At the risk of being labeled a "nut" or "whack job," I write this next piece. Let me set the record straight before I begin. First, I do not believe every 9/11 conspiracy out there. However, I do believe that something happened that day which our government is not telling us via the "official story." Second, I am neither an anarchist nor an anti-war advocate. I think good laws are necessary for a healthy nation, and I do not think we use our military enough. And, third, I have never used drugs, unless you consider alcohol and nicotine drugs. With these preliminaries out of the way, here is why I believe that something else happened on 9/11:
1) During a short press conference, Donald Rumsfel said that a plane was "shot down" over Pennsylvania by the terrorists. This video can be seen on YouTube - I am certain many of you have seen it. What is startling about the short clip, is the confidence with which Rumsfeld spoke. He was reading prepared remarks. Need I remind everyone that Rumsfeld is a polished politician. He has served our country since the Nixon Era. He does not make mistakes when addressing the media, especially with an issue as significant as 9/11. In fact, those who have watched Rumsfeld over the years all say the same thing: he speaks his mind and is a straight-shooter. When you watch the video, notice the people in the background react when Rumsfeld uses the words "shot down."
2) I do not buy the argument that people's memories are more flawed during stressful or chaotic times. Am I the only one who disagrees with this point? I have found just the opposite to be true. Our senses are heightened in times of stress and chaos. We are more aware of what is going on around us. It is common sense, despite what any psychologist says. This is important because people from all walks of life said they heard "bombs" or "secondary explosions" around the WTC buildings as the fire enveloped the upper floors.
3) There is no way a 747 hit the Pentagon, at least the way the official report claims. More damage, and a different caliber of damage would have occurred.
4) Terrorists responsible for the hijackings have been confirmed alive. Even the number is exaggerated - all I need is one of them to be alive for something rotten to be in Denmark.
5) The crash site in Pennsylvania did not look like any plane crash I have seen before.
6) The AP story about United 93 landing in Cleveland was printed then removed within an hour. This is suspicious.
7) The military training exercises that morning were virtually identical with real life. Yet, the claim is that the government had "no idea" that planes would ever be hijacked and flown into buildings.
I could probably think of other reasons that lead to me to believe that something else went on that morning that we have not been told. These reasons, however, are sufficient for me to distrust the offical story. "Our age is one of advertisement" - that was spoken in 1847 by Soren Kiekergaard. How prophetic and applicable are those words today!
For those who unwaveringly accept the government's version of the facts, I leave you with two facts and one conjecture. First the facts: The event that caused US involvement in both the Spanish American War and Vietnam have been proven false. The destruction of the Maine and the Gulf of Tonkin incident were fabricated to engage our enemies. And now the speculation. Some historians think FDR knew about the bombing of Pearl Harbor before it happened. Nothing proven...but it makes you wonder.
Is it really so difficult to believe that nations need war to survive? Our economy is intertwined and dependent on military and defense spending. President Eisenhower warned us of the "military industrial complex" before he left office. We should have listened.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Saturday, April 18, 2009
But What If God Doesn't Love Me?
One of the major themes in the Old Testament is God's condemnation of idolatry. He wanted His people to think about and serve Him in a particular way. In broad terms, idolatry was any deviation from God's prescribed form of worship. In specific terms, idolatry encompasses the first three of the 10 commandments. First, God was to be the only God. Second, the people of God were not to make an image of God in any form. It is important to grasp the second commandment because, oftentimes, we think of false gods as idols. However, the commandment is not to make an image of the Only God as well as any god. This was the problem with the golden calf - Aaron told them that the God that delivered them from Egypt was the golden statue. Their intentions may have been good, but their hearts and minds were not devoted to the One God who cannot be represented through gold, wood, or stone. And, third, God's people were not invoke His name when swearing oaths. The Name of God is holy, and, therefore, should only be used for Holy purposes.
