The Priesthood of the Believer

Posted on May 20, 2012 by Mark Webster

Ephesians 2:11-

11Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called“the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands—12remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,20built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21in whom the whole structure, being joined together,grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

I Peter 2:4-5,9-10

So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—3if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

4As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ

9But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10Once you were not a people,but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

The Church: Its Order – Martin Lutherhttp://www.darkfiber.com/ulc-tn/luthercalvinpoab.html

It has been devised, that the Pope, bishops, priests and monks are called the Spiritual Estate; princes, lords, artificers and peasants, are the Temporal Estate; which is a very fine, hypocritical device. But let no one be made afraid by it; and that for this reason: That all Christians are truly of the Spiritual Estate, and there is no difference among them, save of office alone. As St. Paul says (I Cor. xii), we are all one body, though each member does its own work, to serve the others. This is because we have one baptism, one gospel, one faith, and are all Christians alike; for baptism, gospel and faith, these alone make Spiritual and Christian people.

As for the unction by a pope or a bishop, tonsure, ordination, consecration, clothes differing from those of laymen — all this may make a hypocrite or an anointed puppet, but never a Christian or a spiritual man. Thus we are all consecrated as priests by baptism, as St. Peter says: “Ye are a royal priesthood, a holy nation” (I Peter ii:9); and in the book of Revelations: “and hast made us unto our God, kings and priests” (Rev. v:10). For, if we had not a higher consecration in us than Pope or bishop can give, no priest could ever be made by the consecration of Pope or bishop; nor could he say the mass, or preach, or absolve. Therefore the bishop’s consecration is just as if in the name of the whole congregation he took one person out of the community, each member of which has equal power, and commanded him to exercise this power for the rest; in the same way as if ten brothers, coheirs as king’s sons, were to choose one from among them to rule over their inheritance; they would, all of them, still remain kings and have equal power, although one is ordered to govern.

And to put the matter even more plainly: If a little company of pious Christian laymen were taken prisoners and carried away to a desert, and had not among them a priest consecrated by a bishop, and were there to agree to elect one of them, married or unmarried, and were to order him to baptize, to celebrate the mass, to absolve and to preach; this man would as truly be a priest as if an the bishops and all the Popes had consecrated him. That is why in cases of necessity every man can baptize and absolve, which would not be possible if we were not all priests. This great grace and virtue of baptism and of the Christian Estate, they have almost destroyed and made us forget by their ecclesiastical law.

Revelation 1:4-6

4John to the seven churches that are in Asia:

Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come,and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

The Jewish Temple had courtyards/partitions for women,Gentiles,Jewish men,the Holy of Holies- only the High Priest could enter. Jesus has broken down the partitions. In the Body of Christ (the true Church) women and Gentiles are now “priests” of God as well as any Jewish men who believe in Jesus as the Messiah.

From a sermon at Grace Valley Christian Center – http://gracevalley.org/articles/Priesthood.html

Like a lion, Luther roared against the pretension and tyranny of the priestly class, especially in the thirty-sixth and thirty-seventh theses: “‘Every truly contrite Christian has plenary remission from punishment and guilt due to him, even without letters of pardon. Every true Christian, whether living or dead, has a share given to him by God in all the benefits of Christ and the Church, even without letters of pardon…’”² Luther insisted that everyone who trusts in Jesus Christ is a priest.³ He wrote that his hope was for a day when “we shall recover that joyful liberty in which we shall understand that we are all equal in every right, and shall shake off the yoke of tyranny, and know that he who is a Christian has Christ, and he who has Christ has all things that are Christ’s, and can do all things.”⁴

The concept that all who believe in Christ are priests occurred to Luther after he became convinced that Scripture was the only authority for a Christian. As he studied the Bible, especially Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, he discovered that in and through Jesus Christ a believer possessed the righteousness of God, and therefore, immediate access to God without the mediation of an arrogant priesthood. Thus, the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers is a sequel to the doctrine of justification by grace alone through faith alone. Those who are clothed in the perfect righteousness of God are welcome in the presence of God. No Christian needs a pontiff, meaning a bridge builder, because Jesus Christ alone is the way to the Father. The difference between sacerdotalism and Reformation theology is seen when we ask the question “What must I do to be saved?” The Roman Catholic church would answer, “Look to the priesthood and the church.” But the Bible says: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31)

All the sacrifices have been fullfilled in Christ -Hebrews 9:11-15

11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands,that is, not of this creation) 12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify6 for the purification of the flesh, 14how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

15Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant

Hebrews 9:24-38

24For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. 25Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, 26for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, 28so Christ,having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time,not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

Summary

1. Hebrews 1 – God has spoken in these last days through His Son – final ultimate revelation- don’t need a Pope,or prophet to come up with new revelations.

2. Jesus is the final and only effective sacrifice – the basis of salvation is faith – not baptismal regeneration or any type of work.

3. Christians are all priests unto God who have different callings ,but are called to minister to one another. Function will differ,but we are all called to minister.

4. We have access to God the Father because of the finished work of Jesus Christ.

11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ2 had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

15And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,

16“This is the covenant that I will make with them

after those days, declares the Lord:

I will put my laws on their hearts,

and write them on their minds,”

17then he adds,

“I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”

18Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.

The Full Assurance of Faith

19 Therefore, brothers,3 since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

As one can see from the above verses,not only is there not an intermediate priesthood in the New Testament- it is not necessary. It is necessary in Roman Catholicism,thus tying people to the Roman Catholic Church and its priests. As Francis Beckwith says,

According to Catholic theology, infused grace is required not only for the Christian’s entry into the family of God at baptism but also for her subsequent movement toward being conformed to the image of Christ.

The Catholic view is that the bread and wine literally become the body and blood of Christ when they are consecrated by the priest celebrating the Mass. According to the Catechism, “The essential signs of the Eucharistic sacrament are wheat bread and grape wine, on which the blessing of the Holy Spirit is invoked and the priest pronounces the words of consecration spoken by Jesus during the Last Supper: ‘This is my body which will be given up for you…. This is the cup of my blood….’ [Luke 22:17–20].”Journeys of Faith: Evangelicalism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Anglicanism by Robert L. Plummer

The sad irony is that Roman Catholicism twists the Scriptures,and substitutes rituals and priests who have not the Spirit of God for the true work of the Holy Spirit.

The FLDS,Joseph Smith,and Brigham Young

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Mark Webster

Warren Jeffs,the false prophet of the FLDS has spoken from his prison cell-

Jeffs appealing to Texas high court
Lindsay Whitehurst (“Salt Lake Tribune,” April 25, 2012)

USA – In the form of three so-called revelations from God, polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs has appealed his sexual assault of a child conviction to the highest criminal court in Texas.

Jeffs, who is acting as his own attorney, filed a petition for discretionary review Tuesday before the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.

“I, Jesus Christ, even Son Ahman, speak to the Supreme Court of Texas … as pertaining to legal prosecution against my servant Warren Jeffs,” it begins.

Three revelations, dated in November and December, promise “whirlwind judgements” if Jeffs and 10 other Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints men, specifically former elder Merril Jessop, aren’t freed.

Jeffs, 56, was convicted in August of sexually assaulting two girls, ages 12 and 15, whom he took as plural wives. He has acted as his own attorney since the early days of his trial. His appeal in front of the Texas 3rd District Court of Appeals was dismissed last month after he failed to file anything on his own behalf.

Tuesday’s petition seems to say that Jeffs purposely allowed the case lapse at the to instead go directly to the high court.

