Religion

Here’s Some Juicy Gossip!

NewSong — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 01:40:16 GMT

That title is an attention getter isn’t it. That’s why all the gossip shows and magazines are so popular. Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood, and of course the star magazines are all about the latest celebrity gossip. Whose on drugs, whose having affairs and getting divorced, that’s what fuels this billion dollar industry. Digging up the dirt is bigger than ever and very lucrative because the American culture loves it. Isn’t it totally innocent? Whats the harm?, “inquiring minds want to know” that’s all………… No, it’s also because it’s in our sin D.N.A.

I was talking with a couple of great people recently and the topic of gossip came up. As we shared it came apparent that we had different opinions about what would qualify as gossip. It was the type of conversation that carried on to my thought life for the next couple of days. Not in a bad way mind you, but in a thought provoking way. One thought I had on the topic of gossip is it isn’t usually black and white. A lot of the time it’s actually hard to detect, and so is the motive behind it.

Just what is gossip? Well, if we go to our source the Bible we have a pretty clear picture throughout the Old and New Testament. One thing the Bible is very clear about in regards to gossip is, it’s sin. And since God say’s it’s sin we certainly don’t want to participate.

Gossip is idle talk, with a suspicious motive, most always negative, spoken about someone who is not a part of the conversation. Much of what a gossiper says may be mere rumor, hearsay or sensationalized. Because the gossiper is aware that gossip is a sin, he usually begins by saying “I hate to say this but I’m so concerned about….” or “I know I shouldn’t be saying this to you but I don’t know whom else to share this with, ” or “Since you mentioned it….” This conversation is usually whispered among a few “trusted” friends. This is why gossipers are also called whisperers. Gossipers flatter us when they chose us to be their confidantes. The way to defuse this fire is to ask if they have or would say this to the person themselves, which if we are truly pure in motive is what we should do. Bottom line, the Bible says to go to the person if we have concerns. (Matt.18:15)

The Apostle Paul puts gossip in with such sins as envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice (Rm.1:29-31). Proverbs 18: 8 says, “The words of a gossip are like choice morsels, they go down to a man’s inmost parts”. Apostle James say’s the tongue is a “fire, a world of evil, restless evil, full of deadly poison”. By the way this is how a root of bitterness defiles many.

Gossip has it’s many victims, which include not only those who are the brunt of the gossip but the tellers and listeners as well. It is demonic by nature for the Devil is the “accuser of the brethren”. He loves to destroy through this hidden sin. It’s not just lives that are effected but institutions as well. This is why the Bible say’s at the “Bema Judgment of Christ” (where believers give an account of their lives) every idle word will be judged.

As believers we should be protective of one another, not by protecting gossip but by exposing it. As an overseer I really appreciate those who are protective and caring enough to expose any gossip and so put out the fire. Lives and families have been spared over the years because someone has been “a light”. I hope this has shed a little “light” on this subject for you, I know it has for me.

“Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them” (Eph. 5:11).

You can find more writings by Pastor Steve Miller of New Song Christian Fellowship at: http://newsongspringfield.wordpress.com/

New Song is a multi-generational church. Our desire is to help you discover the exciting plan God has for your life. If you’re just curious about God or church, or a believer looking for a church home, there’s a place for you at New Song. Visit our website: http://newsongcf.com or stop by Sunday Morning at 10am we are located at 35425 Camp Creek Rd in Springfield, Oregon.

Relax, You Got A Friend

NewSong — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 01:38:36 GMT

I just got through with a conversation with one of my favorite people and I feel better now (not that I was having any problems:). Some people are like that, they just kinda make your day if you know what I mean. Those are valuable people in my book. Nice to be around.

You ever notice how with some people you can just be yourself?. I like that. Not having to qualify or justify, that’s what I’m talking about. That’s actually a pretty big deal if you think about it. Which I did, think about it, that is. What I came up with is this, I like talking with this person. That’s because we are a lot alike. I understand this person’s feelings. They make me laugh because I totally understand where they’re coming from. I get it, because I have been there done or said that, and it’s totally relatable to me. These kind of relationships are fun because, hey, I realize I’m not alone. Someone else is actually as crazy as me. Bottom line, I think I can trust this person, and quite frankly, that weighs in heavy with me. And you know what else? God likes it when we trust, especially when we trust Him.

Jesus, now there’s somebody you can trust. You can go to Him with all your hurts and shortcomings. I mean He relates, He totally understands, everything. You can relax and be yourself around Jesus, it’s not like He doesn’t already know anyway. I’m somewhat amazed He knows everything about me and still loves me and wants to hang out. You can be yourself with Jesus. He is right there all the time wanting to talk. He’ll listen to all my complaints without being critical. And, He is never moody. He must be God. Besides all that, all of the things He tells me really make a lot of sense. When it comes to making me feel good and cheering me up, He’s the one. He makes me laugh then He makes me cry (in a good way). Whoever wrote that old hymn “What a friend we have in Jesus” really knew what they were talking about.

You can find more writings by Pastor Steve Miller of New Song Christian Fellowship at: http://newsongspringfield.wordpress.com/

When Do I Get Blessed?

NewSong — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 05:25:01 GMT

You ever feel like you’re missing something here?. Like, the answers to those nagging questions we all have from time to time? Everyone has questions. And when it comes to God, boy do we have questions. Here’s one I hear from time to time, “why does so and so get all the blessings? when’s it my turn?” When I hear that it almost can seem like they’re saying, “Boy, that God, He’s sure unfair“……….. Watch it now, God is not only fair, He’s just. What makes anyone think they deserve anything here? Well, for one our culture tells us we deserve it all, and like now! Some people believe just existing these days comes with all kinds of entitlements. I exist so I deserve. Wake up call, you exist yes, you deserve possibly, but what you deserve may not be what you think.

