What is Christmas? That is what I call a loaded question. Let me try to answer this loaded question in the most simple way I can. Phil keaggy has a song that says the following words:
" And on that day was put in motion
The means of our redemption.
And the way was opened up
As a highway to our God.
And a child was born to us,
And to us a Son was given,
For through the young and blessed Mary
Came the greatest gift of all ( Phil Keaggy)."
Christmas is the Nativity or the birth of Jesus Christ. Why is Christmas important? Well, Jesus himself answered this question while speaking to Nicodemus when He said in John chapter 3:
"John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. John 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. John 3:19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. John 3:20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. John 3:21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God (ESV)."
In closing, I just have one thing to say, and that is: Have a merry Chrstmas.
References:
ESV Bible
Phil Keaggy Lyrics
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Thursday, November 26, 2009
more than one year
I began this blog a little over a year ago, and I really had no idea of what direction I would go with it. It has really turned into a place which I post some personal theological ideas based on Holy Scripture interpretation, and other relevant thoughts. Many times I just write things that I feel at the moment ought to be written. My hope is that someone visting the site, perhaps may get a new way of seeing certain topics. I have really enjoyed writing on here this year, and I will continue writing as long as God allows me to do so.
I would like to encourage all those who visit this site to post a reply if you feel led to do so. Maybe you can enlighten me on new ways of viewing certain topics as well. God bless you, and I look forward to this next year, and the direction that the blog may take.
I would like to encourage all those who visit this site to post a reply if you feel led to do so. Maybe you can enlighten me on new ways of viewing certain topics as well. God bless you, and I look forward to this next year, and the direction that the blog may take.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
The Mansion Builder
I love going to bookstores, and looking at books on architecture. I just love all the different ideas humanity has come up with for dwelling structures. My favorite architect has always been Frank Lloyd Wright, he is no longer alive, but he left us a legacy of houses, buildings and structures that are still around and I think they are fascinating. I mean he designed temples, churches, museums, and so on. He was great. I actually own a few books that display his work. I sometimes sit down and look at these books, and I start to feel great inside. This idea of building structures reminds me of an old song.
Back in the 70's Annie Herring had a song titled "Mansion Builder" that she would sing with her siblings Nelly and Mathew Ward in the group 2nd Chapter of Acts. I use to love that song, in fact I still do, now days I usually listen to it on my Ipod. If you read out of a King James Version in the book of John it says in John 14:2-3:
"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. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where am, there ye may be also."
In these verses Jesus Christ was letting us know something very literal. I read it and interpret it as is and as it says:
"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. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where am, there ye may be also."
I think that it is great to be a believer in Christ, and to know that we have this hope. I think that if we as humans can design such wonderful dwelling places...I can not even begin to imagine the mansions that the Creator of all things would have envisioned.
Back in the 70's Annie Herring had a song titled "Mansion Builder" that she would sing with her siblings Nelly and Mathew Ward in the group 2nd Chapter of Acts. I use to love that song, in fact I still do, now days I usually listen to it on my Ipod. If you read out of a King James Version in the book of John it says in John 14:2-3:
"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. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where am, there ye may be also."
In these verses Jesus Christ was letting us know something very literal. I read it and interpret it as is and as it says:
"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. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where am, there ye may be also."
I think that it is great to be a believer in Christ, and to know that we have this hope. I think that if we as humans can design such wonderful dwelling places...I can not even begin to imagine the mansions that the Creator of all things would have envisioned.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
praxis paper on practical theology: abortion
I wrote this simple paper on abortion in a theology class that I took sometime ago, and the beliefs and views expressed in its contents are personal, they are my views thus far. I only wish that these views would be respected by my readers just as I respect your personal views wether they are in opposition or in favor of my stance on this issue. Towards the end of my paper I mention a story that was relevant to Dr. George Tiller. Dr. Tiller was recently murdered by a radical person that did not represent the Christ centered ideal of "loving our neighbor as ourselves." I personally do not condone and I rebuke any actions that would take the life of any fellow human being in protest to a legal practice which they perform such as Dr. Tiller. My personal hope is that what you take from this information is something that will make you ponder on or perhaps re-think your views on this very controversial topic. Thank you for reading the following information:
Abortion: Praxis Paper
When we say the word abortion the first thing that comes to mind is Roe v Wade, the Supreme Court case that gave the United States its present legal stance on abortion. Thru the appeals process this case made its way up to the highest Court in this country, and the decisions made by the Justices have changed the lives of all Americans directly or indirectly. Did the decisions and deliberations made by these Justices more than thirty years ago achieve the objective that they intended? The answer to this question will be addressed in this paper. For instance did it reduce teen pregnancy? Did it protect the mother from maternal mortality? Did it assist the mother in her pursuit of happiness or did she find grief? Germany established the Embryo protection Act in 1990 why? Sandra Day O’Connor said “the U.S. should look into international sources for guidance in U.S. laws”, perhaps she had a good idea. Should we turn around this case policy by legislative action? Is the consensus to do so growing?
You have two sides, the pro-lifers and the pro-abortion, and that is the divisor line. In a November 22nd,2004 document written by Sandra Curless called Maternal Mortality in the United States, she explains how there is very little information given to the public in relevance to the amount of maternal deaths during or after abortion because it is written up as some other cause of death. Is this some form of cover up? Abortion is a business, and if information of this nature would leak out it would hurt business. But a human life should be protected before any other thing when it comes to policy. If Germany has an Embryo Protection Act does this mean that they believe life begins at conception? If this is true then we have another life to protect. I mean we are environmentalists we save the Seal and the Whale, but are we concerned about Human life in general?
My opinion is that Abortion or Partial-birth abortion is the killing of human life and that is Evil. How many abortions are on record for the United States alone? Millions have been killed innocently. What is partial-birth abortion? This is a brief description of it by Cardinal, Alfonso Lopez Trujillo:
“partial-birth abortion describes an abortion technique used in the final months of pregnancy, during which there is an intervaginal partial birth of the living fetus: the content of the brain is then sucked out before delivery is complete. This technique was legalized in the United States after the decision of the Supreme Court in the case of Roe vs. Wade in 1973, which authorized the different States to issue measures permitting artifically-induced abortions.( http://vatican.va/)”
Is there something in our minds that block this reality as being evil or does God have to reveal this to us as humans?
