Hot New Gay Question: Would You Baptize Our Baby?

With same-sex marriage a reality, something like this was bound to come up.
And it did in of all places, the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida and two partnered men have a baby and want the baby to have the rite of Holy Baptism.
Here you maybe surprised but on the surface I do not see the problem.
But of course there is a problem with it, right?!
It all started when Rich McCaffrey posted on Facebook that he and his partner were interested in raising their adopted son, Jack, in the church as a Christian. According to the article, they did some research and looked at their local Episcopal church, the Cathedral church of St. Luke, the seat of the Central Florida diocese. The couple met with the dean of the cathedral, dean being essentially the rector of the church, and the Rt. Rev. Dean Anthony Clark agreed to perform the rite. Dean Clark suggested a service held on Sunday evening as that is a more "open-minded" group of parishioners.
That should have been a clue to the couple that there might be some resistance to this move.
But everything was moving along and the parents and baby were attending services and taking the required classes.
And then, well then is when bad news came to the parents.
Dean Clark contacted Mr. McCaffrey and his partner, Eric, and told them that they could not have the baptism at all. Not at the evening service, Sunday morning, not ever at that church. According to the article, Dean Clark said that there was an "internal debate" at the church and that some parishioners voiced opposition to having the service.
After all, Jack has two daddies and if they allowed the baptism to take place, wouldn't they in fact and indeed indirectly endorse the fact that the daddies are married.
I do not look at this at the level of being a full participant at a same-sex wedding. That should be a matter of conscience and it is quite different than baptizing a child in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.
Some of the opposition is based of the part of the Episcopal baptism service where the parents and Godparents are asked some questions. Here they are, with the answers all are to provide:

Do you renounce Satan and all the spiritual forces
of wickedness that rebel against God?
Answer I renounce them.
Question Do you renounce the evil powers of this world
which corrupt and destroy the creatures of God?Answer I renounce them.
Question Do you renounce all sinful desires that draw you
from the love of God?Answer I renounce them.

See, if one does not recognize the religious validity of the couple putting the child up for baptism, then wouldn't they be accepting the three questions in general and the third question especially? If you think the sexual act the is homosexuality is a sinful desire, well that is a valid point.
But how many parents and or Godparents are not living virtuous lives in answering any of the questions? How many could be having affairs? Unmarried? Addicts?
You get my point.
So, I have another, more theological quandary.
I became a Christian as an adult. When I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and savior, I made a conscious choice to join an Episcopal church. I was eventually baptised and confirmed in the Episcopal Church.
But I did so as an adult after making a decision for Christ.
I vacillate constantly about infant vs. adult baptism. In this case I think a dedication is appropriate. Or the parents could have had a private baptism. Or they could wait until Jack is of age to make his decision. Still take him to church and Sunday school and the like.
But as I think of all of this, including the valid arguments on both sides, I think that grace more than anything is needed for Jack's sake. There is a great book on the subject of grace in the Christian context, What's So Amazing About Grace by Phillip Yancey. It has helped me in those situations where grace is the only answer.
Sometimes when all else fails, grace is the only answer.
I commend the parents wanting to raise Jack in the Christian faith. Even if I don't get the fact that they are a married same-sex couple. They went to a church that they believed and were led to believe at the very least they would be able to have their son baptized. Some people in and out of leadership did not want it to happen for valid reasons. There was an impasse.
But the diocesan bishop, the Rt. Rev. Bishop Gregory Brewer, stepped in and personally reached out to Mr. McCaffrey and Eric and met with them personally. In the statement from the diocesan website, the Rt. Rev. Bishop Brewer said that the three had an open and frank discussion and eventually, Jack will be baptized later this year and the Rt. Rev. Bishop Brewer will perform the baptism himself.
This was and is a moment of grace.
The Rt. Rev. Bishop Brewer is a supporter of traditional marriage and thus had to exhibit a great deal of grace by showing himself to be open enough to performing the baptism of a child of two men that he does not believe is biblical correct.
It is for me to deal with this issue is to use grace and while maybe not being down with same-sex parents, that the child that will be baptised will be raised in the Christian faith and in the Episcopal tradition. And grace does not mean one is selling out serious belief. It means one is looking at a bigger picture.
So to answer the question from the headline, yes I think it is important not to deny the most important sacrament of the church to a child who cannot help his own upbringing and the baptism should be done.

Is President Obama A Christian? Yes, But . . .

Let me get this out of the way right now with the affirmation that the Dear Leader, President Obama, is a Christian as he has been baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; or if you prefer Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer.
The reason I come to this conclusion is simple.
Not just because he says that he is. There is knowledge that indeed, then Messiah Barack, was baptized at Trinity United Church of Christ. He has spoken of his faith. He does use his understanding of Christianity to be the King Social Justice Warrior.
The latest reason I have to write this piece is that two Washington Post "reporters", Dan Balz and Robert Costa asked the now GOP 2016 presidential front-runner, Wisconsin governor, Scott Walker, if he believes that the Dear Leader, President Obama, is a Christian. Gov. Walker did the right thing and said that he does not know, nor does he care, if the Dear Leader, President Obama, is a Christian or not. In fact, Gov. Walker said that the question itself was not really all that worthy or important in terms of the political direction of the United States at this time.
But the Dear Leader's defenders thought that Gov. Walker's answer was weak because it was not a full-throated defense of his belief in Christianity.
Of course, they are wrong as those on the other side who have gone so far as to suggest that the Dear Leader, President Obama, is in fact an atheist.
It does not help the Dear Leader, President Obama, that his once trusted top political aide, David Axelrod, wrote in his recent book that the Dear Leader, President Obama, was really always for same-sex marriage and that, essentially, lied about it during the 2008 presidential campaign. Needless to say, there is this on the internets that show how far then Sen. Messiah Barack went to affirm traditional marriage. Of course those of us paying attention knew that it was kinda sorta, well a lie.
Running for the Illinois state senate in 1996, Messiah Barack was given a questionnaire by a left-wing newspaper, Outlines, that he was for same-sex marriage, "unequivocally". Follow this timeline here and one sees that he went all over the place on the subject. But it must be noted that he was for chipping away at government recognition of traditional marriage only. Had the Dear Leader, President Obama, not said on national and by extension international television, at Saddleback Church, to the face of Pastor Rick Warren that he was for traditional marriage, may these questions would not dog him and make many wonder is the Dear Leader, President Obama, a Christian.
Another area is the Dear Leader, President Obama, seemingly going out of his way to all but defend radical Islam. In these remarks before the National Prayer Breakfast, the Dear Leader, President Obama, seemed to try to draw an equivalence between the Crusades and the Islamic State. And his going out of his way to not make a reference to radical Islam or Islam as the leading force in international terrorism and indeed war.
Again, this does not mean the Dear Leader, President Obama, is not a Christian.
But I alluded to his brand of Christianity above.
It's Social Justice Warrior Christianity.
To me, it's no secret that the Dear Leader, President Obama, found his way to Trinity United Church of Christ and the "Rev." Jeremiah Wright. The "Rev." Wright was all about the social justice. Why he even believes and supports the concept of Black Liberation Theology. The "Rev." Wright is one of those that likes the Social Justice Warrior Jesus up against the deity of Christ. That Jesus Christ was sent to earth by God himself to bring all the world to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and thus with God and the Holy Ghost. What Trinity did was affirm what the Dear Leader, President Obama, was pursuing as a "community organizer" and that he could cite God himself as to why it was all good.
In fact, the United Church of Christ is the most liberal/modernist Mainline Protestant denomination around. Why the UCC makes The Episcopal Church look like a bunch of slow-moving right-wingers.
Social justice can be secular and religious. But the religious component is more of a earthly rather than a spiritual response as to what God supposedly wants in the world. And yes, some social justice is good and has already been done in history.
But understand that SJWC has a component of a more Unitarian approach to God. In fact, in The Episcopal Church, one of the "heroes" is an absolute heretic and, sadly, a former bishop by the name of John Shelby Spong. Why is Bishop Spong a heretic? Among some of what he believes is that there was no virgin birth of Jesus Christ. And no bodily resurrection. They are kinda some of the main beliefs of the Christian faith, no matter what denomination one belongs to. One can say that, essentially, Bishop Spong pretty much rejects the Nicene Creed, which is the statement of belief for most Christians. At best, Bishop Spong is a Unitarian. At worst, he reduces the Christian faith to being a glorified social service agency.
Again, when one understands the version of Christianity that the Dear Leader, President Obama, believes, it explains why he would go out of his way to defend Islam. To be for same-sex marriage. To see everything in terms of the haves and the have-nots. It is in some ways a celebration of victimology.
If one takes the time to understand SJWC, then one can understand where the Dear Leader, President Obama, is coming from. Why he commits self-flagellation that is so common among the SJWC. Why he easily takes up the side of the underdog.
Anyone who has read this blog knows that I consider myself a traditional, somewhat conservative Christian. Sure, I belong to The Episcopal Church, but there are many like myself that want to see the denomination move away from what I believe is destructive modernism.
I believe in the Nicene Creed as the simple statement of faith. Sure there were a lot of politics behind  a lot of the wording, but it has stood the test of time. I'm standard Protestant that there are two outward signs of being a Christian. Bapitsm and partaking of the Holy Communion. I believe that the Holy Bible (King James Version, of course) is the inspired word of God and necessary for all salvation.
That is the simple version of my faith in Christ.
Yet in my denomination, I might as well be a multi-horned fundamentalist.
Which is to show how far the Mainline Protestant denominations have strayed.
So yes, the Dear Leader, President Obama is a Christian. Just not a traditional Christian. Once people get that, one will understand his world view.

