Welcome to the Web Site of Author: LARRY J TATE

Those Confusing Presidential Polls

2011-09-08T22:01:00.000-05:00

How do you pick a Presidential Candidate? I think I’ve heard it all:

“I like the way he looks.”

“He’s a great orator.”

“I’d never vote for a black man. We’ve had one in office; we sure don’t need another one.”

“Women have no place in leadership. What if we were to go to war?”

“He’s a Christian and that’s good enough for me.”

Just a side note: For all you Politically Correct goofballs out there, I don’t go to the trouble to use “he/she” in my description of a person just to cover all the bases. If you see the word “he” in an area where you think it would be more appropriate to use “he/she,” you’ll just have to figure it out for yourself.

From time to time, we’re all guilty of “liking” a candidate because of the way he handled himself at the most recent debate. We might even go so far as to make our decision on one, or two, or possibly three of his stands on the issues. Rarely, do we actually study all of the issues and make an informed decision.

One of the biggest problems with candidate selection is polling data. Talk to the average person on the street, and ask who they “like.” Chances are, you’ll hear the name of someone in the top three of the latest poll. Is that because the poll represents every voting-age person, or is it by chance that the majority of the people are making their decisions based on what they heard in the poll? Just keep one thing in mind: Polls are better at manipulating a person’s decisions than they are at finding out what that person actually thinks.

As of September 1st, the Republican Candidate polls put Perry in first place. Where did that come from? He just announced his candidacy two weeks earlier. Oh well, on with the story. Perry is First, Romney is Second, oh and here’s another strange one: Palin is Third—and she hasn’t even announced yet. I think she will, but even without announcing, she has captured third place. Now for Fourth Place…good grief, will the surprises ever end? Ron Paul is in Fourth Place. Who’d a thought that?

What kind of a poll is this? Well, it happens to be the conglomeration of eight different polls which eerily seem to agree with each other. There’s ABC News, FOX News, Politico, NBC News, Quinnipiac, CNN, PPP and finally Gallup.

All right, continuing on, Bachman is in Fifth place, Gingrich is in Sixth place, Cain is in Seventh place, Santorum is in Eighth place, and finally Huntsman is in Ninth place.

So, the natural thing for most of us to do is to adjust our way of thinking. First of all, nine people are simply too difficult to follow. Second, you watched a debate, but you’re still confused as ever. The little talking points, snippets, cheap jabs, news highlights, etc. just boggle the mind. What do we do? Ah, here’s the answer…the poll makes it a whole lot easier. All we have to do is identify whoever is in the top three and pay attention to them.

Just like magic, the rest of the pack is pretty much written off. Put this scenario in a national perspective, and our nation could end up missing out on a really good and qualified candidate. Why? We’ve allowed polling data to influence our decisions.

Okay, back to the poll. Rarely does a poll reflect the opinions of much more than a thousand people. Yeah I know, they say that it’s a scientific poll nevertheless. For one thing, it’s far too early in the game to write off those who are not in the top three. If every voter would make his decision based on issues rather than on polling data, we just might see our nation reverse the socialistic direction it’s traveling on right now.

So, how do we go about finding out where the candidates stand on the issues? First of all, maybe you should find out where you stand on the issues. How do you do that? There’s a website that just might help out with both of those problems. Go to http://www.ontheissues.org/Quiz/quiz2010.asp?quiz=Pres2012 to find out where you currently stand on twenty major issues. First of all, select “2012 Presidential Speculation” in the top section. Then answer the twenty questions below. Then select “Score the Quiz.” You will be directed to a page with a list of the candidates. At the top of the list is the candidate who agrees with your own position more than any other candidate. At the bottom of the list will be the candidate who least agrees with you. Voila, you have done your own poll. To the left of each candidate are the words “social” and “economic.” If you click on those words, you will see exactly how you compare with that candidate on each issue.

Another site you can go to is http://www.ontheissues.org/Rick_Perry.htm. The left hand column lists all of the candidates. By selecting each candidate, you can see how each candidate stands on a multitude of issues. Do like me, and print the full information on each candidate and study their issue stances very carefully. After doing so, you will be much more able to make an informed decision when you step into the voting booth. That is a whole lot better than picking someone based on how someone else is thinking.

I took the quiz and surprised even myself. One thing about it, I’m going to spend a little more time scrutinizing these candidates. According to the quiz, Gingrich is first, Palin is second, Cain is third, Perry is fourth, Santorum is fifth, Paul is sixth, Bachmann is seventh, Huntsman is eighth and Romney is ninth.

I’m shocked to see Gingrich in first place, although I did like the way he stood up to the liberal slant of questioning at the recent debate. Palin…I’m not surprised to see her near the top. What’s interesting is that unlike the National Poll, Perry is down near the middle. And then, there’s Bachmann and Romney coming at or near the bottom—that is definitely surprising to me. Huntsman—As long as you continue to support evolution and Al Gore’s Global Warming, you can stay at the bottom for all I care.

I know one thing, I’ve got to take a look at how I answered those questions so I can figure out how this happened. Maybe I made a mistake…maybe not.

Why don’t you take the quiz and find out which of the candidates is more closely aligned to your own position on the issues?

Let’s return the United States to the power house status our forefathers hand down to us.

ST Excerpt Chapter Three

2011-09-03T08:40:00.001-05:00

This excerpt is from Chapter Three of Shadow Truth by Larry Tate
Chapter Three

Separation from God

Humanism’s Agenda Exposed

The first arena of attack by Shadow Truth is focused on separating us from our belief in God. This attack cannot be in the form of directly challenging our core beliefs in God, because we would never stand for it. Instead, Shadow Truth’s tried and proven method is to come in through the back door. In the early stages of this attack, Shadow Truth considers it an acceptable victory if we sit quietly on the sidelines while others loudly demand that we discontinue praying or calling on the name of Jesus in public places.

That in itself is a great victory, but it is not Shadow Truth’s ultimate goal. Once we make the decision to compromise on one issue, Shadow Truth considers it a license to take us all the way to its ultimate level of deceit. With each incremental victory, Shadow Truth gains strength for subsequent battles. In order to be thoroughly successful, Shadow Truth must convince us on a subliminal level that there is no God. Satan’s well-laid plans are for us to come to believe that it is by way of our own logic and reasoning that we realize that God cannot possibly exist.
One successful tactic of deceit is found in the modern humanist agenda, which began to pick up momentum in the early 1900’s. It was then that the humanists of the world came together and began establishing their common beliefs and goals. The first Humanist Manifesto was developed in 1933. Humanist Manifesto II appeared in 1973, and Humanist Manifesto III appeared in 2005.
Among the statements contained in these manifestos are the following core beliefs:
1.The universe was not created. Humanists believe that the universe is self-existing.

2.Morality is an ever-changing concept depending on current human experience. Sexual activities and exploration are encouraged.

3.Individual nations should be eliminated and replaced with a one-world system of government.

4.Most disturbing of all is the idea that mankind has advanced beyond the need to believe in God. To humanists, belief in God is seen as a harmful state of mind.

Satan is on a quest to destroy all of our core beliefs in God and replace them with deceptions that sound like truth, but are far from it. From the beginning, most human beings have held onto the Judeo-Christian worldview of Creation. This belief, which was given to us in the Scriptures, has been handed down through every generation and is still held by most people, today. However, that truth is slowly being replaced by a false belief that teaches that a random stellar occurrence, or big bang, is responsible for the creation of the universe and everything in it. In addition to the task of convincing mankind that the universe was just an accident, this Shadow Truth also puts forth the idea that all life came from a random and spontaneous event when certain non-living substances combined in just the right way so as to create life. Another Shadow Truth suggests that science disproves the existence of God.
These radical humanistic theories would never have been accepted had they been presented to us all at once. One of the grievous advantages of Shadow Truth is that it has time on its side. Through a painstaking sequence of what appears to be a logical progression of thought, Shadow Truth alters mankind’s belief system one morsel of untruth at a time. For instance, even though most of us start out believing in Creation, Shadow Truth slowly and methodically erodes that truth by placing doubt in our minds. We start thinking that there may be more to man’s existence than what we had always been taught. Through a gradual process of twisting truth, Satan weaves his shadowy version of truth until mankind embraces the humanistic theory of evolution. The increments of this gradual process are so insignificant that a person would be hard pressed to differentiate one step from the next.
Evolution is nothing more than theory; yet, people accept it as absolute truth. While individual species may go through a degree of change over time in order to adapt to their environment, no evidence exists to prove that one species transforms into another, or that life sprang from various inorganic substances, and then continued evolving into the currently known forms of life. An irony associated with this theory is that evolution is believed to be a very gradual process of change. That is exactly how Shadow Truth works; it is a very gradual process of change—an evolving truth.
Humanists make the assertion that God does not exist. They say no one can prove the existence of God. What they conveniently leave out of their argument, however, is that they also cannot prove that God does not exist. Since the existence of God cannot be proven scientifically, belief in God requires faith.
Evolution is a theory that cannot be proven either. Therefore, to believe in evolution also requires faith on the part of those who hold to its tenets. Even though evolution is no more provable scientifically than creation, today’s students are being taught to believe that evolution is a fact of science. With this level of deceit, evolution is fast becoming the mainstream belief, replacing the Judeo-Christian view of creation, in our children’s education.
A by-product of the belief in evolution is the idea that the Bible will eventually be considered a fable. This humanistic indoctrination is having a life-changing effect on our impressionable students even though the majority of adult Americans currently believe in God and creation. The beliefs and actions of people are a function of the way in which they have been raised, their surroundings, and their culture. Today’s generation is being shaped and molded by the rapid growth and acceptance of the theory of evolution. A generation will come when our children will be raised to believe that evolution is an unquestionable fact and the Creationism will be considered a myth, a side-bar in future science books.
Absolute Truth teaches us that wisdom comes from God. The Word of God instructs us that all knowledge and wisdom comes from Him. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth forever” (Psalm 111:10, KJV). On the other hand, man’s wisdom is considered to be weak and limited. “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness” (I Corinthians 3:19, KJV).
Shadow Truth teaches that wisdom and knowledge come from man—they are humanistic. Humanism is full of pride; it denounces God and anything coming from Him. Our society is being indoctrinated to believe that all knowledge is the product of mankind’s experience, and that man’s wisdom is ever-increasing. We are being told that there is no truth beyond the world we live in. Science is the understanding and application of the principles of the universe, and is the only real truth. Consequently, the more we learn from science, the more truth, knowledge, and wisdom we will possess. Eventually, we will discover all there is to know about everything. In the end, men and women will evolve until they have reached the all-knowing and humanistic apex. That is when the wisdom of God will be discarded as erroneous, and man’s wisdom will be embraced as the only truth.
Absolute Truth teaches that goodness comes from God. God’s Word says that only God is good. Jesus said, “Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, God” (Mark 10:18, KJV). Mankind is fallen and weak. Mankind can only be elevated by God and compared to God. Therefore, any goodness on the part of man comes from God.
Humanism suggests that mankind is essentially good, whereas the Bible pictures humanity as fallen, sinful, and depraved. This current generation is being forced to make the decision to believe either in humanism or in biblical truth. But the goal of humanism is to slowly and methodically sway popular opinion to its man-centered philosophy. Humanism’s grip on society is slowly convincing us that:
Traditional religion is no longer of any real significance in today’s society.
The growing knowledge of the material world requires that mankind alter his thoughts about religion.
The universe and all that is within it came into existence without any help from God.
Mankind and all living organisms emerged from nothing by way of evolution.
Any questions regarding the realities of our universe can be answered through man’s knowledge.
Any and all beliefs in God should be discarded.
Whatever situations we face can be solved and overcome by man’s knowledge.
Once we die, we will no longer exist. Therefore, everything we do should be done for our own pleasure.
The religious beliefs of our ancestors are not practical or adequate for today’s modern society.
Man alone, is capable of creating his own purpose in life.
Humanism is one form of Shadow Truth that has greatly triumphed. During a slow but methodical process of change, mankind is now beginning to embrace the principles of humanistic thinking. Every day, thoughts and policies are being altered in such miniscule degrees that people do not realize what is happening to them. Just the simple replacement of one word with another in some particular societal policy is considered to be a successful progression in humanism’s goal to alter mankind’s values.
Secularist thinking is adversely affecting people. Humanistic phraseology is coming to the surface at every turn. Every day we hear words and phrases that are gradually becoming an integral part of our vocabulary. We are becoming sensitized and accustomed to words and phrases such as: free love, celebrate diversity, domestic partnerships, civil unions, socialized medicine, universal healthcare, political correctness, sensitivity training, redistribution of wealth, evolution, hate crimes, tolerance, acceptance, sensitivity, feminism, abortion, globalism, new world order, and world citizenship.
Humanism is attacking us on several battlefronts: atheism, evolution, amorality, human autonomy, and globalism. Humanism suggests that nature itself constitutes the sum total of reality. Today’s education format is enthusiastically promoting the belief in humanism and atheism. Since humanism denies the existence of God, its proponents must explain how man came into existence via random stellar occurrences. Through their brand of science, they believe that they are proving that God does not exist.
To the humanists of the world, nothing is wrong and nothing is considered evil or good. Yesterday’s definition of morality is not necessarily the meaning of morality today. To humanists, everything is relative: something can be considered wrong to one person and right to another person. Each person should be permitted to do whatever it is that pleases him. Humanists preach their view of tolerance everywhere they go. They look upon the church and its doctrines as being anti-tolerant and great enemies of mankind’s evolutionary progress. Anything humanism considers to be anti-tolerant must be eliminated. Since the church is not tolerant of humanism’s activities and beliefs, the church must evolve or it will become an institution of the past. It doesn’t matter that the church and its membership represents the vast majority of our citizens. Humanism is founded on the importance of the individual. Its proponents believe that if there are three hundred million citizens who believe in the Christian way, while only one person feels offended by that belief, then Christianity must change or be done away with.
Humanism teaches us that all accomplishments come about by way of man’s efforts. To humanists, any notion that God is our source is archaic. They consider it to be immature to look to something or someone, outside of self, for help. We are being told that everything we accomplish and every good thing we possess comes from ourselves. According to humanism, morality comes from within man not from some mystical, non-existing Creator. Agents of humanism teach that the meaning of morality changes as man changes. Absolute Truth does not exist. Instead, truth is evolving along with our current understanding of the world and all that is within it. What is true today is not necessarily going to be what is true tomorrow.
Humanism’s Recent Successes