In Maternal Mortality in the United States the author says the following:
“This is the assumption that the United States Supreme Court relied upon in its landmark ruling in Roe v. Wade,[1] and is the assumption that seemed to trouble chief Justice Warren Berger. In a later case he wrote that, “I am somewhat troubled that the Court has taken notice of various scientific and medical data in reaching its conclusion...”[2] Dr. Reardon believes that his statement was made in regard to the “judicial assessment of abortion’s safety relative to childbirth,”[3] noting that the Court has subsequently, and even recently made other statements which show its belief that more women died in childbirth than in abortion. (Citing to the Court’s language in Stenberg v. Carhart, 530 U.W. 914, 923-24 (2000), “Vacuum aspiration is considered particularly safe. The procedures for mortality rates are, for example, 5 to 10 times lower than those associated with carrying the fetus to term.”)[4] Dr. Reardon quotes the Supreme Court’s reasoning in Roe v. Wade, for why States might prohibit or regulate abortion: (1) discourage illicit sexual conduct (2) exercise a State’s interest in protecting the unborn; and (3) “to protect the pregnant woman, that is, to restrain her from submitting to a procedure that placed her life in serious jeopardy.” He notes that the Court quickly disposed of the first question, limited the State’s interest to later in the pregnancy because there was no consensus as to when life begins, and held that the State had a legitimate and compelling interest in protecting Dr. Reardon quotes the Supreme Court’s reasoning in Roe v. Wade, for why States might prohibit or regulate abortion: (1) discourage illicit sexual conduct (2) exercise a State’s interest in protecting the unborn; and (3) “to protect the pregnant woman, that is, to restrain her from submitting to a procedure that placed her life in serious jeopardy(Curless,2004, p. 22).”
Immediately, I see, Immediately I see, I see a problem in just hearing about the procedure, but I am only one voice, many others see it or they would not write about it with great concern. In judging the act we must conclude that artificially-induced abortions to kill the child should not even be happening anywhere. The Supreme Court Justices are appointed by a human, and they are human; consequently, I would right away question the fact that we all make mistakes; therefore couldn’t deliberations on this case have taken a wrong direction by error? Well, of course, just based on the humanity factor, we must acknowledge that we always need a higher power for guidance and even more in decision making. Psalm 32:8 says: “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.
The un-born child has no voice because speech is learned, but we can speak and the Bible exhorts for us to speak as it says in Proverbs 31:8:
“Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction. (Proverbs 31:8)”
The bible says much in all of the following passages about children:
“Psalms 127:3 3 Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb is a reward.
Psalms 139:13-11 13 For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. 14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.
Jeremiah 1:5 5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”
Proverbs 31:8: open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction.
1 Thessalonians 2:7 7 But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children.
Mathew 5:21Matthew 5:21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment (Holy Bible).”
This topic is always very controversial and emotional, and it draws attention to our moral values on the matter. My thoughts are that we need to get research done to obtain evidence that looks into the health of a woman in all aspects, and how much of an impact an abortion can have on her Life. And, then we need to finally decide when it is that we believe that Life really begins. We can believe whatever we choose to believe, and we can convince ourselves that a lie is true if we want, but I believe that all this grief and health issues some women are having due to abortions they had are needed to be studied in depth, and perhaps in a very time extensive manner. It would be good to have supporting scientific evidence that could reverse this trend, and make our society healthier. We should review the Judicial Policy on Abortion. We need to have a Congress that represents the people decide what type of policy we will have, and not nine individuals that were appointed by someone. We need to have the three branches of government limit themselves to functioning as to how United States Constitution intended, otherwise we can create unhealthy Policy.
What is the opinion of the Catholic Church on this topic? Well, below is a portion of writing posted on the vatican.va website that is simply on partial-birth abortion, and it is written by Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo:
“of pregnancy, during which there is an intervaginal partial birth of the living fetus: the content of the brain is then sucked out before delivery is complete. This technique was legalized in the United States after the decision of the Supreme Court in the case of Roe vs. Wade in 1973, which authorized the different States to issue measures permitting artifically- induced abortions. There is a legal raison d'être for the development of this method: it was deduced from the deliberation of the Supreme Court of the United States which states that the term "person" as used in the 14th Ammendment of the Constitution is not applicable to the unborn child, and that until the moment of birth it is possible to put an end to this child's life without incurring judicial action. On the other hand, the legislation of the various States all specify that during birth, when an infant has fully emerged from the mother's womb and shows even only the slightest sign of life, he or she is a person in the eyes of the law, so that, from the legal standpoint, to deliberately deprive the child of life would be homicide. On the other hand, it is legally permissible to kill this child during birth, on condition that the child still remains partially inside the uterus.
According to those who champion this method of abortion, it can be rapidly performed without hospitalization under a local anaesthetic. The abortion is preceded by a three-day preparation involving mechanical dilation of the cervix. The operation takes place in five stages: first, guided by ultrasound, the person carrying out the abortion, possibly after reversing the position of the fetus in the uterus, takes hold of the feet with forceps. He then draws the legs of the fetus from the womb causing the birth and extracting the baby's whole body apart from the head. Next, he makes an incision at the base of the infant's skull through which he inserts the point of a pair of scissors to puncture the cranium. A tube is then inserted through which the brain and the content of the cranium are sucked out. At this point, to conclude the abortion, the head, now reduced in size, is extracted and the dead infant delivered (Lopez Trujillo, http://vatican.va/.).”
The foregoing gives a very gruesome and horrific description of the procedure. Cardinal Lopez Trujillo continues to say:
“In spite of all this, the truth, with difficulty, is making headway. We are facing a moment of lucidity on the part of legislators when it is actually dawning on them that the perpetration of such a tremendous and brutal crime against human dignity can no longer fail to provoke the reaction, hence sanction, of the juridical order. In this regard, it is imperative to point out the different attitudes of President Clinton and President Bush in the whole of this saga (Lopez Trujillo, http://vatican.va/).”
Cardinal Lopez Trujillo closes his argument by saying the reality and the truth about partial-birth abortion and abortion in general. The following are His closing statements:
“If partial-birth abortion is banned in the United States by the House of Representatives (as everything seems to indicate it will be), we will be witnessing a true step ahead, not only of the culture of life, but also of a legal discipline more in tune with it that is rooted in a deeper understanding of the prerequisites of human dignity and in a more refined perception of the deep harmony between the right to life and the dignity of the woman( LopezTrujillo,http://vatican.va/.).”