If I could be so bold as to say, nobody deserves anything except… (well I won’t say it cause I don’t want to get in trouble). But it starts with an h and ends with an ell. Hey lighten up, I was just kidding about you. I know, I know, you don’t deserve it, but I sure do. Why? just because I’m not worthy that’s all. Oh, and that’s what the Bible says all over the place. If I was so together I wouldn’t need a Savior. “But you’re saved now Steve.” Yes, and I’m as blessed as anyone could possibly be because of it.

Hasn’t God already blessed our socks off? Didn’t He (”while we were yet sinners”) come down here and take a beating and hang on the cross until dead? All this just for you and I. If anything isn’t fair, that’s it. Yet He did it gladly and would do it again. What a mighty awesome God we serve! If anyone needs to be blessed it’s Him. He deserves it not me. What did I ever do anyway, except put Him on the cross with my sins. I mean really, when are we (the church) going to get over ourselves? I guess I’m venting a little today, well maybe a lot, okay, a whole lot. But my lands (used to hear my Grandmother say that), aren’t we the ones who have already been given (free of charge) forgiveness and mercy and grace and love and eternal life and an inheritance, and, and,……….So why do we not always show our thankfulness? Well, it’s the same reason the nation of Israel didn’t rejoice for more than a few days after being supernaturally delivered out of Egypt. It’s called humanity, and it will always whine when it doesn’t get its way.

Since I’m possibly already just a little bit in trouble here, I’ll add this. The Bible doesn’t say battle your flesh, but crucify your flesh. Romans 13:14 “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.” Galatians 5:24-25 “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” That means to walk in the power and by the leading of the Holy Spirit. Yes, we can or it wouldn’t say it. And after all, this is exactly what blesses God, who will always by nature return what we give to Him. He returns it pressed down, shaken together, and running over. Hey, that might just be the answer to the original question: “When do I get blessed?”

You can find more writings by Pastor Steve Miller of New Song Christian Fellowship at: http://newsongspringfield.wordpress.com/

Life Can Hurt Wear a Helmet

NewSong — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 05:23:15 GMT

It seems to me that the helmet law for motorcycles has taken a lot of the freedom out of the ride. But I’m sure if you ever got in a wreck you would be thanking God for a helmet and the law that made you wear it. In fact all that leather stuff they wear nowadays is a good idea.

When I was 17, I had an “easy rider” style Triumph motorcycle. I loved to ride that bike, (when it would start). One hot August evening in Santa Monica, I was cruising down the boulevard on my motorcycle. I loved the wind in my face and my hair was blowin’ in the breeze. All I had on was a pair of paisley trunks and flip flops. I was feeling free and easy not a care in the world. When out of no where this guy cuts me off and I barely got around him. I just missed a fire hydrant and rode the curb for about 100 feet or so. It was absolutely crazy. It was only the grace of God I didn’t fall and totally crash and burn. After I thought about it for a few minutes, I turned the bike around and rode it to my Dad’s and immediately put a for sale sign on it. I never rode that motorcycle again.

Like a spiritual mother, the Apostle Paul tells us to make sure we put on a helmet before we go out. He says put on all the protective gear God has given us before we go out cruising for the day. He says this as a warning because the Devil is driving around out there. He’s just looking to cut somebody off, and ruin their day. When you least expect it, he’ll come out of no where and aim right at you. One minute you’re cruising along enjoying the scenery, then bam, your face is skidding across the asphalt of accusations, insults and circumstances. This is not the time to wish for a helmet. And you certainly can’t turn your life around and put a for sale sign on it.

Have you ever heard anyone say; “If only he had been wearing a helmet”? I have, right after my brother wrecked on his motorcycle after a van cut him off. He wasn’t as fortunate as me. He broke his jaw in three places and knocked out half his teeth. Hind sight is always 20/20.

God knows what’s coming around the next corner. If he says put on the whole armor of God, guess what? I’m putting on the whole armor. I like how God gives us everything we need to stay protected out there. When we put on all of God’s protective gear we can crash like Evil Knievil and get up and keep going. Remember being prepared is not just a Boy Scout Motto. Life can be dangerous, wear your helmet!

“Therefore put on the whole armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground” Ephesians 6:13

You can find more writings by Pastor Steve Miller of New Song Christian Fellowship at: http://newsongspringfield.wordpress.com/

God’s Financial Advice

NewSong — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 01:13:01 GMT

Nobody, and I mean nobody really knows what’s coming down the pike in the area of the economy. You may as well flip a coin. Speaking of flipping, I was flipping through the channels the other day and started watching a panel of “experts” spouting off their opinions on this very subject, the economy. I thought, maybe this will bring a little light to the end of this seemingly dark tunnel of doom and gloom that the media keeps jamming down our throats. I also thought, how did this 20 year old get to be an expert anyway. Guess what? Get out some more coins because these talking heads all agreed on one thing and one thing only, their opinion was the correct opinion, and none of them agreed on the same one. What a waste of a good hour. Glad I had a couple of extra strong black cups of Joyce’s premiere blend to keep me awake, along with my dog’s incessant demands for a belly rub. Who believes this stuff anyway? After focusing on the host’s head scratching it appeared he was flinching with their answers too. How can four opinions be so far from each other when they are looking at the same information? Again I’m thinking just give me the bottom line; are we in a recession, depression, recovery, or a dream?

