All posts for the month June, 2007

China’s pride may be its downfall in the world market

Back in 1996, about 88 Haitian children died from a poisonous drug substance that was given to them.  It was traced back to China.  Then last year 100 people died in Panama from a poisonous chemical in their medicine.  The product was once again traced back to China.  Also last year 18 people in China died from poisonous medicine.  In May of this year, the Dominican Republic found tainted tubes of toothpaste that were imported into their country from China.

Then, of course, we had our own pet food scare, toothpaste recalls, tire recalls, and now a block on seafood–all originating from China. These incidents have taken place in other nations around the world as well.  In a previous post I briefly mentioned China’s ongoing resistance to change its unfair trading practices.  As it turns out, the Chinese companies making chemical products are not qualified to do so.  They have been able to hide the origin of their products by selling them to companies in other nations (primarily European nations) who then resell the products on the world market without any notification of where those products originate.

Now that the U.S. is not allowing certain Chinese seafood into our country because it has been repeatedly found to be tainted with dangerous chemicals, a top Chinese official, Li Changjiang, is protesting the block.  He criticized the block for being “indiscriminate” and has urged the FDA to try to work things out with them instead of automatically stopping the seafood from being imported here, according to CNN.  Mr. Changjiang’s protest seems like too little, too late to me.  When U.S. officials were trying to investigate the origin of the poisonous products, more often than not the Chinese government stonewalled the process.  Now all of a sudden they claim they want to cooperate?

The Chinese government has a history of human rights abuses and because they have gotten away with it for so long, their blatant disregard for human life and their corrupt way of thinking is being reflected in how they execute trades in the world market.  As I mentioned before, they have been responsible for selling their goods internationally at below market prices, manipulating their currency, and violating intellectual property rights by counterfeiting products and have not received any type of punishment.  So now the leaven of their evil ways has leavened the whole lump of international trade and it has cost many citizens in many nations their very lives.  Now that their human rights abuses have stretched beyond their own borders, maybe the world will finally take necessary action to put a stop to their nonsense.

Yes, China’s economy has been strong, but because they are puffed up in their pride and don’t want anyone to tell them they are wrong for some of the things they do, their own pride and haughtiness will lead to the weakening of their economy if they’re not careful.

“Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18

“When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly [humble] is wisdom.” Proverbs 11:2

–posted by Harry A. Gaylord–

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by Harry A. Gaylord on June 30, 2007  •  Permalink
Posted in Christianity, economics, government, human rights, humanity, politics

Posted by Harry A. Gaylord on June 30, 2007

http://sunandshield.wordpress.com/2007/06/30/chinas-pride-may-be-its-downfall-in-the-world-market/

Resurrection originated with God, not Osiris

GizehChristianity’s concept of resurrection has often been criticized as being a knock-off of ancient Egypt’s story of Osiris.  There are several versions of the mythological story of the Egyptian god Osiris, but they all pale in comparison to the truth of resurrection as told to mankind in God’s word.  Satan still has access to heaven as mentioned in the book of Job where he presents himself to God and in Revelation where he stands before God to accuse his saints.  I believe in ancient times, he understood that God has the power to bring the dead back to life, so he worked through ancient Egyptians to conjure up idolatrous myths to try and take glory away from the one true God, Jehovah.  In ancient Hebrew, the word for life is chayah, and the word not only speaks of something that is alive, but also implies that one who is physically dead can be revived again to life.  Perhaps this word was derived from an ancient tongue which preceded ancient Egypt and Satan, knowing the concept of resurrection existed, used this opportunity to devise his own idea of it.

Since the internet has the myth of Osiris readily available for anyone who wants to read it, I’ll just highlight a few things that it states and see if statements in the story hold up to the truth in the Bible.

  • Osiris is the god of the dead, the god of the underworld.
  • Jesus Christ is the Lord of heaven and earth (Acts 17:24).  He is also the God of the living, not the dead (Mark 12:26-28).  The underworld, or hell, is Satan’s domain (Isaiah 14:12-15).
  • Osiris’ body was cut into pieces and scattered throughout Egypt.
  • In fulfillment of the prophecy in Psalm 34:20, not even one of Christ’s bones was broken (John 19:32-36).
  • Osiris came back to life by an Egyptian magic ritual.
  • Jesus Christ came back to life by the power of the living God (Acts 3:14-15), who hates magic/sorcery (Exodus 9:11).
  • Osiris did not make any physical appearances to his followers because Egyptian mythology says those who have died can never return to the land of the living.  Osiris had to descend directly to Duat, the abode of the dead.  (This whole concept is contradictory since resurrection means that a dead person returns to the land of the living.  So, I guess Osiris never resurrected.)  However, other accounts of the story claim he appeared to his son, Horus.
  • Jesus Christ made bodily appearances to his followers after he was raised from the dead.  They were able to touch him to verify he was real.  After his bodily appearances, he ascended to heaven.Tomb

