Apathy

Who Cares About Apathy
 By Ray Comfort

I watched the TV monitor as the pastor of a church in West Virginia invited his congregation of 600 to join him, as he held a sign saying that abortion was wrong. He said that he stood on the side of the road for one hour the previous year, and asked who would join him this time. Twenty people raised their hands. I could sense his disappointment at their apathy. He then introduced me as the morning’s guest speaker.

I told the congregation that I felt passionate about the subject of abortion, for a good reason. Many years ago someone told me that a new Christian (named Fran) was about to take the life of her child through the procedure. I was horrified, and found out that she was due to have it done within a couple of hours. I sped to the hospital, praying all the way that God would give me the words to change her mind. I rushed in, ran up to the second floor and into her room. She was sitting on the bed, and had already had her preoperational medication. I pleaded, "Please don’t do this!"
To my surprise, she just looked at me, and smiled. Then she said, "It’s okay. I’m not going to have it. I just prayed 'God, if you don’t want me to have an abortion, make Ray Comfort come up and see me.'"

Two years later, I was at a church picnic when I saw a beautiful little girl playing in the grass. It was Fran’s child. As I knelt down by the cute toddler, it hammered home the issue that we are dealing with when it comes to abortion.

I told the congregation (with some passion), that I would never, ever, vote for a man who advocated the murder of a child in the womb. I don't care about his fiscal policies, because the blood of the innocents is on his hands. I also encouraged them to follow the wonderful example of their faithful pastor. I heard later that afternoon that between 400 and 500 turned out. God bless them.

However, the answer to the issue of abortion isn’t just to protest, although that's a start. A nation that kills 50 million of its citizens through abortion with no qualms of conscience needs more than a voice of protest. We are no different than Nazi Germany. We have given ourselves to the wickedest of sins, and that will eventually have terrible national consequences. We desperately need God’s forgiveness, and we need a new heart that can only come with conversion. Only the gospel can take a self-righteous, blaspheming, idolatrous, hypocritical, baby-killing nation, forgive it, and make it brand new:

"Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them" (Ezekiel 36:25-27).

 

(http://raycomfortfood.blogspot.com/2008/10/who-cares-about-apathy.html)

AFA Ends McDonald's Boycott

Not sure if I'll be going back any time soon, but this is good news:

AFA ends boycott: McDonald's agrees to changes

October 9, 2008

Dear Kristina,

Great news! Because of AFA supporters like you, McDonald’s has told AFA they will remain neutral in the culture war regarding homosexual marriage. AFA is ending the boycott of McDonald’s. As you know, AFA called for the boycott in May after McDonald’s joined the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC).

McDonald’s said McDonald’s Vice President Richard Ellis has resigned his position on the board of NGLCC and that his seat on the board will not be replaced. McDonald’s also said that the company has no plans to renew their membership in NGLCC when it expires in December.

In an e-mail to McDonald’s franchised owners the company said, "It is our policy to not be involved in political and social issues. McDonald’s remains neutral on same sex marriage or any ‘homosexual agenda’ as defined by the American Family Association."

We appreciate the decision by McDonald’s to no longer support political activity by homosexual activist organizations. You might want to thank your local McDonald’s manager.


Thank you for caring enough to get involved. If you feel our efforts are worthy of support, would you consider making a small tax-deductible contribution to help us continue?


Sincerely,

Donald E. Wildmon,
Founder and Chairman
American Family Association

For Whom Should We Vote?

For Whom Should We Vote?

The "Heart" of the Issue

By Ken Ham, Answers in Genesis

Would you vote for someone like Eliab if he were running for office? He was an impressive Old Testament character. And he was a tall and handsome man! Surely we should vote for such a person? After all, when comparing him to his little brother David (the future king of Israel), the prophet Samuel did!

 

The Lord said to Samuel, however: "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7).

 

Many of us will soon be deciding whom to vote for in the U.S. presidential election (as well as congressmen, senators, and other offices.) This will be just the second opportunity for me to vote for the president of the most powerful nation on earth.

 

Just over four years ago, my homeland of Australia passed legislation to allow its citizens to obtain citizenship in another country, yet retain their Australian citizenship. My family and I (having lived in the USA for over 17 years at the time) immediately applied to become American citizens.

 

Not long after, there was a presidential election. My wife and I had to decide who we should vote for, and I learned a lot in the process. Here's how we came to our decision.

 

First of all, as a Christian, I recognized that I needed to seek God's direction, just as the apostle Peter and others did in Acts 1:24: "And they prayed and said, 'You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two You have chosen.'" So I now pray today: "Lord, please guide me as I take seriously this great responsibility to vote."

 

Second, we need to remember God's lesson to Samuel: it is not about how impressive a person is on the "outside"--it's what is on the "inside" that counts!

 

I was also reminded of Matthew 12:34: "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" and how important it is that "Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You" (Psalm 119:11).

 

So I recognized that as we consider candidates, we cannot see their hearts. Christians must evaluate them by their actions and words--judging those actions against the absolute authority of the Word of God.

 

Third, we need leaders who are wise and knowledgeable. How do we determine that? God's Word tells us that: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom" (Psalm 111:10) and also: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge" (Proverbs 1:7). Do the exhibit a reverence for the Lord and His Word?

 

Fourth, and probably the most applicable to each of us on a personal level, I should not consider a person's politics in light of what might benefit me materially. After all, the Scriptures tell us: "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in a steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither most nor rust destroys and where thieves do no break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:19-21).

 

As I ponder all these things, I also realize what King David said: "I know, my God, that You test the heart." Only God can really know a person's heart. I can certainly judge a person's actions and words against Scripture as a test of the heart--but then I'm suddenly reminded: "But what about my own heart?" And then I ponder: "Knowing my own heart, would I vote for me?" Well, frankly I could not!

 

Oh Lord, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my thoughts; And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:23-24). "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" (Romans 7:24).

 

But how I should fall upon my face and thank God that He voted for me! You see, "God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). And: "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy..." (Hebrews 4:16).

 

Let this election time be a heart reminder!

 

(Answers Update - Volume 15 - Issue 10)

Boys Punished For Refusing to Pray to Allah

From WorldNetDaily

BRAVE NEW SCHOOLS

Boys punished with detention for refusing to pray to Allah

Parents outraged: 'If Muslims were asked to go to church on Sunday and take Holy Communion there would be war'

Posted: July 04, 2008 6:15pm

Two seventh-grade boys were given detention and their classmates forced to miss their scheduled refreshment break when the pair refused to kneel and pray to Allah during a religious studies class.

Outraged parents called the punishment of the boys for not wanting to take part in the practical demonstration at Alsager High School near Stoke-on-Trent, UK, of how Muslims' worship Allah a breach of their human rights.

"This isn't right, it's taking things too far," parent Sharon Luinen told the London Daily Mail.