I have tried to expose this issue as to what the problem is, and I have made observations from the Bible and from the Church's views, but how should we respond or act to solve the problem? Well, the Bible says in Proverbs 31:8: “open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction.” My interpretation is this. We have to to all that we can to be the voice for those that cannot speak for themselves so that we all have the right to Life….
What is being done? Well many people are campaigning and communicating to their legislators on the issue to try to change policy. Cases have been appealed in the courts. There are legal organizations such as the ACLJ which is headed by Jay Sekuklow that have lawyers working on the issue all over the world. People have done public marches to bring about a social awareness. Many try to fund these oerganizations to help and finance we can all help.
How is it being done? The same as I describe above, people are doing all this some have written books to raise public awareness. A good example is Janet Folger, one of her books called is True to Life. An excerpt from the closing of her book says as follows:
“I believe with all my heart that one day, when the nation sees the truth, just like Germany, our Children will be taught about what happened in our nation, They will learn in school about the American Holocaust.. And, I believe when this happens,our grandchildren will come home from school with a very important question for us... where were you when they were killing babies? I want to be able to answer, I was doing everything I could to stop it ( Folger, p. 228).”
On the internet we have several websites such as Lifenews.com which are communicating stories an issue . An example of a portion of one these stories says as follows:
“Wichita, KS (LifeNews.com) -- The abortion center that houses the business of Kansas late-term abortion practitioner George Tiller was vandalized on Tuesday night. Tiller has made national headlines because he is the subject of 19 misdemeanor charges that he did illegal abortions and he could be headed to prison if convicted. Apparently someone was able to get by the security cameras posted at Tiller's abortion facility and gain access to the roof of his building. Once there, the vandals cut a hole in the roof and inserted a garden hose and eventually flooded the abortion center with water. In addition, the perpetrators tried to seal the gate to the parking lot shut so no one could enter it. Firemen were able to gain access through the gate before the sealant dried. Pro-life groups typically condemn such illegal or violent actions and one leading pro-life observer told LifeNews.com that someone who opposes abortion may not have been responsible. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told LifeNews.com that someone affiliated with Tiller's abortion center may have caused the vandalism to try to take the spotlight off of the investigation by Attorney General Paul Morrison into the potentially illegal abortions or to engender public sympathy (Ertelt, 2007).”
In Closing, I believe as Janet Folger said in her book that “ one day, when the nation sees the truth, just like Germany, our Children will be taught about what happened in our nation”. And yes, it will all be history ,and we will have reconcilliation with that dark past, but in our present we must contnue to work hard to achieve this healing which we need, and with our faith placed in God this will occur for the benefit of all humanity. John Powell says the following in his book, Abortion: the Silent Holocaust:
“ And, I do believe that, no matter how long it takes to clarify our values, as a human family we will find our way into the light. We will someday see each life as unique and unrepeatable image and likeness of God, a fragile miracle of his love,bringing us a special message from God himself (Powell, p.178).”
I can not say it any better in my own words, just simply that we need to care and have love and compassion in our hearts for all humans and unborn humans. What is going on with abortion is extremely, extremely sad.
References:
BibleGateway.com
Card. Alfonso Lopez Trujillo.(2007)Vatican on Partial Birth abortion. Say: Pontifical
Council For The Family.Reflection Card. Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, Retrieved July 4, 2007 from http://vatican.va/.
Curless, S(2004)Maternal Mortality in the United States: Reversing the Trend by Challenging the Assumptions, November 22nd, 2004.
Ertelt, R. (2007, July 5). Abortion Center of Kansas Abortion Practitioner George Tiller Vandalized. Lifenews.com. Retrieved July 14, 2007, http://www.lifenews.com/state2374.html
Folger, J.L. (2000). True to Life,
Fort Lauderdale, Fl: Coral Ridge Ministries.
Holy Bible(2001), NKJV, Thomas Nelson Bibles
Powell, J. (1981). Abortion: the Silent Holocaust. Allen,
TX: Argus Communications.
[1] Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113, (1973).
[2] Doe v. Bolton, 410 U.S. 179, 208 (1973).
[3] Deaths Associated with abortion, at 281.
[4] Id. at note 5.
Abortion: Praxis Paper
When we say the word abortion the first thing that comes to mind is Roe v Wade, the Supreme Court case that gave the United States its present legal stance on abortion. Thru the appeals process this case made its way up to the highest Court in this country, and the decisions made by the Justices have changed the lives of all Americans directly or indirectly. Did the decisions and deliberations made by these Justices more than thirty years ago achieve the objective that they intended? The answer to this question will be addressed in this paper. For instance did it reduce teen pregnancy? Did it protect the mother from maternal mortality? Did it assist the mother in her pursuit of happiness or did she find grief? Germany established the Embryo protection Act in 1990 why? Sandra Day O’Connor said “the U.S. should look into international sources for guidance in U.S. laws”, perhaps she had a good idea. Should we turn around this case policy by legislative action? Is the consensus to do so growing?
You have two sides, the pro-lifers and the pro-abortion, and that is the divisor line. In a November 22nd,2004 document written by Sandra Curless called Maternal Mortality in the United States, she explains how there is very little information given to the public in relevance to the amount of maternal deaths during or after abortion because it is written up as some other cause of death. Is this some form of cover up? Abortion is a business, and if information of this nature would leak out it would hurt business. But a human life should be protected before any other thing when it comes to policy. If Germany has an Embryo Protection Act does this mean that they believe life begins at conception? If this is true then we have another life to protect. I mean we are environmentalists we save the Seal and the Whale, but are we concerned about Human life in general?
My opinion is that Abortion or Partial-birth abortion is the killing of human life and that is Evil. How many abortions are on record for the United States alone? Millions have been killed innocently. What is partial-birth abortion? This is a brief description of it by Cardinal, Alfonso Lopez Trujillo:
“partial-birth abortion describes an abortion technique used in the final months of pregnancy, during which there is an intervaginal partial birth of the living fetus: the content of the brain is then sucked out before delivery is complete. This technique was legalized in the United States after the decision of the Supreme Court in the case of Roe vs. Wade in 1973, which authorized the different States to issue measures permitting artifically-induced abortions.( http://vatican.va/)”
Is there something in our minds that block this reality as being evil or does God have to reveal this to us as humans?