Shadow Truth’s attacks occur every day. To monitor Satan’s deceitful progressions disguised in humanism, all one has to do is pick up a newspaper or listen to the nightly news. A few such attacks are mentioned below. These attacks are so frequent and so incrementally small that we have become accustomed to hearing about them. Now, we rarely raise an eyebrow when we hear about a new attack. That is exactly where our enemy wants us to be.
Due to Shadow Truth’s influence on society, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) was able to convince a judge in Kentucky to order the removal of some of our most cherished documents from schools and court houses. Some of the items affected by the ruling were the Ten Commandments, the Mayflower Compact, the Preamble to the Constitution of Kentucky, the Declaration of Independence and the national motto, “In God we Trust.” According to some very vocal secular humanists in our society, such blatantly religious displays send the wrong message to the masses that America has an unhealthy reliance on Judeo-Christian value systems in civic life. Additionally, humanists complained that those documents were designed with the express purpose of promoting Christianity. For the greater good of all, and with the pressing need to eliminate all forms of discrimination against a good but downtrodden minority, one of our judges ruled that we should remove such dangerous documents from public view.
How is it that one judge can make such a ruling? The answer isn’t difficult to find. Members of an unconcerned and uninterested silent majority voted for certain representatives who then turned around and appointed this judge to office. Our representatives and our judges are our political servants. They have been put into office to do our bidding. We, the people have the power to be in total control of our destiny. If we find that our representatives are controlling us, instead of us controlling them, it is because we have permitted them to do so.
To a great degree, this judge only paid attention to one side of the story. Had the Christian majority voiced its opinion, the judge’s decision may have been different. Had the silent Christian majority done its part, this judge may never have been appointed to her position of power in the first place. Sadly though, the small but vocal minority is the only segment of our society that is expressing any real convictions and that is what is being heard. The rest of us are content to sit silently in our living rooms and permit those in the minority to control the direction we are heading. When the majority is silent, their apathy is actually screaming loud and clear that they have no conviction on the issue.
For almost fifty years, the ACLU as well as other humanist groups have been busy outlawing God from the public square. Leftist lawyers and judges are insisting that separation of church and state dictates that the term, “under God” must be removed from the Pledge of Allegiance. They are telling us that the phrase, “In God We Trust” must be removed from the U.S. currency. They are going so far as to attempt to have all references to God removed from American history textbooks. No longer are we permitted to have public prayer at high school graduations. The display of the Ten Commandments is rapidly becoming taboo at schools and other public buildings.
In 2008, the state of South Carolina attempted to produce auto license plates with the simple message, “I believe.” However, a group that advocates separation of church and state filed a federal lawsuit to prevent the state from making those license plates available to the public. Among those trying to prevent the state from producing the license plates were at least two Christian pastors. One would least expect someone from this profession to be supporting the tenets of Shadow Truth. In this regard they could be willing enablers of Shadow Truth.
In 2008, the state of Washington made the decision to allow an atheist group to place an anti-religion message near a traditional nativity scene at the state capitol. The message stated that there are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven, and no hell. It continued with a statement that religion is nothing but a myth and superstition. This atheist group claimed that since they too are Americans, they have the right to express their own beliefs in a public forum.
A school in the United Kingdom banned a group of teenage Christians from wearing purity rings, which were inscribed with a biblical verse as a symbol of their belief in chastity until marriage. Banning the rings was justified by school authorities on the grounds of being contrary to the school’s uniform policy. By classifying the rings as fashion accessories, the school was able to ban the rings. On the other hand, the school permits Muslim and Sikh students to wear headscarves or bracelets as a symbol of their own religious expression.
This is an example of Satan creating strife between various religious factions. Our enemy will not rest until all belief in God is eliminated. In the mean time however, Satan is content to highlight and stir up differences between various religious groups. In this purity ring attack, our enemy is creating strife by suppressing one religious belief while at the same time, promoting another. The advantage of creating strife between religious beliefs can be seen when those of minority religions begin complaining about those in the majority who invoke the name of Jesus during times of public prayer. Once the Christian majority is convinced to timidly stand by as purity rings are being banned, they become very likely to stand silently by when the name of Jesus is eliminated from public prayer.
A teacher in North Dakota was suspended and required to take sensitivity training for showing a Christian-based video to his students. A newspaper reporting on the issue suggested that if a video creates an uncomfortable atmosphere for even one student, then it is working against the principles of sound education. This is a perfect example of how political correctness can get completely out of control. When it can be effectively argued that if only one offended student can keep a Christian video from being shown, then it doesn’t take much imagination to realize that only one offended atheist can outlaw all forms of Christian beliefs and practices.
On the other hand, a teacher in another state has been reported to regularly bash Christians and Christianity. It has been stated that he suggested to his students that Christians can’t see truth, and church-going people are more likely to commit rape and murder than non-church-going people. In public forums promotion of Christianity can be suppressed while at the same time, criticized and ridiculed.
A Wisconsin student received a failing grade for an art project because it depicted a cross and a Scripture reference. One school official said that such religious expressions infringed on other students’ rights. According to the student, a metals class teacher refused to allow the student to make a chain mail cross because it could possibly offend someone. At the same time that the school was busy preventing any Christian-related activities from offending other students, there were Buddha and Hindu figurines, a picture of a six-limbed Hindu woman and a drawing of a robed sorcerer on display in the school.
A student at Yuba Collegewas warned in 2008 that he faced arrest and expulsion if he continued handing out gospel tracts without a permit. This particular school restricts free speech to an hour each Tuesday and Thursday and then only at a particular grassy area near the theater.
On behalf of only two offended students, the ACLU filed a lawsuit in 2008 against Pace High School because prayer was being allowed at school-sponsored events, such as graduation ceremonies, and some of its functions were being held at churches. In January 2009, a federal judge sided with the ACLU and the school was ordered to stop allowing prayer and holding functions in church buildings.
It is a sad commentary on modern society when the belief systems of two people can be forced upon the majority. Everything has turned upside down when the few have the power to rule the many, and the many are so weak that they become subjected to the few. It’s almost like a Twilight Zone episode, where black becomes white and white becomes black or Isaiah 5:20 (KJV) “Woe to them that call evil good…” How can the Christian majority allow their rights to be subdued by the vocal minority? It’s a sad and simple answer that can be boiled down to just one word: apathy. The silent majority is apathetic regarding issues and elections. They wear a cloak of Christian beliefs and values, but are lacking in real substance—they are not living their faith.
One very vocal person in California was so offended at having belief in God forced upon him, that he has taken his case to a federal appeals court. What was the outrageous offense that had him so distraught? He claimed that it is unconstitutional for our children to recite the words, “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance. One judge ruled that such words violate a child’s right to be free from a coercive requirement to affirm God. Since our society claims to be the land of the free and we stand on principles of fairness, then discrimination should be very far from our hearts.
Shadow Truth is telling us if we as a society truly love our neighbor, then we should discontinue religious practices that offend even one person. An America that loves and nurtures each and every one of its citizens should not be guilty of coercive practices that have the potential for being offensive to children who don’t want to hear about God. The logical progression of Shadow Truth wants to take us to a point where just one offended person can cause the beliefs and culture of the many to be suppressed.
Congress has been sued for allowing our money to be printed with the statement, “In God we Trust.” The basis for this attack is that the motto violates the First Amendment clause, which allegedly requires the separation of church and state.
In 2008, kindergarten classes in the Claremont district of California were forbidden to dress up as Pilgrims and Indians as part of their celebration of Thanksgiving. All it took for this directive to materialize was for one parent to claim that such activities were dehumanizing and racist.
In December 2007, a student at the College of Alameda visited an instructor’s office to give her a Christmas gift. After the instructor indicated that she did not feel well, the student asked if she could pray for her. After receiving permission from the instructor, the student prayed. While still praying, another instructor walked in, saw what was happening, and told the student that she could not do that. A few days later, the student received a letter from the school regarding its intent to suspend her for disruptive or insulting behavior.
Many of our city councils are throwing long-held core beliefs out the window when one or more humanistic council members claim to take offense at public prayers which invoke the name of Jesus. Those who do the complaining are claiming that such prayers are divisive rather than inclusive. They often suggest that the Christian majority is overrunning those in the minority. They are also quick to remind us that our society has many anti-discrimination laws on the books, which are designed to protect minorities from those in the unsympathetic and intolerant majority.
Humanists contend that the majority should be sensitive to each and every person who attends public meetings. They say that there is a wide and rich diversity of faiths in America, and diversity should be respected. The humanistic minority is suggesting that when we pray to, or through Jesus, we are categorically excluding those good, moral people who happen not to be Christians.
One of Shadow Truth’s more devious tactics is to suggest that there are other ways to pray that can be inclusive of all religions. Ultimately, the goal is to eliminate any and all beliefs in One true God, but its policy of incremental progression requires small victories all along the way. So, by introducing the term inclusiveness into public policy this mindset wins another victory. Removal of the name of Jesus is a huge victory because it results in an inclusive secular prayer that has no substance or authority. We are told that even though the Muslim may not believe the same as Christians do, an inclusive prayer using the generic term, “god,” is not offensive and can be applied equally to all faiths.
It wouldn’t take much imagination to picture a city council meeting in which all of those in attendance are standing in a big circle holding hands while praying an inclusive prayer. The terms and phrases being used in the prayer would be so vague that they could be taken to heart by everyone in attendance. Each person would be able to feel like the prayer is being directed to his own god. The silent majority’s acceptance of inclusiveness in public prayer is a major and decisive victory for Shadow Truth.
Communities across the country are changing their policies to comply with similar demands. Individual Christians often claim that no one will ever be able to drive a wedge between them and their God, yet city councils are making those fateful decisions. Those of us who are not on the city council are not blameless by any stretch of the imagination. When we went to the voting booth, we put those council members into their positions. Therefore, the Christian majority is ultimately responsible for every one of those fateful policy decisions. Then, there are the Christian voters who do not bother to vote at all. They too, are responsible. The silence of the Christian majority is in fact, a loud and convincing approval of each and every victory won by Shadow Truth. The silent Christian majority is in effect, a cooperative and willing agent of their own enemy.
All too often, our government servants are bowing down to pressure placed on them by just a few citizens who have the courage to express their own convictions and complaints. What we fail to realize is that the removal of the name of Jesus is but one step along the dangerous pathway known as Shadow Truth deception. All around the world, humanism is attacking our core beliefs. Unfortunately, humanists have no intention of stopping once they have successfully removed the name of Jesus from public prayers. Once that is done, they will shift gears and scream that they are offended when any kind of prayer at all is used in the public arena. What will it take to bring this charge? Just a single offended atheist is all it will take.
Many public meetings have gone this way already. In their efforts to be sensitive to all who attend, a moment of silence has replaced prayer altogether. This is yet another victory of Shadow Truth. The moment of silence has the promise of satisfying even the most hard-nosed atheists in our midst. When a moment of silence replaces prayer all across this country, Shadow Truth will have won a decisive victory. God will essentially have been banned from the public arena.
The dangerous logical progression of Satan’s Shadow Truth still will not be satisfied. The next attack will be on private gatherings. Sadly though, Shadow Truth will not be satisfied when God is removed from private gatherings. Shadow Truth won’t be truly satisfied until all concepts of, and beliefs in God are totally eliminated from human consciousness. Shadow Truth will finally feel victorious when all of mankind is worshipping only himself and his own accomplishments.
Government agencies and public meetings aren’t the only groups being attacked by Shadow Truth. Even private business organizations, such as leads clubs, are bowing down to the complaints of a few of their non-Christian members. Although private business clubs have fewer restrictions when it comes to discrimination laws, their members are now honoring the wishes of the complaining few at an alarming rate. When just one member claims to be offended at the name of Jesus, organizations seem to change long-standing traditions almost overnight. Weak board members, not wanting to offend a single person, make the fateful decision to eliminate prayer, and instead substitute the all-inclusive and non-controversial moment of silence.
Have you ever wondered what the club members are thinking during the moment of silence? Perhaps Bill is thinking, well it’s just too bad that Sam broke his arm in that automobile accident. Now what am I going to do for a golfing partner? Should I go see him? No, I’m really too busy. Perhaps I’ll just send him a card. No, that’s too mushy. I’ll call him some day. Look at John over there. His shirt is hanging out. Why didn’t he stop by a mirror on the way in? Okay, enough is enough. Let’s get on with the meeting; I’ve got a lot of work to do this afternoon. This is not to say that everyone is thinking those thoughts. However, even in the community of professed Christians, many people claim to be Christian and attend church, but they too may have those kinds of thoughts. When it comes to business clubs and other like organizations, it seems that there is only a small percentage of Christians who would actually use the moment of silence as a time of prayer. The whole point of this book is that it is we, the Christians who are permitting (enabling) Shadow Truth to advance at the rate it is advancing. Too much of the “Christian” community is Christian in name only, and lacking the power, the authority and the earnestness that should be manifested in their lives.
The moment of silence is the deceitful brainchild of Shadow Truth. The only thing accomplished during the moment of silence is a complete disengagement of the mind. Our enemy does not want us to be unanimous in our thinking. Our enemy does not want us to have a common purpose. Shadow Truth knows that a drifting mind is fertile ground with which to plant more of its seeds of deceit.
In 2006, the U.S. Navy instituted a policy to prevent the use of the name of Jesus in public prayers. A Chaplin who ignored that ruling was court-martialed and found guilty for that offense. The majority of American’s are Christians, yet when a few of our citizens claim to be offended by the name of Jesus, long-standing policies and traditions are easily discarded. In this case, even the fierce and mighty U.S. Navy was found to be too weak to stand up to cries of discrimination by those seeking to destroy our Christian heritage.
Why is it that we are giving in to every cry of discrimination that comes our way? We have permitted Shadow Truth to ever so slowly redefine the term, “discrimination.” As a society, we were right to put an end to racial discrimination against those of differing colors, creeds, and genders. Where we went wrong was when we allowed the definition of the term, “discrimination” to include a wider variety of topics such has elimination of Christian symbols and traditions around the Christmas Holidays because it discriminates against those minority members of our society who either believe in a different religion or who don’t believe in any sort of a god. Racial discrimination involved a mind-set that certain races of people were less than human. Racial discrimination severely suppressed a person’s right to pursue a prosperous career, and it prevented a person from going places and doing things that other people did. Today’s definition of discrimination however, embraces something entirely different. The term, “discrimination” is so loosely defined that a person could almost win a case in court regarding the kind of clothing someone else wears in public. A person might bring up the complaint that clothing with the color of red is highly offensive to his religious beliefs. Therefore, all red clothing worn in public must be outlawed. Other examples involve the elimination of invoking the Name of Jesus in public because that offends the few, elimination of prayer in public because that offends the few, the moment of silence, the Navy Chaplin who could not use the Name of Jesus, the prevention of a student praying for her instructor in the instructor’s office, and the prevention of children dressing like pilgrims because that offends a parent, etc.
Where will all of this humanistic blather end? The sad answer is that it will not end. Humanists are filing lawsuits to keep people from saying, “God bless America” in public places and on television. Attempts have been made to prevent people from using a Bible while being sworn into public office. Just a few people claiming to be offended by certain references to God are capable of turning the tables on thousands of their fellow citizens. Because the majority has accepted earlier demands by Shadow Truth, they meekly and quietly comply with the next round of demands. We rightly implemented sound principles associated with ending racial and ethnic discrimination, but then we continued on to embrace Shadow Truth’s subsequent evil progressions of deceit.
Breaking down institutions from within is Shadow Truth’s most cunning and effective attack. As a result, Shadow Truth is attempting to cause the church itself to appear to be corrupt and ineffective. It seems that nearly every day we hear news about disturbing issues associated with the church. We find gay-friendly churches showing up in nearly every community. We are no longer shocked when we hear about another gay priest being ordained into the ministry. We hear about young boys being sexually assaulted by priests. It seems to be a commonplace occurrence to see homosexuals being married or joined in civil unions by a minister or priest of some church. News of adultery, fornication and various forms of pornography seem to pop up more and more.
Accusations regarding the inappropriate usage of church funds and illegal political involvements show up in the news all too frequently. As every day passes by, the citizenry of the world is being deluged with disappointments regarding the very fabric of our Christian society. The United States was founded on Christian values and is known today as a Christian nation. There is a church on nearly every corner, but far too many of today’s church members are Christian in label only. Fewer and fewer are living the Christian life outside the walls of the church. I suppose that it is that segment of Christianity that I am calling the Christian society. In other words, the outside world is looking at people who call themselves Christians, but they see many actions that don’t appear to be Christian-based. These failings are carefully orchestrated events brought about by the tenacity of Shadow Truth deception. As we, the majority segment of the United States who believe in Christianity, who want to do right, live right and stay away from that which is evil, experience increasing disappointments with institutions we once blindly trusted, we become ripe and fertile ground for accepting and embracing more dangerous tenets of Shadow Truth.
Our forefathers believed that we should have freedom of religion. But humanists tell us that the church can have no visibility or effect on public life. That is only one minor step in Shadow Truth’s plan for eliminating religion and belief in God from our lives. Ultimately, the church must be completely banned and outlawed from human involvement, belief, and consciousness. The portion of the First Amendment that humanists frequently cite for the separation of the church from the state does not mean what they claim it means. It was not intended to separate Christians from government, but to guarantee that no single sect would become the national church, such as the Church of England. The First Amendment says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” Nevertheless, humanism makes its own interpretation of the First Amendment with little or no rebuttal from the silent majority.
In 2007, a U.S.judge ordered the Secret Service to disclose records of visits by certain Christian leaders to the White House. According to those initiating the complaint, visiting Christian leaders have the potential to significantly influence the President and others who are leading our country. Under their loosely defined definition of separation of church and state, they are attempting to prevent Christian leaders from influencing policies and laws that are contrary to secular standards. In effect, they are suggesting that discussions between Christian leaders and government leaders are illegal under the provisions of the First Amendment. Shadow Truth wants to destroy any and all Christian influence in our society. Our Founding Fathers fought for our right to express our religious beliefs, not to have them suppressed. If current trends continue, the church will be excluded from everything meaningful in life and God will be no more than a mythical figment of our forefathers’ imaginations.
The ACLU claims to be a friend of freedom and individual rights. On the surface, its basic philosophy seems to be necessary, right, and logical. Any organization that is dedicated to protecting an individual’s rights must be a good and necessary organization. However, this protector of rights is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The ACLU has busied itself by harassing city councils, county boards, legislators, representatives, courts, and the Supreme Courts of our nation, until it has almost single-handedly destroyed the laws that were created to protect our children from immoral influences.
The ACLU is made up of a number of secular humanists, embedded in all segments of our society. A handful of determined humanists have gained so much control that they’ve been able to overpower a nation of approximately three hundred million people. Conservatives who favor traditional moral values and free enterprise are held to ridicule and scorn by humanists. Gradually, but decisively, the moral majority is being whipped into submission. Daily, we are accepting and implementing destructive values that are being promoted by the ACLU. Projects likely to be supported by Shadow Truth could be:
Opposition to prayer and Bible reading in public schools.
Efforts to delete the words, Under God from the pledge of allegiance.
Federally funded sex education.
Doing battle with religious symbols that remind people of the Jesus.
The elimination of prayer, Bible reading, the Ten Commandments, God, Easter, and Christmas celebrations.
Forbidding the mention of God or Jesus Christ in graduation speeches.
Changing the term Christmas Holiday to Winter Vacation.
Changing the term Christmas Tree to Gift Tree or Mitten Tree.
Changing the term Easter Break to Spring Break.
Replacing symbols depicting Christ and his dying on the cross with bunnies, chickens, and eggs.
Evolution, socialism, Marxism, moral relativism, amoral sex, sex education in elementary schools, nontraditional families, promotion of the gay lifestyle, the feminist movement, one-world government, and global citizenship.
The humanist/atheist movement has been highly successful at intimidating the Christian majority. Wishing a person “Merry Christmas” has become an unforgivable offense in today’s society. We stand silently by as merchants sell “holiday trees.” We have been indoctrinated into wishing people a, “Happy Holiday,” just to avoid saying the word “Christmas.” We say little or nothing when our communities and our schools hold their “Winter Carnivals.”
Missouri State University meekly gave in to the complaints of a single professor who claimed that the Christmas tree showed a lack of sensitivity to those of other religions. The complaining professor went on to suggest that the school should not be recognizing only one religion. So without a whimper, the school removed the tree, citing that the university has many religions represented and they must be sensitive to the many views that people hold. Ironically, the Christmas tree didn’t have a single religious symbol on it. It didn’t matter to school authorities that the majority of the students were Christian. The university wasn’t dragging those with minority viewpoints in the streets, nor where they torturing them, ridiculing them, refusing employment to them, or forcing them to use separate facilities. No, those in the Christian majority simply wanted to celebrate their own widely held beliefs. Eventually, the tree was put back up, but not before Shadow Truth had won one of its baby-step victories. One step backwards is not a defeat as long as it is accompanied by two steps forward.
In 2008, an employee of a nationwide home improvement store claimed to have been fired just days before Christmas because she was wearing a pin on her clothing which had the inscription, “It’s called Christmas for Christ’s sake.” All it took to turn this into a major issue was for one customer to complain about the pin. The employee said that the store reminded her that it had a policy against wearing any sort of pin that supports a religion. The point is that nationwide stores want to be so inclusive, and want to go to any length to avoid offending even one customer, that they refuse to allow their employees to wear a Christmas-oriented pin. In order to appease the few, some stores suppress the actions and beliefs of the many. This is on the same parallel as a city council that eliminates invoking the Name of Jesus or prayer in general from their meetings because a minority is offended.
In order to avoid offending any of its residents, the City of Fort Collins, Colorado assembled a task force to look into its city policies. As Shadow Truth would have it, the ideal person to head the task force was a member of the local ACLU. Why not? They say that the ACLU is only looking out for our best interests. Several recommendations were handed down to the city for implementation. For some questionable reason, the task force felt that colored lights were offensive to certain minority groups. The only way to remedy this insensitive situation was to require that all holiday lighting consist of white lights only.
Symbols were also targeted. Any sort of Christian-related symbols might possibly do harm to members of minority groups. Therefore, all symbols must be of approved secular symbols such as snowflakes, icicles, and penguins. In order to keep from being offensive to anyone viewing holiday displays, nothing could be used if it might be construed to be a religious symbol. A tree might be approved if it was referred to as a gift tree or a mitten tree. It certainly would help if the brilliant colors associated with the Christian holiday could be toned down to more calming colors. The task force felt that there are just too many good, minority folks whose sensitive natures just couldn’t deal with having symbols of Christianity being forced upon them.
Today’s secular humanists want the Christian majority to understand that tolerance and sensitivity dictates that people practice their faith in such a manner so as not to offend a single person. The City of Fort Collins decided to sacrifice its Christian citizens’ widely held beliefs and traditions in favor of those on the secular task force who were representing minority viewpoints. Strangely enough, the only compromise acceptable by today’s humanists is not a compromise at all. Shadow Truth will only settle for complete and total submission by those who are in the majority. Shadow Truth is asking, no telling, the Christian majority to compromise by suppressing public displays and public activities that are of a Christian orientation. The compromise is that they can still do those things in private, just not in public. However, I don’t believe that Satan is really looking for a compromise. His primary agents (humanists and the humanist agenda) blatantly promote the non-existence of God. If they were to have their way, there would be no church and no worship of God, public or private. Funny thing about humanism: they don’t believe in God, therefore they also don’t believe in Satan. However, I believe they are doing more to promote Satan’s cause than any other single movement. Whether they believe in God and Satan or not, they are agents of Satan.
The University of North Carolina decided to ban the tradition of displaying Christmas trees in the school’s libraries. An administrator at the university said that libraries are places where information from all corners of the world and all belief systems are offered without judgment. According to that particular school administrator, the display of one particular religion’s symbols is in opposition to their philosophy of inclusiveness and sensitivity.
In 2008, Florida Gulf Coast University decided to ban all holiday decorations from common spaces on campus. Prior to this incident, the Christmas tree had already been renamed as a sensitive-sounding, “giving tree,” due to someone’s effort to adhere to political correctness. However in 2008, the whole area was renamed, “giving garden.” After an upheaval from employees, the university eventually allowed staffers to display Christmas decorations on their desks, but not on their office doors, or in common areas. What Satan wants, is for people to fail to realize that they eventually will get so far off base that there is no recognition of the Christmas holiday at all.
Who is giving in to the belligerent demands of the humanist minority? It is the Christians who are giving in, and they are the majority segment of the American population. What we seem to be forgetting is that Christmas is our celebration! Christmas isn’t about Buddhists, Muslims, secularists, or atheists. Christmas is not about the Winter Solstice either. Christmas is about the birth of Christ and nothing else. Yes, other groups may have holidays of their own around the same time of the year, but we are forgetting that those others are in the minority. We elect our leaders by a majority vote. It doesn’t matter that some people do not approve of the leader who eventually gets into office; it only matters that the majority opinion is expressed by that leader’s new position. The losing minority can like it or lump it. Likewise, the way we celebrate Christian holidays should follow the same pattern. The beliefs of the majority should be the beliefs that are most prominently displayed in public areas. Just as majority rule determines who our elected leaders will be, majority rule should be the only determination used to consider the manner in which we celebrate our holidays. If the secularists or the minority religions ever become the majority, then they will be able to make their own determination on how to celebrate the holidays. It is an alarming irony that if Christians don’t begin standing up for their rights, the secularists will soon become the majority.
The Christian majority has evolved into not much more than a pack of whimpering puppies. They are being chased around with their tails between their legs by a small but very vocal minority. When a single complaining secularist can intimidate the masses into changing their entire heritage, you know that Shadow Truth is advancing its cause by leaps and bounds.
While we Americans are changing long-standing policies and traditions at the slightest claim of insensitivity, other societies are doing just the opposite. A British teacher in Sudan was arrested and threatened with a punishment of forty lashes for permitting her students to name a teddy bear, Muhammad. In Sudan, if those in the minority voice an opinion that is contrary to that of the majority, they run the risk of jail, or other punishments. Most non-western cultures stand up for, and defend their core beliefs to the very utmost. While we don’t agree with the methods by which they enforce their beliefs, we should take note of the fact that they refuse to back down from, or compromise on, policies and traditions that those in the majority feel strongly about.
A university in North Carolina has developed a policy that requires incoming students to read and study about the Koran. University authorities defended their new policy by suggesting that the knowledge gained from such studies will help keep those in the majority from demonizing people who believe in the teachings of the Koran. Strangely enough, while incoming students at this university are required to study about the Koran, many of our public schools prevent any sort of Christian studies or activities from taking place on campus.
In Oklahoma, a state representative was scorned and ridiculed in the newspapers for refusing to accept the Koran as a gift from the Governor’s Ethnic Advisory Council. Of course, the Chairwoman (politically correct term for a woman who heads a council) happened to be a Muslim. It seems that the Advisory Council, which was reported to be contributing large sums of money into Oklahoma state politics, was formed for the express purpose of indoctrinating citizens of the State of Oklahoma into embracing the Muslim belief.
Each of the legislators was given a copy of the Koran. Apparently a letter accompanying the gift implied that if the legislators did not return the gift and did not make any kind of negative response to the gift, the Advisory Council could assume that the gifts were freely accepted. This gift was like a loaded gun. The legislators couldn’t just throw the Koran in the trash. Doing so would imply that the gift was freely and gladly accepted. They had to return the books in order not to be viewed as freely accepting the gifts. Of the many Oklahoma legislators, at least one had the strength, courage, and determination to stand up and publicly resist one of Shadow Truth’s attacks on mankind.
While on his overseas tour in April 2009, President Obama made a very disturbing speech in Turkey. Speaking of the United States of America, he told the audience, “…we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation.” Continuing on he said, “…we consider ourselves a nation of citizens.” This is an example of the dangers of political correctness. Fearing that the rest of the world might feel offended by the Christian beliefs of the majority of our citizens, our President took it upon himself to redefine the status of the American people, with a more politically correct description. With this one statement by our elected leader, Shadow Truth has stepped up its mission to separate us, the Christian majority in our nation, from God.
Just a few weeks later, our President made an even more disturbing statement. In an interview with a French television station, he said that the United States could be considered as one of the largest Muslim countries in the world. On the surface, it seems to be a bit confusing that we are not labeled as a Christian nation in spite of the fact that the majority of our citizens are Christian. Instead, on the basis of a growing number of Muslims in our country, we have been labeled as one of the largest Muslim countries in the world.
Shadow Truth, the sinister agenda of Satan to win the allegiance of mankind, is seeing to it that the Christian heritage and identity of our nation is being downplayed and apologized for, while at the same time, a minority segment of our population is being promoted and elevated. In an effort to appease minority segments of our society, we are giving up and disposing of our own Christian heritage. As our weak and uninvolved Christian majority stands silently by, Shadow Truth is taking us, one small step at a time, away from our Christian identity. By virtue of our vote in the Presidential election, we gave authority to our President to redefine our identity to the whole world.
In 2009, President Obama pledged to continue President Bush’s faith-based program, news that was eagerly received by many Americans. Then almost immediately, President Obama appointed a highly controversial gay rights supporter to the twenty-five member advisory council of the faith-based partnership. This new appointee was known for criticizing Pope Benedict as a discredited leader due to his opposition to same-sex marriage. One person, who supported Obama’s appointment, said that the selection of the gay rights supporter showed the President’s respect for diversity of beliefs. She said that she applauded the President for casting a wide net in selecting a panel of religious advisors because it represents the diversity of religious voices in America.
The Faith-Based program involves getting the church community involved in assisting those in need. By its description, it is some sort of Church-related organization. However, there are churches and religions that believe otherwise. There are devil worshipping churches, there are scientology churches, there are gay churches, and there are churches that promote man more than God. By having a vague sounding faith-based program, the door is left open wide to accept most anyone of any belief. In an effort to be inclusive, the President went outside of the conventional and traditional definition of Christian leaders and picked a radical promoter of gay rights (not just a gay person who attends church, but a promoter of gay rights) to be one of the leaders of the faith-based program. This appointment was defended by the statement that the President wanted to cast a wide net in selecting a panel of religious advisors because it represents the diversity of religious voices in America. While this may sound sensitive and inclusive, it is those radical voices that are the most vocal. All too often, it is the squeaky hinge that gets the oil, while the others are ignored. As more and more radical and minority beliefs are supported and promoted, the mainstream beliefs will become more and more suppressed.
Anti-discrimination laws are rightfully needed. Citizens of our country have the right to obtain loans and purchase homes regardless of gender, race, handicap, or religion. This right is justified, necessary, and proper. But Shadow Truth is in the business of re-defining what the term, “discrimination” means. It is one thing to prevent people of minority religious beliefs from buying a home. It is quite another for the same religious minority to define discrimination in such a way that forces those in the majority to discontinue celebrating Christmas and praying in the Name of Jesus in public places. The spirit of discrimination reform was never intended to encompass such policies.
The progressive redefining of “discrimination” has taken us down a road from persecution, to tolerance, to acceptance, to sensitivity, to promotion. We as a society are now promoting the beliefs of minority religions to the point that we are suppressing or totally eliminating any public expression of our own core Christian beliefs.
Are some or our elected leaders actually agents of Shadow Truth? There will only be two dyed-in-the-wool full-scale agents of Shadow Truth. They will be the Anti-Christ and his cohort, the False Prophet. As for all others, some may be greater agents of Shadow Truth than others.
Are all agents of Shadow Truth actually willing agents? Some are agents of Shadow Truth by choice, while others are unknowingly agents of Shadow Truth. Most of us, Christians or not, have become unknowing agents of Shadow Truth at one time or another. All it takes is for enough apathy to set in until we fail to vote, or fail to make a stand for that which is right.
Are some of our leaders willing agents of Shadow Truth? Only God knows who is purposely advancing the tenets of Shadow Truth, and who is unknowingly advancing it by their slothfulness and unwillingness to take a stand.
Shadow Truth Tree for Separating Mankind from God

