Stay Focused

Staying Focused in a Blurred Country

Supposedly the majority of what is found below was written by David Letterman. I’m not sure about the validity to that. Regardless, the points made are enough for me to pause and give thanks to God for the country He has given me to reside in.

“As most of you know I am not a President Bush fan, nor have I ever been, but this is not about Bush, it is about us, as Americans, and it seems to hit the mark.

The other day I was reading Newsweek magazine and came across some Poll data I found rather hard to believe. It must be true given the source, right?

The Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is headed and 69 percent of the country is unhappy with the performance of the President. In essence 2/3 of the citizenry just ain't happy and want a change. So being the knuckle dragger I am, I started thinking, 'What are we so unhappy about?'

A. Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 Days a week?

B. Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter?

C. Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job?

D. Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?

E. Maybe it is the ability to drive our cars and trucks from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state.

F. Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter?

G. I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough either.

H. Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all and even send a helicopter to take you to the hospital.

I. Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home.

J. You may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames thus saving you, your family, and your belongings.

K. Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes, an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss.

L. This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90% of teenagers own cell phones and computers.

M. How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world?

Maybe that is what has 67% of you folks unhappy.

Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S., yet has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have, and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here.

I know, I know. What about the president who took us into war and has no plan to get us out? The president who has a measly 31 percent approval rating? Is this the same president who guided the nation in the dark days after 9/11? The president that cut taxes to bring an economy out of recession? Could this be the same guy who has been called every name in the book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled ungrateful brats safe from terrorist attacks? The commander in chief of an all-volunteer army that is out there defending you and me?

Did you hear how bad the President is on the news or talk show? Did this news affect you so much, make you so unhappy you couldn't take a look around for yourself and see all the good things and be glad? Think about it......are you upset at the President because he actually caused you personal pain OR is it because the 'Media' told you he was failing to kiss your sorry ungrateful behind every day.

Make no mistake about it. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have volunteered to serve, and in many cases may have died for your freedom.

There is currently no draft in this country. They didn't have to go. They are able to refuse to go and end up with either a ''general'' discharge, an 'other than honorable'' discharge or, worst case scenario, a ''dishonorable' discharge after a few days in
the brig.

So why then the flat-out discontentment in the minds of 69 percent of Americans?

Say what you want, but I blame it on the media. If it bleeds it leads and they specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch a car crash with blood and guts. How many will watch kids selling lemonade at the corner? The media knows this and media outlets are for-profit corporations. They offer what sell s, and when criticized, try to defend their actions by 'justifying' them in one way or another. Just ask why they tried to allow a murderer like O.J. Simpson to write a book about how he didn't kill his wife, but if he did he would have done it this way......Insane!

Turn off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the bottom of your bird cage. Then start being grateful for all we have as a country. There is exponentially more good than bad. We are among the most blessed people on Earth and should thank God several times a day, or at least be thankful and appreciative.' 'With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, 'Are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?'

-David Letterman



The bottom line for this author is people love darkness and they hate the light. We are a culture that thrives on negativity, slander, gossip, finger pointing, and ill will.

Let’s not forget, we are only passing through this foreign land. I personally am homesick for a home I’ve never been to –Heaven. My roots are not very deep here on earth and as a sojourner I’ve come to realize what matters the most is Christ. Period. Everything else pales in comparison to the One who ransomed my soul and has freely given me every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies to enjoy Him to the fullest.

So, come what may during the election time I trust God is still on his throne and He’s not pacing back and forth. He sets kings up and He takes them down. Scripture says, “The heart of the king is in His hand and He turns it whatsoever direction He chooses.”

His desire is still the same and His will is still going to be accomplished. He will bring Glory to His name. Time is short. Life is quick. The only thing that matters are the things done in Him.

John Piper once said Christians should deal with the world. This world is here to be used. Dealt with. There is no avoiding it. Not to deal with it is to deal with it that way.

Therefore, we must deal with the world. But as we deal with it, we don’t give it our fullest attention. We don’t ascribe to the world the greatest status. There are unseen things that are vastly more precious than the world. We use the world without offering it our whole soul. We may work with all our might when dealing with the world, but the full passions of our heart will be attached to something higher—Godward purposes. We use the world, but not as an end in itself. It is a means. We deal with the world in order to make much of Christ.

So it is with voting. We deal with the system. We deal with the biased news. We deal with the candidates. We deal with the issues. But we deal with it all as if not dealing with it. It does not have our fullest attention. It is not the great thing in our lives. Christ is. And Christ will be ruling over his people with perfect supremacy no matter who is elected and no matter what government stands or falls. So we vote as though not voting. NO fretting allowed.

By all means vote. But remember: “The world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:17).

Evolution: a fairy tale for grown ups.

Evolution: a Fairy Tale for Grown ups.