This is one of the many reasons I like being a Christian. I do not need a panel of experts to tell me their professional opinion. I do not have to figure it out or worry about it. God’s Word makes sense and is not hard to figure out. If the Bible says it, you can take it to the bank. Sweet! You mean I only have to log on to God’s Word and the answer is there? Well, something like that. The answer is in the Bible, along with the answers to just about anything you can think of. God does have the answers, plain and simple.

If God was on a financial advice panel he would allow the experts to ramble on before saying a thing. Then with a quite, yet firm, calming way he might simply say;

“The world’s economy, let’s see, yes, it will continue to exist for a little while longer. Just don’t put your life into it, it is passing away soon. Hey, not to worry! I have a sure bet. Take everything you have and invest it with me and I will take care of it. I will put it where moth and rust can not destroy and thieves can not get to. The return on your investment is so good it will set you up for eternity. Now this may seem to good to be true, a get rich quick scheme. I’m telling you trust in me, don’t lean on your own understanding. This is a sure thing. If you don’t believe me just look at my track record. Which of these panel members ever rose from the dead?”

You can find more writings by Pastor Steve Miller of New Song Christian Fellowship at: http://newsongspringfield.wordpress.com/

God is Recession Proof

NewSong — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 04:37:19 GMT

“Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a little oil” (2 Kings 4:2).

Here in this Old Testament story we find a widow in desperate need. Talk about losing it all, here is a women in risk of losing even her children to her late husband’s creditors. That’s like having Visa come take your kids. With no hope left, and no where else to turn, she called on her husband’s past relationship to the prophet Elisha and looked to him for help.

Elisha first asked the widow what she had in her house. What? She asks for help and he sends her home? Sometimes what we need is right under our nose. Before asking others for help quite possibly selling a TV, extra car, or some household or personal item may be the first step. No matter how small an item may seem God can move mightily through it. This was the case with the widow.

The widow informs Elisha that she had nothing at home but a little oil. Although it didn’t seem like it was even worth mentioning, it was enough. In this case, the little she had in the oil department was going to be enough for a miraculous move of God’s provision. Elisha tells her to go and borrow lots of jars from her neighbors and begin pouring the oil she has into them. She would then be able to sell the oil and pay off her debt. Now, my response may have been more along the lines of, “do what?” But this little women does exactly what the prophet says and everything works out. Who would have guessed the small amount of oil miraculously multiplied until all the jars were full.

This may sound a little greedy, but have you ever wondered what would have happened if she would have gotten more jars. We will never know for sure, but my guess is all the jars would be filled no matter how many were collected. In God’s economy there is never a lack of oil, just jars.

It turns out that the widow’s obedience to the prophet’s words actually became her expression of faith in God. She took the little bit that she had and put it in God’s hands by doing what Elisha said. Notice that God didn’t provide her with the money out of nothing, nor did he change the minds of the creditors, both of which he could have done. She participated in the miracle. While what she did certainly did not cause the multiplication of the oil, God called her to be part of the solution. Just imagine what great miracle God could do with all that we have if we would put it into God’s hands.

Let’s not draw the conclusion that what this is saying is things will work out according to our own effort. This is not one of those motivational stories convincing us that we can do anything we set our minds to. Naturally speaking the widow was in big trouble. Her little bit of oil and whatever business smarts she had would not save the day. It was God that worked things out through Elisha’s words and the miracle.

As we struggle in whatever our needs might be, whether they be of a material nature like that of the widow’s situation, or a health need, a spiritual need, or a relational need, let us offer to God whatever little we have and trust Him to take care of the rest. I like the fact that God truly is recession proof.

You can find more writings by Pastor Steve Miller of New Song Christian Fellowship at: http://newsongspringfield.wordpress.com/

World’s Fake Merchandise

NewSong — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 18:27:51 GMT

The market places these days just seem to be flooded with all sorts fake merchandise. Just last week while in Mexico, I was offered name brand sunglasses and watches for incredible prices. Of course on closer inspection, these products were found not to be as Coca Cola says, “the real thing”. None the less, there is a huge market for these “knock off” products.In fact, we see them here in the states just as much as in Mexico. This is because so many people are happy to have items of clothing, movies, CD’s etc that are cheap, pirated versions rather than the real thing. Companies spend billions of dollars trying to keep their products from being ripped off, copied and pirated. Guess who pays the price for these companies extra costs?

The deception that’s out there doesn’t just stop with products. “Knock off” Christianity is being offered today as well. The truth is people are out there offering an imitation gospel, a gospel light, a watered down version. The fact that this is happening should not surprise any of us since the Bible warns of such things increasing in the “last days”. The early church in Galatia had somehow been deceived and the apostle Paul addresses this in the third chapter of his letter to the church. He wrote; ” I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel” What was in this different changed gospel that would attract them to desert the real thing?

As far as products go, why would people buy imitations when the real product lasts longer and works and looks better? I come up with two reasons, the obvious is the price. The second is people want the look. They want the appearance of the real thing without the cost. Why pay the price when we can have the appearance of the genuine. This is true with anything including Christianity. Some people want the look without the cost. A cheaper version that appears real but in actuality is fake. Like most “knock offs” with closer inspection you can see it’s not the real thing.

