Have you ever found yourself getting pulled into a good old fashioned gossip session?

Oh, we don't like to call it what it really is. In Christian circles we call it "sharing". Some times we begin the session with the words, "Hey, we really need to pray for brother so and so.."

Isn't it funny how after divulging all the tawdry tidbits about some poor person's lapse into sin or relationship flame out we somehow never get around to praying?

You've done it and I've done it. And the Bible tells us there is a reason for it.

Myths The World Taught Me

As soon as word leaks out that you are a Christian who takes the Bible seriously, you can expect the following conversation to take place:

"You don't mean to tell me you believe in Adam and Eve? Everyone knows science has disproved the Bible!"

How will you respond to this when your time comes?

Perhaps a good place to begin is to simply return the serve.

"If you will tell me why you believe in 'goo to you by way of the zoo', I'll be happy to discuss it."

In my experience, I have come to expect this volley.

"Well, science has proved evolution happens. The facts argue against your position."

At this point, it is good to ask for a time out for definitions. If by "evolution" what is meant is natural selection, that certain traits in a population of a species tend to get emphasized in response to environmental conditions, we have no argument. God has placed a marvelous capacity for adaptability within living things.

But if what is meant is that science has demonstrated that new and functional genetic information can be added to a particular kind of creature by chance mutations - better start over. This simply is not true. It has never been demonstrated in the lab or class room.

Second, when people say things like "The facts argue" we need another time out. Facts don't argue. It is our interpretation of the facts that we dispute about.

If things follow the usual path the next thing you will hear is, "Well, all good scientists believe in evolution so I side with their interpretation!"

Here we get to the nub of the issue. Most people I have talked with on this subject don't believe in evolution because they have studied it and are convinced that the "facts" tell us nothing created everything, and that the most awe inspiring information system ever discovered, the DNA molecule, accidentally arose from raw matter and energy. Rather they believe in evolution because they are convinced that all smart people believe in evolution. And who wants to be an ignoramus?

This controversy has been rushed to the forefront by the imminent opening of the Answers In Genesis Creation Museum on May 28th.

As you can imagine the advent of a facility that shows the evidence for a young earth, the flood of Noah and that dinosaurs and human beings coexisted has stirred up a lot of dust.

The Company We Keep

King Solomon once observed,

God Is Moving

I have to admit the contents of this week's entries on Scott's Blog haven't exactly been straight out of the "Sunshine n' Roses File". We've explored persecution, the dark spiritual reality behind the increasingly dangerous events in the Middle East, the loss of a man of principle and conviction, and the increase of anti-God propaganda in our schools.

Ready for a change of pace?

Me too.

Christianity is growing faster now that at any time in its 2,000 year history 

The Church of Jesus Christ is growing faster now that at any time in its 2,000 year history. Globally more than 90,000 new converts come to Christ each day with 20,000 new Christians confessing Christ daily in Africa, and 28,000 new Christians coming daily to Christ in China.

The Rt. Rev. Derek Eaton, former Bishop of Nelson, New Zealand and now Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Egypt told more than 1,000 missionary-minded Episcopalians and Anglicans at a New Wineskins for Global Missions conference that despite Western timidity and a deconstructionist gospel being foisted on the American Episcopal Church, there are 8,000 new adult Anglican believers coming to Christ each day across the globe.

"We are seeing 400 new Anglican churches open each week around the world. In the Province of Nigeria there are more Anglicans in church on Sunday than all the UK, North America and Australasia put together," he told a stunned audience, many of whom live with revisionist Episcopal bishops who no longer have a biblical gospel to proclaim.

The newly installed Middle East bishop said mission is integral to the Christian Faith, and without mission there would be no Christianity. "We have a gospel for the whole world. Since Jesus is unique he has universal and global significance and therefore he must be made known to everyone in the world," said Eaton who described himself as New Zealand's only evangelical bishop.

"Christian mission is rooted and grounded in the very nature of God himself. Mission is indispensable to Christianity. It is rooted in the triune God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God has created a missionary church, and He is working towards a mission consummation. We worship and serve a missionary God. If you want a biblical base for mission it is not possible to choose less than the whole Bible. This is the world God loves - our God is a missionary God.

"Mission is taking place whether we like it or not. The question we must ask is, do I want to participate and be a part of the global plan or remain parochial. In the Province of Nigeria they have consecrated 20 new bishops and created 20 new missionary dioceses in the past year. The Church is not dying it is growing, let us be encouraged."

