Archive for March, 2007

Psalm 119 - Samekh

Friday, March 30th, 2007

Psalm 119:113-120 (New International Version)

ס Samekh

113 I hate double-minded men,
but I love your law.

114 You are my refuge and my shield;
I have put my hope in your word.

115 Away from me, you evildoers,
that I may keep the commands of my God!

116 Sustain me according to your promise, and I will live;
do not let my hopes be dashed.

117 Uphold me, and I will be delivered;
I will always have regard for your decrees.

118 You reject all who stray from your decrees,
for their deceitfulness is in vain.

119 All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross;
therefore I love your statutes.

120 My flesh trembles in fear of you;
I stand in awe of your laws.

The Third Temple

Friday, March 30th, 2007
Parashat Tzav specifiess the details of various sacrifices, and concludes (Leviticus 7:37-38):

“This is the law of the burnt offering, of the cereal offering, of the sin offering, of the guilt offering, of the consecration, and of the peace offerings, which the Lord commanded Moses on Mount Sinai, on the day that he commanded the people of Israel to bring their offerings to the Lord, in the wilderness of Sinai.”

One of the exciting intellectual challenges facing modern, traditional-minded Jews is our response to the substantial parts of Leviticus that are dedicated to the bringing of animal sacrifices to the Sanctuary as part of the sacral service and spiritual transcendence.

One of the interesting examples of the modern attempt to confront this issue is related to the founding of the Hebrew University on Mount Scopus, opposite the Temple Mount, and the spiritual ideas that accompanied the building of the campus on that particular site.

In 1913, the Zionist Congress discussed the establishing of the Hebrew University. On one hand, the creation of a university answered a functional academic need, particularly in light of the restrictions placed upon the admission of Jewish students to European universities. On the other hand, the desire to establish the university in Jerusalem expressed a symbolic national need.

The two central figures that addressed the issue spoke in similar terms.

Menachem Ussishkin, one of the leaders of Hovevei Zion and later the president of the Jewish National Fund, stated in his speech to the Congress in August 1913:

“…on the ninth of Av this year, we mark two thousand five hundred years since the foe and enemy came to the holy place and destroyed our Temple … Two thousand five hundred years ago, our national temple – God’s Sanctuary on Mount Moriah - was destroyed. Now we come full of faith and hope to build a new national temple, the sanctuary of wisdom and science on Mount Zion…”

Chaim Weizmann, president of the Zionist Organization, was of two minds in regard to the address he was to deliver on this subject. In a letter two his wife Vera, he confided some of his doubts:

“…I feel a sense of great responsibility in regard to the address that I must prepare for the Congress…While it is true that the Hebrew University and the Tomb of Jesus can hardly dwell under one roof, we cannot relinquish Jerusalem. We must take the risk! This is the only motto that, I believe, can resonate: “The Hebrew University – Die Zionsuniversität auf dem Berg Zion (The Univeristy of Zion on Mount Zion) – the Third Temple!”

Original Link

State Police Officer Rebukes Teen Missionaries

Friday, March 30th, 2007

This sounds like something that we hear of in India or China, not here in America. Sadly, this type of thing will only get worse before Jesus returns.

An officer with a state police force has confronted a team of college students on a spring break missions trip, telling them that handing out Christian literature is “shameful.”

In Pakistan? India? Perhaps Syria? Nope. In Utah. Not only that, but a second officer, this one with a local police force, confronted the same students just a day later, telling them that handing out such information was “looked down on here.”

Nelson Koon, of Hudsonville, Mich., and a junior at Frontier School of the Bible in LaGrange, Wyo., led the team of college students on their missions trip, and described for WND how these two incidents happened this week, starting in Payson, Utah.

Original Link

America Unprepared for ‘Likely’ Nuke Attack

Friday, March 30th, 2007

No surprise in this statement.
Of course the simple solution of closing our borders seems to have escaped our lawmakers and government agencies completely.
My opinion: It is only a matter of time before this happens.

WASHINGTON – The most extensive study of the effects of nuclear detonations in four major U.S. cities paints a grim picture of millions of deaths, overwhelmed hospitals and loss of command-and-control capability by government.