One of the best ways to tell a forgery is to compare it side by side with the genuine. When you compare the true gospel with the imitation there’s no comparison. The true gospel has something that nobody can copy and that’s power. The true gospel as the Apostle Paul says “is the power of God”(Rm.1:16). You see that power manifested in one distinct area in the believer, and that’s a changed life. Don’t settle for a cheap imitation that promises you power but cannot produce.There is only one true gospel, and the name brand is Jesus Christ. This gospel will last for eternity, it will not wear out and when you use it properly it will cause you to look good all the time. This gospel like all name brands is expensive. It will cost you your life. Although it’s expensive you will be glad you paid the price.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it”
Matthew 13:45-46

You can find more writings by Pastor Steve Miller of New Song Christian Fellowship at: http://newsongspringfield.wordpress.com/

God is One, Not Three.

Cassandra — Thu, 31 May 2007 06:03:26 GMT

I have noticed, many of you like to read what is in the Religion Forum... So, I offer this....

GOD IS ONE, NOT THREE Written By-- Anthony Buzzard--Atlanta Bible College

taken from http://www.mindspring.com/~anthonybuzzard/articles.htm

According to Jesus...

According to Jesus, God is strictly one Person, not three. Christians who value Jesus as the

supreme revealer of truth should consider his classic words, uttered in a final prayer. "You,

Father, are the only one who is truly God" (John 17:3). He defined salvation as belief in that One

and only true God, and in himself as the Messiah (John 17:3).

It is a serious hijacking of the words of Jesus if one adds to Jesus' creed. For Jesus, his Father is

"the one who alone is truly God, the only one who is truly God, the one true God" (see also John

5:44 and Mark 12:29).

Those utterances are more than clear. They are without a hint of ambiguity. Yet they have been

abandoned by the church bearing the name of Jesus. The church has for centuries, since postbiblical

times, defined God as three Persons. Jesus defined God as one Person, the Father. There

is a very great difference. That difference calls for extensive rethinking and reform. We cannot

risk fragmenting God. Jesus believed and taught strict unitary monotheism. He had never heard

of the Trinity - or if he had he rejected it. So should his followers.

Centuries later, after church councils had invented iron-clad creeds and imposed them on the

faithful, Augustine came face to face with Jesus' definition of God as the "only one who is truly

God." What was he to do? The church by then had lost Jesus' creed. It propagated everywhere

belief that God was three Persons. That innocent sentence in John 17:3 stated that God was a

single Person, not three Persons. Here is Augustine's "solution." He wrote: "The proper order of

the words is 'that they may know You and Jesus Christ, the only true God'" (Homilies on John).

One can have the words of Jesus on this great issue, or the words of the post-biblical creeds. It is

hard to see how one can have both at the same time. Following Jesus means believing his

teachings. Jesus' teaching about how many Persons are the One God is really not difficult: "You,

Father, are the only true God." Jesus is the Lord Messiah (Luke 2:11; Ps. 110:1), the Son of God

(Matt. 16:16), but not the One True God. The word "one" should be clear to all.

If anyone has any question about this, let him consult the thousands upon thousands of singular

personal pronouns used for God in the Bible. "I," "Me," "Mine," "Myself," "Thee," "Thy,"

"Thine," "Thyself," "He," "Him," "His," "Himself." All these words, as well as God's proper

name Yahweh followed by singular verbs (6700 times), ought to convince the open-minded that

God is one Person, not more. And monotheism - belief that God is one - is, according to Jesus, of

critical importance (Mark 12:29).

Jesus, the Son of God, is the perfect human reflection of the One God, his Father. But he is not

God. He is the sinless second Adam and the "prophet to be raised up from the house of Israel"

(Deut. 18:15-18). Created and begotten in the womb of his mother under the power of God's

spirit, he is designated "Son of God" (Luke 1:35). The idea that he is "eternally begotten" not

only has no recognizable meaning in language, but it is false to Scripture. "Eternal generation"

contradicts the important biblical fact that the Son of God was begotten "today," not in eternity

(Ps. 2:7; cp. Acts 13:33, referring in the latter text to the birth of Jesus.

Question about giving myself up as a marytr

Marknelson — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 01:22:35 GMT

Hi, I at presently suffering from a problem that affects many americans. I'm on a disability, my wife is a asst. mgr. at a dollartree. We cosigned for a daughter to go too school, she defaulted on loan. Now the state takes 1/4 of my wifes income to pay for that, and they take alot of taxes. This leaves verily enough to pay for the storage shed were living in and lights. But the state goes by gross income, and knocked us off medical. I have several issues that require medication, the biggest being thyroid med and high blood pressure and colestorol meds. I've been told there is no real help out there. If I don't take this one pill I go into a situation called mydexima, lapse into a coma and die. I see all these people that die in the obits from natural causes, probablly not being able to afford meds. If I have to die anyway because I can't afford to live, if I die as a martyr for healthcare reform in this country, and put a face on death by offering a live feed so people can watch me die. Since its going to happen anyway, does God hate you for giving your life this way?

Jesus Camp.

Otaku — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 01:34:00 GMT

I remember watching about 5 minutes of it, along time ago. And not knowing what it was.
But last night me my friends Sam, Jack and I were having a discussion about religion, and the Movie Jesus camp came up. We were talking about how when those kids grow up, they are going to preach their same radical ideals to more kids, and just screw things up. Does anyone know were I can rent the movie in town?

Plastic Dashboard Madonna

badgerrr — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 15:37:41 GMT

On a recent trip to New Delhi, India, was amused by the dashboards of the chauffeured cars I would rent. (Sane people don't drive in India)

In every single rig I would encounter, there was the Hindu equivilent of a plastic Madonna or Jeus on the dash. Most of them were of the Lord Ganesha (pictured), though some were of Hanuman, Shiva, or of a famous Guru.