"I understand that they have to learn about other religions. I can live with that, but it is taking it a step too far to be punished because they wouldn't join in Muslim prayer. Making them pray to Allah, who isn't who they worship, is wrong and what got me is that they were told they were being disrespectful.

"I don't want this to look as if I have a problem with the school because I am generally very happy with it."

Last month, WND reported Principal Robin Lowe was reassigned after staging a mandatory lesson in Islamic religious beliefs for nearly 900 students at her Houston-area school.

The controversy erupted at Friendswood Junior High when students were diverted from a scheduled physical education class and taken to a special assembly.

In the 40-minute session, representatives of the Houston office of the controversial Council on American-Islamic Relations, an organization critics link to terrorist groups, presented a lesson in the religious beliefs and requirements of Islam.

The CAIR representatives instructed students that Adam, Noah and Jesus are prophets; announced "there is one god, his name is Allah"; taught the five pillars of Islam; told students how to pray five times a day; and gave instruction on Islamic religious requirements for dress.

The assembly had not been authorized by the district, officials confirmed.

In May, officials at a Minnesota charter school, housed in the same building as a mosque, attacked a television news crew investigating whether the publicly funded institution had complied with a state order to stop accommodating Islamic prayers and religious programs.

The investigation followed revelations by a substitute teacher who observed children being forced to participate in Islamic prayers.

In the Alsager School incident, the religion teacher, who was not named, made the class wear Muslim headgear and watch a short film. Afterward, she took prayer mats from her cupboard and said, "we are now going out to pray to Allah," parents claimed.

"I am absolutely furious my daughter was made to take part in it and I don't find it acceptable," said parent Karen Williams.

"Not only was it forced upon them, my daughter was told off for not doing it right. They'd never done it before and they were supposed to do it in another language."

"My child has been forced to pray to Allah in a school lesson," the grandfather of one of the students said. "It's absolutely disgusting, there's no other way of putting it. My daughter and a lot of other mothers are furious about their children being made to kneel on the floor and pray to Islam. If they didn't do it they were given detention.

"I am not racist, I've been friendly with an Indian for 30 years. I've also been to a Muslim wedding where it was explained to me that alcohol would not be served and I respected that. But if Muslims were asked to go to church on Sunday and take Holy Communion there would be war."

Keith Plant, Alsager's deputy headmaster, said with summer break, many of the staff was unavailable and he could not comment fully.

"I think that it is a shame that so many parents have got in touch with the press before coming to me. I have spoken to the teacher and she has articulately given me her version of events, but that is all I can give you at the moment."

Cheshire County Council issued a statement telling parents "inquiries are being made into the circumstances as a matter of urgency.

"Educating children in the beliefs of different faith is part of the diversity curriculum on the basis that knowledge is essential to understanding. We accept that such teaching is to be conducted with some sense of sensitivity."

Revelation of the incident follows this week's pronouncement by the UK's top judge, Lord Chief Justice Lord Phillips, that Islamic sharia law should be used in the UK.

In a speech to an East London mosque, Phillips said, "Those entering into a contractual agreement can agree that the agreement shall be governed by a law other than English law.'

"Those who are in dispute are free to subject it to mediation or to agree that it shall be resolved by a chosen arbitrator. There is no reason why principles of sharia law or any other religious code should not be the basis for mediation or other forms of dispute resolution."

Phillips signaled approval of sharia principles as long as punishments – and divorce rulings – complied with the law of the land.

In February, WND reported Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, chief of the 70-million-strong worldwide Anglican Communion, advocated the establishment of Islamic law in Britain.

Boycott McDonald's

'Gay' McDonald's prompts boycott
AFA urges millions to shun fast-food giant over its promotion of same-sex marriage

---

Posted: July 03, 2008 4:29 pm Eastern

© 2008 WorldNetDaily

Following a link from the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce's website leads to a promotional for children's Happy Meals at the McDonalds website

The American Family Association, whose earlier boycott of Ford Motor Co. over its promotion of homosexuality was dropped after company sales fell 8 percent per month for two years, now is asking consumers to stop buying Big Macs and Happy Meals at McDonald's.

In a brief announcement today, AFA, whose constituents number in the millions, said it is "asking its supporters to boycott the restaurant chain."

"This boycott is not about hiring homosexuals, or homosexuals eating at McDonald's or how homosexual employees are treated. It is about McDonald's, as a corporation, choosing to put the full weight of their organization behind promoting the homosexual agenda, including homosexual marriage," said AFA chairman Donald E. Wildmon.

AFA pointed out McDonald's donated $20,000 to the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce in exchange for membership in the NGLCC and a seat on the group's board of directors. The NGLCC lobbies Congress on a wide range of issues, including the promotion of same-sex marriage.

AFA had asked the corporation to remove its name and logo from the NGLCC website, where it is listed as a "corporate partner and organization ally." AFA also requested that McDonald's remove the endorsement of NGLCC by Richard Ellis, vice president of communications for McDonald's USA, from the website.

"McDonald's refused both requests," the AFA announcement said. In fact, Pat Harris, global chief diversity officer and vice president of "inclusions & diversity," told AFA the burger-and-fries conglomerate would "reaffirm our position on diversity."

The McDonald's logo is featured on the website of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, among other well-known companies

"Ellis, who is openly homosexual, was given a seat on the NGLCC board of directors. … He was quoted as saying, 'I'm thrilled to join the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce and ready to go to work. I share the NGLCC's passion for business growth and development within the LGBT community, and I look forward to playing a role I moving these important initiatives forward,'" AFA said.

The AFA initiative followed an exchange of words between the pro-family organization and the corporation. WND reported then that McDonald's was running an e-mail campaign responding to concerns expressed by AFA to constituents.

The restaurant corporation had told consumers expressing opposition to its pro-homosexual stance that the company treats "all our employees and customers with dignity and respect regardless of their ethnicity, religious beliefs, sexual orientation or any other differentiating factor."

"We are not telling McDonald’s who they can hire to work for the company, nor are we demanding that they stop serving Big Macs to homosexual customers," AFA said then. "This issue is about the world’s largest fast food chain allying itself and partnering with an organization that lobbies Congress to enact laws that we feel can be used to repress religious freedom or undermine the sanctity of marriage."

McDonald's noted, "While one McDonald's employee is affiliated with the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), McDonald's is in no way 'aggressively promoting the homosexual agenda' as suggested in the newsletter."

But AFA said, "To refer to Richard Ellis, who is the vice president of communications for McDonald's, as 'one McDonald’s employee,' as if he is a teenager flipping hamburgers, is disingenuous at best. While 'aggressively' is admittedly a subjective term, AFA believes that giving money to and partnering with a homosexual lobby organization is certainly an enthusiastic promotion of the homosexual agenda."

AFA asked the corporation for honesty in its communications and called its verbal maneuvers "disingenuous."

"As a Christian organization, the American Family Association always seeks to be honest, accurate and completely forthright in the information we pass along to our supporters," AFA said. "We expect corporations in this country, especially those that position themselves as 'family friendly' businesses, to do the same."

