This is a bit of a continuation from the previous post.
I’ve seen a few high-profile Televangelists who’ve discussed this either dance around the topic or handwave it for one of three reasons: They’re gun owners who don’t believe in gun regulation of any kind themselves, they don’t want people in their congregation to feel singled out or they don’t want to be targeted by Gun Lobbyists. One or a combination of all three. Without using names, I’ve seen a certain pastor repeat what I’ve heard mostly Republican politicians say when a Democrat says there should be new gun regulations: “The Gun is a tool”, “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people” and similar things.
Both of those examples I named are true but the same consideration being given to guns are noticably not being given to Motor Vehicles or Aircraft. Car accidents are a common occurance in most developed nations. The reason there is no talk of new automobile legislation when a person intentionally uses their car to hurt or kill someone is because that is not a car’s primary function. The intent of the user aside, guns exist specifically to hurt or kill others. That is a fact. It is worth noting car makers all over the world have been taking steps to make vehicles safer in recent decades, some now having their own Black Box.
Plane crashes are actually pretty rare and it’s when there is an incident they tend to get a lot of media attention. Anyone looking to get a Pilot’s License–more so for commercial airlines–have a VERY strict process they must undergo because the life of not just the pilot is at risk but the passengers and if it goes doen over a population center, whoever is below. With most of the plane crashes that have happened, unfortunately everyone on board dies. What this means is investigators can’t talk to the pilot or any other flight crew to find out for sure what happened. All they can do is draw conclusions based on the Black Box assuming it’s recovered.
Getting back to guns. More private citizens own one or more firearms in America than every other country in the world combined. Not only that, private citizens in America legally own more guns than law enforcement and the U.S. Military combined. Mind you, only about 44% of Americans are gun owners. What that means is obviously, there some gun owners own several firearms. Before I continue, I would like remind everyone the National Rifle Association (NRA) is a political organization that represents the Firearms Industry in the U.S. Contrary to popular belief, they do not represent individual gun owners.
I would also like to remind everyone the reason comprensive research into gun violence has not happened in the U.S. despite the thousands of mass shooting events over the last 25 years is because of the NRA. They’re paying off members of Congress at the Federal and State levels to keep that from happening. Why don’t they want you to know the truth? Because it’s a threat to their interests. Let’s not kid ourselves, the sad reality is some Americans worship the Second Amendment and the NRA is exploiting that. All they have to do is say “Democrats want to take your guns away” after a high-profile mass shooting event and some will rush to buy some more guns.
This brings me to the obvious question you’re probably thinking: Should Christians in America own guns?
I know this is a sensitive matter for some depending on where exactly they live. While the Bible does speak to the need for people to take up and utilize some practical defensive measures to protect themselves, loves ones, the innocent, home and property–which was to a degree the intent behind the Second Amendment being worded the way it is–the fact of the matter is in recent decades, some have elevated the importance of the Second Amendment above common sense and practicality.
This is also why I said some worship the Second Amendment earlier, many of them professing to be devout Christians. I have become troubled and alarmed by Christian Fundamentalists and Christian Nationalists in particular who have made it clear in recent years they believe political violence is not only acceptible but necessary to enact the change they want to see. Christianity has already treaded down that path. Ever heard of the Dark Ages and the Inquisition?
Speaking of, that’s a good segway into this topic.
For those who might not know, the Russian Orthodox Church (top picture) is closely aligned with the Russian government. It would be fair to say it’s another division of the Russian government. Anyway when the conflict in Ukraine began, church leaders would bless and annoint the weapons and soldiers before they left for the front, basically saying their cause is “Righteous” and “all who fall in battle will go to heaven”. It’s basically a “Divinely Just” war as far as the Russian Orthodox Church is concerned. To date, over 120,000 Russian soldiers have died in Ukraine.
On the side is the Ukranian Orthodox Church (bottom picture). Like their counterparts in Russia, Ukranian Church leaders bless and annoint the weapons and soldiers before they leave for the front. In contrast, their prayers are for safety and for the conflict to come to an end. Given the war is a conflict of Russia’s making, it goes without saying Ukraine has the support of almost the whole world behind them. Not just morally but literally obviously. To date, almost 2,000 Ukrainian Soldiers have died but the number of civilian casualties is now believed to be around 6,000 as of the end of November.
