The Dynamic Influence a Father Has on a Daughter

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The Dynamic Influence a Father Has on a Daughter

article by Nancy Morgan





How can we ensure that our daughters have the best chance of leading successful lives?







Source: clipart.comFrom the moment that a baby girl is born into the world, her father can have an amazing impact on her life. From the first time she wraps her tiny little hand around his finger to the time he walks her down the aisle and beyond, this man's presence, involvement, and character will help mold and shape her into the woman she will become.



She will look to this man with wonderment, and she has certain needs that only he can fulfill. Through the many interactions and experiences she has with him, incredible things are developing inside of her. Let's explore what takes place in her mind, emotions, and psyche through the powerful dynamics that occur between a father and a daughter.



The early years

Studies and statistics have shown just how important fathers are to all children in general, but this is especially true for little girls. Meg Meeker, M.D. in her book Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters lists the following facts:



· Toddlers securely attached to fathers are better at solving problems.



· Six-month old babies score higher on tests of mental development if their dads are involved in their lives.



· With dads present in the home, kids manage school stress better.



· Girls whose fathers provide warmth and control achieve higher academic success.



· Girls who are close to their fathers exhibit less anxiety and withdrawn behaviors.



These statistics show how important involved fathers are to the mental and emotional development of their little girls. On Psych Central, Erika Krull, MS, LMHP posted a blog titled "Divorce – What Girls Miss When Dad Leaves the Home . " She states, "Part of a girl's psyche is created by what her father reflects back to her. A girl needs to know that a man loves her, values her, will protect her, and will be dependable for her. It takes years for this influence to sink in and develop inside a girl. And this can't happen if her dad's not there much."



A little girl's first male relationship should be with her father. His affection and attention will help her feel cared for and loved. His gentle instruction, strength and leadership will help her feel secure. If he takes the time to talk and listen to her, she will feel that she is valued.



In Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters Meg Meeker also states, "Fathers inevitably change the course of their daughters' lives – and can even save them. From the moment you set eyes on her wet-from-the-womb body until she leaves your home, the clock starts ticking. It's the clock that times your hours with her, your opportunities to influence her, to shape her character, and to help her find herself – and to enjoy living." A young girl needs a positive male influence in her life!



The teen years and beyond

When a girl becomes a teenager, a father's role remains very important. Meg Meeker lists more statistics in her book, S trong Fathers, Strong Daughters :



· Parent connectedness is the number-one factor in preventing girls from engaging in premarital sex and indulging in drugs and alcohol.



· Daughters who perceive that their fathers care a lot about them, who feel connected to their fathers, have significantly fewer suicide attempts and fewer instances of body dissatisfaction, depression, low self-esteem, substance use, and unhealthy weight.



· Girls with involved fathers are twice as likely to stay in school.



· A daughter's self-esteem is best predicted by her father's physical affection.



· Girls with a father figure feel more protected, have higher self-esteem, are more likely to attempt college, and are less likely to drop out of college.



· Girls with fathers who are involved in their lives have higher quantitative and verbal skills and higher intellectual functioning.



· Girls with good fathers are less likely to flaunt themselves to seek male attention.



· Fathers help daughters become more competent, more achievement-oriented, and more successful.



· Girls with involved fathers wait longer to initiate sex and have lower rates of teen pregnancy. Teen girls who live with both parents are three times less likely to lose their virginity before their sixteenth birthdays.



· 76 percent of teen girls said that fathers influenced their decisions on whether they should become sexually active.



· Girls who lived with their mothers and fathers (as opposed to mothers only) have significantly fewer growth and developmental delays, and fewer learning disorders, emotional disabilities, and behavior problems.



· Girls who live with their mothers only have significantly less ability to control impulses, delay gratification, and have a weaker sense of conscience or right and wrong.



A father's involvement in a daughter's life has a big impact on her sexual activity as reflected in the information above. Girls who do not get male attention and affection from their fathers will often turn to sex to fill this void and need. They are more at risk for becoming sexually active at a younger age and becoming pregnant. They are also more at risk for getting involved in an abusive relationship. A father's relationship with his daughter will often determine the kind of relationships she chooses.



Fathers can also have an effect on when their daughters enter into puberty. An article posted on Science Daily (September 27, 1999) titled "Father-Daughter Relationship Crucial to When Girls Enter Puberty, Researchers Say" told about a study that was conducted by Vanderbilt University researchers. It said, "The study looked at 173 girls and their families from Nashville and Knoxville, Tennessee and Bloomington, Indiana from the time the girls were in pre-kindergarten until they were in the seventh grade.



Girls who had close, positive relationships with their parents during the first five years of life tended to experience relatively late puberty, compared to girls who had more distant relationships with their parents. More specifically, the researchers found that the quality of fathers' involvement with daughters was the most important feature of the early family environment in relation to the timing of the daughters' puberty.



Girls who entered puberty later generally had fathers who were active participants in care-giving; had fathers who were supportive to the girls' mothers; and had positive relationships with their mothers. But it's the fathers' involvement, rather than the mothers', which seems to be paramount to the age of the girls' development."



Fathers also help build self-confidence in their daughters. Girls learn to regard themselves the way their fathers regard them. If they are given affection and positive attention, they feel a sense of worth. But if they are ignored, treated harshly, and never given positive feedback, it's hard for them to feel good about themselves.



Loving fathers help provide stability and moral guidance in the home. They care enough to help guide their daughters through the difficult teen years. Statistics show that their involvement really does make a difference in the areas of teenage pregnancies, substance abuse, and academic success.



A father can also affect his daughter's perception of God. If she has a loving, caring, involved father, she will more easily view God as a loving Father. But if her father is overly strict, cold, unloving, and distant, she may also view God this way. It's hard to see God as a loving father when you don't know what a loving father is.



A father is the most important man in a daughter's life according to Meg Meeker in Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters. She addresses fathers by telling them how they affect their daughters, "When she is twenty-five, she will mentally size her boyfriend or husband up against you. When she is thirty-five, the number of children she has will be affected by her life with you. The clothes she wears will reflect something about you. Even when she is seventy-five, how she faces her future will depend on some distant memory of time you spent together. Be it good or painful, the hours and years you spend with her – or don't spend with her – change who she is." There will be other important men in a girl's life, but her father's influence will last her whole life.



God is a father

Unfortunately, not all girls grow up in a home with a father. And some fathers, who are present in the home, are far from ideal. Many girls may feel disadvantaged, depressed, and angry that they don't or didn't have a loving father's guidance and influence in their lives. If you feel this way, let God be your Father.



God is a father to us all, but He has a special place in His heart for the fatherless. Psalm 68:5A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.



See All... tells us, "A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy habitation." If you cleave to God, he will be your Father. He will be the moral guide in your life, your provider, and your protector. He will listen and help you through the tough times. He cares for you and understands what you are going through. Reach out to God!



