaks her messages to the world.
- “A consistent message given by the thousands of apparitions
currently manifesting worldwide is one of peace, unity, and tolerance,”
writes Tetlow. He describes in detail the messages and circumstances
of some of the more famous appearances such as Fatima, Medjugorje
and Lourdes, and mentions many others. Using quotations, he describes
how the “lady in light” invites worship, encourages
praying the rosary and other Roman Catholic rituals, and speaks
repeatedly of world peace through unity of all religions. Queen
of All includes chapters showing that this “Queen”
is not just a Roman Catholic phenomenon, but apparitions of her
are occurring in countries dominated by other religions as well.
A similar goddess is prominent in Islam and the major eastern
religions. To further connect the dots, David W. Daniels describes
the evolution of goddess worship from Semiramis in early Babylon
to the present universal veneration in every major (and most
minor) religions. His book, Babylon Religion, shows how Semiramis
becomes Ashtoreth, who became Isis in Egypt, who became the Roman
Venus, and the Greek Aphrodite, and on to the Virgin Mary of
Roman Catholicism. Even stories and the symbols of the Aztec
goddess of magic, Tlazolteotl, are similiar to those of the witches
and goddesses in Europe. Solomon concluded in the book of Ecclesiastes
that there was nothing new under the sun. Daniels and Tetlow
show that this modern “Lady of Light” who claims to
be the Virgin Mary of the Bible, is nothing more than a demonic
impostor who has been busy fooling mankind for thousands of years.
- As Bible believers, we need to expose this “strong delusion.”
We need to seed our communities with tracts like Why is Mary
Crying, Last Rites, Death Cookie, and Are Roman Catholics Christians?
These will open the eyes of those who are trapped in bondage
to the pope. They will also help to warn others who might be
stopping to listen to the seductions of this prostitute “church.”
And for anyone who expresses an interest in learning more, be
sure they get the books by Daniels and Tetlow.
- Chick Publications http://www.chick.com/default.asp
- -----
- JOHN HAGEE LOST IT
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0K1GEs2gAI
- -----
- EAGLE SCOUT ORDERED TO TAKE GOD OUT OF PARK PROJECT
- Denver - Channel 9 - December 20, 2007 - ARVADA - Fourteen-
year-old Jonathan
 Griesinger says he
wanted people to think about the origins of the universe when
they stroll by his planetary walk along Van Bibber Creek. A jogger
disagreed. Griesinger designed and installed a series of 10 stones
along the trail through the Stenger Athletic Complex. The first
represents the sun and the rest are engraved with the names of
the nine planets. The stones are spaced in proportion to the
planets' actual distances from the sun. Pluto, the farthest stone,
is about a half-mile from the starting point near 58th Avenue
and Oak Street. Griesinger also placed an 11th stone that he
has been ordered to remove. The stone is engraved with a Bible
verse that says, "The heavens declare the glory of God."
"I wanted to put that in," Jonathan said, "because
the universe is huge, and I think there's got to be somebody
who created it, who's behind all this." After the project
was finished in August, a jogger noticed the 11th stone and complained
to Arvada that it is "an infusion of religion into an educational
display on public park property." Arvada owns the park,
but city officials said the proposal they were given does not
mention of the "God stone." Griesinger and his family
say they negotiated the planetary walk project with North Jeffco
Park and Recreation District, which manages the park for Arvada.
