Atheist – Smile

As a Christian internet user who visits the occasional public forum, watches videos on Utube and contributes to the comments section, I encounter a lot of people who don’t share my spiritual views. This is to be expected but it hasn’t always been the case. It wasn’t so long ago that I wouldn’t have heard from these folk unless I was actively evangelising.

Put it this way. The internet has not only given Christians a new platform from which to spread the word, it has also given voice to a generation of people who might previously have kept quiet.
Naturally there will be objection from some quarters if you are street preaching – the hecklers will always speak up – or one-on-one witnessing. But those who would normally keep their thoughts to themselves now have an anonymous megaphone.

At certain times this can ignite lively and thought provoking conversation. This is the public forum at its best. At other times I have found myself the object of ridicule by mean spirited people with virtually zero knowledge of the scriptures they are rubbishing.

A favourite topic of these folk is the supposed contradictions in the scriptures. A popular one is the account of Judas Iscariot:
Matthew 27:5 tells us that Judas threw the money into the Temple and went off and hanged himself.

Acts 1:18 says he bought a field with the money. There, he fell headlong and burst open, his intestines spilling out.

Theologians have written tomes about these two accounts. They have been studied for years, pulled apart and dissected. Men and women with advanced degrees, people that for whom if they had studied medicine for instance, would be specialists.

Now some tosser with no understanding of scripture whatsoever wants to establish an understanding that the Bible is fake based on his or her great find. Whoopi-doo. These are the same folk who cling to the premise that the great singularity –

er, gotta pause here . . .

Don’t you love that word, ‘Singularity, What it means is “I don’t have an explanation or sound reasoning for my theory, any reasonable application of the English language would fail like army boots with a wedding dress.” Here’s a trick, let’s make a new word.”‘

– you know, when nothing spun around really really fast until finally, with a great big bang, gave us the universe and everything in it! We shall call this momentous event, a Singularity.

Now I expect mocking and a guffaw or two over that one. That’s the wrong application of the word. I’m an idiot who doesn’t understand the subject. Well here’s one that effectively shuts all the nuclear traps:

Creation, therefore, Creator.

Now, let’s go back to the smelly old corpse of Judas Iscariot.

Any two Newspapers, from the same town, with reporters at the same event, witnessing the same thing, and then aided by sophisticated computer editing software, digital cameras and professional photographers, will give different accounts.

Two cars crash, a Ford and a Toyota. Three people are injured, one seriously.

That very night three newspapers, two TV networks and a radio station report the story. Interestingly enough, there are some variations in the story. One reporter said there would be a recall on one of the vehicles because of a possible fault in the brakes. The other media sources didn’t even mention this although it is the single item that could send a relatively small story into a front page scoop. Then it turned out that the recall vehicle wasn’t involved in the crash.

What is the story? Two cars crashed, three people were injured, one of those seriously. That is the nitty gritty of the tale.

Jesus was betrayed by Judas. He was subsequently crucified to death, now if that’s not enough, sealed in an airless tomb for three days, then he rose from the dead.

In the meantime, Judas, feeling guilty, or terrified because he had indeed had a hand in murdering the Son of God, topped himself.

That’s the story. It’s all there.

Another favourite of the savvy biblical illiterate is to quote the non biblical as if it were.

“God helps those who help themselves.”

Really? Where did you dig that up? It isn’t in the Bible. As a matter of fact the Bible is full of, and most Christians can attest to, incidences when God helps the helpless. In fact if people want to live their lives helping themselves, without God, He frequently leaves them to it.

Or my personal favourite: “The problem with you Christians is you go on and on claiming yours is the only way.”

You really can tell who has done their homework: Islam claims the same – except its practitioners will kill you if you don’t believe. All the world’s major religions claim to be the sole path to salvation. (With the exception, of course, of those who don’t believe salvation is necessary, and yet these too, believe they have the only way).

The Bahá’í believe that all the major religions come from the same place as long as it is Bahá’í.

The internet has opened this doorway. Loaded with good and bad information the internet confirms and validates every opinion. This is the post modern mind. Everyone is right.

Except Christians it seems.

In a matter of seconds a person can have at their hands the fruits of what only a short time ago required hours of exhaustive research. You get the answer but not the education.

The internet is the University of Bits n’ Pieces.