Although Jesus Christ was not the first to rise from the dead, he is the first to rise and never physically die again.  The Old Testament has several scriptures testifying of actual resurrections or stating that resurrection is real and here they are:

  • 1 Kings 17:17-24 (Elijah raises a boy from the dead)
  • 2 Kings 4:32-37 (Elisha raises a boy from the dead)
  • 2 Kings 13:20-21 (A dead body touches Elisha’s bones and comes back to life)
  • Job 19:25-26 (Job knows he will rise from the dead)
  • Psalm 16:10; 17:15; 49:15; 71:20 (Resurrection scriptures in general and about Christ)
  • Isaiah 26:19
  • Hosea 6:2

–posted by Harry A. Gaylord–

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by Harry A. Gaylord on June 29, 2007  •  Permalink
Posted in Bible, Christianity, God, idolatry, Jesus Christ, religion, resurrection
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Posted by Harry A. Gaylord on June 29, 2007

http://sunandshield.wordpress.com/2007/06/29/resurrection-originated-with-god-not-osiris/

Christians need to stop complaining

according to a challenge started last year at a church in Kansas City, MO.  The pastor of that congregation thought it would be a good idea to put on a wristband that would have to be switched to the opposite wrist each time the individual wearing it caught themselves complaining.

The challenge has spread to other churches around the U.S. and was taken up most recently by a church in Evansville, IN.  The idea is based on Philippians 2:14-15 which reads “Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault…” in the New King James Version (NKJV).  Church leaders who support the challenge feel that if we stop being so negative, we can focus on God’s blessings.

I guess I can see their point to a certain degree.  In my opinion, complaints have validity and I, for one, don’t think that Christians should walk around with rose-colored glasses always speaking positive things, never talking about our problems, and smiling all the time.  That’s unrealistic in this evil world we live in and neither Jesus nor his disciples walked around in such a “I’m OK, you’re OK” stupor.

Maybe I should start with the question–what exactly is a complaint?  According to Webster’s Collegiate, it is an expression of grief, pain, or dissatisfaction; something that is the cause or subject of protest or outcry; or a formal allegation against a party.  By looking at the definition, I would conclude complaints have merit.  So if some complaints have merit, does the scripture really tell us not to complain?  We’ve just seen what the NKJV says, so let’s take a look at the old King James:

“Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke,”

So the KJV uses the word murmurings, which in this context is slightly different than a complaint.  To murmur means to debate a point in secret or to express a displeasure in secret in a way that is not done openly.  Murmuring is what a person does when they choose not to confront an issue openly because they are either afraid, or they know what they’re saying has no real merit, or they want to needlessly stir up discontent in secret out of envy, jealousy, or malice.  A complaint is something that is addressed openly so that a resolution can be agreed upon.

Since that is the case, Christians have the right to register their complaints.  As a matter of fact, even Jesus complained when it came to the Jews’ resistance to the truth, when his disciples didn’t get what he was teaching, and when the churches in Revelation neglected their proper ministries.  The Greek Christians complained in Acts when their widows were being overlooked in the food distribution.  Even the apostles complained about false teachings in the church, lies being told about them, and the sinfulness of some in the church who called themselves saints.

This movement to stop complaints is born out of the touchy-feely, power of positive thinking mumbo-jumbo promoted by Robert Schuller and others like him who want to avoid confronting sin as much as possible so they can swell their membership numbers through their easy-believism.  This type of false teaching leads to people thinking they’re saved when they really aren’t or can lead to spiritual weakness in genuine Christians.

So, as a Christian, I’m going to complain as much as needed if something needs to be corrected. 