But the three-year study by researchers at the Center for Mass Destruction Defense at the University of Georgia says a concerted effort to teach civilians what to do in the event of a nuclear attack is the best – perhaps only – thing that could save an untold number of lives that will otherwise be needlessly lost.

“If a nuclear detonation were to occur in a downtown area, the picture would be bleak there,” said Cham Dallas, director of the program and professor in the college of pharmacy. “But in urban areas farther from the detonation, there actually is quite a bit that we can do. In certain areas, it may be possible to turn the death rate from 90 percent in some burn populations to probably 20 or 30 percent – and those are very big differences – simply by being prepared well in advance.”

While America was once prepared for nuclear war with civil defense shelters stocked with food and supplies and educational programs on how to react to a detonation, the report says the threat of a nuclear attack within the U.S. has grown significantly in recent years.

“The likelihood of a nuclear attack in an American city is steadily increasing, and the consequences will be overwhelming,” said Dallas. “So we need to substantially increase our preparation.”

The study looked at the impact of nuclear detonations of two sizes in New York, Washington, Chicago and Atlanta. Both 20-kiloton and 550-kiloton blasts were modeled in what the authors claim is the most advanced and detailed simulation published in open scientific literature.

Original Link.

But rest assured, that should I fall to the terrorist, the blog will go on. The website is paid up for a year and Beth will carry on the blog for us. She will execute Contingency Plan 14753A-93412 Omega.
OK, we really don’t have a Contingency Plan 14753A-93412 Omega, but it sure looked cool when I typed it. What we do have is a promise between us, that if one us dies, the other will continue using the blog to spread the Word of God as long as possible.
Now if Jesus returns…well, for everyone left behind…sorry…neither one of us will be here.

Make Equal Rights Amendment ‘Abortion Neutral,’ Pro-Lifers Urge

Friday, March 30th, 2007

I remember growing up with all of the ERA (Equal Rights Amendment) nonsense going on. And yes, I use the term “nonsense” here for a reason. Let me explain:

U.S. Constitution: Fourteenth Amendment:
Section. 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. (all emphasis mine. -ed)

So there you have it, in black and white, as clear as can be:
ALL citizens of the United States are equal. Period.

We already have an amendment to do what ERA wanted to do and what Women’s Equality Amendment wants to do. Except, carte blanc on publicly subsidized abortion on demand. Ah, now I understand the motive behind this movement.

(CNSNews.com) - The National Right to Life Committee is urging senators not to support the Women’s Equality Amendment — also known as the Equal Rights Amendment — unless it contains language preventing tax-funded abortion on demand.

S. J. Res. 10 would add to the Constitution the following amendment: “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.”

The National Right to Life Committee warns that leading pro-abortion groups, including NARAL, the American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood, are pressing state courts to interpret state-passed Equal Rights Amendments as requiring tax-funded abortion on demand.

It happened in New Mexico. In November 1998, the New Mexico Supreme Court ruled 5-0 that the state must pay for elective abortions under the state’s Medicaid program. The court found that New Mexico’s Equal Rights Amendment barred the state from restricting abortion differently than other “medically necessary procedures” sought by men.

“During the 1970s and 1980s, many pro-ERA advocates insisted that there was ‘no connection’ between ERAs and abortion, but NRLC warned otherwise,” NRLC Legislative Director Douglas Johnson wrote in a March 29 letter to U.S. senators.

“As we predicted, pro-abortion advocacy groups have increasingly employed the ERA-abortion argument in state courts, and in New Mexico we saw the devastating result of enacting an ERA that does not include explicit abortion-neutral language.

“Once a court adopts the legal doctrine that a law targeting abortion is by definition a form of discrimination based on sex, and therefore impermissible under an ERA, the same doctrine would invalidate virtually any limitation on abortion,” Johnson said.

The NRLC noted that the ACLU’s “Reproductive Freedom Project” has published a booklet encouraging pro-abortion litigators to use state ERAs as legal weapons against state parental notification laws as well.

The NRLC is urging the Senate to adopt “abortion neutral” language originally proposed by Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) in 1983. It says, “Nothing in this Article [the ERA] shall be construed to grant, secure, or deny any right relating to abortion or the funding thereof.”