McDonald's officials declined to return a WND call seeking comment on the placement of its executive on the "gay" advocacy organization. But the corporation sent a subsequent e-mail confirming its support for the agenda of the homosexual business lobby.

"McDonald's is indeed a Corporate Partner and Organizational Ally of NGLCC. Our vice president of U.S. communications, Richard Ellis, was recently elected to its board of directors," said the brief statement to WND from Heidi M. Barker, senior director of media relations.

A spokeswoman for NGLCC refused to speak with WND except on "background" when asked about McDonald's financial contribution to the group. But she did confirm the organization would not release information on its sponsors.

As WND reported, after joining the NGLCC, Wal-Mart's income later started declining as Christian organizations reacted to the news.

CNN reported Wal-Mart officials later decided to pursue a lower level of homosexual promotions.

"We are not currently planning corporate-level contributions to LGBT groups," Mona Williams, the company's senior vice president of corporate communications, told CNN only months after the issue arose.

WND also reported AFA's suspension of its two-year boycott of Ford after the auto giant met the conditions of an original agreement with the pro-family group.

Wildmon said the original agreement between AFA and Ford contained four items:

• Ford would not renew current promotions or create future incentives that give cash donations to homosexual organizations based on the purchase of a vehicle.
• Ford would not make corporate donations to homosexual organizations that, as part of their activities, engage in political or social campaigns to promote civil unions or same-sex marriage.
• Ford would stop giving cash and vehicle donations or endorsements to homosexual social activities such as 'gay'-pride parades.
• Ford would cease all advertising on homosexual websites and through homosexual media outlets (magazines, television, radio) in the U.S. with the exception of $100,000 to be used by Volvo. The Volvo ads would be the same ads used in the general media and not aimed at the homosexual community specifically.

According to AFA, during the 24 months the boycott was in effect, Ford sales dropped an average of 8 percent per month. The organization said its boycott was not entirely responsible for the drop in sales but played a very significant role. A total of 780,365 individuals had signed AFA's Boycott Ford petition

America's Sovereignty

I am not particularly patriotic. There are a great many problems with our government (too many to expound on here), and I believe my allegiance is to Christ, not country. However, recently I've been noticing moves toward globalization and the end of national sovereignty. These things seem to surface especially around the patriotic holidays, such as Flag Day and Independence Day.

This concerns me. Although I know that the Bible fortells a coming One World Government, I will never support such a thing. For this reason my family and I will be flying the Flag this Fourth of July for the first time.

Consider the date on this advertisement I received from eBay recently, just one of many similar I have been noticing:

UK for 5¢ - reach millions more buyers
July 1-4 only
For eligibility choose Int'l Site Visibility listing upgrade Reach millions more UK shoppers looking for deals No more double listing. Available in most categories

AMERICA BLESS GOD

Weigh In

Costly Ransom

This alone should have been enough to convince Luther and the other reformers:

Psalm 49
5 Why should I fear in the days of evil,
When the iniquity at my heels surrounds me?
6 Those who trust in their wealth
And boast in the multitude of their riches,
7 None of them can by any means redeem his brother,
Nor give to God a ransom for him
8 For the redemption of their souls is costly,
And it shall cease forever
9 That he should continue to live eternally,
And not see the Pit.

Hollywood's War on God

Part 1 of 16

Click here for complete playlist.

"The Da Vinci Con: Hollywood's War on God," is a mind-blowing, eye-popping documentary that reveals how satanic forces are using Hollywood's most memorable movies and most popular actors to propagate an ancient lie in fulfillment of biblical prophecy.

earn how these movies are initiating the masses into a Gnostic worldview that will culminate in a "strong delusion" as the world joins Satan & the final Antichrist in their war on God

Psalm 17

A Prayer of David.

Hear a just cause, O LORD,
Attend to my cry;
Give ear to my prayer which is not from deceitful lips.
Let my vindication come from Your presence;
Let Your eyes look on the things that are upright.

You have tested my heart;
You have visited me in the night;
You have tried me and have found nothing;
I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.
Concerning the works of men,
By the word of Your lips,
I have kept away from the paths of the destroyer.
Uphold my steps in Your paths,
That my footsteps may not slip.

I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God;
Incline Your ear to me, and hear my speech.
Show Your marvelous lovingkindness by Your right hand,
O You who save those who trust in You
From those who rise up against them.
Keep me as the apple of Your eye;
Hide me under the shadow of Your wings,
From the wicked who oppress me,
From my deadly enemies who surround me.

They have closed up their fat hearts;
With their mouths they speak proudly.
They have now surrounded us in our steps;
They have set their eyes, crouching down to the earth,
As a lion is eager to tear his prey,
And like a young lion lurking in secret places.

Arise, O LORD,
Confront him, cast him down;
Deliver my life from the wicked with Your sword,
With Your hand from men, O LORD,
From men of the world who have their portion in this life,
And whose belly You fill with Your hidden treasure.
They are satisfied with children,
And leave the rest of their possession for their babes.

As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness;
I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.

(Emphasis added)

Murder Capital of America

Murder Capital of America

From Ray Comfort's Blog

I was called to jury duty in Compton, California, the city that has been called "the murder capital of America." As I sat with 44 other people in the jury selection process, the judge asked the prospective jurors in the jury box if they would give as much credence to the testimony of a gang member as they would to the testimony of an officer of the law. I looked across at the two gang members who were on trial for the murder of an Hispanic “human being,” as the judge had put it. They looked nice enough, in their plush suits and ties. I imagined them in their baggies, with their long socks and hats to the side, holding their guns the way gangs do.

The judge also asked the prospective jurors if they would be prejudice against anyone who pleaded the Fifth Amendment, and didn’t testify on their own behalf.

The next day I was called to the jury box. When it came to my turn, I gave my name, and then my marital status. I said, “I am married to my wife.” That got a laugh all around, even from the judge. Then I gave my occupation and told him that I would like a “side bar.”

As we stood in the hallway outside his office, two lawyers and the court typist joined us. When the door was closed, he looked at me and said, “Okay . . .”

I said, “Your honor, yesterday you asked if I could give as much credence to the testimony of a gang member as they would to the testimony of an officer of the law. I definitely would not. An officer of the law is sworn to uphold the law, but when someone joins a gang, they submit to a creed that is one of lawlessness--of lying, stealing and killing. You are asking me to give credence to someone I liken to the Mafia, the KKK or someone who is in the Nazi party.

“I am horrified that every time I turn on the television, I see some poor mother crying because gangs have murdered her child, and they are doing it in the thousands. I am a preacher, and think that all gang members should be lined up against a wall, and I be allowed to preach to them. I know what’s wrong. They don’t fear God, because they have deadened their consciences. I know how to resurrect the conscience. That’s what I do. I teach Christians how to speak to the conscience. I turn down more than 500 invitations a year to speak around the country. They offer big money, but if you would cut through the red tape and get me into the prison system and let me preach to the gangs, I would do it free of charge. Instead of sentencing me to seven days on a jury, sentence me to seven weeks preaching to gangs, and if I have the help of the finger of God, you would see a big change.” My voice trembled with nervousness, as I shared these thoughts.

