We need to face facts:  whites think one way about Michael Brown and blacks think another.  To pretend this difference does not exist is a roadblock that prevents either sides from finding a solution to why this ever expanding gulf exists between the two races.

Denying that there is no difference in either the races or the way blacks and whites think is yet another barrier to understanding why these protests continue unabated.

I am a white, middle aged man and won’t pretend I don’t have some prejudices.  We all have them, and turning a blind eye to their existence is negating reality.  This said, I do not feel that I am a racist and believe “all men are created equal.”  Skin color should have no place in determining the worth and dignity of people.

But black Americans—and I’m generalizing here—are doing themselves a grave disservice with these protests and are widening the gap that already exists between whites and blacks. The looting’s, riotings, burnings, vandalism and general mayhem being done by Michael Brown’s supporters are creating more, unwanted prejudice and hostile feelings towards blacks by whites.

We are a nation governed by the rule of law.  Yes, the system is flawed in many ways and innocent men and women of all colors, not just blacks, become unjustly ground between the gears of a legal system that too often fails to exonerate the innocent yet condemns the guilty.

But we do not cast aside this remarkably fair and just system because it fails to provide 100% justice in 100% of the cases brought before its adjudication.  If you don’t like or agree with it, please choose the country you feel does a better job and seek asylum there.  Good luck.

The grand jury determined there was insufficient evidence to indict Darren Wilson for the death of Michael Brown.  The men and women who made up this grand jury (three who were black) spent multiple hours over several months hearing testimony from witnesses and forensic experts, poring over photographs and exhibits in deciding whether or not Wilson was guilty.

The evidence clearly pointed to his innocence.  And it is at this point that the divide that separates blacks from whites begins to lengthen and the gulf widens.

The Brown family ignited the fires of protest with this singular statement:

“We are profoundly disappointed that the killer of our child will not face the consequence of his actions.”

Then gasoline was sprayed on this fire with Brown’s stepfather’s crazed rant of “Burn this b*** down!”

In other words, those members of the black community who are protesting, burning, looting, and rioting are telling the world they don’t care about the facts meticulously gathered and laid before the grand jury.  The rule of law means nothing to them.

And it would not be a far stretch to say that at least some of these same protestors would agree and be partakers to a lynch mob that would, if in their power, hang Darren Wilson from the nearest tree.

They are demanding an innocent man be put to death, or, at the very least, spend the rest of his life in prison, for defending his life against a known criminal.

They are choosing to believe lies from “witnesses” that said Wilson shot Brown in the back, even though forensic evidence clearly showed this was nonsense.

They are choosing to believe a lie and want to paralyze and disrupt their fellow Americans from enjoying the holiday season, shutting down malls and frightening shoppers with their deranged chants of “If justice is not done, we can’t shop in peace!”

They are demanding America to abandon the rule of law and join them in the rule of the mob and the violent.  And the ironic thing about this unjust and insane mentality is that they seem to want to do to Darren Wilson the same thing that was done to Emmet Till, a tragic and brutal murder that helped kickstart the Civil Rights movement.

Law abiding citizens of all colors are looking at these protestors and the disturbed, maniacal mentality that fuels their dangerous and primal passions as enemies, threats to not only the rule of law that governs civilized society but to their very existence, the American way of life.

These mobs are what we have come to expect from countries such as Somalia, the Sudan and Nigeria, lawless places where thugs are free to roam, kill and mete out their own flavor of justice at the point of an AK-47 and machete.

History will show that Michael Brown’s death, far from uniting a fractured America, only brought down the sledgehammer on an already divided nation along racial lines.

In my previous post, I told the story of talking to three JW’s who had set up their literature booth outside a library in Tucson, AZ.  When I mentioned the fact that JW’s used to be a part of the United Nations, they were stunned.   You can read about this particular and interesting incident at the link above.

More interesting dialogue occurred also.   I asked these three JW’s if they knew that their organization teaches that the atoning blood of Jesus only applies to the 144,000 and no others.

In other words, if you are a JW and you are not one of the 144,000 “anointed class,” the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ is not for you; His atoning or “ransom” sacrifice does not personally apply to you.