We really need to watch it, folks. They’re coming at us dumber and louder.

Arm yourself with The Word. Know the Truth. And the next time an atheist fixes you with a cheesy grin and asserts that the universe and everything in it was once squeezed into something the size of a pinhead, you can look at them and say, “That’s nice.”

And What About the Religion of Peace

Here is something they don’t tell you; in response to the rise in Islamic terrorist activity around the globe, 911, Spain, Bali, London and so on, the rank and file Muslims have pretty much convinced the world that these are the activities of extremists. The true Muslim is peaceful, loving.

Okay, that’s the bit they do say. And there is some truth in the first part. That the terrorism had been the work of extremists. But the rest?

Lies. Lies. Lies.

The difference between the Islamic extremist and the Moderate is that the former is prepared to act on his hatred, whilst the latter is not. This is a definition much closer to the truth.

A new oxymoron for the 21st century: Moderate Muslim.

If you could convince a Muslim to be completely honest (difficult because their religion allows them to lie if it is for the greater good of Islam), they would tell you that they hate Westerners. They despise our culture, our morals and of course, our religion. Given the opportunity to act without consequences, they would kill us all.

Here’s a few quotes from the Koran.

Allah is an enemy to unbelievers. – Sura 2:98

On unbelievers is the curse of Allah. – Sura 2:161

Slay them wherever ye find them and drive them out of the places whence they drove you out, for persecution is worse than slaughter. – 2:191

Muslims are harsh against the unbelievers, merciful to one another. – 48:25

Muhammad is Allah’s apostle. Those who follow him are ruthless to the unbelievers but merciful to one another. Through them, Allah seeks to enrage the unbelievers. – 48:29

Prophet! Make war on the unbelievers and the hypocrites and deal sternly with them. Hell shall be their home, evil their fate. – 66:9

This is not a complete list by any means. The Koran is seething with hatred and violence.

Islamic apologists have been very active in promoting Islam as a peaceful, tolerant religion. They even tell us that the name, ‘Islam’ means peace. Any scholar would tell you it means surrender or submission. Both words have very different meanings to the word, Peace.
The Koran calls Believers to submit to Allah and to subdue non believers until they also, believe and submit.

Muslims will tell you that they believe in Jesus. True. But what about Him do they believe?

Muslims believe Jesus was a prophet. They do not believe He is the Son of God.

Understand. No matter how convincing the apologist, regardless of what your President believes, this is an evil religion with violence and hatred at its core.

Just what does Mr Obama think of Islam? He is quoted as saying, “Islam has a proud tradition if tolerance.” Yeah, that’s a goody. How about, “Islam is not part of the problem in combating violent extremism, it is an important part of promoting peace.”

Lee Rigby, the British soldier who was hacked to death on a London street was one of the more publicised incidents of this peaceful religion. As they butchered him his attackers ranted, “We swear by almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you”.

In the wake of this cowardly attack British prime minister David Cameron was quoted as saying that there was nothing in the Koran that justified this murder.

Nothing? Something else the attackers ranted whilst they waited for the police (and the cameras) was, “The Koran commands us to kill those who kill Muslims.”
Lee Rigby had served in Afghanistan. He was fighting in a war. Lee Rigby was a hero who put his life on the line for the freedom of others. His slayers were not even soldiers.

In my opinion they should receive the same penalty as any foreign agent operating behind our lines. Yes, their British citizenship is clearly just a cover.
These men should be summarily executed.

Instead, David Cameron waffles on about how exceptional this behaviour is, coming as it does from the Religion of Peace.

Get the picture.

Okay, what is the answer?

Prayer. Then more prayer. Things are changing: many Muslims are giving their lives to Jesus. Jesus is appearing in the dreams of these people, calling them to salvation. And many are heeding the call.

That’s the good news.

The bad news us that there will be a lot of pain ahead.

Whilst our leaders are supporting the Islamic agenda the road can only be tough. I believe that Mr Obama should be charged with treason for his open support of Islam. During WWII if an American leader had openly supported Hitler or Hirohito that would have been the result. Today, in the wake of horrific terrorism, Obama can get away with words of support for these people. It is upside-down.

Which brings us back to prayer. This is the arena in which we will win: the spiritual arena. When Christians pray we pray to a real God, the Creator of the universe and everything in it.
Muslims do not. Their’s are empty words falling on deaf ears. At the Head of their church there is nothing. Perhaps this may explain why, despite the wealth of some Islamic nations they still live in sixth century doldrums.

