Gay Rights and the Church

The title of this article is actually a contradiction in terms. The "Christian" church has become so watered down and weak that the majority of "Christians" remain as babes their entire life, only being capable of eating "milk", not the true "meat" of God's word. If you are a true Christian, then you most assuredly read the Bible and commune daily with God. Therefore, you must be versed in the scripture, and therefore, you are aware that the Bible considers Homosexuality a sin. I did not write the Bible, it is the word of God, but I do believe wholeheartedly in the Bible. Too many "Christians" have become pick and choose believers that only follow the scriptures they agree with. In a word, this is WRONG. They worship as fools worship; not my words, it is in the Bible. Saying this, people that are living the homosexual lifestyle should be welcomed into church so that they might hear the truth, but they can not be allowed to lead or influence the church in any way as long as they do not repent of their sins. This goes for all people, not just homosexuals. We all fall short of the glory of God, but as Christians, we must aspire daily to be more like Christ. Our world has become so concerned with nickles and noses that God has become an afterthought at most churches. Church is to be God centered, not man centered, but most pastors worry more about what their congregation believes than what God has said. These practices have basically tied the hands of God, and then people wonder why the church is weak and anemic. It is a sad commentary, but it is true, read the Bible for yourself, and not just that part you like, read it all. So many churches preach only the feel good portions of the Bible, but that is a charade, and they will never come to a full understanding of God, or the purpose he has for their lives.
Christianity
Politics
Society
Culture

Debunking the 9-11 Conspiracy Theories

This is quickly becoming a classic conspiracy theory, and one reason for the ascent is the lack of actual facts known by the majority of Americans. As with many issues facing us today, everyone twists the truth to accommodate their own ideas. If you hate the Bush administration, then any insignificant detail can be made into an unencroachable argument that the government destroyed the twin towers. If you love George W. Bush, you call these conspiracy theorists crack pots. On this issue, I have to side with the Bush lovers. I myself like George W. Bush, and I support him as president, but I most certainly do not love him or his administration. The entire administration has been run poorly, and sloppily for the past six years, and no one with an honest mind can disagree with that statement. However, to blame a terrorist attack on the government just because you might have watched a hatchet job documentary that distorted information to make a political point, and that was created by a low rate person like Michael Moore that one minute complains taxes are too low on the rich, and the next minute changes his residence to avoid paying taxes, is a vastly short sighted and irresponsible thing to do. There have been claims that federal gold was removed from the twin towers weeks before the disaster, but that is not true. Federal gold was never stored in the towers, only personal and corporate holdings. Next, there are those that claim the buildings were blown up with charges...one question, why didn't anyone notice the charges being placed? Do you realize how much work, and C-4, it takes to bring down two buildings by placing charges in the basement? It is ridiculous that people are so full of hate that they create such outlandish stories. Next, why did Bush finish his time with the children? Perhaps, as the rest of us, he was told that it was probably an accident, and he did not want to worry the children he was speaking to. Perhaps he is a compassionate man, not a calculating mass murderer. Next, the dispersement of funds issue is another example of taking insignificant details and blowing them out of proportion. Did you not see the way our bureaucracy handled Katrina relief? Do you think we also have a weather machine that created the hurricane just so we could create a bureaucratic nightmare in its aftermath? Wake up people. Finally, what about the claims from terrorists leaders that they had something to do with the planning of 9-11? Are they on the government payroll? Look people, 9-11 was a tragedy, not a government conspiracy. The last bit of information that proves the government had nothing to do with 9-11 is very simple. To pull off such an event, thousands of people would have had to be involved, and the government would have had to pull off this mind blowing event without a hitch, with no one admitting the fallacy to the press for their 15 minutes of fame...the Government is not even capable of baking a cake without 47 mistakes and a vote, so how do you think these people, called incompetent idiots by most of the people that believe this theory, could pull off such an event? Well, are they morons, or masterminds? Make up your mind, or take your Lithium.
Christianity
Politics
Society
Culture

Impending Threat?