The Book of Genesis tells us that God created everything—nothing “evolved.” Every creature was given the ability to reproduce after its own kind as is stated ten times in Genesis 1. Dogs do not produce cats. Neither do cats and dogs have a common ancestry. Dogs began as dogs and are still dogs. They vary in species from Chihuahuas to Saint Bernards, but you will not find a “dat” or a “cog” (part cat/dog) throughout God’s creation. Frogs don’t reproduce oysters, cows don’t have lambs, and pregnant pigs don’t give birth to rabbits. God made monkeys as monkeys, and man as man.

According to evolutionist Stephen J. Gould, professor of geology and paleontology at Harvard University, “This notion of species as ‘natural kinds’ fits splendidly with creationist tenets of a pre-Darwinian age. Louis Agassiz even argued that species are God’s individual thoughts, made incarnate so that we might perceive both His majesty and His message. Species, Agassiz wrote, are ‘instituted by the Divine Intelligence as the categories of his mode of thinking.’ But how could a division of the organic world into discrete entities be justified by an evolutionary theory that proclaimed ceaseless change as the fundamental fact of nature?”

Each creature brings forth after its own kind. That’s no theory; that’s a fact. Why then should we believe that man came from another species? If evolution were true, it would prove that the Bible is false. However, the whole of creation stands in contradiction to the theory of evolution. Evolution is science fiction.

While we do see what’s called “microevolution”—variations within species (such as different types of dogs)—we don’t see any evidence of “macroevolution”—one species evolving into another species. Microevolution is observable, while macroevolution takes a tremendous leap of faith. If Christians had as much faith in God as atheists have in the theory of evolution, we would see revival. Like little children, atheists believe without a shred of evidence. In The Answers Book, Ken Ham writes:

Adaptation and natural selection are biological facts; amoeba-to-man evolution is not. Natural selection can only work on the genetic information present in a population of organisms—it cannot create new information. For example, since no known reptiles have genes for feathers, no amount of selection will produce a feathered reptile. Mutations in genes can only modify or eliminate existing structures, not create new ones.

Evolutionists also claim that the human body has “vestigial organs”— worthless leftovers from evolution—such as the appendix and tailbone. The truth is that these do have a purpose: the appendix is part of the human immune system, and the “tailbone” actually supports muscles that are necessary for daily bodily functions.

I had a friend who was in a debate once who said to the Evil-utionist, "If you really feel the "tailbone" serves no purpose then I will gladly pay to have yours removed." Needless to say no money was spent that day. :)

Didn't Life Begin with a Big Bang?

“Doesn’t the Big Bang theory disprove the Genesis account of creation?”

Try to think of any explosion that has produced order. Does a terrorist bomb create harmony? Big bangs cause chaos. How could a Big Bang produce a rose, apple trees, fish, sunsets, the seasons, hummingbirds, polar bears—thousands of birds and animals, each with its own eyes, nose, and mouth? A child can see that there is “grand design” in creation.

Here is an interesting experiment: Empty your garage of every piece of metal, wood, paint, rubber, and plastic. Make sure there is nothing there. Nothing. Then wait for ten years and see if a Mercedes evolves. If it doesn’t appear, leave it for 20 years. If that doesn’t work, try it for 100 years. Then try leaving it for 10,000 years.

Here’s what will produce the necessary blind faith to make the evolutionary process believable: leave it for 250 million years.

What evolutionists attribute to a Big Bang, where the universe simply “exploded” into existence, is actually the work of God who merely spoke and the universe came into being. Jim Holt, science writer for the Wall Street Journal, wrote that “the universe suddenly exploded into being,” yet he admitted, “The big bang bears an uncanny resemblance to the Genesis command.” Time magazine reported, “Most cosmologists (scientists who study the structures and evolution of the universe) agree that the Genesis account of creation, in imagining an initial void, may be uncannily close to the truth” (Dec. 1976).

An article in U.S. News & World Report stated, “New scientific revelations about supernovas, black holes, quarks, and the big bang even suggest to some scientists that there is a ‘grand design’ in the universe” (March 31, 1997).

Ask an evolutionist who believes in the Big Bang, “Where did space for the universe come from? Where did the initial material come from? What sparked the explosion?” In order to have an explosion, there must be something there to explode, and there must be a catalyst to cause the explosion. You cannot create something out of nothing. Simply put, this destroys the Big Bang theory because there is nothing to go boom.

So, didn't life begin with a Big Bang? yep, it sure did. Genesis 3:1 states, "Then God said, "Let there be light:"; and there was light. "

Holiness

HOLINESS

The word “holiness” carries with it some unwanted baggage, thanks to “religion.” In the East, to be a holy man means to sit half-naked with your legs crossed, and having folks give you money in return for your blessing. Some holy men sit on poles for twenty years. Others stay off poles but they also stay away from any contact with a sinful world, in holier-than-thou legalism. Some live in monasteries and have a vow of silence.

Most of the church doesn’t live on poles or have a holier-than-thou attitude. They do, however, live in a monastery—one without walls. They too have a vow of silence. Few have physical contact with the world. Their association with humanity is strictly confined to the church. Fellowship is what they have on Wednesday nights, Sunday mornings, and Sunday nights. They are salt among salt, light among light.

