Free In Idaho!

Worldview.  Have you spent much time working on yours?  Do you have a “belief system”, or just a random collection of “that sounds good, I believe that”?  What you believe informs and directs all of your decisions, all of your life.  Take a look at JWR, as he answers critics.  Well done Mr Rawles.  God bless you.

First, I bumped into this nasty comment at Instapundit

Luckily, he was Muslim, not Baptist, so it won’t be a big national scandal.

What’s he talking about? His comment comes concerning an article about a Muslim speaker at Vanderbilt who said he “would go with what Islam teaches” concerning capital punishment for homosexuals. Of course, except for the Westboro Lunatics, Baptists don’t call for the execution of homosexuals, and we all know it. Come on Glenn, you’re better than that. Cheap shots for the laugh? Leave it to Letterman. You’re just wrong.

Then I see this article, “First Openly Gay Episcopal Bishop Says St. Paul Was Condemning Homosexual Acts by Heterosexuals“

(CNSNews.com) – In a section of his New Testament letter to the Romans (1:22-27) dealing with God’s admonitions against same-sex relations, St. Paul was actually writing about heterosexuals who engage in same-sex acts and not homosexuals, said  the Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal church.

Really? That’s a new one. What makes you think that?

“We have to understand that the notion of a homosexual sexual orientation is a notion that’s only about 125 years old,” Bishop Robinson told CNSNews.com. ”That is to say, St. Paul was talking about people that he understood to be heterosexual engaging in same-sex acts.  It never occurred to anyone in ancient times that a certain minority of us would be born being affectionally oriented to people of the same sex.”

Oh, I see, the ancients were ignorant morons who weren’t as intelligent as we moderns are now. So they didn’t know anything about “orientation” or stuff like that. If you’re “oriented” that way, then it’s OK, but if you’re hetero and just looking for a little taboo thrill it’s a sin, is that it? I wonder if the good bishop would make the same distinction for thieves? It’s OK for them to steal because they’re “oriented” that way. It’s their job. But for someone who isn’t a thief, it’s a sin to take something from someone else. And it might be OK for Tiger Woods to cheat on his wife because apparently he’s “oriented” that way, but it would be a sin for me because I’m not. Alright then. I wonder if that’s why politicians (no names please, they can’t help it) are given a pass for lying? So everything Ol’ Paul wrote you can pretty much ignore because he was just a guy who didn’t know anything?  Bishop, you’re just wrong.

That’s the silliest thing I’ve read all week (except for the comments threads over at the local fishwrap). I wonder what Bishop Robinson does with this from Paul, which he wrote to a young minister named Timothy?

For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

I almost feel sorry for a man who has spent his whole life ministering to people and supposedly learning what God has to say about life, about human beings, and about Himself, who then goes so far into the weeds in order to justify something in himself that doesn’t fit with all that he has learned. I say almost because were it just between him and God it would be one thing, but when you get into the pulpit, or worse, a governing office in the church and lead the flock away… well, there just isn’t a “sorry” left.

Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.

“I forfeit life itself when I wander under the power of sin.”          -Brad Chaney

 Did you see Obama “giving a speech” at a Baptist Church in Washington D.C. yesterday?  He hasn’t been to church in quite awhile, from what I have seen, but in honor of Martin Luther King Day he made an appearance.  No one seems to be too worked up over it though, despite praising God, talking about having “faith”, and even quoting the Bible.

But let me tell you — during those times it’s faith that keeps me calm.  (Applause.)  It’s faith that gives me peace.  The same faith that leads a single mother to work two jobs to put a roof over her head when she has doubts.  The same faith that keeps an unemployed father to keep on submitting job applications even after he’s been rejected a hundred times.  The same faith that says to a teacher even if the first nine children she’s teaching she can’t reach, that that 10th one she’s going to be able to reach.  The same faith that breaks the silence of an earthquake’s wake with the sound of prayers and hymns sung by a Haitian community.  A faith in things not seen, in better days ahead, in Him who holds the future in the hollow of His hand.  A faith that lets us mount up on wings like eagles; lets us run and not be weary; lets us walk and not faint.

