Which Religion?

The judge who decided the Dover intelligent design case said that I.D. was just a guise to introduce religion into the public school. Here's my Constitutional question: Which religion?

Catholicism? Lutheranism? Jehovah Witness? Islam? Mormonism? Anglicanism? Those are the religions the Founders were speaking of when they said that the Federal government could not establish a religion. I.D. favors none of these religions.

The implication of I.D. is theism, but that's not a religion. It's a philosophy. A general religious category.

I.D. establishes no religion in the Constitutional sense.

what slippery slope in gay marriage?

ON SEPTEMBER 23, 2005, the 46-year-old Victor de Bruijn and his 31-year-old wife of eight years, Bianca, presented themselves to a notary public in the small Dutch border town of Roosendaal. And they brought a friend. Dressed in wedding clothes, Victor and Bianca de Bruijn were formally united with a bridally bedecked Mirjam Geven, a recently divorced 35-year-old whom they'd met several years previously through an Internet chatroom. As the notary validated a samenlevingscontract, or "cohabitation contract," the three exchanged rings, held a wedding feast, and departed for their honeymoon.

continue here

making fire

Once there lived a man who discovered how to make fire. He was a good man and did not keep the discovery to himself. He went around from village to village — showing people how to make fire and explaining its uses for cooking, for keeping people warm on cold evenings, for burning off the undergrowth in the garden, for lighting up the village at times of festivity.
Soon he became a very popular figure. Everyone wanted to meet him, hear him and learn how to make fire. He came to be so popular that some became jealous of him and said he was dangerous and that his fire could cause harm. So they arranged quietly for someone to kill him. However, they were very shrewd. After his death, they arranged for a big shrine to be built in his honour. A large image of him together with his instruments for making fire were set up in the shrine. People came regularly to honour him and days were set aside during the year when his work was recalled and celebrated. Songs were composed about him and a special book was written about his life and work and everyone had copies of it to read.
Over the years it was amazing to see how many shrines big and small were constructed in his honour, how many people celebrated feasts in his honour, and how many hours people spent reading the great book about him, studying his words and singing songs to his memory.
It was truly remarkable! However, the strange thing was that very little fire was being made. People were so busy honouring him, reading about him, studying his words, singing songs about him and celebrating his memory that there was not much time left to actually make fire. the man was remembered and celebrated but the wonderful gift he came to communicate was almost forgotten.

Christmas ... Again

The true meaning of Christmas--it is suggested--is giving. It's love, joy, peace, and good will to men, that kind of thing.
On this view of the season one could imagine God saying, "Well, it's that time of year again, Christmas, the season of giving, the season of joy and peace and good will towards men. Let's see, how will I celebrate this year? I think I'll become a man, sacrifice myself as a gift to mankind. That will be my gift during this time of good will on earth and peace toward men. That would be a fitting statement for this season."
Now, of course, none of these things--peace, giving, etc.--are pathetic in themselves, but they pale in significance to the event which authored Christmas two thousand years ago. The point is that it's God's miraculous act of incarnation that's the very foundation of those things characteristic of Christmas; God's act authored it, gave it substance, meaning and context. To talk about the true meaning of Christmas and not focus on Jesus is to admire the aroma and ignore the meal. If I can turn a literary reference on its side a bit, it's the clothes without the emperor. It reduces Christmas to packages, beautifully wrapped and ribboned with nothing inside. And that is pathetic because of what is lost; it's a pathetic trade-off.

one million people needed in a hurry

Wow! recieved this in my inbox this morning...


W A N T E D

ONE
MILLION
AUSSIES
PRAYING…

…for
1. The preservation of our Christian heritage,
2. The Muslim community in Australia – for God’s gracious revelation that all truth is in Jesus, Eph 4:21 “…all Truth is in Jesus - embodied and personified in Him.”
3. Compassion and wisdom for Parliamentary leaders and other lawmakers in their relationship to the Muslim community and for those who work with them.
1 Tim 2:1-6. “I urge ...intercession...for all in authority...for such praying is good and right and it is pleasing and acceptable to God our Saviour, who wishes all men to be saved and …perceive the divine Truth: that there is only one God, and only one mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all people...”

Join us every Friday in intercession for the MUSLIM LEADERS who attended the Prime Minister’s Summit in August. Each month we will give you details of the Leaders for whom we will pray. The full list of Muslim community leaders who are part of the Reference Group is at http://www.immi.gov.au/multicultural/mcrg/05.htm

This month we will pray for IKTIMAL HAGE-ALI, who is the Deputy Chair of the NSW Youth Advisory Council. She was appointed to the council by the NSW Government and represented the Muslim Alawi community, where she works with Arabic speaking youth in western Sydney, at the August Summit.
For more see:- http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2005/s1444534.htm

what do you think?

My Soul's Dark Night

What happens when you have relied on intimacy with God, and the day comes when he seems distant?

CHRISTIANESE again!