"In Indonesia the church has seen a 500 percent growth in 20 years. In South Korea more than 30 percent of the population is Christian. Ethiopia has more than 7,000 new congregations. In Tunisia there were only about dozen or so Christians, now there are several hundred Tunisian Christians, and some are worshipping openly. There is now an Arabic service. The truth is there are many exciting stories to tell of God's missionary plan to extend His Kingdom globally."

"We are called to be his missionary people. The God of the Old Testament is the Father and maker of the universe. The OT begins with Adam not Abraham, not with a covenant but with creation, not with a chosen race but with the human race. God's purpose and promise was to bless all the nations of the earth. In the NT we see the Christ of the Gospels as a missionary Christ. God had only one Son and he was a missionary and a physician. The Holy Spirit of Acts is a missionary Spirit; nobody can be indwelt by the Holy Spirit and keep that Spirit to himself. Where the Spirit is He flows forth and if there is no flowing forth He is not there. The church of St. Paul's letters is a missionary church."

Citing Archbishop William Temple's dictum, Bishop Eaton said, "The church is the only society on earth that exists primarily for the benefit of its non members. We've got to turn the church inside out to serve the world out there. It is a world that needs Christ. Each local church is to exhibit the 'missionary' character of the Church universal."

The Book of the Revelation is the climax of history and it is a missionary climax. St. John's vision of heaven is the company of the faithful. To proclaim Christ and his cross in a world of pluralism is to invite opposition. Mission lies at the heart of God. Mission is the global outreach of a global people of our global God."

"We need to repent of our indifference. Have we resisted the missionary call, hear it afresh. Our God is a missionary God. He loves the world he has made and we are called to be his missionaries. Equal to anything that God calls us to be or to do are His resources. Let us do it."  

Notice the exciting key to this growth is faithfulness to God's Word. When we allow the Biblically authentic message of Jesus to be shared in the power of the Holy Spirit, awesome things take place.

Have you ever stopped to think of your own neighborhood as a mission field? What would happen if we started praying for God to reach the lost on our own street, apartment complex or cul-de-sac?

Some Christians doubt that God still does miracles. I'm sure they don't feel that way in Indonesia, or Nigeria, or Tunisia. If we step out and share God's love with those in our corner of the world we will see God's power as well!

“I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name." (Revelation 3:8)

Scott's Blog - 5/17/07

They Are Just Kidding, Right?

Those who believe that persecution of believers is a thing of the distant past evidently don't get out very much. We in the United States live on an island of relative tranquility as far as paying a physical price for our faith in Christ. But around the world, the cost for standing with Jesus continues to be a high one indeed.

Taliban Tells Pakistani Christians: Convert or Die

Thursday, May 17, 2007

 FNC

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan  —  Christians in a Pakistani town beset by pro-Taliban militants sought government protection Wednesday, the eve of a deadline for them to convert to Islam or face violence.

About 500 Pakistani Christians in Charsadda, a town in the North West Frontier Province bordering Afghanistan, received letters earlier this month telling them to close their churches and convert by Thursday or be the target of "bomb explosions."

Several Christians, a tiny minority in the predominantly Muslim country, have fled town and others are living in fear, community leaders said.

Some complained that police were not taking the threat seriously.

"Police say someone is joking with us by writing these letters," Chaudhry Salim, a Charsadda Christian leader, said during a news conference in Islamabad. "They have deployed only two policemen at our churches ... this is the kind of security we are getting now."

Shahbaz Bhatti, a prominent Christian leader and head of the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance, said the provincial government, which is controlled by a coalition of pro-Taliban religious parties, would bear blame for attacks after the deadline.

The response of the police is interesting here. "Oh, don't worry. Someone is just pulling a practical joke on you! Don't take these things so seriously!"

But if the history of the last twenty years has taught us anything, those whose message is "Convert or die!" are serious. Deadly serious.

Take a moment and watch this vivid portrayal of this dangerous strain of fanaticism.

This is the nature of the enemy we are fighting. And as events this week have revealed there is both a physical and spiritual component to this battle. We need to be in prayer for our brothers and sisters who are targets of persecution. We also need to be prepared to take full advantage of our amazing privilege to be able to share openly the love and truth that are in Jesus.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.  Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.  To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. (I Peter 5:8-11)

 Scott's Blog - 5/16/07

The Key to Mahmoud's Foul Mood

The Bible tells us that behind every war that we can see, lies a war that we cannot see.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12)

Never has this truth been more real and relevant than when we take a look at the motivating forces behind the brewing storm in the Middle East.

Even a casual observer of today's events knows the "what" behind the current crisis. Iran has embarked one seemingly one way journey toward becoming a nuclear power. All carrot and stick approaches toward getting the mullahs in Tehran to change course have failed.