What would a Shadow Truth tree for separating us from God, look like? If it is possible to create a Shadow Truth tree that would help us understand how Satan has been building a wedge between God and man since the beginning, it may look something like this. Starting from the top and working our way down, we would see:
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (Gen. 1:1 KJV)
Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. (Mat. 4:10 KJV)
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16 KJV)
No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light. (Luke 11:33 KJV)
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. (Mark 16:15 KJV)
Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. (Mat 19:19 KJV)
The statements noted above are God’s Word—Absolute Truth. The first statement below shows how Satan begins to build his Shadow Truth upon the foundation of God’s Word. At first, the statements will have some basis of support. However, due to the deceptive nature of Shadow Truth, each successive statement will grow farther from the truth because each new statement only has the previous statement as its basis.
Loving your neighbor is the right thing to do.
Loving your neighbor is much more involved than simply saying “hello” to your neighbor as you cross paths. You are obligated to have a genuine interest in the well-being of your neighbor.
If you truly love your neighbor, you will do your best to get along with him or her.
You believe in and trust God. But some of your neighbors have beliefs that are contrary to yours. If you love your neighbor, you cannot discriminate against him just because he doesn’t believe the way you do.
You may not be discriminating against your neighbor for his ungodly beliefs, but the scorn you have toward his beliefs is showing up in many of your actions. Although you are not harming him, he still feels belittled every time he looks in your face. You must consider your actions and your words. A Christian shouldn’t be accused of being offensive to anyone, especially those who are peace lovers, even though they don’t believe in God.
You may be restraining yourself from persecuting your neighbor. And you may have determined in your heart not to be offensive. But, your actions still imply self-righteous pride. While restraining yourself from attacking your neighbor, you still harbor ill feelings for your neighbor who does not believe in your God. You don’t have to agree with your neighbor, but if you truly love your neighbor, you should at least be tolerant of his ways. Who knows, you may still have a chance to win him to God.
Although you are now tolerating his beliefs, your neighbor still feels like you are talking about him behind his back. He realizes that you are tolerating him and his ungodly beliefs, but he knows that deep inside, you still hold ill feelings toward him. True love for your neighbor dictates that you accept him and his beliefs. Acceptance is a good sign that you love your neighbor.
You may be accepting of your neighbor’s unbelief but there is still a risk that you do not truly love your neighbor. Acceptance is good but it still indicates that you harbor a little bit of a superiority complex against your neighbor. The person doing the accepting is the one who tends to have the upper hand. Loving your neighbor should include treating your neighbor as an equal. Therefore, to truly love your neighbor, you must learn to be sensitive to him and his beliefs. When you become sensitive to the beliefs of your neighbor, you will be well on your way to loving him as you do yourself.
Although you are sensitive your neighbor’s lack of belief in God, your own beliefs in God are getting in the way of good neighborly relations. When you express your beliefs about God in public places, you tend to intimidate your unbelieving neighbor. Public places are for everyone, believer or not. In the spirit of love for your neighbor, you should express your beliefs about God in private.
Although you are expressing your belief about God in the privacy of your own home, that belief still affects the way in which you live your life. When you go out into public places, your character is showing itself to be obviously different from that of your neighbor’s character. In order for you to truly love your neighbor, you should consider sacrificing your own beliefs in God. Giving up your worship of God in public places just isn’t enough. Restricting your worship of God in private places isn’t good enough either. For the good of humanity, and for truly loving your neighbor, you must give up any notion that there is a God.
Now, you truly do love your neighbor, just as you were commanded to do so many centuries ago.
The Apathy of Today’s Silent Majority

