The Supreme Court Decision on Sodomy: Answerable to a Higher Court

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The Supreme Court Decision on Sodomy: Answerable to a Higher Court

 

A commentary by Melvin Rhodes

Posted July 9, 2003

Sodomy is now legal all over America, following a decision of the U.S. Supreme Court that struck down anti-sodomy laws in 13 states. Other states had already changed laws that went back centuries...

Sodomy is defined in Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary as "carnal copulation in any of certain unnatural ways." Clarke’s Standard Reference Dictionary (UK, 1982) defines it as "any sexual intercourse held to be abnormal, as between a person and an animal or between two persons of the same sex."

When most people think of sodomy, they think of sexual acts between people of the same sex, but the legal definition is clearly broader than that. The Bible also shows us that the sins of Sodom were many. The Old Testament prophet Ezekiel described them as "pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me . . ." (Ezekiel:16:49-50 [49] Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.
[50] And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.
). Certainly, sexual sins were included among these.

The word sodomy comes from the biblical city of Sodom, notorious for its vice and corruption. Sodom, along with its sister city Gomorrah, were destroyed by God because of the sinfulness of its people.

You can read an account of the circumstances that led up to this destruction in Genesis 18 and 19.

When Abraham realized that God had determined to destroy the twin cities "because their sin [was] very grave" (Genesis:18:20And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;), he appealed on their behalf, bargaining with God's messengers. He asked: "Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked?" (verse 23). "Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it?" Abraham was assured that if there were 50 righteous left in the city, the city would be spared.

On second thoughts, Abraham realized that there might not be 50 righteous inhabitants left, so he asked again, this time wondering if the city would be spared if only 45 God-fearing citizens remained. He was assured the city would be spared. Eventually Abraham got down to 10. And the Lord said, "I will not destroy it for the sake of ten" (verse 32).

In the next chapter we see the cities destroyed. Clearly, there were not even 10 righteous people left.

The incident that preceded the final destruction of Sodom involved homosexual rape. When the two messengers from God were staying with Lot, "the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. And they called to [Abraham's nephew] Lot and said to him, 'Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally [sexually]". Rebutted, the men "pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door" (verses 4-9).

Immediately after this incident, God took action to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (read the rest of the chapter). After witnessing their sin for a very long time, His patience had run out and He chose to remove them from the face of the earth.

Could the same fate befall the United States of America?

Since the "sexual revolution" of the 1960s, America and other Western nations have progressively moved further and further away from God and His standards of morality as defined in His Word, the Bible.

The sexual reforms of the '60s and subsequent decades have contributed greatly to the breakdown of the family, the increased spread of sexually transmitted diseases, millions of HIV/AIDS infections, an epidemic of drug-taking and increased crime and violence. Despite this fact, the greatest legal authorities in the land have reacted with yet another "reform" that takes the country further away from God’s laws for mankind.

As with Sodom and Gomorrah, when will God pull the plug on our immoral society?

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Silencing God's Children

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article by Tom Robinson

A major part of the war against God and godly values is the scourge of abortion—the murder of the most helpless.

Source: iStock/Thinkstock

The ancient prophet Ezekiel thundered these words: "You took your sons and your daughters, whom you bore to Me, and these you sacrificed to [false gods] to be devoured . . . You have slain My children and offered them up to them by causing them to pass through the fire" (Ezekiel:16:20-21 [20] Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter,
[21] That thou hast slain my children, and delivered them to cause them to pass through the fire for them?).
The thought of sacrificing precious infants, burning them on an altar to a pagan god of stone, would strike most people today as abhorrent. But are we not guilty of the same crime when we sacrifice millions of innocent babies to the modern idols of selfishness and convenience?
Since the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade, more than 56 million abortions have taken place in America—an unconscionable slaughter of innocents in a professing Christian nation. Yet even this pales beside the ghastly figure of 40 million abortions every year worldwide (estimating low)—meaning that at least 1.2 billion children have been aborted since 1980 (numberofabortions.com).
Sadly, America has become a supporter of the broader killing. In one of his first acts in office, U.S. President Barack Obama "lifted restrictions on U.S. government funding for groups that provide abortion services or counseling abroad" (Reuters, Jan. 23, 2009)—meaning U.S. taxpayers are forced to fund abortions and abortion promotion in other countries.
On Feb. 26, 2014, the president told his pro-abortion political group Organizing for Action that they are doing "God's work." On April 26 of the previous year, he spoke at a gala for Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion provider, concluding with, "Thank you, Planned Parenthood. God bless you. God bless America" (emphasis added throughout).
Such words strain our credulity. It borders on blasphemy that anyone, let alone the leader of a nation, would expect God to bless an organization that is in the business of destroying His creation—killing more than 300,000 unborn babies a year, about one every 94 seconds. What God is he referring to? Clearly not the God of the Bible!
As Fox News radio commentator Todd Starnes notes in his new book God Less America: "We ask God to bless America, but we silence his children. God bless America? We should be on our knees asking for His mercy instead" (2014, p. 210).