Many professing Christians may not bow down to carved images. However, idolatry is rampant in the American church. Take for instance an experience I had this morning. As I was waiting at a red light to make left turn, members of a local church - Vantage Point - passed out cold water to all the drivers in the turning lane. It was a great gesture. It was kind. The ice-cold water actually refreshed me. In addition to the bottle of water, the church members passed out a "business" card with the church's logo and the following message: "This is our simple way of saying that...GOD LOVES YOU." Undoubtedly the inspiration for such a kind and thoughtful gesture came from Christ's own words in Matthew 25:35-40. Christ tells His disciples that, at the Final Judgment, the sheep will be blessed because they gave drink, food, and comfort to Him.
Of course, many Christians and preachers stop at the good works we should do to fellow human beings. But is that what Christ says? If we continue in the passage, Jesus is very specific: "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to ONE OF THE LEAST OF THESE MY BROTHERS, you did it to me." Notice the distinction Jesus makes between those who are His family and those who are not. Our first priority, says Jesus, is to take care of the Church. Why? Because in taking care of the Church, we are taking care of Him. He is intimately connected to His church. This is why Christ told Saul of Tarsus that he was persecuting Him as disciples were being slaughtered.
But Americans today do not like the idea that God only loves some people. They cannot stomach a God who chooses to love some and hate others. Even the word "hate" is seen as an evil word, especially when applied to God. But, as Paul said, "let God be true and every man a liar." God, Himself, said He hated Esau. Jesus was anything but loving to the Pharisees and teachers of the law. In fact, He pronounced curses on them. And, we should never forget, that the cross is both a sign of love and hate. Love for those whose sins were forgiven; hate for those who were kept in their sins.
So when I receive a card that says, "God Loves You," I, of course, glory in God's grace towards me. However, we should not represent God as a Universal Lover of Mankind. He never reveals Himself this way. To believe, teach, act, or speak, otherwise is a form of idolatry. In a world that desperately needs the Way, the Truth, and the Life, we should be all the more earnest to present Him truthfully. The fact is, the Father only loves those who are connected to the Son. Unless, of course, you believe that Christ denying those who deny Him as a "loving" act. We need to let God be God - let Him make the distinctions, not us.
Many professing Christians may not bow down to carved images. However, idolatry is rampant in the American church. Take for instance an experience I had this morning. As I was waiting at a red light to make left turn, members of a local church - Vantage Point - passed out cold water to all the drivers in the turning lane. It was a great gesture. It was kind. The ice-cold water actually refreshed me. In addition to the bottle of water, the church members passed out a "business" card with the church's logo and the following message: "This is our simple way of saying that...GOD LOVES YOU." Undoubtedly the inspiration for such a kind and thoughtful gesture came from Christ's own words in Matthew 25:35-40. Christ tells His disciples that, at the Final Judgment, the sheep will be blessed because they gave drink, food, and comfort to Him.
Of course, many Christians and preachers stop at the good works we should do to fellow human beings. But is that what Christ says? If we continue in the passage, Jesus is very specific: "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to ONE OF THE LEAST OF THESE MY BROTHERS, you did it to me." Notice the distinction Jesus makes between those who are His family and those who are not. Our first priority, says Jesus, is to take care of the Church. Why? Because in taking care of the Church, we are taking care of Him. He is intimately connected to His church. This is why Christ told Saul of Tarsus that he was persecuting Him as disciples were being slaughtered.
But Americans today do not like the idea that God only loves some people. They cannot stomach a God who chooses to love some and hate others. Even the word "hate" is seen as an evil word, especially when applied to God. But, as Paul said, "let God be true and every man a liar." God, Himself, said He hated Esau. Jesus was anything but loving to the Pharisees and teachers of the law. In fact, He pronounced curses on them. And, we should never forget, that the cross is both a sign of love and hate. Love for those whose sins were forgiven; hate for those who were kept in their sins.