The judge became thoughtful. He said, “I don’t have the authority to do this. I wish I did.” Both he and the lawyers were very sympathetic and made some suggestions on how it could happen, but there was nothing concrete. I passed the judge my card and said, “Well, contact me if you have a dream in the night.” He said that he would.

I added, “And by the way, you asked about my attitude towards a murder defendant who pleaded the Fifth. I would be very suspicious that he was hiding something. If I was on trial for a murder that I didn’t commit, I would definitely want to take the stand. I would want to face the jurors, let them see my eyes and hear my voice. I would plead directly, not through a lawyer.” One of the lawyers said, “That’s because you would never murder anyone.” I agreed with him. The judge thanked me for being honest, and dismissed me from the jury pool.

May God give him a dream.

-Ray Comfort

Planned Parenthood: Wanting fewer blacks 'understandable'

Abortion provider says 'yes' when 'donor' wants to reduce minorities
By Bob Unruh

From WorldNetDaily

A student-run magazine at UCLA has revealed an undercover investigation in which representatives of Planned Parenthood, the nation's abortion industry leader, admitted willingness to accepting a financial donation targeting the destruction of an unborn black baby.

Lila Rose, who edits The Advocate, previously revealed how Planned Parenthood officials expressed a willingness to conceal statutory rape, an investigative piece that earned her an appearance on The O'Reilly Factor.

Now she's told WND she hopes the taped responses of Planned Parenthood officials in seven states reveal to her local UCLA community and the nation at large the racist leanings of the organization.

WND calls to Planned Parenthood of Idaho, which was featured in The Advocate report, requesting a comment were not returned.

"Students on campus are shocked and saddened that such a huge organization would have racist leanings in the present day," she told WND. "They are surprised to hear the truth about [Planned Parenthood founder] Margaret Sanger, and how the African-American community is being hurt by abortion.

"There's a lot of surprise out there. Planned Parenthood does an excellent job of covering up the facts," she said.

Sanger supported eugenics to cull those she considered unfit from the population. In 1921, she said eugenics is "the most adequate and thorough avenue to the solution of racial, political and social problems."

At one point, she lamented "the ever increasing, unceasingly spawning class of human beings who never should have been born at all." Another time, Sanger wrote, "We do not want the word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population."

According to Bryan Fisher, executive director of Idaho Values Alliance, Planned Parenthood, which gets an estimated $200 million annually from U.S. taxpayers, has located nearly 80 percent of its clinics nationwide in minority neighborhoods, and about one-third of all abortions are performed on blacks, even though they make up only 13 percent of the population.

Nationwide, almost half of all black pregnancies end in abortion, officials said.

"It turns out that blatant racism is alive and well in Idaho, but it's not coming from the Aryan Nation types – it's coming from way-left organizations like Idaho's own Planned Parenthood," Fischer said. "If Idaho is in fact a haven for white racism, it turns out that Planned Parenthood and not Richard Butler is to blame."

Richard Butler, who died in 2004, was a notorious white supremacist who founded Aryan Nations in northern Idaho. He lost a 20-acre compound in 2000 when a $6.3 million civil judgment against his group led to a bankruptcy.

"Idaho didn't have room for Richard Butler and shouldn't have room for Planned Parenthood," Fischer said.

The Advocate released a transcript of a conversation between an actor presuming to be a racist and wanting to make a donation, and a woman identified as Autumn Kersey, vice president of marketing for Planned Parenthood of Idaho.

Actor: I want to specify that abortion to help a minority group, would that be possible?
Planned Parenthood: Absolutely.
Actor: Like the black community for example?
Planned Parenthood: Certainly.
Actor: The abortion – I can give money specifically for a black baby, that would be the purpose?
Planned Parenthood: Absolutely. If you wanted to designate that your gift be used to help an African-American woman in need, then we would certainly make sure that the gift was earmarked for that purpose.
Actor: Great, because I really faced trouble with affirmative action, and I don't want my kids to be disadvantaged against black kids. I just had a baby; I want to put it in his name.
Planned Parenthood: Yes, absolutely.
Actor: And we don't, you know we just think, the less black kids out there the better.
Planned Parenthood: (Laughs) Understandable, understandable.
Actor: Right. I want to protect my son, so he can get into college.
Planned Parenthood: All right. Excuse my hesitation, this is the first time I've had a donor call and make this kind of request, so I'm excited, and want to make sure I don't leave anything out.

The investigation included calls to Planned Parenthood in Idaho and half a dozen other states



"I think Idahoans are going to be horrified and shocked at the blatant racism and bigotry exhibited by our local Planned Parenthood affiliate," said Fischer. "I just cannot imagine they're going to stand for that."

He said the timing of the release of the information was intriguing, because the Idaho Legislature is scheduled this week to have its first public hearing on a bill written to prevent Idaho women from being forced into having abortions they do not want.

Lila Rose said students at UCLA now have begun a petition to request the school cut its affiliations with Planned Parenthood.

She said the actor specifically asked about lowering "the number of black people," and each PP branch called agreed to process the racially earmarked donation.

"None expressed concern about the racist reasoning for the donation," The Advocate said.

The Advocate said an Ohio representative, identified as Lisa Hutton, listens to the racist reasoning, but confirmed Planned Parenthood "will accept the money for whatever reason."

Rose said her UCLA campaign has been endorsed by Alveda King, niece of Martin Luther King, who said she supports "the student campaign to get UCLA to cease its programs with Planned Parenthood."

Another Planned Parenthood branch, in Kansas, is facing 107 misdemeanor and felonies charges for allegedly violating Kansas abortion law.

WND reported Rose earlier posed as a 15-year-old seeking an abortion at a Planned Parenthood center in Santa Monica, Calif. She was equipped with a hidden camera when she met with an employee to discuss her options.

When Rose revealed she was 15 and her boyfriend was 23 the employee informed her Planned Parenthood was legally required to report the statutory rape, a transcript of the conversation shows.

The Planned Parenthood representative then suggested she could say she was 16, and avoid complications. "Well, just figure out a birth date that works. And I don't know anything," the rep said.

The Texas-based pro-life group Life Dynamics earlier conducted an extensive undercover project in which an adult volunteer posing as a 13-year-old called every Planned Parenthood clinic in the U.S., saying she was pregnant by a 22-year-old boyfriend. Almost without exception, the clinics advised her to obtain an abortion without her parents' knowledge and told her how to protect her boyfriend, who would be guilty in any state of statutory rape.