The Easter Play

When I was a kid we went to Sunday school. I don’t recall my parents going to church and I think Sunday school was simply an opportunity for my parents to get some breathing space from their brood of six. I can vividly remember the the weekly fingernail clipping, face scrubbing, and wearing the Sunday Best which consisted of a white shirt and tie, blue shorts and shiny black shoes. I really hated that tie.

Once in a while my three brothers and I were subjected to the shears. A kitchen chair was placed in the yard – we didn’t have a garden, it was most definitely a yard – and we got that all over cut. This was years before it was fashionable. I remember my folks practically had to strap me to that chair.

I am sure that my Sunday school gave me some sort of Christian foundation, or else why would Jesus be the one I turned to whenever I was in trouble in the years after Sunday school when there was no religious activity in my life. But I honestly don’t recall a single lesson.

But I do remember the Easter Play.

I was about 5 years old at the time. I played a Roman soldier. It should have been a fun night.

Someone decided that my skin was too pale for a Roman soldier. In the interests of authenticity I was given a coat of chicory essence. I gather that this five year old was an authentic Roman soldier in every other detail. Now I looked a nice shade of coffee.

Lipstick and mascara was the final humiliation.

Enter the Roman soldier: Now, just prior to my cue my mascara had started to sting my eyes. I started to cry, and the chicory started to run. So it was decided to quickly remove the chicory with a damp cloth. And, you guessed it, the chicory which readily ran in streams down my cheeks would not be removed with water and a washcloth. At this point I was entrusted to the care of a nine year old girl with the charge of cheering the lad up, while the adults busied themselves with finding an alternative solution.

Now it happens that we were in a kitchen to one side of the stage, and the young girl, still in possession of the damp washcloth, stepped up to the mark; in kitchens everywhere, whether at home, the restaurant, or a country church hall, there is one common element. Dish soap. No-one had tried the Sunlight Soap!

Ah! Now my eyes were streaming. My face, which had been streaked, was now a messy palette of black mascara and smudged chicory. (from this point on I will refer to the unholy combination as Chicara). Underlining this mess was a bright red slash that had been lipstick. And of course, like for all children, mess is not territorial; it was now over my uniform shirt.

The narrator announced the arrest of Jesus. This was my cue and it was at this time that I realised the Chicara had progressed south to my shorts, in which direction I happened to be looking.

In all fairness I think the Roman soldier faced with the prospect of placing God Almighty under arrest may well have vacated his bladder also. It’s a natural reaction to terror. But alas, I wasn’t thinking this. Nor did I hear hushed whispers in the wings.

“Wasn’t that boy wonderful!”
“Yes! Wetting himself in fear.”
“Just like a real soldier.”

What I was thinking is that I had just wet myself in front of the entire church which included all my friends, as well as those who would love a reason to tease the daylights out of me. I’m sure there was enough space cleared on my face for a bright red hue to break through.

The picture so far: child coated in tears, urine, and Chicara bravely living the show business code; The Show Must Go On.

Then I slipped in the puddle at my feet.

So did Mrs Marsh, the fat lady who owned the pig farm. There were some cruel jokes afloat about this irony, but enough on that. She fell on me.

So now I am sliding around the urine puddle, soaking it up with my back. If any part of me may have escaped it was thwarted by the Mighty Mrs Marsh who had pressed my body into service as a sponge.

Mercifully I don’t remember much else from that night. I believe I was taken home and given a good bath. That’s what I’d like to think happened anyway.

My parents were sensitive folk and would not have laughed at me until I was out of the room.

It’s unlikely that anyone remains alive that remembers what happened on that Friday night at the Eight Mile Plains, Church of England, Easter play. This happened some 45 years ago. Certainly, Mrs Marsh who was about 45 at the time is an unlikely candidate for longevity given her obesity.

Gripped in a bout of nostalgia on a recent trip to Brisbane I drove by where I remembered the little country church to be. In its place stood a spectacular, 2 story glass cathedral. I was a little dismayed as I slowed down to inspect the place.

Would this modern development hold the smiles, the tears, the laughs for the present generation in 50 years? Somehow I don’t think it would. I shook my head slightly and took one last look. I was about to accelerate away when I noticed something in the plot behind the new church.