Satan’s task of separating us from God is progressing according to plan. Virtually everywhere we look, we find evidence that we as a society are sacrificing our beliefs in God in order to appease the radical demands of the few. Somewhere along the way, we go from accepting and helping others, to promoting the belief of others over our own beliefs, to suppressing our own beliefs. Think about it!
The first response most of those in the majority proclaim is, “Well it isn’t me. I’m not sacrificing any of my beliefs!” Strangely enough, while the majority as a whole is giving in to the minority, the individual members of that same majority are all claiming that it isn’t them. How can that be? The answer is much simpler than it may appear. While the individual members of the majority may be holding on to their beliefs in God, they are keeping those beliefs private. To their shame, they are closet-Christians. This is where the term silent majority comes from. Each so-called moral individual is depending on someone else to stand up for that which is right. Each of the self-professed Christians is refusing to obey the scripture that instructs them to let their light shine. (Matthew 5:16, KJV. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.)
The church was not commanded to simply believe in a God or to attend a weekly gathering of like-minded people. The church was called to love God, and empowered to be a witness of Him in the world. We are to love and help meet the needs of our neighbors, and we are to resist the wiles of the devil. The reason why the Christian majority is silent in our world today is because we have forgotten our purpose. Like it or not, the church is being influenced by the tactics of Satan. Satan is quite happy that we have become the silent majority, and that we see our responsibility as simply believing in God, and staying out of the public square. Satan knows that a private belief in God, which is not backed up by a public manifestation of His values, works in his favor. By becoming the silent majority the church is buying into Satan’s deceptive coercion. He is content when Christians feel all they need to do is believe in God and occasionally share their faith with another.
Unfortunately, far too many in the church today are living in this manner; they stand idly by, and in essence permit Satan’s shadowy truth to advance. Silence and non-involvement are effectively a vote of confidence for the plans and tactics of the opposition. They are, in fact, strong and emphatic support for Satan and his cause!
The above excerpt is from the copyrighted book, Shadow Truth by Larry Tate

Big Brother wants to know where you will be going today.

2011-08-20T14:30:00.001-05:00

At first, it starts out innocently enough. Insurance companies are interested in safe drivers, so some companies are offering discounts if drivers will agree to the installation of monitoring devices in their cars to prove how safe they are and where they are going. Okay, is that so bad? Well, let’s look a little deeper. The data collected by the insurers doesn’t necessarily stay with the insurers. The police and the courts will have access to that data. The federal government has also decided that it likes the idea of tracking people’s movements, so much so, that the government is considering a mandate that all vehicles must have event data recorders. Inch by inch our privacy and our rights are being removed, so slowly that we don’t even realize it. That is why everyone should read Shadow Truth: The Ultimate Deception. Go to http://amzn.to/coxpMM for ordering information.

Consider the Ant, thou Christian Sluggard

2011-08-13T16:43:00.002-05:00

We are all familiar with Proverbs 6:6 which says, “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.

This popular passage provides us with one particular trait of ants. What are some of the other traits that are unique among this, one of the lowliest of God’s creatures? The Proverbs passage refers to gathering food for lean times. What it doesn’t tell us, is that ants commonly cooperate with each other and collectively gather food. When one ant finds a source of food, he marks the trail on the way back to the colony. This trail-marking enables other ants find the same source of food and bring it back to the nest. Should an obstacle suddenly block the pathway to the food, the ants will randomly search for a new pathway to the food. Once an ant rediscovers the pathway to the food, he will mark a new trail and the harvest will continue. Successful trails are followed by more and more ants, reinforcing better routes and gradually finding the best path.

Other than gathering and storing food, what else do ants do for each other? As a group, they fight off their enemies and rescue captured ants. They groom each other and remove dangerous pathogens from the colony. A knowledgeable forager has been found to lead naïve nest-mates to newly discovered food. In learning from his experienced brother, the young ant obtains the necessary knowledge to gather food for himself. Ants are known to chip in to care for the eggs of as-yet un-hatched ants. Everything an ant does, is ultimately for the welfare of the whole colony.

What does this little biology lesson about ants have to do with Christians? Jesus may very well have been thinking of ant behavior when speaking about the Good Samaritan, the two greatest commandments, and the parable of the King inviting the Righteous into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Mark 12:28-31 discusses the Greatest Commandments, namely we should love God with everything we’ve got, and we should love our neighbor as ourselves. It’s rather easy to say that we love God with everything we’ve got…but what about the second part…that part about loving our neighbor as ourselves? And, exactly who is our neighbor? Is it the person who sits next to us at church?

Luke 10:25-37 tells us who our neighbors are. This passage describes the Good Samaritan. A lawyer asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?”

Jesus then told the lawyer about a man who was attacked by thieves. They robbed him, wounded him and left him for dead. When a priest spotted the wounded man, he crossed to the other side of the road and continued on his way. Likewise, a Levite also avoided helping out the man. Finally, a Samaritan took the time and effort to help the wounded man. Take notice that the Samaritan didn’t go to the Temple and put in extra money in the offering pan that was dedicated to helping the poor and needy. No, this man stopped, cared for the man’s wounds, and transported him to the nearest inn where he left money with the innkeeper instructing him to continue caring for the wounded man.

Once finished with his story, Jesus asked the lawyer, “Who was the neighbor to the man who fell among thieves?” The lawyer had no choice but to answer that the one who showed mercy to the wounded man was the one who was the neighbor. On hearing the lawyer’s answer, Jesus commanded him, “Go and do likewise.”

So, we Christians now know that our neighbor is anyone we run across, acquaintance or not, who is in need. Mark 12:28-31 tells us that one of the greatest commandments is to love our neighbor as ourselves, and then in Luke 10:25-37, Jesus commands us to do as the Good Samaritan did.

This principle is further reinforced in Matthew 25:34-40 where the King said to the Righteous, “Come you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you took me in, I had no clothing and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, and I was in prison and you came to me.”

A bit confused, the Righteous asked the Lord, “When did we see you hungry or thirsty? When did we take you in? When did we provide you with clothing? When did we care for you when you were sick or in prison?”

Quick to answer, the King said, “When you do those things for other people, you are doing them directly for me.”

Like it or not, we Christians tend to be rather anti-social. We rush out the door in the morning, work at climbing the corporate ladder, step on other people’s ambitions in order to get what we want, rush back home, close the garage door without even waving to our neighbors, and then hide in our homes until the next morning when we do it all over again. Yes, we go to church on Sunday morning to appease our conscience. We might even volunteer to help out of some church activities, but a record of regular church attendance does not even come close to satisfying God’s greatest commandment. According to scripture, fellow church members are not defined as our neighbors; they are our family. Who wouldn’t care for their own family? Even thieves and robbers care for members of their own families, and we know that thieves and robbers aren’t too likely to be invited to pass through the Pearly Gates. According to scripture, our neighbors are more accurately defined as strangers or people we barely know.

The ant which is among the lowest of creatures, blindly obeys God’s law of loving his neighbor. Yet we humans, who are the greatest of God’s creation, tend to make the conscious choice to ignore God’s law, all the while proclaiming that we love God with all our hearts.

It would be wise to remember that the way God expects us to love Him is to express that love by caring for our neighbors who are in need.

ST Excerpt Chapter Two

2011-08-12T19:32:00.002-05:00

This excerpt is from Chapter Two of Shadow Truth by Larry Tate

Chapter Two

Preparing the Way

Political Correctness

In our nation’s history, some very legitimate concerns regarding racial and ethnic hatred have existed. Our country, which was founded on the belief that all men are created equal, should never allow bigotry of any kind to go unchecked. Such situations need to be identified and corrected. In the past we have implemented the necessary changes in unfair laws and treatments toward a number of minority groups. We have made progress in many areas, however, a popular mindset that is growing in our nation today demands tolerance, acceptance, love, equality, and sensitivity for a number of groups, which express neither legitimate nor necessary societal concerns.

Political correctness has literally burst onto the American landscape. It is the knight in shining armor, which has come to the rescue of many groups of individuals who feel downtrodden by mainstream society. Below is a short list of allegedly insensitive terms and phrases with the more respectful, sensitive, and inclusive terms listed in the adjacent column:

Occult....................New Age

Black......................African American

Homosexual.........Gay

Girl........................Woman

Waitress...............Server

Stewardess..........Flight attendant

Chairman.............Chairperson

Oriental................Asian

Blind......................Visually challenged

Broken home....... Dysfunctional family

Dish washer.........Utensil sanitizer

Fat.........................Person of substance

Freshman.............First year student

Homeless..............Outdoor urban dweller

Janitor...................Sanitation engineer

Mankind...............Humankind

Midget..................Little person

Elderly..................Senior citizen

Prostitute.............Sex care provider

This mindset programs society to be increasingly receptive to the ever-more radical progressions of change that are currently seeping in to our culture, today. When we accept and begin to implement these politically correct ideas, we become fertile ground for embracing tolerance, acceptance, and promotion of all sorts of questionable activities, immoralities, and value systems, regardless of their negative impact on society. The innocent appearance and often even humorous notion of political correctness is one of the baby steps that are propelling us down a road of obscurity where Shadow Truths prevail.

The underlying premise of political correctness is that we should take all necessary precautions to avoid offending one another, especially with regard to race, position, politics, religious beliefs, gender, physical weaknesses, or chosen lifestyles. On the surface, it would seem that the idea of political correctness is innocent enough. After all, we shouldn’t discriminate or treat each other as inferior because of sex, race, or religious beliefs. What possible harm can come to a society simply because we choose to employ such sensibilities? The Bible teaches us to love our neighbor as ourselves, doesn’t it? Yet, this mindset, regardless of its virtuous-sounding argument, is moving us steadily in the direction of destroying the moral fabric of our nation because it is not based on Absolute Truth.

In every society basic rights and wrongs exist. If the agents of Shadow Truth, humanists, liberal politicians and others can successfully cast societal wrongs in a different light, they will be able to advance their destructive causes. Satan is striving to convince us that the issues raised in their agendas are no different than the societal wrongs that genuinely need to be corrected. When we come to view such complaints in the same light as genuine wrongs against society, we will accept his deceit and believe the lie. In turn, we will begin to make changes that will ultimately unravel the fabric of our nation.

In our society, we would never justify outright murder. We all know it is wrong to kill another human being. However, if a person kills someone else who has broken into their home and is trying to harm their children, that would be another story. Our court systems would deem that murder as justifiable homicide because the circumstances that provoked the murder cast it into a different light.

Likewise, Shadow Truth attempts to take things like improper value systems and immoral lifestyles and cast them into a different light. It attempts to portray such behavior as liberties that should be viewed differently and protected by society’s laws. This is a daunting task for our enemy, but he has had a lot experience in this realm of deceit.

The cunning logic of Shadow Truth is that it builds its legitimacy on the foundation of absolute biblical truth. For instance, no one would say that it is wrong to respect another person’s right to maintain his own beliefs. Americawas founded on these principals. And it certainly is true that just because another person may have some very different ideals, beliefs, and traditions than we do, we do not have the right to hurt them, torture them, or kill them. This is the foundation upon which Shadow Truth grows. However, from that solid foundation of truth, Shadow Truth begins to whisper into our collective ear that civilized people should tolerate every belief and moral behavior of others.

After becoming accustomed to tolerating every behavior, soon things that are harmful to society begin creeping in and are allowed to go on, unchecked. Certain groups begin practicing immoral lifestyles that we genuinely detest, but because of the increasing pressure from society not to speak against anyone’s practices, we tolerate behavior that we hate. As a matter of fact if we look deep enough, we might even find that we harbor feelings of distrust toward the people who are engaged in such activities. However, as Shadow Truth progresses in our modern society, those who harbor such dangerous emotions as these are considered to be too unhealthy for a progressive society. Instead of just tolerating the behavior of these people, we are expected to accept their behavior.

