A Couple of Sobering Stories

Iraq: Iraq's Christians Vow to Survive — With Muslim Help

Pakistan: Christian woman sentenced to death in Pakistan

Is This Really Happening?

While it is a little premature for me to be posting this, since I haven't researched it yet, if any of this is true, it is a little disturbing.

I'm going to be looking into this further. If anyone has evidence that this is happening, please let me know.

The Emergent Church

I find this to be a great video. A little long for a quick view, but good

Oh yeah. I guess I'm intolerant according to this clip.

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Long Response to Email

This is my response to an email that was forwarded to me.  (See below the line for the original message)

Sound's cool, but isn't true. 
http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/k/koran-war.htm
http://www.snopes.com/politics/war/quran911.asp
*Stands up on soapbox*
Quran 9:11 is

009.011
YUSUFALI: But (even so), if they repent, establish regular prayers, and practise regular charity,- they are your brethren in Faith: (thus) do We explain the Signs in detail, for those who understand.
PICKTHAL: But if they repent and establish worship and pay the poor-due, then are they your brethren in religion. We detail Our revelations for a people who have knowledge.
SHAKIR: But if they repent and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, they are your brethren in faith; and We make the communications clear for a people who know.
http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/009.qmt.html

So there is nothing close to a war in Iraq.  But then, I wouldn't expect the Quran to have any true prophecies in it. But there is something close in Micah, just after the verse often quoted around Christmas (Micah 5:2).

5 And he will be their peace.

    When the Assyrian invades our land
       and marches through our fortresses,
       we will raise against him seven shepherds,
       even eight leaders of men.
6 They will rule ^[e] the land of Assyria with the sword,
       the land of Nimrod with drawn sword. ^[f]
       He will deliver us from the Assyrian
       when he invades our land
       and marches into our borders.

7 The remnant of Jacob will be
       in the midst of many peoples
       like dew from the LORD,
       like showers on the grass,
       which do not wait for man
       or linger for mankind.

8 The remnant of Jacob will be among the nations,
       in the midst of many peoples,
       like a lion among the beasts of the forest,
       like a young lion among flocks of sheep,
       which mauls and mangles as it goes,
       and no one can rescue.

Micah 5:5-8

While Matthew Henry clearly had more study time in the Bible and is much more learned than I, I wonder if he may be incorrect.  
In his commentary on this chapter, he states that the Assyrian referenced in Micah 5 is Sennacherib whose assault on Judah is found in Isaiah 36-37. ; But because Isaiah 37:36-38  ends with Sennacherib's son ruling instead of 8 leaders of men, I find that interpretation to be somewhat lacking.

I wonder (and ask for input) on how much of a stretch it is for Micah to refer more to our modern day events.

In Micah 5:5
"we will raise against him seven shepherds,
       even eight leaders of men."

The leaders are clearly seven/eight humans ("leaders of men") that the humans ("we") created.  But while "they" will rule Assyria (verse 6), it is "He" - Jesus (from verses 2-4) who will deliver not the "they" leaders.
I carefully propose that the seven/eight might be the Leaders of G7/G8.

G8
"Each calendar year, the responsibility of hosting the G8 rotates through the member states in the following order: France, United States, United Kingdom, Russia, Germany, Japan, Italy and Canada"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G8

G8 and Iraq
"Iraq: The G-8 Leaders welcomed the unanimous approval of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1546, and noted the importance of the Multinational Force for Iraq succeeding in it mission. The G-8 Leaders pledged to:
Stand together united in their support for the Iraqi people and the new Iraqi Interim Government;
Provide support for elections for the Transitional National Assembly no later than January 2005;
Meet before the next donors conference to identify how each of the G-8 countries can contribute to reconstruction; and
Work together to achieve debt reduction for Iraq in 2004. "
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/06/20040609-50.html

Authority to rule Iraq

"9. Notes that the presence of the multinational force in Iraq is at the request of the incoming Interim Government of Iraq and therefore reaffirms the authorization for the multinational force under unified command established under resolution 1511 (2003), having regard to the letters annexed to this resolution;

10. Decides that the multinational force shall have the authority to take all necessary measures to contribute to the maintenance of security and stability in Iraq in accordance with the letters annexed to this resolution expressing, inter alia, the Iraqi request for the continued presence of the multinational force and setting out its tasks, including by preventing and deterring terrorism, so that, inter alia, the United Nations can fulfil its role in assisting the Iraqi people as outlined in paragraph seven above and the Iraqi people can implement freely and without intimidation the
timetable and programme for the political process and benefit from reconstruction and rehabilitation activities;"
http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N04/381/16/PDF/N0438116.pdf?OpenElement

 

Again, it might be too big of a stretch to see Micah 5 as showing the USA + others in Iraq.  But while God does use humans (good and bad) to do His will, it is not on the strength of humans that we are delivered.  Whether from attack/destruction in war (GWOT/OEF/OIF) or financial (world leaders meeting) http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081018/ap_on_bi_ge/meltdown_bush, God is still the one who rules despite what others may do.