Killing the unborn is big business

But America is far from that. For abortion providers, the slaughter of the unborn can be a lucrative business. A former abortion provider has explained how she was on her way to becoming a millionaire by selling abortions to teenage girls.
The marketing began in kindergarten and grade school sex education. The goal for fifth and sixth grade students, according to Carol Everett, "was to get them sexually active on a low dose birth control pill that we knew they would get pregnant on . . . That pill did not work, and we could accomplish our goal of 3-5 abortions between the ages of 13 and 18" (quoted by Peter Baklinski, LifeSiteNews.com, May 12, 2014).
Government has now mandated abortion insurance coverage for the whole country through President Obama's health care legislation, the Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obamacare. Starnes points out: "The Obama administration is trying to force religious organizations to provide insurance for birth control and abortion-inducing drugs in direct violation of their religious beliefs . . .
"The Internal Revenue Service launched investigations into pro-life organizations, demanding to know the contents of their prayers. They ordered a Wyoming church to turn over its membership rolls. This is happening right here, right now, in the United States of America. We are under attack from within" (p. 209).
Another pro-life group was told by the IRS that "they could not picket or protest abortion clinics. An attorney representing the pro-life groups called the IRS actions 'intimidating' and 'heavy-handed.' One IRS agent went so far as to tell a pro-life group it had to remain neutral on the issue of abortion and lectured the group's president about forcing its religious beliefs on others.
"'You have to know your boundaries,' IRS agent Sherry Wan can be heard saying in a recording. 'You have to know your limits. You have to respect other people's beliefs'" (p. 8). Remember that this refers to beliefs about what is in fact murdering unborn children!
Thankfully, the Supreme Court ruled on June 30—in the case brought by the arts and crafts retailer Hobby Lobby—against government attempts to impose employer-provided coverage for abortion-inducing drugs when it's against the employer's religious beliefs. But this was by a narrow margin of 5-4, and time may see it overturned. In fact, Senate Democrats have already attempted to circumvent it. In any case it remains disturbing how rabidly the government has pursued the pro-abortion agenda and persecuted those who stand for life!

Overlooking infanticide

The media has been complicit in this, as it has in most aspects of the liberal-progressive agenda. Commenting on the failure of the news media to report last year on the trial of Pennsylvania abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell over late-term abortions and infanticide—ostensibly because it would draw negative attention to abortion—liberal political analyst Kirsten Powers wrote in USA Today:
"Infant beheadings. Severed baby feet in jars. A child screaming after it was delivered alive during an abortion procedure. Haven't heard about these sickening accusations? It's not your fault . . . There has been precious little coverage of the case that should be on every news show and front page . . .
"None of the news shows on the three major national television networks has mentioned the Gosnell trial in the last three months [as of the time Powers wrote this] . . . The deafening silence of too much of the media, once a force for justice in America, is a disgrace" ("Philadelphia Abortion Clinic Horror," April 11, 2013).
Meanwhile, the indoctrination of the younger generation continues. Officials at a high school in Tacoma, Washington, decided "to allow posters and events for a 'gay'-straight alliance while refusing to allow similar posters and events related to the local Students for Life . . .
"[The pro-life] group wanted to put up two posters. The first reads 'Since Roe v. Wade 1⁄3 of our generation has been aborted' . . . The second poster quotes President Ronald Reagan: 'I've noticed that everyone who is for abortion is already born.' But school officials said the posters might 'offend'" ("School: 'Gay' Is OK, But Pro-Lifers Must Go," WND.com, Feb. 19, 2014). Yet of course they allowed the pro-gay messages.
Where is the outrage over the ongoing mass murder of helpless babies? In the approximately five minutes it's taken you to read this short article, about 375 abortions have been performed around the world (see the counters at numberofabortions.com).
God warns in Numbers:35:33So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it. that "blood defiles the land, and no atonement can be made for the land, for the blood is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it." That includes all who bear responsibility. Clearly the whole world is facing judgment over this global atrocity!