The attack on 911 served as a wake up call for many Americans. What was the message being delivered by a group of Muslims hijacking 4 planes, crashing two into the World Trade Centers, one into the Pentagon, and one into a Pennsylvanian field? Simple, we were at war. It mattered not, and matters not, if we wish to participate in this war actively, we are at war. Many say that this is an archaic idea, but their opinion matters not to the enemy. Whether or not Americans acknowledge they are at war with radical Muslims; radical Muslims are at war with America. The politically correct parade that consumes so much of our society will contend that not all Muslims are out to destroy America, and they are right, but during the second World War, were all Germans against the free world? Today's world is no less dangerous than Europe in the 40's, in fact, in many ways it is more dangerous. Today's enemy does not care about living themselves, and that makes it even more difficult to defeat. Also, the world moves at a much faster pace today, and things can happen in an instant that will change the world forever. Why is this happening? What has America done to these people to anger them so? Simple, America has refused to conform to their way of life, their religion, and their culture, and in the world of radical Islam, that is all that is required to earn a death sentence. Many do not take the threat seriously, and constantly say that anyone that does is over reacting. I am sure that the same opinion was popular in Constantinople before it fell. This extreme degree of passiveness and complacency only fuels the fire of our enemy. The real question is not if this "war" will continue and escalate, the only question is when. Will we be prepared, will we be strong and united as a country, or will be be divided, and weak? These questions will be answered, and it could be soon.

Christianity
Politics
Society
Culture

Have we gone too far in our war against Terror?

To answer this question we must first understand the term terrorism. Otherwise, how are we to determine if we have gone "too far" with anti-terroristic measures. Terrorism, as defined by Webster, is:
The unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence by a person or an organized group against people or property with the intention of intimidating or coercing societies or governments, often for ideological or political reasons.
This definition brings many questions to the debate at hand. For one, is the success of terrorism predicated on the destruction of property? From the definition, it is actually dependent on intimidation created by the threat of violence and destruction. Therefore, by intimidating our country, have the terrorists already achieved their goal? It is a very interesting question, and I believe I have a very interesting answer. To say that terrorist pose no threat to our country, since there have been no serious attacks since 9-11, is simply false. There are "attacks" on a daily basis. Threats are a form of terrorism, and in many cases, the damage they do is similar to the damage done by a physical attack. For this reason, I say the threat is very real, and the danger posed is equally real. The question of going to far to stop terroristic activities is actually laughable. Our society has become so entrenched, and so based upon personal gratification, the idea of sacrificing for the good of the country has become almost extinct. The cries of "you are violating my rights", and "free speech", and even "you can not racially profile to ensure security" have become a large part of our societal debate on terrorism. Imagine if the prevalent attitude of today would have been around in the 1940's to the same degree that it currently exists, what would have happened in Europe during WWII? I don't dislike the German language, but I am certainly glad that our forefathers sacrificed their liberties to defeat the evil that existed during their time. In my opinion, you can never do "too much", or go "too far" to defeat evil. The only reason we have our freedoms is the fact that those befor us have sacrificed to help us keep them. Do you want your children, and their children, to be free, or do you want them to grow up in a world where terrorists rule with intimidation? We can never go too far when terror is concerned, in fact, do not feel that we have gone far enough. "Ask not what your country can do for you....".

Christianity
Politics
Society
Culture

Is Russia a threat?

The birth of my first child has slowed my writing, for good reason, but there is a question that has troubled me for sometime. It is true that no one country can threaten the United States militarily, and no terrorist organization alone is a significant long term threat (they can do serious damage, but they can not defeat us), but what would happen if a semi-super power joined forces, and sponsered a terror group? Would the partnership create cataclysmic problems for our country? For some time, the actions of Russia, and the relationship between Putin and Iran has caused a bit of concern, but it seems that the true character of the Russian government is coming to the forfront, and along with it, a troublesome relationship with the extremist regime in Tehran. It appears that for the first time since the coldwar, there was a state sponsered assasination this week orchestrated by the Russian government. The victim, an ex-KGB spy, was poisioned with radiation, and he had some very strong words before dying Thursday. Ex-KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of his murder from beyond the grave on Friday, in a statement read out the morning after he died of an unknown poison in a London hospital. Litvinenko left a statement for the world stating the, "You (Putin) may succeed in silencing one man. But a howl of protest from around the world will reverberate, Mr Putin, in your ears for the rest of your life." Along with this development is the continued arms trade between Russia and Iran, and the pressure from Moscow to keep the UN from sanctioning Iran. Why? More evidence was revealed today when it was reported that
Russia has begun deliveries of the Tor-M1 air defence rocket system to Iran. So, what will happen with Russia? Is there any cause for concern?
Christianity
Politics
Society
Culture