The old church! I drove into the car park and pulled up in front of the sign. The old church had been preserved on this site. A memorial.

What struck me most was just how small it was. At the time I would have though it was gigantic, an auditorium. But it was really quite tiny. Not much bigger than a high school classroom.

This got my lateral thinking gears engaged and as I drove away I couldn’t help but think of the other gigantic problems that had had me vexed over the year. The only thing that had changed in the Sunday School play was my perception of it. I had changed.

Now not all of life’s problems can be brought into perspective as dramatically as the country church incident demonstrated but to all things not rigidly black and white there are degrees.

If I am constantly changing, growing, can’t I take comfort in the knowledge that tomorrow I may see today’s problem a little differently?

The irony of this little spark of truth is that today I don’t have any real problems. To the best of my ability I have given them to Jesus. (I say to the best of my ability because I know that at sometime I am bound to try to take them back). Usually I can give Jesus my cares most successfully when they are small. What I would really like to have is the faith to leave my problems with Him when they are big, overwhelming. Sadly it’s at this time when I can least manage them, that I snatch them back!

I smiled to myself as I thought about this. The little boy with the Chicara streaking over his cheeks hasn’t gone away. He can still bring a twinkle to my eye.

Pulling into the traffic someone shot me the finger. I just pictured Mrs Marsh a nano-second before she hit the pool and everything was okay.

The Universe – An Exact and Deliberate Balance

We have all heard of the ozone layer and the role it plays in the earth’s climate. Well, we have heard what happens when there is too little ozone, anyway. Ozone depletion has been in all the news. What hasn’t been mentioned is the delicate balance of ozone that is required to sustain life on earth. Too much ozone and not enough UV light gets through to sustain plant growth.

I will quote now from Bible411

Scientists actually identified over 188 parameters within our solar system and 38 parameters elsewhere in the universe. Each of these parameters is so exacting that they could not happen by chance.

The ozone layer is just one of these parameters. The researchers at Bible411.com go into much more detail than I can possibly do here. This is just an appetiser.

The book, Origin of Matter, from which much if this material was sourced has over 4,000 quotes in support of Creation, and disproving Evolution theory. Of these 4,000 quotes that the encyclopaedia is comprised of only 164 are by creationists.

Can you grasp that? You smug, pig-headed evolutionist! Man, if it weren’t for your smug, condescending attitude I would leave you alone. But here it is. Even your experts don’t support you!

The truth is this. You would believe in God but you don’t want to give up your ways. Let’s call it what it is: you know that turning to Christ would require sacrifices on your part. You don’t want to quit your premarital sex, your free and easy lifestyle.

Haven’t I hit the nail on the head, Atheist? Perhaps you are gay. That is wrong. You know it. It is a perversion against man and nature. Not to mention, God, who probably wants to vomit when he sees your life.
Oh, you’re a woman trapped in a man’s body . . . . Crap! You are a pervert trying to pass yourself off as a human. I mean, how can you say this is human behaviour? You even give it non homosapian names: Lesbian, Gay, Transgender . . . What biology book gives such a diversity of sexuality.

Oops . . . did I stop editing myself? Gotta watch that. I don’t want to traumatise our sensitive, secular friends. And they do get upset when we throw a little back.

Hey Atheist. It’s time to pull your pants up and elevate your thinking.

This is why you won’t even consider life under the loving hand of God. You want to continue telling lies.

Yes, you lie to yourself, you lie to others. You would get fired if you told your boss the truth, wouldn’t you? If they ever found out what you were thinking. Not the stuff for the breakfast table, eh?

Yet you love this lifestyle. Jesus said it in John 3:19

And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

Back to the title point. We could accept one or two parameters as a coincidence. Perhaps even 10 or 15. But 188! Give me a break. Does Jesus have to parade down the Main Street before you will believe?

Well, yes. The Bible tells us just that. In the end, despite plagues, oceans turned into blood, angels descending from heaven . . . you will still not believe.

Here’s another: The proton to neutron ratio.

This must be within a tolerance of 1/1000 either way. That is one part in a thousand. Outside this tight limit chaos would result. The universe would be destroyed. Atoms would fly apart. This is just one of 188 parameters.