10 "In that day," declares the LORD,
       "I will destroy your horses from among you
       and demolish your chariots.
11 I will destroy the cities of your land
       and tear down all your strongholds.
12 I will destroy your witchcraft
       and you will no longer cast spells.
13 I will destroy your carved images
       and your sacred stones from among you;
       you will no longer bow down
       to the work of your hands.
14 I will uproot from among you your Asherah poles [c]
       and demolish your cities.
15 I will take vengeance in anger and wrath
       upon the nations that have not obeyed me."
Micah 5:10-15

*Steps off soapbox*
Have a great day!
-Mac

 

Original email received:

---

IT'LL GIVE YOU GOOSEBUMPS!!!
Read down to the very bottom highlighted in green, IT'LL GIVE YOU GOOSEBUMPS!!!
You don't want to miss this! ((*_*) )
VERY INTERESTING-
1. The Garden of Eden was in Iraq
2. Mesopotamia, which is now Iraq, was the cradle of civilization!
3. Noah built the ark in Iraq
4. The Tower of Babel was in Iraq
5. Abraham was from Ur, which is in Southern Iraq !
6. Isaac's wife Rebekah is from Nahor, which is in Iraq !
7. Jacob met Rachel in Iraq
8. Jonah preached in Nineveh - which is in Iraq
9. Assyria, which is in Iraq, conquered the ten tribes of Israel
10. Amos cried out in Iraq !
11 Babylon , which is in Iraq , destroyed Jerusalem
12. Daniel was in the lion's den in Iraq !
13. The three Hebrew children were in the fire in Iraq (Jesus had been in Iraq also as the fourth person in the Fiery Furnace!)
14. Belshazzar, the King of Babylon saw the 'writing on the wall' in Iraq
15. Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, carried the Jews captive into Iraq
16. Ezekiel preached in Iraq .
17. The wise men were from Iraq
18. Peter preached in Iraq
19. The 'Empire of Man' described in Revelation is called Babylon , which was a city in Iraq !
And you have probably seen this one: Israel is the nation most often mentioned in the Bible.

But do you know which nation is second?
It is Iraq !
However, that is not the name that is used in the Bible
The names used in the Bible are Babylon , Land of Shinar , and Mesopotamia . The word Mesopotamia means between the two rivers, more exactly between the Tigris
And Euphrates Rivers ..
The name Iraq , means country with deep roots.
Indeed Iraq is a country with deep roots and is a very significant country in the Bible.
No other nation, except Israel , has more history and prophecy associated
With it than Iraq
And also, This is something to think about: Since America is typically represented by an eagle.
Saddam should have read up on his Muslim passages ...
The following verse is from the Koran, (the Islamic Bible)

Koran ( 9:11 ) - For it is written that a son of Arabia would awaken a fearsome Eagle. The wrath of the Eagle would be felt throughout the lands of Allah and lo, while some of the people trembled in despair still more rejoiced; for the wrath of the Eagle cleansed the lands of Allah;

And there was peace.
(Note the verse number!) Hmmmmmmm?!
I BETTER NOT HEAR OF ANYONE BREAKING THIS ONE OR SEE IT DELETED.
This is a ribbon for soldiers fighting in Iraq .
Pass it on to everyone and pray.
Something good will happen to you tonight at 11:11 PM
This is not a joke
Someone will either call you or will talk to you online and say that they love you.
Do not break this chain.
Send this to 13 people in
The next 15 minutes.
Go

Bad News

Bad

Sometimes it seems like things are going rough.  Even with the report that economy grew in the first quarter, "signs of mounting problems for the U.S. economy are everywhere."  

Prices for fuel are up (a fill-up cost me $25 at the pump three years ago but now costs me $46).  Prices for food are up.

Things may be more expensive for me - but God has met all of my needs.