Director Mike Miles says he knows of no agreement allowing the
reference to God, but Griesinger's father George has an Eagle
Scout project proposal that describes the stone in detail. The
proposal was signed by Scout leaders and by an employee of the
Recreation District. "The city is not arguing with the message
on the stone in any way," said Arvada spokesperson Maria
VanderKolk. "But the personal expression is not appropriate
on public property." Arvada officials asked the Griesingers
to remove the stone with the reference to God, and the family
complied. "There's a real problem in our culture,"
said George Griesinger. "Somebody can be offended by something,
and be able, with a single complaint, to turn a whole city against
us." http://www.9news.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=83141
- -----
- EVANGELICALS SIGN STRANGE LETTER TO MUSLIMS
- Friday Church News Notes, November 30, 2007 - In response
to an open letter signed by 138 Muslim leaders entitled "A
Common Word Between Us and You," which was issued on October
13, 2007, roughly 300 Christian leaders have signed "Loving
God and Neighbor Together: A Christian Response." The Muslim
letter said that "Muslims recognize Jesus Christ as the
Messiah" and "invited Christians to come together with
us on the common essentials of our two religions," claiming
that "the very survival of the world itself is perhaps at
stake." There was not a word about the current jihad, and
Bin Laden and company were not among the signatories. The Christian
response was organized by professors at the extremely liberal
Yale Divinity School. It is prefaced with the words, "In
the name of the Infinitely Good God whom we should love with
all our Being," which gives the idea that Muslims and Christians
worship the same God. It begins by asking forgiveness for the
Crusades and the (alleged) "excesses of the war on terror"
by which "many Christians have been guilty of sinning against
our Muslim neighbors." It goes on to say, "It is therefore
no exaggeration to say, as you have in A Common Word Between
Us and You, that 'the future of the world depends on peace between
Muslims and Christians.'"
- It calls for interfaith dialogue and warns that "our
eternal souls" are at stake if Muslims and Christians don't
learn to live in peace. The response was obviously written by
someone who does not believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ or
the literal return of Christ, but what the letter omits is just
as telling. There is not a word about the violent jihad that
is rampaging around the world against Christians which negates
the idea that Islam is a peaceful religion, not a word about
the lack of religious liberty and the persecution against Christians
in every Islamic country, not a word about the Islamic prohibition
against converting to Christianity, not a word about Islam's
denial of Christ's deity, virgin birth, sacrificial death, and
bodily resurrection and the fact that Allah is not the God of
the Bible. If this response were signed only by liberals, we
probably would have ignored it, but scattered among the names
of rank liberals and Roman Catholic and Emerging Church leaders
(Tony Jones and Brian McLaren) are those of dozens of "evangelicals,"
including Rick Warren of Saddleback Church; Leith Anderson and
Don Argue (current and past president of the National Association
of Evangelicals); several professors from Fuller Theological
Seminary (including the president), Biola University, Wheaton
College (including the president), and Gordon-Conwell Theological
Seminary; Lynn Green of Youth With A Mission; Bill Hybels of
Willow Creek Community Church; various pastors of Vineyard churches
(including the National Director); David Neff, Editor in Chief
of Christianity Today; John R.W. Stott; Michael Treneer of the
Navigators; Harvey Thiessen of Operation Mobilization; and Godfrey
Yogarajah, General Secretary of the Evangelical Fellowship of
Asia. http://www.wayoflife.org
- -----
- BEWARE OF "GOLDEN COMPASS"
- Friday Church News Notes, November 30, 2007 - The following
is excerpted from "The Upside-down World of Pullman's 'Golden
Compass,'" Berit Kjos, November 13, 2007: "More than
15 million copies of Philip Pullman's trilogy have been sold.
The first movie in the series opens December 7. Flying witches,
evil specters, talking bears and evolving 'Dust' abound in The
Dark Materials, Philip Pullman's popular fantasy series for children.
In this confusing cosmos of multiple universes, humans are linked
to personal daemons, and telepathic seekers find answers to life's
mysteries through divination, Eastern meditation, ancient 'wisdom'
and ritual magic. These occult practices are essential to the
battle for the 'free' Republic--against the despised old Church.
Lyra, the pre-teen heroine, is a headstrong tomboy raised without
parents at an Oxford college in a universe parallel to ours.
A proficient liar, she's first seen snooping in a forbidden area
with her daemon camouflaged as a moth. From then on, she follows
her intuition from one crisis to the next until all remnants
of Biblical truth and authority have been destroyed. By the end
of the series, God is dead Free-spirited Lyra (still a 12-year-old)
has sexually 'come of age' and fulfilled her prophetic assignments
in the war against Christianity. As readers move from book to
book, they meet likeable God-haters, experience magical worlds,
and discover the strange forces that drive Pullman's occult cosmos.
