DID YOU KNOW

DO YOU HAVE ALL TIMERS DISEASE? THE NEED TO PRAY AND PRAISE GOD AT ALL TIMES.

SOURCE: Bishop David G Evans

RELIGION 101: ANSWERS

TRACING THE BIBLE

[I am beginning this with a repeat of an article that was posted some time ago.]

UNDERSTANDING SCRIPTURE

Proverbs 4:20,21
20 My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings,
21 Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart;

Joshua 1:8
8 “This book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

One of our greatest failures is we think we know scripture. We don’t even begin to know scripture, until we have had our eyes opened. In some cases we have known a scripture and even said it for years. Comes the day in reading what we think we know, a light goes off, and finally the realization of what you are reading is suddenly before you as you have never seen it before.

There is a shell over scripture. A protective shell that the uncommitted cannot undo. They cannot get the true nectar of the word. Without an understanding from above we can read all we want. Nothing will be as it should until the veil from our eyes has been removed.

Say to yourself I am going to break the covering, I am going to meditate on God’s word, I am going to ask for an understanding on this one issue. Yes, one issue at a time. Picture the scripture, read it, pray over it. The freedom of understanding is not handed to just anyone. It is for those to seek to know, understand and have wisdom concerning the word of God.

It is for you, ask and you shall receive. Stay in the word, do not back down. The truth will come to you. But how can we know the truth when it comes to the Bible?

For this entire article I have done my best to not interject my feelings but at this point I will. I am generally an outspoken person and it was not easy. Bear with me.

We are going to trace the origins of the Bible. From the most recent findings to as far back as we can go. We are being like “Reader’s Digest” condenses, so we might miss a person or a place or two. But overall we think we condensed it pretty well. We did not and will not look into the “FINDINGS” of others.

On the whole there are some great books out there on what this and that mean, and there are also some that are not so good.

No, we prefer to stick with the Bible and its origins. In a past article we explained what Bibles we read and use. We also told you the reference books and Biblical dictionaries we use.

What I will not at this point tell you is which Bible we will use to refute some of the religious groups we are looking at. And I am using one certain Bible for a reason that I will explain in the end.

We prefer to take the Bible at what it says, nothing added, nothing taken away. We do use a concordance to look up scriptures, and we use a Biblical dictionary to look up the meaning of words in the Greek and Hebrew language.

That being said, we study the Bible and no other book as the infallible Word of God.

The Bible, written thousands of years ago and read around the world today. We look to the Bible for everything from a spiritual guide to a history to it as a storybook. It is also one of the biggest controversial issues of all mankind. Everyone from churches to politics have constituted Christian doctrine and scripture into the story of the editing and translation we have today.

With that we will end today.

God Bless
rECj/LJG

SALUTE TO B W

My beloved speaks and says to me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For, behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone.
Song of Solomon verses 10 and 11

In times past LJG and I have shared the passing of our loved ones and today we celebrate the home going of one of our family members.

He is known as beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle and friend; beloved by all who know him. He is one of the most awesome men of God that we have ever known.

Distance is hard, because there is a strong desire to want to comfort those that are loved. All we can do is share our thoughts with you at this time, our memories that we cherish so much.

As a soft wind through the trees
He enlightened many life’s
Softly as the breeze
He left an impression of the wind
Softy kissing your cheek
As the deer pants for the water
So was his life for Christ
In a realm of pure Godly love
Unlocked his soul to enter
Into a relationship with Christ
As the song goes
He walked with Him
He talked with Him
And he told Him of his love

He left an impression of love, softly touching life’s in a way that remained. Never forgotten.

His love of Christ and his faith, stood strong. When mentioning him to people, I always say he had the keys to the church; he unlocked the doors for others. He was a servant of God. And yes I have spoke of him to many. People that do not understand that life can be full and happy in being committed to living for the Lord.

In the quietness of all those memories was the man who was always there, with a kind word, a hug and most of all his prayers.

He has just begun his journey, because now he is going home. He will be with the love with kept him going all these years, the love of Christ.

My beloved you are now with your beloved.

B.W. Dees, Born 1921; Home going Wednesday April 26, 2007
Celebration of Home going April 29, 2007

rECj

Oh what a wonderful man you were to all you were blessed to have known you on this earth.

Even tho I left the earthly family that you were a member of, I am still in the family of God. The family that you wanted everyone you came into contact with to be a part of. I too, remember sitting at ya'll's dining room table and the laughter and the joy that flowed so sweetly.

I will be looking forward to the day when we will meet again and continue in the laughter, joy and love that was so much a part of you here, knowing that it will be greater then.

I know there are so many in our family that you have now joined that are so happy to have you with them.

Until that time we will surely meet again, thank you for the precious memories that you have left not only for me, but all those left behind.

Alma and family, I know the lost of your Beloved has been hard on each of you. But each of you have the blessed assurance that you will be with your Beloved again.

Be in peace and rest in the Lord.

LJG

SUNDAY EDITORIAL

Every time we set out to do a project like this we have no idea were all the paths will lead, what we will find out or sometimes just where we will end up. Sometimes one path will lead to others and others. It has been an amazing journey.

We are sending e-mails across the miles—did you see this—I can’t believe—I never knew that. The notes and research that did not end up on the cutting floor, but were not included, were filed away and kept for references. LJG keeps everything I write, and I keep pages of documents that I only used one or two thoughts from. It was writing and rewriting, revising and then oops that was the wrong thing.

I have said this before but it bears repeating, keeping my personal feelings out of it, which was the biggest challenge to me. I would be writing something and knowing it did not line up with the Word of God, that it was only in man adding to it that view came about, that was hard.

Now to the really hard part, taking what we wrote and going back and showing you where it in fact does not line up. To prove that the Bible does not change, that it is man that adds to and deletes from it to twist it into what they would have man believe.

For that reason we will first trace the origins of the Bible. We will tell you why we use the Bible we use, and also show you some of the differences in some of the different Bible’s that are out there.

Once that is done we will take the Bible that we chose for this project and use it to show you where some of the teachings just flat do not line up.

I want to share a little story I tell sometimes about the Bible. It is a story I made up. It’s origins come from my heart.

Jesus had died and all of the original disciples and believers had also passed away. There was no one living who could say I was there when they crucified my Lord.

A group of men sat around a big table talking amongst themselves. No one outside this group knew of their meeting.

“What shall we do, I am losing to much money?” Said Ahaziah

“Well, if we don’t do something soon it will only get worst. There is a new group of these believers and they are bigger then the originals” interjected Japheth

Samuel spoke up, “I can sell no idols, and my family is suffering. I have lost more money since this all started.”

“There has be something we can do, people will always spend money on what they believe in. But these believers have no use for idols of stone, they have no need to pay anyone for what they say they can get free” this was spoken by Joseph.

“You speak of what you think, but there are ways, people especially these Israelites, look at their history they love their Lord and then they turn from Him, how much more so it will be to do to these believers”

They all turned to look at the one that sat there in his priestly robes. He certainly knew more of the history of the Israelites then any of them. Could he have a plan that would work? Could he get the people to turn back to the idols of old and put money back into their pockets?

Phillip spoke, “What do you think we can do to turn the people back to the old way, even the Jews would buy from us. How say you, can we turn them back to that”

He spoke again, and as he did they all wondered from where did he gather so much knowledge. “You do not take their beliefs from them”

They gasped, if they didn’t take their beliefs from them, then how could they make money from the people.

“You take the truth that they believe and you twist it to suit your needs, he said. You take their love of knowing the truth and you distort it in untruth. Let them believe in their Jesus, if anything lift Him higher then they do, but you take some things and add to their belief,” he said.

“How sir do you think this can be done?” Joseph asked.

“They are so tight in what they believe, they will only listen to those inside their own groups, and we are outsiders”. Korah said.

“Yes they are tight, and will not listen to unbelievers. They have to be tempted by what they cannot refuse,” the man spoke again.

“Okay but how?” Again they asked.

“Simply we give them what they do not have, their believes in writing, only we have learned scholars, rewrite their beliefs to include ways for us to make money.”

And with that they put a plan into action, to let the believers keep their belief in Jesus, but allow them to make money.

As I close for today we both pray that God will open your eyes to what you do not see, and give you more knowledge of that you are already aware of.

God Bless
rECj/LJG

DID YOU KNOW

April 27, 1537 Geneva's first Protestant catechism was published. Based on Calvin's "Institutes," it was compiled by John Calvin, 27, and/or by fellow French reformer, Guillaume Farel, 48.