After more time goes by, society eventually conforms to accept certain behaviors rather than just tolerating them. Then, it’s time for yet another progression of Shadow Truth’s deception. There are those in our society who we don’t particularly agree with, but we have learned to accept them and their behavior. However, acceptance of a behavior still implies a disagreement and distrust of that behavior. Even though we are accepting them, those groups can clearly discern that we disagree with them and distrust them.

Our perceived air of supremacy begins to make them feel uncomfortable and unworthy. Our unspoken attitude loudly proclaims that we are the moral majority and they belong to the amoral minority. Our feelings of distrust are causing those people to feel downtrodden and sub-human, and that prevents them from leading the good and happy life guaranteed to them by our forefathers. Our Declaration of Independence states that we are all created equal and we all have certain rights including the pursuit of happiness. Rather than just accepting them, why can’t we offer some entitlements and preferential treatments for those poor, unfortunate, and downtrodden people?

After even more time passes, Shadow Truth is ready to introduce its next step. There are certain people within our society who act somewhat differently than we do. While our preferential treatment has permitted them to rise in our society at an accelerated rate, they still feel that we are not completely understanding of their behavior. Why can’t we promote their behavior as a lifestyle to be desired? If we do that, then they will finally feel that they really are a part of our society. At long last, we will truly love our neighbor as ourselves.

There are many more sub-progressions than those indicated above. Each tiny step of Shadow Truth deception is so incredibly small and insignificant that it can’t be discerned to be the destructive societal evolution it really is. When viewed up close on a microscopic level, each deceitful step is characterized to be good, healthy and necessary for the good of mankind. However, if we were to step back and view where we are today compared to where we were many years ago, we would be shocked at the radical changes we have embraced.

Philippus Aureolus Paracelsus is attributed to the quote: “Poison is in everything, and no thing without poison. The dosage makes it either a poison or a remedy.” It may be a shock to some people, but the same substances that are being used to kill rats are routinely used to save human lives. Many times, the only difference between a death sentence and a life-saving procedure is the dose that is being administered.

Water happens to be one of the most basic of nutrients required by the human body. No one can survive without the life-giving qualities provided by water. Doctors often encourage us to drink lots of water in order to maintain good health. Water is considered to be an essential life-giving substance. There is no way, you might say, that a person could be harmed by drinking lots of water. Well, Philippus Aureolus Paracelsus just might disagree with you. Paracelus’ theory that the dose makes the poison suggests that any substance, no matter how safe or how dangerous can be a poison if consumed at too great a dosage. Consequently Paracelsus might disagree with the person who believes that any amount of water is harmless.

In 2007, a radio station sponsored a water-drinking contest. The listener who could drink the most water in one sitting would win a prize. What the sponsors of the contest failed to realize was that the consumption of any substance, no matter what that substance is, can kill a person if it is consumed in excess. The person who won the prize was never able to enjoy her winnings because of the little-known fact that water consumed in great enough quantities is capable of diluting certain vital fluids in the body to the point of rendering the body incapable of survival.

Shadow Truth has a way of doing the same thing. By introducing seemingly innocent and benign concepts into society, people are encouraged to accept these small and incremental societal changes in unhealthy excesses. Like the radio contestant who died after drinking too much water, eventually our society will have swallowed more change than it can safely handle. That which once seemed good and healthy will become a deadly poison and once that happens, society is destined to crumble and fall.

It is common knowledge that there is a moral, yet silent, majority in our society. This silent majority is so-named because of its tendency to follow along like a herd of sheep and not stand up for its rights. This silent majority is being convinced by a passionate and vocal minority that it should alter its own morals and beliefs in order to comply with the needs, beliefs, and demands of those in the minority. That is why a strong and mighty majority can be manipulated and corralled by a very vocal minority. Just as a lone sheep dog can easily round up an entire herd of sheep, so too, political activists can control the actions others take.

Therefore, what began as a docile and benign desire to avoid offending the sensibilities of others becomes the framework for suppressing the beliefs of the moral majority in favor of the minority’s position. With hardly a whimper, they discontinue offering prayer in public; stop mentioning the name of Jesus in public; quit publicly wishing others Merry Christmas; apologize for celebrating Easter; and remove God from classrooms, and public meetings.

Satan’s Multifaceted Attack against Mankind
The agents of Shadow Truth as defined throughout this book are attacking us on three primary fronts. The first theater of attack is focused on separating us from our God. The second is focused on separating us from our values. The third arena of attack is dedicated to the task of destroying our self-dependence and forcing us to be dependent on others. Once Shadow Truth successfully alters our behavior on each of these fronts, Satan will be able to claim his victory over mankind. Shadow Truth starts off very slowly and meticulously. By taking one imperceptible step at a time, Shadow Truth eventually builds strength and momentum. As time passes, each subsequent step will no longer be baby steps. Instead, the steps will be giant strides. Today, Shadow Truth’s march to victory is accelerating as in no previous time in history.

The above excerpt is from the copyrighted book, Shadow Truth by Larry Tate

ST Excerpt Chapter One

2011-08-05T18:25:00.004-05:00

This excerpt is from the Introduction of Shadow Truth by Larry Tate

Chapter One

Early Examples of Shadow Truth

The Garden of Eden

In the beginning, God gave Adam and Eve an Absolute Truth when He instructed them that they could freely eat of every tree in the garden except one, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. He told them that if they ate of it they would surely die. Following God’s command was easy at first, but deception also had its beginning in the Garden of Eden. Satan found a way to deceive Adam and Eve by blurring God’s truth. It is hard for us to imagine how they could have believed his lies, but perhaps it went something like this:

One day as Eve was walking in the midst of the garden, she happened upon the serpent. One can only imagine the following conversations as they actually occurred. After some pleasantries regarding the loveliness of the garden and the wonderful fruits in it, the serpent drew her attention to the tree that was right in the center of the garden. “How do you like the fruit of this tree?” he inquired.

“Oh…I don’t know,” said Eve. “We’re not permitted to eat the fruit from this tree.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” said the serpent. Gingerly yet with confidence, he removed one of the fruits from the tree and examined it closely, as Eve peered curiously over his shoulder. After what seemed to be a rather long period of silence, the serpent said, “This fruit looks absolutely perfect.”

“Yes it does,” agreed Eve in a timid voice.

Holding the fruit out to Eve, the serpent said, “Here, examine it for yourself.” Realizing that Eve was backing away, the serpent softly said, “God may have told you not to eat this fruit, but I don’t think he warned you against touching it too.”

Eve stretched out her hand and carefully took the fruit from the serpent. With nervousness showing on her face, she slowly turned the fruit over in her hands and examined every inch of it.

This time, it was the serpent that was peering over Eve’s shoulder. “Look at this wonderful fruit, Eve. Why on God’s green earth aren’t you permitted to eat the fruit from this lovely tree? Surely, it’s as good and nutritious as the fruit from all the other trees. Wouldn’t you just love to sink your teeth into it right now? I’m getting hungry just thinking about it.”

After a few minutes, Eve answered, “I don’t have any idea why we are forbidden to eat this fruit. We don’t have any rules except this one, and it can’t be broken under any circumstances. We are to simply avoid eating the fruit from this tree at all costs; otherwise, we will surely die.”

“Well, Eve,” said the serpent. “I’m sure God had a very good reason for telling you not to eat the fruit from this tree. After all, we know God’s words are true.” Pointing to a nearby boulder, the serpent said, “Come, let’s sit and talk for a few minutes.” Still holding the fruit in her hands, Eve followed the serpent. After they sat down on the boulder, the serpent said, “Eve, what is the name of this tree?”

“This is the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil,” answered Eve.

The serpent pondered her answer for a few moments. Suddenly, a smile spread across his face. “Eve, I believe I understand why you are to avoid the fruit from this tree.”

Leaning forward in anticipation, Eve said, “You do? Please, mister serpent, tell me what it is. I really am curious about this tree and the wonderful-looking fruit that adorns its branches.”

“Certainly,” answered the serpent. “I will be happy to help you understand this better. Since only God has all knowledge of good and evil, if you eat the fruit from this tree, then you too will have all knowledge of good and evil. Doesn’t that sound logical to you?”

Eve’s eyes widened as she marveled at the level of his reasoning. “I believe you are right. Why didn’t I think of that?”

“Oh, don’t worry about that, Eve. You’ve been so enamored with this wonderful garden you probably just haven’t taken the time to consider the advantages of eating the fruit from this particular tree. I’m sure that you would have eventually figured it out on your own.”

After staring at the fruit in her hands for a couple of minutes, Eve asked the serpent, “What would it mean if I were to gain the knowledge of good and evil?”

With a look of compassion on his face, the serpent answered, “Well, Eve, right now only God has all knowledge of good and evil. It appears to me that once you too have the knowledge of good and evil then you will be like God. Come to think about it, you would probably be on the same level as God.”

As if she was in a hypnotic trance, Eve seemed to look right through the serpent as she considered the possibilities of being like God. After a few minutes she came back to the subject at hand and said, “I see it so clearly now. Once we eat this fruit, we will both be just like God.”

The serpent allowed a few minutes to pass while Eve considered the apparent advantages of eating the fruit. Mustering up a look of sincerity, he asked, “Eve, is God eternal?”

“Of course, God is eternal. Why do you ask?”

“Well, Eve, it seems to me that if you become like God, then you too will be eternal and there won’t be any risk of death because you will be just like God—God cannot die!”

Eve’s face brightened as she carefully considered the serpent’s last statement. Her lips pursed as if she was going to speak, but nothing came out of her mouth. Instead, she turned and looked up into the tree. Finally, she turned back to the serpent and said, “Of course, now I understand, you’ve made it crystal clear to me. God forbade us to eat the fruit from this tree because He wanted to keep us from becoming like him.”

“I think you may be on to something, Eve. Why don’t you go ahead and eat some of this fruit. It seems to be the most beautiful fruit in the garden. What have you got to lose?”

“I believe I will, and I am going to tell Adam what you and I have figured out. Together, Adam and I will become just like God.”

Eve’s Shadow Truth Tree

Satan craftily twisted God’s Absolute Truth into his own version of truth. Through his cunning manipulation, Eve was deceived into believing that she would become like God by eating the fruit of the tree. Satan’s lies were based on the undeniable fact that there was a tree in the midst of the garden, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, which God had forbidden them to eat. He then took the truth and began corrupting it by building an alternate, or Shadow Truth. He did this by calling into question God’s motives and character, and presenting Eve with another version of truth. His cunning words seemed logical, good, and even right, and culminated in convincing Eve that if she ate the fruit of the tree she had nothing to lose. She would gain the knowledge of good and evil and become like God. Satan began with God’s Absolute Truth and in his craftiness, twisted it into his Shadow Truth. This, coupled with Eve’s covetous desire, created a situation where she believed his lie.

Shadow Truth Tree of Eve's Temptation

Below, is an illustration of how Satan twisted God's Truth. First of all, following is God's Truth: There is a tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Do not eat of the fruit of that tree. If you eat of that fruit, you will die.

Now, here is how Satan twisted God's Truth, one step at a time: God who has all knowledge of Good and Evil planted this tree. Eating of that tree will result in you having the knowledge of Good and Evil. If you have the knowledge of Good and Evil, then you will be like God. God is eternal, God will not die. If you are like God, then you will not die.

Satan’s Temptation of Jesus

Another example of how Satan uses “Shadow Truth” can be seen in the well-known temptation of Jesus, in the Book of Matthew. In this instance, Satan said to Jesus, “…If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone” (Matthew 4:6, KJV).

Satan attempted to convince Jesus to jump off a high place by quoting Scripture to Him. Jesus knew that although Satan was quoting truth, he was twisting its meaning. Jesus saw through Satan’s cunning deception and responded with another Absolute Truth, which fit the circumstance. He said, “…thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God” (Matthew 4:7, KJV). The lesson we can learn and apply from how Jesus dealt with Satan’s lies is this: We are obligated to test every so-called truth that comes our way against God’s Word before accepting and implementing it into our lives.

Shadow Truth Tree of Jesus' Tempation

The illustration below represents the steps Satan used in his failed attempt to deceive Jesus with Shadow Truth. First of all, let's look at God's Absolute Truth: Jesus is the Son of God. The angels are obligated to protect Jesus. God is not to be tempted.

Now, here is how Satan twisted God's Truth, one step at a time: You are the Son of God. God says that the angels are charged with your protection. Therefore, if you jump from this high place, you will be protected by the angels.

Moving on to the Rest of Mankind

Satan successfully used his Shadow Truth against Eve. While not successful, he even tried it on Jesus. Satan wants to rule the world, not for now, but forever. The concepts of Shadow Truth have been implemented on mankind, all of the way from Adam and Eve to you, me and the modern world we live in.

Every well-functioning society operates from a basis of commonly held rules, laws, and truths relating to human behavior and relationships. A firm foundation of truth must be established in order for a society to be established and function properly. America had such a beginning. Our forefathers established certain governing rules and truths which were based on biblical principles such as: we have a Creator, murder is prohibited, we are to honor and obey our parents, we are to obey those in authority, the family unit is of utmost importance, morality must be a part of our very being, adultery is wrong and must be avoided, we are not to steal that which belongs to others, we are obligated to respect the rights and possessions of others, we must always tell the truth, it is not healthy to covet that which our neighbor has, sexual lust will result in great harm to ourselves and our families, we should do unto others as we would have them do unto us, we are obligated to support our selves, and we are not to expect others to take care of our personal needs.

In their beginnings, young societies are usually focused on survival. Once they have progressed to a point beyond basic survival, they begin focusing on other goals, such as prosperity and achievement. During this phase, societies tend to rise and strengthen. They have ambition and they have purpose. Their citizens are working toward a common goal. They are reaching out toward the future. They are marching toward something greater.

Once societies arrive at a certain degree of greatness, a feeling of complacency overtakes them. They begin to relax and lose sight of their basic goals. They forget the fact that hard work, dedication, and independence was the source of their success. They no longer have a deep and driving purpose. Soon, those successful societies begin drifting toward humanistic practices and rituals. They begin focusing more on pleasure than on survival. Their lust for pleasure results in a cancerous formation of corruption and perversion. Then there comes a point when they begin to fail as a society.

Just as it was in the Garden of Eden, it is in the early periods of the successful era that the ground is most fertile for Satan to begin planting his seeds of deception. His ultimate goal is deceit. He attacks mankind in every facet of society. However, his attacks do not appear to be attacks. Instead, they are disguised as logical and needed answers to genuine societal problems. For instance, many great kingdoms and societies have risen and fallen in the course of human history. When looking at theRoman Empire, the Greek rule, and many other societies, there may be some parallels. A nation grows when there is purpose, but when greatness is achieved, a certain relaxing occurs, thus causing the nation to forget where it came from.

Satan has time on his side. He has no pressing need to corrupt mankind in a single generation. In order to corrupt all of mankind and completely take over theKingdomofGod, he convinces mankind with one tiny little twist of truth at a time.

Eve’s temptation was the beginning of his form of Shadow Truth deception. Once his plan was determined to be immensely successful, the stage for the actual implementation had to be set. Mankind is weak and sinful. Many times we are our own worst enemies. Often times, we blame Satan for our own weaknesses. Sure, Satan may present certain opportunities to us, but we dwell and fantasize on those things until we willfully embrace them.