If you are a father and have the awesome responsibility of raising a daughter, be the positive masculine influence in her life that she needs you to be. Love, guide, protect, and be there for her. Be the kind of man you hope she will marry one day. Your relationship with her has far-reaching effects. Help her become the remarkable woman she was designed to be!



For more interesting reading view the Bible study guide, You Can Have Living Faith

Society's Five Rotten Apples: Part 1- Bad Philosophy and Corrupt Theories

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Society's Five Rotten Apples: Part 1- Bad Philosophy and Corrupt Theories

article by Mario Seiglie





Why is the world the way it is? What’s shaped our society and the kind of people we are? We’ve come up with all kinds of great things, like technology, medicine and governing constitutions. But the way we live is only getting worse and worse. Why?







Source: sxc.hu/grceva “One rotten apple spoils the whole barrel,” goes the saying. The Bible says effectively the same thing using the imagery of fermenting yeast working its way through bread dough: “A little leaven leavens the whole lump” (1 Corinthians 5:6Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?



See All...). This idea is right at the heart of the wrong values people live by today.



In our modern world, five “rotten apples” are rotting away the good morals the Bible teaches us. These bad apples were introduced in different countries, but their corrupting effects have gradually spread around the world.



Society’s rotten apple #1: Marxist communism

The philosophy of atheistic communism was spread mainly by the German writer Karl Marx, who lived in England in the mid-1800s.



His ideas were helped along by the bad conditions for workers during the Industrial Revolution in many countries. Suffering terrible hardship and abuse, the working man was attracted to Marx’s ideas. Eventually, the bloody Bolshevik Revolution in Russia in 1917 led to the takeover by Marxist Vladimir Lenin and the creation of a communist empire, the Russian-headed Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.).



After World War II, the U.S.S.R. imposed communism on the countries of Eastern Europe. In 1949, it became the official political system in China. Then it spread to other nations, like North Korea, Vietnam and Cuba.



In 1991, communism was overthrown in the Soviet Union, which then let go of Eastern Europe. It’s also been watered down and reshaped in China to allow for a more open economic society. But morally, the world has never been the same. Communism—or more technically Marxist-Leninist socialism—is always attached to atheism. This belief has affected the mindset of so many political, cultural and educational leaders around the world. Because of that, it still has a lot of influence all over the world.



This rotten apple is based on three false ideas:



1. God does not exist, and man is just an evolved animal.



2. Truth is relative. There is no true moral way to live. Everyone has the right to decide what is right and wrong for themselves.



3. A one-party government should own both the wealth and the ways of creating wealth in a country. It can distribute the wealth however it wants. This means the goal is to have state control over the economy, politics, education and religion.



Furthermore, the institution of communism is in direct rebellion against God’s commandments, consisting essentially of lies, covetousness and theft. And, as history shows, it always leads to terrible atrocities including mass murder.



Alexander Solzhenitsyn, a dissident who suffered in the Soviet concentration camps and later won the Nobel Prize in literature, once noted, “If I were asked today to formulate as concisely as possible the main cause of the ruinous [Soviet] Revolution that swallowed up some sixty million of our people, I could not put it more accurately than to repeat: Men have forgotten God; that’s why all this has happened . . .”



He continued: “If I were called upon to identify briefly the principal trait of the entire Twentieth Century . . . I would . . . repeat once again: Men have forgotten God . . . Within the philosophical system of Marx and Lenin, and at the heart of their psychology, hatred of God is the principal driving force, more fundamental than all their political and economic pretensions” (“Men Have Forgotten God,” address when receiving the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion in London, 1983, emphasis added).



Society’s rotten apple #2: Darwinian evolution

In the 1800s the English naturalist Charles Darwin developed a theory that human beings evolved in a genetic lineage. Starting from single-celled amoebas, it supposedly progressed to fish, then to amphibians, to reptiles, to mammals, to apes and finally to man. This led to the conclusion there is no real meaning to life. Karl Marx was so thrilled with this idea that he asked Darwin if he could dedicate his famous book on communism, Das Kapital, to Darwin. Darwin declined, but the connection between the two beliefs is very real.



Author Aldous Huxley, a great supporter of Darwin’s theory, made this remarkable admission: “For myself, as, no doubt, for most of my contemporaries, the philosophy of meaninglessness was essentially an instrument of liberation. The liberation we desired was simultaneously liberation from a certain political and economic system and liberation from a certain system of morality. We objected to the morality because it interfered with our sexual freedom” ( Ends and Means, 1941, p. 273).



As various critics of evolutionary theory have pointed out, if you teach a student to believe he’s just an animal, don’t be surprised when he begins to act like one.



For more on this, read “The Societal Consequences of Darwinism ” in our free booklet Creation or Evolution: Does It Really Matter What You Believe?



Society’s rotten apple #3: Freudian psychology

Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, developed his methods and views on psychology in the late 1800s and early 1900s. His teachings on the subject centered on removing guilt from sinful acts and promoting sexual liberation as a way of avoiding mental and emotional disorders.



He insisted that sexual cravings, fundamental to human thought and behavior, should be freed. This idea wasn’t accepted in society or academic circles before his time. Freud’s drive theory suggested that people are instinctually driven from birth by the desire to experience physical pleasure. And he saw moral repression of this drive as damaging to mental health.



As Freud’s ideas spread and caught on, there was a loosening of society’s sexual morals in the 20th century—paving the way to widespread depravity.



Toppled thinkers still holding on

Author Phillip Johnson, a law professor and science writer, said this about the three rotten apples we’ve talked about so far:



“Every history of the twentieth century lists three thinkers as preeminent in influence: Darwin, Marx and Freud. All three were regarded as ‘scientific’ (and hence far more reliable than anything ‘religious’) in their heyday. Yet Marx and Freud have fallen, and even their dwindling bands of followers no longer claim that their insights were based on any methodology remotely comparable to that of experimental science. I am convinced that Darwin is next on the block. His fall will be by far the mightiest of the three” ( Defeating Darwinism by Opening Minds, 1997, p. 113).



Yet the influence of these figures, even the first two, has not gone away. Their corruption is still spreading even now, subverting the thinking of old and young alike.



But wait, there’s more you need to know! Two additional “rotten apples” have helped make your world stagger even further from the true God of the Bible and His way of life.

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In Brief... World News Review: Japan Considers Preemptive Strike on North Korea

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In Brief... World News Review: Japan Considers Preemptive Strike on North Korea






article by Darris McNeely, Mike Bennett





If we accept that there is no other option to prevent an attack... there is the view that attacking the launch base of the guided missiles is within the constitutional right of self-defense.







After North Korea's provocative missile tests in early July, Japan said it was considering whether a preemptive strike on North Korea's missile bases would violate its constitution.



According to Mari Yamaguchi (AP, July 10), several government officials openly discussed whether the country ought to take steps to better defend itself, including setting up the legal framework to allow Japan to launch a preemptive strike.