It could be much worse.  In the US, we're only limited to 200 pounds of rice per visit to a grocery store!

Worse

12000 people are still buried in rubble following an earthquake in China - 72 hours after it struck and the death toll could rise to 50000.

In Myanmar,  "the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies estimated the death toll was between 68,833 and 127,990. The U.N. says more than 100,000 may have died.

"The U.N. and the Red Cross say between 1.6 and 2.5 million people are in urgent need of food, water and shelter. Only 270,000 have been reached so far by the aid groups."

But direct military flights cannot be made to the people - because the government of Myanmar will not allow it.

Reaction

So how are we to react to such horrible news?  Some ignore it; others complain.  Some people even turn to video games. (Side note: I'm not saying all video games are escaping bad news - but when the choice forced by lack of money is video games or food and someone has to think about it (like from the article: "I'd probably give up my cellphone," he said. "Probably not food. That's really tough. I like food.")

I find that there are only two ways to react: pray and help when able.  Donation sites are already set up for the China Earthquake, but financial aid is not everything, nor the most important thing.  I do not worry about what I will eat, drink, sleep or wear.  Not because I am loaded with resources (though I am not lacking either) but because I have a Heavenly Father who knows I need such things. 

33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. - Matthew 6:33-34

The best way to help is to make sure that people have heard about Jesus before the bad news.  If the bad news happens first, take care of the immediate need as well as sharing the love of God with them.  One without the other will not be truly loving a neighbor.

War?

One has to wonder if Raúl Reyes is the modern Archduke Ferdinand. This You Tube video claims to be a video of the operation (Operatión Fenix) in which the Colombian military killed the FARC member.

With sensationalist healdines like that on the Economist web site (Rumours of War) it is easy to jump to conclusions. (Spanish Language TV report)

Whether a real confrontation or just saber rattling results, I do not know. What I do know is that there is real comfort knowing what lies ahead.

9"Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

- Matthew 24:9-14

Huckabee on Science

I like this clip of Huckabee.  He won't be President -- but I like his views on this topic.

Singing in Support of Terrorism and Charges Against Christianity

First the Video

 

Transcript

"TV Host on Hamas TV, Child Saraa Barhoum, Sings: 'We Liberated Gaza by Force,'" from MEMRITV (thanks to Robert Novak at Jihad Watch):

Following are excerpts from a song performed by child TV host Saraa Barhoum, which aired on Al-Aqsa TV on December 20, 2007:

Saraa Barhoum: We liberated Gaza by force, not by Oslo or by Taba -

but with my steadfast people, and with its blazing fire.

We liberated Gaza by force, not by Oslo or by Taba -

but with my steadfast people, and with its blazing fire.

Rafah sings, and the Kalashnikov replies.

Rafah sings, and the Kalashnikov replies.

We, who know no fear, are the lions of the jungle.

Look how beautiful our Gaza is. We crowned it with a laurel wreath.

---

This video just makes me cry. That there are people who would be teaching this to a little girl... it is unthinkable. This just shows how lost people get without Jesus. Being lost in darkness.

Am I against their culture? No. Their people? No. Their religion? No. That's right! I am not against their religion - I am against who their religion glorifies. I am against Satan who has deceived them. I do not want to kill any Muslims; I want to love them. I want them to see God's love.

Where I'm Going With This

A friend requested several of us to comment on something he found in the current book he is reading. I'll be posting a full response soon. Here is what he posted:

I found these listed in a latest book I am reading: Chameleon Christianity: Moving Beyond Safety and Conformity, by Dick Keyes.

I thought it would be interesting to ask each of you to rate your level of agreement with the charges below. 1 – strongly agree, 2 – agree, 3 – no opinion, 4 – disagree, 5 – strongly disagree. Reply with your responses.

1. The Christian faith is the enemy of pleasure, enjoyment, and fulfillment. It stands for inhibition, insecurity, and self-righteousness.

2. The Christian faith is the enemy of democracy and civility. Conservative Christians want political power to create a theocracy with places in leadership only for those who agree with them.

3. The Christian faith is the enemy of women. From the early history of the church, leaders established the inferior status of women in church and society and have resisted attempts to reform ever since.

4. The Christian faith is the enemy of gay people, as can be seen in the bumper sticker of a few years ago, “Kill a gay for Jesus.”

5. The Christian faith is the enemy of cultural diversity; it is an ethnocentric moral police force.

6. The Christian faith is the enemy of non-white races. This has been evident from a theological defense of race-based slavery to the starting of Christian schools as a way to avoid the integration of the public school system.