True holiness is the opposite of the above. It means that we cut ourselves off from sin, but not from sinners. True holiness is to be like Jesus —“separate from sinners”—and yet He was accused of being a “friend of sinners.” The Scriptures admonish us with these thought-provoking words:

I wrote to you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then you would need to go out of the world. But now I have written to you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat (1 Corinthians 5:9–11).

Can you see what the Bible is saying? If we separate ourselves from sinners, we won’t be able to reach them with the gospel of salvation. The only ones we are told to separate ourselves from are hypocrites. Look at these wonderful words from George MacLeod of Scotland:

I simply argue that the cross should be raised at the center of the marketplace as well as on the steeple of the church. I am recovering the claim that Jesus was not crucified in a cathedral between two candles, but on a cross between two thieves; on the town’s garbage heap; at a crossroad, so cosmopolitan they had to write His title in Hebrew and Latin and Greek...at the kind of a place where cynics talk smut, and thieves curse, and soldiers gamble. Because that is where He died. And that is what He died for. And that is what He died about. That is where church-men ought to be and what churchmen ought to be about.

There is nothing “spiritual” about being holy. It just means a separation from sin. God is holy—He is sinless (see Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8; 15:4). We too are called to be holy: “But as he which has called you is holy, so be holy in all manner of conversation” (1 Peter 1:15). See also Romans 6:19, 22; Ephesians 1:4; Titus 1:8. If you want to be an effective witness, remember Charles Spurgeon’s words: “In proportion as a church is holy, in that proportion will its testimony for Christ be powerful.”

It’s as simple as this—God has given us an umbrella in the Savior to shelter us from the reign of His wrath. God has given the covering, and we are told to stay under that covering of holiness. How can we best do this? We do this by reading God’s Word daily, by keeping a tender conscience, by having an obedient heart, and by living in the fear of God.

The next time you are witnessing to someone you know isn’t right with God, and he says, “Oh, I’ve been born again. I know the Lord,” ask him if he is “living in holiness.” More than likely he will say that he is. Then call his bluff. Ask him to define “holiness.” As he is straining his brain to come up with a definition, say, “The Bible says, ‘Without holiness, no man shall see the Lord.’” That means that we should be separated from sin and the world. Then ask him if he thinks he’s a good person. More than likely he will, so take the time to go through the Moral Law with him.

Random Quotes

NAPOLEON BONAPARTE said,

“I know men and I tell you that Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between Him and every other person in the world there is no possible term of comparison. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have founded empires. But on what did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded His empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for Him.”

PARIS REIDHEAD said,

“When 100 years ago earnest scholars decreed that the Law had no relationship to the preaching of the gospel, they deprived the Holy Spirit in the area where their influence prevailed of the only instrument with which He had ever armed Himself to prepare sinners for grace.”

JOSEPHUS said,

“About this time there lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man...He was the Christ. When Pilate, upon hearing him accused by men of the highest standing among us, had condemned him to be crucified, those who had in the first place come to love him did not give up their affection for him. On the third day he appeared to them restored to life, for the prophets of God had prophesied these and countless other marvelous things about him.”

ABRAHAM LINCOLN said,

“I believe the Bible is the best gift God has given to man... But for this Book, we could not know right from wrong...Take allyou can of this Book upon reason, and the balance on faith,and you will live and die a happier man.”

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER said,

“The Bible is endorsed by the ages. Our civilization is built upon its words. In no other Book is there such a collection of inspired wisdom, reality, and hope.”

SIR ISAAC NEWTON said,

“We account the Scriptures of God to be the most sublime philosophy. I find more sure marks of authenticity in the Bible than in any profane history whatsoever.”

MARTIN LUTHER said,

“Every man must do two things alone; he must do his own believing, and he must do his own dying.”

Mormonism

Mormonism


1. “I say to the whole world, receive the truth, no matter who presents it to you. Take up the Bible, compare the religion of the Latter-day Saints with it, and see if it will stand the test.”
Brigham Young
Journal of Discourses
Volume 16, Page 46
1873


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2. If we cannot convince you by reason nor by the word of God, that your religion is wrong, we will not persecute you, but will sustain you in the privileges, guaranteed in the great Charter of American Liberty: we ask of you the same generosity –protect us in the exercise of our religious rights –convince us of our errors of doctrine, if we have any, by reason, by logical arguments, or by the word of God, and we will be ever grateful for the information, and you will ever have the pleasing reflection that you have been instruments in the hands of God of redeeming you fellow beings”
Orson Pratt
The Seer Page 15
1854

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3. “Now hear it, O inhabitants of the earth, Jew and Gentile, Saint and sinner! When our father Adam came into the garden of Eden, he came into it with a celestial body, and brought Eve, one of his wives, with him. He helped to make and organize this world. He is MICHAEL, the Archangel, the ANCIENT OF DAYS! About whom holy men have written and spoken —He is our FATHER and our GOD, and the only God with whom we have to do. Every man upon the earth, professing Christians or non-professing, must hear it and will know it sooner of later.”
Brigham Young
Journal of Discourses
Volume 1, page 50
April 9, 1852