Was struck by the idea that in a place such as this, so totally removed from a Christian Ethos, that we could find such a striking parallel. It was as if the Universiality of the Human Spirit was being communicated honestly, half-way around the world, by a tacky religious dashboard trinket.

They that believe

supersport — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 19:45:35 GMT

“They that believe shall mount up with wings as Eagles.” Who would of thought that these 10 words would cause such a stir? My name is Brianna Rux and I am a Senior at Mckenzie High School. Our Senior class has been through a lot in this first part of the year due to the loss of a classmate and the fate of another one still unknown. The one thing I do know is that our class has chosen to come together in our own way and believe that in all things greatness can come. Through the tragedy we have been through believing in anything positive has been a difficult task but we have all come together after the death of our friend and found a common entity to pull us together. Those 10 words are not our religious stand; they are words to best describe us as individuals and as Eagles, (our school mascot). For some we take the words and look for comfort believing our classmate is in a more powerful and greater place than we are. For others they look at these words as an inspiration to dig deep inside ourselves and know that we can make great things happen if we believe.

The senior class of 2008 at Mckenzie High School was set to use these 10 words as our class motto for graduation but because it is declared “to religious” we are not allowed to use it. I guess as a student at McKenzie High School, which is like my second home, I would of expected those in charge to see our meaning and our views of those 10 words and support our beliefs that we can mount up with wings as Eagles. Instead we are met with “it’s to religious” as an excuse to veto it as our class motto. I feel betrayed by those who should of stood up for us, instead, felt it better to beat us down in a time when we are trying to find a light at the end of a tunnel. Instead of believing in us they are stepping back for what might be a belief we want to make a religious statement that could cause a lawsuit, I could go on with point after point about things that could be to religious for a public school such as, Christmas and the Pledge of Allegiance, these things are always being scrutinized as being to religious. But these10 words? We used this motto for our homecoming and we were voted first place for decorating and motto by the high school staff. What about freedom of speech? Whether or not we have valid points I feel the school has chosen to believe this as a religious issue, when all we were trying to do was make our statement by believing. Believing in ourselves, believing we can fly, soar and mount up with wings as eagles. We need to believe to survive.

In closing I believe we will be choosing a new motto for our class knowing and believing it will not share the same meaning or belief for us and only because we have ran out of time to fight for what we believe in. I guess those who do not believe in us have won the battle. Thank you all for listening and maybe someday our faith in others can be restored.

Brianna

If you believe in the Bible (Save your free speach)

Cassandra — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 17:45:23 GMT

EMERGENCY!!!

A federal "anti-hate" bill is now in the Senate Judiciary Committee!
Contact the Senate Members: CLICK HERE for list.

The Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act, S. 1105, the Senate version of the federal hate crimes bill, was introduced by Sen. Kennedy and Smith into the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary April 12, 2007.

I believe that, since the Senate has not received the level of protest the House has, hate bill supporters want to push this bill through the Senate very rapidly before the new right can catch up with them.

ACTION PLAN to defeat the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act, S. 1105:

#1. Call all 100 members of the Senate (click link below for list). Toll-free 1-877-851-6437 or toll 1-202-225-3121. Call and say::

"Please do not vote for the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act, S. 1105. Hate laws have taken away free speech in Canada and many European countries."

* Members of the Senate *

#2. Send my powerful flyer Anti-Hate Laws Will Make You a Criminal to your Senator as well as their 8-10 influential legislative aides.

* View/Print Addressable Flyer against Hate Laws *
Preview:

Time is of the essence. We must flood Senators and their legislative aides with the truth about how hate laws have taken away free speech in much of the world. Our object is to not only kill these bills in Congress now, but to destroy their prospects of ever being reintroduced. Act now!

The greatest threat to America's freedom today is passage of a federal "anti-hate" bill.

#3. After protesting to the Senate, protest to the House concerning bill H.R. 1592:

The bill H.R. 1592 is still in the House Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security. This pending legislation will:

Create a bias-oriented justice system in America, like Canada's, leading to an end of free speech.
Unite federal and local law enforcement, helping create a police state.

Here's what you can do to fight H.R. 1592:

Call, email, or fax the member of the House of Representatives from your district. Call 1-877-851-6437 toll free or toll 1-202-225-2131. If you don't know which district you are in or the name of your Representative, just give the capitol operator your zip code and they will transfer you to your House member's office. Please tell them: "Don't vote for any hate crimes legislation. Hate laws have taken away free speech in Canada and most European countries."

* Members of the House of Representatives *
Since the entire House Judiciary Committee will determine the future of the hate bill, all 40 members must be contacted immediately. Call 1-877-851-6437 and ask to be transferred to each congressman's office. Give them this important message: "Please don't vote for the 'The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act,' H.R. 1592. Hate laws have taken away free speech in Canada and many European countries."

* House Judiciary Committee Members and their Legislative Aides *

* Senate Members and their Legislative Aides *
* House of Representatives Members and their Legislative Aides *
Send the member of Congress from your district my powerful brochure, "Anti-Hate Laws Will Make You a Criminal". Mail one to each of his or her 8 - 10 influential legislative aides. Print out about 11 of this flyer, fold in thirds, tape loose edge (do not staple), address and mail.

* View/Print Addressable Flyer against Hate Laws *
Preview:

Killing the hate bill is top priority. However, two other "speech control" bills are now in the House and must be protested.