As astonishing and blasphemous as this teaching is, it is nonetheless true.

Before I dive deeper into this particular discussion with these three JW’s, I need to explain something of importance.  I have been studying and interacting with JW’s for over 30 years, and two of the most disturbing aspects of this cult is this:  your average JW is a chronic liar and full of hypocrisy.

Their blatant hypocrisy is a theme I discuss in at least two of my Youtube videos:  here and here.  The fascinating thing about JW’s is they seem totally oblivious to these two facts, but this should not be surprising:  self-righteousness, another sad aspect of your typical JW, is quite blinding.

Back to my story of these three JW’s, when I mentioned this fact to them, that the blood of Jesus only applies to the “anointed class,” the woman immediately reacted by telling me that what I said was untrue.

She became surprisingly evangelical, and her response was so biblical that, if I did not know better, I could have just as well been talking to a typical Baptist or Presbyterian.

She immediately quoted John 3:16:

“For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, so that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life (New World Translation).”

She enthusiastically claimed that the blood of Jesus was for her, and that her sins were forgiven based on this wonderful event that happened over 2,000 years ago.  So strong was she in her profession of this wonderful fact that I honestly felt that perhaps this particular JW had deep spiritual insight that was not shared by the vast majority of other JW’s.

Was it possible, I thought, that I was speaking with a JW that truly understood about the wonderful grace and mercy freely bestowed upon sinful mankind through the atoning blood of the Lord Jesus?  If true, I was standing face to face with a miracle:  a redeemed JW.  The possibility, at that moment, was simply too much for me to adequately process, and I would have to return to this later.

I also thought that perhaps the organization, in their efforts to become more mainstream and accepting to the general public, were loosening up some of their more pernicious doctrines.  Could it be they were becoming a bit more ecumenical?  The thought seemed too good to be true.

I knew, though, that if anything, this woman was not following proper JW thinking.  To resolve the issue, I went to the official JW website, “jw.org,” and typed in “ransom sacrifice” in the search bar.

This brings up at least three articles, but here is where caution and discernment is needed.  JW’s, like all cults, are masters of deception, and the writers in these articles choose their words very carefully in order to say as little as possible that would reveal the truth of what they actually believe.

For example, in the article, “How Jesus’ death can save you,” there is much that the average evangelical, bible believing Christian can find agreement with.  The four chapters under the heading, “Jesus” role in God’s rescue of humanity,” contains mainstream theology.

Things begin to turn sketchy, though, as we continue reading the article underneath the heading, “Will you benefit from Christ’s ransom?”  The true power of a cult comes into focus as the writer begins to expertly weave a works mentality out of this free gift of grace.

For example, this “bucket list” for obtaining this “free gift of grace” includes “appreciation for his death by commemorating it,” a “special meeting in obedience to Jesus’ command.”  Here, we begin to observe how JW’s turn what is a “free gift” into a “to do” list.

This is all subtle, this “adding” to the gift of free grace by believing in the Name of Jesus, a part of the brainwashing techniques that the Governing Body expertly and so deftly uses to deceive their flock.

This particular brainwashing technique continues with the last line of the article:

“By developing love for Jesus Christ and faith in his ransom sacrifice, you can fill your life with joy now and look forward to being saved from sin and death.”

Notice the putting off of the free gift by the expertly worded phrase, “…look forward to being saved from sin and death.”  Notice the subtlety?  Not encouraging people to “thank God that you are saved by faith in Jesus’ name,” but JW’s must look forward to being saved…”

It is only when one reads the article, “Jehovah Provides ‘a Ransom in Exchange  for Many'” that we finally get to the meat of the matter.  Again, the reader is taken on a journey in this article that contains some accurate theology, but one must come  to the end of the article to finally discover the heresy.

Under the heading, “Benefits of the Ransom,” we read this:

“In his letter to the Colossians, Paul explains that God saw good through Christ to reconcile to Himself all other things by making peace through the blood Jesus shed on the torture stake. Paul also explains that this reconciliation involves two distinct groups of individuals, namely, ‘the things in the heavens and ‘the things upon the earth.’ (Colossians 1:19, 20; Ephesians 1:10) That first group consists of 144,000 Christians who are given the hope of serving as heavenly priests and ruling as kings over the earth with Christ Jesus. (Revelation 5:9, 10; 7:4; 14:1-3) Through them, the benefits of the ransom will gradually be applied to obedient mankind over a period of a thousand years.—1 Corinthians 15:24-26; Revelation 20:6; 21:3, 4.”