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4. “You believe Adam was made of the dust of this earth. This I do not believe, though it is supposed that it is so written in the Bible; but it is not, to my understanding. You can write that information to the States, if you please –that I have publicly declared that I do not believe that portion of the Bible as the Christian world do. I never did, and I never want to.”
Brigham Young
Journal of Discourses
Volume 2, page 6
1853

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5. “Thou we have it in history that our father Adam was made of the dust of the earth, and that he knew nothing about his God previous to being made here, yet it is not so; and when we learn the truth we shall see and understand that he helped to make this world, and was the chief manager in that operation.”
Brigham Young
Journal of Discourses
Volume 3, page 319
1856


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6. “After men have got their exaltations and their crowns –have become Gods, even the sons of God –are made Kings of kings and Lord of lords, they have the power then of propagating their species in spirit;
Brigham Young
Journal of Discourses
Volume 6, page 275
1852


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7. “Mankind are here because they are the offspring of parents who were first brought here from another planet, and power was given them to propagate their species.”
Brigham Young
Journal of Discourses
Volume 7, Page 285
1859


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8. “Now, remember from this time forth, and forever, that Jesus Christ was not begotten by the Holy Ghost.”
Brigham Young
Millennial Star
Volume 15, Page 770
1853



False Prophecies

Paramount to determining whether or not a person really is a prophet of God, is the testing of the prophecies uttered in the name of the Lord. Deuteronomy 18:20-22 makes it clear that if a pretended “prophet” says anything in the name of the Lord, and the “thing follow not, nor come to pass” then that is a false prophecy. Believers in the true and living God are then counseled not to pay any attention to that false prophet.

9. “Brigham Young will become President of the United States”
Heber C. Kimbal
Journal of Discourses
Volume 5, Page 219
Sept. 6, 1856


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10. “You see some classes of the human family that are black, uncouth, uncomely, disagreeable and low in their habits, wild, and seemingly deprived of nearly all the blessings of the intelligence that is generally bestowed upon mankind. The first man that committed the odious crime of killing one of his brethren will be cursed the longest of any one of the children of Adam. Cain slew his brother. Cain might have been killed, and that would have been the termination to that line of human beings. This was not to be, and the Lord put a mark upon him, which is the flat nose and black skin.”
Brigham Young
Journal of Discourses
Volume 7, Page 290
October 9,1859


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11. “The only men who become Gods, even the Sons of God, are those who enter into polygamy.”
Brigham Young
Journal of Discourses
Volume 11, Page 269
April 19, 1866


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12. “Do you think that we shall ever be admitted as a State into the Union without denying the principle of polygamy? If we are not admitted until then, we shall never be admitted.”
Brigham Young
Journal of Discourses
Volume 11, Page 269
April 19, 1866


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13. “I prophesy in the name of the Lord God of Israel, unless the United States redress the wrongs committed upon the Saints in the state of Missouri and punish the crimes committed by her officers that in a few years the government will be utterly overthrown and wasted, and there will not be so much as a potsherd left,”
Joseph Smith
History of the Church
Volume 5, Page 394
May 18, 1843


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14. “God himself is increasing and progressing in knowledge, power, and dominion, and will do so, worlds without end.”
Wilford Woodruff
Journal of Discourses
Volume 6, Page 120
1857


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15. “The man Joseph, the husband of Mary, did not, that we know of, have more than one wife, but Mary the wife of Joseph had another husband.”
Brigham Young
Journal of Discourses
Volume 11, Page 268
1866


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16. “Hence, the doctrine of a plurality of Gods is as prominent in the Bible as any other doctrine. It is all over the face of the Bible. It stands beyond the power of controversy.”
Joseph Smith
History of the Church
Volume 6, Page 474
1844


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17. “The fleshly body of Jesus required a Mother as well as Father. Therefore, the Father and Mother of Jesus, according to the flesh, must have been associated together in the capacity of Husband and wife; hence the Virgin Mary must have been, for the time being, the lawful wife of God the Father”
Orson Pratt
The Seer Page 158
1853


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18. “The angel taught Joseph Smith those principles which are necessary for the salvation of the world”
Wilford Woodruff
Journal of Discourses
Volume 2, Page 196
1855


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19. “How did this state of things called Mormonism originate? We read that an angel came down and revealed himself to Joseph Smith and manifested unto him in vision the true position of the world in a religious point of view. He was surrounded with light and glory while the heavenly messenger communicated these things unto him”
John Taylor
Journal of Discourses
Volume 10, Page 127
1863


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20. “Baptism is just as essential to salvation, as Faith and Repentance. –Without being immersed in water no man can enter into the fulness of Celestial glory”
Orson Pratt
The Seer Page 255
1854