Have you ever wondered where the demonic teachings of the FLDS originated ?http://www.mrm.org/joseph-smith-and-polygamy

Here is a timeline of Smith and the acquisition of his wives -

http://www.i4m.com/think/polygamy/JS_Polygamy_Timeline.htm

The testimony of Jim Whitefield-

I was a fourteen-year-old atheist, converted to the Mormon Church in 1960. After forty-three years of clinging to that faith, my underlying feelings which had been troublesome throughout, finally resurfaced and had to be faced and dealt with. I resigned my membership of the Church in 2003, for no other reason than I could no longer hold to a belief in God. It was my problem and mine alone. For the next three years I just tried to get on with my life. I never considered why the Mormon Church was not actually true. It had never even occurred to me to look. I just assumed Joseph Smith to have been a good, albeit deluded man.

I retired in February of 2006. On the day following our move to a smaller home, among my books, I came across a one-hundred-year-old booklet written by Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., (who later became the tenth Mormon prophet) entitled “Blood Atonement and the Origin of Plural Marriage”. Essentially, it is a series of published letters between Smith and Mr. Evans, who was at the time Second Counsellor in the First Presidency of the ‘Reorganised’ or RLDS Church (now Community of Christ). Among other things, it contains affidavits of several wives of Joseph Smith, confirming his polygamy.

Out of idle curiosity, I decided to check how many wives Joseph Smith actually did have, as I was only aware of about a dozen from the booklet and the Mormon Church keeps very quiet about polygamy. I located thirty-three plural wives and confirmed that they were accepted by Church historians. Then, to my horror, I discovered that several of the women already had husbands when Smith married them. This conflicted with everything I had been taught about Church polygamy.

I was no longer a Mormon, but I contacted a friend who is an Apostle in the Mormon Church and also had discussions with a friend in the First Quorum of Seventy. The Church confirmed to me that polyandry (a word I had never even heard of before) is contrary to Mormon theology, yet I had evidence that Joseph Smith practiced it and thus contravened doctrine. Something was seriously and alarmingly wrong. My research continued and the nightmare started to unfold.

Day after devastating day, I discovered more and more of the truth. I somehow had to face and accept and then deal with the fact that Joseph Smith was a fraud who deliberately created a hoax to satisfy his own ambitions. Every single aspect I looked at was demonstrably not true. What hurts the most is that the real truth behind the hoax that the Mormon Church actually is can be found within falsified Church history and so-called scripture, rather than in anti-Mormon literature. The truth is deliberately and knowingly hidden from rank and file Mormons today, through entirely reconstructed history, altered scriptures and selective teachings.

I sent my evidence to the Apostles and they promised a response. Later, they asked for more time to research my findings. As the evidence of a hoax mounted in so many areas, in addition to the polyandry I had accidentally stumbled across, I sent in additional findings and advised Church leaders that I felt an obligation to publish. I offered to send full details for them to comment on first. That was in the summer of 2008 and to date I have not had any further replies to my letters. I can only do what I can to share my findings and writing has been my therapy. My devastating journey has at least provided a series of three books which I hope may help a few others to more fully understand and appreciate the facts that the Mormon Church continues to conspire to hide from the faithful.

As Latayne Scott comments in her testimony; “Who do you blame when you have been duped by a Church?” Even Church leaders at some of the highest levels had no idea that polyandry had been confirmed. They do not want to know. Rest of his testimony – http://www.exmormonscholarstestify.org/jim-whitefield.html

Have you ever wondered what Joseph Smith’s wife (Emma) thought of the doctrine of polygamy ?

When they came down stairs next morning they were ushered into the parlor to await the announcement of breakfast. Most of the young women of the previous evening were again assembled there and presently Mrs. Emma Smith came in, and seated herself near my sister whom she had met before, and with whom she began talking in a friendly way. My sister’s mind however had been a good deal “wrought up” by what she had seen and heard, and she determined to express something of what she felt to some of these people. So she turned to her and said, “Mrs. Smith where do your people get this doctrine of Spiritual Wives?” The woman with a face flushed to a dark red, and with eyes blazing with fury said“Straight from Hell–Madam.” Some of the young women blushed, too. Some giggled, others looked stolid and indifferent, but a call to breakfast relieved the situation and no more was said.http://blog.mrm.org/2011/07/where-did-the-mormon-doctrine-of-polygamy-come-fromemma-knew/

Brigham Young carried on the teaching and practice of polygamy. Here are some quotes on the subject – Brother Brigham

“Brother Cannon remarked that people wondered how many wives and children I had. He may inform them, that I SHALL HAVE WIVES AND CHILDREN BY THE MILLION, and glory, and riches and power and dominion, and kingdom after kingdom, and reign triumphantly.” (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 8, page 178)

“The ONLY MEN WHO BECOME GODS, even the Sons of God, are those WHO ENTER INTO POLYGAMY.”(Journal of Discourses, Vol. 11, page 26

“Now if any of you will deny the plurality of wives, and continue to do so, I promise that you will be damned,” (Journal of Discourses, vol. 3, p. 266). Also, “The only men who become Gods, even the Sons of God, are those who enter into polygamy,” (Journal of Discourses, vol. 11, p. 269)

If you can stay awake reading the supposed revelation to Smith on the matter of polygamy,it is found in Doctrine and Covenants –Section 132

Wife No. 19, or, The Story of a life in Bondage: Being a Complete Expose of Mormonism, and Revealing the Sorrows, Sacrifices and Sufferings of Women in Polygamy

http://www.amazon.com/Wife-Story-life-Bondage-ebook/dp/B00433TE9I/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1335489020&sr=8-2

A Conversation With Two Mormon Missionaries

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Mark Webster

Trent and I recently had a several hour dialogue with two Mormon missionaries . The time was well spent,as we were able to ask questions,make comments,give our testimonies,and hear quite a bit of the basic Mormon missionary presentation. It is patently obvious to anybody who knows basic Bible doctrine,that the Mormon gospel is radically different from the Biblical gospel. It is important that we be able to differentiate between the two,so we will know the difference between truth and falsehood,and to be able to share the truth as we have opportunity.

The Mormon missionaries were polite,well spoken,and our conversation was respectful. We were able to define our terms,and get to the bottom line on the basics-we didn’t get into any of the esoteric Mormon doctrines. Even the basics are enough to know that there is a huge difference in our beliefs. Here are two articles that show the trend towards some Christians legitimizing Mormonism.

From David French’s blog – http://www.patheos.com/blogs/frenchrevolution/2012/04/10/three-theological-questions-about-christianity-orthodoxy-and-the-lds-church/

But what about Tapper’s actual question? Isn’t that the question that’s truly interesting? After all, “orthodoxy” isn’t really that much of a popular concern compared to the core identity as a Christian. Here’s how I’d answer Tapper:

Jake, a Christian is a follower of Jesus Christ. Romans 10:9 says that if you confess with your mouth that ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, then you will be saved. Christian identity is not defined by categories but instead by that simple confession and belief, and only God knows who has made that confession and who has that belief. I don’t know whether any given member of the Mormon church is a Christian any more than I know whether any given member of my own church is a Christian. That’s not to say that doctrine doesn’t matter — it does, greatly — but a person can be in error on important doctrines and yet Christ has called them to that core confession and belief.

One final note: I’d argue that our view of salvation — whether Arminian or Reformed — is of enormous consequence, going directly not only to the nature of God but also how we understand each moment of our lives, yet I rarely hear anyone seriously ask, “Are Methodists Christian?” Perhaps that’s not so much because the theological differences aren’t real and profound but because we’ve made our historical peace through shared understanding of our faith in Christ. Perhaps its time that we make that same peace with Mormons.

His mistake is to think that Mormons believe in the same Jesus that orthodox Christians believe in. Context is important.

I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me!2 For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. 3 But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.