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Abortion

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Abortion

 

This Teen Bible Study Guide is designed to help you learn what God thinks about abortion.

Abortion

Introduction

In the United States alone, over 3000 babies are aborted every day. The vast majority of these terminated pregnancies are due to “convenience” issues of the child’s parents. They didn’t want a child at this point in their lives, so they simply chose to eliminate the problem. About 4 of every 10 women will have an abortion in their lifetime. What about cases of rape or when the mother’s health is in danger? Are abortions appropriate in these cases? These questions illustrate how controversial this subject has become in today’s society. This guide is designed to help you learn God’s mind on the matter.

Definition

Webster's Collegiate Dictionary defines - "abortion" - as "the termination of a pregnancy after, accompanied by, resulting in, or closely followed by the death of the embryo or fetus…." The issue of abortion has to do with the morality of a person's choice to "terminate" the pregnancy, not a miscarriage that happens naturally. Abortion stops the natural process of human maturation within the mother's uterus (or womb). The purpose of abortion is to empty the mother's womb which results in the death of the tiny human being in its development.

When Does a Human Life Begin?

A major area of debate about abortion is whether the fetus is human. Let's see what the Word of God reveals concerning this question.

MATTHEW 1:18: "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit."

JOHN 1:14: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father…."

1. When did God become flesh? Was it at conception? Was it at birth? Was it at a point in time between conception and birth?

COMMENT: The Holy Spirit carried the divine nature, so Jesus was God in the flesh from conception when the Holy Spirit impregnated Mary. Just as Jesus was God from conception, a human being begins life at his conception. The “miracle of life” certainly is a miracle. A human being is formed from 2 single cells fusing together in a female. The cells divide and differentiate forming tissues and organs. After only 18 days of growth, a heartbeat can be detected. After 21 days, the eyes, spine and digestive system become visible. After 40 days, brain waves can be detected. At 8 weeks, the toes and fingers are formed. At just 18 weeks, the baby can move on it’s own. Abortions are performed even after all of these things have occurred.

LUKE 1:44: "For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy."

2. What does this verse reveal about the unborn having human feelings and emotions?

JEREMIAH 1:5: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations."

3. How early in our lives does God know us? When does He devise a purpose for us?

God's Law

EXODUS 21:22: "If men fight, and hurt a woman with child, so that she gives birth prematurely … he shall surely be punished accordingly as the woman's husband imposes on him; and he shall pay as the judges determine."

1. For the ancient, Israelites, what was the penalty for accidentally causing the "termination" of a pregnancy?

2. What does this judgment reveal about God's desire to protect pre-born children?

3. How does this situation compare and contrast with abortion?

EXODUS 20:13: "You shall not murder."

4. Do you think this commandment applies to unborn human beings? Why?

5. Are other commandments broken by choosing to have an abortion? If so, which one(s)?

MARK 9:42: "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea."

6. How does God feel toward those who harm His new, young believers?

7. If God says those who bring spiritual harm to His fleshly children are worthy of capital punishment, by analogy what do you think would be His attitude toward those who end the life of children in the womb?

Our Bodies?

Those who favor the legality of abortion assert that a woman has the right to complete authority over her body. If a woman is carrying a child inside her, and she doesn't want him there, then the woman, so they say, has the right to remove him -- that is, abort him.

JOB:31:15Did not he that made me in the womb make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb?: “Did not He who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same One fashion us in the womb?”

1. Who is said to be at work in the womb?

PSALM 127:3: "Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward."

2. To whom does the psalmist give credit for his children?

GENESIS 29:31: "When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren."

GENESIS 30:2,22: "And Jacob's anger was aroused against Rachel, and he said, 'Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?' (22) Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb."

3. What role does God have in every child conceived? Are children totally the result of the desire of their parents?

4. Do children from conception belong to God or his human parents? Consider Ezekiel:18:4Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die..