In Maternal Mortality in the United States the author says the following:
“This is the assumption that the United States Supreme Court relied upon in its landmark ruling in Roe v. Wade,[1] and is the assumption that seemed to trouble chief Justice Warren Berger. In a later case he wrote that, “I am somewhat troubled that the Court has taken notice of various scientific and medical data in reaching its conclusion...”[2] Dr. Reardon believes that his statement was made in regard to the “judicial assessment of abortion’s safety relative to childbirth,”[3] noting that the Court has subsequently, and even recently made other statements which show its belief that more women died in childbirth than in abortion. (Citing to the Court’s language in Stenberg v. Carhart, 530 U.W. 914, 923-24 (2000), “Vacuum aspiration is considered particularly safe. The procedures for mortality rates are, for example, 5 to 10 times lower than those associated with carrying the fetus to term.”)[4] Dr. Reardon quotes the Supreme Court’s reasoning in Roe v. Wade, for why States might prohibit or regulate abortion: (1) discourage illicit sexual conduct (2) exercise a State’s interest in protecting the unborn; and (3) “to protect the pregnant woman, that is, to restrain her from submitting to a procedure that placed her life in serious jeopardy.” He notes that the Court quickly disposed of the first question, limited the State’s interest to later in the pregnancy because there was no consensus as to when life begins, and held that the State had a legitimate and compelling interest in protecting Dr. Reardon quotes the Supreme Court’s reasoning in Roe v. Wade, for why States might prohibit or regulate abortion: (1) discourage illicit sexual conduct (2) exercise a State’s interest in protecting the unborn; and (3) “to protect the pregnant woman, that is, to restrain her from submitting to a procedure that placed her life in serious jeopardy(Curless,2004, p. 22).”
Immediately, I see, Immediately I see, I see a problem in just hearing about the procedure, but I am only one voice, many others see it or they would not write about it with great concern. In judging the act we must conclude that artificially-induced abortions to kill the child should not even be happening anywhere. The Supreme Court Justices are appointed by a human, and they are human; consequently, I would right away question the fact that we all make mistakes; therefore couldn’t deliberations on this case have taken a wrong direction by error? Well, of course, just based on the humanity factor, we must acknowledge that we always need a higher power for guidance and even more in decision making. Psalm 32:8 says: “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.
The un-born child has no voice because speech is learned, but we can speak and the Bible exhorts for us to speak as it says in Proverbs 31:8:
“Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction. (Proverbs 31:8)”
The bible says much in all of the following passages about children:
“Psalms 127:3 3 Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb is a reward.
Psalms 139:13-11 13 For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. 14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.
Jeremiah 1:5 5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”
Proverbs 31:8: open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction.
1 Thessalonians 2:7 7 But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children.
Mathew 5:21Matthew 5:21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment (Holy Bible).”
This topic is always very controversial and emotional, and it draws attention to our moral values on the matter. My thoughts are that we need to get research done to obtain evidence that looks into the health of a woman in all aspects, and how much of an impact an abortion can have on her Life. And, then we need to finally decide when it is that we believe that Life really begins. We can believe whatever we choose to believe, and we can convince ourselves that a lie is true if we want, but I believe that all this grief and health issues some women are having due to abortions they had are needed to be studied in depth, and perhaps in a very time extensive manner. It would be good to have supporting scientific evidence that could reverse this trend, and make our society healthier. We should review the Judicial Policy on Abortion. We need to have a Congress that represents the people decide what type of policy we will have, and not nine individuals that were appointed by someone. We need to have the three branches of government limit themselves to functioning as to how United States Constitution intended, otherwise we can create unhealthy Policy.
What is the opinion of the Catholic Church on this topic? Well, below is a portion of writing posted on the vatican.va website that is simply on partial-birth abortion, and it is written by Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo:
“of pregnancy, during which there is an intervaginal partial birth of the living fetus: the content of the brain is then sucked out before delivery is complete. This technique was legalized in the United States after the decision of the Supreme Court in the case of Roe vs. Wade in 1973, which authorized the different States to issue measures permitting artifically- induced abortions. There is a legal raison d'être for the development of this method: it was deduced from the deliberation of the Supreme Court of the United States which states that the term "person" as used in the 14th Ammendment of the Constitution is not applicable to the unborn child, and that until the moment of birth it is possible to put an end to this child's life without incurring judicial action. On the other hand, the legislation of the various States all specify that during birth, when an infant has fully emerged from the mother's womb and shows even only the slightest sign of life, he or she is a person in the eyes of the law, so that, from the legal standpoint, to deliberately deprive the child of life would be homicide. On the other hand, it is legally permissible to kill this child during birth, on condition that the child still remains partially inside the uterus.
According to those who champion this method of abortion, it can be rapidly performed without hospitalization under a local anaesthetic. The abortion is preceded by a three-day preparation involving mechanical dilation of the cervix. The operation takes place in five stages: first, guided by ultrasound, the person carrying out the abortion, possibly after reversing the position of the fetus in the uterus, takes hold of the feet with forceps. He then draws the legs of the fetus from the womb causing the birth and extracting the baby's whole body apart from the head. Next, he makes an incision at the base of the infant's skull through which he inserts the point of a pair of scissors to puncture the cranium. A tube is then inserted through which the brain and the content of the cranium are sucked out. At this point, to conclude the abortion, the head, now reduced in size, is extracted and the dead infant delivered (Lopez Trujillo, http://vatican.va/.).”
The foregoing gives a very gruesome and horrific description of the procedure. Cardinal Lopez Trujillo continues to say:
“In spite of all this, the truth, with difficulty, is making headway. We are facing a moment of lucidity on the part of legislators when it is actually dawning on them that the perpetration of such a tremendous and brutal crime against human dignity can no longer fail to provoke the reaction, hence sanction, of the juridical order. In this regard, it is imperative to point out the different attitudes of President Clinton and President Bush in the whole of this saga (Lopez Trujillo, http://vatican.va/).”
Cardinal Lopez Trujillo closes his argument by saying the reality and the truth about partial-birth abortion and abortion in general. The following are His closing statements:
“If partial-birth abortion is banned in the United States by the House of Representatives (as everything seems to indicate it will be), we will be witnessing a true step ahead, not only of the culture of life, but also of a legal discipline more in tune with it that is rooted in a deeper understanding of the prerequisites of human dignity and in a more refined perception of the deep harmony between the right to life and the dignity of the woman( LopezTrujillo,http://vatican.va/.).”