If the founder of a religion (Joseph Smith) is a false teacher then the very foundation is rotten to the core.

“I will prove that the world is wrong, by showing what God is. God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man. We have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea. You have got to learn how to be Gods yourselves the same as all Gods have done before you, namely, by going from one small degree to another. I know more than all the world.”

-King Follett Discourse, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 6, pp. 3-4- Joseph Smith

Osteen: Romney is a Christian -http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/24/osteen-romney-is-a-christian/

Posted by

CNN’s Ashley Killough

(CNN) – Famed pastor Joel Osteen reiterated his position that Mitt Romney is a Christian on Tuesday, saying as long as the likely GOP presidential nominee believes that Jesus is the Son of God then he subscribes to the Christian faith.

“When I hear Mitt Romney say that he believes that Jesus is the Son of God–that he’s the Christ, raised from the dead, that he’s his Savior–that’s good enough for me,” Osteen said in an interview to air on CNN’s “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.”
– Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @PoliticalTicker

While Osteen described the Mormon faith as “not traditional Christianity,” he said he believes Mormons fall under the Christian tent.

“Mormonism is a little different, but I still see them as brothers in Christ,” the pastor argued.

Based on our conversation with the Mormon missionaries,I’ll give you several reasons why the Mormon Gospel is not the Christian gospel. First,the claims made by the missionaries.

Mormonism teaches that there was a total apostasy within Christianity that resulted in the loss of the priesthood and spiritual authority.
Mormonism teaches that Joseph Smith was given revelations from God the Father that resulted in extra Biblical revelations/writings and a restoration of the gospel and spiritual authority.
Mormonism teaches that spiritual authority only comes through the Mormon church and those who have received spiritual authority through the laying on of hands .
Mormonism teaches that one receives the Holy Spirit when one is baptized by a Mormon who has the authority to do so. Thus the need to share with Christians and convert them to Mormonism.
Mormonism teaches that to be saved one must obey the commandments and follow the dictates of the Mormon Church –this is all done with a goal of reaching the celestial kingdom where God the Father is.
The Mormon missionaries both had a “testimony” that the Book of Mormon was revealed to Joseph Smith by God the Father and that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God.

Was there a total apostasy and loss of the priesthood/spiritual authority in the early church after the apostles died ? Matthew 16:13-18-

13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said,“Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

The early church’s survival was not predicated on the Apostles and those they laid hands on . It’s survival rested on the promises and work of the Holy Spirit in bringing men and women out of darkness. Elders and deacons were appointed in all of the early church’s congregations wherever they existed and the gospel went forth. There has always been a remnant of believers. As for a special priesthood,there was and is the priesthood of the believer- From I Peter 2-

So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture:

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,

a cornerstone chosen and precious,

and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people,but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

2. As for whether Joseph Smith was a prophet,and the restorer of the true gospel- In a word,no. Here’s one reason why he wasn’t – http://blog.mrm.org/2009/06/joseph-smith-as-a-sexual-predator/

3. By laying the false foundation that salvation comes through the Mormon Church (via baptism,marriage in the temple etc.) Smith didn’t restore true Christianity,he started a twisted version of it.

4/5. Baptism does not save anyone,and one does not receive the Holy Spirit at baptism. Salvation is by faith,and cannot be earned in any way.

Romans 10

5 For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. 6 But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say?“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Romans builds the case that one is saved by faith,not by the works that one can do.

What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due.5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, 6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:

7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,

and whose sins are covered;

8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

Much more could be said,but the historical Protestant position has been that one is saved by grace through faith-not on the basis of works. Works are an fruit of a right relationship with the Lord.

6. While our Mormon missionaries had a clear testimony of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon,they had no testimony of being born again,of knowing Jesus Christ,of the assurance of salvation,or of the freedom that is in Jesus Christ.

We didn’t need a restoration of the gospel- there have always been faithful Christians sharing the truth. We don’t need a living prophet- Jesus Christ is God’s final and ultimate revelation. We don’t need temples,special undergarments,and a new religion of works. Jesus Christ is faithful,and has been calling out His disciples throughout the ages from many different countries and many walks of life. Hebrews 1:1-4-

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son,whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

Much,much more could be said. Here is an excerpt from an enlightening article from a sister in the Lord who knows the ins and outs of Mormonism – http://blog.mrm.org/2011/06/are-mormons-saved/

I believe that people asking Mormons if they are saved mean nothing less than the fullness of salvation, though they may not understand the specific Mormon definition of that term. They are not asking about some partial salvation, but about the full deal – being forgiven and cleansed of sin, reconciled to Holy God, and promised a place with Him for all eternity. In this sense, according to Mormon doctrine, Mormons are not saved. They must wait until the final judgment to know whether they will pass muster in making covenants, keeping the commandments and enduring to the end.

The Bible tells us that we can know right now if we are acceptable to the Lord:

“And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1 John 5:11-13)

The next time you ask a Mormon friend if he or she is saved, make sure you define what you mean by the word. And when you hear the honest Mormon response, “I hope so,” tell your friend the amazingly Good News:

“Your salvation does not depend upon what you do, but upon what Christ did when he offered Himself as a sacrifice for sin. All your salvation takes root in the death throes of Calvary; the great Substitute bore your sin and suffered its penalty. Your sin shall never destroy you if upon that bloody tree the Lord’s chosen High Priest made a full expiation for your sins; they shall not be laid against you any more forever. What you have to do is simply accept what Jesus has finished. I know your idea is that you are to bring something to him; but that vainglorious idea has ruined many, and will ruin many more. When you are brought empty-handed, made willing to accept a free and full salvation from the hand of the Crucified, then, and then only, will you will be saved.” (Charles Spurgeon, “One Door to Salvation”)

Romans 5:1-11

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Resurrection Sunday !

Posted on April 8, 2012 by Mark Webster

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?2By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father,we too might walk in newness of life.5For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.(Romans 6:1-5)

One of my favorite preachers is Horatius Bonar of Scotland.

Born: December 19, 1808, Old Broughton, Edinburgh, Scotland.

Died: July 31, 1889, Edinburgh, Scotland.

Buried: Canongate churchyard.

Here is a message from him- enjoy !

The Cross And The Double Crucifixion.

The words of this verse literally run thus: ‘From me, however, far be it that I should glory, save in the cross;’ and the form of expression reminds us of the frequent phrase in the Psalms, ‘But as for me;’ so calm, yet so decided; so, simple, yet so dignified. Others may glory in the flesh, or in forms, or in rites; but as for me, the cross is my only boast; all that I rejoice in centers there; it is my gain and my glory, it is my solace and my song. He lays great stress upon this ‘I’ or ‘me.’ Though the whole world were uniting to glory in other things, he could not; he would be inexcusable. He had a thousand reasons for rejecting every other boast,—more reasons than any other man. And he knew well what he was saying in this boast.

Let us take up here, the cross, the glorying, and the double crucifixion.

I. The cross.—It is not the literal piece of wood that he is speaking of, nor any figure or imitation of it, such as men in all ages have made for ornament or worship,—a piece of ecclesiastical furniture, or an article of female dress. It is the essence of the cross that he speaks of; the great truths represented by it; salvation by a crucified Christ; God’s way of justification through the death of a sin bearer. The sacrifice for sin upon the cross, the burnt-offering upon the altar; it is this that be keeps before his eyes, and would have us keep before ours. It is the slain Lamb which he holds up to view. Connected with the cross there is death, but there is also life; there is weakness, but there is also strength; there is poverty, but also riches; shame, but also glory; defeat, but triumph too. The cross, as it stood on Golgotha, has long since gone into dust; but that cross was a symbol, like the desert pole and the brazen serpent. That cross and that serpent embodied in them mighty truths; truths which were to the Jews a stumbling block, and to the Greeks foolishness; truths which the natural man despises and rejects, but which, to the new man, are the gladdest and most glorious of all glad and glorious things. It is as the embodiment of these things that the cross is here held up to us. Without these the cross is nothing save a piece of Hebrew wood, in no respect more precious than the other crosses erected at its side. Take away from it the sacrificial blood shedding, the propitiation for sin, and it is useless and worthless. The cross is mighty and venerable and glorious solely because of what it reveals concerning God, amid His way of saving the lost by providing a Saviour for the guilty. The cross is God’s verdict against sin; His exhibition of righteousness; His declaration of love to the sinner; His method of removing guilt from the condemned, and imparting life through death to every one who is willing to take life at His hands.