'Miracle' baby arrives after abortion recommended

Review ordered after unborn incorrectly diagnosed as blind, deaf

From WorldNetDaily

An urgent review has been ordered into hospital procedures after an unborn baby diagnosed with rhomboencephalosynapsis, a rare and serious brain disease, was born without handicap to parents who now call him their "miracle."

The case developed in the Fetal Medicine Unit at University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, where doctors first thought the baby known as Brandon Kramer, and who now is teething and trying to talk, had Down's Syndrome, according to a new report in the Daily Mail in the United Kingdom.

They later diagnosed the more rare brain condition after they determined he suffered from a swollen head and hydrocephalus while in the womb. They said tests showed his condition worsening, and they recommended to the parents that he be aborted.

The newspaper cited medical notes written by pediatric neurologist Dr. Cathy White shortly before Brandon's birth:

"Rhomboencephalosynapsis is an extraordinarily rare congenital abnormality and this, therefore, makes it very difficult to predict the long-term outcome for this baby," she wrote.

"I have explained to them [the parents] that children with this condition are likely to be profoundly handicapped with severe physical and learning disabilities and will be totally dependent for the whole of their life," she continued. "They often need the level of care given to babies for the whole of their lives."

Brandon's mother, Becky Weatherall, and father, Kriss Kramer, were offered "termination" because of the diagnosis and doctors' expectations he would be born deaf and blind and would survive no more than a few hours.

The report said, however, Brandon was born naturally and quickly given a clean bill of health after being examined by a team of specialists.

The parents say they are publicizing their situation to let people know.

"Perhaps doctors shouldn't put so much confidence in scans," Weatherall told the newspaper. "One of the older doctors we spoke to said a scan is like a fuzzy image of a snowstorm it cannot be relied upon and he turned out to be right."

The British Pediatric Neurology Association confirmed MRI scans are a new development, and "the problem is that it's hard to go from what the brain looks like to how it's going to work."

Officials at Cardiff told the newspaper they couldn't comment on individual cases because of confidentiality issues, but "ultrasound is not 100 percent accurate."

"I feel incredibly guilty thinking that I could have killed him and then I find myself wondering how many other babies are killed who would have turned out to be completely health," Weatherall said. "Just two weeks before he was born scans showed that his head was so swollen it was off the scale for normal babies but when he had an MRI scan on Christmas Eve it was confirmed he was completely healthy.

"We had prepared to spend Christmas without him we thought we'd be planning a funeral. Instead, it was the best Christmas present ever and now we're having a christening."

On the newspaper's forum, Sarah noted that scans are a "doubled edged sword" because they sometimes are inaccurate.

"Congratulations and well done for publicizing the story so other parents are made aware of these kinds of mistakes," added Cathy.

Officials said their investigation will focus on whether the diagnosis was incorrect, or whether the baby had some abnormalities, but then recovered.

Joel Osteen

From The Berean Call

[TBC: Joel Osteen was interviewed on FOX News Sunday With Chris Wallace, and made the following remarks as to whether Mormons were true Christians.]

WALLACE: And what about Mitt Romney? And I’ve got to ask you the question, because it is a question whether it should be or not in this campaign, is a Mormon a true Christian?

OSTEEN: Well, in my mind they are. Mitt Romney has said that he believes in Christ as his savior, and that's what I believe, so, you know, I'm not the one to judge the little details of it. So I believe they are.

And so, you know, Mitt Romney seems like a man of character and integrity to me, and I don't think he would — anything would stop me from voting for him if that's what I felt like.

WALLACE: So, for instance, when people start talking about Joseph Smith, the founder of the church, and the golden tablets in upstate New York, and God assumes the shape of a man, do you not get hung up in those theological issues?

OSTEEN: I probably don’t get hung up in them because I haven’t really studied them or thought about them. And you know, I just try to let God be the judge of that. I mean, I don’t know.

I certainly can’t say that I agree with everything that I’ve heard about it, but from what I’ve heard from Mitt, when he says that Christ is his savior, to me that’s a common bond.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,318054,00.html

Another Christian Group Targeted in Gaza

From The Berean Call

Another Christian/Western Target Attacked in Gaza

At least ten armed men blew up a YMCA library in the Gaza Strip, destroying thousands of books early Friday. This appears to be the latest attack by Muslim fundamentalists against either Christian or Western targets.

An estimated 10,000 books, some of them very old, were destroyed when an explosive device was placed in the Young Men Christian Association's library in Gaza City before dawn on Friday, said Isa Saba, director of the YMCA there.

The Palestinian news agency Maan said that more than 10 armed men had broken into the library after midnight, overpowered the guards and abducted them. The gunmen then returned to blow up the library, the report said.

Over the last few years, a number of Christian and Western interest have been attacked in Gaza, including the local Bible Society, a church and Internet cafes.

Saba told Cybercast News Service in a telephone interview he did not know who was behind the attack but he did not believe it had anything to do with the fact that the YMCA is Christian. He said the organization has never been threatened or attacked before this.

The YMCA has been serving Gaza's Palestinian and Arab society for 55 years. It has an art school, a library, summer camps and youth exchanges, which benefit both the Christian and Muslim communities, Saba said.

There are an estimated 3, 500 Christians living amid 1.4 million Muslims in the Gaza Strip.

http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewForeignBureaus.asp?Page=/ForeignBureaus/archive/200802/INT20080215d.html

Bishop warns of no-go zones for non-Muslims [Excerpts]

From The Berean Call

Islamic extremists have created "no-go" areas across Britain where it is too dangerous for non-Muslims to enter, one of the Church of England's most senior bishops warns today.

The Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, the Bishop of Rochester and the Church's only Asian bishop, says that people of a different race or faith face physical attack if they live or work in communities dominated by a strict Muslim ideology.

Bishop Nazir-Ali warns that attempts are being made to give Britain an increasingly Islamic character.

The Muslim Council of Britain today described his comments as "frantic scaremongering", while William Hague, the shadow foreign secretary, said the bishop had "probably put it too strongly."

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg said the idea of no-go areas was "a gross caricature of reality".

Writing in The Sunday Telegraph, Bishop Nazir-Ali compares the threat to the use of intimidation by the far-Right, and says that it is becoming increasingly difficult for Christianity to be the nation's public religion in a multifaith, multicultural society.

Bishop Nazir-Ali, who was born in Pakistan, gives warning that attempts are being made to give Britain an increasingly Islamic character by introducing the call to prayer and wider use of sharia law, a legal system based on the Koran.

David Davis, the shadow home secretary, has accused Muslims of promoting a kind of "voluntary apartheid" by shutting themselves in closed societies and demanding immunity from criticism.

Bishop Nazir-Ali, whose father converted from Islam to Catholicism, was criticised by Ibrahim Mogra, of the Muslim Council of Britain. He said: "It's irresponsible for a man of his position to make these comments.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=BDZVD2NMKCW0LQFIQMGCFFOAVCBQUIV0?xml=/news/2008/01/06/nislam106.xml

[Unfortunately, as we have learned from the experience of other nations, the Bishop's statements simply reflect reality. The "no go" areas of France received attention during the Islamic riots of a few years ago. At the same time Scandinavian nations acknowledged the same problems.]