The primary sides involved in this conflict are or profess to be Christian. Russian President Vladomir Putin made it clear he wants to wipe Ukraine as a country off the map. Ukranian President Volodomir Zelensky has vowed to retake all every inch of land taken by Russia including the Crimean Penninsula annexed by Russia in 2014. The question isn’t whose “cause” is more righteous than the other. The question to be asked is why is it necessary to invoke God in conflicts like this?
Full House and Fuller House actress Candace Cameron Bure was recently in the news for stating she is for Traditional Marriage. Yes, really. Due to our society’s acceptance of the LGBTQ+ Lifestyle over the last 20 years, her comments are considered “controversial”. Why? Because the LGBTQ+ community is triggered by public mentions of Traditional Marriage. Christians had to adopt the term “Traditional Marriage” 16 years ago to have a distinction from the imitation they want for themselves.
What Christians call Traditional Marriage–the union of one man and one woman–established by God in Genesis 2:24 is disputed not just by the LGBTQ+ community buy Polygamist movements and cults. This is why most evangelists have made it a point to say “one man and one woman” on that note. Not one man and two women or two men and one woman. Just one of each. That is the only union that has been blessed and established by God.
What’s very interesting is despite the western world’s embrace of Same Sex relationships and LGBTQ+ culture being mainstreamed over the last 20 years, most of the world does not recognize let alone accept them culturally. South Korea and Japan are two notable holdouts despite both countries being known to be very liberal culturally. Centuries of tradition are why those who identify as LGBTQ+ in both countries are referred to as Sexual Minorities. I did recently hear Japan’s version of Congress was considering holding debates to possibly allow Civil Unions. Given there are people in Japan and South Korea who have legally married life-size dolls or body pillows, it’s pretty wild to think that is accepted over Same Sex relationships in those countries.
Getting back to the “controversy” with Bure’s comments. Bure reacted by saying she found the backlash “an interesting experience”. One of her own co-stars–someone she literally grew up with on TV–chastised her for speaking her mind. Last I checked, we still have freedom of speech and freedom of expression in the U.S. That aside, she IS being attacked for simply expressing her religious convictions.
For those who might not know, Bure returned to private life after the iconic Full House sitcom ended. She returned for the sequel Fuller House (on Netflix) about 6 years ago after the cast had a reunion in 2015. When she was kid, her then more famous brother Kirk Cameron–you may remember him from the 1980s sitcom Growing Pains–became a Born Again Christian and left the entertainment industry in the mid-90s. He would later become an ordained minister. His sister Candace would convert after Full House ended. Bure may not have come back for Fuller House if not for the financial incentive. From what I heard, she agreed to commit to Fuller House when former Full House castmate John Stamos, who was executive producer of the new project assured her that she would not put in a position where she would have to compromise her religious convictions.
Bure’s comments come a few years after the Hallmark Channel faced scathing backlash from outraged Evangelicals after the network announced plans to air a TV movie in which a character came out as Gay. Hallmark quickly cancelled those plans though the movie did get picked up by another network and aired. Many Evangelicals were outraged at the idea since the Hallmark Channel is widely regarded as a good secular network for Christians. While the network itself does not cater to Christians specifically, the network has long aired programming to lift up people and be a positive influence without trying to “teach” audiences or “be inclusive”. Shows and movies on the Hallmark Channel just focus on being positive and family friendly.
On the other hand, most of the actors cast for the shows and movies on the Hallmark Channel are themselves either devout Christians or just want to be a part of projects they can feel good about. The easiest way to do that would be to create a network and at this point that would probably be a good idea all things considered. Unlike 30+ years ago, it’s much easier to do that these days.
For those who might not remember, JFK was America’s first president who was Catholic. Joe Biden became the second but there is a clear difference: Seven of the nine sitting Supreme Court Justices are Catholic. We also know for a fact Amy Coney Barett–the last Justice appointed by former President Trump–is a member of a Theocratic Cult and was groomed to become a Supreme Court Justice for 25 years by the Federalist Society. Christian Fundamentalist movements have been working behind the scenes for almost 80 years to infiltrate the government at the Federal, State and Local levels. It was only when Trump ran for president that Christian Nationalist movements saw an opening.