* View/Print Addressable Flyer against Waxman's Thought Control Bill, H.R. 984 *
Preview:

* View/Print Addressable Flyer "Department of Peace Does Violence to Christian Values" *
Preview:
For those interested in doing even more to save freedom, set aside 15-30 minutes every work day to call all members of the House, beginning with the representative from your district. Using your redial feature call 1-877-851-6437 and ask to be transferred to each congressman's office. You may protest Conyers' hate bill, H.R. 1592, but also include Waxman's H.R. 984 and the Department of Peace bill, H.R. 808. In 7 weeks, you will have sent a powerful message against freedom-stealing hate laws to every member of Congress.

Why is it religious people are the most prejudiced?

Fodder — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 16:10:57 GMT

You, know if you say one little thing that the church doesn’t like you are considered scum. If you don’t take everything they give you, word for word and if you disagree with them, you are just the scum of the earth, to be purged. You’d churches would teach tolerance. They would have the deepest and clearest understanding of how to accept people for how they are. When I call the church a prejudiced it’s really simple.

In America you have the right to believe whatever you want. You can speak to it all you want. But it is unacceptable to impose your beliefs on others. It’s illegal to force your beliefs on others. But no, when people who are offended by seeing the Ten Commandments in a government facility they are considered filth. The government who is supposed to treat all people equal and respect the beliefs of everyone. This type of thing is happening everywhere. How do you think a religious person would feel if every time they looked at a dollar bill it said, God is a Lie? So many people would find that offensive. There would be a huge uproar about how insensitive that is. But when they come to how the term “in God we Trust” is offensive to atheists. Oh, that’s ok, we don’t care about offending them. They’re just scum anyway.

Now, yes there are some extreme atheists out there that take things too far. I saw a piece on the news about a group which was upset because the city would put up a cross memorial on public property for any cop that had died in the line of duty. They were upset because every time they turned around there were these crosses (a specifically religious only symbol) in their faces. This is a case where I think they take it too far. If the cop was devout and it would have pleased him to have it then it should be aloud. As long as they weren’t putting up crosses for people of other religions. For example: Maybe a Jewish person wanting a Star of David or an atheist who would rather something else.

But still, there are so many places and cases, where people are constantly having someone else religion shoved in there faces. It just comes across to me as hypocritical. They teach compassion and tolerance but they don’t act with it. A simple way to discribe most religions,,,, Hypocritical Bigots!

Why Can't religions Grow up?

Fodder — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 15:45:59 GMT

This might sound rude but it's a big reminder to me every time people bring up their religions. The simple fact is people way back when who made up their bibles and wrote their stories were not even smart enough to know the world isn't round. They were ignorant. They didn't know snot. Why is it so hard for religious groups to grow up and accept the way the world really is. Instead of growing with all of the scientific advancements and discoveries they simple scream heresy and bury their heads in the sand. It's completely retarded and very sad. Think about it, if Jesus was born today and Peter and the others were writing out their stories. They wouldn't sit there and say the entire universe started 6 thousand years ago. They might say, we'll when they talk about how when 'the lord said let there be light" they were talking about the Big Bang. Instead of growing with all of the new discoveries they sit there and have to make up complete garbage that makes no sense nor an ounce of logic just for the sake of trying to save some really old made up / make believe story.

They've proven historically the story of Adam and Eve was simply a made up story that people thought was neat. It wasn't real; it was just a really cool story to everyone. They weren't even going to include it in the bible because they knew it wasn't real but because so many people liked the story they kept it. Now because of the church's complete inability to grow and accept facts, they have idiots out their trying to explain how dinosaurs were in the Garden of Eden. I am seriously starting to believe the church is just a really whacked out cult.

The funny thing is, the story of Adam and Eve is actually a perfect story to describe the church itself!! Think about it, two people living in what they believe to be a paradise. That’s people in church today. But there are these snakes out there (scientist) which want to hand you this apple of knowledge. Once you bit that apple you realize the church is completely full of it. All of the stories they tell you are as true as Santa Clause and the Tooth Fairy. And you can’t go back. You’ll never be able to go back and listen to the ridiculous stories without constantly seeing how ridiculous they really are. Once you eat that apple, you have the knowledge to know you are not the center of the universe. You lose all of the arrogance to believe some huge malevolent god spends all it’s time thinking about you and taking care of you.

But no, people listen to this and REFUSE to accept that apple of knowledge. It scares the living Christ out of them. They can’t stand the idea that they aren’t special. They can’t live without the idea that eventually everyone that has wronged them WILL be punished by god. They would just crumble and die if someone took away their little teddy bear; their little woobie; their little security blanked that helps them get through the tough times in life. Because then they would actually have to take true responsibility for their lives.

Experiancial Time

badgerrr — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 05:29:48 GMT

Of those most understated things comfronting us, as we age, I think experiancial time would be on the top of the list. That is; Time as we experiance it.

Remember how long an hour was when you were in Kindergarden? Today, I don't experiance that much time in a full day....it could be argued - a week. I now understand the little old lady plugging down the highway at 35mph. To US she's poking down the road like a snail; to her, she's tearing down the road at breakneck speed; barely able to keep the wheels on the pavement.

I don't understand exactly why time compresses in experiance like this, but find increasingly, there just isn't the time in the day to do what all needs done. Even though there are still 60 seconds in a minute, 24 hours in a day, there is less and less time. If I was truely at "Middle Age" and would live to be 104; I surely would experiance that remaining time as less than it being 1/10th of the time I've already spent on this earth.