Ten Plagues

The Ten Plagues of Egypt:
Yahweh vs. the 'Gods'

Plague 1. Nile River (Exodus 7:14-25):

Aaron stretched out his staff over the Nile River and it was changed to blood. Hapi was the god of the Nile. He was supposedly the spirit of the Nile in flood and "giver of life to all men." The annual innundation (when the Nile was in flood stage) was called "the arrival of Hapi".

The Nile water was thought to be the transformed life-blood of Osiris (god of the dead who was second only to Ra; he was also the father of Horus and husband of Isis). The fact that the Nile turned to blood, which was abominable to Egyptians, was a direct affront to one of their chief gods.

The fish-goddess was Hatmeyt, yet she was shown to be powerless when all the fish in the Nile River died.

To illustrate the fact that the plagues of the Exodus were directed against the gods of Egypt, we note some Egyptian prayers to those gods. (The reference to "Nine Gods" apparently did not include pharaoh. It may be of interest that there were just nine plagues before Yahweh killed the sons of pharaoh.)

Praise to thee, 0 Nile, that issueth from the earth and cometh to nourish Egypt . . . That watereth the meadows, he that Ra hath created to nourish all cattle. That giveth drink to the desert places, which are far from water . . . When the Nile floodeth, offering is made to thee, cattle are slaughtered for thee, a great oblation is made for thee . . . Offering is also made to every other god, even as is done for the Nile, with incense, oxen, cattle, and birds upon the flame . . . All ye men, extol the Nine Gods, and stand in awe of the might which his son, the Lord of All, hath displayed, even he that maketh green the Two Riverbanks. Thou art verdant, 0 Nile, thou art verdant. He that maketh man to live on this cattle, and his cattle on the meadow . . ." (Adolph Erman, The Ancient Egyptians, 1966, p. 146.)

The Nile flooded every year, making the land fertile. If the Nile did not flood enough there was famine; if it flooded too much there was famine. The Nile was, indeed, the lifeblood of Egypt, and thus it became one of their gods. Heathen gods often have some connection with the economics of daily life, but especially in the case of the sun.

Plague 2. Frogs (Exodus 8:1-15):

The land was so filled with frogs that they became objects of loathing. Heqt, the frog-headed goddess, played a part in "creation." Hers was one of the oldest fertility cults in Egypt. Though she was the goddes of frogs and fertility, she too was discredited when she failed to control the fertility of a these frogs. Because of this plague they became a stench to the Egyptians.

Plague 3. Lice (Exodus 8:16-19):


The land of Egypt was supposed to be sacred to nearly all of the Egyptian gods. But when it was defiled by lice it revealed their weakness to protect it. Crops and animals were also affected, reducing the food supply. In addition to being the god of the dead, Osiris was the god of vegetation.

The Egyptian magicians, unable to duplicate this plague, attribute it to "the finger of God" (Exodus 8:19), and they withdrew.

Plague 4. Flies, or Beetles ("insects" -- Exodus 20 - 32):


Although it is not clear which insect the Hebrew word arob refers to (it can be literally translated as swarms), this plague may have been against the beetle-god Khephira, a scarab-headed god regarded as a manifestation of Atum or Ra. Khephira was supposed to be god of the resurrection. Priests wore scarabs as charms.

Plague 5. Disease Upon Cattle (Murrain or Anthrax) (Exodus 9:1-7):


This judgment against the bull god, Apis. It was also against Hathor, the cow-headed love goddess. The pharaoh worshipped Hathor, whose name means "house of Horus," bringing special reproach against him when she failed to protect the "sacred cattle of Hathor."

Other gods associated with cattle were Ptah and Amon.

Great cemeteries of embalmed cattle have been excavated. The symbol of the bull was the symbol of pharaoh himself. In the "Hymn to Amun," it is difficult to distinguish the Pharaoh from the bull. The title is: "Adoration of Amunre (Amun-Ra), Bull of Heliopolus, chiefest of all gods, the good god, the beloved, who giveth life to all that is warm, and to every good herd."

Praise be to thee, Amunre, Lord of Karnak, who presideth in Thebes. Bull of his Mother, the first on his field! Wide of stride, first in Upper Egypt. . . . Greatest of heaven, eldest of earth, lord of what existeth, who abideth in all things. Unique in his nature among the gods, goodly bull of the Nine Gods, chiefest of all gods. Lord of Truth, father of the gods, who maketh mankind, and createth beast. (Erman, p. 283.)

Plague 6. Boils (Exodus 9:8-12):


This plague was especially against the god of healing, Im-Hotep, an outstanding nobleman of the Old Kingdom, later deified. But he could do nothing to help the Egyptians. The goddess Sekhmet was also known for her healing ability. This plague also affected animals and livestock, once again discrediting Anis and Hathor. Also Anubis, the jackal-headed god.

Plague 7. Hail (Exodus 9:13-15):


The sky goddess Nut was "the mother of the sun-god Ra, whom she swallowed in the evening and gave birth to again in the morning". She was especially culpable in this plague in that she was supposed to protect the land from destructions which came down from heaven. Exodus 9:31 mentions that the flax and barley were hit. Destruction of the flax was trying because it was used to wrap mummies and to make clothes.

Other gods discredited were, again, Apis and Hathor (the hail struck lifestock), and Osiris, god of vegetation.

Plague 8. Grasshoppers, or Locusts (Exodus 10:1-20):


The locust-headed god was Senehem. During the plague, the locusts were so thick that the "eye of the earth" was darkened (Exodus 10:5). One of the epithets of the sun-god Ra was "the eye of Ra." By causing darkness while the sun was shining, Ra was discredited. Osiris, too, was once again shown to be powerless.

Plague 9. Darkness (Exodus 10:21-27):


The greatest god of Egypt was the sun. The sun-god Amun-Ra was the principle deity of the pantheon. He made all growth possible. Pharaoh was considered himself to be the incarnation of Ra. With three days of darkness, the principle deity was scorned, while the Hebrews in Goshen were not affected by this plague. One of many hymns to the sun may help us feel their devotion to this deity:

Beautiful is thine appearing in the horizon of heaven, thou living sun, the first who lived. Thou risest in the eastern horizon, and fillest every land with thy beauty. Thou art beautiful and great, and glistenest, and art high above every land. Thy rays, they encompass the lands, so far as all that thou hast created. Thou art Ra, and thou reachest unto their end and subduest them for thy dear son [the Pharaoh]. Thou art afar, yet are thy rays upon the earth . . . etc., ad nauseum. (Erman, p. 289.)

Horus, son of Osirus, was also associated with the sun.