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21. “Now if any of you will deny the plurality of wives, and continue to do so, I promise that you will be damned”
Brigham Young
Journal of Discourses
Volume 3, Page 266
1855




Strange Teachings


22. “Does the earth conceive? It does. Where did the earth come from? From its parent earths. The earth is alive. If it was not, it could not produce.”
Heber C. Kimball
Journal of Discourses
Volume 6, Page 36
1857


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23. “no man or woman in this dispensation will ever enter into the celestial kingdom of God without the consent of Joseph Smith. From the day that the Priesthood was taken from the earth to the winding-up scene of all things, every man and woman must have the certificate of Joseph Smith, junior, as a passport to their entrance into the mansion where God and Christ are”
Brigham Young
Journal of Discourses
Volume 7, Page 289
1869


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24. “Who can tell us of the inhabitants of this little planet that shines of an evening, called the moon? …when you inquire about the inhabitants of that sphere you find that the most learned are as ignorant in regard to them as the most ignorant of their fellows. So it is with regard to the inhabitants of the sun. Do you think it is inhabited? I rather think it is. Do you think there is any life there? No question of it; it was not made in vain. It was made to give light to those who dwell upon it, and to other planets; and so will this earth when it is celestialized.”
Brigham Young
Journal of Discourses
Volume 13, page 271
1870


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25. “…What man or woman on the earth, what spirit in the spirit-world can say truthfully that I ever gave a wrong word of counsel, or a word of advice that could not be sanctioned by the heavens? The success which has attended me in my presidency is owing to the blessings and mercy of the Almighty. Why I have referred to this is to show you that I realize the importance of obeying the words of the Lord, which he gives through his acknowledged servants…”
Brigham Young
Journal of Discourses
Volume 12, Page 127
1867

A Word from Obama

My fellow Americans:

As your future President I want to thank my supporters, for your mindless support of me, despite my complete lack of any legislative achievement, my pastor's relations with Louis Farrakhan and Libyan dictator Moamar Quadafi, or my blatantly leftist voting record while I present myself as some sort of bi-partisan agent of change.

I also like how my supporters claim my youthful drug use and criminal behavior somehow qualifies me for the Presidency after 8 years of claiming Bush's youthful drinking disqualifies him. Your hypocrisy is a beacon of hope shining over a sea of political posing.

I would also like to thank the Kennedys for coming out in support of me. There's a lot of glamor behind the Kennedy name, even though JFK started the Vietnam War, his brother Robert illegally wiretapped Martin Luther King, Jr. and Teddy killed a female employee with whom he was having an extramarital affair and who was pregnant with his child. And I'm not going anywhere near the cousins, both literally and figuratively.

And I'd like to thank Oprah Winfrey for her support. Her love of meaningless empty platitudes will be the force that propels me to the White House.

Americans should vote for me, not because of my lack of experience or achievement, but because I make people feel good. Voting for me causes some white folk to feel relieved of their imagined, racist guilt. I say things that sound meaningful, but don't really mean anything because Americans are tired of things having meaning. If things have meaning, then that means you have to think about them. Americans are tired of thinking. It's time to shut down the brain, and open up the heart. So when you go to vote, remember: don't think, just do. And do it for me.

Thank you.

Barack Hussein Obama, Jr.

Islam

INTRODUCTION

According to Muslim traditions, Allah wrote the Qur’an in pure Arabic in heaven on a large stone table. The angel Gabriel took the table of the Qur’an and made Muhammad recite it. His recitations were memorized or written down by others on whatever objects were on hand such as sticks, stones, bones, palm leaves, etc.. After Muhammad died, various conflicting Qur’ans were produced. It was the Caliph Uthman who made his own version of the Qur’an the official one (See Bukhari’s Hadith vol. 1, pg. 56, no. 63). He later burned all the other conflicting Qur’ans.

The Qur’an sold today is the Uthman version.

The Hadith is the record of the teachings and examples of Muhammad not found in the Qur’an and are thus authoritative for all Muslims. To deny the Hadith is to be guilty of apostasy under Islamic Law. The greatest of all Hadith scholars was Bukhari.

STRANGE TEACHINGS AND/OR PRACTICES OF ISLAM:

Jihad (Holy War)
Surah 2:190-194 Fight in the cause of Allah against those who fight you...and kill them wherever you catch them...if they fight you, kill them. Such is the reward of those who suppress the Faith...And fight them on until there is no more tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah.

Surah 2:216 Fighting is prescribed for you

Surah 2:244 Fight in the cause of Allah

Surah 4:89 If they turn apostates, seize them and kill them wherever you find them.

Surah 4:91 Seize them and kill them wherever you get them.

Surah 5:33 The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and his apostle...they shall be slaughtered, or crucified, or their hands and feet shall be struck off alternately, or they shall be banished from the land.

Surah 5:51 O ye who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends.

On Jesus
Surah 5:72-73 They do blaspheme who say: Allah is Christ the son of Mary...They do blaspheme who say: Allah is one of three (gods)...Christ the son of Mary was no more than an apostle.