So let us hold fast to that faith, as Joshua held fast to the faith of his fathers, and together, we shall overcome the challenges of a new age.  (Applause.)  Together, we shall seize the promise of this moment.  Together, we shall make a way through winter, and we’re going to welcome the spring.  Through God all things are possible. 

Harmless when Obama does it.  Not so harmless if, say, an >actual< Christian does it?  I find it more than a little humorous though that the dinosaur media at ABC (and many so-called freedom loving gunnies as well) are having a hissy over the Trijicon company’s inclusion of Bible verse “addresses” on their products. Secret Jesus Bible Codes!  Horrors!  It’s almost religious!  That can’t be legal, can it?!  On military weapons?  I mean, isn’t there something about separation of Church and gun sights in the Constitution?! Well, there oughta be… harrummpphh! The nerve! DB Weaver had this comment on one gunnie board

I consider the entire thing to be totally inappropriate. These scopes were made UNDER CONTRACT for the US Military – they should be completely secular. There is no place for prostlytising on US Military equipment – in fact, it could be argued that they are violating General Order #1 in Iraq and A-stan.

Fortunately, I know that I won’t be in any trouble over the verse on my ACOG – 15 minutes with a pointed diamond burr on my Foredom rotary tool took it right off.

People… grow up. 

By the way, the “Bible address” for the Obama “mount up on wings like eagles” is Isaiah 40:31. If you want to get all the verses he took snippets out of, try looking these up: Isaiah 40:31, Hebrews 11:1, 1 Corinthians 2:9, and Matthew 19:26, just for starters on that piece I quoted above.  Secret Jesus codes, indeed.

“What you believe doesn’t matter… what does Scripture teach?”                - Paul Washer

I know you get more page views and more personal satisfaction out of going off about Pat Robertson being his usual silly self, but he’s said dumb stuff before kiddies, why are you still watching him?  Oh, because Jimmy Carter didn’t say anything stupid today?  Good reason.  And I know a bunch of you just like picking out the stupid Christian of the week and using it to paint all Christians with the same brush.

About Pat, he needs to read his Bible.  He’s just wrong (which, ironically enough, is why most Christians don’t pay any attention to him, and haven’t in YEARS!).  If he paid attention to the Lord, he’d understand that you can’t ascribe “God’s reasons” to calamities that happen.  No one can speak for God, including Pat.   Jesus was asked once about a local disaster in which a tower fell and killed a bunch of folks.  Here’s what he said,

Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.  Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way?  I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.  Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem?  I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

So instead of mocking Christians because of one misguided old man as your example, why not look at real Christians who have been serving in Haiti for a long time? Perhaps you’ll come away with a better understanding of believers and their place in the world. Here’s a half dozen from the SW Idaho area who were there when the quake struck.   I’ve mentioned Mission Aviation Fellowship before.  They’re based in Nampa, and have been there serving in Haiti since 1986.  They’d be a worthy recipient if you care to make a donation.  Even back East, Christians have left the comfort of great places like Providence to go serve in Haiti, and in so doing have suffered the same fear and danger and uncertainty.  My guess is that in any American city you can name, you can find Christians who have been serving in Haiti, or are leaving now to help.  God bless them all.  And the sooner you ignore old Pat (like most of us do) the sooner he’ll go away.

I’m mildly amused at all the ink spent on Brit Hume’s comments about Tiger Woods and Buddhism.   Lots of honked off people feel that Hume’s “Christianity solution” was way out of line. But I haven’t seen anyone too upset about folks giving Tiger “Buddhist solutions”. Here’s an article hashing it over, this time with bonus Buddhism expert commentary.  Like this

“What causes you to do what Tiger Woods did is ignorance,” said James William Coleman, a professor of Buddhist studies at Cal Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, Calif. “If you do what he’s done, it comes back and hurts you. You wouldn’t do that if you weren’t ignorant.”