II. The Glorying.—Paul’s opinion of the cross had undergone a wonderful change. The cross was once the lowest object in his estimation, now it is the highest. He glories in it. This implies such things as these:—

(1.) To think well of it.—Once he had thought evil of it; now he thinks well. His estimate is changed,—reversed. He admires what he disesteemed.

(2.) To speak well of it.—He commends it to every one wherever he goes. He has not a good word to say for himself but he has good words without number for the cross. He dispraises self and the flesh and the world; he praises the cross. It is the tree of trees.

(3.) To boast of it.—It is to him the one object of boasting; all other boasting is excluded for ever. In it he exults as one who has found a treasure. He calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me.’ And if men ask, What is thy cross more than another cross? he answers, My cross is the cross of crosses; there is nothing like it, so perfect, so admirable, so glorious; in it I have found the love of God, the pardon of sin, the life of my soul, the peace of my conscience, an everlasting kingdom.

(4.) To trust in it.—It is the tree of life, under whose shadow he sits down. It is the treasure-house of all riches; it is the fullness of all grace and blessing. It presents a resting-place to his weary soul. It invites and attracts and welcomes. Everything about it is fitted to remove distrust and awaken confidence. It is the end of fear and doubt; the producer of all happy, trustful thoughts. It is the place of light and peace. No wonder that he gloried in it. Let us learn to glory. The more we look at it and understand its meaning, the more we shall trust it, and in trusting it find rest to our souls. We cannot add to it, and we cannot take from it. It is perfect. Let us be satisfied in knowing that it is what it is,—the place of propitiation and of peace.

III. The Double Crucifixion.—The cross crucifies Paul; it crucifies the world to Paul. In crucifying Paul it crucifies time world, and in crucifying the world it crucifies Paul. They are crucified to each other. Paul is nailed to the cross, and becomes an object of contempt and hatred to the world. The world is nailed to the cross, and becomes an object of contempt to Paul. For the crucified object becomes, by being nailed to the tree of shame, a thing of degradation,—a ‘curse and an hissing.’ To be nailed to a cross was to be made a dead thing, a cursed thing, a shameful thing.

Thus it was mutually with Paul and the world. Each was dead to the other; they were mutually irreconcilable. The world saw nothing in Paul but vileness and meanness; Paul saw nothing in the world but the same. And it was the cross of Christ that had produced this reciprocal feeling of separation and abhorrence. It was a double crucifixion. That double crucifixion was the key to the apostle’s life. It set Christ between him and the world. It set the grave between him and his former self. Crucifixion with Christ had crucified him to the world and the world to him. Thus the old man was crucified; the flesh and all things pertaining to the flesh were crucified; and only out of resurrection could anything good or holy come. All that came short of resurrection came short of the glory of God.’

(1.) A Christian is a decided man.—The cross of Christ rejects all halfheartedness; nay, renders it impossible. There was no compromise upon yon cross, when the Father smote the Son, and the Son consented to be smitten; there can be none in those who are nailed to it.

(2.) A Christian is an unworldly man.—He was part of the world; he is so no longer. He has come out from it and become separate, and touches no more the unclean thing. He has bid farewell to the world and its vanities.

(3.) A Christian is a man of heaven.—He has set his affection on things above. He has gone up to be with his Lord upon the throne in the heavenly places. His heart and his treasure are above.

How glorious is the cross! How safe are they who have taken refuge there! It is the cross of the Divine Substitute. It stands forever, outliving ages and generations, like Egypt’s pyramids and palms. Its substitutionary value does net alter, and its efficacy for salvation to the chief of sinners is liable to no failure, no shortcoming. Its potency for shelter and deliverance and pardon knows no diminution; it is the same yesterday, today, and forever. We may be transgressors of no common order, both as to duration and enormity; we may have very superficial convictions of our own sinfulness, and very feeble thoughts of the sufficiency of the cross; we may have little faith, much unbelief; little light, much darkness; little repentance, much impenitence: still the sufficiency of the cross is infinite. Like the wide arch of heaven, it throws its canopy over the broadest circle of transgression and unworthiness. He who is willing to take shelter beneath it, whatever he may be, shall find it sufficient. To sit under its far-reaching shadow is certain life and safety; to sit anywhere else is certain wrath and doom. That shadow avails or takes effect in the case of all who, crediting God’s testimony concerning it, consent to be indebted to it for security and peace. For faith in the cross is no work or merit, which a poor sinner must toil at till he has secured enough to give him the benefit of the shelter. It is simply the relinquishment of all other pretended shelters, and the willingness to allow this divine shelter to be extended to him by the God who has provided it for the sinner. Whosoever will, is our proclamation. God does not mock you by providing a refuge and then throwing hindrances in your way, or refusing to remove existing obstacles out of your way. He provides the glorious shelter; He removes all obstacles without; He presents you with His own heavenly Spirit (better and more accessible than all self-power) to remove all hindrances within. It is in all respects a wondrous cross, for security, for sufficiency, for accessibility to the sinner. Its value is divine, and that is infinite; its sheltering canopy is wide,—wide as the world; wide as the sinner’s utmost sin and ruin; wide as heaven and hell; wide as earth and sea; wide as the wrath of the Judge; wide as the love of God and the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

—Horatius Bonar, Light & Truth: Bible Thoughts & Themes

He was also a prolific hymn writer – http://www.cyberhymnal.org/bio/b/o/n/bonar_h.htm

Check out Frontline Missions,they have a great ministry that extends to several continents.

Dispatches From the Front Trailer by Frontline Missions

If you are interested in ordering information for the videos,go here – http://www.dispatchesfromthefront.org/

All Cultures Are Not Created Equal:Islam and It’s Propagandists,the Muslim Brotherhood

Posted on April 5, 2012 by Mark Webster

As this article from Europe News makes obvious,Islam has a low view of women and girls. The fact that forced marriages are taking place in Great Britain should be a source of shame to British politicians. But then again,they are debating whether marriage should include homosexuals.

Britain’s Multicultural Nightmare

Gatestone Institute 5 April 2012
By Soeren Kern

More than 400 children were subjected to forced marriage in Britain during the past year, including a five-year-old girl who is believed to be the country’s youngest victim of the practice.

The statistics were provided by the British government’s Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) as part of an ongoing effort to create a law that would criminalize forced marriage in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The custom is already illegal in Scotland.

Overall, the FMU said it gave advice or support related to nearly 1,500 cases of forced marriage during 2011, although experts say the vast majority of forced marriages in Britain go unreported.

Most of the instances of forced marriage in Britain involve Muslim families from South Asia, particularly Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. Many of the cases involve Muslim children who are taken abroad by their parents and forced to marry against their will. Forced marriages often involve kidnapping, beatings and rape.

Prime Minister David Cameron has compared the practice of forced marriage to modern day slavery and has said people should not “shy away” from addressing the issue because of “cultural concerns.” A new law outlawing the practice is currently being drafted and could be in place by the end of 2012.