Ask No Questions
Surah 5:101 Ask not questions about things which, if made plain to you may cause you trouble...Some people before you did ask such questions, and on account lost their faith (in Islam).

The Greatest Deceiver
Surah 3:54 The greatest Deceiver (Makara) of them all is Allah

Beating Wives
Surah 4:34 Men are the managers of the affairs of women...those you fear may be rebellious admonish; banish them to their couches, and beat them.

People Turning Into Monkeys
The Qur’an
Surah 2:65 And you know well those among you who transgressed in the matter of the Sabbath: We said to them: “Become apes! Despised and rejected.”

Surah 7:163-166 When in their insolence they transgressed the warnings, We said to them, “Become monkeys! Despised and rejected.” Mohammed’s InspirationThe HadithMohammed would hear ringing in his ears; his heart would beat rapidly; his face turn red; his breathing labored; he would fall to the ground or lie down; he would shake; his eyes would open wide; his lips tremble; spit drool from the corners of his mouth; he would sweat profusely; he saw and hear things no one else ever saw or heard; he would sometimes make a snoring noise like that of a camel; and he would be covered with a sheet.Vol. I, nos. 1, 2, 3, 4Vol. II, nos. chap. 16 (pg. 354), 544Vol. III, nos. 17, 829Vol. IV, nos. 95, 438, 458, 461 Vol. V, nos. 170, 462, 618, 659Vol. VI, nos. 447, 448, 468, 478, 481, 508

The Man Who Died For A Hundred Years & Then was Resurrected
The Qur’an
Surah II: 259 Or take the similitude of one who passed by a village in ruins to its roofs. He said, “Oh! How shall Allah restore it to life after its death?” But Allah caused him to die for 100 years. The he raised him up and said, “How long have you stayed here?” He said, “A day or a part of a day.” He said, “No, you have been here for 100 years! But look at your food and your drink, they show no signs of age. And look at your donkey! We have made you a sign unto the people. Look further at the bones (of your body) how We clothed them with flesh.

A 90 Foot Adam
The Hadith
Bukhari vol. IV, no. 543 Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, “Allah created Adam, making him 60 cubits tall.”

No Dogs Allowed!
The Hadith
Bukhari vol. IV, nos. 539 Narrated Abu Talha: The Prophet said, “Angels do not enter a house which has either a dog or a picture in it.” Allah’s Apostle ordered that the dogs should be killed in no. 540, vol. 4 Dog lovers would not make good Muslims

Satan In The Nose Over Night
The Hadith
Bukhari vol. IV, no. 516 “Satan stays in the upper part of the nose all night.”Footnote (1) We should believe that Satan actually stays in the upper part of one’s nose, though we cannot perceive how, for this is related to the unseen world of which we know nothing except what Allah tells us through his Apostle Mohammed.

Muslim vol. I, no. 462 Abu Huraira reported: The Apostle of Allah said, “When any one of you awakes from sleep and performs ablution, he must clean his nose three times, for the devil spends the night in the interior of his nose.”

Playing Chess Forbidden
The Hadith
Muslim vol. IV, no. 5612 Chapter CMXLVI

Allah’s Apostle said, “He who played chess is like one who dyed his hand with the flesh and blood of swine.”

Non-Muslims Have Seven Intestines!
The Hadith
Muslim vol. III, nos. 5113 Chapter DCCCLXIIA Believer Eats In One Intestine, whereas A Non-Believer Eats In Seven Intestines. Ibn Umar reported Allah’s Messenger as saying that a non-Muslim eats in seven intestines while a Muslim eats in one intestine. (See also nos. 5114-5120)

Don’t Pray Looking Up
The Hadith
Muslim vol. I, nos. 863 Chapters CLXXIII It Is Forbidden To Lift One’s Eyes Toward The Sky in PrayerAbu Huraira reported Allah’s Apostle saying: “People should avoid lifting their eyes towards the sky while supplicating in prayer, otherwise their eyes would be snatched away.”

The Wondrous Wings of a Fly
The Hadith
Bukhari vol. IV, no. 537 Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, “If a house fly falls into the drink of anyone of you, he should dip it (into the drink) because one of its wings has a disease and the other wing has the cure (for that disease).

Bukhari vol. VII, no. 673 Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah’s Apostle said, “If a fly falls in the vessel of any of you, let him dip all of it into the vessel and then throw it away, for in one its wings there is a disease and in the other wing there is healing.”

The Setting of the Sun
The Qur’an
Surah 18:86 When he (i.e. Zul-qarnain) reached the setting of the sun, he found that it set in a pond of murky water.

Drinking Camel Urine
The Hadith
Bukhari vol. I, no. 234 The Prophet ordered them to go to the herd of camels and to drink their milk and urine.

The Crying Palm Tree
The Hadith
Bukhari vol. II, no. 41 Narrated Jabir bin Abdullah: The Prophet used to stand by a stem of a date-palm tree. When the pulpit was placed for him we heard the stem crying like a pregnant she-camel till the Prophet got down from the pulpit and placed his hand over it.