SOURCE: Today in Christian History

SATURDAY EDITORIAL

We knew when we started this that we would get comments; at least we hoped we would. And even if you didn’t leave one, we hope and pray that this has stirred something inside of you, even if that something is to look into your own belief.

Our entire purpose is to get you to ask questions about what and why you believe what you believe.

One comment we got was about the use of the word MONOPHYSITE. Monophysite in Christianity is one who believes that Jesus Christ’s nature remains altogether divine and not human even though He has taken on an earthly and human body with it’s cycle of birth, life and death. Doctrine asserts that in the Person of Jesus Christ there was only one divine nature rather then two. Monophysitism (from the Greek monos meaning 'one, alone' and physis meaning 'nature') is the christological position that Christ has only one nature, as opposed to the Chalcedonian position which holds that Christ has two natures, one divine and one human.

We quote: "As a member of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church, and thus of the Oriental Orthodox fold, I must defend the faith that we profess. It was (& is) a misnomer to call our Church monophysite. We believe in oneness: in the oneness of the Holy Trinity, in the oneness of the Holy Father, in the oneness of the Holy Son, in the oneness of the Holy Spirit.

"The Son's oneness is a oneness of His full divinity and His full manhood. Just as the three Persons of the Holy Trinity are one, the two natures of Christ are one - it is indeed a great mystery not easily understood, except through the lens of faith (as with understanding the Holy Trinity). We believe that His divinity were not separated from His manhood - not for a minute, a second, or a twinkling of an eye. Actually, what's been discovered is that the breach between the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Church (there was no Catholic Church yet - it was the Orthodox Church of Rome, and there certainly was no Protestant Church at the time) was one of language and that the essence of what was said was "lost in translation."

"Essentially, the Orthodox Church believes the same thing. Discrepancies come into play when you add the other Churches into the fold, who believe in a separation of His humanity and divinity (i.e. when performing miracles and in His teaching, He was divine only. In His tears, and in His pain he was human only.) It is that argument that is unorthodox in the Person of Christ.
Comment from tafariburuk - 4/25/07 8:14" End quote.

If Christ is one then it is classified under Monophysite, but you say here He is one, and then again that He is of two natures. I do not understand is He one or is He two?

That said let me state here there is no way in the time and space permitted that we can cover each and every religion that is taught on this earth. We broke them into groups and those groups have many branches that change one or two things but hold to the basic beliefs of that group, hence why they keep the name from one group to the next.

So forgive us please if we include your group with it changes in the group that is responsible for starting your group. We do not wish to offend anyone, and if your heart is to know the truth as the Bible speaks it, well that is the only Book we use.

We do not believe as we do because of what someone has told us. We believe as we do because of the studying we have done, with the teaching that we have received. We also know that no matter what we say, there are those that will hold on to those beliefs that they already have.

We respect those who are willing to stand up for what they believe, even if we do disagree in what they believe in.

Our aim has been and will continue to be to get you to question what you are told. To study the scriptures and seek God on what you hold in your heart, we can ask no more then that.


God Bless
rECj/LJG

DID YOU KNOW

Do not be too quick to condemn the man who no longer believes in
God: for it is perhaps your own coldness and avarice and
mediocrity and materialism and selfishness that have chilled his
faith.
-- Thomas Merton

Keep Pressing On,
Rev. John W. Sweat, Sr.
CROSSROADS Baptist Church
Middleburg, Clay County, Florida
(904) 376-5049

RELIGION:101 PART TEN

Two things that I also wanted to include was a look at Scientology and an overall look at Mary the mother of Jesus. Scientology has been much in the news lately and is growing. Mary is mentioned in most every religion but is held in a different light depending on the religion that you are looking at.

Scientology is comprised exclusively of the teachings of one man: L. Ron Hubbard. Hubbard's theories, assumptions, and techniques for practical applications that make up the rituals of Scientology, are sometimes called the "Spiritual Technology," or simply "the Tech."

Hubbard claimed to have discovered certain "natural laws" of the spiritual universe, which he claimed can be used to predict and control behavior and phenomena in a manner similar to the way in which the natural laws codified in the physical sciences can be used to predict and control phenomena in the physical world.

Scientology assumes that spirituality and thought (called "thetan") is an energy existing in its own universe, separate and distinct from the physical universe of Matter, Energy, Space and Time (MEST), and that spirit (thetan) is senior to, and indeed created, the physical universe (MEST).

Each individual person (called a "thetan") is considered to be a "thought unit" of the spiritual universe which interacts with the physical universe (MEST), usually by inhabiting a human body. The Scientology term "thetan" is what has commonly been known as the "spirit" and it is defined in Scientology as the source of life; in the individual, it is recognized as the core of personality or essence of oneself, quite distinct and separate from the physical body or the brain.

Scientology proposes that in its "native state" the spirit/thetan is immortal and god-like and possesses the potentiality of knowing everything, but that in present time its true capabilities have been lost and forgotten. As an immortal entity, the spirit/thetan lives on after body death and is born into a new physical body, again and again, lifetime after lifetime, in an endless cycle of birth and death. As a result of traumatic incidents extending back from the present life through a long series of "past lifetimes" hidden from conscious memory, the spirit/thetan has become trapped in the physical body and the physical/MEST universe.

Content of these traumatic incidents may influence a person's current life, causing physical and mental illnesses, irrational thoughts and acting-out behavior, and limiting one's creativity and other abilities. Scientology claims that these traumatic incidents, along with each spirit/thetan's personal history, are recorded in complete detail on the "time track," sometimes called the "whole track," which for each person is many trillions of years in length. Scientology proposes that through a process called "auditing" that uses techniques developed by Hubbard (often assisted by a device called the E-Meter), an individual can be guided to find and "discharge" these hidden traumas, thus escaping the suffering and limitations imposed by the past.

Further, as one progresses through a series of auditing "levels," one can eventually be restored to native state and can attain the status of "operating thetan," wherein one is free of attachments to the body and, even while "exterior" to (outside) the body, one can consciously control matter, energy, space, time, thought, and life. Hubbard's writings and lectures include many tantalizing details of the god-like abilities that may be gained through auditing.

For most individual Scientologists, recovering these god-like abilities (and encouraging and assisting others to do so as well) is the primary goal of participation in Scientology. The "levels" through which a participant progresses make up what is called "The Bridge to Total Freedom." Progress through all the levels of the "Bridge" often takes many years of dedicated study and practice.

According to examples given in Scientology, the content of "whole track" incidents can include (but is not limited to) attempted abortions and other fetal traumas, acts of torture and violence experienced both as victim and as perpetrator, encounters with the Marcab Confederacy and various Invader Forces from spacefaring Galactic civilizations, life on earth as a clam, "implants" of ideas and artificial purposes sometimes administered with a pain-drug-hypnosis combination, and other experiences that almost always include pain and/or confusion and/or unconsciousness.

While many of the traumatic incidents addressed in auditing are unique to the individual, some key incidents are thought to be common to all humans on planet earth. One very important such incident supposedly occurred some 75 million years ago. Scientology warns that until one has completed a series of preparatory steps, exposure to the details of this particular incident can cause severe illness or even death. Thus, these details are carefully guarded and kept secret until, at the level called "Operating Thetan III" the member is deemed properly prepared and is granted permission to view and "audit" this information.

I will finish this up with Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Much has been said about this blessed woman of God. Hopefully I can cover most of the beliefs of some of the churches here.

With the Orthodox she is listed first among the saints, Mary called Theotokos [the birthgiver of God] She was chosen by God and freely cooperated in that choice to be the mother of Jesus Christ, the God-man. They believe that Jesus from the moment of conception was both 100% God and 100% Man. She is called Theotokos as an affirmation of the divinity of the one to whom she gave birth. It is believed that virginity was not compromised in giving birth to God incarnate, that she was not harmed, that she felt no pain, and that she remained forever a virgin. Because of her unique place in salvation history, she is honored above all the other saints and especially venerated for great work that God accomplished through her.

Catholics call her the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus Christ, called Theotokos. Mary was a virgin when she gave birth, and remained a virgin her entire life. They believe that Mary was conceived without original sin in order to be a sinless bearer of God incarnate: Jesus Christ. This is known as Immaculate Conception. This sinlessness was accomplished only on account of God’s grace, and not on Mary’s merits.

[The Orthodox also believes that Mary was sinless when bearing Jesus, but the moment of sinless is debated. Both Catholics and Orthodox believe that after Mary completed the course of her earthly life, she was assumed into heaven, similar to the way the great saint Elijah was.]