Separately, more than 65,000 women and girls in England and Wales have been the victims of female genital mutilation, and another 24,000 girls under the age of 15 are believed to be at a high risk, according to a London-based non-profit group called Foundation for Women’s Health Research and Development.

Rest of the article here – http://europenews.dk/en/node/53542

The United States is starting to experience the effects of Muslim/Sharia culture too. The stories are sad,predictable,and generally glossed over by the MSM.

From Vlad Tepes -

1. UTSandiego:

Records hint Iraqi woman’s death not a hate crime

EL CAJON — Search warrant records obtained Wednesday in the beating death of an Iraqi-American woman show a family in turmoil and cast doubt on the likelihood that her slaying was a hate crime.

Shaima Alawadi — Photo courtesy of Al Arabiya News

Shaima Alawadi, a 32-year-old mother of five, was apparently planning to divorce her husband and move to Texas when she was killed, a family member told investigators, according to the court documents.

The records obtained at El Cajon Superior Court also reveal Alawadi’s 17-year-old daughter, Fatima Alhimidi, who called 911 to report the attack, was distraught over her pending arranged marriage to a cousin.

A search of Fatima’s cellphone records shows that while she was being interviewed by investigators hours after the attack, someone sent the teen a text message that read, “The detective will find out tell them (can’t) talk,” the affidavit states.

Click to continue::

And there is the fact that the current administration is in bed with the Muslim Brotherhood.

From Pam Geller’s blog -

Obama’s MB coup is official. It is what I was warning of for years, even prior to Obama’s winning the 2008 presidential race.

Before Obama was elected to the highest, more powerful office in the world, he was commiserating with Muslim Brotherhood-tied operatives. During the presidential race in August 2008, Obama’s “Muslim Outreach Adviser,” Mazen Asbahi, was forced to resign because of his ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. This was all documented in my book, The Post-American Presidency: The Obama Administration’s War on America.

Obama invited Ingrid Mattson, the first woman president of the Muslim Brotherhood group, the Islamic Society of North America, to make the national prayer at his inauguration. Obama’s Department of Homeland Security was meeting with American Muslim Brotherhood groups in February 2010.

Back in June of 2009, very early in Obama’s infamous presidency, he did the unthinkable. He invited the then-banned Muslim Brotherhood supremacist group to hear his apology speech to the Muslim world in Cairo. The enemedia ignored it, pretended it wasn’t happening, but the rational among us were floored and worried – rest of the article – http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2012/04/egypts-muslim-brotherhood-goes-to-the-white-house.htm

What do they believe ? Here is an excerpt from an excellent article-

The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday saw excerpts of the text, compiled by Palestinian Media Watch founder Itamar Marcus and analyst Nan Jacques Zilberdik.
They detail the Brotherhood’s objectives of advancing the global conquest of Islam and reestablishing the Islamic Caliphate, the public and private duties of jihad and the struggle Muslims must wage against Israel.
The full text, translated by PMW, will be posted Wednesday on the organization’s website, Palwatch.org.
“The Islamic ummah,” it says, referring to the supranational community of Muslims, “can regain its power and be liberated and assume its rightful position which was intended by Allah, as the most exalted nation among men, as the leaders of humanity.”
Elsewhere, it exhorts Muslims, “Know your status, and believe firmly that you are the masters of the world, even if your enemies desire your degradation.”

Marcus spoke to the Postabout what he views as the danger of downplaying the Brotherhood’s ideology, or expecting it to moderate its objectives after being allowed into the political process. The movement differs from international terror groups like Al-Qaida, he said, only in tactics, not in its goals.
Marcus cited passages in the text that urge Muslims to wage jihad only when circumstances are ripe.
“The Brotherhood is not rushed by youth’s enthusiasm into immature and unplanned action which will not alter the bad reality and may even harm the Islamic activity, and will benefit the people of falsehood,” Mashhur wrote.
“One should know that it is not necessary that the Muslims repel every attack or damage caused by the enemies of Allah immediately, but [only] when ability and the circumstances are fit to it.”
Jihad is the Way explicitly endorses the reinstatement of a worldwide Islamic regime.

Rest of the article – http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=207415

Finally,take note of the warning sounded by Frank Gaffney -

As Egypt lurches toward the end of President Hosni Mubarak’s regime, one way or another – by “an orderly transition to democratic rule” (asHillary Rodham Clinton delicately puts it), through violent overthrow or simply through the demise of the ailing 82-year-old president – much is unclear. One thing that should not be is that the Muslim Brotherhood is our enemy, and whatever role it plays in Egypt’s future will be to our detriment.

Such clarity is readily available because the Brotherhood (MB or, in Arabic, Ikhwan) has told us as much. Consider, for example, the mission statement for the MB found in one of its secret documents, titled “An Explanatory Memorandum on the General Strategic Goal for the Group in North America.”

“The Ikhwan must understand that their work in America is a kind of grand Jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and ‘sabotaging’ its miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and God’s religion is made victorious over all other religions.” Read the rest here – http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/jan/31/the-muslim-brotherhood-is-the-enemy/?page=all

Shaking the World With Truth

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Mark Webster

but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you;yet do it with gentleness and respect,( I Peter 3:15)

Here is a very well reasoned,Scriptural basis for Christians to be involved in “apologetics” ,a defense of the faith.

Christian Apologetics Manifesto: Nineteen Theses To Shake the World With the Truth

By Douglas Groothuis

On this rock I will build my church,
and the gates of death will not overcome it—Jesus Christ (Matthew 16:9).

This is a manifesto to ignite the holy fire of apologetic passion and action. As did Jeremiah, we should have “fire in our bones” to communicate and commend Christian truth today (Jeremiah 20:9). This manifesto is not a sustained argument or a detailed development of themes. Rather, as a manifesto, it proclaims a short series of interrelated propositions crying out for both immediate and protracted reflection, prayer, and action. These challenges issue from convictions formed through my nearly thirty years of apologetic teaching, preaching, debating, writing, and Christian witness.

Because of (1) the waning influence of the Christian worldview in public and private life in America today, (2) the pandemic of anti-intellectualism in the contemporary church, and (3) the very command of God himself to declare, explain, and defend divine truth, I strongly advise that the following statements be wrestled with and responded to by all followers of the Lord Jesus Christ.

1. Christian apologetics involves the presentation and defense of Christianity as an integrated worldview that is objectively, universally, and absolutely true, reasonable, knowable, and existentially pertinent to both individuals and entire cultures. Apologetics involves rebutting unbelieving accusations against Christianity (2 Corinthian 10:3-5; Jude 3) as well as giving a constructive and persuasive case for Christian theism (Philippians 1:7; 1 Peter 3:15).

2. Any intellectual discipline, church practice, or teaching that minimizes or denigrates the importance of apologetics is unbiblical and must be repented of (Matthew 4:17; Acts 17:16-34; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5; 1 Peter 3:15; Jude 3). The degradation of apologetics can only lead to the further vitiation of the life of the church. “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6).

3. The fundamental issue for apologetics is not how many apologists one has read, or what apologetic method one embraces (although that must be worked out carefully). Rather, the essential issue is whether or not one has a passion for God’s transforming truth—reasonably pursued and courageously communicated—and a passion for the lost because of the love of God resident and active in one’s life (Romans 9:1-3; 10:1). Like the Apostle Paul at Athens, we should both be “greatly disturbed” because of the rampant unbelief in our day. We, like that great apologist, should also be intellectually equipped and spiritually prepared to enter the marketplace of ideas for the cause of Christ (Acts 17:16-34).