Are We Living In The End Times?

And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
Matthew: 24:6

I do not mean to be provocative, but with all that has been going on lately, I think it is a fair question to ask if we are entering the End Times that many Christians believe have to occur before the return of Jesus Christ.
I think that before I explain what I am trying to convey, it is important to have a brief as possible primer on the End Times.
Firstly, the End Times is not just a Christian idea of the 18th century American church. Almost every conceivable Christian sect and or denomination has a vision of the End Times. The Roman Catholic church believes in the End Times, although as we see here, many do not believe in a literal End Times scenario. However, there are many RCs that have a more Protestant view of the End Times as we see here. But to be honest, in much of the liturgical tradition, there is a lack of teaching and or fervor about the End Times. In the United States, non-liturgical Protestants are more likely to teach and believe in an End Time. But there is a lot of dispute about the exact nature of it and the whole 1,000 year reign of Jesus Christ. The bottom line is that for the most part, Christians of all stripes believe there will be an end of the world as we know it.
Judaism believes in a messianic age and the return of the Messiah. For the most part, Jews do not believe that Jesus Christ is that messiah. But the messiah will come back for his people.
Islam believes in an End Time scenario. But because there is the Sunni-Shit'e division in Islam, there are different variations that come to the same conclusion.
Even non-monotheistic religions have a belief in some kind of End Times.
The original link is a great place to have a basic understanding of what the End Times mean to different faiths.
There endeth the lesson.
Do I believe we are in the End Times as described by many non-liturgical Protestant Christians?
I introduce you to this salient passage in the Holy Gospel according to Matthew:

But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
Matthew 24:36

So does that answer the question? Not in a yes or no way. So here is the context of this passage.

He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.
Acts 1:7

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
2 Peter 3:10

Well, to fully give you an answer, please go back to the beginning of this post.
In a way, I do believe that we are closer to the End Times than at any time in history.
There are reasons why. For one, only in this era is the world so connected. At no other time in history have we the capacity to communicate the way we do now. We can watch a war in real time taking place in the Middle East as we watch the Islamic State go on the march. We can witness disasters in real time. That could be the fulfilment of biblical prophecy of the whole world being able to see the return of Christ.
It is not just the wars in the Middle East but all over the world. There are civil wars we hardly know about but are still going on. The Philippines comes to mind with the Roman Catholic majority fighting a radical Islamic faction in Mindanao. The continent of Africa, sadly, is almost nothing but wars, civil wars and terrorism. There is the war in The Ukraine between proxy Russians and the Ukrainian government over portions of the Eastern Ukraine. And where there is not war, there seems to be an uneasy tension ready to boil over from a lot of different sources. Even here in the United States, there is a lot of tension that could spark something. People are just anxious.
Christian persecution is definitely on the rise all over the world. Of course the Middle East is the hot bed of this. Yet again, this is happening all over the world and yes, right here in the United States. It is also one of the signs of the end. Of course different Christians come to different conclusions on their faith journey, but a sign of the hostility to Christianity is the assault on the Christmas and Easter seasons. Christmas is now known as Holiday. What holiday?! Every other one has a name so after eliminating those, I and many assume the holiday is Christmas. Christmas break is now winter break in schools. Christmas shows are now winter shows also in schools. One can not in any public setting it seems wish anyone a Merry Christmas. Because of faux-offense. Christmas songs about, well the birth of Christ is a no-no. And one can change the word Christmas with Easter and much of the same thing.
These are but a couple of examples of why I think that we could possibly be in the End Times. I could go on and on. We could have a great debate over Preterism or Dispensationalist or Pre-tribulation and Post-tribulation. But that is not the point of this post.
But the reason why I write this post is because we have to be very, very careful not to play God as one Harold Camping did a couple of years ago.
Mr. Camping believed that he knew when the end of the world was to occur and the date was October 21, 2011. But before that, Jesus Christ would come down and save the people he wanted in to be with him in heaven in the Rapture. That was to occur on May 21, 2011. What was to happen in between? Well the fire and brimstone many End Time preachers talk about. The plagues. The wars. All the evil would be loosed on the world and it would all end on October 21, 2011. 
Remember what I wrote above? Jesus himself said that no man would no the day, or hour. Yet Mr. Camping tried to play God. He did realize that he was mistaken, but there was a lot of damage that he did.  
Most End Time preachers are careful not to search for the date, time and all of that. But there is a temptation to do so. Just as dangerous as not discerning the Word of God in proper meaning and context.
For me, I do believe that we are in the throws of something major. Possibly the End Times. There are lots of signs. A lot of persecution. Wars and rumors of wars.
But as Jesus Christ himself said, do not be troubled.
I will say simply to be aware and to live a good life for yourself and especially your family and yes, your neighbor.

 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
  This is the first and great commandment.
  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.Matthew, 22:35-40

Ann Coulter, You Ain't A Christian Theologian

Once again I find myself at odds with someone that I know, like and respect and that is Sweet Ann Coulter.
No, I am not being sarcastic when I refer to her as Sweet Ann.
But the latest column from Miss Coulter regarding the doctor and his nurse that contracted Ebola in Liberia in Africa and the decision to bring them back to the United States for treatment was not over the top. It was a total lack of knowledge and understanding of Christian mission and what that means.
Of course those on the left and or Christian modernists already despise Miss Coulter and their reaction is not worth mentioning here.
So I will give you two reactions from respected evangelicals. The two that I would like to share the comments of are former Bush administration official Pete Wehner and the current president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Dr. Albert Mohler. I choose these two because one, Mr. Wehner, has been involved in politics. The other, Dr. Mohler, has been involved in Christian theology. Both would seem to be allied with Miss Coulter in many ways. But this time, they, to be blunt, give her a new one.
First, the point of Miss Coulter's column seems to be that Dr. Kent Brantly and his nurse, Nancy Writebol were nothing but Christian narcissists that were asking for it. And that they would have been better off either trying to save souls in Hollywood or New York City. And to buck up her point, she even cites the Holy Bible, the Old Testament passage from Deuteronomy 15:11:

For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.