Today, former UN ambassador John Bolton spoke of the "what" of this crisis in blunt and unmistakable terms.

We must attack Iran before it gets the bomb

A nuclear Iran would be as dangerous as “Hitler marching into the Rhineland” in 1936 and should be prevented by Western military strikes if necessary, according to a leading hawk who recently left the Bush administration.

	John Bolton has close links to the Bush administration

John Bolton, who still has close links to the Bush administration, told The Daily Telegraph that the European Union had to "get more serious" about Iran and recognise that its diplomatic attempts to halt Iran's enrichment programme had failed.

Iran has "clearly mastered the enrichment technology now...they're not stopping, they're making progress and our time is limited", he said. Economic sanctions "with pain" had to be the next step, followed by attempting to overthrow the theocratic regime and, ultimately, military action to destroy nuclear sites.

Mr Bolton's stark warning appeared to be borne out yesterday by leaks about an inspection by the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of Iran's main nuclear installation at Natanz on Sunday.

The experts found that Iran's scientists were operating 1,312 centrifuges, the machines used to enrich uranium. If Iran can install 3,000, it will need about one year to produce enough weapons grade uranium for one nuclear bomb.

Experts had judged that Iran would need perhaps two years to master the technical feat of enriching uranium using centrifuges - and then another two years to produce enough material to build a weapon.

But the IAEA found that Iran has already managed to enrich uranium to the four per cent purity needed for power stations. Weapons-grade uranium must reach a threshold of 84 per cent purity.

Mohammed ElBaradei, the IAEA's head, said the West's goal of halting the enrichment programme had been "overtaken by events". Iran had probably mastered this process and "the focus now should be to stop them from going to industrial scale production".

Mr Bolton said: "It's been conclusively proven Iran is not going to be talked out of its nuclear programme. So to stop them from doing it, we have to massively increase the pressure.

"If we can't get enough other countries to come along with us to do that, then we've got to go with regime change by bolstering opposition groups and the like, because that's the circumstance most likely for an Iranian government to decide that it's safer not to pursue nuclear weapons than to continue to do so. And if all else fails, if the choice is between a nuclear-capable Iran and the use of force, then I think we need to look at the use of force."

President George W Bush privately refers to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has pledged to wipe Israel "off the map", as a 21st Century Adolf Hitler and Mr Bolton, who remains a close ally of Vice President Dick Cheney, said the Iranian leader presented a similar threat.

"If the choice is them continuing [towards a nuclear bomb] or the use of force, I think you're at a Hitler marching into the Rhineland point. If you don't stop it then, the future is in his hands, not in your hands, just as the future decisions on their nuclear programme would be in Iran's hands, not ours."

But Mr Bolton conceded that military action had many disadvantages and might not succeed. "It's very risky for the price of oil, risky because you could, let's say, take out their enrichment capabilities at Natanz, and they may have enrichment capabilities elsewhere you don't know about."

Such a strike would only be a "last option" after economic sanctions and attempts to foment a popular revolution had failed but the risks of using military force, he indicated, would be less than those of tolerating a nuclear Iran. "Imagine what it would be like with a nuclear Iran. Imagine the influence Iran could have over the entire region. It's already pushing its influence in Iraq through the financing of terrorist groups like Hamas and Hizbollah."

The price Iran has paid for its nuclear ambitions has been significant. International sanctions have increased a sense of unease among the people. Many believe the fiery rhetoric of Mahmoud Ahmadinejhad has hurt both their perception in the world as well as their pocket books.

So why continue down this path?

The answer is frighteningly spiritual.

On his excellent web site , Joel Rosenberg calls our attention to a just released book on Iran's seemingly self destructive behavior called The Nuclear Sphinx: Mahmoud Ahmadinejhad and the State of Iran. Although it's authors are secular in their perspective, the spiritual underpinnings of our current world crisis are hard to miss.

As Joel comments:

..if you're looking for some light summer reading, you might want to skip The Nuclear Sphinx of Tehran: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the State of Iran by Yossi Melman, a leading Israeli investigative journalist, and Meir Javedanfar, an Iranian-born Mideast analyst who works closely with the BBC, Voice of America and the Los Angeles Times. But if you're interested in revealing new insights in Ahmadinejad's apocalyptic religious beliefs, look no further.

Major American news outlets like CBS's "60 Minutes," NBC News, CNN and Time have covered Ahmadinejad extensively this past year -- even interviewed him exclusively -- yet missed the big story: the end of the world theology driving his foreign policy. But Melman and Javedanfar get it.