Mary is the Mother of us and the mother of the Church, and just as Christ is the new Adam, Mary is the new Eve, who obeyed God where Eve disobeyed.

Since she is clearly the mother of the Redeemer, she is clearly the mother of the members of the Church—since she has by her charity joined in bringing about the birth of bringing the birth of believers in the church, who are members of its head.

Mary’s role in the Church is inseparable from her union with Christ and flows directly from it. The union of the mother with the Son in the work of salvation is made manifest from the time of Christ’s virginal conception up to His death. It is made manifest above all at the hour of His Passion. Thus the Blessed Virgin advanced in her pilgrimage of faith, and faithfully persevered in her union with her Son unto the cross. There she stood, in keeping with the divine plan, end sacrifice in her mother’s heart, and lovingly consenting to the immolation [sacrifice] of this victim, born to her: to be given, by the same Christ Jesus dying on the cross, as a mother to His disciple, with these words: “Woman, behold your son.”

After her Son's Ascension, Mary "aided the beginnings of the Church by her prayers." In her association with the apostles and several women, "we also see Mary by her prayers imploring the gift of the Spirit, who had already overshadowed her in the Annunciation.

Finally the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, so that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords and conqueror of sin and death.

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is a singular participation in her Son's Resurrection and an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians: In giving birth you kept your virginity; in your Dormition you did not leave the world, O Mother of God, but were joined to the source of Life. You conceived the living God and, by your prayers, will deliver our souls from death.

She is our Mother in the order of grace By her complete adherence to the Father's will, to his Son's redemptive work, and to every prompting of the Holy Spirit, the Virgin Mary is the Church's model of faith and charity. Thus she is a "preeminent and . . . wholly unique member of the Church"; indeed, she is the "exemplary realization" (typus) of the Church.

Her role in relation to the Church and to all humanity goes still further. "In a wholly singular way she cooperated by her obedience, faith, hope, and burning charity in the Savior's work of restoring supernatural life to souls. For this reason she is a mother to us in the order of grace.

This motherhood of Mary in the order of grace continues uninterruptedly from the consent which she loyally gave at the Annunciation and which she sustained without wavering beneath the cross, until the eternal fulfillment of all the elect. Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this saving office but by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation . . . .

Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix.

Mary's function as mother of men in no way obscures or diminishes this unique mediation of Christ, but rather shows its power. But the Blessed Virgin's salutary influence on men . . . flows forth from the superabundance of the merits of Christ, rests on his mediation, depends entirely on it, and draws all its power from it. No creature could ever be counted along with the Incarnate Word and Redeemer; but just as the priesthood of Christ is shared in various ways both by his ministers and the faithful, and as the one goodness of God is radiated in different ways among his creatures, so also the unique mediation of the Redeemer does not exclude but rather gives rise to a manifold cooperation which is but a sharing in this one source.

All generations will call me blessed: "The Church's devotion to the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship. The Church rightly honors "the Blessed Virgin with special devotion. From the most ancient times the Blessed Virgin has been honored with the title of 'Mother of God,' to whose protection the faithful fly in all their dangers and needs. . . .

This very special devotion . . . differs essentially from the adoration which is given to the incarnate Word and equally to the Father and the Holy Spirit, and greatly fosters this adoration. The liturgical feasts dedicated to the Mother of God and Marian prayer, such as the rosary, an "epitome of the whole Gospel," express this devotion to the Virgin Mary.

After speaking of the Church, her origin, mission, and destiny, we can find no better way to conclude than by looking to Mary. In her we contemplate what the Church already is in her mystery on her own "pilgrimage of faith," and what she will be in the homeland at the end of her journey. There, "in the glory of the Most Holy and Undivided Trinity," "in the communion of all the saints, the Church is awaited by the one she venerates as Mother of her Lord and as her own mother.

In the meantime the Mother of Jesus, in the glory which she possesses in body and soul in heaven, is the image and beginning of the Church as it is to be perfected in the world to come. Likewise she shines forth on earth until the day of the Lord shall come, a sign of certain hope and comfort to the pilgrim People of God.

By pronouncing her "fiat" at the Annunciation and giving her consent to the Incarnation, Mary was already collaborating with the whole work her Son was to accomplish. She is mother wherever he is Savior and head of the Mystical Body.

The Most Blessed Virgin Mary, when the course of her earthly life was completed, was taken up body and soul into the glory of heaven, where she already shares in the glory of her Son's Resurrection, anticipating the resurrection of all members of his Body.

We believe that the Holy Mother of God, the new Eve, Mother of the Church, continues in heaven to exercise her maternal role on behalf of the members of Christ.

With the story that has evolved of Mary we will end this part.

We have traveled down a long road, a road that was longer than when we fist started. Now where do we go? We have learned the basics of all these groups, but still what is true and what is false.

Again we go back to the every scripture we gave at first.

God never changes
Hbr 1:8 But unto the Son [he saith], Thy throne , O God , [is] for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness [is] the sceptre of thy kingdom.
1Pe 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

The only way to God is through His Son Jesus
Jhn 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

We have angels to guide and protect us but even they tell us not to bow down to them.
Psa 91:11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
Rev 22:8-9 And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I feel down to worship before the feet of the angel which showed me these things.
9) Then saith he unto me, see thou do it not; for I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.
Rev 19:9-10 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, "These are the true sayings of God.
10) And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not; I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

We shall have no other god's before Jesus
Exodus 20:3 Thou shalt have on other gods before me.

We are not to take or add to the Word of God
Rev 27:18-19 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book. If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book
19) And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

There are other scriptures and in looking at the Word we will show that which is false and that which is true.

We thank you for sticking with us and pray that you will continue to read as this series goes into its second part. Answering the questions that have been raised.

God bless
rECj/LJG

DID YOU KNOW

Dance - found in Judg. 21:21, 23; Ps. 30:11; 149:3; 150:4; Jer. 31:4, 13, etc., as the translation of hul, which points to the whirling motion of Oriental sacred dances. It is the rendering of a word (rakad') which means to skip or leap for joy, in Eccl. 3:4; Job 21:11; Isa. 13:21, etc.

In the New Testament it is in like manner the translation of different Greek words, circular motion (Luke 15:25); leaping up and down in concert (Matt. 11:17), and by a single person (Matt. 14:6).

It is spoken of as symbolical of rejoicing (Eccl. 3:4. Comp. Ps. 30:11; Matt. 11: 17). The Hebrews had their sacred dances expressive of joy and thanksgiving, when the performers were usually females (Ex. 15:20; 1 Sam. 18:6).

The ancient dance was very different from that common among Western nations. It was usually the part of the women only (Ex. 15:20; Judg. 11:34; comp. 5:1). Hence the peculiarity of David's conduct in dancing before the ark of the Lord (2 Sam. 6:14). The women took part in it with their timbrels. Michal should, in accordance with the example of Miriam and others, have herself led the female choir, instead of keeping aloof on the occasion and "looking through the window." David led the choir "uncovered", i.e., wearing only the ephod or linen tunic. He thought only of the honour of God, and forgot himself.

From being reserved for occasions of religious worship and festivity, it came gradually to be practised in common life on occasions of rejoicing (Jer. 31:4). The sexes among the Jews always danced separately. The daughter of Herodias danced alone (Matt. 14:6).

SOURCE: Easton's Bible Dictionary

RELIGION: 101 PART NINE

Separation of Evangelical, Protestant, and Pentecostal can be a little confusing, so I have included them on the same page.

The word evangelicalism usually refers to a broad collection of religious beliefs, practices, and traditions which are found among conservative Protestant Christians. Evangelicalism is typified by an emphasis on evangelism, a personal experience of conversion, biblically oriented faith and a belief in the relevance of Christian faith to some cultural issues. In the late 20th century and early 21st century, such Protestant Christians, and their churches and social movements, are often called evangelical to distinguish them from Protestants who have a tendency towards more Liberal Christianity.

Statement of Faith

• We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God.

• We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

• We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory.

• We believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful people, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential.

• We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.

• We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation.

• We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Note that in continental Europe the word Evangelical is often understood to mean simply Protestant, or specifically Lutheran, as a literal translation of the German "Evangelists." In Germany, churches of the Protestant religious tradition known as Lutheran in the USA and other parts of the world are referred to specifically as Evangelists.

Evangelicalism (including Baptists and Pentecostals) — are currently experiencing significant growth in countries such as China (Christian News Service), India and many nations in Europe as well as Africa.