Oh, she was good enough to also quote the Holy Gospel of Matthew 28:19:

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

But I don't think she really cares about ALL the nations. Just the United States really. I mean, we need all of the saving. The rest of the world, eh not so much.
Dr. Brantly and Mrs. Writebol are Christian missionaries with Franklin Graham's Samaritan Purse. So, I guess according to Dr. Coulter, in reality, the Rev. Franklin Graham is a Christian narcissist for he believes in that quaint passage in Matthew. The Rev. Franklin Graham, and by extension his father, the Rev. Dr. Billy Graham, are not good, American Christians  because they also wanted to save the world for Christ.
Before I continue my own thoughts, let me share the response of Mr. Wehner. It is a classic because it calls Miss. Coulter out for being especially cruel to beat up Dr. Brantly and Mrs. Writebol when they are down. And she is. He rightfully mocks Miss. Coulter and her strange way that the two should really be sharing Christ. That she was suggesting, no telling the two that they should have focused on power broker types in Los Angeles/Hollywood or New York City. According to Ann:

If Dr. Brantly had practiced at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles and turned one single Hollywood power-broker to Christ, he would have done more good for the entire world than anything he could accomplish in a century spent in Liberia.

Or this:

If he had provided health care for the uninsured editors, writers, videographers and pundits in Gotham and managed to open one set of eyes, he would have done more good than marinating himself in medieval diseases of the Third World.

Of course there is not one shred of knowable evidence that any of the above might have happened and thus it is total speculation on her part. Which is what is wrong. As Mr. Wehner pointed out, Miss Coulter is divining the heart and mind of Dr. Brantly and Mrs Writebol. Something that we can not nor should ever do. And Mr. Wehner and all other critics of the column point out that there are millions of committed Christians spreading the Gopsel of Christ right here in the United States of America. To places like Zavala county, another place Miss Coulter thought the good doc should have used his God-given talents instead of Africa and specifically Liberia. There is an outreach center right here in El Monte, California that my particular church has been, in my estimation, spreading the Gospel of helping thy neighbor. And yes, we have sent a missionary to Mongolia of all places to teach children and yes, spread the Gopsel of Christ.
So let's examine what Dr. Mohler had to say about Miss Coulter and her descent to Crazyland.
As Dr. Mohler pointed out, Miss Coulter said that the kind of missionary work Dr. Brantly and Mrs. Writebol did would get a lot of praise from people like New York Times columnist, Nicholas Kristof. Here is what Miss Coulter wrote:

Evangelize in Liberia, and the Times' Nicholas Kristof will be totally impressed.

It appears that he was. Yes, Mr. Kristoff did indeed heap praise on Dr. Brantly and Mrs. Writebol. To me in this case, so what? Where Dr. Mohler equates both Miss Coulter and Mr. Kristof is that both are off the mark. Dr. Mohler:

Kristof argues that we should be very appreciative of these two American missionary doctors and others from the western world who are fighting this contagion in Africa because if the disease is not stopped there, it will indeed come here. That is an argument that is certainly superior to the argument of Ann Coulter, but it is also an argument that is far short of the Christian worldview. These two American missionary doctors did not go merely as humanitarians. They did not just join some kind of merely humanitarian effort. They were sent by American Christian missionary organizations. Their concern was not just the bodily health of those they would serve through medicine, but the spiritual condition and indeed the spiritual fate of those they would meet as they went to West Africa.

I italicized the important point of Dr. Mohler. That the two are committed Christians that were sent to do what they did by Christian missionary groups. That they are caring not just for the immediate needs of the people but their spiritual needs as well. They are not just humanitarians as Mr. Kristof wants folks to believe.
Here is what I think about this.
One, if Miss Coulter had written about whether or not it was a good idea to bring two people back with a disease that has no cure and the merits on that, I think that would make a good potential column.
But Miss Coulter went for the jugular and assaulted the very nature of the work the doctor and nurse was doing. She was saying that the place that needs the most missionary work is their home nation, the United States. She misrepresents the very essence of the ministry of the church and the Great Commission that Jesus Christ laid out for all who follow him to do. Again that is to go to ALL the nations to spread the Gospel. Not just one nation and not just the United States.
The fact of it is that Ann Coulter, you ain't a Christian theologian.

The Games The Sudan Are Playing With Meriam Ibrahim

Yes, yes, Sudan is playing games is regards to the continuing saga over Meriam Ibrahim.

Mrs. Ibrahim is the Christian woman that had been charged with apostasy for "rejecting" Islam under the Sudanese interpretation of Sharia law. Mrs. Ibrahim was convicted in a kangaroo court based on so-called relatives "evidence" who essentially turned her in to Sudanese "authorities". And she was pregnant with her second child at the time of conviction. A conviction of 100 lashes for adultery (she is married to a Christian man), and once the baby is born two years after the child is weaned death.
Yeah, that Sharia law is no joke especially when interpreted in the worst way.
Well, this past weekend, a Sudanese appeals court voided the lower court sentence and the court ordered Mrs. Ibrahim freed. It seemed like sanity was about to prevail, right?
Oops! My bad!
So sorry to fib about that because as Mrs. Ibrahim was with her husband, Daniel Wani, and both of her children were at the Khartoum International airport waiting to get the hell out of the hellhole known as Sudan, she faced the wrath of the crazies once again and was rearrested on a unique charge to say the least.
Mrs. Ibrahim was arrested and charged with forging her travel documents. And this time, the Sudanese "authorities" had the whole family to throw in jail.
The best part of the second arrest?
That one of Mrs. Ibrahim's half brothers went to the "authorities" to claim that she was kidnapped from the Islamic side of the family and should not have been returned to her Christian husband, Daniel.
Such a wonderful family they are.
It is important to explain that Mrs. Ibrahim did have an Islamic father and a Christian mother. The dad left the family high and dry when Mrs. Ibrahim was a young child. Mrs. Ibrahim's mother raised her in the Ethiopian Orthodox church. In fact, the mother remarried a Christian man and the marriage certificate is available. For some reason not really explained, a relative from the dad's Islamic family turned her in to the "authorities" claiming that she is really an Islamic woman and committed adultery by "marrying" a Christian man. Thus charges were filed and a trial was commenced. Now Mrs. Ibrahim could have prevented this from going where it did. So long as she renounced being a Christian and nullified her marriage to Daniel Wani. But Mrs. Ibrahim did not renounce the only faith that she knew. That of the Christian faith. And according to Sharia law, it was wrong for her to be raised as a Christian because even though daddy left mommy, one has to be raised in the faith of the male.
Kind of neat that the males can marry whoever they want but if one is a gal, too bad. That's Sharia law for you.
Again, all this occurred because a half-brother that Mrs. Ibrahim did not know by the name of  Al Samani Al Hadi Mohamed Abdullah. The real reason he used Sharia law is so that he and his Islamic wife could take Mrs. Ibrahim's successful businesses.
Sharia law my a*s!
But the court that the trail was held found Mrs. Ibrahim guilty of rejecting a religion she never knew, Islam, and being an adulterer because she married a Christian man that she should not have done. She was supposed to marry an Islamic man. Even though she said throughout everything that she was never, ever Islamic.
Thus came the development of her sentence being thrown out on appeal and the appeal court freeing Mrs. Ibrahim.
And the rearrest of Mrs. Ibrahim, her husband, Daniel Wani, her 21 month old son, Martin and one month-old daughter, Maya, born in a horrible women's prison named Omdurman Federal Women's Prison. As I noted, the whole family was jailed.
But today, it appears that the whole family has been released from jail under the condition that they remain in The Sudan for the time being.
While that seems to be good news, there is no word as to when the family can leave the hellhole of The Sudan for freedom. Originally, the family was going to go to the Christian South Sudan. But now once they are allowed to leave The Sudan, they will all come to the United States.
But this just shows what happens when a government implements Sharia law. A law that totally discounts anything that a woman may or may not say. A law that takes whatever a male says, even if it is all lies, as the truth. That is exactly what happened here. What has to really gall the fanatics is that at no time, even while giving birth to Maya, Mrs. Ibrahim would denounce her Christian faith. She was going to be a martyr for the faith.
Radical Islam claims a lot of things but it claims Islam is so much the only way, truth and light that one can be killed if they renounce that religion. Islam is such a loving, life giving religion in these fanatics' eyes that one has to be kept in that religion at the point of a sword. Or the end of a gun.
And the fanatics in The Sudan that lied about Mrs. Ibrahim almost were going to get their pound of flesh.
The reason that they did not is that in the end, such a sentence could not be carried out because many disparate forces unified to point out what a horrible act the carrying out of the sentence would be.
Yet the "authorities" played some more games quite possibly in a last ditch effort to get Mrs. Ibrahim to reject Christianity and become Islamic and her children become Islamic. And while using a trumped-up charge, they gave it their best shot.
Hopefully very soon, Meriam Ibrahim, Daniel Wani, Martin and Maya will be on a plane for the United States and real freedom.
The Sudan government will not be able to play their games with the family here in the United States.