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by Harry A. Gaylord on June 26, 2007  •  Permalink
Posted in Bible, Christianity, church, life, religion

Posted by Harry A. Gaylord on June 26, 2007

http://sunandshield.wordpress.com/2007/06/26/christians-need-to-stop-complaining/

World Council of Churches continues anti-Israeli sentiments

The World Council of Churches (WCC), headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, has announced a new tactic in its ongoing “we hate Israel” campaign.  It is an organization with over 340 churches in its membership in over 100 nations.  Claiming to represent approximately 560 million “Christians” worldwide, it got its start in 1948, the same year the Jews were given sanction to establish modern Israel.  Coincidence?  I think not.

According to the Associated Press, it’s new tactic calls for churches around the world to pressure Israel to give up all lands it acquired in the Six Day War of 1967 when Israel was attacked by Egypt, Syria, and Jordan without provocation.  Even though the lands are the spoils of war rightfully gained by Israel defending itself, the WCC considers the lands as unlawful seizures.  They plan to recruit every religious group they can for their endeavor, with Jordan as the base of their godless campaign.  According to a statement they released, “The initiative aims at calling on all churches to work seriously for putting an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian and Arab lands.” 

Their initiative, established at the opening of a recent three day meeting, is also set to begin the Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum for uniting religious organizations who desire to work towards peace in the Middle East.

The WCC is another example of people claiming to be Christian who are actually secular ecumenicals.  They welcome people of all religions into the organization.  Even though Israel does things that it shouldn’t and should be rebuked in some instances for their bad behavior, the WCC and organizations like it that want the nation of Israel to disappear are way out of line.  If the WCC was really Christian, they would understand that God has allowed Israel to be established in fulfillment of his prophecies mentioned in the Bible.  But because they are not really interested in what the Bible really says, they are caught up in political and religious principles that are man-made traditions.  Although Israel is destined to be purified as in times past through attacks from its enemies, God himself will ultimately be the defender of Israel and everyone who comes against Israel will fail in the end.  Whether the godless WCC likes it or not, Israel is here to stay.

“Now also many nations are gathered against thee, that say, Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion.

But they know not the thoughts of the LORD, neither understand they his counsel: for he shall gather them as the sheaves into the floor.

Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion: for I will make thine horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass: and thou shalt beat in pieces many people: and I will consecrate their gain unto the LORD, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth.” Micah 5:11-13

“For the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things.

 And it shall come to pass, that as ye were a curse among the heathen, O house of Judah, and house of Israel; so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing: fear not, but let your hands be strong. …

Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD.

Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.” Zechariah 8:12-13, 22-23

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by Harry A. Gaylord on June 25, 2007  •  Permalink
Posted in Bible, Christianity, God, heresy, Israel, religion

Posted by Harry A. Gaylord on June 25, 2007

http://sunandshield.wordpress.com/2007/06/25/world-council-of-churches-continues-anti-israeli-sentiments/

Faith is more important than what our senses tell us

Mankind has a tendency to place more importance on what is experienced with our senses than on faith in God.  Christians are often accused of having “blind faith” by those who want to insult and degrade us, as if we are inferior for not putting our complete trust in statistics, science, and what our five senses tell us.  “Seeing is believing” is the doctrine most people follow.  It does have some importance in some areas like law, but it isn’t true 100% of the time. 

According to the Bible, “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  Faith is the foundation and essential quality of the hopes that God places in us and it is the proof or conviction believers have in what God says even if we have not seen them with our physical eyes.  “Blessed are they which have not seen, and yet have believed,” is what Jesus said.  “Without faith it is impossible to please God.”  The Bible gives us examples of why faith is so important.  Here are a few of them:

“And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the LORD had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent.  Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.   For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods.  And he hardened Pharaoh’s heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.”  Exodus 7:10-13

“And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood.  And the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.  And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments: and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them; as the LORD had said.”  Exodus 7:20-22

“If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” Deuteronomy 13:1-3

“…be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.” Jeremiah 10:2

“Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. 

But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:” Matthew 12:38-39

“For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” Matthew 24:24

So the importance of faith in the scriptures comes into play when miracles and doctrines are involved.  Satan, whose desire is to be God, has the power to mimic some of the miracles God can do in order to deceive our senses.  His desire is to turn people away from God.  In order to know true miracles and doctrines from false ones, a person must have faith to avoid being deceived.  Plenty of people in both the Old and New Testaments witnessed God’s power and his miracles but the majority missed out on God’s blessings, including his ultimate blessing of spiritual rest in his presence after physical death, because of their lack of faith.