5. Is the growing child in the womb a part of his mother's body or a separate person?

COMMENT: From the time of conception the human embryo is distinct from his mother. The mother's body would reject the fetus as foreign tissue and abort the baby except for the existence of the placenta, which separates the child from his mother while in her womb. If the life growing in the mother doesn't belong to her, what right does she have to take innocent life?

1 CORINTHIANS 6:19-20: "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's."

6. Explain why we don't have the absolute right to do whatever we wish with our bodies.

GALATIANS 6:7: "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap."

7. Who is accountable for the consequences of our actions?

COMMENT: Many people will argue that the decision to have a baby is up to the parents... and they are right! The decision is theirs. But once they decide to have an intimate relationship, the decision has been made and if a child is conceived, parents become stewards of their child. They must be prepared to accept the consequences of their decisions. Unfortunately, many people do not take appropriate responsibility for their actions. A lot of people who are against abortion will still support special cases when the mother has been raped or when her life is endangered by the pregnancy. But an abortion is still ending the life of a human being. In the case of rape, the baby can be given up for adoption after birth, or can still be raised by the mother with the support of her family and friends. In the case of the mother’s life being in danger, we must realize that God allows things to happen for a purpose, and we should not cut off His plan in progress by taking matters into our own hands. A great deal of prayer and a close relationship with God can ensure wise decision making for such matters.

8.What are the emotional/spiritual effects of having an abortion?

Summary Questions

1. How do your peers view the issue of abortion?

2. When does a human being begin life?

3. What is God's will concerning the lives of all human beings from conception?

4. How does God view abortion?

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What does the Bible teach about abortion?

What does God say about unborn babies? Is abortion a sin?

Answer: To answer these questions, let's first consider some background material. Today, most people only look to their own human reason instead of the Bible for guidance in this area. As you may know, the U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1973 (Roe vs. Wade) sparked a huge controversy. There is no issue since slavery that has so divided the population of the United States. The two opposing views on this issue are generally called "pro-life," meaning those who support the rights of the unborn, and "pro-choice" for those who say a woman should have control over her own body.
Many who favor allowing abortion have argued that abortions should be safe, legal and rare. Yet statistics show they are anything but rare. In the United States some 3,700 babies are aborted every day, amounting to over 1.3 million per year. Statistics also say that 93 percent of abortions occur not because of serious potential health problems or rape or incest, but because of social factors. The child is either unwanted or inconvenient.
The biggest area of debate in the abortion question is when life begins. Those who favor abortion might argue that it doesn't begin until sometime near birth, when the child could be viable on his or her own. Others point out that at the moment of conception a unique life comes into existence with a genetic code that contains everything that person will become—from height, size of feet and color of eyes, to factors such as whether he or she is predisposed to contract diabetes by age 50.
Growth and development after conception are rapid. Within 18 days a new heartbeat is detectable. At around three weeks, eyes, a spinal cord and digestive system are forming. At around a month and a half, brain waves can be detected. By about two months, fingers and toes are beginning to show and by the 18th week, the baby is moving and kicking.
While the Bible does not mention the word abortion, there are indications that God views the unborn as individuals. He told the prophet Jeremiah, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations" (Jeremiah:1:5Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.). God indicates He knew Jeremiah as a person and designated him for a special job extremely early in the gestation period. This implies "personhood" and God expressly forbids murder in the Sixth Commandment.
Additionally, Job said this about other people, "Did not He who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same One fashion us in the womb?" (Job:31:15Did not he that made me in the womb make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb?). Job understood God to be at work in the process of human gestation in the womb. Elizabeth was in her last trimester when John the Baptist "leaped" for joy in her womb in response to Mary greeting Elizabeth (Luke:1:36And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren., 41-44).
God views human life as very valuable and the verses above indicate He views life as beginning at conception. So while He doesn't mention the modern issue of abortion in the Bible by name, these passages indicate that God would label abortion as a sin.

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Moral Mugwumps

Marriage is between a man and a woman. On this issue we cannot be moral mugwumps.