"If we accept that there is no other option to prevent an attack... there is the view that attacking the launch base of the guided missiles is within the constitutional right of self-defense. We need to deepen discussion," Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said.



"With all of Japan easily within range of North Korean missiles, an opinion poll conducted by Japan's NHK television showed that 82 percent of respondents in Japan said they felt 'fearful' or 'somewhat fearful' of the seven or more missiles that North Korea shot into the Sea of Japan on July 4," reported Anthony Faiola in the Washington Post July 11.



Japan's constitution, written after World War II, prohibits the use of military force, though Japan does maintain a 240,000-strong self-defense force.



However, AP quoted a Japanese Defense Agency spokeswoman as saying Japan has no attacking weapons such as ballistic missiles that could reach North Korea. Its forces only have ground-to-air missiles and ground-to-vessel missiles, she said on condition of anonymity.



For their part, North Korea scoffed at the UN Security Council resolution asking it to quit launching missiles and return to six-party talks. "The vicious, hostile policy of the U.S. and the irresponsibility of the UN Security Council have created an extremely dangerous situation on the Korean Peninsula," said a North Korean Foreign Ministry statement ( The Week, July 28, 2006).



—Sources: AP, The Week, WashingtonPost.com

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Is America Sliding Into Permanent National Decline?

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Is America Sliding Into Permanent National Decline?

article by John Ross Schroeder





Although some observers are still predicting a substantial national recovery, a more sobering factual analysis clearly points in the opposite direction. Did the Bible foresee America's rise to world leadership and its subsequent national decline more than two millennia ago?







Source: Photos.comWhat we call the American Dream is fading into the distant sunset. The relatively few encouraging signs—such as the shale oil and gas bonanza—are being overshadowed by many disturbing trends in the opposite direction.



Why is this great nation, with seemingly so much promise for the future, heading inexorably into a box canyon of so many sorrows with no apparent way out? Are we ourselves as a people the basic cause by the way we are currently conducting our lives?



A serious sign of decline

Many citizens vaguely realize that our massive debt difficulties lie at the heart of our present national plight. Several years ago Fareed Zakaria, the editor of Newsweek International, observed:



"The U.S. savings rate is zero; the current account deficit, the trade deficit and the budget deficit are high; the median income is flat; and commitments for entitlements are unsustainable" ("The Future of American Power," Foreign Affairs, May-June 2008, p. 29).



Since then matters have worsened. British author Edward Luce stated of the years 2009 to 2011: "Median household income fell during that period by an astonishing 6.7 percent" ( Time to Start Thinking: America and the Spectre of Decline, 2012, p. 272).



Two other authors jointly warned of tough days ahead if we don't mend our financial habits soon: "The United States is fast approaching a historic turning point; either it will act to get its fiscal house in order, thereby restoring the prerequisites of its primacy in the world, or it will fail to do so and suffer both the domestic and international consequences" (Roger Altman and Richard Haass,"American Profligacy and American Power," Foreign Affairs, November-December 2010).



Former National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski stated that our flawed financial framework "is a systemic time bomb that threatens not only the American but also the global economy because of its risky and self-aggrandizing behavior" ( Strategic Vision: America and the Crisis of Global Power, 2012, p. 47, emphasis added throughout).



As if to emphasize the point, in mid-June The Washington Post reported: "The recent recession wiped out nearly two decades of Americans' wealth, according to government data released Monday, with -middle-class families bearing the brunt of the decline. The Federal Reserve said the median net worth of families plunged by 39 percent in just three years, from $126,400 in 2007 to $77,300 in 2010. That puts Americans roughly on par with where they were in 1992" (Ylan Mui, "Americans Saw Wealth Plummet 40 Percent From 2007 to 2010, Federal Reserve Says," June 11, 2012).



America's standing in the world

In his second inaugural speech in January 1997, U.S. President Bill Clinton proudly stated, "At the dawn of the 21st century . . . America stands alone as the world's indispensable nation" (quoted by Brzezinski, p. 44).



In August 2000 the next president George W. Bush added, " Our nation is chosen by God and commissioned by history to be a model for the world" (ibid.). How accurate when we truly understand its biblical legacy and historic role! But more about that later.



Twelve years have whipped by since. How is America doing now? Many people of other nations still want to leave their ancestral homes, immigrate to America and eventually become U.S. citizens. They still believe that America is "the land of the free" as well as "the land of opportunity."



And truly all Americans should thank God regularly not only for the astounding national blessings He has bestowed on the country, but also for His merciful patience as the nation continues to seriously neglect facing and dealing with its enormous challenges and obvious shortcomings.



You may recall German Chancellor Angela Merkel's address to a combined session of the U.S. Congress in November 2009. She talked of her "'passionate' commitment to 'the American dream'" (p. 45). This now de facto leader of Europe pointed out how the United States provides "the opportunity for everyone to be successful, to make it in life through their personal effort" (ibid.).



But the gap between perception and reality grows wider by the day. Increasingly America has lost its number-one status in the world in many different fields. Several Asian nations in the Far East have already passed America or are fast catching up in many categories of endeavor—China and India in particular.



The surprising genesis of American freedoms

Even America's matchless freedoms are now seriously threatened by an ever-encroaching federal government—presently attaching more and more socialist, regulatory and bureaucratic impediments to the nation's free enterprise system, engine of its economic growth.



But to truly understand the legacy of these hard-won freedoms and gain a better handle on some of the factors behind our current national afflictions, we must momentarily reach back into ancient biblical history.



The great prophet and judge Moses strongly advised the ancient Israelites: "Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations. Ask your father and he will show you; your elders, and they will tell you . . ." (Deuteronomy 32:7Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will shew thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee.



See All...). What was his point? That understanding history is supremely important. We must learn from it to avoid repeating past mistakes.



How much truer today! If we are to truly grasp the significance of America's legacy, knowledge and understanding of even the nation's distant past becomes absolutely essential.



America's history doesn't begin with the Declaration of Independence, or the War for Independence, or the landing at Plymouth Rock, or the establishment of the first colonies in the New World. Its history really begins much earlier—in the book of Genesis with the call of Abraham.



It extends through his son Isaac and grandson Jacob through to Jacob's son Joseph, who had two sons named Ephraim and Manasseh. The descendants of the latter would migrate to America from Britain. The major elements of this fascinating story are told in our free booklet The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy , with abundant evidence from both God's Word and secular history.



The patriarch Jacob foretold of his son's progeny in Genesis 49:22Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall:



See All...: "Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a well. His branches run over the wall." Verses 23 through 26 relate more about these manifold divine "blessings of heaven," as does Moses in Deuteronomy 33:13-17 [13] And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the LORD be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath,

[14] And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon,

[15] And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills,

[16] And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren.

[17] His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.





See All....