I’m not going to list all 188. In addition to Bible411, you should check out some pages of the Creation/Evolution Encyclopaedia. This is a good place to start. The Elemental Forces of the Universe

It is pretty hard to deny God when all the information hits you in the face. The long and outstanding problem has been the atheist scientist agenda of withholding the facts. Let me explain;
The scientific fraternity has known all this for a long time. Understandably so since they discovered most of it. But there is no way they are about to admit it.

The problem is that scientists, those working in the universities anyway, want tenure. Fair enough. Ambition is a noble thing, worthwhile. To get tenure they have to publish . . . wait for it . . . and here it comes . . . the curriculum is Evolution. No scientist who publishes creation is going to be tenured.

So they deny the evidence. And the evidence is in abundance. In addition to these 188 parameters which have to be in such tight check that coincidence is impossible, I have not even touched on Equidistant Letter Sequencing. Yet another evidence that the atheists slam the door on without investigation.

I digress:

The evidence from the study at Bible411, says 188 parameters is just too much to call a natural phenomena: about 184 too much. I’m in full agreement with that. I mean! one set means nothing, but it could raise an eyebrow. Two raises some serious curiosity, and three says – this is too much for coincidence. But four is absolutely outrageous! Four such parameters shrieks of a disciplined, creative mind at work.

188 in proof beyond all doubt.

Might this be the reason we have not found life elsewhere in the universe? Because it doesn’t exist, because just one of these criteria is not met. Because all these criteria fall within these tight parameters in only one place: here on earth the wasy God planned

And this is only one subset of proofs. There are similar tests that can be put to the Bible, archeology, the Jewish Holy Books and so on. The evidence is there if you look for it.

Few atheist scientists will look for the evidence however. Their minds are made up. They would rather talk about life on earth 20 million years ago, unrecorded and assumed, than consider what happened 2 thousand years ago in recorded history.

But I won’t scratch the line too deep in that sand. ??

See I don’t really care about the age of the earth; I figure it is unknowable. I only know that Jesus was there at its birth, because He created it. Whether there was a Big Bang when He did it, I don’t know. There was no-one around to tell. What became of the dinosaurs, Neanderthal man, I don’t know.

But this I do know: The earth is held in an extremely fine and delicate balance. Many of the 188 known parameters are of an elemental nature. The very building blocks. A minor variation doesn’t mean an extra day or two of rain, or hail, nor does it even mean an end of existence, but means that existence would not have taken place to begin with.

I took a Cynic’s path to becoming a Christian. For a long time I would not, could not believe. There was no alternate theory, I simply knew it wasn’t that one.

Well, what changed? As I got older I started to question my mortality. I had lived through an horrific car accident, I was a recovering alcoholic and drug addict. My personal desert had been hard and long. I had changed, not the evidence. I will save my full testimony for another post as it is too long and too off topic to put here.

Today I try to keep an open mind and it is this open mindedness that has led me write this post.

It is a giant universe and the vast majority of it is still unknown, and with present technology, unknowable.

All the more reason to say, ‘Why not God?’

Should We Witness to Catholics?

I think most Christians would agree that we ought to be witnessing to anyone who isn’t a Christian. That’s practically a given. So then, our first task must be to qualify our audience. Are Catholics Christian?

They look like Christians. They have a Bible on the lectern, a crucifix on the wall. But sadly, that’s where the similarity ends.

Christians don’t pray to Mary. Nor do they pray to the saints. We hold Mary in high esteem, she is mother of our Lord Jesus, but that’s where it ends. Catholics turn to Mary in prayer, hold her in adoration. Catholics call this idolatry veneration, but the practise goes far beyond this. Statues of Mary adorn Catholic churches and there are prayer cards in the millions printed to the Blessed Virgin.

Among the names given to Mary perhaps the most damning are The Queen of Heaven and Mary as Co-Redemptrix.

Co-Redemptrix! Just pause here and think about that. Mary, as co-equal with our Lord Jesus as the Author of Our Salvation. Now, when you have swallowed that, ask yourself if Catholics are Christians.

A Christian depends on Christ for his or her salvation. Christ alone. Even if Mary could influence her Son (she can’t), Christians would not turn to her because Christians depend on Jesus alone for salvation.

Mary can do nothing. She cannot hear prayers, she cannot answer prayers, the Bible is quite clear on that. Ecclesiastes 9:5. All Catholics succeed in doing when they pray to Mary is breaking the 2nd Commandment.