7. The Christian faith is the enemy of the environment. The biblical notion of dominion over the earth is at the root of our abuse of the natural world.

8. The Christian faith is the enemy of the arts. Christians have scorned the world of the arts as either Satanic or trivial and have produced nothing of artistic value for over a hundred fifty years.

9. The Christian faith is the enemy of science, education, and the advance of knowledge.

10. The Christian faith is the enemy of economic justice. It is a good religion for the fat cats who can interpret the Bible to legitimize their wealth and privilege.

One other thought. Choose one of the charges and reply with a short response.

Merry Christmas

Christmas 2007

I know Christmas 2007 is at an end.  Most people are getting ready to go back to work and school.  New Year's plans being made, lights coming down, trees put away (or mulched for you old fashioned real tree folks)...

I had a good time.  I had a nice couple of dives recently:

This year I put up lights:

A tree:

And baked apple pies:

More

But there is more to Christmas than lights, presents, trees, and dinners.  This is a dedicated time to celebrate when God invaded this planet with His plan of redeeming humans.  Angels made the announcement and told shepherds the good news.  By most accounts that was 2011 years ago.  (Using 4 B.C. as the date).  Since AD 29 or so, Christians have had the task of telling humans around them the good news.  Who did you tell today? Yesterday?  Last Week? 

If you told someone, great, if not, what was the reason?  Was it fear of persecution? War? Both of those are on the rise.  In fact, the number of Christians in the Middle East is on a very sharp decline.

It is still possible to find shops decorated for Christmas like this one in Iraq:

But do you see anything related to the true reason for the season? Perhaps this is the reason:

Several churches were bombed in Baghdad, and a priest in the northern city of Mosul was kidnapped and later found beheaded. This year, Sunni Arab militants began knocking on doors of Christians living in Baghdad's Dora neighborhood, demanding that they pay a "tax," convert to Islam or leave. In April and May alone, an estimated 500 families fled Dora. - Los Angeles Times

And it is no excuse to say that the end of the world is just about to happen.  The asteroid rocketing through space is headed to Mars, not Earth.  There is still time.  For those in the US, you have it easy:  an estimated 91% of households have a copy of the Bible.  All you have to do is live in such a way that they will read it (or hear it) and believe.  If nothing else, it now comes in pink:

Conclusion

This was not a chew-out session.  Rejoice with family and friends.  Enjoy the music of the season (I know I did).  Just don't forget what it is really about.

Merry Christmas!!

Close Call & Leviticus

Right now I'm reading through the book of Leviticus.  While the content may be a bit dry, the importance of being holy is screamed throughout it.  Mixing holiness and sin is a deadly combination, though some may have forgotten.  In some regards this is similar to the debate in the church regarding Halo 3.  While I do not think that it approaches the "sin" level, it does begin to call the question of where the limit should be drawn. 

What is "holy" and what is "unclean" ?  How does that apply to our daily lives?  We do not have a tabernacle or tent of meeting that follows the Mosaic law, so where do we meet God?  How are we when we meet Him?  How close to the line will we mix holy and unclean? 

This close? 

Think about it and reply.

A Twist on the Prodigal Son

Surely at some point we all feel like the elder brother.  I am referring to the parable of the Lost (prodigal, if you prefer) Son in Luke 15.  The story is a familiar one, as it shows the love and care God has for each of us.  We all have sinned and therefore were like the younger son.  Yet, at the same time, because of that sin, we can also identify with the one who didn't leave.  Jedi Guini mentions a not-so-unique feeling in her latest blog.  She points out the feelings that can at times plague the single person, who striving to be like Christ, still finds themselves single.  At those times it can appear like the good gift of a spouse is being "wasted" on the wrong people.  Sometimes it feels like everyone else is being blessed but me.  Why is it that it seems like the love of God is so far away?

That's because the older one was still distant from the Father.  Sure, he may not have been far, but he refused to go inside, which meant he was away from the father.  Many have pointed out that this is the Pharisee in the story (the whole thing was predicated on Pharisees pointing out that Jesus ate with "sinners") because he did not like the father celebrating the other son's return; I do not disagree.  But I find that their major sin is refusing to come inside.  The feelings of frustration and jealousy are natural, but a separation from God-- what is wrong is to refuse to be reunited. 