The patriarch Joseph's example

Joseph, one of the 12 sons of Jacob (or Israel, as Jacob was renamed), exceeded his 11 brothers in both character and leadership.



During his 13 years of captivity and slavery, Joseph learned to rely on God and remain faithful to Him through trying circumstances, including rejecting the sexual advances of his master's wife. Afterward he became, in effect, the prime minister or governor of Egypt, managing its governmental and commercial affairs with great diligence, skill and competence.



He had overcome the effects of the loss of his mother Rachel in early youth. Joseph also forgave the great sin of his brothers, who sold him into slavery and deceived their father as to what had really happened.



Even without realizing their ancient roots, many of his descendants followed Joseph's basic example of obedience and industriousness, leading to the birth and growth of a strong, Bible-based nation. But in recent years much has changed. If our peoples only knew that Joseph was their great ancestor, hopefully that fact alone would sober and help turn them from their embarrassing profligacy towards righteous and productive lives.



American knowledge in a broad range of fields has grown beyond all expectations, particularly scientific and technological prowess. We have sent men to the moon and unmanned spacecraft to the outer edges of our solar system and beyond, but as a nation we are ignorant of the most basic historic and spiritual truths that could help deliver us out of our great problems. This country desperately needs that crucial knowledge of our biblical roots—where we came from and where we are surely headed.



American dominance under serious threat

Can the United States accommodate a restless world that is rapidly gaining on previously unchallenged American preeminence? The United States has successfully exported its brand of capitalism to many other countries. It has served as a business model for aspiring nations. Now they are catching up with and passing us.



Fareed Zakaria warns that America may be forced to "watch as the rise of the rest produces greater nationalism, diffusion and disintegration, which will slowly tear apart the world order that the United States has built over the last 60 years" (p. 43).



Since World War II, America has both guided and policed the world in general. This is the legacy of its great ancestor Joseph. But now its growing economic problems are undermining American power and prestige throughout the world, forcing America to increasingly abandon this vital role.



What would the world be like without U.S leadership? Some observers are rightly worried about the possibility of a post-American scramble for power and influence.



Will some other coming superpower step into the gap and behave as altruistically as Britain and America have conducted themselves in their turn, acting to keep the peace in a world that otherwise might resemble a global Wild West?



Consider how the United States and Britain defeated German militarism in World War I and Nazism in World War II and stalled the march of communism in the 1950s and 60s. More recently they have expended enormous treasure and lives in battling against terror and militant Islam, also helping topple such dictators as Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi.



Who would step in to take America's place as the dominant world power? Would it be China? Russia? Could it possibly be a European superstate that many believe will never see the light of day, having forgotten European history during the last 2,000 years?



In fact, Bible prophecy does tell us that a ruthless European-centered dictatorship will yet appear on the world stage that will even challenge the authority of God Himself.



This is but one reason why the decline of the United States should be of great concern to every person who takes the Bible seriously. For it would mean a very dark future for humanity around the globe.

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Does the Bible forbid women from wearing pants?

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Does the Bible forbid women from wearing pants?


What does the biblical statute about a woman not wearing anything that pertains to a man mean today?



Answer:



Deuteronomy 22:5The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God.



See All... says: "A woman shall not wear anything that pertains to a man, nor shall a man put on a woman's garment, for all who do so are an abomination to the Lord your God." Like many of the statutes, this law had to do with pagan customs of the time, and as we will see, does not refer to women wearing pants. The Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary explains:



"Disguises were assumed at certain times in pagan temples. Maimonides...mentions that a man attired in a coloured female dress, in honour of Venus, Ashtaroth, or Astarte, and a woman equipped in armour, worshipped at the shrine of the statue of Mars...



"Asiatics, when they engaged in the worship of Ashtaroth, were accustomed, according to Philocorus, quoted by Townley (in his edition of Maimonides, note 33), to exchange the male and female dresses. In fact, all idolators confounded the sexes of their deities—representing them sometimes as male, at other times as female; and hence, their worshippers, male and female, fell gradually into the custom, which became extensively prevalent, of changing their attire in adaptation to the sex of a particular divinity."



God's command to Israel forbade the people from incorporating pagan religious rites into true worship. In spite of this instruction, today's Christianity commonly mixes paganism in with the worship of Christ.



Does Deuteronomy 22:5The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God.



See All... forbid women from wearing pants? No, it doesn't. In fact, even men in the Middle East through the history of the Old and New Testaments did not wear pants; they wore a robelike garment. However, there is an underlying principle that applies today. Men should dress in an appropriately masculine manner and women should dress in an appropriately feminine manner. Clothing manufacturers make pants designed for men and pants designed for women.



For more insight, please read our article The Modesty Question: How Far is Too Far?

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How Naturalism Rejection of God Holds Humanity Captive

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How Naturalism Rejection of God Holds Humanity Captive




article by Good News Editor





Naturalism—disbelief in anything beyond the natural world around us—is a subtle way to reeducate people, freeing them from feeling guilty over sin by substituting immorality or amorality for godly morality.







Source: Photos.comDr. Phillip Johnson, retired emeritus professor at Boalt School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley, wrote an insightful book, Reason in the Balance: The Case Against Naturalism in Science, Law and Education (1995).



His book helps us understand how easily influenced we are by agnostics and atheists, who write many of our school textbooks and dominate many of our classrooms and school curricula. A Christian society can be badly corrupted by educating its young people in Darwinian evolution.



Dr. Johnson describes how an entire societal culture is shaped by Darwinists: "Darwinian evolution is not primarily important as a scientific theory but as a culturally dominant creation story. Every culture must have a creation story as a basis for things like philosophy, education and law. If we want to know how we ought to lead our lives and relate to our fellow creatures, the place to begin is with knowledge about how and why we came into existence.



"Where there is radical disagreement in a commonwealth about the creation story, the stage is set for intense conflict, the kind of conflict that is known as a 'culture war.'"



Dr. Johnson shows that naturalism has corrupted Western societies: "In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, a very different creation story replaced the traditional one, first among the most highly educated elites and gradually in the society as a whole.



"The new creation story said it is not true that God created us; on the contrary, our ancestors created God out of their prescientific imagination. According to the new story, all living creatures evolved by an unguided, purposeless material process of random genetic change and natural selection" (pp. 12-13).



Thus, the logic goes, God doesn't exist and there is no need to allow for or consider Him in our thinking.



Satan the devil would have us believe that we came into being by random chance from primordial slime and that there is no all-powerful Creator or laws to live by—so that we conclude we can do whatever we feel like doing without moral restriction.



Naturalism—disbelief in anything beyond the natural world around us—is a subtle way to reeducate people, freeing them from feeling guilty over sin by substituting immorality or amorality for godly morality. With no real standards of right and wrong, we truly are in a position of survival of the fittest and everyone for himself.



The Holy Bible rebukes naturalism: "Let God be true but every man a liar" (Romans 3:4God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.