I have tried to expose this issue as to what the problem is, and I have made observations from the Bible and from the Church's views, but how should we respond or act to solve the problem? Well, the Bible says in Proverbs 31:8: “open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction.” My interpretation is this. We have to to all that we can to be the voice for those that cannot speak for themselves so that we all have the right to Life….
What is being done? Well many people are campaigning and communicating to their legislators on the issue to try to change policy. Cases have been appealed in the courts. There are legal organizations such as the ACLJ which is headed by Jay Sekuklow that have lawyers working on the issue all over the world. People have done public marches to bring about a social awareness. Many try to fund these oerganizations to help and finance we can all help.
How is it being done? The same as I describe above, people are doing all this some have written books to raise public awareness. A good example is Janet Folger, one of her books called is True to Life. An excerpt from the closing of her book says as follows:
“I believe with all my heart that one day, when the nation sees the truth, just like Germany, our Children will be taught about what happened in our nation, They will learn in school about the American Holocaust.. And, I believe when this happens,our grandchildren will come home from school with a very important question for us... where were you when they were killing babies? I want to be able to answer, I was doing everything I could to stop it ( Folger, p. 228).”
On the internet we have several websites such as Lifenews.com which are communicating stories an issue . An example of a portion of one these stories says as follows:
“Wichita, KS (LifeNews.com) -- The abortion center that houses the business of Kansas late-term abortion practitioner George Tiller was vandalized on Tuesday night. Tiller has made national headlines because he is the subject of 19 misdemeanor charges that he did illegal abortions and he could be headed to prison if convicted. Apparently someone was able to get by the security cameras posted at Tiller's abortion facility and gain access to the roof of his building. Once there, the vandals cut a hole in the roof and inserted a garden hose and eventually flooded the abortion center with water. In addition, the perpetrators tried to seal the gate to the parking lot shut so no one could enter it. Firemen were able to gain access through the gate before the sealant dried. Pro-life groups typically condemn such illegal or violent actions and one leading pro-life observer told LifeNews.com that someone who opposes abortion may not have been responsible. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told LifeNews.com that someone affiliated with Tiller's abortion center may have caused the vandalism to try to take the spotlight off of the investigation by Attorney General Paul Morrison into the potentially illegal abortions or to engender public sympathy (Ertelt, 2007).”
In Closing, I believe as Janet Folger said in her book that “ one day, when the nation sees the truth, just like Germany, our Children will be taught about what happened in our nation”. And yes, it will all be history ,and we will have reconcilliation with that dark past, but in our present we must contnue to work hard to achieve this healing which we need, and with our faith placed in God this will occur for the benefit of all humanity. John Powell says the following in his book, Abortion: the Silent Holocaust:
“ And, I do believe that, no matter how long it takes to clarify our values, as a human family we will find our way into the light. We will someday see each life as unique and unrepeatable image and likeness of God, a fragile miracle of his love,bringing us a special message from God himself (Powell, p.178).”
I can not say it any better in my own words, just simply that we need to care and have love and compassion in our hearts for all humans and unborn humans. What is going on with abortion is extremely, extremely sad.
References:
BibleGateway.com
Card. Alfonso Lopez Trujillo.(2007)Vatican on Partial Birth abortion. Say: Pontifical
Council For The Family.Reflection Card. Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, Retrieved July 4, 2007 from http://vatican.va/.
Curless, S(2004)Maternal Mortality in the United States: Reversing the Trend by Challenging the Assumptions, November 22nd, 2004.
Ertelt, R. (2007, July 5). Abortion Center of Kansas Abortion Practitioner George Tiller Vandalized. Lifenews.com. Retrieved July 14, 2007, http://www.lifenews.com/state2374.html
Folger, J.L. (2000). True to Life,
Fort Lauderdale, Fl: Coral Ridge Ministries.
Holy Bible(2001), NKJV, Thomas Nelson Bibles
Powell, J. (1981). Abortion: the Silent Holocaust. Allen,
TX: Argus Communications.
[1] Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113, (1973).
[2] Doe v. Bolton, 410 U.S. 179, 208 (1973).
[3] Deaths Associated with abortion, at 281.
[4] Id. at note 5.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
The Ten Virgins
Mathew 25:1-13 says:
"Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, 'Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise answered, saying, 'Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.' And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, lord, open to us.' But he answered, 'Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.' Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour."
In this parable told by Jesus, all 10 are virgins, and all became drowsy because of the bridegrooms delay. We don't know how long the delay was, but it was long. Half of them were wise and got enough oil. At midnight the bridegroom came, and half of them had to go buy oil. The bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Half of the virgins were left out of the feast. The shut door reminds me of the story of Noah when the door to the Ark was shut by God.
Genesis 7:15-17 says:
"And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh wherein is the breath of life. And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God commanded him; and the LORD shut him in. And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bore up the ark, and it was lifted up above the earth."
Genesis 7:21-22 says
"And all flesh perished that moved upon the earth, both fowl, and cattle, and beast, and every swarming thing that swarmeth upon the earth, and every man; all in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, whatsoever was in the dry land, died."
Jesus spoke concerning His return as the ruling Messiah in Mathew 24:36-39 it says:
"But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
If I return to the original story, we know that Jesus always refers to himself as the bridegroom. I do not have to explain this story, but the question we must ask ourselves is do we have enough oil in our lamps? it has been about 2000 years since the bridegroom was taken away. Although it says in Acts 1:9-11:
"And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven."
Do we still have enough oil in our lamps? Do we know what the oil symbolizes in scripture? We may not be at the hour of midnight, but are we in the eleventh hour? Do we believe in the words Jesus spoke? Should we, at this hour be pondering on why Jesus told this parable? I personally think we should be.
References:
Esv Bible
JPS Tanakh
"Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, 'Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise answered, saying, 'Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.' And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, lord, open to us.' But he answered, 'Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.' Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour."
In this parable told by Jesus, all 10 are virgins, and all became drowsy because of the bridegrooms delay. We don't know how long the delay was, but it was long. Half of them were wise and got enough oil. At midnight the bridegroom came, and half of them had to go buy oil. The bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Half of the virgins were left out of the feast. The shut door reminds me of the story of Noah when the door to the Ark was shut by God.