Rest of the article here -

http://blogs.christianpost.com/bookstop/christian-apologetics-manifesto-nineteen-theses-to-shake-the-world-with-the-truth-8817/

Afghanistan:Where Smiles and Knives in the Back are Normal

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Mark Webster

Trying to bring democracy to a seventh century Islamic mindset is impossible. Putting numerous limitations(via the White House) on our military is self defeating, and the results are predictable and tragic. Here is an excerpt from an excellent column by the Sultan of Knish,aka Daniel Greenfield. BTW,he has been classified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center,a ridiculous group that masquerades as a human rights organization. I suppose they thought Daniel’s writings were so voluminous and profound he must be a Think Tank. The irony is that the SPLC is the real hate group.

The Blood Price of Afghanistan – http://sultanknish.blogspot.com/

Posted: 12 Mar 2012 07:35 PM PDT

The alleged attack on Afghans by an American soldier in Kandahar, where 91 soldiers have been murdered last year alone, is already receiving the full outrage treatment. Any outrage over the deaths of those 91 soldiers in the province will be completely absent.

There will be no mention of how many of them died because the Obama Administration decided that the lives of Afghan civilians counted for more than the lives of soldiers. No talk of what it is like to walk past houses with gunmen dressed in civilian clothing inside and if you are fired at from those houses, your orders are to retreat.
Air strikes are for days gone by. The American soldier in the ISAF is expected to patrol and retreat, to smile and reach out to Afghans while they shoot him in the back. After risking his life to hold back the Taliban, he is expected to take it calmly when his government announces that it is trying to cut a deal with the Taliban. As he waits out the final months until withdrawal, seeing his friends lose their limbs and their lives, knowing that the enemy has won, that he has been betrayed and is being kept senselessly on the front line for no objective except the diplomatic position of a government that hates him, that is taking away his health care, his equipment and his job; how does he feel?
The Panjwai district, where the shootings happened, are the cradle of the Taliban. Smiling civilians plant IED’s and children serve as lookouts. Obama’s Surge pushed hard into Panjwai and the Taliban pushed back. American soldiers were caught in the middle, dying for a handful of dusty towns where the inhabitants took their presents and shook hands with them, and then shot at them from cover.
The Montreal Gazette tells us that Belanday, one of the villages where the shootings took place, was a model village. What it omits is that Belanday was a key Taliban base, the houses were used for IED factories and it served as a transit route on the way to Kandahar City. The model village concept was supposed to change all that, but it didn’t change the sympathies of the local population.
All of that doesn’t matter though. The feelings of the men and women sent into the heart of the beast don’t matter. Only the eternally tender sensibilities of Muslims do. When Muslims kill us because we disposed of Korans that they marked up, we are at fault. When we kill them we are also at fault. This is the modern Catch 22 of the military which requires officers who have only one skill, sensitivity to Muslim feelings, and soldiers who die to keep the peace among their killers.
The life of an American soldier is worth less than a Muslim’s feelings. Under Islamic Sharia law, the blood price for a non-Muslim was only a third that of a Muslim. At Islam’s homicidal Wal-Mart, you could kill three Christians for the price of a Muslim. And we have cut prices even further by placing the feelings of a Muslim above the life of a non-Muslim. Read the rest here – http://sultanknish.blogspot.com/

All hail Caesar our Commander in Chief -

(Fox News) — An American flag with President Obama’s image in place of the stars flew over a Florida county’s Democrat headquarters long enough to enrage local veterans who called the altered banner “a disgrace.”

Lake County Democratic Party officials took down the flag, which flew just below a standard Old Glory on the flagpole outside headquarters in Tavares following complaints by local veterans. But merely taking it down wasn’t enough for several local veterans, who said they fought for the flag Betsy Ross made famous, not one with a politician on it.

“It’s absolutely disrespectful,” Jim Bradford, a 71-year-old veteran who participated in the Bay of Pigs Invasion told FoxNews.com. “It’s totally ridiculous. To put somebody’s picture there, to me, it’s a disgrace to do that.”

Bradford, an organizer with the Veterans Memorial at Fountain Park in Leesburg, Fla., snapped photos of the flag and distributed them to fellow veterans and friends. By late afternoon, he and several other veterans delivered a copy of the federal flag code to Nancy Hurlbert, chairwoman of the Lake County Democratic Party.

Update on Islam and American Dhimmitude

Posted on March 11, 2012 by Mark Webster

As Iraq and Afghanistan fall apart,political correctness in the U. S military continues to run amuck. From Diana West -

Pentagon Exalts Koran Over Constitution

MAR10

Written by: Diana West
Saturday, March 10, 2012 3:50 AM

Conclusion? No, it’s the end.

—

Almost exactly one year ago, I came across the ISAF website headline, “The Religious Importance of the Qu’ran,” I wrote:

As a well-known sucker for the religious importance of the “Qur’an” — I prefer “Ko-ran,” with Texas inflection — I just had to click and see.

The caption tells us so-and-so holds his prayers beads during a March 2010ribbon-cutting ceremony on an electrification project in the Farah Distriction, quoting Mr. So-and-So as saying: “If we have electricity … we can turn on our lights, and read the Koran.”

What comment is appropriate here? “The jaw drops”? “The universe spins”? We must go beyond shock to assess the advanced state of psycho-masochism the US military has now attained under the suicidal ideology of COIN, a belief system of unparralleled arrogance that actually believes that a scheme of sticks and carrots, at a staggering cost of blood (limbs, skull shards) and unrecoverable treasure, is adequate to remake Muslim Man in Petraeus’s Image.

But the joke is on the COINsters. For what is happening is that it is they who are remaking themselves. In seeking to win Islamic hearts and minds, a lynchpin of the non-military, social-work basis of the COIN strategy, they have themselves become de facto followers of Islamic law, and they are spreading it to our troops.

The rest here – http://www.dianawest.net/Home/tabid/36/EntryId/2057/Pentagon-Exalts-Koran-Over-Constitution.aspx

The conflict between fundamental freedoms and Sharia Law is nothing new. For a bit of a historical perspective check out Andrew Bosmtom’s article –

In 1876, U.S. consul to Turkey Horace Maynard (above) understood—and articulated—the irreconcilability between Islam’s Sharia despotism, and Christian aspirations for “..an earlier and superior title to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Rest of the article here –

http://www.andrewbostom.org/blog/2012/03/04/sharia-vs-freedom-circa-1876-an-american-diplomats-clear-perspective/

In light of the fact that the Obama administration has been bending over backwards in abject prostration toward Mecca,the following article says what the President should be saying -

Christians are being attacked, dispossessed, exiled and murdered all over the Middle East, and their churches, shrines and religious paraphernalia are being burned and destroyed throughout the region, all at the hands of Islamists (followers of Islam) acting in the name of Islam. Except for Israel, Christians in every single country and area in the Middle East, including Gaza and the West Bank, live in fear and trepidation and face constant heavy-handed persecution, subjugation, degradation and the threat of death.

The Islamic world acting in the name of Islam is trying to remove Christians and Christianity from the land and is well on the way to success. In another generation or two, Christians will be almost entirely gone and so will most of the physical evidence that they were ever there to begin with. Religious cleansing is going on throughout the Middle East, and Christians are being cleansed by Islamists acting in Islam’s name and according to its imperatives.

This is nothing new, of course, not to anyone who knows anything about Islam and history anyway. It has been going on since Islam first came on the scene and is no different today than it ever was. Hatred and disgust of Christians has been a basic, intrinsic, fundamental part of Islam from the very beginning and Islam has a 1,400-year record of treating them absolutely abominably, of viewing them as inferior beings who are less than human. It’s not just that they are held in low regard. They are held in no regard at all, and therefore Islamists can treat them with impunity with no fear of consequences under Sharia, Islamic law. In fact, Islam mandates and demands that Islamists view them and treat them the way they do. It is the will of Allah as expressed to Muhammad, and is entrenched in the Koran and as such Islam leaves Islamists no choice in the matter. There are terrible consequences for not obeying the will of Allah, but none for doing what he commands, for obeying him and carrying out his commandments.