See All...). That has never stopped Satan, who cunningly has taken humanity hostage through "philosophy and empty deceit" (Colossians 2:8Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.



See All...). GN

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In Brief... Venezuela and Brazil Step up Latin American Integration Efforts

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In Brief... Venezuela and Brazil Step up Latin American Integration Efforts

article by Cecil Maranville, Darris McNeely, David Palmer, John Ross Schroeder, Peter Eddington





Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Brazilian President Henrique Cardoso have agreed on concrete measures that would lead to the establishment of a Latin American free trade zone.



Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Brazilian President Henrique Cardoso have agreed on concrete measures that would lead to the establishment of a Latin American free trade zone. Their stated objective is to create an economic bloc that could counterbalance U.S. economic power in the region. Because the grand vision of regional economic integration is practically unattainable, given the current circumstances in Latin America, its only real objective is to serve the domestic political objectives of its populist and nationalist creators (STRATFOR's Global Intelligence Update, May 19, 1999).

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What's the Point of President's Day?

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What's the Point of President's Day?


 Time to take a lesson from the greatest leader... Jesus Christ.








[Darris McNeely] So what's the point of President's Day? Every year at this time in the United States we have a three day weekend because of what is called President's Day, a federal holiday. A lot of people want to catch a sale: maybe furniture sale, auto sales. But because of that vacation, sales we lose the real meaning of what the day is all about.



Originally President's Day was divided into two days, the two birthdays, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, both falling in February. A few years ago a decision was made to combine it into one day and give everybody a three day weekend. But in the process as so often happens we lose the point of where did the day come from. What is the real meaning? What should we learn?



Here's my suggestion: no matter where you live because I recognize President's Day may not mean anything to you outside of the United States, but let's look at what we might pick up and learn as a point of leadership.



Wherever you are, whatever you're feeling about this, pick a leader male or female, not only from politics but from any area of life, and learn something about leadership. And here's the ultimate lesson in leadership I think that we can learn from the ultimate leader Jesus Christ, who when His disciples were jockeying among themselves about who would be the greatest, He looked at them and He said, "He who would be the greatest among you, let him be your servant" (Matthew 20:25-28 [25] But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.

[26] But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;

[27] And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:

[28] Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.





See All...).



Humility. Service. Hallmarks of any great leader no matter where they may find themselves. That perhaps is the point of President's Day and every day.



For BT Daily , I'm Darris McNeely. Join us next time.

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Papal Speculation and More on North Korea

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Papal Speculation and More on North Korea


by Darris McNeely




The last African pope was Gelasius I, who was pope until he died in 496. A couple of gleanings from today's Financial Times  merit BT Media's  attention.



Amid speculation of who the next Pope will be, early bets are being made an African may get the nod–the first African in more than 1500 years, is mention of how vigorous is religion in sub Saharan Africa. A Pew Forum on Religion In Public Life 2010 survey showed that more than 75% of Africans felt religion was "very important" in their lives. Of Christians in Africa, 80% attend church once a week. Having just visited Kenya in East Africa I was struck at the number of churches and religious schools. The influence of many religions, including Islam, was evident. Our hotel in Ogembo was next to a mosque and we had a 4:00 a.m. wake up call each day when the faithful were called to prayer.



The strong African belief in the Bible as the literal word of God provides a fertile soil for the true gospel of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God. We always see strong interest in our message from this region. Religion may not be doing well in Europe but in Africa you find believers and seekers looking for a message of hope and meaning. Life in those regions is very hard. The truth of the gospel gives meaning and dignity for a people looking to make sense of a complicated world.



The other comment in today's paper sheds more light on North Korea's latest nuclear test, which we mentioned yesterday . David Pilling references an article in the Jerusalem Post suggesting "Pyongyang may have tested this week's device on behalf of Tehran in the presence of Iranian scientists." The nuclear connection of North Korea and Iran, two of the world's most dangerous states, should frighten leaders into action. If this and other reports are true we may be seeing Iran closer than anyones suspects to having nuclear capability and the means of delivering a weapon upon any foe they choose. When this happens it will be a major foreign policy fiasco for the United States, which has sought to contain the problem by economic sanctions.



Iran has ignored all threats and efforts to stop its nuclear goals and appears very close to having what it wants. Iran's religious and political leaders do not take President Obama seriously and they continue to march forward. The linkage of Iran and North Korea is a dangerous step against the stability of Middle East and Asia.



Bible prophecy shows armies coming from the region east of the Euphrates River in the events preceding the second coming of Jesus Christ (Revelation 16:12-16 [12] And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.

[13] And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.

[14] For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

[15] Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.

[16] And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.





See All...). Understanding events in this region is a key to this passage of prophecy.







--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Valentine's Day: What's Wrong With Showing Love?

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Valentine's Day: What's Wrong With Showing Love?






article by Dan Dowd





Valentine's Day has become a very romantic holiday despite its pagan origins. So what's wrong with celebrating this holiday?







Source: ThinkstockValentine's Day is all about showing "love," giving a card or flowers or chocolates to a loved one. All of that's good, right? Wrong .



Valentine's Day is big business. According to the National Retail Foundation, Valentine's Day for 2012 added around $17.6 billion to the U.S. economy—making retail spending for this day the second-largest behind Christmas.



For a lot of people it's the holiday to express your love to someone special. According to Kemberly King, a business instructor at South University, young adults ages 25-34 spend the most on Valentine's Day gifts. Interestingly, men will outspend women—almost 2 to 1—with the biggest categories for all spending being restaurants, candy, romantic getaways and flowers.



A quick Web search for the origins of Valentine's Day will give you the basics of the accepted history of the day. A deeper search will acknowledge its pagan origins. The Good News magazine (sister publication of Vertical Thought ) has published a variety of articles on both of these aspects of Valentine's Day . While Valentine's Day is the most promoted holiday after Christmas and Easter even among traditional Christian churches, it is definitely not a holiday with true Christian values.



How can "love" be wrong?

There's nothing wrong in showing love to others—after all, isn't that the most valued Christian characteristic? But what's been lost in how we go about it, and how we worship God for that matter, is whether we are actually following what God teaches in the Bible. It's like an automobile manufacturer tells you to put only gasoline in the fuel tank, but then you decide that diesel fuel is just as good! It just won't work.



Here's a quick review of the background of Valentine's Day—before exploring a deeper point about this holiday.



By most accepted historians, Valentine's Day was an adaptation by the Catholic Church of the ancient pagan Roman celebration of Lupercalia, a fertility festival. The Catholic Church updated and connected it to a "Saint" Valentine sometime late in the third century A.D. (though there is some confusion as to who this person actually was). It really took off commercially as a holiday in the late 1800s, promoted as a day to show your "love" to others—especially romantic love to your special someone.



So what's wrong with that? Here's the problem: Lupercalia was an immoral fertility festival also featuring gluttony and drunkenness. At the end of the festivities young men would draw the name of a young lady from a box and the two were considered a pair (sexually and otherwise) for the coming year.