.. Pullman's crafty tale pulls the readers' minds into an occult
context where--through their imagination--they experience life
from his atheist/occult perspective." http://www.wayoflife.org
- -----
- 21 QUESTIONS ANSWERED ABOUT MORMON FAITH
- FOX News, USA - December 18, 2007 - Mitt Romney’s run
for president has put his Mormon faith in the spotlight, but
the religion remains a mystery to most. FOXNews.com compiled
a list of 21 questions representing some widely held beliefs
and misconceptions about Mormonism and posed them to The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Church objected
to answering some of the questions on the grounds that they misrepresent
the basic tenets of the Mormon religion.
- “Many of these questions are typically found on anti-Mormon
blogs or Web sites which aim to misrepresent or distort Mormon
doctrines,” the Church said in a statement. “Several
of these questions do not represent … any serious attempt
to depict the core values and beliefs of its members.”
- Here are the questions and how the Church responded:
- Q: Why do some call the Church a cult?
- A: For the most part, this seems to stem from a lack of understanding
about the Church and its core doctrines and beliefs. Under those
circumstances it is too easy to label a religion or other organization
that is not well-known with an inflammatory term like ‘cult.’
Famed scholar of religion Martin Marty has said a cult means
a church you don’t personally happen to like. We don’t
believe any organization should be subjected to a label that
has come to be as pejorative as that one. [Ednote: In other words
keep the lies covered up.]
- Q: Does the Mormon Church believe that Jesus Christ is the
son of God?
- A: Mormons believe Jesus Christ is literally the Son of God,
the Savior and Redeemer, who died for the sins of humankind and
rose from the dead on the third day with an immortal body. God,
the Father, also has an immortal body. [Ednote: Mormons believe
Jesus did not die for all sins. Some sins have to be born by
the sinner in this life by shedding his or her own blood. Their
God has a physical body like Jesus which means somehow their
God would have had to come down to earth like Jesus to have that
physical existence. God has always existed. How can that be?
The body can only be had by being born of a woman. There is no
way of figuring out which came first the chicken or the egg on
Mormonism.]
- Q: Does the Church believe in the divinity of Jesus?
- A: Mormons believe Jesus Christ is literally the Son of God,
the Savior and Redeemer, who died for the sins of humankind and
rose from the dead on the third day with an immortal body. God,
the Father, also has an immortal body. [Ednote: In Mormonism
man attains the Melchizedek Ptiesthood which makes man equal
to Jesus Christ Who is God. According to the Bible there is only
One Who can have that Priesthood because it secures eternal life
in Heaven to the Body of Christ, and that is God the true Christ
Jesus.]
- Q: Does the Church believe that God is a physical being?
- A: Mormons believe Jesus Christ is literally the Son of God,
the Savior and Redeemer, who died for the sins of humankind and
rose from the dead on the third day with an immortal body. God,
the Father, also has an immortal body. [Ednote: Mormons do not
believe in the cross. You won't find it anywhere in the Mormon
chapels or temples. They believe that their Jesus sweated blood
in the Garden of Gethsemane. Mormons are not allowed to wear
crosses.]
- Q: If so, does the Church believe that God lives on a planet
named Kolob?
- A: ‘Kolob’ is a term found in ancient records translated
by Joseph Smith. Joseph Smith did not provide a full description
or explanation of Kolob nor did he assign the idea particular
significance in relation to the Church’s core doctrines.
[Ednote: Kolob is described in Egyptian hyroglyphics as an upside
down bird in their standard works. Joseph Smith's translations
were disproved many years later when the Rosetta Stone was found
that exposed the true interpretation ]
- Q: Where is the planet Kolob? What significance does the
planet have to Mormons?
- A: ‘Kolob’ is a term found in ancient records translated
by Joseph Smith. Joseph Smith did not provide a full description
or explanation of Kolob nor did he assign the idea particular
significance in relation to the Church’s core doctrines.
[The Bible rejects gods that are represented by birds.]
- Q: Does the Mormon Church believe that God and Mary had physical
sex to conceive Jesus?
- A: The Church does not claim to know how Jesus was conceived
but believes the Bible and Book of Mormon references to Jesus
being born of the Virgin Mary. [Ednote: Why would God have to
have a body if that were not the case?]
- Q: Does the Mormon Church believe Jesus appeared in North
America after his crucifixion and resurrection?