The WTBTS suddenly makes an incredible turn, by a twisting of scripture and lifting them out of context,  and here teaches that salvation is given to two groups, as I mentioned in the first part of this post:  the first group numbering 144,000, and then, through them, “the benefits of the ransom will gradually be applied to obedient mankind over a period of a thousand years.”

Two groups.  Clear as crystal.  And this division that separates those who initially receive salvation, the 144,000, and those who will receive it through them is as blasphemous as one can get, an evil teaching that denies the immediate cleansing blood of Jesus and the free gift of salvation to the vast majority of people.

I read portions of the above article to the three JW’s.  Suddenly, the woman, who previously had said the blood of Jesus applies to anyone with faith, now backpedals and tells admits that she is hoping for salvation during the “thousand years.”

I was stunned at her complete about face and explained to them that I was very disappointed in her initial disingenuous explanation of this critical doctrinal issue.  I was trying to be kind and not flat out call her a liar for deceiving me as she had clearly tried to do.

This is one example of why I have found your average JW to be such blatant liars and why they are such a dangerous and deceiving cult.  Like this woman, they do not tell unsuspecting members of the public the way “things really are” with many teachings of their organization.

No, they understand clearly the importance of putting on a false front to people.  To effectively do this, hot disagreement has found to be counterproductive to their recruiting efforts, so they seek to find common ground with non JW’s…like me in this particular case.

When I initially brought up the topic of salvation through the blood of Jesus, the woman lies to me and says she herself was the recipient of this wonderful act through faith.  She is no fool and has no doubt been through this exact conversation countless times over the thirty years she has been an active Witness, knowing the importance of being in agreement with the person bringing up this specific issue.

Her lie, of course, is her attempt at deceiving me by not telling me how she actually believes, which is her admission that it is only during the future thousand year reign that she has actual hope of “being saved.”  And of course, even the hope of this future event is predicated on her remaining an active, faithful and obedient JW during the remainder of her earthly existence.

When I pointed out to these three my disappointment with the woman’s duplicity, the conversation was over; the one man immediately said, “We have given you enough of our time—an hour already—and we need to get back to talking with other people.”

In other words, he was politely telling me it was time to take a hike.  The phony smiles and false friendliness of their initial interactions towards me was now conspicuously absent.

I tried to be gracious and agreed with them that we had spent a good amount of productive time in friendly interaction, thanked them for their time, and left in peace.

 

 

Today, I asked three JW’s sitting at a literature table set up in front of the local library if they knew that their organization was once a part of the United Nations.

There were three of them sitting there:  two men in their late fifties and a woman who looked to be in her late forties.  When I asked these three this question, the woman’s eyes grew wide in shock and disbelief and she flatly denied the possibility of such a dreadful thing being true.

To confirm this, I looked it up on my iphone and found an article from Wikipedia.  They scoffed at this source and scornfully said that anybody can say anything about anybody on Wikipedia.  In other words, they weren’t buying it just because Wikipedia confirmed what I said.

I mentioned to them that many other websites had the same confirmation and that all they had to do was a little research for themselves.  One of the men got a strange look in his eyes and said that he doesn’t use the Internet much.  I took this to mean that he does not trust the Internet to accurately report on subjects such as this particular one.

(Photo above:  A copy of the letter the UN makes available to those who inquire about the Watchtower’s involvement in the organization.)

In other words, JW’s have been convinced by the Governing Body that thinking for themselves and doing independent research is some kind of a sin.

Evidently, for many JW’s, the revelation that their organization was indeed actually a part of the United Nations is stunning and earth shattering.  And it appears that many JW’s have become ex-JW’s over this exact issue.

If you are a JW reading this, did you know about this?

Many people know that the Governing Body (GB) discourages—even forbids—JW’s to do “independent research” on the Internet concerning issues relating to “Jehovah’s organization.”  The warning is that there are so many apostate websites out there that the information one might get is tainted by lies and that one’s faith could be corrupted, even shipwrecked.