Christianese Translator
. "Touch not mine anointed" Means: Do what I say without questioning.
. "You are 'out of your place' in the spirit" Means: You are not complying 200% to my every command.
. "Jesus came to bring a sword" Means: I want you to cut off your family and friends and become co-dependent on me.
. "Sanctify your emotions" Means: Turn off your brain and let me do the thinking for you.
. "You have an independent spirit" Means: You have begun to think for yourself again - now stop it, or else!
. "Yeah, and the Lord would say to thee..." Means: I'm getting ready to give you your marching orders.
. "I'm getting ready to read somebody's mail" Means: I want you to think I have psychic powers and can read your mind.
. "We should all speak the same thing" (based on 1 Cor 1:10) Means: Always agree with the leadership, anything else is strife or rebellion.
. After "Joe" leaves the church it is said of him: "Oh, Joe wouldn't let us pastor him". Means: Joe wouldn't submit enough and let us control/manipulate him.
. "Truth is not always the truth if it is not spoken in love." Means: you are in sin if you say anything bad about us!
. "The Bible doesn't have anything to say about votes, ballets, etc." Means: I am in total control & you will have no say-so."
. "I'm discerning an attitude!" Means: I am about to rip one of your heads off in public to make you an example of what happens to anyone who crosses me.
. "I wonder if some of you are even saved!" Means: Your assurance of salvation should not be based in your acceptance of the sacrifice that Jesus made at Calvary, but rather in adhering to my every demand - and that has been brought into question!
. "This is not a democracy - it's a theocracy." Means: I am in total control here. Whatever I say goes.
. 'I'll pray for you.' Means: "Too bad about your situation--glad it's not me --glad I don't REALLY have to do anything to help--see ya")
. "God put it on my heart" Means: "I really want to tell you this (or really want to do this) and if I just say I WANT to, you'll be able to tell me why I shouldn't, but if I tell you GOD SAID then you can't argue with it, can you?)
. "Quiet Time" Means: (NO clue what that was when I went to church... never read it in the bible)
. "Praise and Worship" (What's the dif??? ....oh yeah.... we had some teaching about the difference from time to time so you could tell when you were praising and when you were worshiping. LOL!)
. "I'm blessed" Means: "life sucks, but I have my head buried in the sand and am avoiding all issues in my life in favor of seeking after religious experiences"....)
. "I love you in the Lord" Means: I CAN'T STAND you in the natural! LOL!!! )
. "Baptized in the Holy Spirit" Means: They spoke in tongues at least once, so now they have our stamp of approval. We expect you to believe that this altered state of consciousness is totally controlled by God, and that it only happens in a Christian culture.
. "Dance in the Spirit" Means: It's Ok to dance a jig in church, so long as we believe that God gives the moves. Just move your feet, silly. We'll supply the music. Better not have a human partner!
. "Filled with the Holy Spirit" See "Baptized in the Holy Spirit"..
. "Gifts of the Spirit" Means: Well Ok, there are more than one, but WE only want you to speak in tongues. It keeps the service more lively and impresses others, especially visitors.
. "Nominal Christian" Means: Normal Christian, not one with super-gifts. Those in other churches. Not one of us because we know we are more holy and could teach them some things!
. "OF God" Means: What we perceive as good... looks holy. (All white)
. "OF Satan" Means: What we perceive as bad... looks evil. (All black)
. "OF the flesh" Means: Anything people do that we just don't think is right. (Oh Oh, Grey area!, but more black than white.) Watch out! Satan is lurking...
. "Slain in the Spirit" Means: We knock them down & expect you to believe God did it.
Side note: Someone stands behind them to help them fall easy. This is our insurance policy, so there's no personal injuries, hence no lawsuits.

CHRISTIANESE

Christianese: "If it be God's will."
Translation: "I really don't think God is going to answer this one.

Christianese: "Let's have a word of prayer."
Translation: "I am going to pray for a long, long, long time."

Christianese: "That's not my spiritual gift."
Translation: "Find someone else."

Christianese: "Fellowship"
Translation: "Organized gluttony."

Christianese: "The Lord works in mysterious ways."
Translation: "I'm totally clueless."

Christianese: "Lord willing . . ."
Translation: "You may think I'll be there, but I won't."

Christianese: "I don't feel led."
Translation: "Can't make me."

Christianese: "She has such a sweet spirit!"
Translation: "What an airhead!"

Christianese: "I have a 'check' in my spirit about him."
Translation: "I can't stand that jerk!"

Christianese: "Prayer concerns"
Translation: "Gossip"

Christianese: "In conclusion . . . "
Translation: "I'll be done in another hour or so."

Christianese: "You just have to put it in God's hands."
Translation: "Don't expect me to help you."

Christianese: "God wants to prosper you!"
Translation: "Give me all your money."

ETHICS

Adult stem cells have now helped patients with at least 65 different human diseases. It's real help for real patients. For embryonic stem cells the score is zero—not a single patient has benefited from embryonic stem cells. After 24 years of research with embryonic stem cells, they are still risky even for experimental animals, all too often forming tumors or misplaced tissue in rats and mice.

why does God allow evil?

When we raise children, we desire them to do good, but we realize they may turn out to be bad. So what do we do? Chain them to their beds or lock them in a closet to insure they stay out of mischief? That would be barbaric,

In the same way, God has dignified man by giving him choices. He's gifted him with the privilege of making his own decisions. Man's choice to do good, to live in conformity with God's desires, is only meaningful if there is an alternate choice to do evil. God won't chain man to the bed or lock him in a closet. That would be cruel.

www.str.org

No but i think your nose is a little wide

old time comics

got 30 mins to kill

http://www.lileks.com/comics/index.html