Bukhari vol. IV, no. 783 Narrated Ibn Umar: The Prophet used to deliver his sermons while standing beside the trunk of a date-palm. When he had the pulpit made, he used it instead. The trunk started crying and the Prophet went to it, rubbing his hand over it (to stop its crying.)

Shouting Food
The Hadith
Bukhari vol. IV, no. 779 ...no doubt, we heard the meal glorifying Allah, when it was being eaten (by Allah’s Apostle).

600 Wings
The Hadith
Bukhari vol. VI no. 380 Mohammed has seen Gabriel with six hundred wings.

The Devil Urinates Into the Ear
The Hadith
Bukhari vol. II, no. 245 If one sleeps and does not offer the prayer, Satan urinates in his ears. Narrated Abdullah: The Prophet said, “Satan urinated in his ears.”

No Garlic or Onions Allowed
The Hadith
Bukhari vol. I, no. 812 What has been said about uncooked garlic or onion. And the statement of the Prophet: “Whoever has eaten garlic or onion because of hunger or otherwise should not come near our mosque.” (see also nos. 813-815)

Yawning Comes From Hell
The Hadith
vol. IV, no. 509 Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, “Yawning is from Satan.”

Hell-Fire for Women
The Hadith
Bukhari vol. I, no. 28 The Prophet said, “I was shown the Hell-fire and that the majority of its dwellers were women who were ungrateful.”

Bukhari vol. I, no. 301 Allah’s Apostle...said, “O women! Give alms, as I have seen that the majority of the dwellers of Hell-fire were you women...I have not seen anyone more deficient in intelligence and religion than you.”

Bukhari vol. II, no. 161 The Prophet then said...”I also saw the Hell-fire and I had never seen such a horrible sight. I saw that most of the inhabitants were women.”

No Assurance of Salvation
The Hadith
Bukhari vol. V, no. 266 The Prophet said, “By Allah, even though I am the Apostle of Allah, yet I do not know what Allah will do to me.”

What Color was Mohammed?
The HadithBukhari vol. 1, no. 63 While we were sitting with the Prophet in the mosque, a man came riding on a camel. He made his camel kneel down in the mosque, tied its foreleg and then said, “Who among you is Mohammed?” At that time the Prophet was sitting among us leaning on his arm. We replied, “The white man reclining on his arm.”

Bukhari vol. II, no. 122 Mohammed is described as “a white person.”

Bukhari vol. II no. 141 When the Prophet raised his arms in prayer “the whiteness of his armpits became visible.”

Bukhari vol. IV, no. 744 Narrated Ismasil bin Abi Khalid: I heard Abu Juhaifa saying, “I saw the Prophet and Al-Hasan bin Ali resembled him.” I said to Abu Juhaifa, “Describe him (i.e. Allah’s Apostle) for me.” He said, “He was white and his beard was black with some white hair in it. He promised to give us 13 young she-camels, but he died before we got them.”

A Child Bride
The Hadith
Bukhari vol. V, nos. 234 Narrated Aisha: The Prophet was engaged to me when I was a girl six years old...I was playing in a swing with some of my girl friends...Unexpectedly Allah’s Apostle came to me in the afternoon and my mother handed me over to him. At that time I was a girl of nine years of age.

Bukhari Vol. V, no. 236 The Prophet...married Aisha when she was a girl of six years of age and consummated that marriage when she was nine years old.

What Do Spirits Eat?
The Jinn or spirits eat dung and bones according to Muhammad (vol. 5, no 266)! This bit of information is as far out as one can go.

Fevers from Hell
Muhammad believed that a fever when sick was from the heat of hell. The Prophet said, “Fever is from the heat of the [Hell] fire, so cool it with water.” (vol. 4, nos. 483-486).

Stars as Missiles
Allah created the stars as missiles to throw at the devils, according to Muhammad in vol. 4, chap. 3, p. 282. Astronomers should be interested in this doctrine of Muhammad.

CONCLUSION
If Muhammad was truly Allah’s apostle, then what he taught came from Allah and must be true. But, if what he said is so outlandish and absurd that it cannot be true, then how can he be an apostle of Allah? The logic is inescapable.

San Francisco Logic

San Francisco Logic
(A scene at City Hall in San Francisco)
-by Joseph M. Sweeney

"Next."
Good morning. We want to apply for a marriage license."
"Names?"
"Tim and Jim Jones."
"Jones? Are you related? I see a resemblance."
"Yes, we're brothers."
"Brothers? You can't get married."
"Why not? Aren't you giving marriage licenses to same gender couples?"
"Yes, thousands. But we haven't had any siblings. That's incest!"
"Incest?" No, we are not gay."
"Not gay? Then why do you want to get married?"
"For the financial benefits, of course. And we do love each other. Besides, we don't have any other prospects."
"But we're issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples who've been denied equal protection under the law. If you are not gay, you can get married to a woman."
"Wait a minute. A gay man has the same right to marry a woman as I have. But just because I'm straight doesn't mean I want to marry a woman. I want to marry Jim." "And I want to marry Tim, Are you going to discriminate against us just because we are not gay?"
"All right, all right. I'll give you your license. Next."