So when I receive a card that says, "God Loves You," I, of course, glory in God's grace towards me. However, we should not represent God as a Universal Lover of Mankind. He never reveals Himself this way. To believe, teach, act, or speak, otherwise is a form of idolatry. In a world that desperately needs the Way, the Truth, and the Life, we should be all the more earnest to present Him truthfully. The fact is, the Father only loves those who are connected to the Son. Unless, of course, you believe that Christ denying those who deny Him as a "loving" act. We need to let God be God - let Him make the distinctions, not us.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
The Right's Historical Revisionism
Last week President Obama said that America was not a Christian nation, setting a frenzy over the airwaves of conservative talk radio. Both hosts and callers were dumbfounded and irate at the President's statement. I, for one, was not. Although I am politically conservative, I do not suffer from the historical revisionism of the American right. American conservatives need a good dose of history, philosophy, and Scripture, to remove the shackles of illusion.
I know we were taught in public schools that Europeans emigrated to the New World for the three "G's", gold, glory, and God. Usually they are put in that order, as well. However, a cursory reading of both "The Mayflower Compact" and "A Model of Christian Charity" reveals quite a different story. God was the primary motivation. One need only read the founding charters of the Ivy League schools to support this fact. Spreading Christianity throughout the New world - converting the nations to the Faith - was the rudimentary objective. Even pre-college school children received thorough instruction in the teachings of Scripture through The New England Primer. It was the best-selling text in the colonies, apart from the Bible. Writings of Puritans and Pilgrims abound with Christian teachings and passages from Scripture. Colonial literature drips so heavily with religion, God, and the Bible, perhaps it is only natural that many believe our nation used to be a Christian nation.
But when did the U.S. become a nation? When the Pilgrims landed in 1620? When Winthrop proclaimed that we should be a "city on a hill" in 1630? When Jonathan Edwards attested to the "surprising work of God" in the 1700s? Much time and history transpired between 1620 and 1776. Part of the problem with many conservatives is that they confuse 1776 with 1620, as if our nation was founded upon century-old ideas and sentiments that never changed. The Religious Right does not account for the intellectual hostility towards a Christian worldview that occured with the Enlightenment. The first document of our founding, "The Declaration of Independence," is indebted to the ideals of the Englightenment, not to Christianity.
Consider. When does the Bible give the Christian the right to rebel against authority? Where in the Bible are we told that we have the right to "liberty and the pursuit of happiness?" Would God be pleased with the idea of just calling Him "Nature's God?" Doesn't the Father want the Son to be glorified? Didn't the Son "sit down at the right hand of the Father?" Where is the mention, in our most important founding document, of Jesus being the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords? Does God ever tell us that "all men are created equal?" Compare the opening of Winthrop's, "A Model of Christian Charity," in which he argues for God making some poor, some rich, some base, some virtuous, for His own glory, to the idea of certain "unalienable rights?"
If we consider the Bill of Rights, the picture gets more grim. Would God be pleased with a law that guarantees liars the right to free expression? Does He permit gossip of any man? Is it a Christian idea to allow for diversity of worship in serving a supreme being? I thought the Son was "the Way, the Truth, and the Life?" Think about the 5th Amendment. Does it honor God to allow citizens to prevent themselves from prosecution? Does God ever give His creatures the right to deny their guilt? And, perhaps most telling, what does Scripture tell us is the source of true unity? Does "a more perfect union" come by man-made contracts and laws?
Many American Christians and conservatives need to wake up. This nation was never intended to be a Christian nation. Enlightenment ideals of equality and individual liberty led to the founding of the United States. Certainly there were many Christians in early America. But that is not constitute a God-honoring, or Christian, nation. The fact is, the Enlightenment championed human Reason above Divine Revelation. Not that every founding father or every leader was a Deist or Skeptic. But the most influential ones - Paine, Franklin, Jefferson, Washington - all questioned Revelation. They saw religion as a social good, not as "Truth." They stripped Christianity of its theology, and tried to keep the ethics. This can't be done because morality is connected with the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, who reveal it to mankind. For the Founding Fathers, acheiving political unity was more important than theological precision.