But this is nonsense.  What did people do before the Internet?  They went to their local library and, depending on the size of the library, this same information could be accessed.  Were libraries considered to be hotbeds of misinformation and pitfalls of deception?

It is certainly true that the Internet has an incredible amount of very terrible stuff—even evil stuff—but it is also true that it is a wonderful place to do research and quickly discover facts in a couple of minutes that would take hours and even days to find in a library.

JW’s should be aware that this prohibition against using the Internet to do research is purposely designed by the GB to keep you JW’s in the dark and from searching the Internet for knowledge that could set you free.  It is a way to control you, to keep you brainwashed and enslaved.

A mind is a terrible thing to waste, and to keep locked up in ignorance.  Do your own research; you may just discover another meaning to these words of Jesus:

“And you shall know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  (John 8:32)

 

 

 

 

A homeless Christian woman, living out of her SUV, did something that will echo through history as being one of the boldest stands for Christ in America:  she stood against the foolishness and lunacy of the modern church in how she deals with Islam.

As I read this article, I shouted in joy, falling on my knees in prayer and thanking God for her boldness.  With people like Christine Weick, there might be a slim hope for this country.

Can you imagine what kind of boldness this woman took doing this?  All by herself?  Standing alone in the middle of this church and saying to all the people gathered there, including many Muslims:

“Jesus Christ died on that cross. It is the reason we are to worship only Him.  Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior.  We have built enough of your mosques in this country. Why don’t you worship in your mosques and leave our churches alone?”

This takes two things:  great faith in her mighty Savior and a heavy dose of valor.  Christine is a woman who acts out her faith in the Lord Jesus and is not afraid to make a public stand for Him.

This was a proud day for authentic Christianity in America, and at the exact same time it was a day of abject shame for Christianity in America.

It was a proud day because one solitary Christian woman felt that she needed to stand up for righteousness and authentic Christianity, and a day of shame because the church where this Islamic abomination was held is one of the most magnificent and historical in our nation.

There can be no compromise or grounds of commonality with Islam.  The two faiths are mutually exclusive.  Certainly there are a few beliefs that Islam has in common with Christianity, but these similar beliefs in no manner suggest that Christians and Muslims can walk hand in hand down the great aisle of faith singing “Kumbaya.”  Islam is the sworn enemy of Christianity, and the two cannot coexist as equal partners in America or, for that matter, in any country.

But don’t necessarily take my word for what I have just written; here the Word of God on this critical matter:

“Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.” (1 John 2:22-26)

How many know that Islam flatly denies that Jesus is the Son of God?  Though Islam reveres Jesus as being one of the many great prophets, their staunch denial that Jesus is the Son of God eviscerates the central message of the Gospel:

“For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son…” (John 3:16a).

If someone believes Jesus is not the Son of God, the Bible teaches that this belief is “the antichrist.”  Friends, you cannot get any clearer than this.  Please let this thought burn in your hearts and soul:  one is of the antichrist who rejects the belief that Jesus is the Son of God.

This means that Islam is an antichrist religion.  It stands opposed to Christianity.  Perhaps what is even worse in Islam is that they reject that Jesus died on the cross for the sins of mankind.  This means for Muslims, there was no literal resurrection of the dead Jesus that sacrificed Himself so that sinful men and women could be reconciled back to God.

The great apostle Paul wrote this:

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures…” 1 Corinthians 15:3-4

For the defense of the Gospel and as a rejection of Islam defiling the holiness and sanctity of a place that was once reserved for the spreading of this Gospel, Christine made this unbelievably bold stance.   May the Lord richly bless you, sister!

Recently,  I read a disturbing story about a man married to a narcissist.

After finishing it, I had to thank God that I am single, made so by divorce.  Ten years or so after my own marriage failed, I honestly feel blessed by God that I am no longer married.

Though I realize there are some happily married people out there,  I honestly don’t know if I personally know of more than say, two or three at the most; marriage, for the most part, has become an unhappy affair for what seems to be the majority of people in America.  This is beyond sad and most tragic.