Then we have prayers to the Saints. I remember a tv news segment about the Australian woman, Mary MacKillop, who was canonised in 2010. The interviewer was talking to a teenager in hospital. The teenager was delighted that Mary, formerly a nurse, was sainted. She (the teen), believed that her prayers to Mary MacKillop would make her well. This really tore at my heart. Inside I was shouting, ‘Pray to Jesus!’ And I was wishing the interviewer would say something. But of course, she didn’t.

Prayers to saints are like prayers to the Virgin Mary; useless and a breaking of the 2nd commandment. A person might as well pray to an old bed-sock. Yet the Catholic prayers to dead saints must far outweigh their prayers to Our Father, who, ironically, is the one who can answer prayers.

The next damning practise of Catholics is the teaching and belief of purgatory.

The idea of purgatory was kicked around as early as the 5th century but it wasn’t until the 11th century that it began to take shape as we know it today. Finally in 1254 at the Council of Lyon it was given its definition as a place where those without mortal sin may be cleansed after death.

Purgatory has been a real money spinner for the Catholic Church as they sell indulgences and hold Masses, for a price, for the dead. Who wouldn’t pay a few bucks to have the blowtorch removed from their loved one’s feet? But even this is not the real evil of Purgatory.

You see the concept of Purgatory assumes that when a person dies they still have unresolved sin. They go to Purgatory to be punished for this sin. The time they are in Purgatory can be shortened by purchasing indulgences or having a mass said for them. There are rules about who goes to purgatory but the short version is that it is just about everyone.

The real evil is the assumption that what Jesus did on the cross was not enough. When a person dies they still have sin to be dealt with. This is about as Unchristian as it gets. If any one thing disqualifies a Catholic from Christianity it is the belief in Purgatory.

As every Christian knows, that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Rom 10:9

We are rendered lily white when we become Christians. JESUS DID IT ALL. There is nothing remaining to be punished for in this man made Purgatory. Jesus forgives us every single infinitesimal sin. He leaves nothing. And if you believe otherwise, well, you are probably not a Christian. You see, believing in Jesus, which means more than simply believing He walked among us, but means believing in who He is and what He does. It just doesn’t add up that a person can believe that Christ doesn’t completely forgive, that He leaves something for purgatory, and still be a Christian.

Okay, so what if I’m a Catholic who doesn’t believe in Purgatory? Suppose I have a priest who has never spoken about it.

You don’t call this guy, Father, do you? Matthew 23:9 has something to say about that. And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.

Have you heard of the concept of Papal infallibility? This is a dogma that says that the Pope is free from the possibility of error. He can’t be wrong. Forgive my ignorance but I thought there was only One to whom perfection could be attributed.

What about transubstantiation? This is the concept that the bread and wine used to represent the Blood and Body of Jesus in the Holy Communion actually becomes His Flesh and Blood. Read that again. It’s a very weird belief.

Okay, I’ll admit it, I am nitpicking.

Naturally all we can do is look at the behaviour and practises of Catholics. Only God can see the heart. I’m sure there are some Catholics that for whom Jesus is first, front and centre, every time. Unfortunately these are few and far between.

Should we witness to Catholics? Yes. There are just too many points of difference between a Christian and a Catholic. I have by no means made an exhaustive account of them.

I would mention that we ought to be gentle in our approach to Catholics; most are sincere in their faith, and practising Catholics are, for the better part, fairly decent people. Catholics breed Catholics. There is often a long family history with the church and we shouldn’t start our witnessing with the artillery. This can only cause resentment.

As always proceed with prayer. Lifelong held beliefs are tough to break and you will be rejected. But nothing is impossible with God.

But Christians Say Their’s is the Only Way…

And so do the Muslims, the Buddhists, the Hindus, Jews, Jehovah’s Witnesses ad infinitum. In fact just about all the major religions make the same claim. About the only ones who don’t are the Baha’i faith. Their’s is a message that there is no such thing as an only way and that they are the only way with this message.

Islam is so convinced that they are the only way that they will kill you to prove the point.

Closer to home, Catholics so believe that theirs is the only way that some churches won’t even marry a couple unless both parties are Catholic.
(For more on why I did not include Catholics with Christianity watch this space).