- A: The appearance of Jesus in the Western Hemisphere shortly
after his resurrection is described in the Book of Mormon. Mormons
believe that when Christ told his disciples in the Bible He had
other ’sheep’ who should receive his message he was
referring to those people in the Western Hemisphere. [Ednote:
Mormons expect the Second Coming to take place in the United
States which is contrary to the Bible.]
- Q: If so, when did this happen? And under what circumstances?
- A: The appearance of Jesus in the Western Hemisphere shortly
after his resurrection is described in the Book of Mormon. Mormons
believe that when Christ told his disciples in the Bible He had
other ’sheep’ who should receive his message he was
referring to those people in the Western Hemisphere. [Ednote:
Jesus set the Old Testament prophets and believers free during
those three days mentioned in Matthew 12:40 ".. so shall
the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart
of the earth." . Jesus had to shed His blood to relieve
humanity of the curse God placed on Adam's ancestors, before
they could be set free.]
- Q: Does the Mormon Church believe its followers can become
“gods and goddesses” after death?
- A: We believe that the apostle Peter’s biblical reference
to partaking of the divine nature and the apostle Paul’s
reference to being ‘joint heirs with Christ’ reflect
the intent that children of God should strive to emulate their
Heavenly Father in every way. Throughout the eternities, Mormons
believe, they will reverence and worship God the Father and Jesus
Christ. The goal is not to equal them or to achieve parity with
them but to imitate and someday acquire their perfect goodness,
love and other divine attributes. [Ednote: Eternal marriage in
the temples represent the occult god unit and godhood is the
promise to every male and female who get sealed for eternity
after they receive the Melchizedek priesthood in a LDS temple.]
- Q: Does the Mormon Church believe that women can only gain
access to heaven with a special pass or codewords?
- A: No. [Ednote: Mormons believe in marriage because women
will need to be permitted by their husbands and knowing their
new name.]
- Q: Does the Mormon Church believe that women must serve men
on both Earth and in heaven?
- A: Absolutely not. Mormons believe that women and men are
complete equals before God and in relation to the blessings available
in the Church. [Ednote: The fact the women cannot go straight
to heaven proves that they are subserviant to their husbands.]
- Q: Is there such a thing as Mormon “underwear”?
if so, are all Mormons required to wear it? What does it symbolize?
- A: Like members of many religious faiths, Latter-day Saints
wear religious clothing. But members of other faiths — typically
those involved in permanent pastoral ministries or religious
services — usually wear religious garments as outer ceremonial
vestments or symbols of recognition. In The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints, garments are worn beneath street clothing
as a personal and private reminder of commitments to God. Garments
are considered sacred by Church members and are not regarded
as a topic for casual conversation. [Ednote: LDS garments have
Masonic symbols stitched in them to protect them from harm.]
- Q: Does the Mormon Church believe in the existence of another
physical planet or planets, where Mormons will “rule”
after their death and ascension?
- A: No. [Ednote: Mormons believe that each man who attains
the highest level of their Priesthood will have his own planet
to populate and rule]
- Q: What specifically does the Mormon Church say about African-Americans
and Native Americans?
- A: Mormons believe that all mankind are sons and daughters
of God and should be loved and respected as such. The blessings
of the gospel are available to all. [Ednote: Mormons did not
allow blacks to enter the priesthood until it was illegal by
government law to reject blacks at which point they changed their
rules.]
- Q: What are or were the “Golden Plates”?
- A: The Book of Mormon was translated by Joseph Smith from
records made on plates of gold, similar to metal plates that
have been found in other ancient cultures. It contained a history
of peoples in the Western Hemisphere including an appearance
by the Savior to them. As such, the Book of Mormon is considered
a second testimony of Jesus Christ. [Ednote: There is no historical
evidence that the Book of Mormon is based on facts even though
they show in their books that relics were found. They were not
Mormon relics.]
- Q: Are consumption of alcohol and tobacco prohibited or simply
discouraged?
- A: It is against the teachings of the Church to use alcohol
and tobacco or to drink tea and coffee.
- Q: Does the Church also ban the consumption of “hot
drinks”? And does that apply specifically to caffeinated
drinks?
- A: It is against the teachings of the Church to use alcohol
and tobacco or to drink tea and coffee.
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