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[Gary Petty] A mugwump – mugwump – is a curious animal. It's an animal that's able to walk a fence and keep it's mug on one side, and it's wump on the other. Actually, this term comes from a 1884 presidential election here in the United States, where there were some political leaders who would switch from one party to another and they were called "mugwumps". In our age of tolerance, we have to be very careful.
As Christians, are we becoming moral mugwumps, where we want to be seen as tolerant, we want to be seen as loving, and so we walk the fence so tight that we're really neither for or against something? You know, Jesus Christ said this in Matthew 19: "At the beginning, God made them male and female, and for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. What God had joined together, let not man separate" (Matthew:19:4-6 [4] And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
[5] And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
[6] Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.).
Jesus Christ said that marriage was designed by God to be between a man and a woman. It is a divine institution. And morally, if we're not going to be a moral mugwump, we have to stand up for that important truth. Christians can't let this one slide. We've let too many things slide in our country, and in doing so, we're losing blessings from God.
When it comes to marriage, we have to make that stand, that this is a divine institution. We cannot be moral mugwumps.
That's BT Daily . Join us next time.

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A Civil Discussion About Gay Marriage

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by Heather Disher

Submitted April 15, 2013

I’m guessing I’m not the only one who has felt overwhelmed and confused by the intense and dramatic language often used by friends dabbling in “Gay Rights” Activism. The controversy about “gay marriage” has stirred up and divided friends, families, and churches lately. I have often felt at a loss for words when trying to have a respectful discussion, as I sorted out the many disjointed and forcefully presented arguments. My hope is to help you to feel competent and calm in your own respectful discussions with your friends, family or coworkers.

Enough With the Emotive Appeals

If an argument is to be valid, it must stand without emotive appeals. Rhetorical questions such as “Why shouldn’t two people be able to spend their lives together if they love each other?” pull our heartstrings, but do not speak at all to the actual issue. Is it valid to suggest that the law, as it exists today, prohibits people from “spending their lives together” as a same sex couple? No. Civil Unions already exist and DO allow people to spend their lives together. A marriage is a covenant between a man, a woman, and God. A Civil Union is a contract between two adults and a civil authority. So already, by definition, even the term “gay marriage” is indefensible. Asking the government to let you get married is like asking the Post Office for a library card: You are asking the wrong authority, it’s not even within their power to grant your request.

Social Acceptance

An unspoken argument that is raging under the surface is for acceptance of the GLBT lifestyle as equal to the heterosexual lifestyle in the realms of daily life and by society at large. Activists hope that "legalizing gay marriage” would push it outside of the realm of “alternative” and into normalcy. On a personal level, it would mean acceptance by parents, siblings, friends, neighbors, the PTA and the little league team. However, the government can only create and enforce legislation, it cannot change people’s personal beliefs. Not to mention, the First Amendment protects free speech, even when controversial. The key here is “Your right to extend your arm stops at my nose.” A person can change his own beliefs and his own behavior, but cannot force his expectations on others.
Many will muddy this issue by linking it to violence, discrimination, or other crimes against gay people. This is also not a valid argument. Gay people already have rights. They are already citizens. If those rights are not respected, there are already laws in place to protect them and punish the guilty parties. If these laws are not upheld, that is an issue of enforcement, not legislation.

Religious Acceptance

This is another argument that is often unspoken, but is at the core of the issue. Activists want churches and synagogues—and by extension, God—to proclaim acceptance of the gay lifestyle as a moral imperative. Arguments may present a confusing dissonance of morality, claiming that “love” and “acceptance” are the same. You may have heard something similar to this: “If God is love, He must love everyone, and to love everyone, He must accept them no matter what.” So either God is wrong [because He says He is love but doesn’t love and accept homosexuality], or Christians are wrong [because they say that God doesn’t love and accept homosexuality when He actually does].”This argument catches many off guard, but its fundamental premise is flawed. “Love” and “acceptance” are not synonyms. God’s love for us is a selfless love, and when He defines an action as sin, it is because it is harmful. God can love a person without accepting their actions. There are already many resources on ucg.org that would be helpful in refuting claims that homosexuality is biblically acceptable, or in any way righteous in God’s sight. Again, legislation would not, could not change the teachings of the Bible or the beliefs of Christians.

