The Real Truth About Lying: A comment to Jessica Bennett from Newsweek

In the article "The Truth About Lying" by Jessica Bennett from the Newsweek Web Exclusive, Bennett summarises how even though Americans want honesty in their leaders, deception and lying is deeply entrenched in the society. Most American young people lie constantly and cheat, as they see that liars in society are highly rewarded.

Having read the article, I was sickened to think that lying has become culturally acceptable in a nation that has impacted the world Christian and Jewish religious faiths tremendously.

To make matters even more sickening, I saw a companion article by Raina Kelley who argues that some type of lying can be good for marriages. She argues that little white lies are the things that keep marriages together.

These columnists are exalting deception, lies and lying in society. Be not deceived, for God's judgement is heavy on liars. Revelation 21:27 states that

"And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life."

Revelation 22:15 says that people who will be excluded from God's beautiful city will include liars:

"For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie."

Though the corrupt agents of Satan in the media wants us to think that lying is no big deal and that you can be successful if you practice lying, the Scriptures say otherwise.:

"Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies." (Psalm 40:4, KJV)

In fact God wants us to exalt truth and not to respect liars. We must not honour liars, as this is to bring a curse upon us. That is why when Obama broke his first campaign promise about restricting campaign funding to what the Federal state provided, I rejected him as a liar. McCain too is a convenient liar, and I saw that the race for the White House in 2008 was a race between two men who could not be true to their words.





Proverbs 19:22 states that "a poor man is better than a liar."

Finally, Jesus argued that persons who accept lies, tell lies and despise truth are the children of Satan. In John 8:44, Jesus declares:

"Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."

Finally, God classifies lies and deceptive lips in the same way he does homosexuality. He states in Proverbs 12:22:

Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight.

Among the things that God hates, on his list, lies is one of them. In Proverbs 6:16-17 (King James Version), God says:

These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:

A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,

Without even going to the ten commandments, God is explicit in declaring that he hates lies and deceptions, and whosoever loveth lies and deception will experience his wrath and judgement.



Reference:

Bennett, Jessica. "The Truth About Lying" Newsweek Web Exclusive Aug 26, 2009, Retrieved August 27, 2009 from http://www.newsweek.com/id/213575


Kelley, Raina. "Married, With Lies: Why a little deception can be good for a relationship." Newsweek Aug 26, 2009 Retrieved August 27, 2009 from http://www.newsweek.com/id/213574

Who is the Antichrist? A Revisionist perspective?

On August 22, 2009, I was in discussion with a Jamaican who did her Masters and spent some years living in Israel about the subject of Anti-Christ. She was of the opinion that Christian eschatology was erroneous, because of its development before the existence of Israel as a modern state and before the rise of modern Islam as a worldwide religion. Consequently, at the time Christians developed their perspectives on the end times, there was only one religion that seemed to fit the description of the beast or Antichrist, and this was Roman Catholicism.

My friend argued that Christianity today need to revise their view of the end times and eschatology to include these new developments and realities. For my friend, the Antichrist could very well be Islam. I await for her to send me a book that will provide further evidence.

Religious Liberty denied: Girl's life in danger for converting to Christian

The following video is about a teenage girl who is fleeing her Muslim parents, because their religion demands her death for conversion to Christianity.

Though Islam's Holy recognises Jesus as Messiah, they want to kill those who follow him. According to THE HOLY QURAN, translated by Dr. Rashad Khalifa:

O people of the scripture, do not transgress the limits of your religion, and do not say about GOD except the truth. The Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, was a messenger of GOD, and His word that He had sent to Mary, and a revelation from Him.[Sura 4:171]

References:

"Sura 4". English Translation of the Quran Translated by Dr. Rashad Khalifa. Retrieved from http://www.quran-islam.org/97.html. August 21, 2009

Following Requirements: What I learnt from the Canadian High Commission in Jamaica

Today, going to the Canadian High Commission of Jamaica, I learned a valuable spiritual lesson that I want to share.

In applying for the visa, I had to submit a number of documents. From the week before, I spent my time gathering all documents except one, the bank statement of my personal funds. Instead, I thought I would bring the Canadian cash that I purchased as evidence that I had Canadian dollars for the journey. Instead of getting the exact documents that the High Commission required, I thought that I could discern the intent behind their asking for a bank statement of personal funds. In my head, the High Commission just wanted to ensure that I have sufficient money to enter the country and exit the country.

However, while awaiting at the High Commission in a line, it began to trouble me that I did not have the bank statement. In my head, the question lingered, "would they still issue me a Canadian Visa without a bank statement?"

With this question, I searched diligently in my bag for something else to substitute. The substitution documents included my three bank books, including a foreign currency bank book. (These however were not recently updated and would not meet the requirements in terms of dates).

The security checked my documents, and I stated that I did not have the bank statement, but had the literal cash to show. She said "No bank statement?" However, she said nothing else but directed me to where I was to go.

When I reached the Cashier/Receptionist, I restated my position. The lady looked through my documents and said:

You work at the university, Mr. Scale? When you ask for a transcript, would a school report do?

I stammered over that one, with a explanation "No.., but..."

"Just answer my question!" she remarked.

So I gave her the "No!"

She asked me if I read the information requirements accompanying the application. I said yes. She then gave me a copy, highlighting the personal funds portion. She even further stated that I could have borrowed the money, so having it in hand, was not sufficient for meeting the High commission's requirements.

That day, I felt like a fool!

Yet this story is a spiritual lesson. Just like how G-d has certain requirements, we cannot get away with substitutes.