“This proposed revision would not change the current legal status of abortion, nor would it permit the ERA itself to be employed for anti-abortion purposes,” NRLC’s Johnson said. “Rather, the revision would simply make the ERA itself neutral regarding abortion policy.”

The NRLC said it would withdraw its opposition to the proposed federal Equal Rights Amendment if the abortion-neutral amendment is added.

Original Link.

“The Dehydration Death of a Nation” by Bobby Schindler

Friday, March 30th, 2007

Saturday, March 31, will mark the two-year anniversary of my sister Terri Schiavo’s death by dehydration. Not a day passes that my family does not think of my sister and relive the horrific images of her needless and brutal death at the hands of those who deliberately set out to kill her.

As hideous as it was, the truth is, long before Terri’s case made headlines, the removal of basic care – food and water – was becoming commonplace. It continues to happen every day across our country oftentimes in cases, like Terri’s, where the patient does not suffer from any life-threatening condition.

Much of the problem that exists stems from a blind acceptance of misinformation that has moved us from a firm belief in the sanctity of life to a “quality of life” mindset, which says that some lives are not worth living.

This shift, what I call lethal bigotry, began with the medical community, has infiltrated our judiciary and is taking over our nation. People are making decisions in place of God, while even many Catholic leaders remain silent despite the Church’s teaching and the pope’s constant reminders that God alone is the arbiter of life and death.

The sad fact is we have become a nation that spends billions trying to find the perfect body, while ignoring the condition of our collective soul; where altruism seems to be a thing of the past, and moral relativism has become a bona fide religion.

Combined with a popular media selling the notion that killing people in certain conditions is an act of compassion, one can understand why people with disabilities are in danger.

My sister’s case is a perfect example. Look how the popular media presented Terri’s story, abandoning any attempt at objective or ethical reporting in their rush to justify her death. In an effort to dehumanize Terri, they repeatedly reported she was in a coma, brain dead, a “vegetable” and that the autopsy proved she was in a persistent vegetative state, all of which are patently false.

All one has to do is watch the videos of Terri to see how alive she was. If that’s not enough, more than 40 medical affidavits stated Terri wasn’t in PVS and/or could have been helped with new medical technology.

The media chose to ignore all of this, instead reporting what Terri wasn’t able to do and referencing a doctor who took pride in the moniker, “Dr. Humane Death.”

They painted a story of a husband’s unconditional love as he carried out his wife’s “wish” to die, completely ignoring the fact that there was no evidence of this and that Michael essentially abandoned Terri as soon as he began living with his new wife-to-be.

They framed this as a strictly pro-life issue, ignoring the 30 disability groups publicly supporting Terri’s life.

They quoted Catholic priests who agreed with her “husband’s” position, despite the fact this was completely contrary to Catholic teaching.

Completely unaware of their own hypocrisy, they commended Christopher Reeve’s wife, Dana, and rightly so, for her dedication in caring for her husband, while vilifying my parents for wanting to do the same thing for their daughter.

In the same vein, they repeatedly questioned the intent of our legal team while glossing over the fact that Schiavo’s attorney, George Felos, admitted in his book to having violent images of bludgeoning his wife to death.

They chastised former Gov. Jeb Bush for doing his job by trying to stop the two-week dehydration death of an innocent disabled woman, but praised him when he placed a moratorium on death row executions after a lethal injection went 15 minutes too long.

They justify the destruction of embryos to produce stem cells (ignoring both the success of adult stem cells and that embryonic cells have produced no cures), reporting that their use will improve the lives of the disabled, and at the same time they work to convince the public that it is OK to kill the very same people they say this research could cure.

And, finally, they paid more respect to and had more compassion for a racehorse than they did my sister.

To this day, every story in which a person emerges from a condition similar to Terri’s, or an advance is found to help the severely brain-injured, is an opportunity for the media to remind us that, of course, “this is nothing like the case of Terri Schiavo.”

Should we be surprised with what is happening when we have so easily bought into what our popular media is promoting? Or that even people like Bill O’Reilly, who claim to be both conservative and Catholic, can be so ignorant on this issue as to raise the idea that if someone “costs” taxpayers too much money, it should be OK to kill them?