Property Rights

When you get down to it, all of the flowery speech about love, devotion and equality distracts from the facts. The inflammatory news items of late have generated from issues of property rights. This is where any possibility exists for government legislation. The only practical discussion about “gay marriage” would be this: Should the government recognize Civil Unions as it does marriage: with tax credits, next of kin rights, and other laws governing money and property?
Some would say yes, because our government should represent its people, and protect their rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We live in a carnal world, and even if the law stayed as it is, our government and our population is already far from righteous.
On the other hand, history is made up of critical moments that can turn future events on their heads. Is this debate on “gay marriage” such a critical moment? Is it possible that if enough people learned God’s truth and sought Him that America as a whole could turn and repent?
I choose to be optimistic. That is why it is so important for you and I to be informed, to be logical, to be competent in thought and discussion. Because changing hearts and minds is what we are here for. All of us have been rescued from sin, and who knows what the impact of your words could be for someone else?
So if you find yourself in the middle of a heated discussion, remember: Be logical. Be clear. Ask questions to find out what is driving your friend’s argument. And above all, remember Proverbs:11:9An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbour: but through knowledge shall the just be delivered.. “With their words, the godless destroy their friends, but knowledge will rescue the righteous.”

The Missing Dimension in American Education

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The Missing Dimension in American Education


A commentary by Cecil Maranville



If America wants to understand this present world, succeed in globalized business and navigate the explosive configuration of 21st-century geopolitics, this is the wrong time to exclude God from the classroom.



The cost of education represents one of the largest budget outlays of every level of U.S. government, as politicians of every stripe claim a firm commitment to providing American children with the best education possible.



Curiously, America is simultaneously expunging from formal education any dogmatic reference to the Creator or His laws. If America wants to understand this present world, succeed in globalized business and navigate the explosive configuration of 21st-century geopolitics, this is the wrong time to exclude God from the classroom.



Pilgrims and Lincoln can't be separated from the Bible

America just celebrated one of its most accepted national customs, Thanksgiving Day. It stems from Pilgrims recreating an English harvest festival in acknowledgement and thanks to God for bringing the Plymouth colony through their first year.



Americans still champion the courage of these pioneers from whose tiny start would sprout the most powerful nation the world had ever known. Books were scarce among the first immigrants and education a challenge, but one book that all possessed was the Bible. It was guaranteed to be read—more than that, studied and learned by every child.



In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving Day in the soberest of times, the height of the bloody Civil War. In spite of tragedy, the president saw national benefits that could be explained only by supernatural intervention. In part, the proclamation reads:



"Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.



"No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens."



A biblical compass in a complex world

Although Thanksgiving, the Pilgrims and Abraham Lincoln remain popular in American culture, strangely, the Bible does not. Formal education is painstakingly vacuumed of any reference to the Bible.



Yet those who control the curriculum fail to realize that this handicaps our children from success in navigating globalized business, as well as governing in a complex world.



This was graphically illustrated in a piece written by political scientist George Friedman, founder and chief intelligence officer of Stratfor, a private intelligence corporation. The internationally respected Friedman is currently traveling through critical areas of the world to refresh his perspective in a way you can only do face to face. This small anecdote is just the tip of the iceberg of how religion and knowledge of the Bible are still vitally important in today's world.



In his Nov. 23 update from Turkey, he wrote:



"We arrived in Istanbul during the festival of Eid al-Adha, which commemorates the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son Ishmael on God's command and praises the God who stayed his hand. It is a jarring holiday for me; I was taught that it was Isaac whom God saved. The distinction between Ishmael and Isaac is the difference between Hagar and Sarah, between Abraham and the Jews and Abraham and the Muslims. It ties Muslims, Jews and Christians together. It also tears them apart." (See full text here . You may be asked to sign in to read it, but it is free.)



Clearly, Friedman was educated in the Bible—and it aids him in understanding the world, as well as in advising presidents, prime ministers, business leaders—and anyone else with ears to hear.



Americans have lost sight of the value of a biblical education , without which they are hopelessly without a compass in a complex world.



Friedman continues:



"Muslims celebrate Eid with the sacrifice of animals (sheep and cattle). Istanbul is a modern commercial city, stunningly large. On this day, as we drove in from the airport, there were vacant lots with cattle lined up for those wishing to carry out the ritual. There were many cattle and people. The ritual sacrifice is widely practiced, even among the less religious . I was told that Turkey had to import cattle for the first time, bringing them in from Uruguay. Consider the juxtaposition of ancient ritual sacrifice so widely practiced that it requires global trade to sustain it" (emphasis added).



Religion defines, motivates, divides and—unless God steps in to stop it—will destroy the world. Don't spurn your roots, America! Learn, love and live the Bible