Genesis 7:15-17 says:
"And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh wherein is the breath of life. And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God commanded him; and the LORD shut him in. And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bore up the ark, and it was lifted up above the earth."
Genesis 7:21-22 says
"And all flesh perished that moved upon the earth, both fowl, and cattle, and beast, and every swarming thing that swarmeth upon the earth, and every man; all in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, whatsoever was in the dry land, died."
Jesus spoke concerning His return as the ruling Messiah in Mathew 24:36-39 it says:
"But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
If I return to the original story, we know that Jesus always refers to himself as the bridegroom. I do not have to explain this story, but the question we must ask ourselves is do we have enough oil in our lamps? it has been about 2000 years since the bridegroom was taken away. Although it says in Acts 1:9-11:
"And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven."
Do we still have enough oil in our lamps? Do we know what the oil symbolizes in scripture? We may not be at the hour of midnight, but are we in the eleventh hour? Do we believe in the words Jesus spoke? Should we, at this hour be pondering on why Jesus told this parable? I personally think we should be.
References:
Esv Bible
JPS Tanakh
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Let’s put God where He belongs
Many people today want to put God or Christ back into places like our schools. I do not believe that it is our job to legislate our beliefs or that we should push what we believe on others. We should be ready to defend our faith when it is questioned, and that may be more complex than I could even imagine because each questioning could vary widely. I do not really know what putting God or Christ somewhere means, but I imagine that the ones who want to place Him back have good intentions. I do know that He belongs in our hearts. Paul said the following in the Agora while speaking in Athens and it was that “God does not live in temples made by man.” These words are found in the following verses of the book of Acts.
“Acts 17:24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man,
Acts 17:25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.
Acts 17:26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place,
Acts 17:27 that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us,”
In closing, if God indeed created us and all things…trust me, He has not been removed from anywhere since He is the one that placed us wherever we are at the present time. Let’s put God where He belongs in us, and not in some building we feel He should be in.
References:
ESV Bible
“Acts 17:24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man,
Acts 17:25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.
Acts 17:26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place,
Acts 17:27 that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us,”
In closing, if God indeed created us and all things…trust me, He has not been removed from anywhere since He is the one that placed us wherever we are at the present time. Let’s put God where He belongs in us, and not in some building we feel He should be in.
References:
ESV Bible
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Whats so amazing about Jesus Christ?
Whats so amazing about Jesus Christ?
Well, the title itself asks the big question. Whats so amazing about Jesus Christ? Really, we might all think about that movie Mel Gibson made titled The Passion of the Christ. In that film we see Jesus go through a great deal of torture that seemed almost unbearable, and ultimately he is crucified and He is buried. Now, if Jesus was the son of the living God then why did he allow for this to happen to him? If we read the scriptures we know that in Hebrew society the law was given to Moses by God, and when men violated the law an animal had to be presented as a sacrifice in order to have atonement.
The following two verses address the issue of the law:
"Hebrews 9:19 For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people,"
"Hebrews 9:22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins."
Jesus Christ said the following in Mathew 5:17: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
The apostle Paul says the following in:
"Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death."
"Romans 8:3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,"
"Romans 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes."
"Hebrews 7:28 For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever. "
"Galatians 2:21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose."
Nicodemus came to Jesus at night hiding because becuse he was member of the San Hidrin and he was trying to avoid being seen. Jesus said to him the most amazing words ever spoken which say as follows:
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. John 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. John 3:19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. John 3:20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. John 3:21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God."
Finally, whats so amazing about Jesus Christ?
Jesus died and resurected on the third day to redeem us, and whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Many many years before the Jesus Christ had come into the world the book of Psalms said in Psalms 55:18 (55:19): "He hath redeemed my soul in peace so that none came nigh me; for they were many that strove with me."
Whats so amazing about Jesus Christ? I encourage you to seek and research His life and the things He said and I guarantee that you will find out, and your life will be transformed in this process. My wish is that you become a believer in Him, and accept him as your savior as I have.... I could talk forever on this question because to me everything about Jesus Christ is amazing, and I will never run out of things to say about Jesus, Amen.
References:
JPS Tanahk
ESV Bible
Well, the title itself asks the big question. Whats so amazing about Jesus Christ? Really, we might all think about that movie Mel Gibson made titled The Passion of the Christ. In that film we see Jesus go through a great deal of torture that seemed almost unbearable, and ultimately he is crucified and He is buried. Now, if Jesus was the son of the living God then why did he allow for this to happen to him? If we read the scriptures we know that in Hebrew society the law was given to Moses by God, and when men violated the law an animal had to be presented as a sacrifice in order to have atonement.
The following two verses address the issue of the law:
"Hebrews 9:19 For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people,"
"Hebrews 9:22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins."
Jesus Christ said the following in Mathew 5:17: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
The apostle Paul says the following in:
"Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death."
"Romans 8:3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,"
"Romans 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes."
"Hebrews 7:28 For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever. "
"Galatians 2:21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose."
Nicodemus came to Jesus at night hiding because becuse he was member of the San Hidrin and he was trying to avoid being seen. Jesus said to him the most amazing words ever spoken which say as follows:
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. John 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. John 3:19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. John 3:20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. John 3:21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God."
Finally, whats so amazing about Jesus Christ?
Jesus died and resurected on the third day to redeem us, and whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Many many years before the Jesus Christ had come into the world the book of Psalms said in Psalms 55:18 (55:19): "He hath redeemed my soul in peace so that none came nigh me; for they were many that strove with me."
Whats so amazing about Jesus Christ? I encourage you to seek and research His life and the things He said and I guarantee that you will find out, and your life will be transformed in this process. My wish is that you become a believer in Him, and accept him as your savior as I have.... I could talk forever on this question because to me everything about Jesus Christ is amazing, and I will never run out of things to say about Jesus, Amen.
References:
JPS Tanahk
ESV Bible
Saturday, August 8, 2009
our pets
I was just thinking about how many of us have pets that make us happy, well, maybe not all the time. We have a dog that is kind of old, and she is pretty much ok as long as she gets fed, and has a nice walk every now and then. Our cat on the other hand is young and restless...moreover, he has already had his pelvis broken in three places because he ran away and was accidentally hit by a car. To make it even worse, after a month of healing in a cage so that he would not run away and endanger his life, he still tries to run away when he can.