I’ll be blunt: Christian Nationalist Movements chose the Republican Party decades ago because it would be far easier to persuade and manipulate GOP policy makers compared to the Democratic Party. The possability of the Republican Party sliding into Fascism and Authoritarianism has always been there.
When Trump was preparing to run for president 2015, he cut a deal with key Evangelical leaders: In exchange for backing him, Trump would appoint their judges to the Supreme Court and other Federal positions. They even gave Trump a list of names of people they want him to appoint, Barett and Justice Brett Kavenaugh among them. The reason they chose to approach Trump and not the Bushes, Reagan or Nixon before him is because they had the mutual understanding they were just using each other for their own ends. In exchange for their support, the Christian Nationalists would be able to further their their agenda which is ultimately overthrowing the government and replacing it with an Autocratic Theocracy. Now that they have firm control of the Supreme Court and have overturned Roe v. Wade, they–Christian Nationalist Movements–have turned their attention to overturning Obergafell vs. Hodges (that’s the case that legalized Same Sex Marriage nationally in 2015) as well as flooding local and state elected positions with their people.
I have been unapologetic and open in talking about these matters on this blog in part because these Christian Nationalist Movements are textbook examples of Political Movements disguised as Religious Movements. Frank Schaeffer–son of renowned Christian Fundamentalist Leader Francis Schaeffer–was a recent guest on Dr. Steven Hassan’s podcast. Listen to the interview via Spotify here. One interesting bit of info from this podcast that will probably be controversial to many ultra conservatives and Christians today is originally, most Protestant evangelists were actually Pro-Choice on Abortion. Schaeffer reveals originally, Protestant evangelical leaders were fiercely pro-Choice based on scripture and had to be persuaded to change their views in the late 1970s.
There is one faction long known to be fiercely anti-Abortion opposite Protestant leaders who advocated the right to choose: The Roman Catholic Church. A lot of Catholic traditions and ideologies have crept into most Protestant denominations over the last two and a half centuries in particular. I’m well aware Exodus 21:22-23 is held up as the the Bible’s “smoking gun” against Abortion. The problem with that idea is the wording of the passage is very specific in context and intent: If due to your actions, you cause a pregnant woman to go into labor and the baby is ok for the most part, you would be financially responsible at most. If your actions cause a miscarriage or stillbirth then you are legally responsible in proportion to what the woman feels is appropriate.
It’s one thing to say you’re anti-Abortion because God considers all life sacred. That’s one thing. On the other hand, the Bible does not explicitly say anything for or against abortion. All Exodus 21:22-23 says is if your carelessness or malice causes a pregnant woman to go into labor or lose her baby, you will be held responsible. Most who are anti-Abortion misapply it to mean anyone who performs an abortion or helps a woman have an abortion is a murderer and that needs to stop. Based on that same logic, allowing children to starve to death worldwide is also wrong but hunger has been weaponized worldwide. Many also like to use Proverbs 6:17, which says in part God hates “hands that shed innocent blood” specifically to justify being anti-Abortion but the working is meant to generalize that to mean killing people without cause. It’s not the same.
God is also not as “Black and White” as too many Christians characterize Him to be. Otherwise, God would’ve just hit the proverbial reset button after Adam and Eve sinned in Eden. That would have been the logical thing to do actually. God did take into consideration Eve was lied to and Adam was coerced. In general, God deals with people and any sins they commit case by case. God clearly takes circumstance into consideration and we as Christians need to get back to doing that again.
Pro-Choice advocates refer to Abortion as a Medical Procedure because when utilized as intended, it is. Anyone saying they would allow their 10 or 12 year old daughter pregnant from their uncle or step father’s rape to carry the pregnancy to term is either lying or heartless. The humane thing to do would be to terminate the pregnancy for the life of the mother. Allowing a young child whose body is still growing to go through a pregnancy is cruel and inhumane. I say this knowing in some cultures around the world, men are allowed to legally have sex with very young girls. Christians need to stop trying to speak for God as if they’re on the same level as God as far as I’m concerned. Our ways are not His ways as spelled our in Isaiah 55:9.