As I read this article, I was again struck by a recurring thought that I often have:  people—especially women—seem to be changing…and not for the better.

We have the stereotype of men that says they are the more promiscuous half of society, and though most of us rightly frown on adultery, a married man who fools around on his spouse is more accepted than an unfaithful wife.  Though any partner that commits adultery is unacceptable, it seems that male infidelity is much more accepted than the other way around.

Women, at least in my generation, were more often than not looked upon as being the more chaste and faithful of our human species.  For a woman to stray outside of the marriage boundary and find comfort and sex in the arms of another man was seen as something that not only should never happen, but it also seemed to rarely happen.  Those days, as the old saying goes, are long gone.

I feel genuine sorrow for the husband who wrote the above letter.  We all know that there are two sides to every story, but at first blush, this poor man is living in a real hell, created by his sex-crazed, psychopathic wife.  And if he thinks his marriage will ever get better or that his continually straying, lustful wife will ever stop sniffing around for more and more strange, he is going to be sorely disappointed.

The definition of a narcissist is interesting.  My ex wife shares some of these characteristics, so I can relate to his pain.  Being married to such a person is an incredibly unhappy and miserable experience, and though I admire this mans desire to stay married for “the sake of the children,” I believe his noble feelings are misguided.  He needs to get a divorce, let the financial chips fall where they may, and if his ex ends up getting the kids most of the time because he needs to work and earn his family’s needed bread, that is the unfortunate cost of a very ugly reality.

Nobody will win in this one.  And the brutal and patently unfair reality that he will soon discover is that those who deserve the breakup of his family the least—the innocent children—will be profoundly damaged by it and hurt the most.  The scars they will receive on their tender hearts will never fully heal and they will carry the pain and fallout from their mom’s infidelity for the rest of their lives.

Life, for far too many of us, is brutal, especially for our children.

Every generation seems to believe that things are getting worse in the world, that the younger generation coming up behind them is less moral, more violent, less committed to spiritual and moral values, more irresponsible, etc.

When it comes to marital infidelity, our hunches appear to be correct:  more and more people are fooling around on their spouses, and this trend only seems to increase.  And lest you think I believe my generation is somehow more moral than the younger, this article will show you that I am well aware that my generation has nothing to brag about.

 

 

 

I voted Republican all my life, but this recent victory by the party I once enthusiastically endorsed will change little, if anything, in America.

I must confess something that many of my readers will be deeply distressed over:  I have not voted in any election since George Bush the second and probably never will again.  Why?  I grew weary of all the lies and double-dealings of Republicans, and when I realized the majority of them lied, conned and deceived as  much as the Democrats, I threw in the towel.

I knew there was no hope for America and believed then as I do now:  God is as sick of this country and our wickedness as much as I am.

Perhaps I am wrong with this belief.  Maybe God still loves America and our best days are ahead of us.  Maybe, like so many Christians believe, a great revival and awakening is soon coming on this country and will sweep away all the wickedness and rot that has become the hallmark of our nation.

I’m certainly not holding my breath.

If you were to describe me, yes, I admit, I am a solid pessimist, but this pessimism is deeply rooted in reality.  Anybody who thinks that America is getting better, growing more moral, drawing closer to God and righteousness, is walking around with rose colored glasses on and seeing only what they want to see.

Consider what I believe to be a typical Christian, over-the-top, shallow, arrogant, irrationally exuberant and wholly unfounded with head firmly planted in the sands of denial, article.

The writer gushes:

“Millions of Americans have been praying to the God of the Holy Bible for help since the beginning of this Obama nightmare. Believing Americans know that our God is bound by His own character and promises to deliver when we humble ourselves and trust Him. Tuesday the 4^th was the beginning of America’s miracle…turning her back to greatness, freedom and her Christian roots.”

Her presumption is so glaring that it makes me want to gag.  Tuesday the 4th was the beginning of America’s miracle?  If the election of a bunch of compromising politicians represents a “miracle” and the beginning of America returning to “greatness, freedom, and her Christian roots,”  I would like to know what she’s smoking.