Excerpts from their new book:

* "Ahmadinejad is the first Muslim leader who has prayed for the hastening of the return of the Shiite Messiah, known as the Mahdi, at the U.N. General Assembly, an act that reinforced his conviction that he was carrying God's words and acting on behalf of the Messiah....Never before had an Iranian leader so publicly acknowledged his messianic beliefs." (p. 42)

* "The Ayandeye Roshan (Bright Future) Institute, based in Qom, specializes in theological research about the Mahdi. It points to at least five 'distinct signs' that need to happen before the Mahdi appears." (p. 43-44)

1. "The first is the rise of a fighter from Yemen called the Yamani, who attacks the enemies of Islam.

2. "The second sign is the rise of an anti-Mahdi militant leader named Osman Ben Anbase, who will also be known as the Sofiani. He will be joined by another anti-Mahdi militant called Dajal, whom many Muslims clerics have compared to the Antichrist. The uprising of Sofiani will precede the appearance of the Mahdi in Mecca by exactly six months. These two forces, known as the forces of evil, will occupy Syria and Jordan and advance from there....[for] an epic battle near the city of Kufa, in the Shiite heartland of southern Iraq.

3. "The third distinct sign will be voices from the sky. The most distinct voice will be that of the Angel Gabriel, who will call the faithful to gather around the Mahdi.

4. "The fourth sign will entail the destruction of Sofiani's army....

5. "The fifth and final sign is the death of a holy man by the name of Muhammed bin Hassan, called Nafse Zakiye, or the pure soul. Fifteen days after he is killed, the Mahdi will appear in Mecca. The Mahdi will appoint Jesus Christ as his deputy. People will recognize the Mahdi because there will be an angel above his head shouting, 'This is the Mahdi. Follow him.' The Mahdi will be wearing a ring that belonged to King Solomon and will hold the wooden stick that Moses held when he parted the Red Sea. His army of 313 will grow into 10,000, fifty of whom will be women."

An additional indicator of the Mahdi's arrival, say the religious scholars to whom Ahmadinejad is listening, will be "the death of 80 percent of the world's population in a massive war."

The authors note that Ahmadinejad is telling associates time is very short, noting that in 2005, he "made the timetable more specific, saying the Mahdi would reappear in 2007." He thus increased government funding for the leading Islamic school that teaches about the coming of the Mahdi by 1,000% to $3.5 million.

"With Iran now able to enrich uranium, it could become nuclear in 2007," the authors conclude. "If that happens, Iran's nuclear arsenal might give the regime the confidence it needs to start a war, which could then become the 'platform' that Ahmadinejad has said he wants to create for the reappearance of the Mahdi."

Suddenly the intensity of Iran's drive for nuclear weapons becomes abundantly clear. If Melman and Javedanfar are correct in their analysis, Ahmadinejhad is facing a count down. It is also significant to remember that we have already seen a group of Shiite Moslems attempt to ignite the prophecised battle of Kufa in the last year. The group ended up getting destroyed by coalition forces, but the attempt to take these predictions into their own hands is a frightening precedent. What if their fellow Shiite devotee of the Moslem messiah is willing to do the same?

The "why" of the current crisis in the Middle East is undeniably spiritual in nature. Even more sobering is the fact that the message Ahmadinejhad and others have embraced is a series of false prophecies built on doctrine that denies the Person and work of the true Jesus as He is revealed in the Bible.

The big story is the false doctrine that fuels the genocidal madness of the Iranian regime. And false doctrine has an ultimate source, the spiritual powers and principalities caught up in a battle for the souls of humanity.

We may never see this battle with our physical eyes.

But as events in the Middle East reveal, we can certainly see what this battle does.

In days like these, the instructions we receive in Ephesians chapter 6 have never been more on target.

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:13-17)

Scott's Blog 5/15/07

Scott's Blog 5/9/07

Be Careful Little Eyes?

Every now and then a story runs on the sorry state of children's television in our country. It is hard to argue with the notion that most programming is little more than a half hour infomercial, custom designed to motivate our children to become the next generation of gullible consumers.

And if the marketing geniuses behind these presentations have done their job properly, their young audience will eventually whine and hound their parents into submission and cause them to buy a breakfast cereal that probably takes more nutrition out of us than it puts in.

But what if the same marketing genius was used for a more dangerous purpose? 

What if the message wasn't "Open your wallets!" ?

What if it was "Open fire!" ?

Hamas 'Mickey Mouse' wants Islam takeover

By DIAA HADID, Associated Press Writer Tue May 8, 4:59 PM ET

AP

'

 

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Hamas militants have enlisted the iconic Mickey Mouse to broadcast their message of Islamic dominion and armed resistance to their most impressionable audience — little kids.