Pentecostals believes the Bible is the only God-given authority which man possesses. All doctrine, faith, hope, and all instructions for the church must be based upon and harmonize with the Bible” The Bible is the Word of God, and therefore inerrant and infallible. They reject all extra biblical revelations and writings, and views church creeds and articles of faith only as the thinking of men.

Salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, not by works. Faith in Jesus is the means by which a person is justified. At the same time, a sinner must believe the gospel; he is commanded to repent of his sinful life, to be baptized in water in the name of Jesus Christ, and to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Thus the various aspects of faith and obedience work together in God's grace to reconcile us to God.

Pentecostals teach that the one God who revealed Himself in the Old Testament as Jehovah revealed himself in His Son, Jesus Christ. Thus Jesus Christ was and is God. In other words, Jesus is the one true God manifested in flesh, for in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. While fully God, Jesus was also fully man, possessing a full and true humanity. He was both God and man. Moreover, the Holy Spirit is God with us and in us. Thus God is manifested as Father in creation and as the Father of the Son, in the Son for our redemption, and as the Holy Spirit in our regeneration.

They also believe and hold to divine healing, and foot washing. The holiness standard includes disapproval of these activities: theaters, dances, mixed bathing or swimming. Make-up and immodest apparel that exposes the body is not allowed. All worldly sports and amusements such as unwholesome radio programs and music, no television sets are permitted. Public school activities such as dancing classes, coeducational classes, health, sex education, calisthenics, mixed athletics are dismissed as improper. No teachers that promote or advocate sexual activity of any kind outside the marriage of a man and a woman, are allowed.

Any Christian denomination which is not Catholic or Orthodox is commonly called Protestant. The term "Protestant" represents a diverse range of perspectives, denominations, individuals, and related organizations, all typically focused on a worship of Jesus and a deference to the New Testament over the Old.

These distinctions were to some degree inherited to descendant churches, called "denominations," and notable differences remain between liturgical churches, such as the Anglican Communion and Lutheran churches, and other Protestant churches (Pentecostal, Calvinist, etc.). Calvinism strongly influenced Puritanism, which led to the founding of the Presbyterian, Baptist, and Congregationalist churches and of the Quakers. Pietism, a movement within Lutheranism, begat Anabaptism, the Church of the Brethren, and the Moravian Church, which then influenced the Anglican founders of Methodism.

Two hundred years after the Reformation, in the United States, the "Great Awakenings" brought Restorationism, which rejects some aspects of the Reformation and includes such Protestant groups as the Churches of Christ, Disciples of Christ, Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons (the last two groups hold significantly divergent views from "mainstream" Protestantism.) The holiness movement bought together elements of Methodism and Quakerism and lead to the twentieth century beginnings of Pentecostalism.

Protestantism currently predominates in many first-world countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom. Certain forms of Protestantism —in particular, Evangelicalism (including Baptists and Pentecostals) — are currently experiencing significant growth in countries such as China (Christian News Service), India and many nations in Europe as well as Africa.

In a broader sense of the word, Protestant came to be used as the collective name for those contemporary individuals and churches who can trace their theological heritage to a formal separation from the Roman Catholic Church in or around the 15th century.

Earlier "reformers" such as John Wycliff and Jan Huss did not advocate such a separation but rather sought to purge what they saw as impurities within the Catholic Church. Anachronistically, they can be seen as reformers as their work heavily influenced the thinking of those who did formally separate.

As an intellectual movement, Protestantism grew out of the Renaissance and West European universities, attracting some learned intellectuals, as well as politicians, professionals, skilled tradesmen, and artisans. The new technology of the printing press allowed Protestant ideas to spread rapidly, as well as aiding in the dissemination of translations of the Christian Bible in native tongues. Nascent Protestant social ideals of liberty of conscience and individual freedom, were formed through continuous confrontation with the authority of the Papacy, and the hierarchy of the Catholic priesthood. The Protestant movement away from the constraints of tradition, toward greater emphasis on individual conscience, anticipated later developments of democratization, and the so-called "Enlightenment" of later centuries.

God Bless
rECj/LJG

DID YOU KNOW

Kite - an unclean and keen-sighted bird of prey (Lev. 11:14; Deut. 14:13). The Hebrew word used, 'ayet, is rendered "vulture" in Job 28:7 in Authorized Version, "falcon" in Revised Version. It is probably the red kite (Milvus regalis), a bird of piercing sight and of soaring habits found all over Palestine.

SOURCE: Easton's Bible Dictionary

RELIGION: 101 PART EIGHT

Knocking, knocking who is knocking on my door. It is early on any given Saturday morning and here they come knocking on your door. Almost everyone knows the aggressiveness of the door-to-door Jehovah’s Witnesses. The group they represent known as the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society [WTB&S] stresses end time prophesy. JW’s are prohibited from taking part in many common activities such as celebrating holidays and birthdays, voting, flag saluting, and military service.

Charles T. Russell founded the JW movement. As a teenager he rejected his Presbyterian roots and joined a liberal Congregational Church but soon left this church also. He denied the deity of Christ and biblical teachings on hell and eternal punishment. He had no formal Bible training, but built his beliefs on various teachings that were popular at that time: denial of hell, that Christ had returned invisibly in 1874 and 1914 was the year the world would be destroyed and the millennium would begin.

With no formal training in theology or biblical languages Russell claimed he was the only person with the truth and he condemned all other Christian religions.

Russell continued to attract people with his prophesies that Armageddon would strike in 1914. When it didn’t happen he changed the date to 1915. Russell died in 1916 leaving his followers doubting and disillusioned by his failures.

Joseph Rutherford then came over the organization, following pretty much on the same path that Russell had been on. His date was 1918 that God would destroy churches and millions of their people. He claimed that by 1920 every kingdom would be swallowed up in anarchy. Rutherford taught the only means of escape was to join The Watchtower organization. With his death came a new leader.

Now we have Nathan Knoll. Knoll put aside date setting for a time and switched to a different strategy. JW publish their own translation of the Bible, called the New World Translation. The committee responsible for the NWT was kept anonymous except Frederick Franz. He was chairman of the committee and had studied Greek for two years without graduating and was only self-taught in Hebrew. After Knoll’s death Franz became the new President of the Society.

Growth in the organization slowed down and WTB&TS introduced a new book and a new date for the end of the world. Autumn of 1975 would mark the beginning of the seventh period of history. Membership grew by the thousands; some even sold their homes and property, and were praised by leaders for doing so. With the autumn of 1975 came and went members were told to “adjust their viewpoint.”

Witnesses continue to grow in numbers, publishing massive amounts of literature. The WT Society demands complete loyalty and still predicts Armageddon is coming soon. There will be sure annihilation for anyone who does not join the organization or leaves its ranks.

Other beliefs are: WTB&ts claims to be the only true religion, and the sole source of correct Bible teaching.

Teaches that teaching the divine nature of God is inspired by Satan and teaches that Jehovah, the name of the one true God, corresponds only to God the Father.

They claim Jesus is not God.

The Holy Spirit is merely God’s active force, similar to electricity.

Jesus is a created being who existed as Michael the archangel before being born as a perfect man. After Jesus died and was buried, God disposed of his physical body. He was raised a spiritual creature and “materialized” to make himself visible. Now he is in heaven once again know as Michael the archangel.

Only an elite group of Witnesses, the 144,000 or anointed ones are presently credited with God’s righteousness. Only those 144,000 are born again and expect to reign with Christ in Heaven. For the remaining JW’s known as other sheep or the great crowd the atoning sacrifice of Christ only provides a chance at eternal life on earth.

Salvation will depend on one’s works. A person must first come to Jehovah’s organization for salvation and then comply with everything they teach.

WTB&TS teach the soul cannot exist apart from the body. Death ends all conscious existence. The grave is hell and those whom God ultimately judges will be annihilated and simply cease to exist.

The Bible can only be interpreted by the Watchtower Society and no individual can learn the truth apart from them. The Bible is an organizational book and cannot be understood by individuals no matter how sincere they are.

AIC’s, African Independent Churches, African Indigenous Churches, African Initiated Churches, African Instituted Churches, these are Christian bodies in Africa that were established as a result of African initiative, rather then on the part of foreign missionary organizations.

In the 19th century missionaries from Western Europe and North American went to most of the sub-Saharan Africa. These missionaries tried to set up local groups and churches along the lines of what they were familiar with in their own countries. By the end of the 19th century many African Christians has formed independent denominations.