This is the same propaganda used by the medical community in Nazi Germany immediately prior to the Holocaust when hospitals were used to kill at least 200,000 handicapped, mentally ill and others who were deemed physically or mentally inferior.

Unfortunately, I don’t know if people realize how the mainstream media influences their everyday lives, or the scope of what is happening in our hospitals. Perhaps, more accurately, they just don’t care.

With tens of thousand in conditions similar to and even worse than Terri’s, we should be alarmed. While many would prefer not to educate themselves on this issue, the cold reality is that one day this “quality of life” approach could very well impact their families, as it did ours.

We will never forget Terri.

This is why, in the years since Terri’s death, we have worked, through the Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation to protect the lives of the vulnerable. We are developing a nationwide network of attorneys and physicians to help families in desperate situations, whose loved ones are in danger of being killed … for the simple reason that they don’t meet some arbitrary and subjective “quality of life” standard. We will continue fighting against those that threaten the lives of the disabled, until all are protected.

Terri and others like her should be a constant reminder to all of us that caring for the disabled is never a burden, but is instead an act God’s unconditional love.

Original Link.

Ethiopian Evangelist Beaten to Death by Militant Muslims

Friday, March 30th, 2007

Please continue to pray for missionaries, evangelist and all Christians living and working in Muslim run countries. These people are constantly under the threat of harm from Islam.

WASHINGTON, Mar. 29 /Christian Newswire/ — The Washington-DC based human rights group, International Christian Concern (ICC) has just learned that an Ethiopian evangelist named Tedase was beaten to death by militant Muslims on Monday, March 26th, as he and two young women were on a street evangelism assignment in Jimma, Ethiopia. This marks the second time in six months that Christians residing in Southeast Ethiopia have been attacked and killed by extremist (Wahabbi) Muslims.

On Monday afternoon Tedase and two female coworkers were conducting street evangelism on Merkato Street in Jimma, Southern Ethiopia. Merkato Street runs by a Wahabbi Mosque. As the team was walking by the Mosque, a group of Muslims exited the Mosque and began to run after them to confront them. Tedase’s female coworkers ran away from the mob but Tedase continued on. The Muslims caught up with Tedase, pulled him into the mosque, and savagely beat him to death. Sources from Jimma reported that Tedase was beaten with a calculated intention to kill him. This was no accident or case of mob frenzy getting out of control. His body was later taken to the hospital for an autopsy and he was buried Tuesday, March 27.

Our sources also reveal that Jimma Christians were conducting an evangelism campaign, and news of the outreach was spreading among Jimma residents as well as militant Muslim groups in the area. The Muslims that belonged to the Wahabbi sect purposefully beat Tedase to death as a message to Christians that they are ready to combat evangelism.

Original Link.

Psalm 119 - Nun

Thursday, March 29th, 2007

Psalm 119:105-112 (New International Version)

נ Nun

105 Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light for my path.

106 I have taken an oath and confirmed it,
that I will follow your righteous laws.

107 I have suffered much;
preserve my life, O LORD, according to your word.

108 Accept, O LORD, the willing praise of my mouth,
and teach me your laws.

109 Though I constantly take my life in my hands,
I will not forget your law.

110 The wicked have set a snare for me,
but I have not strayed from your precepts.

111 Your statutes are my heritage forever;
they are the joy of my heart.

112 My heart is set on keeping your decrees
to the very end.

New York Bans Only ‘Religious’ Groups

Thursday, March 29th, 2007

And on Christian persecution here at home…

A lawsuit has been filed in Watertown, N.Y., because the Dulles State Office Building there – and other state buildings – have conference facilities that can be rented by anyone – except churches.

“The state of New York, over the last 20 years, has been the worst place for equal access,” said Jordan Lorence, senior counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund, which is working on the case on behalf of Relevant Church.

“Even though there have been five major Supreme Court decisions from 1981 that you cannot treat religious users with religious speech worse than everyone else, nonetheless these policies persist,” he told WND.

The lawsuit seeks an immediate injunction ordering the state to allow the church to rent a facility – otherwise available to anyone – for its Easter Sunday service.