How does this foregoing personal story relate to Judeo-Christian theology? Well, sometimes our pets can make us angry, but I think God has certain expectations from us with relevance to our relationship with our animals. Proverbs 12:10 says:
"Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel."
If you have a greater number of animals, Proverbs 27:23 says:
"Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds."
In closing, I am aware that this is not a major theological revelation, but however, be good to your pets and to other human beings as well...God bless you.
Reference:
ESV Bible
How does this foregoing personal story relate to Judeo-Christian theology? Well, sometimes our pets can make us angry, but I think God has certain expectations from us with relevance to our relationship with our animals. Proverbs 12:10 says:
"Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel."
If you have a greater number of animals, Proverbs 27:23 says:
"Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds."
In closing, I am aware that this is not a major theological revelation, but however, be good to your pets and to other human beings as well...God bless you.
Reference:
ESV Bible
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Giving
I never went back to the congregation which made people go up and give offering before they could participate in communion( Eucharist). This foregoing statement is relevant to a comment I made on my previous tithing posting. I never went back because anyone that had perhaps given all they had on the previous week, and had nothing on this week, would not be able to participate from a communion, but instead be humbled in their seats as they watched all those givers that did things to be seen in public ( you know them, they parade in front of others with the expensive suits, and jewelry). I am very happy at my present congregation because they just keep boxes in the rear of the building, and one is free to give whenever. Moreover, this method of giving must be working because they are one of the top 10 largest congregations in the U.S.
I said all this before because Jesus told us to give in the following manner:
Mathew 6:2 says "Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward."
Mathew 6:3 says "But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing."
The foregoing is making a very clear emphasis on being very private about our giving....
Mathew 5:42 says "Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you."
We definitely need to give, Jesus told us to give.
Luke 6:38 says "give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you."
Reference:
ESV Bible
I said all this before because Jesus told us to give in the following manner:
Mathew 6:2 says "Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward."
Mathew 6:3 says "But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing."
The foregoing is making a very clear emphasis on being very private about our giving....
Mathew 5:42 says "Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you."
We definitely need to give, Jesus told us to give.
Luke 6:38 says "give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you."
Reference:
ESV Bible
Sunday, July 19, 2009
The words of Jesus
In the book of John, Jesus says:
John 14:10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.
The key focus in this text is when Jesus says: "The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority." We could probably read all that Jesus said in about 2 or 3 hours, or perhaps maybe even quicker depending on how fast we read. If you have one of those Bibles which has His words highlighted in red, it is even easier to read them. I believe that in order to get closer to God we need to focus greatly and deligently on any word or words which Jesus spoke. The four gospels have the largest percentage of Jesus's words. I believe that we need to inscribe these words in our hearts and minds beacuse they focus on Gods will for this planet. When Jesus taught us how to pray he said In Mathew :
Mathew 6:10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
In closing, this entire creation is about God's plan.... We need to fall into His plan, He does not fall into our plan no matter how hard you wish to pray to have it changed. Therefore, as Jesus said: "The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority."If we want to hear God's voice then we should start by reading Jesus's words. After all, we are called Christians when we deny ourselves as Jesus said in Mathew:
Mathew 16:24 Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
Moreover, we have to let our light shine, and our light is Jesus...the light of the world who stepped down into darkness, and opened our eyes to let us see.
Mathew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Reference:
ESV Bible
John 14:10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.
The key focus in this text is when Jesus says: "The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority." We could probably read all that Jesus said in about 2 or 3 hours, or perhaps maybe even quicker depending on how fast we read. If you have one of those Bibles which has His words highlighted in red, it is even easier to read them. I believe that in order to get closer to God we need to focus greatly and deligently on any word or words which Jesus spoke. The four gospels have the largest percentage of Jesus's words. I believe that we need to inscribe these words in our hearts and minds beacuse they focus on Gods will for this planet. When Jesus taught us how to pray he said In Mathew :
Mathew 6:10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
In closing, this entire creation is about God's plan.... We need to fall into His plan, He does not fall into our plan no matter how hard you wish to pray to have it changed. Therefore, as Jesus said: "The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority."If we want to hear God's voice then we should start by reading Jesus's words. After all, we are called Christians when we deny ourselves as Jesus said in Mathew:
Mathew 16:24 Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
Moreover, we have to let our light shine, and our light is Jesus...the light of the world who stepped down into darkness, and opened our eyes to let us see.
Mathew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Reference:
ESV Bible
Friday, July 10, 2009
thanks e-sword
I am really very grateful for Rick Meyers and e-sword for really giving me the electronic edge on my scriptural searches...may God bless you greatly and abundantly.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
On Tithing
In 2009, we are not under the Law, Jesus said In Luke 16:16: “the Law and the prophets was until John the Baptist (voice crying in the Wilderness in Isaiah).”John the Baptist died about 2000 years ago.
Luke 16:16 says:
"The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it ( ESV Bible).”
Churches collect tithe. People give tithe and it is the Law. If we wish to be under the Law then we should follow it completely. What does the Bible say on Tithing?
Deuteronomy 26: 11-12says:
“And thou shalt rejoice in all the good which the LORD thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thy house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is in the midst of thee.
When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithe of thine increase in the third year, which is the year of tithing, and hast given it unto the Levite, to the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow, that they may eat within thy gates, and be satisfied ( JPS Tanakh),”
The tithe from the increase on the third year was to be divided into 4 parts (the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow) according to the law. In other words 2.5%+2.5%+2.5%+2.5%= 10%, that is how you split that into 4 parts.
Should we give? Yes, it is better to give than to receive. If you are not under the Law God may ask you to give more or less, we should hear His voice to know what we are to give. The Pharisees followed the Law, but what did Jesus say about them and tithing?
Mathew 23: 23 says:
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others (ESV Bible).”
Jesus said that tithing was not as important as judgment, mercy, and faith. I have heard many messages where Finances have been taken out of the context of Gods word, and that is why I wrote this thus far. If anything I would be more concern that Jesus does not call me the following: “Woe unto you, scribe and Pharisee, hypocrite!”
Next time you hear God asking you to give, give what he asks you to give….
We must give! But, if you wish to give under the Law then read what Jesus said about the Law in Luke 16: 16-17….
Luke 16:16 says:
"The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it ( ESV Bible).”
Churches collect tithe. People give tithe and it is the Law. If we wish to be under the Law then we should follow it completely. What does the Bible say on Tithing?