Jehovah’s Witnesses are likewise convinced that they have the only card. Ditto the Mormons and Seventh Day Adventists.

Getting the idea? This is an identical concept right across the religious board.

So why are Christians singled out and given a shellacking for making this common claim? The only explanation is that we present a threat; because we present the truth.

Hold on, isn’t that the statement that got us here in the first place? Yes it is, but with all the objectivity I can muster I can’t see any other reason to shoot us down whilst letting the other religions slide.

Except that we have the truth. They will shoot us down for that.

And here I go, stating the truth, as truth, again.

Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Light. He is the Son of God and was crucified to pay for man’s sins. After being dead three days God rose Him back to life.

Taking Our Lord’s Name in Vain.

My first post, my first peeve. This is an appeal to all screenwriters, authors, novelists, basically anyone who puts a creative pen to paper.

Writers influence culture. Perhaps more than any other profession. Actors say what writers write. People buy what copywriters tell them to. Laws are written by writers who have learned to write in that style. People do what writers tell them to do.

So next time, in your sitcom, play, short story, or perhaps that spellbinding yarn with which you regale your friends, take this dare… If you…dare.

Next time your central character whacks his thumb with a hammer instead of taking our Lord’s name in vain, have him call out, Allah! Or Muhammad.

Eyebrows will be raised.

For too long Christians have kept quiet amid this culture of throwing our Lord’s name about as an appropriate response to pain, frustration, anger. It’s time we said, no! It is not appropriate. It is never appropriate. Fellow Christian, you know it isn’t. Your skin crawls when you are watching TV and you hear some clown use it. Of all the expletives that litter our media this is the worst. This is the Living God and we are keeping silent while others treat His Name like garbage.

Wouldn’t it be far simpler to use the name of a false god?

Won’t this upset the Muslims? Yep, you bet. There will be no end to the foot-stomping, screaming, hair-tearing, perhaps even a murderous fatwa from the religion of peace.

The poor darlings. They will be feeling the way Christians have been feeling for years. The media, and our media riddled culture is full of offensive traps for the unwary Christian. I’m not a prude but I did all that in my life before Jesus. I’m trying to live differently now; in the Way Everlasting.

It will also upset our politicians. Imagine the umming and erring that will go on as they, buckling under pressure from the Muslims, try to tell us to stop offending their god. Or rather, their concept of God.

We don’t have to single out Islam although they would surely be the loudest and most interesting to watch. To be honest I doubt that the Muslims are even particularly noteworthy offenders. It’s the secular culture that needs to be set right. Secular writers influence society far more than any religious writers. And besides, there are plenty of false gods to go around.

We could say, “I krishnaed the car last night. Total wreck. Moonied my arm up pretty good.”

Or,”What the Buddha!”

Obviously this is going to ridiculous extremes. It’s never going to happen and if it did, these names can’t create the offence that taking our Lord’s Name in vain can. The principle is simple; we aren’t commanded to keep the names of man-made gods holy. Only the Lord’s name. This is the very reason it is so offensive, and regrettably, why so many do it, to take our Lord’s name in vain; He is God.

It also happens because we don’t protest much. This is something the Muslims can teach us, although perhaps we don’t have to do it quite as well. When something offends the Muslim’s religious sensibilities he protests. Loudly.

Are Christians not sufficiently passionate about our religion to protest? On the surface it seems that way. We tend to protest passively. If we don’t like a product we simply don’t buy or watch it. Unfortunately all this does is produce a minuscule drop in sales or ratings. So minuscule in fact that the producer can just ignore us. They don’t ignore the Muslims however.

Muslims are noisy. They make sure their grievances get noticed.

Perhaps we should take a lesson from them. Or, we could let their noise work for us.

If we were to start using their god’s name as a curse, the ensuing murderous rage by the religion of peace would raise public awareness of the distress caused by cursing with our Lord’s Name.

This is back door advertising at its worst, but it would work. A far better idea would be for us to make our grievances known and then adopt the passion these people have for their faith.

This is really offensive language and Christians are silent about it. I have never read a ‘Letter to the Editor’ about it. I’m guilty too. I have never called a TV or radio station to complain. I, until now, have done nothing, said nothing. But I will try to rectify this.

If you have any ideas about how we could change this culture, or change ourselves to change the culture, please leave a comment.