Plague 10. Pharaoh (Exodus 11-12):


The last plague was not only directly against the supreme god of Egypt, Pharaoh himself supposedly being the incarnation of Amun-Ra, but also against the future pharaoh, his son, the very next god of Egypt. He was to die on the same level as animals (not as a god), for the prophecy was that the firstborn of man and cattle would die.

Hymns of worship to many pharaohs have been found. Here is one to Rameses II:

The good god, the strong one, whom men praise, the lord, in whom men make their boast; who protecteth his soldiers, who maketh his boundaries on earth as he will. . . . (Erman, p. 258.)

Concerning the divinity of the pharaohs, William Edgerton notes:

As for the organization and powers of the government, everyone knows that the Pharaoh was an absolute monarch and that his authority rested theoretically on his supposed divinity. He is constantly called"the good god." One of his most frequent titles designates him as the son of the sun-god Ra, and we know that his claim of divine parentage was not a mere figure of speech; it was meant to be taken literally. Theoretically, of course, the Pharaoh's right-to-rule rested on his divinity. He was begotten by the sun-god Amon-Ra, who took the form of the previous king for this purpose, and Amon-Ra with the enthusiastic approval of the other gods placed him on the throne and decreed a long and brilliant reign for him. No doubt those theological fictions helped to strengthen the Pharaoh's position. But the really solid basis of his power was his control of the machinery of government, including the army and police. (Edgerton, Journal of Near Eastern Studies: 6, 1967, pp. 153-4.)


A great majority of the historical monuments were intended as official propaganda with the purpose of transmitting to posterity a "correct" impression of the glory and power of the pharaohs. Crises of revolution and that type of inner strife so common in the Orient, as well as military defeats in foreign wars, were either passed over completely or were interpreted so that the monuments conveyed impressions much distorted and unduly colored to the credit of the Egyptians. (Steindorff and Seele, When Egypt Ruled the East, p. 6, our emphasis.)

So, since the judgment was for both man and animals, Pharoah/Ra, and all of the animal-gods were once again exposed as completely and utterly helpless in the shadow of Yahweh. Only those who put the blood of a lamb on their doorposts were safe that night.

By Kristina Y. (some portions taken from internet sources)

666 raises its ugly head in British House of Commons [Excerpts]

From The Berean Call

Whether or not you are a student of prophecy, a conspiracy theorist, or dabble in the art of biblical numerology, you may find interesting or disturbing the fact that a motion calling for the disestablishment of the Church of England has been listed in the British House of Commons as 666 -- the Number of the Beast.

According to Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent of The Times, Labour Member of Parliament (MP) John Austin, who has repeatedly tabled Early Day Motions urging disestablishment, put down his latest motion last night as MPs debated scrapping Britain's blasphemy laws.

The British Houses of Parliament building in London.

The motion appeared on the House of Commons order paper numbered 666, the number associated with the Antichrist in the Book of Revelation. Some scholars believe 666 referred to the Emperor Nero, Gledhill reported.

The King James Bible renders Revelation 13:8 as: "Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six."

Bob Russell, Liberal Democrat MP for Colchester and one of the signatories, said: “It is incredible that a motion like this should have, by chance, acquired this significant number. This number is supposed to be the mark of the Devil. It looks as though God or the Devil have been moving in mysterious ways."

Russell added: “What is even stranger is that this motion was tabled last night when MPs were debating blasphemy.”

http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2008/s08010088.htm

What Are the Elements of Man?

By Kristina Y.

 

"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." -1 Thessalonians 5:23

 

The question of how many elements there are to man has been an important factor in every culture, religion, and people group over the centuries. It ranges from one (the physical body) to five or more. The most common belief, however, is that we consist of two parts: the physical body, and another non-physical element known as the spirit, soul, or mind; this is the seat of our thoughts, feelings, imagination, affections, etc.

Now, I must admit, I did not know just how common the dualistic (two-parts) belief was in Christendom until about a year and a half ago. I was listening to a Christian radio program and the subject of how to define the trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) came up. The host was giving various analogies, and some people called in to give their opinion. One of the people calling in suggested that we use man (meaning the human being) as an example. He said that man is made up of body, soul, and spirit, and yet is one man. I was expecting the host to agree with this, but instead he quickly brushed the idea aside saying matter-of-factly that man is not a trinity, so therefore you cannot use man to describe the Holy Trinity. This surprised me to say the least. Up until then I had always assumed that most Christians (especially fundamental) believed in a triune human nature, and it was only those with humanistic, naturalistic beliefs who would deny a second non-physical element. No honest person can get around the fact that thoughts and feelings are non-physical, but that's about as far as most unbelievers will go.

So, that is what prompted me to start researching the subject of man's elemental nature. The first thing that came to mind was the familiar phrase found in both Testaments, "you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength." For some, this alone would be enough to prove that man is more than two parts. Here it lists four distinct attributes we are to use to focus on God. However, after further investigation, I found the argument against that to be rather strong. Those on the dualistic side say that it was only meant for emphasis. Even though each word has a different meaning both in English and the original Greek or Hebrew, it isn't enough to convince those who hold strongly to the dualistic approach.

 

However, that isn't the only Scriptural support for a triune nature. There are many passages that don't even mention the soul or spirit which demonstrate how man must consist of more than two parts. For example, John 13:3-11:

"Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, 'Lord, are You washing my feet? Jesus answered and said to him, 'What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.' Peter said to Him, 'You shall never wash my feet!' Jesus answered him, 'If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.' Simon Peter said to Him, 'Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!' Jesus said to him, 'He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.' For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, 'You are not all clean.'"

 

The obvious question now is, what part of the human nature does this feet washing apply to? Christ Himself said that once you are bathed you are completely clean, except for your feet. Bathing here must refer to salvation, being cleansed from one's sins. It is quite frankly absurd to think that Christ is speaking of literal, physical feet. Therefore, if you believe that man is a dual nature, it must be concluded that it is your spirit (which has become a new creation and is covered by the blood of Christ) which has become dirty and in need of cleansing, even though this is a direct contradiction of what Jesus said in the text. Your "hands and head" are already clean, and will always be clean. It is just the this one part of you, the metaphorical feet, which needs washing. What could it be?

Here is another passage which may put things into perspective. Romans 12:1-2:

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

  

Here Paul is asking his "brethren" (fellow Christians) to "present your bodies a living sacrifice.," and to "be transformed by the renewing of your mind." What then is our mind? If it is our redeemed spirit, why does it need to be renewed? It sounds like this "renewing of the mind" is the same thing Christ was demonstrating in the washing of the feet. There is some part of us which is touched, non-physically, by the world and needs to be washed or renewed.

  

Yet another passage from a Pauline epistle shows us a battle between two non-physical human elements. Romans 7:14-25:  

"For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.

"I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!

"So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin."

Are we to believe that Paul was being held captive to his physical body? It is your stomach which hungers, but it is your hand which picks up the food and puts it in your mouth.