God also supplies his believers with progressive revelation over time to verify what he says.  Since he is so immense and infinite in his power, all the facets of his character cannot be digested all at once by our finite minds.  Even at the point of our physical death, we have only scratched the surface of knowing all there is to know about God.  There are plenty of facts mentioned in the Bible that were at one time thought to be myths.  So Christians were ridiculed for not having proof, but through their faith they held on to what God says and now God has through archaeology and other sciences confirmed what he said in some instances.  Here are some of those discoveries:

  • As stated in the Bible, it has now been proven that Jesus had a half-brother named James.  The burial box for his bones has been found with inscriptions stating that fact.
  • The tomb of the high priest Caiaphas was discovered in 1990.
  • In northern Israel at Tel Dan, stone fragments with inscriptions have been discovered that talk about king David and the household of David.  Previously he was thought to have been complete fiction.
  • An antique store in Jerusalem in 1979 was discovered to have in its possession an ivory pomegranate with inscriptions which proved that it had come from Solomon’s Temple.
  • The pool of Siloam has also been discovered.

So when it comes to doctrine and the manner in which one should live life, faith trumps our senses every time.

–posted by Harry A. Gaylord–

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by Harry A. Gaylord on June 17, 2007  •  Permalink
Posted in Bible, Christianity, faith, God, religion

Posted by Harry A. Gaylord on June 17, 2007

http://sunandshield.wordpress.com/2007/06/17/faith-is-more-important-than-what-our-senses-tell-us/

Drawing near to the Father with a true heart

Hebrews 10:14: For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. …

19: Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
20: By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
21: And having an high priest over the house of God;
22: Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

This scripture is full of symbolic language taken from the worship system set up by God for Israel under the old covenant.  When Jesus Christ made the ultimate sacrifice for our sins, it was through his one-time offering to God that he made his followers perfect and sanctified.  This perfection spoken of in the scripture does not mean we always under every circumstance do what is right without sin, it means in the eyes of God we are seen as being spiritually complete because of Christ dwelling in us and us dwelling in Christ.  Our spiritual perfection will last forever and to be sanctified, which charismatics/pentecostals have defined as a person who speaks in tongues,  really means we are separated from the world for service to God.

In the same way that the high priest was able to enter the holy of holies after sacrificing a ram or bull for his sins, our perfection and sanctification which has come to us spiritually by Christ’s blood gives us the boldness to spiritually go before the throne of God.  Jesus Christ is our new and living way of approaching the Father, as opposed to the old way in the Old Testament (OT) of animal sacrifice.  The old way of animal sacrifices was all about death, but the new way is focused on abundant and everlasting life which has been set apart as holy for us as service to God.  Under the OT, the high priest could only enter the holy of holies by going through the veil.  This is symbolic of Christ’s flesh, which is the only way under the New Testament (NT) to enter God’s throne room.

Since Jesus Christ is our high priest under the NT, we are commanded to draw near to our Father with a true heart.  In other words, God’s desire is to be as close to us as possible.  But in order to do this our hearts must be purified and without deceit through Christ who will supply our hearts with full assurance that comes from faith.  This full assurance of faith drives away any wavering (i.e. doubts leading to double mindedness that causes spiritual instability).  The OT priests were purified by being sprinkled with blood and bathing before they ministered.  With the NT, we are purified by being spiritually covered in Jesus’ blood and bathing our spirit man with the pure water of God’s word (Ephesians 5:25-26).

Thank you, Father, for loving us enough to provide us the way to be close to you through the sacrifice of your Son.  Thank you for covering us in the blood of Jesus and cleansing us from sin so we can approach you boldly and grow in your grace, by which you will then order our steps in life.

–posted by Harry A. Gaylord–

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by Harry A. Gaylord on June 14, 2007  •  Permalink
Posted in Bible, Christianity, God, Jesus Christ, prayer, religion

Posted by Harry A. Gaylord on June 14, 2007

http://sunandshield.wordpress.com/2007/06/14/drawing-near-to-the-father-with-a-true-heart/

Apparitions or aberrations?: the immaculate deceptions of “Virgin Mary”

The Roman Catholic church is quite crafty in its dealings both politically and religiously all over the world, whether it’s out in the open or behind the scenes.  Because of their craftiness, they have been able to deceive millions into submitting to their false system of beliefs and political aspirations.