A giant black-and-white rodent — named "Farfour," or "butterfly," but unmistakably a Mickey ripoff — does his high-pitched preaching against the U.S. and Israel on a children's show run each Friday on Al-Aqsa TV, a station run by Hamas. The militant group, sworn to Israel's destruction, shares power in the Palestinian government.

"You and I are laying the foundation for a world led by Islamists," Farfour squeaked on a recent episode of the show, which is titled, "Tomorrow's Pioneers."

"We will return the Islamic community to its former greatness, and liberate Jerusalem, God willing, liberate Iraq, God willing, and liberate all the countries of the Muslims invaded by the murderers."

Children call in to the show, many singing Hamas anthems about fighting Israel.

Israel has long complained that the Palestinian airwaves are filled with incitement.

An Israeli organization that monitors Palestinian media, Palestinian Media Watch, said the Mickey Mouse lookalike takes "every opportunity to indoctrinate young viewers with teachings of Islamic supremacy, hatred of Israel and the U.S., and support of 'resistance,' the Palestinian euphemism for terror."

Yehia Moussa, a Hamas leader in the movement's Gaza Strip base, denied inciting children against Jews. "Our problem is not with the Jews. Our problem is with the (Israeli) occupation and the occupiers," Moussa said.

Israeli officials denounced the program. David Baker, an official in Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office, said, "There is nothing comic about inciting young generations of Palestinians to hate Israelis."

Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev called the program "outrageous" and charged that the Palestinians have not carried out their commitments to stop incitement of hatred toward Israel. "Children are taught that killing Jews is a good thing," he said. "Children are taught to hate Jews and to hate nonbelievers."

Basem Abu Sumaya, head of the Palestinian Broadcasting Corp., said such programming was inappropriate.

"I don't think it's professional or even humane to use children in such harsh political programs," Abu Sumaya said. "Children's nationalist spirit must be developed differently."

The Palestinian Broadcasting Corp. is controlled by Hamas' political rival, the Fatah movement of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas..

Hamas loyalists launched the Al Aqsa satellite channel last year. Bearded young men read the news, often offering live news broadcasts. Islamic music is layered over footage of masked militants firing rockets into Israel. But the channel also broadcasts talk shows, programs about the disabled and cartoons.

Hamas loyalists also run at least five news Web sites, one newspaper — launched just last week — and a radio station.

This bizarre collision of Sesame Street and the Twilight Zone hasn't gone unnoticed.

The only surviving child of Walt Disney has claimed Hamas is "pure evil" for using a Mickey Mouse rip-off as a propaganda tool for hate.

"What we're dealing with here is pure evil and you can't ignore that" - Diane Disney Miller

Diane Disney Miller said she was disgusted that a copy of the famous cartoon character was being used on a new Hamas TV show to encourage Palestinian children to fight against Israel and America.

Ms Miller, 73, claimed it went "against the grain of humanity", before saying: "Of course I feel personal about Mickey Mouse, but it could be Barney as well.

"It's not just Mickey, it's indoctrinating children like this, teaching them to be evil. The world loves children and this is just going against the grain of humanity."

Hamas's Al-Aqsa TV station began to show the children's series, Tomorrow's Pioneers, last month. It features a life-size lookalike of Mickey Mouse called Farfur, who sings about children arming themselves with AK-47s and aspiring for world domination "under Islamic leadership".

Ms Miller said: "What we're dealing with here is pure evil and you can't ignore that."

The outcry over the adventures of "Farfour" has reached such a level that Hamas has pulled the program "pending review".

Their is no doubt that televised images are a powerful persuasive tool. Appealing to the innocence and trustfulness of children to build the next generation of suicide bombers is a horrible thing. 

But we don't really need to turn on the "Hamas Channel" to pick up a media message designed to instill a violence and rage driven world view that reduces people to easily manipulated objects, do we?

It's all there waiting for us in HD-TV clarity and Surround Sound every time we turn on the television or fire up the computer. Right here in the good old US of A.

So what can we do about it?

Here's a start - Make a decision to invite God to be a part of your decision making process when accessing the media. 

Simply ask the Lord, "Is this something You really want me to let into my heart?"

What does God want us to allow in to our lives through the gate of our eyes?

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. (Philippians 4:8)

Could you image how differently we would look at the world if we used that passage as a grid for our minds?

You might be thinking, "Hmmm. If I took that seriously that would eliminate an awful lot of my viewing time. What will I do without some of my favorite wastes of brain cells?"

Great question.