Her deep deception is further revealed by this shocking statement:

“Obama has faced the unique giant of ‘capitalist America’ and hit a big wall. He keeps hitting and hitting with his communistic sledge hammer desperately trying to put cracks in the wall. Apparently no one told him that this capitalist wall was built by God himself and is steel to the core.”

One of the problems with American Christians is our spiritual blindness, our deeply disturbed theology that calls evil good and good evil.  This writer continues to make the same error throughout this article:  presuming to speak for God when His own Word contradicts her absurd presumptions.

Like anyone, I enjoy my comforts: hot showers, comfortable lodgings, plenty to eat, unlimited choices of ice cream, refreshing air conditioning in the summer and comforting heat in the winter, etc.  If there was ever a country that was flowing with milk and honey, it is the good ole’ USA.  White privilege certainly has its advantages.

But in the same way that I am repulsed by women body builders who use steroids to transform themselves into hideous caricatures of a man’s over-the-top body building and steroid freak shows, I know that our love affair and undying obsessions with affluence and comfort are just as perverse.

(Painful even to look at…)

We have taken our blessings and turned them into our gods, going overboard in the precise way that bodybuilders use steroids to pervert the natural beauty and symmetry of a well-toned and healthy body, transforming themselves into human freaks.

(Imagine your daughter bringing this guy home and announcing, “Mom and Dad, this is the man I want to marry.  Will you give us your blessing?”)

Here, in my opinion, is what Jesus thinks about “capitalist America”:

“Then He said to them, ‘Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.'”  Luke 12:15 (NASB)

How do we square what Jesus said about “abundance” and what this writer considers a blessing?  It can’t be squared, and though I don’t believe that it is God’s will that every Christian live as the Lord Jesus did (“The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head” Luke 9:58), He certainly did not mean for His people to continually strive to live in ever bigger, ever better, more fancy houses with never ending remodeling projects that are no sooner completed until dissatisfaction sets in and we crave the newest “look.”

And it gets worse as she writes:

“We have tons of clean up, undoing and fixing on our plate. American’s main job now is to keep on the House and the Senate to stay on point and undo what they can. This is no time for more political power games. This is no time to play it safe – trying to look cautious for 2016. The House and the Senate must be American men and women understanding we are in a national emergency and in intensive care thanks to Obama. They must be ‘brave hearts’ on a courageous mission to get America and her freedom back in line or they should get out of town and join the sellouts that were just thrown out of office.”

Now, I agree that “we have tons of clean up, undoing and fixing on our plate,”  but her remedy for this problem is as off as anything else in this horrid article:  she is looking to politicians to solve the problem, the very people that have already proved over and over again that they can’t fix the problems; they are the problems. 

And mark my words:  the next election or two will show the American public getting so sick and tired of these current “saviors” that they will replace them and the Democrats will regain the upper hand.  It is all so predicable it’s pathetic.

 

Apple CEO Tim Cook came “out” today and announced: “I’m proud to be gay.” I was shocked, though not surprised, and believe Cook’s bold and unashamed announcement for being a sodomite is a foolish and reckless confession for the leader of the world’s most profitable and respected company.

Does the word “sodomite” bother you?  Does my using it to describe Cook or any other gay man cause you to cringe?  Am I being hateful, intolerant, or mean when I describe Cook by this biblical description?

(This very well could be what Apple CEO Tim Cook and his gay lover might look like while walking around Cupertino’s massive complex on their way to a shareholder’s meeting.)

The dictionary defines a sodomite as “a person who has anal sex with another person; someone who practices sodomy.”  If you become uncomfortable when someone uses the word “sodomite” to describe a homosexual, the problem is with you and not the one using the word.  It is a perfectly acceptable way to describe Tim Cook.

He has effectively alienated his bible-believing supporters, like myself. I own an iPhone 5s, a Macbook Pro, and a minuscule amount of Apple stock. I was seriously considering upgrading to the iPhone 6+, but Cook’s brash announcement effectively put the brakes on this purchasing decision. How can I, in all conscience, continue to support Apple and buy their first-rate products knowing that their CEO has just given God the finger…and not even blushed about it? How can I support a company, regardless of the quality of their products, whose CEO stands wholly opposed to biblical values and makes a mockery of the very values I would die for?