Maundy Thursday

Today is the beginning of the Great Three Days of the Christian liturgical calendar and this first of the days is Maundy Thursday.
In the simplest of explanations, it is the remembrance of The Last Supper in which Jesus Christ told the disciples that this was his last meal with them and that to always remember that meal in the celebration of the Holy Communion until his return.
The Christian Orthodox depiction of The Last Supper below is what both the Western and Eastern churches imagine the scene to be.

So what happens at a Maundy Thursday service?
For most in the Western liturgical traditions, it can begin with the blessing of the Chrism oils to be used on The Great Vigil of Easter for the newly baptised. Before celebrating the Holy Communion,
often times there will be a washing of the feet. No, it is not a pedicure, just a simple bit of water being poured on the feet of the congregants as a commemoration of what Jesus did. Then is the Holy Communion. Once that is done there is a ceremonial stripping of the altar. Everything is taken off the altar and the remaining communion bread/wafers and wine are taken to a box of reserved sacraments to be used at Good Friday services. Some stripping of the altars are more elaborate than others. A good explanation is in this link.
In the Eastern Orthodox churches, it is celebrated differently and also tweaked for local custom. Most Orthodox churches are based on ethnicity and geographically. Again a good explanation is found here.
One aspect of this day is the division in American Christianity.
There are whole Christians that have absolutely no idea of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and the Great Vigil of Easter.
Regrettably this is due to strong theological differences between fundamentalist Protestants and some evangelical Christians.
It is one of the reasons I admit I have a great deal of disagreement with by evangelical brothers and sisters.
What they miss is that the three days are true to the biblical account of the Last Supper, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and the Resurrection on Sunday morning.
I suppose that a rightful objection is the bells and smells aspect for some evangelicals. I mean, if one belongs to Anglicanism, Lutheran or any other Protestant liturgical church, why is there so much ritual, especially on these days?
Speaking as an Anglican, I can say that some churches are High Churches and they emphasise the Catholic tradition. Vestments, albs, chasubles, incense and the like. In many but certainly not all Anglican/Episcopal churches today, much of this list is found in any given worship service. At this point the catholic, small c, forms of worship are predominant in worship. But the big ones, well they come out in this time of the church year.
But, many evangelical Anglican/Episcopal churches do not go all liturgical crazy. They do celebrate the Great Three Days in a more subdued manner and remember the meaning in this remembrance.
I for one consider myself a Protestant but have no fear that a little tradition and ritual will suddenly make me a papist.
Yet there are many Christians can not get past that and thus do not appreciate the whole of why there is  a Christian church of any kind.
It is the Last Supper, the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
It would be a wonderful thing if all Christians can unite and celebrate the Great Three Days together. But alas, we can not.
As for me, it is very important to recognize the whole meaning of Jesus Christ. And the Last Supper, aka Maundy Thursday is a great way to start.

Matthew McConaughey, God And Hollywood

I continued my Academy Award hate and did not watch the 86th installment of the secular bacchanalia.
I am sorry, however, to have missed this speech by the Best Actor, Matthew McConaughey in which he started off by thanking not his agent, not his family, or the adoring fans.
Matthew McConaughey thanked GOD for his achievement.
WOW! WOW! WOW!
Below is the actual short, yet heartfelt acceptance speech.

It's not the first time that an actor or actress has thanked God for the accomplishments he or she has had in their acting career. If memory serves me right, and it is not from watching but reading and watching news reports about it, Denzel Washington was pretty quick to thank God for winning a Best Actor award a few years ago. But Mr. Washington is Black and I guess the secular crowd that is Hollywood thought it was OK. You know, a Black American Christian. Maybe he attends something like the Trinity Church of Christ in Chicago, the former home church of our Dear Leader, President Obama.

But a regular White guy? Not just thanking God but realizing that while he has grown in his profession, the gift of his acting is a gift from Almighty God?

Watch the video because it is striking what gets the biggest cheer from the audience. Let's just stipulate it is not thanking God. Or his daddy. Or his mom. Or his wife. It's only about two minutes and thirty-three seconds long.

Many good people get involved in acting and or entertainment. But there is just something that seems to happen when they make it big.

Some shed the thing that made them pursue acting and or entertaining.

That is their belief in God.

I can only imagine how bad that can be for an actual Christian believer. So many that do spout off about religion in general and Christianity in general show abject ignorance. And downright hatred towards religion.

I suspect that the secular crowd that dominates every aspect of Hollywood are insular enough not to know many, if any, Christian believers. like any thing else, we are not all the same. The talents and gifts that God gives us takes us the time to understand. Some of them are direct spiritual gifts, as Paul addressed here in 1 Corinthians: 12. I'm not sure if Mr. McConaughey's acting falls into particular spiritual gifts, but I must admit I usually enjoy the movies that I see him in. But that he thanked God for where he is shows that he gets the overall Christian message in this respect.

That all we do, good or bad, is from God. Whether we understand that or not is a lifelong journey.

But back to the Hollywood secularists.

My feeling is that their "knowledge" of Christians is probably the Fred Phelps' types and the Westboro Baptist "Church". Or some of the more silly comments made by such evangelists as the Rev. Pat Robertson. In other words, they will look at the extreme, more fundamentalist people in Christianity and think, that is what it's all about.

Too bad that the Hollywood secular crowd does not look at such Christians as the Rev. Billy Graham, his son, the Rev. Franklin Graham, and the wonderful work of Samaritan's Purse. Or how about the Salvation Army and all the good that they have done? Nah, in the closed minds of Hollywood secularists, most Christians are no good and really, they want nothing to do with them.

How sad.

For all the talk of diversity and thought, when it comes to religion in general, and Christianity in particular, the Hollywood secularist mind closes tighter than a vise.

Take the new movie Non Stop starring Liam Neeson.

Skip the next paragraph if you do not want to know anything about the plot. You have been warned!

I wanted to see it until I read this review and how the plot turns out.

See, Hollywood thinks that a family member of a victim of the 9/11 terrorist attacks would get some military dude to essentially hijack a plane, electronically, and that one of the heroes of the flight is an Islamic doctor, dressed in full garb and bearded.

Islam is not Christian and it is picked on and misunderstood. And really, if they do bad things it is probably the fault of the United States and especially Christianity. And don't forget them there Crusades.

So I do believe that when Hollywood is exposed to a person like Matthew McConaughey, they are essentially left speechless. They do not get that people really, really believe that there is something bigger than what is in this world. That God is important enough to thank more than anything shows an amazing thing that Mr. McConaughey probably did not think much about because he spoke from his heart. And his heart is with God.

Hollywood needs to free its secular mind and welcome Christian believers and not seek to change them into soulless secularists. Learn from them. Learn that they are not a threat but a person that believes in God, Jesus and the Holy Ghost (Spirit). And that if they share with you, just be open, not dismissive.