On a macro level, Shadow Truth is a multifaceted attack on mankind. On a micro level however, humanity is being convinced that Shadow Truth is the salvation of many individual and seemingly unrelated problems. Most of mankind has no idea that they are being led to slaughter. They are swallowing each new progression as if it was the best thing that ever happened. Shadow Truth has mankind smiling, laughing and merrily marching all the way to their ultimate demise.

The above excerpt is from the copyrighted book, Shadow Truth by Larry Tate

Liberalism: Is it all that bad?

2011-08-05T08:03:00.001-05:00

A person would have to be deaf and blind in order to deny the fact that our nation is slowly but surely growing more and more liberal as each year goes by. Entitlements are being handed out to new groups of people nearly every day. Welfare, food stamps, assistance to unwed mothers, head start programs, and government subsidized housing seem to be getting passed out to anyone who steps up and asks for it. Dependence on the government and its programs is spreading like wildfire. With little hope for advancement and success, the masses are turning to Big Brother for help and support.

Capitalists are being described as rich, evil people who hoard the nation’s wealth in a selfish attempt to prevent the common man from achieving even the most basic of needs. Rules, restrictions, threats of litigation, demands for handing out additional benefits and higher taxes are clamping down on business owners as never before.

What exactly is Liberalism? It’s all about freedom. Huh? Yes, that’s right…at least that’s how it starts out. It is a philosophy that permits every person to live how they want, work when and if they want, do as they want, play as often as they want, and believe as they want. That isn’t such a bad philosophy, is it? Maybe not, until one examines it a little closer. In a nutshell, it a philosophy that considers government as the crucial instrument for the identification of social inequities and then replacing them with programs, policies and support mechanisms that ensure equality among all people in all facets of life. This “me” philosophy results in a broken down society where “working” is a dirty word. After all, why work when the government is offering to assist you in every aspect of your life?

On the surface, such equality can sound rather attractive. That’s the problem with most people who desire all of the help and support that that their government is offering. “Our elected leaders are looking out for the common man,” some may say. “Liberalism and ultimately Socialism stands for the betterment of mankind, and the leaders we have chosen are idealistic, true believers in our overall well-being.”

Now, really? First of all, maybe we should determine what Socialism is. The common view point of Socialism is that it is an economic and societal theory which advocates governmental administration of the means of production and distribution of goods, services, benefits, support and wages. In other words, people are led to believe that the government is their friend, their benefactor, their “daddy.”

The actual definition goes way beyond that simplistic definition. Think about this little bombshell for a moment. A good percentage of our elected leaders are educated, rich and powerful. There aren’t many candidates who can make it all of the way to the U.S. Senate, the House of Representatives and the Presidency without being very comfortable around money and power brokers. Hence the first question: Why would our rich and powerful leaders pass laws that are designed to separate the rich from their money and power, and give it to the poor and needy? Why would these leaders desire to lower themselves to the level of the common man? Why would these driven and goal-oriented people want to give up the very attributes that made them rich and powerful so that they could flounder around in the same pond of neediness and lethargy that their “subjects” are helplessly floating in? Things just don’t seem to add up. Our leaders say they are changing society and redistributing the wealth for the benefit of the poor. But if they were to really do that, then their own wealth and power would have to be sacrificed and they would end up being counted as commoners themselves.

Socialism as defined above does not truly exist except in the idealistic imagination of the uninformed. If you were to look at Socialism objectively, you would come to the conclusion that this destructive theory means something entirely different than is commonly believed. Socialism is in fact, a clever means of fooling mass numbers of people into following a select few leaders to the point of handing those leaders political power, military power, economic power and ultimately, Absolute Power.

To be fooled, the population is given theories and promises that are palatable to the masses. Those who gladly accept greater and great government intrusion into their lives are little more than willing fools. The recipients of seemingly unending government handouts refuse to believe or accept the fact that their acceptance of aid is an act of transferring all of the advantage to leaders who don’t have the slightest genuine concern for their “subjects.”

Do all of our liberal leaders believe they are setting up society to make them supreme rulers over the masses? No, even some of our leaders have been sucked into believing the idealistic yet unachievable notion that all men can be equal in wealth, possessions and status. Some however know exactly what is going on. When liberal and socialistic policies are fully entrenched, a group of people will be ready to step in and capitalize on a population that is ready and willing to be taken advantage of.

It has been said that the greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was in convincing the world that he doesn’t exist. Perhaps the greatest trick that socialism ever pulled was in convincing the world that it does exist, but at a level that is beneficial to the masses.

Just keep one point in mind: Socialism is far more than the redistribution of wealth and services from the haves to the have-nots. Instead, Socialism is a system in which there is no private property and all means of production and services is owned and controlled by the state. Liberalism and Socialism have but one ultimate goal: the enslavement of the masses while transferring great power and wealth to the few. People often infer that Capitalism results in the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. When Socialism gets fully entrenched, the gap between the haves and the have-nots will be even larger than it appears to be under Capitalism.

For an in-depth insight into the evolution of society, read Shadow Truth: The Ultimate Deception by Larry J Tate. Go to http://amzn.to/coxpMM for ordering information.

ST Excerpt Introduction

2011-07-31T09:04:00.002-05:00

Introduction

This excerpt is from the Introduction of Shadow Truth by Larry Tate

This Is the Book Everyone Fears

■The left is afraid that their tried and proven humanist-driven tactics will be laid bare for the entire world to see.

■The right is afraid to face the fact that despite their claims to be morally conservative, they are doing little, if anything, to combat the successful leftist agenda.

■The left is afraid that the right might finally take a strong stand.

■The right is afraid to let their dim and flickering light of morality and conservatism shine.

■The admitted liberal will be mad because this book insults him.

■The hard-core conservative will be mad because he will discover just how much he is being subjected to liberal policies.

■The moderate, who is conservative on fiscal issues but left on social and moral issues, will be mad because this book exposes just how much he has been fooled into embracing the tenets of Shadow Truth. Then, there are the other self-proclaimed moderates and progressives. Most of those folks don’t really know what they are, or what they stand for. Our nation is struggling with a myriad of fiscal policies, social policies and moral issues. The so-called moderates and progressives tend to be left-leaning on one or two of those issues, and right-leaning on the remaining issues. Regardless of which way they land, the moderates and progressives will be mad because this book exposes their hypocrisy by revealing just how much they have been fooled and manipulated by the tenets of Shadow Truth deception.

What Has Happened to Us?

How have we lost control of the world we live in? We have gotten to this place, through a seemingly innocent and logical progression of societal change. We have fallen for the most cunning form of deception, something that I call, Shadow Truth.

A Word from Our Enemy

My name is Satan, which means adversary. I also have a number of titles, such as the Prince of this World and the Angel of Light. I am on a mission of utmost importance to me. My objective is to conquer, and gain possession of, the Kingdom of God.

I have already initiated a variety of plans, tactics, and strategies in order to accomplish this daunting task. In the beginning, I even made an overt attempt to overthrow God, Himself. Through cunning and craftiness, I was able to recruit a significant number of His angels to assist me in that planned coup. To my disappointment however, I found myself, and my army of renegade angels, unable to fight against God.

Not one to easily give up, I redirected my efforts to overthrow God by seeking to influence his most cherished creation—mankind. Since I was unable to conquer God face-to-face, I decided that winning the allegiance of human beings would be the best way to infiltrate and destroy God’s kingdom. I determined that if I could persuade men and women to follow me, I would effectively conquer God’s empire. What else is there other than the sun, the moon, and the stars? God doesn’t care about those material objects. Mankind is His only passion. With them on my side, God’s kingdom will finally be mine.

I have devised a number of methods of deception. I once developed a plan that involved sharing falsehoods about God, His creation, and the purpose of human existence. However, I eventually had to discard that tactic. I discovered that most people would not follow me if I tell them outright lies. Then one day I stumbled upon the ideal way to lure mankind over to my way of thinking. I have created a very effective tactic which involves ever-so-gradually moving the bar of truth into something that is nowhere near the truth.

To my delight, humans have become clay in the potter’s hand, but now I am the potter. They now follow me wherever I choose to lead them. They are like a flock of sheep going to slaughter. I have finally settled on the ultimate and foolproof plan for overthrowing the kingdom of God.

My plan is very effective. It is the ultimate deceit. Mankind won’t realize what is happening to them. They won’t even have the ability to comprehend that I am fooling them into following me. By the time they finally do figure out what is happening, I will have already conquered the kingdom of God and they will have no way of reversing the damage I have done.

What is my plan? My plan goes far beyond just fooling the average human being. My plan is so devious that it is capable of ensnaring even the most devout of Christians. I have learned that God’s followers won’t easily believe a lie, but they are always eager to embrace truth. How can I deceive God’s followers with truth? It is easy. It is sure. It is devious. Like a grand chess master, I will trap them and leave them with no possible move—no way of escape.

I’ve found the most effective form of deception is to base it on truth. Even Christians will often accept my manipulations because of their eagerness to embrace God’s truth. Starting with God’s truth as my foundation, I have built an operation of deceit. Building on that first foundation, I can easily entice mankind to believe another version of truth. On top of that, I will convince them to believe yet another truth. My plan is so clever; I should receive a prize. Oh, that’s right, I will receive a prize! I will have the entire kingdom of God handed over to me. Without even realizing it, God’s own followers will hand me the kingdom of God on a silver platter. What do I call my ultimate plan of deception? I call it Shadow Truth.

What Is Shadow Truth?

Everywhere we look, we see customs, laws, policies, and other conditions that cause us to scratch our heads and ask ourselves, how did we as a society get to where we are today? All you have to do is open the morning paper or listen to the news on any given day—the headlines are filled with events that just don’t sound right. For instance:

In 2007 one school in Maine was reported to be handing out birth control pills to eleven year-old girls without their parents’ consent. Are other schools also doing this?

More schools and communities are taking Christmas out of their holiday events, and implementing more tolerant labels for the long-held Christian tradition such as, Winter Holiday.

A town in Colorado considered banning red and green Christmas lights from city property because those bright and cheerful colors might be offensive to certain members of the community.

We hear of city councils voting to deny certain religious displays because they may be offensive to certain minority beliefs that exist in our society.

Decisions and policies are being implemented which prohibit prayer on school properties, at school functions, and in other school environments.

Some school textbooks are now being produced with no teaching related to God being the Creator of the world.

Schools are convincing our impressionable children that it is no longer important to excel in what they do, especially when it comes to playground activities, school functions, and grade achievement.

Public meetings commence without a prayer being recited so as not to offend anyone who does not believe in God.

Public meetings that do begin with prayer often prohibit the mention of Jesus Christ in those prayers.

Assisted suicide is increasingly being accepted and utilized.

Certain school systems are being required to promote and encourage acceptance of homosexual lifestyles to children.

Some churches are allowing homosexual clergy to lead their congregations.

Situations like these are occurring because today’s society is locked in the firm grip of deception. How is it that so many people in our society are falling for, and accepting, such obviously wrong policies? How is it that we find ourselves obligated to comply with, and be subjected to, such policies? How is it that we can be threatened by lawsuits if we refuse to comply with some of these newly implemented policies? How can these deceptive things be accepted by the mainstream of today’s society without so much as a whimper?

Practice Makes Perfect

How have we lost control of the world we live in? There once was a time when the culture and traditions of various nations were proudly upheld by the majority members of those nations. Many of the Middle Eastern and Muslim cultures still do so. Where the U.S.and other Western nations utilize sensitivity and political correctness to suppress the traditions and cultures of the majority segment of the nation, the Eastern nations do not permit “outsiders” to change their ways and practices. Western nations tend to permit political correctness to suppress the beliefs and traditions of the majority, and bow down to the beliefs of those in the minority. It seems that if just one person complains that Christmas displays offends him, then those displays must come down. Every time we give in to someone who says that they are offended at our culture, we are losing more control of our nation.

The popular movie, Groundhog Day, is the story of a man who finds himself repeatedly waking up to the same morning, and living the same day over and over again. At first, he finds this to be a tremendous nuisance. However, eventually he realizes that since he is being forced to relive the same situations each day, he may as well learn from his mistakes. With each passing day he discovers the actions that result in negative outcomes and alters his behavior the next time around. Finally he has a day when he handles every circumstance in exactly the right way, producing the precise outcome he wants.

Satan has a similar advantage. While he cannot relive a day, as the movie character did, he has had the opportunity to study human nature and learn from one generation to the next, those tactics that work best. He has had thousands of years of trial and error to perfect his plan. It seems that many fronts of evil appear to be compounding right now as Satan sets the stage for his end-play. He is now deceiving mankind as in no other time in history. His greatest triumph is that most of today’s people don’t even realize that they are being deceived. The deceitfulness of his Shadow Truth is conceived in the realm of darkness and shadows, which is the habitat of Satan. Scripture warns us to be wary of the darkness of evil:

The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.
Proverbs 4:19 (KJV)

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
Ephesians 5:11 (KJV)

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Ephesians 6:12 (KJV)

So justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We look for light, but all is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows.
Isaiah 59:9 (NIV)

For look, the wicked bend their bows; they set their arrows against the strings to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart.
Psalm 11:2 (NIV)

Is It Really Truth?

Shadows have no actual form or substance of their own—they are a faint representation of the real thing. Likewise, the idea behind the term, “Shadow Truth,” is that it has an appearance of truth, but none of the substance that comprises Absolute Truth. Shadow truth is an evil deception cleverly veiled as truth.

God’s Absolute Truth is found in the Bible and it is a firm foundation. It cannot fall; it will not fail. It is the solid ground upon which all of creation exists. God and His truth is the foundation of all that is. In natural terms, a building’s foundation is the support of the entire building. We see the building, but we don’t see the foundation because it is flush with the top of the soil. Satan, in order to be believable, builds his deceit on God’s very foundation of truth. A foundation cannot cast a shadow because it is buried in the soil. Using the same analogy, God’s foundation of truth cannot cast a shadow. Being that Satan builds his deceit from a foundation of truth, and being that anything built on top of a foundation is capable of casting a shadow, it can be assumed that Satan’s brand of “truth” casts a shadow. In that shadow are lies and deceit.

Quite cleverly, Shadow Truth was launched on the firm foundation of God’s undisputable truth. The underlying premise of Shadow Truth is to slowly and meticulously alter God’s Absolute Truth. This ingenious brainchild of Satan deceives mankind by way of its ever-so-gradual and unceasing truth-building process. Each so-called truth is constructed and derived through seemingly logical progressions of truth building. The progressions are so gradual that it is difficult, if not impossible, to discern that any change is occurring at all.

The first few progressions of Shadow Truth are likely to be just as true as the foundation of Absolute Truth on which they stand. In order for subsequent truths to be genuinely true, each must be fully supportable by Absolute Truth. However, there comes a time when a subsequent truth only has a previous truth as its foundation. As each ensuing truth is constructed, shadow truth becomes more and more unstable.

Each progression of Shadow Truth is so incredibly tiny and minute that it is barely discernable from the previous step. To be believable, the progressions that create each new truth must appear to be unarguably valid and logical. Deceit is achieved when a subsequent truth appears to be founded upon the most recent previous truth. This process continues until the final truth is actually an outright lie that is veiled as the truth.