Deuteronomy 26: 11-12says:
“And thou shalt rejoice in all the good which the LORD thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thy house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is in the midst of thee.
When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithe of thine increase in the third year, which is the year of tithing, and hast given it unto the Levite, to the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow, that they may eat within thy gates, and be satisfied ( JPS Tanakh),”
The tithe from the increase on the third year was to be divided into 4 parts (the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow) according to the law. In other words 2.5%+2.5%+2.5%+2.5%= 10%, that is how you split that into 4 parts.
Should we give? Yes, it is better to give than to receive. If you are not under the Law God may ask you to give more or less, we should hear His voice to know what we are to give. The Pharisees followed the Law, but what did Jesus say about them and tithing?
Mathew 23: 23 says:
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others (ESV Bible).”
Jesus said that tithing was not as important as judgment, mercy, and faith. I have heard many messages where Finances have been taken out of the context of Gods word, and that is why I wrote this thus far. If anything I would be more concern that Jesus does not call me the following: “Woe unto you, scribe and Pharisee, hypocrite!”
Next time you hear God asking you to give, give what he asks you to give….
We must give! But, if you wish to give under the Law then read what Jesus said about the Law in Luke 16: 16-17….
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Apologetics?
I do not know if you are a believer or not, but Apologetics is basically defending the faith. What faith? Well, if you read some of the writings on here, you will find out. If you have questions, ask them, and I will try to give you the best answer I possibly can. I am not Lee Strobel, Ravi Zacharias or Billy Graham, but I will try to answer you. I will try to always post things I feel should be said. I hope you enjoy your visit, and may God bless you....
do we eat too much, and is it a sin?
Well eating too much might not be one of the six abominations as it says in the book of Proverbs:
Pro 6:16 There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: Pro 6:17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, Pro 6:18 a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, Pro 6:19 a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.
But, when we research Sodom which was destroyed by God in the book of Genesis because of sin, then we see that fulness of bread and not helping the poor and the needy was their sins as Ezekiel says:
Eze 16:49 Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom: pride, fulness of bread, and careless ease was in her and in her daughters; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. Eze 16:50 And they were haughty, and committed abomination before Me; therefore I removed them when I saw it.
Strange, but in the foregoing verses, homesexuality is not even mentioned as some tend to believe was the problem. Sin is sin no matter if it is heterosexual or homosexual.
Perhaps all of these things are the reason Jesus says the following in Mathew:
Mat 25:35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, Mat 25:36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.'
Somehow, I seem to tie all these things together as something to think and act on.
References:
JPS Tanakh
ESV Bible
Pro 6:16 There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: Pro 6:17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, Pro 6:18 a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, Pro 6:19 a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.
But, when we research Sodom which was destroyed by God in the book of Genesis because of sin, then we see that fulness of bread and not helping the poor and the needy was their sins as Ezekiel says:
Eze 16:49 Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom: pride, fulness of bread, and careless ease was in her and in her daughters; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. Eze 16:50 And they were haughty, and committed abomination before Me; therefore I removed them when I saw it.
Strange, but in the foregoing verses, homesexuality is not even mentioned as some tend to believe was the problem. Sin is sin no matter if it is heterosexual or homosexual.
Perhaps all of these things are the reason Jesus says the following in Mathew:
Mat 25:35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, Mat 25:36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.'
Somehow, I seem to tie all these things together as something to think and act on.
References:
JPS Tanakh
ESV Bible
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
on fasting
Mathew 9:15 says:
And Jesus said to them, "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.
Acts 1:11 says:
and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven."
My thought on both of these verses is that the bridegroom has been taken away, and we do not know when He will return; however, we should be fasting because of the fact that for now, He has been taken away.
Reference:
ESV Bible
And Jesus said to them, "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.
Acts 1:11 says:
and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven."
My thought on both of these verses is that the bridegroom has been taken away, and we do not know when He will return; however, we should be fasting because of the fact that for now, He has been taken away.
Reference:
ESV Bible
Thursday, June 25, 2009
A God family?
The book Isaiah says:
Isa 50:1 Thus saith the LORD: Where is the bill of your mother's divorcement, wherewith I have put her away? Or which of My creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities were ye sold, and for your transgressions was your mother put away.
The book of Proverbs says:
Pro 30:4 Who hath ascended up into heaven, and descended? Who hath gathered the wind in his fists? Who hath bound the waters in his garment? Who hath established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou knowest?
Question:
Does God have a family, these two verses seem to give this impression since they mention a mother and a son?
Isa 50:1 Thus saith the LORD: Where is the bill of your mother's divorcement, wherewith I have put her away? Or which of My creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities were ye sold, and for your transgressions was your mother put away.
The book of Proverbs says:
Pro 30:4 Who hath ascended up into heaven, and descended? Who hath gathered the wind in his fists? Who hath bound the waters in his garment? Who hath established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou knowest?
Question:
Does God have a family, these two verses seem to give this impression since they mention a mother and a son?
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
God and discipline
The Book of Proverbs says the following:
Proverbs 3:11 My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD, neither spurn thou His correction;
Proverbs 3:12 For whom the LORD loveth He correcteth, even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
Questions:
Can this be mans words inspired by God, explain?
Do we believe these words?
Does God actually correct or discipline?
References:
JPS TANAKH
Proverbs 3:11 My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD, neither spurn thou His correction;
Proverbs 3:12 For whom the LORD loveth He correcteth, even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
Questions:
Can this be mans words inspired by God, explain?
Do we believe these words?
Does God actually correct or discipline?
References:
JPS TANAKH
Saturday, June 20, 2009
worlds next to us that are invisible?
In Elegant Universe, Brian Greene said : "There could be entire worlds right next to us, but completely invisible."
The interesting thing is that in the oldest manuscripts of the book of Hebrews a similar parallel occurs which reads as follows: " Hebrews 11:3 -By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible."
The comment I have is that it is a amazing how a young scientist today seems to be making a statement that may justify Hebrews 11:3.
references:
Elegant Universe Transcript
ESV Bible
The interesting thing is that in the oldest manuscripts of the book of Hebrews a similar parallel occurs which reads as follows: " Hebrews 11:3 -By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible."
The comment I have is that it is a amazing how a young scientist today seems to be making a statement that may justify Hebrews 11:3.
references:
Elegant Universe Transcript
ESV Bible