As young Turks, we weren't really warned about this. This certainly wasn't given the attention it deserved. Now I just sit back and watch time whistle by in dumbfounded amazement.

Does anyone know why this situation exists? Does anyone have any input on this subject? Do you have a system for coping?

Does Reality exist and if so; how do you define it?

badgerrr — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 05:22:30 GMT

(A number of my next few posts might be considered Philosophical in nature. Religion and Philosophy continually intertwine, so I hope I don't presume too much to put such posts here)

The longer I've looked at this "Reality" stuff....the more specious it appears. (And I'm looking at the starting point of Descartes "I think therefore I am") I see that entity has a strong bias to believe that whatever world it is in at the moment is "Reality" and any other interpretation is absurd. If you dream - you are in Reality. If you are "awake" then this world is Reality and the "dream" was just a dream. If we pass out or are under the affect of a drug - that world is the real one until we happen back here to "Reality". People die around us in this world - and we are not surprised - like apparently Reality is something we can check out of. But if Reality is Reality how is this possible. It's Reality for crying out loud.

After long thought, I'm pretty sure that Reality isn't what we commonly hold it to be. And if there is a Reality - this isn't it. Maybe when we die it will be like the end of a movie. We will suddenly "remember" ourselves and go on with our real life. Right now we are just caught up with the plot of this illusion.

But maybe there isn't a Reality at all. And if that is true, adjusting our perspective a bit, ALL WORLDS become Reality but it has no substance. Perhaps there is no matter.

Do you have a take on Reality?

The Nature of Evil

badgerrr — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 05:12:16 GMT

This is a real Corker! Like Reality, there is a very strong arguement to be made that "EVIL" as such, does not exist. Yet when I encounter it, it's there, I KNOW it. But if it really exists, what is it's nature?

Does Evil decend to us from the SuperNatural? Is there a supreme entity of Evil which acosts us? Is this entity the Enemy of God? Is this entity identical with God and Evil is, in fact, the shadow on the face of God?

Is Evil an imagining of our minds?

Or is Evil bourne only in the hearts of Men (where Nature is innocent)?

Is Evil only an agent of this world, or does it span all dimensions and "realities"?

Do you have a take on the Nature of Evil?

Thanks God, you IDIOT

CitizensForSanity — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 15:14:09 GMT

God, you incompetent blundering fool. You made the human animal, your finest creation whom you love dearly, then you make hundreds of horrible diseases and afflictions of all kinds to torment and kill your best animal. Then you give your prophets conflicting commandments and accounts of how we are to run our lives. You turn some of your most devout church people into child molesters. God, you are either a sadistic creep or a powerless puss.

I have heard hundreds of times that only you God can create life, so I must know that you are the creator of all the viruses, microbes and parasites that afflict us. OR, all these bad bugs come to life through a spontaneous process and you are just a bystander in the beginning of life. Either way God, you are pathetic.

What If...

CitizensForSanity — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 17:00:12 GMT

If we were to believe in a "religion" without the use of a prophet and a God, what would we have? We would simply have a group of people who followed a set of rules that spelled out how to live a certain way of life. In other words, a God is not necessary to have a set of rules to follow. All society needs is a very smart and clear thinking individual who would create a set of rules and then extrapolate into the future the chain of events that that set of rules would create. Using science, reality and critical thinking,* the creator of the set of rules could then weed out the bad rules and strengthen the good rules creating a way of life that would produce the best possible society. The use of the God/prophet scenario is what always screws everything up. The God/prophet/religion situation always brings into the equation nonsensical claims. The writer must then create elaborate stories and scenarios required to make the claims seem plausible or factual. This is what is wrong with belief in the God/prophet/religion scenario, it is based on pure imagination and nonsense.

On the other hand, the human animal being what it is, we will probably never see an ideal way of life. If not religion mucking things up it would be something else. Life is brutal throughout the entire animal kingdom. An enormous struggle from birth to death.

*critical thinking: "One who expresses a reasoned opinion on any matter, involving a judgment of its value, truth, or righteousness or an appreciation of its beauty or technique." Webster.

UFO's, Space Aliens, OR Fallen Angels & Demons

Cassandra — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 00:22:57 GMT

I entered this topic, because it is a popular conversation with many people... Come on, let's get some ideas going here, all in good spirit! No pun intended...

God, time to put up or shut up

CitizensForSanity — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 00:15:59 GMT

There will be no peace on earth until the belief in a God and the creation of religions no longer exist. This is so because anytime one believes that living a fantasy is the answer to life's problems, nothing will ever be accomplished in the real world. The belief that some unknowable and undefinable thing somehow magically can solve problems and make everything better is just nonsense. Humans invented and use religion to attempt to convince themselves that this amazing and strange thing called life has some kind of meaning or reward, hoping that there is something that one will be aware of after death.

The human brain has the amazing ability to make its self believe that something that is only the product of the brain its self actually exists. For example, the placebo pill. The pill has no physical effect but the brain thinks that it does and it is this belief that can produce a physical effect in the body. Another example, and this happened to me. Many years ago I was working on a very old wooden sailing cargo ship. A couple months went by and I was having a great time with nothing unusual happening. Then one of the crew happened to mention that a man was killed in the forward crew compartment where I slept and that his ghost was still there. That night I woke up and felt smothered by a presence that would not let me out of my bunk. It was quite terrifying and I spent the rest of the night on deck. If it had not been mentioned to me that there was a ghost in the cabin, I would never have had the experience, because the event was triggered by the thought planted in the brain and the brain created the incident. It never happened again because the next day I realized what had happened and put it out of my mind. If you want to believe in something intangible or mysterious such as a God, or someone coming to life after death, [i.e. the story of Jesus] the brain will create that into a mental reality for you.