Eventually, Satan’s desired deception manifests itself in society as a belief, a practice, a policy, a custom, or a law. Unlike where it began, the ultimate shadow truth has no basis on, or connection to, Absolute Truth. There comes a time when the foundation known as Absolute Truth no longer supports the Shadow Truth on which society is now operating. However, since mankind is so caught up in the seemingly logical and necessary progressions of Shadow Truth, they end up believing outright deceptions and lies.

After a sufficient number of progressions of building its so-called truths on top of previous so-called truths, Shadow Truth begins casting a long and dangerous shadow of deceit. Just as there is no substance to a shadow, there is no substance to Shadow Truth either. In order for Shadow Truth to be successful, most of mankind must be thoroughly convinced to believe that the resulting lie is a truth. All of this is done without people even realizing what has happened to them.

The manipulation of truth begins very slowly, and gradually builds momentum. This manipulation of truth may cross over several generations. Each new generation is raised to believe that their current level of truth is the status quo. Hence, it becomes easier and easier to continue the trend of shadow truth building. With each subsequent generation, the momentum of truth building increases at a faster rate.

Most societies are founded upon a basic set of rules and laws. Those laws typically mirror many of the laws and traditions found in the Bible’s moral code. Then, Shadow Truth’s deception creeps into society and begins altering and changing those basic truths one seemingly innocent baby-step at a time, until they become accepted policies that have little or no relationship or comparison to the original principles on which they started. The final truths have no foundation on, or connection to Absolute Truth.

Mankind should have the forethought to investigate each and every progression to see if it is still fully supportable by Absolute Truth. Due to our shortsighted nature however, we tend to examine a new truth’s merits only against the merits of the previous truth. On the surface, Shadow Truth seems to be the right thing to do. This is due to the fact that it is crafted and designed to look good, sound good and feel good. Shadow truth appears to be based on perfectly sound logic.

The key to Shadow Truth’s success is that it starts out by coming to the rescue of genuine societal problems. To do so, it must have its beginnings on the foundation of Absolute Truth. In that way, it has the ability to deceive the masses. Each subsequent and evolving step of Shadow Truth is built on top of a previous Shadow Truth. People tend to accept each of these seemingly logical progressions because they appear to be completely valid and trustworthy. Each new step is such a small step, and such a logical step that is difficult to find any fault with the logic of the progression. Each new step is so incrementally small that is difficult to realize that it is in fact, evolving at all.

Absolute Truth is like the house that will continue to stand because it is built on a rock. Conversely, Shadow Truth is like the house built on sand, and is destined to fall.

24Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
Matthew 7:24-27 (KJV)

There is only one Absolute Truth. It was established by God before He created the world. Then there is Shadow Truth, which is being twisted and fabricated by Satan. Without a proper foundation, Shadow Truth is destined to fall, but not before it causes irreversible damage to mankind. Today, the entire world is traveling merrily along on the treacherous pathway of Shadow Truth that is being constructed by Satan. All societies that insist on blindly following Satan’s deception will eventually fail.

We need to realize that Shadow Truth is a series of deadly attacks against every aspect of our society. In order for the ploy to be successful, mankind must be thoroughly convinced to believe that they are improvements rather than attacks. Satan’s task is to cause us to believe that his attacks are actually needed changes and improvements in our society. We must be so deceived that we actually embrace each attack even as it is hitting us in the face.

The above excerpt is from the copyrighted book, Shadow Truth by Larry Tate

Attention Parents: Your Parental Rights are Being Eliminated

2011-07-20T15:02:00.000-05:00

Are parental rights secure? As a parent don’t you think you can make the best choices for your child, not anyone else? The right of parents to raise their children as they choose is so fundamental that our founding fathers saw no need to include it in the Constitution. However, this fundamental right seems to be eroding. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) has a different idea on how you raise your children. It is a treaty which creates binding rules of law. A few things under this treaty are:

· The CRC would automatically override almost all American laws on children and families because of the U.S. Constitution’s Supremacy Clause in Article VI.

· Congress would have the power to directly legislate on all subjects necessary to comply with the treaty.

· A committee of 18 experts from other nations, sitting in Geneva, has the authority to issue official interpretations of the treaty which are entitled to binding weight in American courts and legislatures. This effectively transfers ultimate authority for all policies in this area to this foreign committee.

· Under international law, the treaty overrides even our Constitution.

· The best interest of the child principle would give the government the ability to override every decision made by every parent if a government worker disagreed with the parent’s decision.

· A child’s “right to be heard” would allow him (or her) to seek governmental review of every parental decision with which the child disagreed.

Do you want to see your parental rights taken away? We live in a society that is attempting to do away with every value we hold dear. To see in a nut-shell the many seemingly unrelated societal changes that are happening under our noses, read Shadow Truth: The Ultimate Deception by Larry J Tate. This book will remove the shades from your eyes and make you aware of how dangerously close we are to becoming a world of slaves to a small ruling class.

For more information about Shadow Truth, go to http://bitly.com/bCKGlW.

To order the book from Amazon, go to http://amzn.to/coxpMM

ACLU sues the State of Alaska after denying license identifying transgender woman as female

2011-07-19T21:09:00.001-05:00

In the Summer of 2011, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against Alaska after the state denied a transgender woman a license listing her as female. For those who tend to lead a sheltered life, this “transgender woman” is a man who dresses like a woman, but if he were to undress, one would have no trouble figuring out that he is a man.

The ACLU contends that Alaska denied their client a driver’s license which identifies him as a woman. In this politically correct world, Alaska does allow transgendered individuals to change their reported sex if they can show evidence of a sex change. However, this particular individual had not undergone any such surgery. He simply wanted the world to recognize him as a female.

The ACLU said that people should not have to disclose sensitive personal information or be forced to make major medical decisions in order to get a driver’s license depicting them to be whatever gender they want to be associated with. The ACLU hopes to give all transgender individuals in the state the right to correct the gender marker on their driver’s licenses without undergoing major surgery.

The transgender person being denied the “female” license is apparently worried that having a driver’s license that doesn’t match his appearance and identity might place him at risk of discrimination and physical harm.

“Oh, relax a little,” say those in the live-and-let-live community. “What’s the harm in allowing a man to be referred to as a woman as long as he isn’t hurting other people?” Well—consider this: the next thing after a man is officially recognized as a woman is that he will have the right to shower with the girls in the ladies locker room. Is that really possible? You bet it is. It’s already allowed in the State of California.

We live in a society that is attempting to do away with moral values. To see in a nut-shell the many seemingly unrelated societal changes that are happening under our noses, read Shadow Truth: The Ultimate Deception by Larry J Tate. This book will remove the shades from your eyes and make you aware of how dangerously close we are to becoming a world of slaves to a small ruling class.

For more information about Shadow Truth, go to http://bitly.com/bCKGlW.

To order the book from Amazon, go to http://amzn.to/coxpMM

NBC Busted for Removing God from Pledge

2011-07-19T17:55:00.001-05:00

For its opening of its coverage of the 2011 U.S. Open championship, NBC used a montage that included children reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. So far, so good. However, activist employees of NBC chose to delete the words, “under God” from the pledge.

Had it gone unnoticed, this sort of practice would likely escalate exponentially. Unfortunately for NBC, the public did notice…and the public did not keep silent about their rage. Eventually, NBC issued a formal apology to members of Congress for its “mistake.” In a letter to U.S. lawmakers, NBC said that they were trying to produce a patriotic piece but their good intentions were undermined by a serious error in judgment by a small group of people within NBC, and those people have been reprimanded.

NBC was quick to tell Congress that the removal of God from the pledge was not approved by any senior NBC officials. Rather than expressing genuine regret over the removal of God from the pledge, NBC seemed to be more interested in the negative light that was cast over NBC by the publicity associated with the event. “It was an inexcusable mistake in judgment and it will not be repeated,” said NBC.

Okay, NBC “apologized” for the omission from the pledge, but was it a heart-felt apology? I doubt it. Most likely, NBC’s apology can be compared to a six year old kid’s apology for kicking his brother. He may be apologizing on the outside, but on the inside, he’s reveling in his brother’s pain. How did the video ever get aired in the first place? An organization as large as NBC could not have sent the altered video out on the air waves without someone in management knowing about it.

We live in a society where there are increasing efforts to remove all mention of religion from public life. Apology or not, NBC’s airing of that altered Pledge of Allegiance is a victory for those who do not want God to be mentioned in public.

To see in a nut-shell the many seemingly unrelated societal changes that are happening under our noses, read Shadow Truth: The Ultimate Deception by Larry J Tate. This book will remove the shades from your eyes and make you aware of how dangerously close we are to becoming a world of slaves to a small ruling class.

For more information about Shadow Truth, go to http://bitly.com/bCKGlW.

To order the book from Amazon, go to http://amzn.to/coxpMM

Two Southwest Governors ask their citizens to pray

2011-07-19T17:53:00.001-05:00

In the summer of 2011, Oklahoma Republican Gov. Mary Fallin asked her constituents to set time aside to pray for an end to the drought that’s gripped her state for months. “I think if we have a lot of people praying, it moves the heart of God,” Fallin said. Oklahomans were encouraged to pray for rain to put a stop to wildfires and help out the state’s farmers and ranchers.

Meanwhile in Texas, Governor Rick Perry also asked his constituents to pray. He wasn’t asking for rain though. Governor Perry was asking citizens to come together at Reliant Stadium on August 6th for a solemn day of prayer and fasting on behalf of our troubled nation.

Ratification of Women’s Treaty could undermine American Rights and Values

2011-07-19T15:06:00.002-05:00

CEDAW, the international treaty known as the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women was signed by Jimmy Carter in 1980. The only thing keeping it from being implemented into our lives is ratification by the U.S. Senate. Longtime supporters of the treaty—including Senator Dick Durbin (D–IL), Vice President Joe Biden, Senator Barbara Boxer (D–CA), and State Department legal advisor Harold Koh—have been pushing anew for the U.S. Senate to ratify CEDAW. These supporters emphatically insist that joining the so-called Women’s Treaty would not adversely affect the rights and liberties of American women.

On the surface, this treaty sounds like an innocent and much-needed policy. After all, we as a nation have been gung-ho on eliminating all forms of discrimination no matter what they are. Who in their right mind still believes that we should discriminate against women? Who believes that women are some sort of sub-human species that are to be ruled over by men? The answer is—virtually nobody.

Then what is the problem with implementing CEDAW? Plenty—that’s what. This brain-child of the United Nations is telling member nations to bow down under some rather ridiculous rules and regulations. Germany has been criticized for not providing the same labor and social laws to prostitutes as is given to people in other lines of work. Belarus has been criticized for recognizing Mother’s Day because that particular concept reinforces an outdated traditional role for women. Ireland has been criticized for its stereotypical view that the role of the mother is in the home. The Czech Republic was criticized for being over-protective of motherhood. Slovenia has been criticized because they have too few infants and children in formal day care centers. The U.N. feels that children cared for in the home might miss out on educational and social opportunities being offered in Day Care centers. This world organization believes that keeping children out of Day Care centers amounts to discrimination.

If the United States Senate ratifies CEDAW, American laws, customs and behavior will be under the authority of the U.N. This world body will determine if we are complying with their interpretation of discrimination. It will jump right in the middle of all facets of American life that fail to achieve their ideals. The first thing on their list will be the American mothers who stay home with their children.

The concept of a one-world government is coming into our lives one step at a time. If certain Senators have their way about it, we will be taking one major step toward that one-world government. CEDAW is but one player in this attempt to take away our rights and freedoms. There are many things going on at once, and most of us don’t have a clue about what’s going on. To see in a nut-shell the many seemingly unrelated societal changes that are happening under our noses, read Shadow Truth: The Ultimate Deception by Larry J Tate. This book will remove the shades from your eyes and make you aware of how dangerously close we are to becoming a world of slaves to a small ruling class.

For more information about Shadow Truth, go to http://bitly.com/bCKGlW.

To order the book from Amazon, go to http://amzn.to/coxpMM

You’ll thank yourself for making this one small investment in your life, the life of your family and the lives of your children’s children.

MIT Study: Appearance is Everything

2011-07-18T21:29:00.000-05:00

Who would have ever thought that voters may be swayed more by a candidate’s looks and appearance than by his or her political platform? An MIT study seems to suggest that it just may be true.

The study found that “low-information voters are most likely to vote for a candidate based on looks alone. “What,” you may ask, “is a low-information voter?” I’m glad you asked. Low-information voters consist of those who watch a lot of TV and are not up-to-date on policy issues.

People commonly judge other people according to first impressions, but once they learn more about them, they tend to update their impressions and forget their initial judgments. The problem with voting in elections is that many voters never go to the second step of learning more about the candidates other than that initial impression.

According to people conducting the study, the number of TV-watching, low-engagement voters is far from insignificant. The number of voters in this category could even be enough to sway the outcome of elections.

You think? It doesn’t take a scientific study to know that TV-watching, low-engagement voters may actually be a majority of voters. Even worse, is the fact that most of the people in this category are low-information voters. They hear headlines (on TV) and they make up their minds according to little catch phrases they hear. Beyond that, many of the voters who put candidates in office know next to nothing about what they are voting on.

Can this trend be reversed? It can, but it takes grass-roots efforts. Each of us, who actually pay attention, should discuss actual issues with these low-information voters. If we all do our part, things just may turn around.