During the colonial period, many black converts to Christianity were unable fully to reconcile their beliefs with the teachings of their church leaders, and split from their parent churches. The reasons for these splits were usually either:
Political - an effort to escape white control.
Historical - many of the parent churches, particularly those from a Protestant tradition, had themselves emerged from a process of schism and synthesis.
Cultural - the result of trying to accommodate Christian belief within an African world view.

Other groups commonly called Zionists in South Africa trace their origin to the Catholic Church in Zion, Zion City, Illinois. They had an emphasis on divine healing and building of holy cities. They were later influenced by American Pentecostal Missionaries though the period of contact were short-lived and within a few years they were short lived. Most of the expansion of Christianity in Africa in the 20th century has been the result of the missionary efforts of the African Independent churches.

There are thousands of African Initiated Churches (more than 10000 in South Africa alone) and each one has its own characteristics. Church historians, missiologists, sociologists and others have therefore tried to group them according to common characteristics, though there have often been disagreements about which characteristics are most significant, and which taxonomy is most accurate. Though it is possible to distinguish groups of denominations with common features, there is also much overlap, with some denominations sharing the characteristics of two or more groups.

Many AIC's share traditions with Christians from other parts of the Christian world, and these can also be used in classifying them. So there are AIC's of Anglican, Methodist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal and Orthodox traditions. Some are Sabbatarian, some are Zionist, and so on.

I hope tomorrow to finish up the last four on our list. Then I will show you the beliefs and traditions of one of the newest up and coming groups in the world, including a film.

God Bless
rECj/LJG

DID YOU KNOW

Swine - (Heb. hazir), regarded as the most unclean and the most abhorred of all animals (Lev. 11:7; Isa. 65:4; 66:3, 17; Luke 15:15, 16). A herd of swine were drowned in the Sea of Galilee, the only animal that ever had a demon placed in them (Luke 8:32, 33). Spoken of figuratively in Matt. 7:6 (see Prov. 11:22). It is frequently mentioned as a wild animal, and is evidently the wild boar (Arab. khanzir), which is common among the marshes of the Jordan valley (Ps. 80:13). (Pigs are the only group of animals that demons killed. How bout them pork chops now? LJG)

SOURCE: Easton's Bible Dictionary

RELIGION: 101 PART SEVEN

According to Latter Day Saints a prophet named Mormon lived in the area, of what is now called America, in 4th century A.D. It is believed that he was called by God to abridge and compile the records of his people and their dealings with God into a single book. His son Moroni buried the book and 1400 years later he returned as an angel and led Joseph Smith to the burial place. Smith translated the book into English and it is now recognized as the Book of Mormon.

The people described in the Book of Mormon fall into two groups: believers in Jesus and non-believers. Believers took upon themselves the name of Christ, were baptized in His name, and were called Christians.

The term Latter Day Saints derives from the teaching of Joseph Smith. Saints in the same sense that Paul of the New Testament used the term, meaning followers of Christ. To distinguish them from saints of the early church [former day saints] they were called latter day. Usage of the term Latter Day Saints first appeared in the mid 1830’s when Smith’s Church of Christ was renamed the Church of Latter Day Saints. Smith taught that this church was a restoration of the 1st century Christian church.

Today the term Mormon is colloquially applied to members of the church. It was first used in the 1830’s as a pejorative to describe whose who believed that Joseph Smith had been called as a prophet of God and accepted the Book of Mormon as scripture.

This collection of thirteen statements known as the Articles of Faith were written by Joseph Smith when asked about the basic beliefs of the church. This overview is generally accepted by most
Latter Day Saint denominations.
1. We believe in God the Eternal Father, and in his son Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.

2. We believe that men will be punished for their own sins and not for Adam's transgression.

3. We believe that through the Atonement of Christ all mankind may be saved by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.

4. We believe that these ordinances are: 1st, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; 2nd, Repentance; 3rd, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; 4th, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.

5. We believe that a man must be called of God by prophesy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.

6. We believe in the same organization that existed in the primitive church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists and so forth.

7. We believe in the gift of tongues, prophesy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues and so forth.

8. We believe the bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.

9. We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that he will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.

10. We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes. That Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon this [the American] continent. That Christ will reign personally upon the earth, and that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.

11. We claim the privilege of worshipping Almighty God according to the dictates of our conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.

12. We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.

13. We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—we believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy we seek after these things.

"As a church we have critics--many of them. They say we do not believe in the traditional Christ of Christianity. There is some substance to what they say. Our faith, our knowledge, is not based on ancient tradition, the creeds which came of a finite understanding and out of the almost infinite discussions of men trying to arrive at a definition of the risen Christ. Our faith, our knowledge comes of the witness of a prophet in this dispensation who saw before him the great God of the universe and His Beloved Son, the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ."
(Gordon B. Hinckley, “We Look to Christ,” Ensign, May 2002, 9

In the 17th century in England many were questioning the established beliefs of that age. George Fox (1625-1691) did not find answers to his questions in any of the churches of his day. Out of his searching came the spiritual message which swept a large part of the country and which resulted in the formation of the Religious Society of Friends.

Friends witnessed to Alternative Christianity quite distinct from the churches of the time. As a result they were persecuted both by Cromwell's Puritan government and by the restored government of Charles II. Fox did not intend to start a new sect. He wanted to persuade the church to return to what it had been in the days of the Apostles. He proclaimed the early preaching of Peter (Acts, chapter 2 and 3) that Jesus, who had been present in the flesh, had risen from the dead and was now come in the Spirit. That Jesus acted in the hearts of his followers purifying and empowering them.

Pursuing Peter's teaching, Fox called for a radical, egalitarian, spirit-filled Christianity that would not be oppressive of people on account of race, sex, or class. He maintained that the message of the early church had been lost when the church became institutionalized and believed that he, and others with him, could stand in exactly the same state as Apostles, with the same power to teach, to heal, and to prophesy that the Apostles had.

George Fox challenged the belief of the Roman Catholic and Episcopal churches in the necessity for, and the authority of, a hierarchical structure of Priests and Bishops. He claimed that everyone was able to have a personal relationship with the living Jesus without having to depend on the intercessions of a Priest or Minister. He taught that there is one, Jesus Christ, who can speak to each person's condition and the responsibility for ministry therefore rested upon all.

Friends hold that the words of the Bible should not be taken as the final revelation of God. Men who were acting under the power of the Holy Spirit had written the Books and it was necessary to read the words in the power of the same spirit and to listen to what the Spirit then spoke in your heart. The words were active agents in the sense that, when read in the Spirit at the appropriate time, they would spring to life for the reader and take the reader forward on his or her spiritual journey.

Worship is therefore not the performance of a dead ritual, but genuine waiting on the Lord to hear His voice and to know His power at firsthand. There is no written “Rules of Faith” or “Creed” as we normally find in other religions.

The origin of the Seventh Day Adventists can be traced to the Millerite Movement of the 19th century. William Miller [1782-1849] was originally a Diest [a person who believes that God created the universe but was not actively involved since]. After two years of Bible study Miller converted to Christianity and became a lay leader.

Miller was convinced the Bible contained coded information about the end of the world and the Second Coming of Jesus. He felt he had an obligation to teach this to others. In 1831 he began to preach and then he wrote articles on his findings.

In his findings he concluded the Second Coming would occur between March 21, 1843 and March 21, 1844. The end did not come as he predicted. Samuel Snow, a follower interpreted the tarry time to be Oct 22, 1844. When that prophecy also did not come to pass many believers left the movement. Miller withdrew from the leadership and died in 1849.

On May 21, 1863 Ellen Harmon [later known by her married name Ellen White] joined with the other Adventists to form a small group of believers in Washington NH. She believed the 1844 prediction was correct but that it referred to the start of an Investigative Judgment. A time when Christ will judge the dead and the living on earth for righteousness. She predicted the second coming of Jesus soon would follow this.

The SDA church has always taken a special interest in health concerns. They have played a major role in health research into the dangers of smoking and of diets rich in cholesterol and fats. Dr. John Kellogg, founder of "Kellogg's" and a major supplier of breakfast cereals was a well-known member of the church. They promote plans to help people quit smoking and consuming alcohol. They sponsor cooking classes, heart disease teams, narcotics education outreaches and disaster teams. There are 155 SDA hospitals and 276 clinics, dispensaries, etc. in the world. Many congregations have a Dorcas Society, which provide food and supplies to the needy. They currently operate 92 post-secondary institutions, almost 1000 secondary schools and over 4000 elementary schools and kindergartens.