You could go outside and watch a sunset. (When was the last time you did that?)

You could call an old friend you haven't talked to in five years, just to catch up.

You could go and visit someone who needs encouragement.

You could write a letter to a loved one telling them how much you appreciate them.

You could read a few Psalms and see what the Lord shows you.

You could exercise the body God gave you -  even a walk around the block is a good start.

You could pray.

You get the picture.

The most deadly thing about media isn't just outrageous presentations like "Farfour". We have to realize that the absolute waste of the precious gift of time is damaging to the heart as well.

More than ever, King David's prayer is remarkably on target!

Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things,

And revive me in Your way. (Psalm 119:37)

Scott's Blog 5/8/07

Dome of the Rock: Target of Muslim Extremists?

by Emanuel A. Winston

Collapsing the Dome and Al-Aksa may trigger a war.

 

Aerial photo of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem showing the Proposed Northern,
Central and Southern Sites for the First and Second Temples.

The Temple Mount in Jerusalem

Concern has been raised in Israel that Islamic terrorists such as Hamas or Al-Qaeda may target the Muslim shrine of the Dome of the Rock or Al-Aksa Mosque, both of which sit atop the site of the Jewish Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

The Islamic terrorists would then blame Israel to arouse Muslim anger, in order to trigger a war in the Middle East. The subsequent loss of Muslim lives is of little concern to them. On the contrary, they even think this is the best way to get their fellow Muslims into their paradise, by making them shuhada (plural of shahid, martyr for Islam). We have already seen Shiite and Sunni Muslims target each others' mosques for demolition, and that both use their so-called "shrines" for the storage of weapons, explosives and safe houses for their terrorists. They do, however, expect Americans and Israelis to respect the self-proclaimed sanctity of their mosques and shrines.

Suspicions were raised in light of the frenzied reaction to Israel repairing a crumbling, earthquake-damaged earthen ramp that leads up to the site of the Temple Mount. Muslim leaders tried to assert that the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aksa Mosque were endangered by these repair measures - a rather ridiculous claim. It was also thought that Muslim terrorists were planning to collapse the shaky ramp on top of Jewish worshipers at the Western Wall. They may have intended to use this excuse to permanently close the Mughrabi Gate (the only gate up to the Mount open to non-Muslims) to the Temple Mount so no infidels (non-Muslims) could enter.

In this light, it is clear why Muslim leaders always opposed any infrastructure improvements in the area. With an anarchist agenda, they want people to get hurt and are happy to help the process along if it benefits their religious war against the Jews, Christians and all other non-Muslim infidels whom they must kill.

In fact, the Muslim Wakf (religious administrative authority) has been carrying out secret excavations under the Temple Mount, to invent and reinforce their own religious claims while disposing of all Jewish artifacts - some from the First and Second Temple periods.

Israeli engineers warned the Wakf that they were weakening the supporting walls of the Temple Mount, including those of the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aksa Mosque. A dangerous bulge was spotted on a major retaining wall of the Temple Mount. Yet, the Wakf has continued to undermine the foundations until today.

A moderately small earthquake in February 11, 2004, coupled with the effects of a major snowfall, damaged the Mughrabi Gate ramp leading up to the Temple Mount. Even a small earthquake could completely collapse the ancient stone walls. Many earthquakes have hit this region, which lies on a major fault along the Jordan River, called the Dead Sea Rift, running the length of Israel and creating a series of active faults throughout the country. The area underlying the entire region is a series of major and minor faults under constant pressure to slip or crack, producing major and minor temblors. (If you wish to explore this further, then pull up the words "earthquake," "2004," "damage to Mughrabi ramp to Temple Mount" on Google.)

Even a small temblor could collapse the wall of Solomon’s Temple Mount now that the Muslim Wakf has dug out the core of the Mount. It is merely an event waiting to happen. The other possibility is that Muslim Arab terrorists might be preparing to place high explosives on the remaining supports that hold up the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aksa Mosque.

Time will tell.

Scott's Blog 5/03/07

Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week;
      But in the middle of the week
      He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.
      And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate,
      Even until the consummation, which is determined,
      Is poured out on the desolate." (Daniel 9:27)

The anti-christ will grant the Jewish people the right to re-establish sacrifice and offering as part of his comprehensive peace plan for the region. The world will breathe a collective sigh of relief. But three and one half years into this agreement he will double cross the Jews and take his seat in the rebuilt temple, declaring himself God and demanding worship.

Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,  who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. (II Thessalonians 2:3-4)

In this case the old saying is true - Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it! The desire of the reformed Sanhedrin to reestablish the Temple, even if it means making a bargain with Israel's most passionate enemies certainly seems like a preview of greater events yet to come!