Rest of the article here – http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/45173?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Domestic Violence in Islam

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Mark Webster

From Robert Spencer at Jihad Watch,an expose of an attempt to whitewash the domestic violence problem inherent in Islam- http://www.jihadwatch.org/2012/03/the-islamic-solution-to-stop.html

Huffington Post enables beating of women: publishes whitewash of Qur’an’s justification for domestic abuse

“Men are the managers of the affairs of women for that God has preferred in bounty one of them over another, and for that they have expended of their property. Righteous women are therefore obedient, guarding the secret for God’s guarding. And those you fear may be rebellious admonish; banish them to their couches, and beat them. If they then obey you, look not for any way against them; God is All-high, All-great.” — Qur’an 4:34

The three-million-dollar campaign of the Muslim Brotherhood-linked Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) to whitewash Sharia and fool Americans about its nature began in earnest yesterday. Is this nonsensical article part of it? Is ICNA paying Qasim Rashid and/or the HuffPo to retail these soothing deceptions? We may never know the answers to those questions, but it is certain that if Qasim Rashid were an anti-jihad, pro-freedom writer, the mainstream media would be all over him asking questions about his funding and his backers. Whoever Rashid’s may be, certainly this farrago coalesces neatly with ICNA’s “war is deceit” Sharia whitewash effort.

“The Islamic Solution to Stop Domestic Violence,” by Qasim Rashid in the Huffington Post, March 5:

Critics incorrectly allege that Islam command’s husband’s to beat their wives, often citing the Quran verse 4:34. Unfortunately, like any Muslim man who harms his wife, critics miss the keen wisdom in verse 4:34 that actively pre-empts domestic violence.In Virginia, I provide pro bono legal support to victims of domestic and sexual violence. Virtually all of our clients are female. Every nine seconds — nearly 10,000 victims daily — a woman in the United States is abused. In America, domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women, more than car accidents, muggings and rape — combined. Would those who blame Islam for domestic violence also blame Christianity every nine seconds?…

Domestic violence is found in every culture and every nation, among people of every religion. The difference in Islam, which Rashid is busy trying to obscure, is that Qur’an 4:34 gives the practice divine sanction. Christianity doesn’t teach that God commands that a man should beat his disobedient wife. No other religion does, either. No other culture teaches such a thing. In every other context, domestic violence is considered a crime. In Islam, it is a husband’s prerogative according to the words of Allah himself.http://www.jihadwatch.org/2012/03/the-islamic-solution-to-stop.html

From the comments section a reader reminds us of other Islamic texts that show that there has always been a pattern of abuse within Islam itself.

It is also true that no Jew or Christian is able to cite Biblical justification for domestic violence. The same is hardly true of core Islamic texts. The Qur’an, Hadiths, and Sira all condone wife-beating. The “Prophet” himself beat his wives, including his favorite wife, young Aisha.

Qur’an (38:44) – “And take in your hand a green branch and beat her with it, and do not break your oath…” [Allah telling Job to beat his wife]
From the Hadith:

Bukhari (72:715) – A woman came to Muhammad and begged her to stop her husband from beating her. Her skin was bruised so badly that she it is described as being “greener” than the green veil she was wearing. Muhammad did not admonish her husband, but instead ordered her to return to him and submit to his sexual desires.

Bukhari (72:715) – “Aisha said, ‘I have not seen any woman suffering as much as the believing women’” This is Muhammad’s own wife complaining of the abuse that the women of her religions suffer relative to other women.

Muslim (4:2127) – Muhammad struck his favorite wife, Aisha, in the chest one evening when she left the house without his permission. Aisha narrates, “He struck me on the chest which caused me pain.”

Muslim (9:3506) – Muhammad’s father-in-laws (Abu Bakr and Umar) amused him by slapping his wives (Aisha and Hafsa) for annoying him. According to the Hadith, the prophet of Islam laughed upon hearing this.

A case study from the Netherlands -

http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu

2. Women and Value Clashes
The position of women in the Muslim world in contrast to Dutch women is constantly cited as an
example of fundamental differences. Many Dutch people see Muslim women to be as much the
victims of radical Muslim men as they are. In other words, ―there is a consensus in Dutch
Society, that Muslims do not treat women or children as they should treat them; more exactly,
they treat them as they should not treat them.‖

Approximately nine out of ten native Dutch
people believe that Muslim men dominate their women.

The headscarf, of course, represents
a physical manifestation of this clash of values. In fact, Philip Jenkins points out that it is ―a key
marker of religious and cultural difference.‖
Objectively, there can be many different reasons
why women choose to express their faith in this way, but these are seldom mentioned.
The position of Muslim women was propelled into the spotlight by the release of the film
Submission by Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Theo Van Gogh. Ayaan Hirsi Ali appeared on television for
the first time in August 2004 on Zomergasten
in the wake of a great amount of public interest.
The film is essentially a graphic commentary on domestic violence in Muslim communities, with
the protagonists asserting that such acts are justified by the Qur‘an. It has been critiqued for
being ―first and foremost striking in its unimaginative resonance with the visual imagery of
Orientalism… the spoken texts refer to a more academic form of Orientalism that sees people‘s
lives as determined by Islam.‖

Contrary to Hirsi Ali‘s expectations, few Muslim organizations
in the Netherlands responded with any vehemence to the film at first. There was also a very
limited reaction from the target group, Muslim women themselves.

The response eventually arrived in the form of the assassination of Theo Van Gogh, at which point the film became the
subject of fierce debate. The widespread outrage and the direct threats posed to her life pushed
Ayaan Hirsi Ali into hiding. She is no longer active in the Dutch political scene, but still remains
a key figure in any discussion of women‘s rights issues in the Netherlands today.
Hirsi Ali frequently cites examples from her upbringing in a strictly religious Somali family as
part of her campaign against the repression of women in Islam. She is famous for declarations
such as ―to be a Muslim woman is to be born for the pleasure of men,‖
and had censured Islam‘s ―gender apartheid.‖ In 2003, she joined the right-wing People‘s Party of Freedom and
Democracy (VVD) and subsequently became a member of Parliament.

She began to be even more vocal in her opposition to the treatment of women in Islam, focusing her broadsides more
plainly on Islam itself, making statements such as ―Muhammad is, by our Western standards, a
perverse man.‖

This uncritical rhetoric that attacks Islam and purports to stand up for the rights
of Muslim women all in one breath is precisely the form of dialogue that this essay takes a
position against.
It should be noted that Hirsi Ali failed to take into account a number of considerations when
she was carrying out her campaign. For one thing, Muslim women are often part of a
marginalized economic group. A simple statistic demonstrates that the average annual income
for Native Dutch households is €20,000, compared to €13,000 for Moroccan households and
€13,600 for Turkish households.
Furthermore, only 36 percent of Muslim women participate in
the labour market in the Netherlands. This means that oftentimes immigrant women do not have
access to education and opportunities that would allow them to counter these types of
stereotypes. Interestingly, there are definitely some signs that Muslim women are becoming
more active in speaking out about their opinions of Islam and their position in relation to it.

Stories of Life: Domestic violence

The following article was written by Marij Uijt den Bogaard , a former social worker working for the Antwerp municipality. She was fired after writing reports warning about radicalization in the Muslim community. The article originally appeared on Brussels Journal in Dutch.