The SDA church is a strong supporter of the principle of separation of church and state. They also promote religious liberty, and publish a periodical called Liberty.

By the middle of 2004, the total world church membership reached 13,663,497.

They follow most of the beliefs of conventional conservative Christianity: creation, the fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden, original sin, the virgin birth, the divinity of Christ, the nature of the Trinity, belief in satan as a rebellious created being, the inerrancy of Scriptures as they were originally written, the resurrection of Jesus, salvation by the atonement of Christ.

They differ on a number of other beliefs. Ellen White is recognized as having the gift of prophecy, and though in the 1980’s it was shown that she had borrowed heavily from contemporary writers, her work is a continuing and authoritative source of truth for the church.

Some suffering is caused by the inheritance of mortality originating from Adam and Eve's disobedience to God, which includes vulnerability to illness and disease. Also, Satan pervades the earth, causing pain and suffering. Many believe that suffering is God's design to test, teach, or strengthen belief in Him; the greater the suffering of innocent believers, the greater will be their reward after life.

Abortion has moral consequences and should only be performed for the most serious reasons. The church acknowledges compelling reasons for a woman to choose abortion, e.g., threat to the life of the woman, rape/incest, extreme congenital abnormalities, etc. After counseling, the final decision is regarded as her own--she is not to be coerced or condemned. Homosexuality is forbidden. Gender equality and women’s rights are promoted, but women are not permitted at the highest levels of the church hierarchy and are generally regarded as subordinate to men. Marriage is permanent and divorce only permitted on grounds of adultery/fornication, abandonment by an unbelieving spouse, or physical violence. Remarriage is only permitted if one's spouse committed adultery/fornication. The SDA church as a Christian value encourages working for peace. Many SDA’s refuse combat status in the armed forces, and the church urges strict control of semi- and automatic assault weapons. The church supports community activities for equal rights and justice, antipoverty, education, and the direct provision of health care facilities. The church operates a worldwide network of schools and health care institutions.

God Bless
rECj/LJG

RELIGION: 101 PART SIX

Christianity is 33% of the world’s total religion. I will list them again and then we shall start to look at them individually.

Catholic
Protestant
Eastern Orthodox
Pentecostal
Anglican
Monophysite
AIC’s
Latter Day Saints
Evangelical
SDA’s
Jehovah Witnesses
Quakers
AOG
Nominal

Included in this I will cover Scientology the newest and most up and coming belief.

We will not look at these in the order listed. We can see from looking at them that some beliefs have passed to another group and others have broken away to leave many beliefs behind. Hopefully the way I present them will give you an idea as to how evolutions in religion took place.

Monophysite in Christianity is one who believes that Jesus Christ’s nature remains altogether divine and not human even though He has taken on an earthly and human body with it’s cycle of birth, life and death. Doctrine asserts that in the Person of Jesus Christ there was only one divine nature rather then two.

In modern times, those churches usually classified as Monophysite [Armenian Apostolic, Coptic Orthodox, Ethiopian Orthodox, and Syrian Orthodox] are generally accepted by Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant Christendom as essentially orthodox in the Person of Jesus Christ.

The Eastern Orthodox Church believes that death and separation of body and soul to be unnatural; a result of man’s fall. They also felt that the congregation of the Church is comprised of both living and the dead. All members of the Church who are in heaven are considered to be Saints. There are however those saints of distinction whom God has revealed to us as good examples for us to learn from either their teachings or their lives. When a saint is revealed and ultimately recognized by a large portion of the church a service of official recognition [glorification] is celebrated for the saint.

This does not make the person a saint, it merely recognizes them and announces it to the rest of the Church. A day is prescribed for the saint’s celebration, hymns are composed, and icons painted. They are venerated [shown great respect and love] but are not worshiped, for worship is due God alone. In showing the saints this love and requesting their prayers, it is believed by the Orthodox that they assist in the process of salvation for others.

Preeminent among the saints is the Virgin Mary, the Theotokos [birth giver of God]

[We will go more in-depth about Mary later as she plays a predominate part in many of the Christian religions.]

Because of the holiness of the lives of the saints, their bodies and physical items connected with them are regarded by the church as holy. Many miracles have been reported throughout history connected with the saint’s relics.

According to scripture, the first name ascribed to members of the church was “Christian” and the new religion, “Christianity”. To better define it the Church later used “The One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church” to signify its unity and its direct link to the Apostles.

As differences arose and heresies became manifest it chose the term “Orthodox” to distinguish itself as the body that remained in alignment to the original concepts of Christian belief, the Church most reluctant to the adoption of innovative theology. Later as the Church expanded to all continents it became common to use geographical designators to indicate that particular congregation.

Some of the beliefs of the Orthodox Church follow.

Belief in God the Father, Who is without beginning, indescribable, incomprehensible, Who is beyond every created essence, Whose essence is known only to Himself, to His Son and the Holy Spirit; as it says in the Holy Scriptures, upon Him even the Seraphim dare not gaze.

God the Father never became the likeness of any material form nor was He ever incarnate. In the Trinity they worship three persons -- three hypostases -- that of the Father, that of the Son and that of the Holy Spirit. They do not confuse the persons of the Most Holy Trinity. Do not believe that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are, as it were, three masks of a single person.

Believe that from the moment of His conception in the virginal womb, Jesus Christ was one person, yet having two natures. From His conception, He was God and Man before birth, during birth and after birth.

Believe and confess that the Most Holy Virgin Mary, after the image of the bush, which burned and was not consumed, truly received the fire of the Godhead in Herself without being consumed thereby. Believe and confess that She truly gave of Her own blood and of Her own flesh to the Incarnate Word and that She fed Him with Her own milk.

Confess that Jesus Christ was, in His Godhead, begotten of the Father outside of time without assistance of a father. He is without mother in His divinity, and without father in His manhood.

Creation will be purified by the fire of the Last Judgment at the moment of the glorious Advent of our Savior Jesus Christ and that it will be restored and regenerated and that it will constitute a New Creation, according to the promise of the Lord: "Behold, I make all things new" (Rev. 21.5). "New heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness" (II Peter 3:13).

Men's souls have no pre-existence. The how of the soul's birth, as well as separation from the body at the moment of the latter's biological death that it might be reunited to the body when the dead are raised at the Second and glorious Coming of our Savior is a mystery which has not been revealed to us.

God permits trials and sufferings without having created them. When suffering comes upon me, I must receive this as an unfathomable proof of His love, as a blessing in disguise and without feeling indignant, we must seek out its significance.

God created man neither mortal nor immortal, but capable of choosing between two states, as St. John of Damascus teaches us (Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, Book II, chap. 30). Baptism in the true Church liberates us from the effects of sin and enables us to "work" for our salvation.

Apostles, faith engenders true works; and true works, which are the fruit of the Holy Spirit, bear witness and prove the existence of a true faith. Since faith is neither abstract nor sterile, it is impossible to dissociate it from good works. It was by this same faith in the same Jesus Christ that the righteous of the Old Testament (who are venerated to the same degree as the other saints in the Orthodox Church) were saved, and not because of their legalistic or disciplinary observance of the Law.

As the Fathers say, "God became man so that man could become God." Thus St. Gregory the Theologian writes: "O marvelous fall that brought about such a salvation for us!" man, created " a little lower than the angels" (Ps. 8:5), can, by God's grace, surpass even the angelic state, and so we praise the Most Holy Virgin Mary.

God "glorified those who glorify Him" (I Kings 2:30), that He is "wondrous in His saints" (Ps. 67:35), and that He is the "Savior of the body" of the Church (Eph. 5:23). We believe that we are saved insofar as we are members of the Body, but that we cannot be saved by any individual relation with God outside of the Church.

We venerate holy icons in perfect accord with the second commandment of the Decalogue [Ten Commandments].

We venerate the holy icons by prostrating yourself before them, by kissing them, by showing them a "relative worship" (as the definition of the Seventh Ecumenical Council says) while confessing that only the Most Holy Trinity is to be offered adoration. We worship the saints, their holy relics and their icons only because He dwells in them.

We believe and confess that when we venerate and kiss the holy relics, the grace of God acts upon our total being, that is, body and soul, and that the bodies of the saints, since they are the temples of the Holy Spirit (I Cor. 6:9), participate in and are endued with this totally sanctifying grace of the Holy Spirit. "

We believe that all the Scriptures are inspired by God and that, as St. John Chrysostom says, "It is impossible for a man to be saved if he does not read the Scriptures." However, the Holy Scriptures cannot be dissociated from the Church, for She wrote them. The Scriptures were written in the Church, by the Church and for the Church. Outside the Church, the Scriptures cannot be understood.