The Elder brother may have felt offended, but chose to not rejoice in his brother's return.  This, then, looks like the parable of the two sons in Matthew 21 where the one son did not do as the Father wanted.  Does the Elder brother have a solid case?  No.  The fattened calf was not all that the Father had, but that is the tantrum that the Elder son threw.

So where does that leave me?  Well, I know that "a prudent wife is from the LORD" but just because I am not married yet does not mean that God ran out of good gifts to give.  That might seem like the case when I don't even have any prospects, but it is not.  I choose not to remain jealous; I choose not to remain outside the party.  I choose to go in, celebrate and be glad.  Why? Because I have a Father who loves me.  When I leave town, He looks anxiously for my return; when I do not feel like coming in, He comes to plead with me.  Nothing that I have earned, done, or said, but because of who He is.

Hamas Cartoon

Some people are upset that Hamas is using a lion in their latest children's political cartoon.  I watched the clip and don't see the resemblance to Simba or the Disney's The Lion King.  From a standpoint of using images to motivate the audience, this is along the same lines as the LBJ "Daisy Girl" video. 

Here, though, I did find two very interesting things.  See if you can find them.

 

 The first interesting thing was the targeting of the mosque.  I don't know enough about it to know if the mosque was the Dome of the Rock mosque on the temple mount or not, but that's what I thought of.  Many have said that the mosque will eventually go so that the next Jewish temple can be built there.  I didn't think that one Muslim group would blame another for attempting to attack it.  But seeing this video, I wouldn't be surprised to see Hamas attack it and then blame it on Fatah.

The second interesting thing I saw was that Israel was pictured as a dry (cracked) bone that the lion of Hamas shoves out of the way to deal with the new problem of Fatah.  Ezekiel 37 anyone?

Mixing Holy and Toys

Sometimes even the best intentions get misunderstood when crossing cultural and religious boundaries.  I would not have a problem kicking a soccer ball with Jesus' name on it, or a Bible verse, or something like that.  Perhaps I should.  Would something like that be lowering the holiness of God to a toy?  Or would that be a great thing to play with - a constant reminder of keeping God's word in our hearts and minds?  For me the jury is still out.  I would appreciate some feedback on the issue.

Some other people, however, have already made up their minds.  I learned something new today.  The Saudi flag contains the inscription of the pillars of Islam, which came from the Koran and contains Allah's name.  That means having the Saudi Arabian flag on a soccer ball is blasphemous.  Again something new that I learned today.  Unfortunately, someone else learned it the hard way.  Around 100 people protested in Afghanistan over the US military distributing soccer balls containing the Saudi flag.

Hopefully, the peaceful demonstration will be the end of the issue.  Big error on the U.S. part - steps should be made to correct it.  A worse error would be violence by some extremist group in retaliation.  No ill will was intended; hopefully most see it that way.

Christians in Afghanistan

Check out this article.  It is pretty good. 

Michelle Malkin on Christians in Afghanistan on National Review Online

Good Post: Anti-Proselytizing Policy

Here's an posting to read.  I really like the concluding paragraph:

I'm not issuing a gloom-and-doom warning. Our Lord is still sovereign and on His throne, fulfilling all His promises in Scripture. But I do think that discerning Christians should be paying attention. When we intercede for other nations, we also need to pray for our nation, for the potential of future difficulties here, and for our own faith and witness to survive the test.

Christians forced out of Baghdad district - Los Angeles Times

I have nothing to say about this article.  I think the article speaks for itself entirely.

Limits on Student Free Speech

While I do not like the content of his shirt "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" I'm not sure that I like the ruling either.  The part that bothers me is the reasoning behind the verdict.  I'm treading in deep water with this, but according to the news report, it's the interpretation not intention of the speech that can be censored.  Secondly it sets the precedent that a school can limit what a student does outside of school.