Scott's Blog 5/02/07

Ahmadinejad under fire for embracing his old teacher

DRUDGE REPORT 2007®

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been accused of indecency after he publicly embraced and kissed on the hand an elderly woman who used to be his schoolteacher.

At a ceremony on Tuesday ahead of Iranian teachers' day, Mr. Ahmadinejad was photographed and filmed by state media stooping to kiss the woman's hand and then clasping her arms in an embrace.

The ultra-conservative Hezbollah newspaper, which is not related to the group in Lebanon of the same name, criticised him on the front page.

"The Muslim Iranian people have no recollection of such acts contrary to sharia law during Islamic rule [since the 1979 revolution]," it said.

"This type of indecency progressively has grave consequences, like violating religious and sacred values."

The elderly woman, who was not named, wore thick gloves along with a headscarf and long black coat, meaning that Mr Ahmadinejad avoided any skin contact.

But his action raised eyebrows because according to sharia law, it is forbidden for a man to have any physical contact with a woman to whom he is not related.

While Mr Ahmadinejad is considered an ultra-conservative in the West, this is not the first time he and his Government have been attacked by hardline elements even further along the spectrum.

He courted controversy when he unsuccessfully proposed women be allowed to attend football matches, and one of his vice presidents came under huge pressure last year after allegedly watching a woman dance at a ceremony in Turkey.

But other hardline publications published the images of the latest incident without further comment. "A kiss on the hand for the teacher," was the headline in the government daily Iran.

Mr Ahmadinejad's action appeared to be a public gesture of humility before Iranian teachers, who have publicly protested against low salaries and accused the Government of not doing enough to improve their work conditions.

It's hard to believe that there are actually people in this world that look at a man like Mahmoud Ahmadinejhad who has called for the extermination of Israel, believes no one blinked during his entire speech at the United Nations (while he was surrounded by a mysterious green glow, no less!), and regularly communes with a hidden messiah who lives at the bottom of a well, and accuse him of not being quite fanatical enough. 

But it happened. The "propriety police" have spoken.

Giving your school teacher a hug has been pronounced an unprecedented act of indecency - and Mahmoud - that slacker! - is guilty as charged.

The unavoidable lesson here is one Jesus stated succinctly.

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye?  Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye." (Matthew 7:1-5)

Here we see the Achilles' Heel of legalism. No matter how intensely we try to follow a set of rules, no matter how high our standards, someone always comes along and sets the bar of decency a little bit higher. 

And here is the ray of hope that all who try to bear this kind of merciless yoke need to see. The way to true righteousness isn't by trying harder. Rather it is by seeing our desperate need for forgiveness and mercy, and turning to God to find it..

Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." (Luke 18:9-14)

Which of these two men best represents our approach to God?

Scott's Blog 5/1/07

Atheists split on how to not believe


By JAY LINDSAY, The Associated Press

 

Published: Saturday, Apr. 21, 2007

 

BOSTON – Atheists are under attack these days for being too militant, for not just disbelieving in religious faith but for trying to eradicate it. And who’s leveling these accusations? Other atheists, it turns out.

Among the millions of Americans who don’t believe God exists, there’s a split between people such as Greg Epstein, who holds the partially endowed post of humanist chaplain at Harvard University, and so-called “New Atheists.”

Epstein and other humanists feel their movement is on verge of explosive growth, but are concerned it will be dragged down by what they see as the militancy of New Atheism.

The most pre-eminent New Atheists include best-selling authors Richard Dawkins, who has called the God of the Old Testament “a psychotic delinquent,” and Sam Harris, who foresees global catastrophe unless faith is renounced. They say religious belief is so harmful it must be defeated and replaced by science and reason.

Epstein calls them “atheist fundamentalists.” He sees them as rigid in their dogma, and as intolerant as some of the faith leaders with whom atheists share the most obvious differences.

Next month, as Harvard celebrates the 30th anniversary of its humanist chaplaincy, Epstein will use the occasion to provide a counterpoint to the New Atheists.

“Humanism is not about erasing religion,” he said. “It’s an embracing philosophy.”

In general, humanism rejects supernaturalism, while stressing principles such as dignity of the individual, equality and social justice. If there’s no God to help humanity, it holds, people better do the work.

The celebration of a “New Humanism” will emphasize inclusion and diversity within the movement and will include Pulitzer Prize-winning scientist E.O. Wilson, a humanist who has made well-chronicled efforts to team with evangelical Christians to fight global warming.