Do you still think America was a Christian nation? I encourage you to read Jefferson and Franklin on religion. Compare their views Jonathan Edwards, Cotton Mather, and John Winthrop. At least by reading, you will be able to discern the enormous difference in thought, tone, and motivation, among the Puritan writers and the Founding Fathers.
I know we were taught in public schools that Europeans emigrated to the New World for the three "G's", gold, glory, and God. Usually they are put in that order, as well. However, a cursory reading of both "The Mayflower Compact" and "A Model of Christian Charity" reveals quite a different story. God was the primary motivation. One need only read the founding charters of the Ivy League schools to support this fact. Spreading Christianity throughout the New world - converting the nations to the Faith - was the rudimentary objective. Even pre-college school children received thorough instruction in the teachings of Scripture through The New England Primer. It was the best-selling text in the colonies, apart from the Bible. Writings of Puritans and Pilgrims abound with Christian teachings and passages from Scripture. Colonial literature drips so heavily with religion, God, and the Bible, perhaps it is only natural that many believe our nation used to be a Christian nation.
But when did the U.S. become a nation? When the Pilgrims landed in 1620? When Winthrop proclaimed that we should be a "city on a hill" in 1630? When Jonathan Edwards attested to the "surprising work of God" in the 1700s? Much time and history transpired between 1620 and 1776. Part of the problem with many conservatives is that they confuse 1776 with 1620, as if our nation was founded upon century-old ideas and sentiments that never changed. The Religious Right does not account for the intellectual hostility towards a Christian worldview that occured with the Enlightenment. The first document of our founding, "The Declaration of Independence," is indebted to the ideals of the Englightenment, not to Christianity.
Consider. When does the Bible give the Christian the right to rebel against authority? Where in the Bible are we told that we have the right to "liberty and the pursuit of happiness?" Would God be pleased with the idea of just calling Him "Nature's God?" Doesn't the Father want the Son to be glorified? Didn't the Son "sit down at the right hand of the Father?" Where is the mention, in our most important founding document, of Jesus being the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords? Does God ever tell us that "all men are created equal?" Compare the opening of Winthrop's, "A Model of Christian Charity," in which he argues for God making some poor, some rich, some base, some virtuous, for His own glory, to the idea of certain "unalienable rights?"
If we consider the Bill of Rights, the picture gets more grim. Would God be pleased with a law that guarantees liars the right to free expression? Does He permit gossip of any man? Is it a Christian idea to allow for diversity of worship in serving a supreme being? I thought the Son was "the Way, the Truth, and the Life?" Think about the 5th Amendment. Does it honor God to allow citizens to prevent themselves from prosecution? Does God ever give His creatures the right to deny their guilt? And, perhaps most telling, what does Scripture tell us is the source of true unity? Does "a more perfect union" come by man-made contracts and laws?
Many American Christians and conservatives need to wake up. This nation was never intended to be a Christian nation. Enlightenment ideals of equality and individual liberty led to the founding of the United States. Certainly there were many Christians in early America. But that is not constitute a God-honoring, or Christian, nation. The fact is, the Enlightenment championed human Reason above Divine Revelation. Not that every founding father or every leader was a Deist or Skeptic. But the most influential ones - Paine, Franklin, Jefferson, Washington - all questioned Revelation. They saw religion as a social good, not as "Truth." They stripped Christianity of its theology, and tried to keep the ethics. This can't be done because morality is connected with the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, who reveal it to mankind. For the Founding Fathers, acheiving political unity was more important than theological precision.
Do you still think America was a Christian nation? I encourage you to read Jefferson and Franklin on religion. Compare their views Jonathan Edwards, Cotton Mather, and John Winthrop. At least by reading, you will be able to discern the enormous difference in thought, tone, and motivation, among the Puritan writers and the Founding Fathers.
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