Oh, really? Hmm. Most folks I know just call it stupid and selfish. And the correct Buddist approach to solving the problem? Try this, from a different expert

Brad Warner, a California-based Zen priest and the author of the book “Zen Wrapped in Karma Dipped in Chocolate” suggests that Woods return to his Buddhism roots and become introspective.

“I would first tell him to sit with the problem, look into himself and try to see clearly for himself what he needs to do,” Warner said. “The problem is something he’s got to work out for himself.”

Hmmm. How very, well, Buddhist. In a California way, of course.  I’m glad Tiger isn’t Muslim…

Wow. I wonder what the Islamic solution would be? Sorry, just thinking out loud.

I’d like to recommend a video that my Sweetie and I watched last night.  It’s called Beyond The Gates Of Splendor, and it is a documentary about the story of the 5 missionaries who were killed by a violent primitive tribe in Ecudaor back in the ’50’s, and about their wives afterward, and what happened to the killers and the tribe.  Pretty amazing story with a very unexpected ending.  And if you are further interested, Mission Aviation Fellowship is headquartered here in the Treasure Valley of SW Idaho, in Nampa.  Excellent bunch.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,

It is the night of Our dear Saviour’s birth.

Long lay the world In sin and error pining,

‘Til He appear’d And the soul felt its worth.

A thrill of hope The weary world rejoices,

For yonder breaks A new and glorious morn.

Fall on your knees! O, hear the angels’ voices!

O night divine, O night when Christ was born;

O night divine, O night, O night Divine.

Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming,

With glowing hearts By His cradle we stand.

So led by light of A star sweetly gleaming,

Here come the wise men From Orient land.

The King of Kings Lay thus in lowly manger;

In all our trials Born to be our friend.

He knows our need, To our weakness is no stranger,

Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!

Behold your King, Before Him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us To love one another;

His law is love And His gospel is peace.

Chains shall He break For the slave is our brother;

And in His name All oppression shall cease.

Sweet hymns of joy In grateful chorus raise we,

Let all within us Praise His holy name.

Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,

His power and glory Evermore proclaim.

His power and glory Evermore proclaim.

In honor of the pilgrimage of the extremists faithful to Copenhagen this week, I’d like to offer this as the quote of the day. 

From 2003, Michael Crichton

Today, one of the most powerful religions in the Western World is environmentalism. Environmentalism seems to be the religion of choice for urban atheists. Why do I say it’s a religion? Well, just look at the beliefs. If you look carefully, you see that environmentalism is in fact a perfect 21st century remapping of traditional Judeo-Christian beliefs and myths. There’s an initial Eden, a paradise, a state of grace and unity with nature, there’s a fall from grace into a state of pollution as a result of eating from the tree of knowledge, and as a result of our actions there is a judgment day coming for us all. We are all energy sinners, doomed to die, unless we seek salvation, which is now called sustainability. Sustainability is salvation in the church of the environment. Just as organic food is its communion, that pesticide-free wafer that the right people with the right beliefs, imbibe.

Eden, the fall of man, the loss of grace, the coming doomsday—these are deeply held mythic structures. They are profoundly conservative beliefs. They may even be hard-wired in the brain, for all I know. I certainly don’t want to talk anybody out of them, as I don’t want to talk anybody out of a belief that Jesus Christ is the son of God who rose from the dead. But the reason I don’t want to talk anybody out of these beliefs is that I know that I can’t talk anybody out of them. These are not facts that can be argued. These are issues of faith.

And so it is, sadly, with environmentalism. Increasingly it seems facts aren’t necessary, because the tenets of environmentalism are all about belief. It’s about whether you are going to be a sinner, or saved. Whether you are going to be one of the people on the side of salvation, or on the side of doom. Whether you are going to be one of us, or one of them.

Fitting, before Copenhagen starts.

Sarah Palin in a video interview with Billy Graham, speaking about America.  Folks, this is not scary, and I agree with what she says here.  Certainly, this one minute video isn’t what you base your decision about a candidate on.  But heaven knows, this country would be a lot better off if more candidates thought like this, and lived it.

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid52525620001?bctid=54001693001