Lorence called the policy “wildly out of step” with court affirmations of church rights.

In this specific case, the church, whose congregation has outgrown its own building, usually rents another nearby building for its Sunday services. However, there were scheduling conflicts on Easter and another approaching Sunday, so officials asked to rent the Dulles State Office Building.

Those facilities specifically are available to “nearly all groups in the community for any ‘educational, cultural, or civic’ purpose.” But the state policy specifically prohibits religious “activities” or “services,” a clear violation of Supreme Court precedent, the ADF said.

“Government officials do not have the right to discrimination against Christian groups,” Lorence said. “When the state opens up a building for community groups to rent, it must be fair and permit equal access. The courts have repeatedly ruled on this, but here we are again.”

He said courts recently have ruled in favor of two other New York churches represented by ADF attorneys regarding equal access, including a decision that resulted in a permanent injunction in a case involving the New York City Board of Education.

But in Watertown, state officials have allowed the rock band Tough Luck, a video game event, a meeting of Toastmasters, a presentation of “The Nutcracker,” a presentation by a “mural painter and social activist,” a meeting of Citizens Against Illegal Drugs, a performance of “Come Meet Clifford the Big Red Dog,” and “Bubble Mania.”

But they won’t rent to Relevant Church, whose pastor, Robert Miskowski, was told that the so-called “separation of church and state” prohibited the church from renting.

“It’s astonishing that state officials would not view faith as serving any ‘education, cultural, or civic’ purpose, but regardless, government officials are required to be fair,” Lorence said. “We hope that the state will obey the law and allow this church to rent public facilities just as other groups are permitted to do.”

Lorence said the church simply as asking to rent the facility on the same terms and conditions as other users. And he said court rulings have made clear simply allowing a religious group to rent a facility on those same conditions does not create a government “endorsement” of religious statements.

He said the emergency request was pending before a federal judge, but the ADF was preparing to appeal up to the U.S. Supreme Court if needed to ensure the church had a place to meeting on Easter Sunday, April 8.

Original Link.

Pakistani Christians Assaulted at Muslim Festival

Thursday, March 29th, 2007

(Sarcasm) Yes, more wonderful examples of the peaceful and tolerant nature of those ever loving Muslims. Can’t you just feel the love pouring off of them? Shouldn’t there wonderful tolerance of all things non-Muslim be an example to us all? (sarcasm off).
Yup, there you have it, folks. Once again, another example of violence from Muslims.

Christians in Pakistan continue to face harassment by Muslims, who are upset over the boldness of many believers. A spokesman for Voice of the Martyrs says a team of Pakistani Christians was beaten recently as they handed out gospel tracts at a Muslim festival.

The four-member team of evangelists distributed more than 13,000 tracts before a mob of more than 100 Muslims attacked and beat them. VOM spokesman Todd Nettleton explains that the evangelists were in hostile territory. “The best way to describe it,” says Nettleton, “is sort of a revival meeting for radical Muslims.”

According to the VOM spokesman, speakers at the Muslim festival were “trying to incite people to be better Muslims, trying to incite people to jihad.” But Christians at the festival who were “telling people about Jesus and encouraging them to follow Christ” was “obviously was seen as a threat,” says Nettleton.

After being beaten, the evangelists were taken to a police station, where they were detained and questioned before being released. VOM provided medical care for the evangelists afterwards.

Despite the harassment and beating often faced by believers in many Muslim nations, Nettleton says Christianity continues to flourish. “It’s very difficult to be a Christian in some of these places, but the exciting thing is to see Christians who are being such a bold witness for Christ,” he shares.

The VOM spokesman cites the incident involving the evangelists at the festival as an example of that dedication. “Even knowing that they were taking a great risk, knowing even that their lives were in danger, still they chose to be at this Muslim festival — and they chose to be actively witnessing for Christ there,” he says.

Nettleton is hopeful the Pakistani Christians’ efforts at the festival were not in vain. “We don’t know what’s going to happen with those tracts,” he says. “We pray that the Lord will use those to reach some of these hearts and to change their hearts for Him.”

Original Link.


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