Many Christians, myself and Mrs. RVFTLC, like movies. I am more discriminating than Mrs. RVFTLC. Or in her mind, not so much. We pay money to see movies. We don't like to feel unwelcome but some in Hollywood are so narrow that they comment derisively on what we believe without any real knowledge of us.

I am thankful that Matthew McConaughey spoke so eloquently last night. Hollywood should listen to all that he said.



The Pope, Rush Limbaugh And The Great Economic Debate

In this season of Advent, it appears that Pope Francis has strayed into controversy regarding a papal letter called Evangelii Gadium (The Joy of the Gospel) and his view on capitalism and consumerism.
Why it seems controversial enough that radio talker Rush Limbaugh weighed in on the letter and well he didn't like it.
And this link is to the whole 224 page letter from Pope Francis. Trust me, no one has read the whole letter. But the pages that seem to have evoked controversy are pages 52-75 and also pages 186-216.
From what I can tell in reading this is that Pope Francis thinks that what we call capitalism is somehow an economy of exclusion. A point is made about a homeless woman dying from exposure and a two-point loss in the stock market on the same day. What makes for the bigger story? The Pope believes that the stock market loss would be more spoken about than the homeless woman. Actually, the homeless woman dying to exposure would be the direct result of the evils of capitalism according to the leftywhore media. So both would get publicity in the American media.
Before that, however, the Pope insinuates that because a homeless woman died that a capitalist economy kills people.
I cannot disagree more.
That is a broad-brush example. Even in the most communistic nation still left on earth, there are homeless people and yes they die on the street as a direct result of the harsh, socialist economy of their land. There are forced labor camps in which people die every day. Just ask refugees from North Korea.
The Pope actually believes that capitalism in the West and especially the United States is so rampant that there is this survival of the fittest and that it has left the vast majority in the dust.
No, what has happened and has been happening for a long time is crony capitalism that does pick winners and losers and has kept the economy in the doldrums for a long time. Especially in the United States.
And as the letter goes on, I have to admit at a level it makes me think that this part of the letter is straight from the Democrat National Committee. This is the following direct from the letter:

 In this context, some people continue to defend trickle-down theories which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a free market, will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and inclusiveness in the world. This opinion, which has never been confirmed by the facts, expresses a crude and naïve trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and in the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic system. Meanwhile, the excluded are still waiting. To sustain a lifestyle which excludes others, or to sustain enthusiasm for that selfish ideal, a globalization of indifference has developed. Almost without being aware of it, we end up being incapable of feeling compassion at the outcry of the poor, weeping for other people’s pain, and feeling a need to help them, as though all this were someone else’s responsibility and not our own. The culture of prosperity deadens us; we are thrilled if the market offers us something new to purchase. In the meantime all those lives stunted for lack of opportunity seem a mere spectacle; they fail to move us.

While I can agree with some of this, the Pope does not realize that there has not been a real free market. A market-based economy is not the same as a free market. The use of "trickle down" is clearly a condemnation of the economic system known as capitalism. It even implies that it does not bring people economically upward but that no one who supports a market and or free market economy is somehow Snidely Whiplash. In fact and indeed there are many who prosper in this economic system and do freely give back to those less fortunate. And not through taxes but in supporting charity and programs, some religious and some secular, to help those help themselves to bring themselves up economically. Just as the government cannot do all, the church and other charitable organizations cannot do it all alone. And even the Pope realizes this. As pointed out in this rebuttal from Roman Catholic priest, Fr. John Truguilo, Jr., in the letter the Pope makes the case that welfare should be a temporary situation and not what it has become for many, a way of life:

Welfare projects, which meet certain urgent needs, should be considered merely temporary responses.

That is directly from the Pope's letter. 
It is on that where there is disagreement in the United States especially about the overall role of government and whether or not it can or solve what is referred to as inequality. 
Now here is where Rush Limbaugh comes in. 
Rush spent time on last Wednesday's show discussing this letter. And needless to say that Rush did not like all that he read. 
His disagreements are by and large respectful and mostly correct. However, I agree with Fr. Trugilo that Rush did make a mistake about one aspect of his critique.
This is what Rush said:

"Pope Francis attacked unfettered capitalism as 'a new tyranny' and beseeched global leaders to fight poverty and growing inequality, in a document on Tuesday setting out a platform for his papacy and calling for a renewal of the Catholic Church. ... In it, Francis went further than previous comments criticizing the global economic system, attacking the 'idolatry of money.'"

Now what the Pope said is that unfettered consumerism is a  new tyranny. 
And on that, consumerism for the sake of want is not a good thing when it does make any individual feel less than human if he or she does not have the latest, greatest new thing like whatever. 
Actually, I do have an example that to me shows a certain desperation that is disturbing.
While many if not most Americans celebrated Thanksgiving there were way too many people getting caught up in stores that were opening on Thanksgiving evening to get a start on the Christmas shopping season. 
In this article there are some, IMHO, losers that started to camp out on Tuesday to be the first in line for whatever perceived bargain or bargains that they can get. 
Here is the comments of Thomas Carlos Dudley:

“I like camping out; to me, it brings more excitement,” Dudley said. “I’m the type of guy who always tries to get a better deal. I do most of my Christmas shopping ... (on Black Friday).”

Dude, its not all about some bargain that you have to wait three frickin days for.
I think that this is what disturbs the Pope and also myself.
But where I would differ is that look, while we are bombarded by ads online, print, radio and television about Thanksgiving and Black Friday specials, one can and should practice something called restraint if you do not want to get caught up in all the hoopla.
There is a fine line between capitalism and consumerism. Sometimes, no most of the time, we on all sides cannot seem to separate the two and they should be.
That is the fault of all of us.
Parents have given up teaching their children the kind of values that would be back the kind of consumerism that drive people like Mr. Dudley to wait in line, in tent, for three days to maybe get some unbelievable bargain on whatever electronic product? You know, it maybe there in the afternoon as in the morning. Really, it could.
The message should be that capitalism is really a good economic system. Consumerism is not because it creates an immorality that debases capitalism.
We all need to know the difference before we make any critiques on both.
Pope Francis and Rush Limbaugh both got it right and wrong. But the Pope, good a man as he is, is a man. He is not above criticism and Rush did so, a little off, but very respectfully.
We can have a great economic debate which is always worthwhile but I just wished that we call could get some of it right before we get into such a debate.

Attacking Christian Churches In Egypt By The Religion Of Peace

The Religion Of Peace, aka Islam, Islamic, or Muslim, ahh they tend to get worked up pretty easy in some parts of the world, don't they?
I mean, I guess if I was an Islamist in Egypt and did not like the fact the armed forces removed the democratically elected president, Mohammad Morsi, who would I take my rage on?
Why the Egyptian Coptic Christians of course.
And they are doing so with vengeance that is usually reserved for the really big bogeyman in the radical Islamic world, the eeeeevvvvviiiiilllll JEWS!
According to Ed Morrissey over at Hotair.com, ABC and to a lesser extent CNN are actually reporting this horrible aspect of the Day of Rage Endless Rage of the Islamics.
Here is a little bit of the radical Islamics handiwork.