This can be applied to salvation. If G-d says that in order for us to be saved, we need to believe in Jesus, there is no substitute. If G-d's requirement is for us to confess and put our faith in Jesus, you could be a good man, but you would not have met his requirements.

Just like how I have to meet all the requirements for the Canadian High Commission to give me entry into their land, if I want to gain entry to the land in the everlasting kingdom, then I too must ensure that I meet all the stated requirements.


The same goes for worship. If G-d commanded us to worship him a particular way, then we do not have the authority to decide that we know what G-d's intent was and substitute what he commanded for what we feel can be a suitable substitute. This may include the days or seasons of corporate worship (Sabbath-Sunday debate or the Feast Days versus Christmas and Easter debate). Do not get me wrong, I do not feel that Christians must worship G-d on only one day of the week or on special days, but rather, I understand that G-d has given a time for each purpose under the sun (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Thus I believe that we worship G-d when we do what he requires of us, in the time that he requires us to do it. So we work when we are commanded to, and rest when we are commanded to. We remember our Passover Lamb in the season that he commanded, and eat the bread and wine at that time and season, rather than whenever we feel like.

It is a matter of recognising who is in authority and who is subject to whom.

G-d likens his relationship with his people to marriage - husband and wife (Ephesians 5:22-33), where he stresses that the wife ought to submit to her husband (Ephesians 5:22). The woman should not do what she feels like in her marriage, disregarding her husband requests. Imagine if the wife decided to cook and prepare her husband a meal when she feels like, make love when she feels like and do her own thing whenever she feels like without regarding the husband's desires. That marriage would be in danger!

To note how serious this matter of following requirements are, consider that Jesus even told the parable of the King's Wedding Guests in Matthew 22. In Matthew 22:10-13 (King James Version), the story goes like this:

10So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.

11And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:

12And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.

13Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Let us be cogniscant of the fact that we should not offer substitutes for G-d's requirements, but rather, submit unto G-d and do your best to meet his requirements according to your understanding. We may not understand what G-d requires, but do it all the same. Do not assume that you can discern the rationale behind his requirements. As the Scriptures say:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD (Isaiah 55:8).

The Antichrist's open war against Christianity

Over this weekend, I have watched several videos that I want to share.

There is an all-out war directed against Christianity by Satan and the war is on many fronts.

The following video is an interview with the Daughter of the founder of the Church of Satan with a tele-evangelist, Bob Larson. Also interviewed is a werewolf. These servants of the Devil speak frankly about the demise of Christianity and that they will take over.



The next video speaks to the denial of the rights of Christians to free speech and to freedom of expression.

Speechless...Silencing The Christians - Part 1 of 3
Uploaded by LuMeL1962. - Watch the latest news videos.

The next video shows how Satan is using the movie industry to con humanity into accepting his Antichrist doctrines.



And the final video is about Satan's assault through the music industry to indoctrinate our youth into accepting Antichrist values and doctrine.

Religion and Globalization

Peter Berger, a sociologist, has written what is a really insightful article on the challenge and change that globalization brings to religion.

In the article, Berger begins to show how he and other scholars have had to modify their theoretical paradigm, which argued that as society becomes more modern, then religion will decrease and decline. Berger has argued that the evidence is not so. He declares that if that particular theory was to be held true, then one could not consider the United States of America modern.

Religion in modernity has lead to, a new conflict in society - the conflict between the cultural elite and the religious populace. In Berger's words,

"in many countries including the United States, this intelligentsia or cultural elite is very much in conflict with the religious populace."

Berger also goes on to suggest that globalization has had an impact on religious identity. He argues that what globalization has done is to make societies more plural in religious identity, especially where the legal framework permits the peaceful coexistence of religions.

Peaceful coexistence and interfaith dialogue has had the following impact:

• People have more religious choices


• Religion and churches are now seen as voluntary organisations or associations competing for volunteers or members in the market for religion.


• people are blending religious elements and beliefs to form their own identity

I found this quote very interesting, as it reflects too my own journey and struggle. Berger states that:

"increasingly you find individuals who put together their own particular religious profile. You find this very much in North America and in Western Europe. You find it elsewhere as well. Robert Wuthnow, who I think is one of the best sociologists of religion in the United States, has used the term ‘patchwork religion’: People put together different elements of their own tradition and other traditions and say, ‘Well, I’m Catholic, but...’ The ‘but’ is very important and there are many things included there.

For example, the belief in reincarnation. An enormous number of people in Europe and America believe in reincarnation, which is not exactly Christian doctrine. So that’s part of ‘I’m Catholic, but I believe I’ve been here many times before’ or something like that. Danielle Hervieu-Léger, a French sociologist of religion uses the term ‘bricolage’, which means tinkering. It’s like a Lego, you create your own little version of whatever it is you want to call yourself."

In addition, Berger also suggests that because of the variety of religous choices, people are no longer taking their religoius truth for granted, but are leaving themselves open to discover alternative truth or other truth. Berger states:

"actually our language says this very well. For example, one might say, ‘I happen to be Catholic’ – an extremely interesting phrase. Or a more sort of Californian: ‘I’m into Buddhism.’ Which, of course, suggests that tomorrow I might be out of Buddhism, and in fact chances are that I will; I’ll discover something else."

However, Berger also maintains that globalization has made it difficult for the State or any other religoius institution to control religion or the religious choices of the populace. He argues that even totalitarian states are having difficulties.

Harvard Reference Citation:

Berger, Peter L. (2006). "Religion in a globalizing world." World Association for Christian Communication. available at: http://www.waccglobal.org/fr/20073-media-and-terror/461-Religion-in-a-globalizing-world.html (Accessed 1 August 2009).