To use a graphic example of how warped the debate has become now. In recent years, Ultra Conservatives have basically asserted the idea Abortion = Child Sacrifice. It is connected to the QAnon and Deep Space Conspiracy Theories and it’s why believers in those conspiracy theories understandably become explosively violent without provocation. They assert–without proof or evidence of course–Democrats (as well as the ultrea rich) sacrifice kids and aborted babies to demons and idols for power. I’m sure some of you heard of “Pizza Gate” a few years ago and…yeah.
As a reminder, the overwhelming majority of people who at least partially believe some of these things self-professed Christians. Just so we’re clear, when I said “Abortion = Child Sacrifice” I mean they assert Democrats (as well as the ultra rich) literally sacrifice kids and aborted babies in demonic rituals. If you believe that to be true, naturally you’re “justified” to want to murder Democrats (and others) because “that’s what you’re supposed to do”.
…All that said.
The separation of Church and State is being openly challenged right now. We have not seen anything like this in America since colonial times, I’ll just put it like that. These are uncertain times to say the least but nothing happens before its appointed time. This is the biggest reason I’m so confident The Second Coming is NOT going to happen within the lifetime of everyone alive now. The clues and signs for it are nowhere in sight let alone close to being imminent. I am definitely NOT saying we should be complacent. What I am saying those who are planning wait out the Second Coming would be wise to change those plans.
Too many Christians in modernized countries have made it clear the world they’re selfish, self-centered and self-serving. They feign piety when in truth their motivations are money, power and oftentimes sex as well. As I’ve explained to many via social media, so-called “prophets” and “True Believers” who have given themselves over the seducing spirits and delusions have cloaked their political views with religion. This was exemplied by former Arizona Republican candidate for Governor Kari Lake. Like Trump, she refused to concede after losing in the Midterms last month. Things took a bizarre and concerning turn earlier this week when she appeared as part of a prayer circle being broadcast praying for the election she lost to be overturned. Yes, really.
We are at a tipping point as a society. So is the Christian world. This might feel like something better suited for my blog on politics but it’s 100% relevant to Christians today because of the ripple effect. As we speak, thousands if not hundreds of thousands of self-professing Christians across the U.S. are preparing to go to war with their own government. In their minds, they’re justified since they already consider the government illegitimate and everyone who supports the government is a traitor. Again, these people are self-professed Christians who want to plunge America into chaos.
The majority of us Christians who don’t subscribe to all this insanity need to take a stand. we need to stand up and show others what REAL Christianity looks like. Jesus said his kingdom is not of this world. Meanwhile, these Christian Nationalists want to replace Democracy with a Theocratic Autocracy. German authorities recently stopped a plot by some in the country to overthrow its government. People around the world are seeing what’s happening here and taking notes.
The modern world NEEDS real Christianity back. If it means losing modern conveniences, so be it as far as I’m concerned.
I want to end with this because it is the root of the problem for the Christian world over at least the last 170 years.
Too many modern Christians STILL believe the third commandment is only talking about swearing. It’s not. It’s also meant for those who claim to believe in God or a follower of Christ but shows otherwise in their attitudes and actions. That brings me to Matthew 24:4-5. It’s another passage that is commonly only applied to those who obviously claim to be prophets. In modern times, it is also meant for those who claim to have a message from God. Most of the ones in North America are very careful to not call themselves prophets. What they do instead is claim to have a message or “revealation” from God.
Sound familiar?
The Bible explicitly lays out some guidelines for testing people who claim to speak for God or claim to have a message from God. The most obvious is if what they say happens as they say God said it would, you know they’re legit. If it doesn’t happen as they said God said it would, you know they’re a liar or a fraud. Another area to test is who do they point to? Is it themselves, their denomination or their ministry they point people to? Or do they point to the God and Scripture? True Prophets will always point to God and Scripture while minimizing themselves. PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THIS. More so now with charismatic preachers and televangelists openly looking for people to mislead and defraud.
Another test is obviously, how are they living their lives? Are they living one way while claiming to be something else? There are a LOT of sham doctrines being heavily promoted out there but one most would agree to be one of if not the worst is the Prosperity Gospel. You know, “God wants you to be rich” and soforth and so on. It’s basically a Christianized version of Ronal Reagan’s Trickle Down Ecnonomics policy: “Let the rich get richer and maybe some of it will trickle down to you”.
…Whew.
Across ALL denominations, a lot distractions and confusion is running rampant.
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Bible Truth, Faith and Prophecy 