1. Interpretation.  While the communication model shows that information being transmitted is not always received as intended, I don't like the idea of the interpretation being the decisive factor in a free speech case.  "Go kill liars" is clearly intended to incite some action.  Namely that the listener is instructed to go kill liars.  On the other hand, "God hates lying tongues" (Proverbs 6-16-17) is not inciting action.  Based upon the reasoning reported by the news, however, I could be held accountable if someone took that statement as a call to action.  (ie, if God hates something, it's bad, if it's bad we should kill it, therefore if God hates lying tongues, we should kill them)  I however, do not intend to have anyone be killed, nor am I instructing anyone to kill.
2. Outside of school.  In general, I favor schools having some limits on what can be done on school property.  The public is paying for the students to receive an education.  As such if some activity (or speech) is detracting from the learning environment, the students are not getting what is being paid for.  And no, I'm not advocating that all learning is acceptable.  I don't think that learning how to build a bomb or attack a fixed position is what a middle school student needs to learn.  What we (as paying customers) require for is the approved curriculum (the product) to be taught to the students.  To ensure this process is successful, all disruptive behavior (ie, actions that impede the process) should be banned.  The learning environment, however, does not include outside the boundaries (field trips being within the boundaries) of the school.  As such, the school should have no jurisdiction over the students outside of those boundaries (the same principle as my argument why schools shouldn't ban students from having blogs, myspace, youtube, etc on their home computers).

The biggest problem I have is when these two principles are combined they form a horrible situation.  If some school administrator decides that students espousing religious views outside of school can interpreted as inciting wrongful behavior guess what happens?  It then becomes wrong for the student to espouse those views. 

For example:

• All Sinners go to hell
• All have sinned
• All are going to hell
• Jesus is the only way to heaven
• All who do not go to heaven will be thrown into the lake of fire

Those statements are very basic beliefs of Christianity.  And they are confrontational.  They are not nice, safe, politically correct statements.  Should a student be punished for saying them?  No.  Should a school be the place to proselytize?  No - that would disrupt the learning environment.  We can't just limit the religious instruction to ideals that we "agree" with - that would be unconstitutional and wrong.  But neither should any school be allowed to limit what religion a student follows.

It's not here yet, but soon Christians will again have to start breaking the "law" just like Peter did.  Am I advocating that you break all laws?  Nope.  The only "law breaking" would be against the (future) interpretation of the 1st Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech...

War on Christianity?

 An interesting blog I found on MySpace:

In the world of the media and entertainment, Christainity is fair game. Rapper Kanye West, famous for declaring (during a charity fundraiser) that George W. Bush "doesn't care about black people," appeared on the cover of the Rolling Stone as Jesus Christ wearing a crown of thorns; there was a little protest. Andres Serrano depicted a crucified Jesus in urine in his "Piss Christ." Terrence McNally's play about Jesus as a "young gay man" having "sexual adventures with his 12 disciples" was seen by large crowds in New York. This contrasts with the attitude towards Islam. As of this writing, the Washington Post and most other major news media have failed to publish the Danish cartoons ridiculing Muhammad that sparked anti-Western riots in Muslim countries. At CNN's Website, a remarkable editor's note appeared at the bottom of a story about the cartoons: "CNN has chosen to not show the cartoons out of respect for Islam." This from CNN, whose founder, Ted Tuner, called Catholics, "Jesus Freaks" and said Christainity was a "religion for losers..."

Link to blog.myspace.com/melodydamayo

Ring Fingers and Suicide Bombers

Finger Length

Look at your fingers.  Which one is longer, your ring finger or your index finger?  According to a new report released, if your ring finger is longer the odds are that you have a more natural talent in mathematics.  If your index finger is longer you have a more natural talent in language and reading.  By the way, mine are just about the same.

American Muslim support for suicide bombers

A recent poll shows that just about 80% of American Muslims do not agree with the use of suicide bombers to defend Islam.  That's the good news... the bad news is that 25% of the American Muslims under 30 DO think that suicide bombings are justified.

Proof that you can tell the truth and lie at the same time

Check that price tag before you buy: 20% off plus an additional 25% does not equal 45% off.   A study by University of Minnesota finds that people will buy more if they think they are getting a "better deal."  That "better deal" is because they cannot correctly calculate multiple percentages.

This "lying truth" is the same way that the Devil we lie to oursevles about the real cost of our actions.  Perhaps that's why we are told to "count the cost," not "calculate the cost" in Luke 14:26-33.

I really like the way that Ron Julian from the McKenzie Study Center paraphrases this passage:

All who follow Jesus will inevitably come into conflict with the world around them. Sometimes following Jesus means losing the love of family and friends. Sometimes following Jesus means losing the approval of our neighbors and our society. Sometimes following Jesus means losing our worldly possessions. Sometimes following Jesus means losing our lives. It is all worth it; the wealth which comes to those who follow Christ is richer than anything the world can offer. We cannot avoid this choice; if we insist on keeping the world's approval and the world's wealth, then we cannot be disciples of Jesus. If we are disciples of Jesus, then we will have to loosen our hold on the world and its riches.