"Hi. We are here to get married."
"Names?"
"John Smith, Jane James, Robert Green, and June Johnson."
"Who wants to marry whom?"
"We all want to marry each other."
"But there are four of you!"
"That's right. You see, we're all bisexual. I love Jane and Robert, Jane loves me and June, June loves Robert and Jane, and Robert loves June and me. All of us getting married together is the only way that we can express our sexual preferences in a marital relationship."
"But we've only been granting licenses to gay and lesbian couples."
"So you're discriminating against bisexuals!"
"No, it's just that, well, the traditional idea of marriage is that it's just for couples."
"Since when are you standing on tradition?"
"Well, I mean, you have to draw the line somewhere."
"Who says? There's no logical reason to limit marriage to couples. The more the better. Besides, we demand our rights! The mayor says the constitution guarantees equal protection under the law. Give us a marriage license!"
"All right, all right. Next."


"Hello, I'd like a marriage license."
"In what names?"
"David Deets."
"And the other man?"
"That's all. I want to marry myself."
"Marry yourself? What do you mean?"
"Well, my psychiatrist says I have a dual personality, so I want to marry the two together. Maybe I can file a joint income-tax return."
"That does it! I quit!! You people are making a mockery of marriage!!"

Why I can't vote for Obama

We live in a democratic country. We each have one vote. We vote for someone whom we want to represent our convictions and beliefs.

So, if we vote for someone who believes it is ok to kill babies, then we are essentially complicit in the killing of innocent children. His radical views on when life begins and his priority of protecting abortion rights over the right to life for the unborn are beyond most of even the most extreme leftists. Supreme Court and Federal Court judge selection seems inevitable with this presidency and the President gets to make that choice.

That is the cold, stark reality. So, that is why I am not voting for Barak Obama.

It is as simple as that.

Don’t get me wrong. I have no problem if people look into the issues, look into the facts and find that Obama is the candidate to hang their hat upon. My biggest problem is the large number of people who have not looked into those issues but have just joined the litany of voices.

It is easy to get seduced into Obama’s rally cry of change, but the electorate needs to look at the facts and then make a decision. They shouldn’t just support Obama because it’s cool or they get a free T-shirt. Politics needs to extend beyond that.

If you don’t like Obama it’s usually because you are racist, intolerant and uneducated. I’d like to think that’s not me, but that is how I am made to feel much of the time.

According to The Washington Post, Barack Obama has missed 294 votes in Senate. That is 45.8 percent of all the votes while he has been in Senate.

This is our potential president, a man who has avoided making decisions his entire political career.

I’m not sure about the rest of the electorate, but I have higher standards for the most powerful person in the United States. Yes, McCain has missed a large number of votes this cycle, but he has 20 years of voting records behind him.

Obama was in senate for (CATCH THIS NOW) 143 DAYS before he began his campaign.

So what, pray tell, is Obama qualified for? He is charismatic. I’ll give him that. But the President is not a talking head; he is a decision-maker. Where does Obama stand? He campaigns on change, that’s all good and well, but when has he shown that?

The sad thing about voter anger is that it’s misdirected. While there is plenty of blame and fault to go around for both parties, there really is hard evidence that John McCain tried in vain to get attention focused on the totally absurd lending practices of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that are at the heart of the meltdown.

Did you know Barack Obama is the second highest recipient of political cash from the big bosses of these entities, and his chief economic advisor Franklin Raines took over $90 million in bonuses from Fannie Mae. That’s right---$90 MILLION.

Do you really think that Barack Obama will lead "reform" of a system that he has helped grease?
His work with ACORN, a radical political organization is especially noteworthy in light of the fact that ACORN received over $760 million in "fees" from banks to help push people into "N.I.N.J.A. loans." (These are loans made to people with No Income; No Job; and No Assets, thus NINJA loans.)

Imagine Obama as President and Democrats holding majorities in the House and with a possible 60 vote margin Senate.

-Goodbye, 2nd amendment rights.
-Goodbye, protection for the unborn.
-Goodbye, tax breaks.
-Goodbye, diligence against state sponsored terrorism from rogue governments like Iran, North Korea, and others.

-Goodbye, parental rights as a fundamental right to not be supplanted by the government.

-Goodbye, holding traditional marriage as one man, one woman for life. I’m not ready to accept that.

While I agree that both tickets have their strengths and weaknesses, after looking into the politics and actions of both groups, I have to back McCain/Palin over Obama/Biden.

We need to remember that opposing views strengthen our democracy and intolerance only weakens it. I am still trying to keep an open mind to all sides as we have only one month to go. I hope everyone else will too, because that is what we owe our country.

If we want real change it will only come from getting on our knees and crying out to the King of Kings for mercy and intervention upon this nation.