What does the hand care if your stomach is hungry or not? Or what physical need does the body have for a fancy car, big house, or fine clothes. Is it not our ego, our self (which we are to deny daily) which desires these things? It appears to me that there must be two sides to our non-physical nature, which are constantly warring with one another for control over our physical body.

 

Here is a commentary on 1 Thessalonians 5:23 from the Scofield Study Bible, written in 1909:

Man a trinity. That the human soul and spirit are not identical is proved by the facts that they are divisible (Heb. 4:12), and that soul and spirit are sharply distinguished in the burial and resurrection of the body. It is sown a natural body (soma psuchikon = "soul-body"), it is raised a spiritual body (soma pneumatikon), 1 Cor. 15:44. To assert, therefore, that there is no difference between soul and spirit is to assert that there is no difference between the mortal body and the resurrection body. In Scripture use, the distinction between spirit and soul may be traced. Briefly, that distinction is that the spirit is that part of man which "knows" (1 Cor. 2:11), his mind; the soul is the seat of affections, desires, and so of the emotions, and of the active will, the self. "My soul is exceeding sorrowful" (Mt. 26:38; see also Mt. 11:29; and John 12:27). The word translated "soul" in the O.T. (nephesh) is the exact equivalent of the N.T. word for soul (Gr. psuche), and the use of "soul" in the O.T. is identical with the use of that word in the N.T. (see Deut. 6:4; 14:26; 1 Sam. 18:1; 20:4,17; Job 7:11, 15; 14:22; Psa. 42.6; 84:2). The N.T. word for spirit (pneuma), like the O.T. ruach, is trans. "air," "breath," "wind," but predominantly "spirit," whether of God (e.g. Gen 1:2; Mt. 3:16) or man (Gen 41:8; 1 Cor. 5:5). Because man is "spirit" he is capable of God-consciousness, and of communication with God (Job 32:8; Psa. 18:28; Prov. 10:27); because he is "soul" he has self-consciousness (Psa. 13:2; 42:5, 6, 11); because he is "body" he has, through his senses, world-consciousness. See Gen 1:26, note.

-C.I. Scofield, The Old Scofield Study Bible, 1909

Now, here is the passage being commented on, 1 Thessalonians 5:23:

"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit^G4151 and soul^G5590 and body^G4983 be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

 

Here are the definitions of the Greek words highlighted, taken directly from Strong's Exhaustive Concordance:

     G4151 - pneuma:

pnyoo'-mah

From G4154; a current of air, that is, breath (blast) or a breeze; by analogy or figuratively a spirit, that is, (human) the rational soul, (by implication) vital principle, mental disposition, etc., or (superhuman) an angel, daemon, or (divine) God, Christ's spirit, the Holy spirit:—ghost, life, spirit (-ual, -ually), mind. Compare G5590.

 

G5590 - psuche:

psoo-khay'

From G5594; breath, that is, (by implication) spirit, abstractly or concretely (the animal sentient principle only; thus distinguished on the one hand from G4151, which is the rational and immortal soul; and on the other from G2222, which is mere vitality, even of plants: these terms thus exactly correspond respectively to the Hebrew [H5315], [H7307] and [H2416]:—heart (+ -ily), life, mind, soul, + us, + you.

 

G4983 - soma:

so'-mah

From G4982; the body (as a sound whole), used in a very wide application, literally or figuratively:—bodily, body, slave.

One would think that all of this would be sufficient evidence for a triune nature to man. However, that is not the case for some. As with many issues within Christendom, no matter how much evidence one presents, straight from Scripture, there will always be those who deny it.

Another argument the dualistic side gives is that there is no evidence in the creation story of God giving man three natures. I beg to differ. Here are two passages out of the creation story which refer to both animals and humans, and the elements God created in them.

Genesis 1:24:

" And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living^H2416 creature^H5315 after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast^H2416 of the earth after his kind: and it was so."

Genesis 2:7:

"And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed^H5301 into his nostrils the breath^H5397 of life^H2416; and man became a living^H2416 soul^H5315."

Here are the definitions of the Hebrew words highlighted, taken directly from Strong's Exhaustive Concordance:

     H2416 - chay:

khah'ee

From H2421; alive; hence raw (flesh); fresh (plant, water, year), strong; also (as noun, especially in the feminine singular and masculine plural) life (or living thing), whether literally or figuratively:— + age, alive, appetite, (wild) beast, company, congregation, life (-time), live (-ly), living (creature, thing), maintenance, + merry, multitude, + (be) old, quick, raw, running, springing, troop.

      H5301 - naphach:

naw-fakh'

A primitive root; to puff, in various applications (literally, to inflate, blow hard, scatter, kindle, expire; figuratively, to disesteem):—blow, breath, give up, cause to lose [life], seething, snuff.

      H5315 - nephesh:

neh'-fesh

From H5314; properly a breathing creature, that is, animal or (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental):—any, appetite, beast, body, breath, creature, X dead (-ly), desire, X [dis-] contented, X fish, ghost, + greedy, he, heart (-y), (hath, X jeopardy of) life (X in jeopardy), lust, man, me, mind, mortality, one, own, person, pleasure, (her-, him-, my-, thy-) self, them (your) -selves, + slay, soul, + tablet, they, thing, (X she) will, X would have it.

      H5397 - n^eshamah:

nesh-aw-maw'

From H5395; a puff, that is, wind, angry or vital breath, divine inspiration, intellect or (concretely) an animal:—blast, (that) breath (-eth), inspiration, soul, spirit.

You should be able to tell from the passage and definitions above that both man and the animals held two things in common upon creation: A body, "chay" (H2416), and a soul "nephesh" (H5315).

However, there is one thing God gave Adam which He did not give the animals: The breath (spirit) of life, "neshamah" (H5397). God breathed, "naphach" (H5301), something different and special into Adam.

So, according to Genesis 1 and 2, the animals have a body and a soul. But man has a body, soul, and spirit.

Thank you for reading this. I feel I have made my case to the best of my ability. Ultimately you must look at the evidence for yourself and decided what you believe. Obviously, this is a non-essential doctrine, and your view on this does not affect your salvation or status in the body of Christ. So, I will just leave you with a few more passages of Scripture to think about, and a simple illustration of how I believe man's trinity could be different from God's trinity. I encourage your feedback, positive or negative. I would like to hear from both sides proofs and arguments.

2 Corinthians 3:17-18:

"Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord."

Galatians 6:15:

"For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation."

Ephesians 2:15:

"Having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace."

Ephesians 4:23-24:

"And be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness."

Colossians 3:9-10:

"Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him."

Romans 7:23,25:

"But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members… So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin."

1 Thessalonians 5:23:

"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

You can see from these oversimplified drawings how the "Holy Trinity" could be understood as different from the human "triune nature." All persons of the Holy Trinity are interconnected: Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Whereas with human nature, the body is not directly connected to the spirit. This is only a theory, however, and should not be taken as fact.

Kristina Y.

January 13, 2008