We believe that the Church of Jesus Christ is One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic, and that It was instituted by God through the power of the Holy Spirit and by revelation. Outside of the Church there is no true Baptism, nor any other Mystery. Hence, the Apostolic Canons and the canons of the Ecumenical Councils forbid us to pray with schismatic's and heretics, be it in private or in Church, as they forbid us, under the penalty of defrockment and excommunication, to permit them to function as clergymen.

We do not believe in "purgatory," but believe, as the Scriptures attest, that the prayers and fasts made by the living for the sake of the dead have a beneficial effect on the souls of the dead and upon us, and that even the souls that are in darkness are benefited by our prayers and fasts. The public prayers of the Church, however, are reserved exclusively for those who have reposed in the Church.

This brings us into the Anglican [meaning the English Church] Church which is used to describe the people, institutions and Churches as well as the liturgical traditions and theological concepts developed by the state established Church of England, the Anglican Communion.

The Episcopal Church in the United States and the Scottish Episcopal Church are members of the Anglican Communion, but do not use the term Anglican in their names. The Anglican Communion considers itself to be part of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church and as being both Catholic and Reformed.

The term Catholic Christians entered Roman Imperial Law when Emperor Theodosius [Emperor from 379-395] defined its followers as adherents that “..should continue the profession of that religion which was delivered to the Romans by the divine Apostle Peter, as it has been preserved by faithful tradition and which is now professed by the Pontiff [Pope] Damascus” “…but as for the others, since in our judgment they are foolish madmen, we decree that they shall be branded with the ignominious name of heretics, and shall not presume to give their conventicles the name of churches.”

This law was enacted in Thessalonica and published in Constantinople on February 27 AD 380 and forms part of the Codex Theodosiani Liber Decimus Sextus, De Fide Catolica—The Catholic Faith. This established Catholic Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire.

The Church traces its history to Jesus and the Twelve Apostles, and sees bishops of the Church as the successors of the Apostles in general. The Pope is the successor of Saint Peter, leader of the apostles.

Catholic writers quote from early Church Fathers that the See of Rome had jurisdictional authority or primacy over other churches. This though is disputed by Orthodox writers.

Central to the doctrines of the Catholic Church is Apostolic Succession, the belief that the bishops are the spiritual successors of the original twelve apostles, through the historically unbroken chain of consecration.

Throughout the centuries the Church has responded to people or groups attempting to change core beliefs. Some of these opponents were declared heretical. We will not go in depth into the Inquisitions here. Many who did not agree with the teachings of the Catholic Church were murdered.

The Catholic Church undertook one of the most comprehensive reforms in its history during the Second Vatican Council [1962-1965] and the decade that followed. There were changes in the liturgy, it encouraged the up-to-date renewal of religious life. It empowered episcopal conferences to enact adaptations in disciplines such as abstinence from meat on Fridays.

Some Catholics rejected many of the changes which they viewed as inconsistent with what the Church had always taught. They viewed some of the more controversial changes as watered down, protestantized, or even invalid.

In a report released April 21, 2007 Pope Benedict XVI has reversed the teaching of limbo. The Church says there are serious grounds to hope that children who die without being baptized can go to heaven.

Theologians said the move was highly significant-for what it says about Benedicts’s willingness to buck a long standing tenet of Catholic belief and for what it says theologically about the Church’s views on heaven, hell and original sin-the sin that all faithful believe all children are born with.

Benedict approved the findings because the advisory panel was reassessing traditional teachings in light of “pressing” pastoral needs. It was approved by the Pope on Jan 19.

The document traces centuries of Church views on the fate of unbaptized infants. St. Augustine the 4th century bishop wrote that such infants go to hell, but they suffer only the “mildest condemnation.”

In the document the commission said such views are now out of date. The report also said that no one can know for certain what becomes of unbapitized babies since Scripture is largely silent on the matter. The commission further stated that this is not a valid reason to not baptize new born babies.

Vatican watchers hailed the decision as both a sensitive and significant move by Benedict. Parents who are mourning the death of a child are no longer burdened by the added guilt of not having gotten their child baptized. It could also be seen as suggesting that non-baptized adults could go to heaven if they led a good life.

It shows that Benedict is trying to balance his view of Jesus as being central as the savior of the world.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church is the official catechism of the Church. All canonical books of the Bible, which includes the Deuterocanonical books, the Tradition of the Church and the interpretation of these by the Magisterium constitute the complete and best resource for fully attaining to God’s revelation to mankind.

Again some Catholics argue that statements made in CCC conflict with past Catholic teachings on many topics. That it is in fact infected with Gnosticism, promotes the theory of evolution, exonerates the Jewish people and presents then as still in a covenantal relationship with God, that it favors indifferentism, false ecumenism, secular collaboration and compromise, homosexuality and internationalism.

They maintain that though theological opinion was not intended to be a part of CCC, it in fact does not distinguish between matters of fact and theological opinion. Further that CCC displays a shift away from presenting dogma as fact and toward presenting the Catholic faith itself as a search for truth.

To end this section I will merely list some of the Catholic Traditions that are still practiced today.
Call priest father
Forbidding the priesthood to marry
Mary never had other children
Mary is the queen of heaven
Mary is the mother of God
Pope called Holy Father
Purgatory
Nuns
Pope
Venerating/worshipping images. [Bowing to statues of Mary, worship the Eucharist, and have candles/statues in their homes and churches]
The mass. [ Through transubstantiation, the wafer/host and the wine become the actual blood and the body of Jesus Christ when the priest prays over them]
Saved, in part, by good works
Church is found on Peter
Confessing sins to a priest
Petitioning saints and Mary
Saying masses for the dead
Praying the rosary
Penance

With that I will stop and meet you again tomorrow.

God Bless
rECj/LJG

DID YOU KNOW

For I seek not to understand in order that I may believe; but I
believe in order that I may understand, for I believe for this
reason: that unless I believe, I cannot understand.

-- Anselm of Canterbury

Keep Pressing On,
Rev. John W. Sweat, Sr.
CROSSROADS Baptist Church
Middleburg, Clay County, Florida
(904) 376-5049

SUNDAY EDITORIAL

I have always felt in my heart that if your words could not convince me of your belief then you had no need to pick up the Bible to prove it to me(rECJ). But we need scriptures to prove that it is the truth and more then just what you do believe.

But what of the Bible, why do we believe a book that was written so many years ago. With so many translations, how can we know that if the Bible is the truth, then which one is in fact the complete truth. So many religions have printed their own interpretations of the Bible, what can we say is fact and what is not.

First why do we believe in the Bible as the true word of God. We were raised by our Grandmothers both of whom loved the Lord with every breathe they took. They attended Cedar Creek Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida. We were both raised in that belief and baptized in that church. It is not the reason we believe as we do.

In Matthew 13
[1] The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side.
[2] And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.
[3] And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;
[4] And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:
[5] Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:
[6] And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.
[7] And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:
[8] But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.
[9] Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
10] And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
[11] He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
[12] For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
[13] Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
[14] And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
[15] For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
[16] But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
17] For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
[18] Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.
[19] When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.
[20] But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;
[21] Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
[22] He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
[23] But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
[24] Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
[25] But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
[26] But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
[27] So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
28] He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
[29] But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
[30] Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
[31] Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:
[32] Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.
[33] Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.
[34] All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them:
[35] That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.
[36] Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.
37] He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;
[38] The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;
[39] The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.
[40] As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.
[41] The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
[42] And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
[43] Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
[44] Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
[45] Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
[46] Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
47] Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:
[48] Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.
[49] So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,
[50] And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
[51] Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.
[52] Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.
[53] And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence.
[54] And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?
[55] Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?
[56] And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?
[57] And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.
[58] And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

Verse 16 When God has opened your eyes you shall see and that which you see shall be the truth. Many want to know the truth, but do not desire to pay the price, or to stand to know the truth. But we do test the scriptures and it is in this way we know that what we know is in fact the truth. If we believed in that which is not the truth then the scriptures will show us to be a lier.

Not because of what our Granny's taught us, but in finding God ourselves, that is how we know the truth. Because of our personal relationship with Christ we know that our Granny's did have the truth. If they would have been false we would have found out in our personal relationship that they did not line up with the truth.

The words our Granny's spoke to us, and corrected us with were straight out of the Bible. How do we know? Because we have read those very same words ourselves, even used them with our own children and grand children. One Granny was very out spoken (LJG's) and the other one very soft spoken (rECj's) but they both had one thing in common. They both were full of love.