Beautiful, isn't it?
Why of course the reason that Mr. Morsi and by extension the Muslim Brotherhood, were ousted from office is because of the immense power of Pope Tawadros II.
HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!
Fat chance!
Egyptian Christians under the Coptic Church has lived in more or less subjugation since the 12th century. Even though the religion has been allowed, first under the Jizya tax that is only for non-Islamics it was only in the mid-1800s that the church came out from under the thumb of Islamic rulers.
And since the Radical Islamics got their taste of power in the last year, they sure made it known where the Christians stood in the New Egypt.
Back to the bad old days.
But because their numbers are not much, a mere 10% or there abouts or about 8,500,000 of a total population of 85,000,000, and their relative lack of serious influence, it is very doubtful they had much to do with the military removal of Mr. Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood. But the fact that they support it, well that is all the Radical Islamics need to whip their supporters into such a frenzy as to harass and take out a part of their Endless Rage on their Christian co-citizens.
Why is this so important?
Because the Christian church in the Middle East is dwindling at an alarming rate. The fact of the matter is that the Coptic Church in Egypt is the highest concentration of Christians in North Africa or the Middle East. The only other nation with a large number of Christians is in Lebanon.
The Middle East is where the faith was born. In fact, the Christian presence in the Holy Land is all but non-existent. And no doubt the radicalization of Islam and their influence even in non-radicalized groups is pervasive, makes it difficult for Christians to freely practice the faith without a genuine fear of one's life.
Oddly enough, the freest one can practice Christianity in the Middle East with out government threat or undue influence is Israel.
But Egypt is important and the Christians need to be supported in all ways. It is almost a line in the sand to defend the faith and it's adherents in this region. They are being unduly attacked because they have held on to what they believe. And that is the antithesis to the Radical Islamics. They believe for no reason that the Church poses a threat to them and their religion.
It does not.
The powers that be within Islam in Egypt need to forcefully oppose and denounce this clear coordinated attack against the Christians within their nation. It needs to support their freedom, limited as it is even now, to practice their faith with little interference from the government no matter who is in office. And it needs to help protect the churches throughout the nation that have and have not been a part of the Endless Rage of the Radical Islamics.
The Religion Of Peace, Islam, can take a real stand in regards to the abuse that Egyptian Christians are facing here and now. So long as the violence continues against the Christians with little condemnation from those within Islam in Egypt, then I will call all of Islam out on this.
And thus, Islam cannot be a serious religion of peace when it commits near genocide against Christians.

When Christians Are Attacked From The Inside And The Outside

This post was going to be limited to the attack on fellow Christians by a former president, but as I have pondered this, another assault on Christians from outside the faith has occurred and this is going to be a two-pronged post.
First, I would like to start off with the attack from within the faith from a former president known famously for lusting in his heart for other women.
That former president is one Jimmah Carter. Yeah, I know, JIMMY Carter, but I write as he has said it all these years.
This photo below has been floating around on Facebook and it is clearly a slam against Christians.

Now, I have two thoughts on this.
The first thought is that many Christians talk a good game, yet do not actually follow through on spreading the Gospel in any way. In and of itself, I would agree there are some that do not.
But let me extend this.
I think what the 39th president is referring to are the eeeeevvvvviiiiilllll, judgemental Christians.
You know the ones.
Like the Salvation Army and all the work they do in disaster situations. Like being the first relief for those in the after effect of Hurricane Katrina. Before the American Red Cross. Before anyone from the federal government. Must those bad Christians.
Or maybe the terrible folks from the Rev. Franklin Graham's Samaritan's Purse and all the work they are doing in Africa to help bring people up from abject poverty. Yeah, yeah. Has to be them.
If not, maybe the people at World Vision. I mean come on! These HAVE to be the evil ones, right?
Well, the second overriding point is no, not in the least.
For you see, Jimmah is saying nothing about these people and the millions that donate time and money. No, not at all. Read the quote again. See, to be a person that is a good Christian and has good Christian values, you HAVE to support high taxation and big government because THAT is the mark of  a good Christian. How much one renders onto Caesar instead of taking that money and helping the same people in the name of and the power of Jesus Christ.
So, let me ask all of those that agree with Jimmah, is it the only way that one can be a good Christian, to have real Christian values if they just pay as much in taxes that the government wants on the notion that it is all to help the poor?
Sorry Jimmah and all of you folks,  but it is NOT a Christian value to allow one's self to be taxed into oblivion. It is indeed a waste of money.
When Jesus commanded those who followed him to give all that they have if they had anything to the poor, he did not mean to give it to the government as the middle-men to dole it out as they see fit. See, I know that Jesus Christ would be happy to see his followers to be helping those less fortunate through their own churches. Their denominational bodies that are specific to helping those in need. And yes, to other groups like the Salvation Army, Samaritan's Purse and World Vision. And really, I just scracthed the surface in naming those Christian groups that do help those that are down and out for no reason at all or for a reason. See, they do not create a red-tape bureaucracy in helping people. What they do is help people in need and for many the services are life changing. Yes, some of those that they help have turned their life to Christ. Not because they were coerced, because they opened their minds, eyes and ears to the Gospel message.
FTR, I know this goes against the admonishment of Jesus Christ himself in the Gospel of Matthew, 6:1-4 and 5-8, but I have to let my readers know that Mrs. RVFTLC and I do practice what we believe. We of course give to our church financially. We are both on the board of the Transitional Housing ministry. It is, without a doubt, a thankless ministry to many because it is dealing mostly with men and women, fresh out of prison and dealing with drug, alcohol addiciton and mental illness. And we also support our outreach program to the poor in the city of El Monte, California.
So yeah, I do resent when Jimmah thinks that because we want to truly help people without the government somehow that is not Christian. It is not Christian to wrongly admonish people as Jimmah does.
Now on to the beating Christians are taking from the outside.
Recently the great baseball player, Stan Musial, died at the age on 92. Mr. Musial played his entire career for the St. Louis Cardinals. As an honor to Mr. Musial, the grounds crew etched a cross and Mr. Musial's number 6 on the back of the pitcher's mound at Busch Stadium, home of the Cardinals. Here it is.

Yes, plain as day. A Christian cross and the number 6.
Yet a supposed Cardinals fan decided that this display of honor for the devoutly Roman Catholic Mr. Musial was bad. Bad, I tell you. And guess what? Same "fan" not only did not like that cross, but said that the number 6 looked a lot like the Christian fish symbol, also known as icthys. Again, yes I see a cross. And a number 6. But no, I do not see a fish of any kind.
But that was enough for the general manager of the Cardinals, John Mozeliak, to direct the grounds crew, no more etchings on the pitcher's mound.
What a coward.
Mr Coward Mozeliak said this speaking to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch regarding the horror of a cross and a number being etched on the pitcher's mound:

“It’s just not club policy to be putting religious symbols on the playing field or throughout the ballpark. I didn’t ask for the reason behind it. I just asked for it to stop.”

Uh, maybe Mr. Coward Mozeliak should have asked why it was being done. It might have changed his mind and he may have had grounds to explain why it was OK for a time and eventually, with no fanfare, phased it out.
OK, so why I am harsh on this dude?
Read his quote again.
Well this link will take you to the St. Louis Cardinals website and. . .details on their recent celebration of. . .wait for it. . .CHRISTIAN DAY!
CHRISTIAN DAY?!
Oh, I think that I see something here.
When it involves Christians doling out cash to the Cardinals, well that is OK. But have some members of the grounds crew memorializing one of the great players in Cardinal history and well, one complaint and that has to stop.
So I thought, is Busch Stadium owned by the city of St. Louis.
Not at all. The Cardinals own the stadium, but did get some government money to construct the ball park.
So again, why did the general manager stop such a terrible memorial to Mr. Musial? Oh, a memorial that he claims he knew nothing about until he read about it in the Post-Dispatch newspaper?
First, he may not be directly lying on anything but I am certain that he knew about it long before an article in the local fish wrap. And the least he could have done is ask the grounds crew about it before making an arbitrary decision.
Remember, one person complained. Did the same person complain about Christian Day? I would like to know that one.
Yes, one person whinnying like a baby about having to be exposed to a cross and the number 6 ended a heartfelt memorial done by people just not all that sophisticated about how terrible the cross is to some people.
Yes, people are so gun shy to take on the heathens that they cave like a dropped accordion.
I would love to see the grounds crew defy Mr. Coward Mozeliak and continue to etch the cross and number 6 on the pitcher's mound. What would Mr. Coward Mozeliak do, fire them all? Where are those Christians that participated in Christian Day at Busch Stadium? Time for their voices to be heard on this.
When Christians attack fellow Christians on political grounds, it truly affects in the most negative way the work that Jesus himself commanded in Matthew 28:19:

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

And when people attack people who find a way to pay tribute to a player and yes, for his Christian faith, it should unite all Christians to the reality that people, they just do not like us.
We Christians, we need to be together more than we are.
Those that are not Christian, don't be afraid of our symbols that they are somehow going to harm you.