As a festival Lupercalia was dedicated to the Roman god Pan, recognized as the god of fields, groves and wooded glens—and pictured as having the hindquarters, legs and horns of a goat. This pagan deity was connected to fertility and the season of spring. None of what is connected to the feast of Lupercalia is worthy of a Christian's observance.



But what's wrong with a little paganism?

What about showing love on Valentine's Day if I'm not doing it for pagan reasons? Isn't that okay? No, because the expression of that kind of "love" is still rooted in a former pagan holiday. True Christians must not adopt pagan festivals as holidays, for they are to strive to please God in everything they do.



Even when you think you're innocently observing a holiday like this, you're still advancing the origins and meanings of the day—especially from His perspective, as He certainly knows where it came from. God said not to do this. He told the Israelites entering the pagan land of Canaan:



"When the Lord your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise .' You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way ; for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods" (Deuteronomy 12:29-31 [29] When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land;

[30] Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.

[31] Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.





See All..., emphasis added).



When we merge pagan teachings with what God instructs through the Bible, we weaken the truth and violate God's clear command.



God's way is true love

Showing love as God instructs is not wrong—romantic love included. It's a good thing to express your love toward others through a card, flowers, dinner out or any number of other ways. But don't do it under the trappings of a pagan holiday like Valentine's Day! If someone is special to you, then do those things throughout the year rather than waiting until February 14th.



Our worship of God must first and foremost be according to His truth (John 4:24God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.



See All...). Carryovers from pagan worship don't honor Him!



God is personified by the characteristic of love (1 John 4:8He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.



See All...). Godly love is genuine outgoing concern for others as God would love them—not as a selfish love. Divine love is reflected in keeping God's commandments (1 John 5:3For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.



See All...), including the Ten Commandments and instruction like that in Deuteronomy cited above. True Christians desire to faithfully observe God's own Holy Days (see Leviticus 23 for a list of them). Celebrating holidays like Valentine's Day in opposition to God's instruction does not honor or obey Him—no matter how well intentioned or innocent we believe it to be.



It does matter to God how we worship Him. He expects us to understand the difference between what He has declared holy and the profane teachings, customs and traditions masquerading as godly worship (Ezekiel 22:6Behold, the princes of Israel, every one were in thee to their power to shed blood.



See All...).



For a more complete review of comparing traditional religious holidays to God's Holy Days, we recommend that you read our Bible study aid Holidays or Holy Days: Does It Matter Which Days We Observe?

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What are Ash Wednesday and Lent? Does the Bible tell us to celebrate these days?

From http://el-paso.ucg.org/  or call 1-888-886-8632.

What are Ash Wednesday and Lent? Does the Bible tell us to celebrate these days?


After Mardi Gras comes Ash Wednesday and 40 days of Lent. Did the early New Testament Church observe these days?



Answer:







Source: Photos.comThe Bible does not mention Ash Wednesday or Lent, and the early New Testament Church did not observe these days. Here is how the BBC Religion page describes Ash Wednesday and Lent:



"Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent for Western Christian churches. It's a day of penitence to clean the soul before the Lent fast.



"Roman Catholic, Anglican, and some other churches hold special services at which worshippers are marked with ashes as a symbol of death and sorrow for sin…



"The Christian churches that observe Lent in the 21st century (and not all do significantly) use it as a time for prayer and penance. Only a small number of people today fast for the whole of Lent, although some maintain the practice on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. It is more common these days for believers to surrender a particular vice such as favourite foods or smoking" (BBC ).



Lent is counted differently by those of the Western Catholic tradition and those of the Eastern Orthodox tradition. "The western church excludes Sundays (which is celebrated as the day of Christ's resurrection) whereas the eastern church includes them. The churches also start Lent on different days. Western churches start Lent on the 7th Wednesday before Easter Day (called Ash Wednesday). Eastern churches start Lent on the Monday of the 7th week before Easter and end it on the Friday 9 days before Easter. Eastern churches call this period the 'Great Lent'" (BBC ).



Various biblical events and customs are referred to by those who celebrate these days. The Bible mentions people mourning in sackcloth and ashes. The Bible also talks about repentance and fasting, and the number 40 is prominent in various biblical events.



"The justification for the Lenten 40-day preparation for Easter is traditionally based on Jesus' 40-day wilderness fast before His temptation by Satan ( Harper's Bible Dictionary, 'Lent'; Matthew 4:1-2 [1] Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

[2] And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.





See All...; Mark 1:13And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.



See All...). The problem with this explanation is that this incident is not connected in any way with Jesus' supposed observance of Easter. The 40-day pre-Easter practice of fasting and penance did not originate in the Bible" ("The Good Friday—Easter Sunday Question).



Some have suggested that Lent may be connected to earlier, pagan holidays. In Ezekiel 8:14Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD's house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.



See All..., the prophet in vision saw women weeping for the pagan god Tammuz. "It has been suggested by some scholars that the practice of 'weeping for Tammuz' was the actual origin of Lent, the Roman Catholic 40-day period of abstinence prior to Easter (starting after Mardi Gras, 'Fat Tuesday,' on Ash Wednesday). Consider that the name Easter itself is derived from Ishtar, the ancient Babylonian fertility goddess and Tammuz's mother".



The Bible does teach the importance of fasting and self-examination, but it does not teach a 40-day period called Lent or an Ash Wednesday of putting ashes on the forehead. These customs appear to have pagan origins, and are not practiced by the United Church of God. We seek to follow the customs and practices of the early New Testament Church as described in the Bible. For more on the biblical religious festivals, such as the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the spring, see God's Holy Day Plan: The Promise of Hope for All Mankind .

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What is Mardi Gras? Should Christians celebrate Mardi Gras (Shrove Tuesday)?

From http://el-paso.ucg.org/  or call 1-888-886-8632.

What is Mardi Gras? Should Christians celebrate Mardi Gras (Shrove Tuesday)?


Mardi Gras literally means "Fat Tuesday" in French (called Pancake Tuesday in England) and is associated with the Roman Catholic custom of Lent. But is it taught in the Bible? Would God want Christians to celebrate it?



Answer:







Source: Photos.comThe idea behind Mardi Gras or carnival celebrations is that people overindulge before giving up something for Lent, which begins the following day with Ash Wednesday. (Lent is the 40 weekdays from Ash Wednesday to Easter observed by the Roman Catholic, Eastern and some Protestant churches as a period of penitence and fasting.)



Note the following encyclopedia article excerpt:



"Some scholars have noted similarities between modern Mardi Gras celebrations and Lupercalia, a fertility festival held each February in ancient Rome. However, modern Carnival traditions developed in Europe during the Middle Ages (5th century to the 15th century) as part of the ritual calendar of the Roman Catholic Church.