—-
Fatima looks embittered.
‘You’re so naive,’ she says, ‘tell that to the marines, that goes for you!”
Fatima is a good story-teller, and the subject is the meaning of marriage in traditional Islam; she talks about overcrowded refuge homes with an ever growing representation of her sisters, Muslim women, escaping the violence and severe conflicts inside families. The women are homeless and end up in refuge homes; where they now make up 53% of the inhabitants.
A Muslim background often plays an important role in violence and severe conflicts inside ‘immigrant’ families, as a result of the Muslim notion of marriage in traditional Islam. According to Fatima Muslim marriage for most immigrant women is a final destination. And this is nothing more or less than a business contract. It entails a certain number of rights and duties, for the husband as well as for the wife, she explains. Children are part of this contract.
Women coming here (the Netherlands) via marriage, grew up in villages with a traditional way of living. Existence knew in the homelands little stimuli for development. No luxury or comfort. Women come to our country because of the difference in prosperity, away from the futureless villages.
For Muslims marriage is obligatory. Thus, if it comes to marriage, then preferably with a man who can offer a leather 3-piece suite, car and washing-machine. So they come and marry, have children, as part of the contract, an arranged marriage. They are not accustomed to think for themselves. Where should they have learned that? Everything is fixed in advance for women in the traditional Islamic village life. Survival depends upon development of qualities like obedience to the parents, Koran and later the husband, performing one’s obligations.
From birth to death others regulate her life. Love? That will come later, when children are born. Or not, and then mothers see children as a burden, an inevitable part of the contract. In a loveless marriage upbringing is limited to giving primary care. In traditionally arranged marriages, concluded only for economic reasons, this is too often the case. Primary care means clothes, food and shelter. Affection and giving an education is not included.
As long as the whole family behaves inside its own subgroup , the virtual village in Antwerp North, Borgerhout or other suburbs requiring “particular attention” (aandachtwijk), where many import-brides from traditional villages land, all is well. There’s a taboo about problems like violence inside traditional Islamic families. Everyone knows about it, “you” as well as “we”, Fatima says.
Is the above mentioned story about an Islamic marriage and its connection with domestic violence stigmatizing? Do I want to insult? No, this description of the situation of women from Turkish and Moroccan origin comes from the many Fatimas I have talked to during my fieldwork in one of the area’s for special attention. Their sisters overcrowd the refuge homes, just like the situation is in the Netherlands. Through often arranged marriages, blinded by the leather 3-piece suite, Fatima’s sisters land here in Flanders. Within our Flemish cities there are several virtual villages where the prevailing opinions and life patterns are the same as those in the Rif mountains or in the Turkish countryside.
The Fatima’s never learned there to stand up for themselves, or to insist on equal rights. Self-determination does not exist. Islam decides what is the role and duty or protection of a women. Her life and the quality of her life is dependent on her husband and nothing can change that, not even in Borgerhout of Antwerp North. The husband rules over her right for self determination. He decides whether she may or may not go out, and that also goes for getting a driving license or making a trip to the other side of the town. Her freedom is for him to decide. And how about it, if Fatima wants more?
Then, sooner than in a Flemish family, physical violence may occur. Because Islam opens it up for interpretation, leaves the possibility open. And it is allowed by her direct social environment.
Does this mean that every Muslim husband beats his wife? No, of course not, but it does mean that a little to many Muslims do. Refuge homes are overcrowded! It also means that Muslims justify this as allowed by the Prophet, Koran, imam and Islam. Whenever they address Flemings or the media, spokesmen of the Muslim condemn this, of course. But this does not mean that they urge revision of sexist texts of the Koran within their own subgroups. Nor preventive campaigns are organized against violence on women by immigrant moderates. Read the rest here – http://islamineurope.blogspot.com/search?q=domestic+violence+in+islam

Certainly domestic violence is a problem in every country. For example,Theodore Dalrymple has documented the severity of domestic abuse in the government housing of London. The issue within Islam is the fact that those who mistreat their wives use the words and example of their prophet Mohammed. If Mohammed was the perfect man,then he sets the example for Muslim males to follow.

Life at the Bottom: The Worldview That Makes the Underclass

http://www.amazon.com/Life-Bottom-Worldview-Makes-Underclass/dp/1566635055/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1331145057&sr=1-1

The Muslim Persecution of Christians: A Never Ending Tale of Bloodshed and Western Apathy

Posted on February 26, 2012 by Mark Webster

A friend sent me a link to the following article- it is a must read. There is a worldwide persecution of Christians who live in Muslim countries and not a peep out of the President. The mainstream media will not cover the constant atrocities and will not hold the jihadist groups accountable for their actions. Ayaan Hirsi Ali is an atheist (last time I checked),so when she points out the “conspiracy of silence” the alarm is being raised by one who is not even a Christian believer.

There is a long history of Islamic persecution of Jews and Christians. It started with Mohammed and has continued wherever Muslims are in power.

CHICAGO, February 15, 2012— One of the bedrock principles of America is religious freedom. People have an unalienable right to openly and publicly practice their faith or not.

All are protected, accepted and respected.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali wrote in her Newsweek article, that there is a “conspiracy of silence” over mass religious persecution of Christians in Muslim nations. Christians are being killed in the Islamic world because of their religion. It is a rising genocide that ought to provoke global alarm.

It is more than a conspiracy of silence. It is a conspiracy of political and media apathy. There is no political or journalistic will to continually publicize and condemn religious persecution by extremist Muslims or Islamic dictatorships.

This silence and apathy create an implied consent for religious persecution. Rest of the article here – http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/middle-class-guy/2012/feb/15/islamic-religious-persecution-goes-unnoticed-video/

Another article pointing out the same trend of persecution -

An international report found that Muslim nations make up nine out of the top ten countries where Christians face the “most severe” persecution. In response to these findings, a Vatican spokesman said that “Among the most serious concerns, the increase in Islamic extremism merits special attention. Persons and organizations dedicated to extremist Islamic ideology perpetrate terrible acts of violence in many places throughout the world: the Boko Haram sect in Nigeria is but one example. Then there is the climate of insecurity that unfortunately in some countries accompanies the so-called “Arab spring”—a climate that drives many Christians to flee and even to emigrate.”

Categorized by theme, January’s batch of Muslim persecution of Christians around the world includes (but is not limited to) the following accounts, listed in alphabetical order by country, not severity of anecdote.

http://frontpagemag.com/2012/02/10/muslim-persecution-of-christians-january-2012/

If you would like to learn more,check out Robert Spencer’s book -

Muslim Persecution of Christians [Kindle Edition]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0058P4PHG?ie=UTF8&ref_=sr_1_1&s=books&qid=1330288082&sr=1-1

And one more book by Andrew Bostom – shows that Jihad is not recent,not localized,and never stops.

Book Description

Publication Date: July 10, 2008

This book reveals how, for well over a millennium, across three continents – Asia, Africa, and Europe – non-Muslims who were vanquished by jihad wars, became forced tributaries (called dhimmi in Arabic), in lieu of being slain. Under the dhimmi religious caste system, non-Muslims were subjected to legal and financial oppression, as well as social isolation. Extensive primary and secondary source materials, many translated here for the first time into English, are presented, making clear that jihad conquests were brutal, imperialist advances, which spurred waves of Muslims to expropriate a vast expanse of lands and subdue millions of indigenous peoples. Finally, the book examines how jihad war, as a permanent and uniquely Islamic institution, ultimately regulates the relations of Muslims with non-Muslims to this day. Scholars, educators, and interested lay readers will find this collection an invaluable resource.

http://www.amazon.com/Legacy-Jihad-Islamic-Holy-Non-Muslims/dp/1591026024/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330289591&sr=1-1

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Category Archives: World Religions