I Am A Christian And A Mason

One thing that I have had to deal with since being made a Freemason back on September 19, 2009, is not just the ignorance many have with the Craft, but the downright hostility as well.
I have been engaged in a Facebook dialogue with people on the Anglican Church in North America group page regarding the Craft over the past couple of days.
It was an eye opener.
For some inexplicable reason, I am still an Episcopalian but strongly support the new ACNA. I think that God wants me to remain for a reason I do not know yet.
What I did not realize is that there is a strong anti-Masonic tilt in ACNA circles.
Oh, as you read this keep going back to my headline for it is important.
Many of those that commented and dialogue were clergy. Clearly, with all due respect, rather uninformed, about Freemasonry.
See, Masons are thought to be some kind of religion.
We are nothing of a religion, yet recognize that there is a Great Architect of the Universe. To me as a Christian it is God. There are three good reasons we are not a religion as it was explained by a wise longer in the Craft brother.
I call it the ABC of why we are not a religion.

A) Affirmation.
B) Belief of a theology.
C) Conversion.

Let me start with A first. We do not affirm anything relating to a specific religion. Because members are from different religions, as I noted we do note that there is a deity. But we do not affirm a Christian one. Nor a Jewish one. Or an Islamic one. One thing that one must have is a belief in God, as they know and understand it. An atheist can not be made a Mason.
B is very important for a religion needs a theology and we have neither.
And C, conversion, is one of the least things a Mason does. We do not actively seek members. There is a sort of saying as follows:

TB1ASK1

translated it is To Be One, Ask One. For most of us are not secretive that we are Masons.
Secretive?
Ahh, there is something that people get a little freaked out about. And I will admit, we kind of sort of bring it on ourselves.
See when one is raised to the first degree, or Entered Apprentice, passed to the second or Fellowcraft, and raised to the third degree, or Master Mason, it is a ceremony that yes, is done in secret. It is part of the allegory of each degree.
As S. Brent Morris wrote in a good guide for anyone interested The Complete Idiot's Guide To Freemasonry, we are not a secret society, rather a group with secrets.
The other thing is they are the world's WORST kept secrets. One can pretty much find out everything and anything on something called the internets. Now, if you did the work and were to ask me, "Is THAT what you do?!" I would be, well something I have used many times on this blog.
A cricket chirping.
Because one of the aspects of our obligation is not reveal what our ceremonies of this nature are all about.
Again, it is all out there. But I am a cricket chirping as to whether they are or not correct.
Until people suggest that there is something called Satanic Ritual Abuse, or SAR.
I kid you not.
A couple of the people in this endless Facebook thread indicated that there are people who claim to be former Masons and victims of SAR. As I tried to explain, there is NOTHING Satanic in our ceremonies. Nothing at all. I did not get where this SAR occurred but get the idea that they think during our degree ceremonies. Who knows.
There is a lot of anti-Masonic hatred in diverse strains of Christianity.
Roman Catholics are under the illusion that Freemasonry is a religion. And in an effort to keep RC men from staying into the Craft, they formed the Knights Of Columbus. I have no problem with that. It is more why the KOC was formed, not that it was formed.
Apparently, strains of Anglicanism are pretty anti-Masonic, as evidenced in the Facebook thread. Because Anglicanism is the middle ground between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism, I think that it the more Catholic strain that harbors such views.
Then fundamentalist Protestants are strongly anti-Masonic.
And lets note that Radical Islamics are very anti-Masonic.
And it is all so misplaced and harmful to all.
I want to emphasize that family and church are first obligations to Masons. As an active member of my church and an active Mason, when the two conflict, church comes first. Ditto for family.
Yet it is as if once one is made a Mason, why that is it. We are part of some blood brotherhood.
The only blood brotherhood I am part of is the community of Christ and HIS blood.
What I have discovered in trying to discuss this with hostile people to Masonry, all reason flies out the window. Blinders are on extend. Defense is king. The people that have hate for Masonry and Masons are very narrow and choose not to learn about the craft.
But all I can tell my fellow Christians is this.
I wrote the headline the way I did because first and foremost, I am a Christian. My total identity is with Christ. One of my favorite hymns is an affirmation of the Trinity, I Bind Myself Unto Thee. Warning about the link is that the organ starts playing once you click on the link. The hymn, written by St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is absolute in what in means to be a Christian. That Jesus Christ is everywhere. And yes, even in a non-sectarian Masonic Lodge.

If You Thought People Don't Have Manners, What Happend To The Ten Commandments?

I start off this post with the Decalogue, also known as the Ten Commandments. It is from Exodus 20: 1-17:

1 And God spake all these words, saying,
2 ¶ I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 ¶ Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
4 ¶ Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
5 thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
6 and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
7 ¶ Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
8 ¶ Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9 Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work:
10 but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
11 for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
12 ¶ Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
13 ¶ Thou shalt not kill.
14 ¶ Thou shalt not commit adultery.
15 ¶ Thou shalt not steal.
16 ¶ Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
17 ¶ Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor's.
To me, these are very much a huge bulwark of not just the Jewish faith (as it is in the Old Testament, but of the Christian faith. Even in the Great Commandment in Matthew 22: 36-40, Jesus Christ himself says that to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and all thy mind; and to love thy neighbor as thyself hangs all the law and the prophets.
The Law.
What is the Law?
To the Christian, it is the Ten Commandments.
What has me even thinking about this is twofold.
One, Mrs. RVFTLC and I are taking a very serious class at our church called Education For Ministry. It is a mini-seminary put out by the University of the South, an Episcopal college in Tennessee.
Now, The Episcopal Church is way screwed up in many ways, but not in offering this course. It has made me think and understand a lot more about my Christian journey and faith.
And then I came across this post by my heathen friend, An Unmarried Man, about the Ten Commandants. It is HIS version as he sees it. But none the less, it was thought provoking.
Why should we care about the Ten Commandments? I mean, we break them, oh probably about 10 times a day almost everyone, right?
Well, I will refer you to the catechism in the Book of Common Prayer:

The Ten Commandments

Q. What are the Ten Commandments?
A. The Ten Commandments are the laws given to Moses
and the people of Israel.
Q. What do we learn from these commandments?
A. We learn two things: our duty to God, and our duty to
our neighbors.
Q. What is our duty to God?
A. Our duty is to believe and trust in God;
I To love and obey God and to bring others to
know him;
II To put nothing in the place of God;
III To show God respect in thought, word, and
deed;
IV And to set aside regular times for worship,
prayer, and the study of God’s ways.
Q. What is our duty to our neighbors?
A. Our duty to our neighbors is to love them as ourselves,
and to do to other people as we wish them to do to us;
V To love, honor, and help our parents and
family; to honor those in authority, and to meet
their just demands;
VI To show respect for the life God has given us; to
work and pray for peace; to bear no malice,
prejudice, or hatred in our hearts; and to be
kind to all the creatures of God;
VII To use all our bodily desires as God intended;
VIII To be honest and fair in our dealings; to seek
justice, freedom, and the necessities of life for all
people; and to use our talents and possessions
as ones who must answer for them to God;
IX To speak the truth, and not to mislead others by
our silence;
X To resist temptations to envy, greed, and
jealousy; to rejoice in other people’s gifts and
graces; and to do our duty for the love of God,
who has called us into fellowship with him.
Q. What is the purpose of the Ten Commandments?
A. The Ten Commandments were given to define our
relationship with God and our neighbors.
Q. Since we do not fully obey them, are they useful at all?
A. Since we do not fully obey them, we see more clearly our
sin and our need for redemption.