"Today pre-Lenten Carnivals are celebrated predominantly in Roman Catholic communities in Europe and the Americas. Cities famous for their celebrations include Nice, France; Cologne, Germany; and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. New Orleans, Louisiana, holds the most famous Mardi Gras celebration in the United States. Residents of New Orleans have been celebrating Mardi Gras since the 18th century" ("Mardi Gras," Encarta).



Mardi Gras "is a lively, colorful [not to mention bawdy and debased] celebration held on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Lent begins," says the World Book Encyclopedia. It "goes back to an ancient Roman custom of merrymaking before a period of fast." In places like New Orleans, the period of merrymaking with fancy balls and parades goes on for weeks leading up to Fat Tuesday itself.



It has been suggested by some scholars that the pagan practice of "weeping for Tammuz" that Ezekiel decried (Ezekiel 8:14Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD's house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.



See All...) was the actual origin of Lent. Tammuz was a pagan god associated with death and rebirth in nature and the husband of the goddess Ishtar (See the Good News Bible Reading Program's commentary on Ezekiel 8 for details.)



The idea of partying before repenting seems to be to get as much revelry and additional sin out of the way before you decide to do anything about it. But that attitude doesn't show a belief that God's way is really right and that sin is really wrong, harmful and something to be avoided because it wars against us (1 Peter 2:11Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;



See All...) and is contrary to God's instruction (Romans 13:13-14 [13] Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.

[14] But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.





See All...). It doesn't show the 100 percent commitment that God wants (Romans 12:1-2 [1] I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

[2] And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.





See All...).



God says we should always live holy lives and obey His laws because they are good for us (Deuteronomy 10:12-13 [12] And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,

[13] To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?





See All...). Satan is the one who wants us to think that doing wrong things is fun, and his deception has been quite successful (Revelation 12:9And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.



See All...; 1 John 2:16For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.



See All...).



Neither Mardi Gras nor Lent are commanded in the Bible but come from pre-Christian, pagan customs. What does God think about such pagan customs?



"When the Lord your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess…do not inquire after their gods, saying, 'How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.' You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way; for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods... Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it" (Deuteronomy 12:29-32 [29] When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land;

[30] Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.

[31] Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.

[32] What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.





See All...).



The New Testament continues this theme. The apostle Paul addressed the issue of whether outside religious customs and practices had any place among Christians:



"What fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: 'I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.'



"Therefore 'Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.' Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Corinthians 6:14Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?



See All...–18; 7:1).



Instead of renaming some of the pagan customs as Christian or allowing the new converts to retain some of their former practices, Paul commanded them to leave behind all of these forms of worship.



Mardi Gras celebrations have nothing to do with God's commanded Holy Days. On the contrary, they are part of the system from which God's people should separate themselves.



For more information, please read our booklet "Holidays or Holy Days: Does It Matter Which Days We Observe?"

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Pope Benedict XVI Puts His Church "on Edge"

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Pope Benedict XVI Puts His Church "on Edge"




article by Paul Kieffer





In the last two years, Pope Benedict's clear positions on controversial issues appear to have given the Roman Catholic Church an "edgy" new decisiveness.



When Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger succeeded the popular John Paul II as Pope Benedict XVI in the spring of 2005, people wondered what the hallmark of his papacy would be. A little more than two years after Benedict's election, there seems to be a pattern emerging. Pope Benedict appears to have put the Roman Catholic Church "on edge."



"On edge" here doesn't mean nervous. Instead, it takes its meaning from the way the phrase is sometimes used in the German language, where it conveys having a clear position on a particular issue being discussed. Germans like their leaders to be "edgy" in that sense, and that's the approach the German pope seems to be taking in his papacy.



Family Day puts pressure on Italian lawmakers



This May's Family Day demonstration in Rome is an example of the Vatican's new approach. The demonstration took place on May 12 and was organized by the Italian Catholic Bishops Conference and the Vatican. Members of Catholic organizations from all over Italy traveled to Rome on buses and special trains to take part.



Radio Vatican estimated the crowd to number approximately 1 million people, who came to Rome to protest against proposed legislation that would give same-sex couples and unmarried heterosexual couples rights similar to those that are provided for traditional married couples.



The purpose of the demonstration was to put pressure on the centrist, left-leaning government of Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi. It's no surprise that former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was one of the protesters. Italian Christian Democratic politician Rocco Buttiglione was also among those who participated in the demonstration. Buttiglione is a spokesman for those who oppose what he describes as the new anti-Christian "religion" currently gaining ground in Italy.



"There is of course a new religion, an anti-Christian religion, an atheistic and agnostic religion which claims that there is only one truth, and that truth is that there isn't any truth," is the way Buttiglione put it prior to Family Day.



Even some of Romano Prodi's own cabinet members participated in the demonstration and were criticized by Italian media for doing so only to please the pope who had called for widespread support of the demonstration. Prior to the show of force in Rome, public opinion in Italy seemed to be divided over Family Day, with many Italians believing that the Catholic Church was stepping over the line with its involvement in the demonstration.



However, Family Day really reflected a new decisiveness of the Roman Catholic Church under Pope Benedict. Italian Vatican observer Sandro Magister commented, "The pope's call for support was the impetus for putting on a big show. This demonstration fits the new image that the Church now has under Pope Benedict. It is the image of a Church that decisively sticks to its position on a select number of key issues."



The Italian constitution provides for the neutrality of the state in religious matters, and smaller Christian churches in Italy are concerned about the direction the Vatican is headed. They want the Vatican to respect that neutrality even if it is by far the largest denomination in Italy.



According to Paulo Ricca, professor at the Waldensian University in Rome, "The differences of opinion among Christian churches in Italy concerning social issues are becoming more pronounced." Ricca's evangelical church supports giving nonmarried couples certain rights, as is currently the case in other European countries.



He added, "As Christians we cannot ignore certain questions in our society. But that is what the Catholic Church is doing, even though we should be trying to find solutions. That's why the gap between Catholics and Protestants has been growing recently."



Benedict not afraid to challenge social change



The new edge of the Catholic Church hasn't been evident only in Italy. Pope Benedict wasn't in Rome during the Family Day demonstration. Instead, he was on a trip to South America to attend the Latin American Catholic Bishops conference in Brazil.



One of the potential hot topics on the pope's trip to Brazil was a threat made by church leaders in Mexico to excommunicate local officials in Mexico City who had voted in favor of liberalizing abortion. The church's stand in Mexico sparked interest in Brazil, where there are an estimated 1 million illegal abortions each year, inciting a call to liberalize Brazil's abortion law.



In a talk with journalists on his plane to Brazil, however, Benedict said that "killing innocent children is inconsistent with [taking] communion."



The pope's comments irked Brazilian Minister of Health José Temporão, who accused the pope of interfering in Brazil's internal affairs. "You can't force one religion's dogmas and commandments on an entire society. That's not appropriate. If men would get pregnant, they would have a different opinion on the subject," was Temporão's response shortly before Benedict met with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio.