Part of the New Humanism, Wilson said, is “an invitation to a common search for morally based action in areas agreement can be reached in.”

The tone of the New Atheists will only alienate important faith groups whose help is needed to solve the world’s problems, Wilson said. “I would suggest possibly that while there is use in the critiques by Dawkins and Harris, that they’ve overdone it,” he said.

Harris, author of “Letter to a Christian Nation,” sees the disagreement as overblown. He thinks there’s room for multiple arguments in the debate between scientific rationalism and religious dogmatism.

Harris also rejected the term “atheist fundamentalist,” calling it “a silly play upon words.” He noted that, when it comes to the ancient Greek gods, everyone is an atheist and no one is asked to justify that to pagans who want to believe in Zeus.

“Likewise with the God of Abraham,” he said. “There is nothing ‘fundamentalist’ about finding the claims of religious demagogues implausible.”

Some of the participants in Harvard’s celebration of its humanist chaplaincy have no problem with the New Atheists’ tone.

Harvard psychologist and author Steven Pinker said the forcefulness of their criticism is standard in scientific and political debate, and “far milder than what we accept in book and movie reviews.”

Dawkins did not respond to requests for comment.

A 2006 Baylor University survey estimates about 15 million atheists in the United States.

Not all nonbelievers identify as humanists or atheists, with some calling themselves agnostics, freethinkers or skeptics. But humanists see the potential for unifying the groups under their banner, creating a large, powerful minority that can’t be ignored or disdained by mainstream political and social thinkers.

But Epstein worries the attacks on religion by the New Atheists will keep converts away.

“The philosophy of the future is not going to be one that tries to erase its enemies,” he said. “The future is going to be people coming together from what motivates them.”

A couple of observations. 

First, there is nothing "new" about the anti-religionist crusader tone of people like Dawkins and Harris. It all has been done before. 

Philosophically people like Voltaire, Bertrand Russell and Thomas Huxley (a man so gentle in argument he was called "Darwin's Bulldog") weren't exactly shrinking violets. Politically, people like Stalin and Mao Zedong weren't subtle in their approach either. This, "The only reason why atheism is mired in single digits in the polls is because we've been too nice about it" mentality doesn't seem to stand up under examination.

Second, whether one goes about atheism by picketing churches or having warm and fuzzy "Imagine" sing-alongs in a chapel, the philosophy runs into some serious problems. How did we get here? Atheism tells us we are all a big uncaused effect. Why are we here? Atheism tells us there really is no purpose behind life. What lies beyond? Who knows, but probably nothing. We die. The lights go out. It's all over. Non existence. Worm food.

Sam Harris worries about global catastrophe unless faith is stamped out. To quote Rick Blaine in Casablanca, "And what of it? At least it will be out of its misery."

Atheists have said that Christianity is too good to be true. But the bottom line is atheism is too bad to be true. We know almost instinctively that we were created for greater things than grabbing a few minutes on the top of some Darwinian dog pile.

No amount of belligerent shouting, snarky straw man attacks, or New Age packaging can help the atheist escape the most disconcerting question of all - Why bother? 

If even our ability to reason is an accident, how do we know we are even being reasonable at all? Why are your accidental collection of brain molecules any more right than mine, or even Adolf Hitler's for that matter? To attempt to navigate by a light tied to your own ship's mast leaves us either lost or on the rocks.

Nearly 1,000 years before Christ, King David dealt with this same issue in a very direct manner.

The fool has said in his heart,
         “There is no God." (Psalm 14:1)

The reason atheists are encountering this uncomfortable schism isn't surprising. To be an atheist one must hate the idea of God with a purple passion. And passionate people disagree.

Which brings us back to the spiritual scud often launched at Christians - if we have the truth, why can't we agree about anything?

First, it surprises most people to discover just how much we Christians really do agree upon. 

Christians agree that God is there. We agree that He loves us and sent His Son to die for us, so that we could have the just penalty for our sins paid in full. We agree that Jesus rose from the dead in a moment of history. We agree that all we need do is believe in His Son to have eternal life. We agree that Jesus is coming back again.

That, my friend, is a lot to agree upon.

But what about the disagreements? Again, Christians are committed to these truths passionately. And passionate people disagree. I will freely concede the point that Christians have disagreed in some horribly disagreeable ways down through time. 

But that is why I will never call you to follow a Christian personality, place or program. Christianity is about faith in Jesus. Is He credible? Does His teaching ring with truth? Has He presented enough evidence for us to pin our hopes of everlasting life on Him alone?

Someday soon Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris will be a'molderin' in the grave. 

Jesus rose from the dead.

Who do you want to trust?