One tool they often use to market themselves are apparitions and miracles concerning their version of Mary.  These apparitions have their roots going back to the ancient legends regarding Semiramis and her husband Nimrod.  When Nimrod died, he was called Baal, the sun god.  Semiramis (who called herself the moon goddess) gave birth to their son Tammuz after Nimrod’s death and ancient artworks were made depicting her holding her son, with halos over their heads.  These artworks were then Christianized by Roman Catholicism to portray the virgin Mary and baby Jesus. 

Semiramis was called the “Queen of Heaven” and became Mary after she was ”Christianized.”  The Vatican with Satan’s help set about to cause appearances of this Mary to be made in various places throughout the world in order to win converts to their Roman Catholic system.  The Bible says Satan and his angels can transform themselves into angels of light (2 Corinthians 11:14-15) and this power of deception is what the Vatican uses to cause weeping statues and apparitions of Mary to occur.  In order to relate to those who witness these “miracles”, the spirit may appear as whatever race the person is.  Each pagan system, including Roman Catholics, have assigned her a name specific to their man-made religion whether it’s Isis, Diana, Venus, Ishtar, Ashtoreth, the Madonna, Our Lady of Guadelupe, or Our Lady of Fatima.

In the vision of Fatima, Mary prophesies that Russia will follow Roman Catholicism if those who believe in her will pray for peace.  This political maneuver by the Vatican is meant to get as many Russians as possible to convert while the leaders in the Vatican work their power plays with the Russian government behind the scenes.  Since Fatima is also the name of the false prophet Muhammad’s daughter, the vision’s second goal was to broker alliances with Muslims by claiming the vision was of his daughter who Muhammad said “is the most holy of all women in Paradise, next to Mary.”

Whenever the Vatican needs a public relations boost is usually when these apparitions occur.  In recent years, Roman Catholicism has suffered because of the sexual misconduct of its priests, so don’t be surprised when these apparitions pop up to deceive people into clinging to this spiritually bankrupt politico-religious system. 

God’s word gives us several warnings when it comes to prophesies and miracles such as these:

(Deuteronomy 13)

1: If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder,
2: And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them;
3: Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
4: Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.
5: And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God…  

(Deuteronomy 18)

20: But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.
21: And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken?
22: When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him. 

Mark 13:22 For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.

(Revelation 13)

13: And he [the false prophet] doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,

 14: And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

Sources:

The Force, Ontario, CA: Chick Publications, 1983, pp. 9-11.

The Prophet, Ontario, CA: Chick Publications, 1988, pp. 26-28.

–posted by Harry A. Gaylord–

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by Harry A. Gaylord on June 13, 2007  •  Permalink
Posted in Bible, Catholicism, Christianity, heresy, idolatry, religion

Posted by Harry A. Gaylord on June 13, 2007

http://sunandshield.wordpress.com/2007/06/13/marian-apparitions-or-aberrations-the-immaculate-deceptions/

In case you didn’t know, Jesus is the only way to God

There are a lot of misconceptions in today’s so-called Christian churches about God and how to relate to him.  I was told once by a charismatic “Assemblies of God” pastor that he never preached against Judaism or Islam because we all worship the same God.  A churchgoer told me a couple of years ago that he doesn’t believe Jesus Christ is the only way to God and that Muslims worship the same God Christians do.  It is accepted thought in today’s world that there are many ways to get to God in order to get saved (receive eternal life) and get to heaven.  This “New Age” way of thinking has tainted the church and I’ve been told this heresy is taught in some seminaries.

Let’s see what it says in the Bible, just in case you haven’t read it recently:

John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. (Comment: Not only do non-Christians not have salvation, they live under God’s wrath.)

John 10:8-9 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers… I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him [Thomas], I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father [God], but by me.

Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other [besides Jesus]: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Acts 10:43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his [Jesus'] name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.  (Comment: Funny–I don’t see Buddha or Allah mentioned here.)

1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 

1 John 2:23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. (Comment: If you ain’t got Jesus, you ain’t got God.)

1 John 5:12 He that hath the Son hath [eternal] life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

I don’t know how much plainer God can make it.  Those in our churches who think there are many roads to God are biblically illiterate and biblically incorrect–in case you didn’t know.