I prefer the version in the last real prayer book, the 1928 Book of Common Prayer,
but the last question above is most important.
Because if we do not know the commandments, how do we know what our sinful nature is and how do we seek the repentance from Almighty God?
At the very least, they are the guide which we should strive to live our lives.
But where have they gone?
Well, in the United States, it is clear that the War Against Religion in general and the War Against Christianity in particular, the Ten Commandments have been a major casualty.
The atheists, the Anti-Christians have done their best to make the Ten Commandments nothing more than some ancient stuff that needs to be eliminated from the modern world. Timeless as the teaching is, in today's secularized world, we do not need ANY guidance from God as to what is good, right and just. Nope. Science and so-called rationality is superior to this.
In my Christian denomination, the Ten Commandments can be said at the beginning of any celebration of the Holy Communion. At my parish, we are lucky to hear them read during Lent.
It is as if it is something that we can not hear and or take in today's world.
Yet we need them more than ever.
Look at what is under assault today.
Take the rejection of God Himself. Many people have just decided God is not great. That the wiles of the world are much better. Yet many of these people are unhappy or never satisfied.
What is the Graven Image today? How about the worship of celebrity? Of of politicians? Or of sports figures? Yep, we can do a lot of that yet take little time to worship God and Jesus.
Taking the Lord's name in vain is but to be expected nowadays. Even by people that are to me good and decent Christians. But if you do not make a mind to remember NOT to take the Lord's name in vain, well look at what happens?
The Sabbath Day? What stinking Sabbath Day? Sunday? Everything is open. Nothing is closed any more. In someways, Sunday is becoming but another day rather than the day to rest, relax and to make the time to worship God.
Honoring out parents?! WTF?! Yeah, I write such an acronym because we are making it an art form to not honor our parents. There are countless examples that are multiple posts. But we are doing what we can to diss out parents.
We seem to kill with ease.
Adultery seems to be as equal as marriage.
Stealing? Ahh, well that is done and totally justified no matter what.
Bearing false witness against one's neighbor? Again, done to save one's hide with great regularity.
Coveting what is not ours? Well, not to get overly political here, but that is Occupy Wall Street. Socialism, Fascism, Nazism, Communism. All believe in taking away someones perceived wealth and give it to those that covet it. No matter what. Although it does not say anywhere in the Ten Commandments, one can be rewarded through hard work. But again, that is a political discussion rather than one of faith.
Now, more than ever, we need the Ten Commandments to be emblazoned in our hearts and minds. We need to not be ashamed in knowing them, saying them and doing to the best ability to live them. Imperfect creatures that we are.
And where can we start.
By reading and knowing what the Ten Commandments are.

Discussing Satan. . .Well, Isn't THAT Special?!

Well, thanks to Rick Santorum discussing the subject of Satan in 2008, the Devil is entering his way into the Republican race for president.
And I am all in on writing about the Devil, Satan, Beelzebub, whatever one wants to call the harnesser of evil.
Let me stipulate that Mr. Santorum was a private citizen speaking to a traditionalist Roman Catholic school, Ave Maria University. He was not at this point a sitting senator.
What is amazing is that Mr. Santorum was using language that I would not expect at an RC setting. It is more Evangelical and even fundamentalist Christian than what I am familiar about the RC view of Satan.
Here is a bit of what Mr. Santorum said at this speech:

"This is a spiritual war. And the Father of Lies has his sights on what you would think the Father of Lies would have his sights on: a good, decent, powerful, influential country - the United States of America. If you were Satan, who would you attack in this day and age?"

The language Mr. Santorum used is amazing but one that I totally agree with.
Satan, whether one believes is an actual being or a force, is a great deceiver. That much any Christian believes.
But the question is should the potential next president of the United States have been saying such things?
As a Christian believer, yes.
As potential president, no.
No matter what, whoever is running for president is not running for Christian Theologian-in-chief.
But they do not and should not leave their values at the door either.
It is a fine line any candidate walks.
Keep in mind that Mr. Santorum made the above speech in 2008. And it is I presume what he believes.
Mr. Santorum is a devout Roman Catholic. I for one find it refreshing that someone of faith speaks with such conviction.
Right now, the current occupier of the White House, the Dear Leader, President Obama says that he is a Christian. But does he speak about a struggle between good and evil? Does he, as a Christian not president, speak about the role of faith in his life?
Before you answer about his speech before the National Prayer Breakfast which I commented on here, that was not what I had in mind.
That whether one likes it or not, there is a struggle between good and evil. Right and wrong.
I have no problem with a candidate or sitting president speaking on this kind of very personal and deep issues of faith.
So we should applaud that Mr. Santorum would speak boldly and with conviction. And if he is the nominee and eventually president we would know that he stands by his convictions.

Wanna Know Why Some People Hate Tim Tebow? Because He Was Not Aborted

Denver Bronco starting quarterback Tim Tebow sure knows how to get under quite a lot of people's skin.
I mean, I don't hate the dude other than the fact he is the starting QB on Satan's team itself, the Broncos.
A digression for the pro football fans.
During the 80s, when my beloved Cleveland Browns were a really good team and on the thrust of a Super Bowl appearance not once, but twice, a certain guy stopped that dream. That guy is Mr. Ed himself, John Elway. He broke many a Browns fan's hearts twice preventing us from at least one Super Bowl appearance.
Hence, the Denver Broncos are Satan's team to every Browns fan!
But there is a real hate on for Mr. Tebow.
Well, one reason and what seems to be a starting point is that he is a. . .Christian. One that is not afraid to speak about it. And not afraid to show his thanks to God for his talent of being a professional football quarterback. The term for his showing thanks to God is now called Tebowing.

The above is Tebowing. And to some, it is a grotesque way of him showing his Christian faith. A short prayer after scoring a touchdown.
Funny, I do not remember that being the case when a former Los Angeles Dodger did something quite similar after the Dodgers won the 1988 World Series.
Orel Hershiser won game six of the 1988 World Series and when he pitched the final out, he dropped to one knee, put his finger in the air to thank God for his performance. In fact, it seemed to be celebrated rather than condemned. And while he was on the Dodgers, he was a member of Lake Avenue Church, a large mega church here in Pasadena, California.
But what drives the Tebow haters really crazy is something that they will not openly admit but is the truth.
That his mother did not abort him when she had a chance.
While pregnant with Mr. Tebow, his mother, Pamela, was diagnosed with a pathogenic amoeba. And the drugs used to treat it cause the baby to have a severe placental abruption. In reading about it, the risks of going through with the pregnancy is rather high. But Mrs. Tebow went through with the pregnancy. One can only assume that she made an educated as well as prayerful decision to carry out the pregnancy.
In other words, Mrs. Tebow made a choice. She chose life over aborting Tim Tebow. And neither was shy about pointing that out.
During Super Bowl XLIV, there were two 30 second ads sponsored by Focus On The Family, a conservative Christian group, that told the Tebow story. And it did not explicitly use the A word, it made a strong case that a woman does not have to chose an abortion. Even when the odds are against her having a successful pregnancy.
And since then, the pro-abortionists and the anti-Christians have teamed up to make Mr. Tebow seem like some kind of freak.
Many have mocked the open display of Mr. Tebow thanking God for his talent. Even some fellow NFLers mock his "Tebowing". And leftist radio talker Bill Press is so "disgusted" by Mr. Tebow that he wants his to STFU* about all his "Jesus talk".
Really, does anyone really think that if Mr. Tebow was not so vocal about his stand on abortion that he would be so viciously attacked? Yeah, I hear those crickets chirping.
There are a lot of serious Christian athletes that go on about their business and no one hears or reads about it like it is something odd. But take on the abortuary complex and boy, that is where the knives, or coat hangers, come out.
Mr. Tebow is a big boy and I am certain that he knows being vocal about his faith is a turn off for many. But it is also allowing for people to be more forthcoming about their own faith journey. And that is a good thing.
But for the abortionists and their allies, Tim Tebow is real threat. And he must be mocked and stopped.
And that is the real reason so much hate is heaped on Tim Tebow.