There have been so many thousands of different attempts through various cultures and religions to "prove" that a God exists and that there is life after death, that it makes the whole effort discredit its self. When you look at the totality of the explanations you can see that it all boils down to a jumbled mass of contradicting and meaningless nonsense.

I am not trying to squelch discussion. If your God has any power and if praying works for you, I ask you to ask your God to get our men and women out of Iraq and also have your God do something about that violent Arab Muslim culture. In other words, God, if believing in you is worth anything at all, FIX ALL THIS CRAP.

Political and Religious Priorities are always screwed up.

Fodder — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 19:37:14 GMT

I’d just like to interject a little rationality here. I’ve put a lot of thought though this and I think it comes down to priorities. I hear too many people who say, “In my life God comes first” and then say they are “True Americans”. These are contradictory statements. To be a True American means America comes first and that’s the way it’s suppose to be. America stands for Freedom. That means you can have what ever beliefs in god you want. But every time we turn around decisions are being made based on religious beliefs and not Freedom. I could pick tons of examples of this; gay marriage, porn in libraries, stem cell research. Almost every controversial topic out there bogs down to the simple fact that people lose track of the fact that if you don’t want your freedoms taken from you, you can’t take the freedoms from others.

I’ll demonstrate by taking on one of these arguments. Gay Marriage. Now, I’m not gay and I really don’t care if you are. So if you want to get married then go for it. It’s not going to kill me. It’s not going to ruin the world. It’s not going to change anything other than the fact that you can be taxed the same as any other married couples.

There is a complete difference between the church and the state. I use the word “difference” for a reason. If you were Jewish, how would you feel if the Mormons ran the government and their bible was part of the Amendments? If you’re Jewish and you get married there is no law that says the Catholic Church has to recognize your marriage. Just like if a gay couple got married, there is no law that says any religious organization must recognize that marriage. However, the government being fair to all religions recognizes the Jewish marriage and the Catholic marriage for taxing purposes. That’s it! It’s that simple.

A marriage to the government should simply be 2 people who come together for taxing purposes of their income. Hell, it could simply be two elderly people who for the sake of financial survival have a legal marriage. It has nothing to do with sex. Heck if you think denying gay marriage is going to stop them from having sex you’re seriously off your rocker.

Then you get people who say, well this leads to the polygamist. The same thing applies; the government would recognize the combination of 2 person’s incomes for the sake of taxes. If you want to be a part of some church that says you’re married to multiple people, I don’t care. But when you go to file your taxes you only get to claim one of them as your spouse. If it’s simply the fact that you don’t want it called a marriage then tuff cookies. If I want to walk around my house calling my shoe an arm pit then so be it. It all comes down to the same thing. As a True Americans, we should tax them the same.

Christian topics for todays world

Cassandra — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 22:17:20 GMT

I am listing here the web site of a good friend of mine... If you like to listen to christian topics that cover everything from scriptures to Satanic infiltration of christendom, govenment manipulation, and many other topics, you will enjoy this site... My friend interviews guests and posts these interviews on her web site. She also, on this web site, has a huge library of archived shows, all catagorized under the guests name (easy to use)... So if you enjoy kicking back for a hour and listening to different speakers on a wide range of topics, go to this site and check it out... I for one thoroughly enjoy it...

http://www.thebyteshow.com/

Please tell me about your God.

CitizensForSanity — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 18:22:35 GMT

Your God. Why do you believe? What powers does your God have? Did your God create the earth and all life upon it? How does this creation relate to the endless universe? Did your God create every single atom and unit of energy in the endless universe? Why? How, when it is now universally accepted that matter and energy can never not exist because it can never be destroyed? It is in either one form or the other. And if this is the case, there could never have been a beginning. How does your God work this out? Does your God cause the collision of galaxies and all the destruction of life their-in? Why? What about the multiple extinction events that have killed almost all life on earth at the time of the event? Why would your God do this? What exactly is your God? What is it made of? If it exists, it has to be something. Please don't be simplistic. If I prayed to your God to stop the war in the Middle East, would he stop it? Do you believe in God just because another human wrote something in a book and then claimed he had direct contact with something he called a God and that the writers words are actually God's words? Does your God do anything on earth today or is he dead, or maybe on vacation? I read somewhere that God says that every man should have as many wives as possible, should I believe in THAT particular God?

If there is one God, why can't there be another God? Or maybe every solar system has it's own God. Why not? There could be millions of Gods with a SuperGod overseer coordinating events.

I am wondering if God is good, if so why he is allowing such chaos and horror on earth such as what we are experiencing today?

Thank you very much for your thoughts.

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A federal "anti-hate" bill is now in the Senate Judiciary Committee!Contact the Senate Members: CLICK HERE for list.

Why is it religious people are the most prejudiced?

Why Can't religions Grow up?

Experiancial Time

Does Reality exist and if so; how do you define it?

The Nature of Evil

Thanks God, you IDIOT

What If...

UFO's, Space Aliens, OR Fallen Angels & Demons

God, time to put up or shut up

Political and Religious Priorities are always screwed up.

Christian topics for todays world

Please tell me about your God.

A federal "anti-hate" bill is now in the Senate Judiciary Committee!
Contact the Senate Members: CLICK HERE for list.