–posted by Harry A. Gaylord– 

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by Harry A. Gaylord on June 13, 2007  •  Permalink
Posted in Bible, Christianity, heresy, idolatry, Jesus Christ, religion

Posted by Harry A. Gaylord on June 13, 2007

http://sunandshield.wordpress.com/2007/06/13/in-case-you-didnt-know-jesus-is-the-only-way-to-god/

Criminal enterprises from Mexico love illegal immigration

Human trafficking continues to be a popular black market industry in Mexico.  According to the Social Development and Assistance Study and Research Center, 21 of Mexico’s 32 states are points of origin and destination in the trafficking of women and children who are usually poor.  Organized criminal enterprises have approximately 100,000 women and children caught up in their network of selling humans for labor and sexual exploitation with an estimated 16,000 of them being children.

Drugs, weapons, and human trafficking are the top three sources of profitability for organized crime in Mexico.  Since the majority of government authorities are corrupt, there is little to no recourse to put a stop to it.  Oddly enough, places frequented by U.S. citizens or where U.S. corporations are located have the highest occurrences of the trafficking.  For instance, after NAFTA was passed in 1993, several U.S. companies moved right across the border to Juarez for cheap Mexican labor.  Once they established their factories, incidences of the murder and kidnapping of women shot up drastically in the cities of Juarez and Chihuahua, which is a few miles away. 

Humans are trafficked to Mexico from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, and South America, according to the U.S. State Dept.  Many of them end up in the United States via illegal immigration networks to be sold for cheap labor or to the underground sex industry here by smugglers called “coyotes.”  The coyotes rape and threaten the women to keep them in line.  Since these men know where the women are from and where their families live, the women are afraid to cooperate with authorities to protect their families from harm.

With the prevalence of drugs, illegal weapons, human trafficking and gangs spilling into our country from Mexico, is it any surprise Americans were overwhelmingly against the latest immigration bill? 

But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully; Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners…For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers [kidnappers]…and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine; (1 Timothy 1:8-10)

Sources: Prensa Latina and Prof. Martin Patt, Professor Emeritus, University of Massachusetts

–posted by Harry A. Gaylord–

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by Harry A. Gaylord on June 10, 2007  •  Permalink
Posted in children, Christianity, crime, human trafficking, humanity, immigration, women

Posted by Harry A. Gaylord on June 10, 2007

http://sunandshield.wordpress.com/2007/06/10/criminal-enterprises-from-mexico-love-illegal-immigration/

Child sex offenders on the increase

  • An 8-year-old boy sexually assaults a 6-year-old in Buffalo, NY after watching a R-rated movie with a prison rape in it.  Before the 8-year-old attacks the younger boy, he tells him, “Please, I’ll be your best friend” if he would let him have sex with him.
  • In Omaha, NE two 13-year-old boys sexually assault two 5-year-old girls and a 3-year-old boy and videotape the rapes.

These are two cases in a report from the Associated Press on the rise in cases of child-on-child sexual assaults across America.  Due to the bombardment of young minds with sexual images through various media and growing numbers of kids being sexually abused, kids are becoming more sexually aggressive and violent, according to the AP.  While sex crimes committed by adults have dropped over 56% from 1993-2004,  the number of sex crimes committed by children under 18 has gone up 40% from 1985 to 2004.  Usually with such statistics the number of incidents is probably higher than the stats reflect because many incidents go unreported.

The number of treatment programs for these offenders has also increased dramatically across the nation to try to keep up with the number of cases.  The news report by Kim Curtis is headlined “Sex offenders younger, more violent”, as reported in the Tennessean.

As it states in Galatians, you reap what you sow.  As America continues its moral decline by calling good things evil and evil things good, is it any wonder that children are becoming more and more affected by the sinfulness of the adult population?  My first question in the first incident mentioned above is why would an 8-yr-old be allowed to watch an R-rated movie?  It seems to me that too many adults are so preoccupied with the pursuit of their own selfish pleasures that they have become indifferent to the needs of their children.  An increasing number of parents let their children run their households, they are afraid to discipline them, they leave them to raise themselves, or they drop them off at their grandparents’ the majority of the time so they can go out and have their fun.  Parents who are raising their kids correctly have to work even harder to make sure their children are protected from the devil’s agents, whether those agents are kids or adults.

He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes [early, speedily].  (Proverbs 13:24)

Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. (Proverbs 23:13)

Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying. (Proverbs 19:18)

Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul.  (Proverbs 29:17)

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by Harry A. Gaylord on June 9, 2007  •  Permalink
Posted in children, Christianity, crime, humanity, religion, sexuality

Posted by Harry A. Gaylord on June 9, 2007

http://sunandshield.wordpress.com/2007/06/09/child-sex-offenders-on-the-increase/

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