Neither Granny would let us do some of the things that we wanted to do so bad. They considered them "too worldly." The Bible didn't say to do, so we didn't either. Birds of a feather flock together, the birds we flocked with could not be worldly. You are judged by the company you keep. So we kept company with Godly people. Spare the rob, spoil the child, those words aren't in the Bible, but the scriptures are in Proverbs that relate to the saying. Our Granny's didn't spare the rod. Thank God they didn't. A good whipping is a good thing. It sure didn't hurt either of us.

Train up a child in the ways it should go and when he is old he will not depart from it. We were trained up in the ways of the Lord and the words of the Bible. We have both departed the path we were trained up in, rECj a little, well really, a lot more than me. I was too afraid of Granny praying for me. Even tho both Granny's are in Heaven now, I am still too afraid of Granny (LJG) to get too far out of line. Yep, that makes me a scary cat.

We know in whom we believe and am persuaded that all things are possible with God. We've tried and tested the Bible too many times.

Want an answer? Go to the Bible. It has all the answers. Now its your turn to test and try the Words of God.

God's blessings to each of you,
rECj/LJG

SATURDAY EDITORIAL

Behind the scenes

Writing that I felt a little like TBN. Honestly though we wanted to let you in on what has been going on with this series Religion 101. The thought just popped in my head to write this series, and, that is okay. God has a way of waiting till I lie down and then tells me write.

Never since we started doing any of this have we been attacked as we have this time.

We have had computers go down, loose the Internet for hours, even to crashing a computer with everything we had ever written on it and loosing it all. No problem we had notes, the other computer had most of the completed works. I learnt a valuable lesson, in that I don’t just sit down and write articles in e-mail to LJG. A number have been lost in that way. Now everything has backup notes to the notes. We store works in progress on both our computers. I send things to LJG that make no sense to any one but me in case something is lost.

LJG and I are 2000 + miles apart and if you have not read our amazing story we will be telling it again soon. We have not seen each other in 35 years at least.

But, back to this article. We have e-mailed research to each other that never arrived. We have sent revised parts that arrived unrevised. Both of us lost the Internet for a complete day on separate days. We prayed, we rebuked, and we never stopped. The computer ate up complete pages of work.

In fact this is the second writing of this series as an 87,000-character folder of all the work just decided to do like socks when you wash them, something is always missing. Well the entire article, all parts disappeared. Nothing could retrieve it.

Please do not send me ways to recover lost folders, we had a tech and she has rebuilt this computer from the ground up when it crashed about 8 months ago.

The other day for three hours we were both on the computer trying to send one part that would not arrive. LJG would send me e-mail I got your note but no attachment. We even tried cut and paste it did not want to send.

This has been one of the most trying series we have ever done. But it has happened.

The devil gets mad when you are doing the Lord’s work. Another problem I have had in writing this is trying to not inject my personal opinions. I want you to read about these groups and form your own thoughts. It is not over; we will go back and line each group up with the word of God. Then you can say this group or that group does not line up it is false.

But why did we do this. In the past we have both said from the beginning do not take our word for fact. Look up the scriptures for yourself. Seek after God for Him to enlighten you to His truth. The Bible tells us how to test what the world says.

I had wrote many articles on why we believe what we believe, why do you believe what you believe. I could not shake the feeling of pain in seeing people believing and standing with a so called religion that was so wrong, so full of lies. Or the ones that sneak in “little” falsehoods that in fact will tear you apart instead of build you up. It ate at me like a cancer. LJG felt the same and we both knew it had to be written.

I tell the truth that all of this article is not my words; it is research from so many groups that I cannot name them all. I have visited the own group sites and gave you their own words, I wanted you to see what they wrote not my interpretation of their beliefs.

I have printed things that I completely disagree with, but the truth of that will come out at the end. And even then it will not be what I say is right and wrong but what the Bible says about it.

And I guess that leads us to the question of why do we believe the Bible and that we will answer tomorrow.

God Bless
rECj/LJG

DID YOU KNOW

Mat 4:5-10 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
6) And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in [their] hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
7) Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
8) Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
9) And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
10) Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
11) Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

SOURCE: Kings James Bible

RELIGION:101 PART FIVE

First let us travel to Waco Texas. This is one of the most misunderstood happenings that we will share with you. Nothing is exactly clear as to what happened, even though many of us sat glued to our televisions for days.

But lets go back a bit and see where this all started. In 1930 members of the Seven day Adventists were excommunicated. These former members became the Davidian Seventh Day Adventists and the Branch Davidians originated from them in 1950.

In 1981, Vernon Wayne Howell joined the group as a regular member. In 1984 he began teaching his own message. There was a split in the group and Howell took his followers to Palestine, Texas. After a short period of time he and his followers moved back onto the land in Waco.

In 1990, Howell changed his name to David Koresh, invoking the biblical Kings David and Cyrus. Koresh centered his teachings on the Seven Seals and his ability to open them. He supported his beliefs with detailed interpretation of the Bible using Revelation as the way to view the entire Bible.

On February 28,1993 the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms conducted a raid on the property named Mount Carmel. This raid was because of numerous reports of stockpiled illegal weapons. Koresh had also been accused by former members of practicing polygamy with underage brides, and physically abusing children. The raid resulted in the deaths of four agents and six Davidians after the Davidians refused the demands of the federal agents.

This started a 51 day siege by the FBI that ended on April 19 when federal agents released tear gas into the compound. Fires broke out and spread quickly through the buildings killing approximately 79 Branch Davidians, 21 of those were children. Autopsies confirmed that many including David Koresh had died of a single gunshot to the back of their heads. There are also reports that the fires were set inside the buildings.

Next we will travel to Pea Green Cemetery, it is quite and peaceful looking until we notice that most of the graves are those of infants and young child. We are in Monrose County in Colorado and the year is 2001.

Eleven children all born to members of First Assembly and Church of the First Born Church. The deaths happened between the years of 1990 and 2001. First Born is a Christian denomination that uses prayer instead of medicine.

In the mid 70’s several children died of diphtheria after their parents forbade them to be immunized. In 1982 a child died of a ruptured appendix, and in 1987 a day old child. Since 1974 at least 35 children have died .

The members believe that the children are merely asleep until judgement day.

Since 1989 Colorado Legislature has rebuffed efforts by law enforcement that exempt parents who use spiritual healing from charges of child abuse or neglect.

The church dates back to the 1700’s. There were 285 families belonging to the 6 First Born churches scattered throughout Colorado in 1997.

Some members wear hearing aids and eyeglasses, even false teeth. This is viewed merely as support like a cane, than a medical device.

On July 15 one child got stuck by its shoulders in the birth canal, as the mother was delivering the child. The mother refused any help saying that she understood and “it’s all in God’s hands” on the 16th. The next day the funeral home was notified that the baby had been removed. The baby could have been delivered if it would have been turned. The baby died in the canal and the mother almost lost her life.

In 1998 of 172 child deaths that happened between 1975 to 1995 to parents of various religious organizations, 140 had a 90% change of survival if medical care had been provided.

Now we will travel to Uganda. The Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God was lead by Joseph Kibwetere. Kibwetere, known as “The Prophet” had prophesied that the world would end on December 31, 1999. When that did not happen he changed the date to December 31, 2000 and then for some reason changed it back to March 17, 2000.

Kibwetere had told believers to sell all their possessions and prepare to go to heaven. The cultist gathered at the church where they chanted and sang for hours before lighting the place on fire. Authorities found that the windows and doors of the church had been nailed shut and prayer mats doused with gasoline. It is believed the congregation went up in flames when all the cultist lit their candles.

On March 18, up to 530 members of this obscure Catholic cult committed mass suicide. A police spokesman said “The scene is horror, there are about two or three bodies which you can say if it is a man or woman. The rest of the bodies are beyond human shape.”

Days later more than 150 bodies were found—many stabbed or strangled—in mass graves on sect property. Investigators believe cult members were killed when they questioned Kibwetere, or demanded that their possessions be returned.

Kibwetere’s body was not found; he is believed to have fled the compound before the fire.
Tomorrow we will start a look at the NORMAL Christian religions. Even here we will see according to our scriptures that God’s Word is used to express what men want it to say.

Here we have three very different stories, all ended in tragedy. All because of people standing for what they believe is the truth. We are not here to try to make you feel one or the other about any of these groups. You form your own opinions.

Remember the scriptures we gave you at the beginning?

God Blesse
rECj/LJG