One of the main topics on the agenda during May's Latin American Catholic Bishops conference was the growth of Protestant groups in Latin America, which is the unstated reason Benedict called on Latin American Catholics "to renew their drive and missionary zeal."



Nearly half of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics live in Latin America, and Brazil has the most Catholics of any country on earth. However, when surveyed in opinion polls, less than two thirds of Brazil's 190 million people still call themselves Catholic.



Benedict apparently believes that liberalizing Catholic viewpoints is not the solution for the drain on church membership. As long as Benedict is pope, expect the Catholic Church to remain "on edge" in an attempt to provide a clear distinction between itself and non-Catholic Christian groups.



Benedict, Nicolas Sarkozy and Turkey



Benedict's predecessor is credited with a major contribution to the demise of the Soviet bloc in Eastern Europe. Pope John Paul II's influence, initially in Poland and then elsewhere in the Communist countries east of the iron curtain, was largely behind the scenes. Could it be that Pope Benedict may have a similar influence, but this time on all of Europe?



An intellectual who is not afraid to state his views in clear terms, Benedict may already be influencing more than just how his own church will position itself on key societal issues that also involve church doctrine. In a speech in Regensburg during a visit to his homeland of Bavaria last September, Benedict quoted a 14th-century Byzantine emperor who was critical of Islam. His remarks caused a furor in the Islamic world, and he said later that it was not his intention to offend Muslims.



On the other hand, Benedict surely understood the impact his words might have, especially since his earlier view was well known on the question of whether a Muslim country should become part of the European Union.



Prior to his election as pope, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger called the start of negotiations with Turkey on EU membership a mistake. He has not made any official statement since becoming pope, although Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan claimed that Benedict had voiced support in a private meeting last November.



On the day that Pope Benedict is supposed to have made his comments, Radio Vatican had this to say:



"Erdogan, who is about to have the EU put his chair outside the door, seized the favorable moment to use the pope of all people as a crown witness for Turkish EU membership. Has Pope Benedict really changed his mind on this question, or did a politician put one over on the pope? It does seem a bit strange that it would be the pope who would now promote Turkey's bid for membership when the EU itself appears ready to put negotiations with Turkey on hold" (Nov. 28, 2006).



By using a quote critical of Islam at a time when Muslim Turkey's entry into the European Union is a subject of concern to many Europeans, Benedict appears to have sent a signal to European leaders. Perhaps that is why newly elected French President Nicolas Sarkozy wasted no time letting his country and the rest of Europe know what he thinks of Turkey's bid to join the EU. "Turkey has no place in Europe," he declared in an interview with the French daily newspaper Le Figaro (June 6, 2007).



"After the EU Council meeting in June I will propose a strategy that will open a way for us to drop the strategy of pursuing membership without dividing Europe," Sarkozy added. He intends to have his proposal on the agenda for discussion at the EU summit meeting scheduled for December 2007.



Just one week after assuming office, Sarkozy expressed his views on Turkey during his inaugural visit as French president to the European Commission in Brussels. Sarkozy envisions some kind of "Mediterranean union" with Turkey involving a "privileged partnership," but short of full membership.



European Commission President José Manuel Barroso restated the official EU position that any decision on whether to admit Turkey will only be made when negotiations have been completed, which are expected to last at least 10 years. Under the existing EU framework, which permits any nation to veto treaties or proposals, observers have speculated that France could block negotiations with Turkey at any time by simply exercising its veto right.



Like John Paul II did during the Soviet era, Pope Benedict will also influence developments in Europe, but likely in a more direct way than his predecessor. WNP

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In the News: Asteroid Close Shave

From http://el-paso.ucg.org/  or call 1-888-886-8632.

In the News: Asteroid Close Shave






article by Amanda Stiver





Experts predict that on February 15, 2013, a near-earth asteroid called DA14 will make an uncomfortably close pass by us.



NASA has predicted it will come within about 12,680 miles, somewhat closer than some man-made satellites, but further out than others like the International Space Station, which orbits at just 240 miles up (Mike Wall, "Mid-Size Asteroid Won't Hit Earth in 2013: NASA," MSNBC.com, Mar. 6, 2012).



This event has caused concern for some and predictions of catastrophic impact. Yet right now it seems nothing will happen. Still, we should realize that the Bible does indicate coming meteoric and other devastation in the book of Revelation. We don't know exactly when it will happen though—but many signs point to our now living in the end time (see our free booklet  Are We Living in the Time of the End?  ). In any case, despite coming calamity at some point, humanity and the earth will survive. For more perspective on this, be sure to read our lead article, "The End of the World: Is It Real, and If So, What Can You Do About It?"

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High Cost of Miscalculation

From http://el-paso.ucg.org/  or call 1-888-886-8632.

High Cost of Miscalculation

Wednesday, February 6, 2013 (All day) China and Japan's dispute over little known islands could create bigger problems if not handled wisely.

[Darris McNeely] I've been reading recently a book about World War I and how it began and of course how it developed. How it began was over a very seemingly insignificant event: an assassination of an Archduke in a little unknown nation of Serbia. Drew in all the great powers of Europe, the United States, and Japan and ignited World War I. That was nearly 100 years ago. Fast forward to today and the world hasn't changed very much.



An interesting article in today's Financial Times (February 5, 2013) with this cartoon that's showing the dust up that is continuing between China and Japan over some islands in the Pacific known by Japan as the Senkaku Islands. China calls them the Diaoyu Islands. They've been fighting over these islands and the possession of them for a number of years. There's some oil, petroleum that's involved in that and other natural resources that both want to claim. And what's interesting about this as well is that the United States is bound by a treaty obligation with Japan to protect them or to come in with them in the event of a conflict over these islands with China, which again is very much like what happened in World War I, drawing in all of those great powers.



You have to look at this and you have to wonder why in the world and how something like that could happen. Well, there's a number of events that are coming together in this. China is on the rise. Some say that by 2016 they will overtake the United States as the dominant economic power in the world. Whether or not that happens and the impact of it is yet to be seen. In Japan, the current Prime Minister is not quite as apologetic over Japan's part in World War II like Japan has been in the past. And so there's a little bit more belligerency and hesitancy about apologizing for its past, which is creating again the tension and the conflict here. America is there. Other powers could be drawn into it.



Very interesting situation that could actually result in a high cost of miscalculation just like World War I, but this is 2013. This is the world today, and yes, things like that can happen once again.



It reminds me of what Jesus said in Matthew 24:6And 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.



See All... to the question put to Him by His disciples, what would be the signs of Your coming and the end of the age? And He mentioned wars and rumors of wars. We've always lived with that, but we see the potential for major conflicts happening over events that teach us lessons from history. And we need to be aware and watching and understanding what's taking place in this part of the world and on our global scene.



That's Beyond Today Daily . Join us next time.

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