CWAS Excerpt Number One

2011-07-16T19:14:00.000-05:00

Introduction
This is a story of a man who grew up not believing in the existence of God. Without giving much thought to God, he just lived his life from day to day. If he were to consider the existence of God, he would need to be presented with absolute proof.
One day he had coffee with a stranger in a coffee shop. This encounter led him down a path of discovery about God’s existence. During the course of several conversations with the stranger, he very well may have found some compelling proofs of God’s existence. What he did not know was that he was about to stumble onto something he was not expecting to find, something that was far beyond anything he could imagine discovering.
“I have a story to tell. I have a question to ask. Please join me as I take you on my journey. There once was a day when I met this stranger…”

Chapter One
The smell of coffee was in the air. Dishes were clattering. People were coming and going. My favorite coffee shop was of the local mom and pop variety. I didn’t like the flash and pizzazz of the fancy chain stores. I was one of those who felt more comfortable with a down-home atmosphere. But times do change. Some time back, even my favorite shop had awakened and smelled the coffee. Now, they, too, were offering those high-end coffees with names I couldn’t pronounce.
On this particular Monday morning, the coffee shop had its usual crowd. There were the loners like me, the early morning business meeting types, the health-conscious moms who wanted to treat their children to bagels rather than doughnuts, the internet junkies with their laptops, and then there were a few unfamiliar visitors.
I could always be found at the same coffee shop, at the same time, every morning. I had become a creature of habit. Every day I got up, got dressed, went to the coffee shop, sat at the same table, drank the same black coffee, ate the same whole wheat bagel, and then went off to work. To call me a man of habit would be an understatement. You could set a clock by my habits. I don’t know if my obsession with doing the same thing day in and day out was due to my personality or due to my training. I had studied math, physics, and engineering in school. Somewhere along the way, I became one of those geeks with six different writing instruments in my shirt pocket. It was all I could do not to carry a slide rule in my pocket. Slide rules had been outdated for years, but I just could not resist the urge to use one.
I wasn’t one to sample all the varieties of coffees offered at the shop. My only venture into fancy coffees was hazelnut coffee. Otherwise, my coffee was plain, and always black. My breakfast was a whole grain bagel with butter and honey. None of that fancy cream cheese for me. I felt more comfortable doing the same thing over and over again than doing something different.
My ritual included sitting at the same table for forty-five minutes, thinking about the long and tedious day ahead of me. My life reminded me of a movie I once saw in which the main character woke up on the same date, day after day after day. Every morning when he went outside, he saw the same people doing exactly the same thing as the day before.
All day long, I thought about numbers and the way things work. I was a fact-based person. I was more at home in a corner by myself than anywhere else. The last thing I wanted was to get involved with another person in idle chitchat. On the other hand, if someone wanted to talk about facts, science, and numbers, I was their guy. Otherwise, I could be found by myself, back in some corner.
Even though there were many familiar faces, I didn’t know any of them. In fact, I don’t think I can remember speaking to any of the other patrons during the entire time I had been visiting the shop. My only communication was an occasional hello to the counter help. The employees knew me and my unchanging pattern. When I walked through the door they would place the same coffee and the same bagel on the counter. In like fashion, I nearly always gave them exact change, down to the penny. You can’t get much more efficient than that.
After settling into my chair, I took a look around the shop. I saw a stranger walk in the door. He went straight to the counter and spoke to someone at the cash register. Then he started walking around the shop. I figured that they must have hired a new employee because he was walking up and down the aisles and around all of the tables, looking at each and every patron and smiling. Perhaps he is a greeter, I thought. I hadn’t ever noticed a greeter before, but that concept seemed to be catching on. I doubted that he would last long though. He smiled at everyone, but never uttered a word. Perhaps he’s a bus boy, I thought. No, he can’t be a bus boy. He isn’t cleaning off a single table.
It wasn’t long until he made his way to my table. He smiled at me and said, “Good morning, friend. How are you this fine and wonderful day?”
Good grief, I thought. He’s one of those happy people. He hadn’t spoken to a single person before he got to my table. Why did he choose to talk to me? Why can’t I just be left alone?
“Fine thank you,” I answered.
“I’m mighty glad to hear that,” he said. “This certainly is a great day to be alive. Wouldn’t you agree?”
I mumbled something barely audible, hoping he would take my hint and move on.
After glancing up to the counter he said, “Well, friend, I believe my order is ready, so I’ve got to run along. It’s been very nice talking to you.”
Oh good, he’s leaving, I thought. I guess he’s not a greeter after all. The strange thing about him was that if he wasn’t hired help, he certainly was being nosy.
After a bit, I finished my coffee and bagel. With one hand, I held my napkin just under the edge of the table. With the other hand, I carefully wiped the crumbs off the table and into the napkin. After neatly folding the napkin, I stuffed it into my empty coffee cup. On the way out the door, I put my cup, knife, and fork in the appropriate basket; threw the napkin in the trash; and placed my tray on top of the trash receptacle. Out the door I went to endure another day of mind-numbing number crunching.

The above excerpt is from the copyrighted book Conversations with a Stranger by Larry Tate

CWAS Excerpt Number Two

2011-07-15T18:14:00.000-05:00

The Wager

On Tuesday morning I found the coffee shop busier than usual. The shop was rarely ever full, but this day was different. I picked up a newspaper, went inside, and stood in a long line to order my coffee. As I turned around to leave the counter, I noticed that there wasn’t a single table available. Toward the back, I spotted a lady who looked like she was nearly ready to get up and leave. Her bagel had been reduced to crumbs and her coffee cup was nearly empty. I drifted over near her table, not so close as to make her nervous, but close enough for me to grab the table before anyone else could. Shifting from foot to foot, I kept one eye on her and the other on nearby tables.

After a few minutes she got up and headed for the door. I was sitting in her chair before she could get two steps away.

Settling down, I began drinking my coffee and reading the paper. Before long, I felt a tap on my shoulder and heard a voice behind me saying, “Excuse me, friend, all of the tables are taken. Do you mind if I sit at your table while I wait for another table to open up?”

I turned around and saw the same stranger looking down at me with that same annoying smile on his face. I couldn’t think of a good reason to turn him down, so I reluctantly said, “Sure. Have a seat.”

After taking a sip of his coffee he began that idle chat I so disliked. It went on and on. First, he talked about the weather, then sports, then local news, then national news, and then world events. Trying to be polite I attempted to act interested, while in my thoughts I was wishing another table would open up so he would leave me alone. No such luck was with me that day. He discussed Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, and Israel. He talked about the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Then he started discussing the strife between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

In no time at all, he was talking about religion. I wasn’t much of the religious type, so the more he talked, the more uncomfortable I got. “Sir,” I interrupted, “I don’t mean to offend you, but this religious business is something I really don’t care to talk about. I haven’t even made up my mind if there is a God or not. There are a lot of religious people out there talking about God, but to date none of them have actually shown me God. Now, if someone could definitively prove to me with pencil and paper that there is a God, I wouldn’t mind talking about God. So far, I just haven’t seen or heard anything to convince me that there really is a God.”

“Really?” he replied. “If you don’t mind my asking, how did you come by this way of thinking?”

I did mind him asking. But I had opened my mouth and he had responded. I didn’t have much choice but to answer his question. “Well, my parents weren’t very religious, so as a child, I rarely ever darkened a church door. As an adult, I just never gave religion much thought. My engineering background leads me to seek scientific proof for most everything I encounter. Facts and structure are the things that make me tick. If you can prove something to me, I’ll believe it. ”

Unshaken, he took another sip of coffee and sat back. “Well, friend, I can see that you’re the analytical type.” He stared out into space for a few moments and then continued, “You know, I have heard about the works of some great religious thinkers. Some people call them Christian apologists or philosophers. The information I have is that some of them actually claim to prove that God exists. I have often wanted to explore their arguments. Perhaps you would be interested in delving into them with me. Who knows, maybe both of us could benefit from their knowledge and wisdom.”

I knew I was in trouble. I had learned early in life that sales people have an answer for every excuse a potential customer can think of. It doesn’t matter what reason you give for not wanting their product, they have a response to your objection. Consequently, I had determined that when sales people come by, I should never give them an opportunity to answer any of my objections. Generally I had two or three responses, such as I’m not interested or I don’t want it or please leave me alone. Never did I give a reason for not wanting their product. I had become quite capable at cutting sales people off at the pass. It usually involved some rudeness on my part, but at least I could get rid of them rather quickly.

Yet in just ten minutes this stranger had tricked me into forgetting my tactics, and had lured me into giving a reason and excuse for why I didn’t want to talk about God. It appeared that I had fallen into his trap and made myself vulnerable to his sales pitch about God’s existence. Okay, I thought, I might as well hear his pitch. Eventually, I’ll be able to get out of this conversation and get on with my life.

“Well, sir,” I reluctantly replied, “I find it hard to believe that someone can prove that God exists, but why don’t you go ahead and tell me about these so-called arguments and proofs you’ve heard of. I’m warning you, though; I want hard facts and provable arguments. I don’t want any of that mystical mumbo jumbo.”

He smiled, set his coffee on the table, and said, “Okay, friend, I’m cognizant of how critical and analytical you are. I’m not going to try pushing any of my own beliefs off on you. I’m just going to share with you the beliefs that others have spoken of. Then you can decide for yourself. How does that sound?”

I nodded without uttering a sound.

“Friend, do you ever place wagers?”

“Of course not,” I said. Gambling was a subject I knew a little about. I had studied probability theory and the virtual guarantee that in the long run, gambling will always result in a net loss. “Sir, I don’t have any desire to lose my money on gambling. I have better things to do with my money. Life itself is a gamble, and my investments are a gamble. That’s enough for me.”

“You’re not afraid to speak your mind,” said the stranger. “Can you tell me what the definition of a wager is?”

“That’s simple,” I said. “A wager is the act of placing a certain predetermined risk on the outcome of a certain event. Normally, a person puts down a certain amount of money in a game of chance with the hopes of winning a larger amount of money.”

“Tell me, friend, have you placed any wagers today?”

“No I have not,” I bristled. “I don’t squander my money. Have you forgotten that already?”

Acting as though he didn’t hear me, he continued, “Just suppose, my friend, that you were to walk up to a gambling table and see that there are only two choices for you to bet on. You could place your bet on red or you could place your bet on black. While you are looking at the table, the dealer tells you that if you bet on black, the best you could hope for was to break even but you’re likely lose your entire bet. On the other hand, if you bet on red, the worst you could do would be to break even, but you’re likely to win a large sum of money. Now, friend, what would you do?”

I chuckled at the stranger and said, “For one thing, no casino would ever offer such a bet. But there’s no question what I’d do. Black has no chance of winning, while red has no chance of losing. So I would bet on red, as would anyone else who has a lick of sense.”

Sounding as if he was changing the subject he said, “Tell me, friend, do you enjoy having your coffee here at this coffee shop?”

I answered, “Yes, I sure do. I come here almost every day. What’s that got to do with placing a bet?”

Ignoring my inquiry, he continued, “Well, my friend, you came in a car, didn’t you?”

Now, I was getting a bit irritated. He seemed to be drifting from subject to subject. “Of course I came in a car. Otherwise, I’d still be walking.”

“If you’ll bear with me, my friend, surely you’ve heard of people being injured in automobile accidents. Wouldn’t you say that there is more risk of personal injury while driving your car to this coffee shop as opposed to walking here?”

“You’ve got me there,” I said. “Statistically, there isn’t much risk in driving a car, but due to the speed of the vehicle, an automobile accident does have the potential for causing serious injury. On the other hand, walking exposes a person to less risk from injury. So…yes I suppose there’s a little more risk in traveling by car than by traveling by foot.”

“So, friend, you did place a wager today. You made a determination in your mind that you would incur a little more risk by driving a car so that you could have more time to do other things today. On the other hand, had you chosen to walk to the coffee shop, while being somewhat safer, you may not have the time to enjoy all of the other things you want to do.”

“Okay, sir. You’ve made your point. I can see that I’m considering risks versus rewards in virtually everything I do. Now, sir, what’s this got to do with placing a bet in a situation where I know in advance which bet loses and which bet wins, and what does all of this wager stuff have to do with the existence of God?”

I was getting flustered, but he was as calm as a cucumber. Continuing on, he said, “I’m going to tell you about a wager you can make on the existence or non-existence of God. Once you see the wager, you may be convinced to believe in God without us having to go any farther exploring proofs of his existence.”

“Sir, are you telling me that by placing a bet, I will come to believe in God? That’s the most ridiculous statement I’ve ever heard. For one thing, there aren’t any wagers in which a person knows in advance which bet wins and which bet loses. For another, a wager can’t even begin to prove the existence of God. Who in their right mind would make a bet on the existence of God?”

“You’re going to be a challenge,” he said. “But let’s continue. Would you agree that there either is a God, or there isn’t a God?”

“Yes, sir. That seems clear enough. There are only two choices regarding the existence of God. God exists, or He doesn’t exist. Mathematically speaking, God has a fifty percent chance of existing.”

“And, friend, would you agree that a person either believes in God or doesn’t believe in God?”

“I’m not sure about that, sir. I am in another category all together. I told you earlier that I don’t know whether I believe in God’s existence or not.”

“That’s all right, friend. Let’s see if that position deserves another category. Do you believe right now that God exists?”

With exasperation I exclaimed, “No, sir. As I said, I don’t know if he exists!”

“So, friend, you’re admitting that you don’t fit in the believing category, aren’t you?”

“No, sir, I don’t fit in the believing category.”

“Friend, it appears that your position of not knowing is in the arena of not believing.”

“Why is that, sir?”

“When we say that a person either believes or does not believe, we are saying that there is a believing category and a negative of the believing category. While you may not be declaring that God absolutely does not exist, your not knowing is in the camp of not believing.”

“Okay, sir, in that light I can see that a person either believes in God or doesn’t believe in God. You are making me weary with these fine-pointed definitions.”

“We have to make a solid case,” said the stranger. “Now, try to imagine placing a wager on one’s belief in God. What would be the risk you would be taking, and what would be the potential reward?”

I thought for a moment. The stranger had just taken me to a point I did not want to cross. I was being forced to provide an answer as though I was accepting the possibility of the existence of God. The stubborn side of me just did not want to give in to his argument. On the other hand, I was doing similar analogies every day at work by considering all sides of a particular problem. Feeling a bit relieved, I looked up at the stranger and said, “Well, I think we will have to make some certain assumptions first. Christians claim that after death believers go to heaven and unbelievers go to hell. Right now I don’t know if God exists, but for the sake of this argument I will use heaven as the reward and hell as the loss.”

“That sounds reasonable enough,” he said.

I pondered his question and said, “It appears to me that the wager placed is my belief or unbelief in God. And it appears that the reward or loss is what I encounter after my life has ended.”

“So, can you describe for me the various outcomes of the wagers?”

“I believe so. There are only two choices for the wager. I can either believe in God or not believe in God. So, if I believe in God and He does exist, then I would go to heaven. On the other hand, if I don’t believe in God, and He does not exist, I lose nothing; I break even. When I die, I will merely cease to exist.”

“Okay, friend, but what if you do believe in God, and he does not exist?”

“That’s easy. If I believe in God and he does not exist, I still break even. When I die, I will merely cease to exist.”

“And finally, friend, what if you don’t believe in God, but He actually does exist?”

“According to Christian teachings, I would go to hell after I died.”

“So, friend, like the gaming table we spoke of a few minutes ago, this wager has but two choices. One bet, not believing in God, has no chance of winning. The other bet, believing in God, has no chance of losing. If you were placing a wager on your life knowing that one of the wagers cannot possibly win, and the other wager cannot possibly lose, wouldn’t you want to place your bet with believing in God?”

Staring into space, I took a few moments to analyze his logic. After considering his statements from every possible angle, I turned my attention back to the stranger. “I see your point,” I said. “It seems to make sense on a certain level. And it certainly causes me to think a little differently about the existence of God. But still, this wager theory does not prove the existence of God. I would like to see the real proofs and evidence of the existence of God that you told me about.”

“Certainly,” said the stranger. “You’re stubbornness is quite evident and overt. I would like to share with you some of those arguments and proofs. Would you like to start now?”

My time was beginning to run out. “Sir, I really need to go to work.” Trying to be as polite as possible I said, “Perhaps if you and I meet again, we could continue this conversation.” Then with politeness aside I continued, “But it’s going to be an uphill battle to prove God’s existence to me. You’ve got to be armed with a lot more than some silly wager scenario. As a matter of fact, why don’t you bring God with you next time we meet?”

Without acknowledging my snide remarks, the stranger said, “Next time I see you, I’ll be happy to talk about some proofs of God’s existence.”

I excused myself and left the coffee shop. I didn’t know if I would ever see the stranger again. Oh well, I thought, I really can’t imagine that he could prove to me that God exists anyway.

The above excerpt is from the copyrighted book Conversations with a Stranger by Larry Tate

Slowly but Surely

2011-07-15T12:28:00.005-05:00

Glenn Beck has been referring to the gradual, one step-at-a-time changes that are occurring in our society. Those who are not paying attention will some day wake up and ask, "How did that happen?"

This may be a hard pill to swallow, but every downward trend in this country is occurring with the "approval" of the Christian majority! "No way," you may say. "I don't approve of the immoral and liberal changes taking place."

Well, before you have yourself promoted to sainthood, why don't you consider this simple fact? It takes a majority vote to elect any President, Senator, Representative, Governor or council member. Yet, it is these very people who are enacting the laws and policies we Christians so despise. If the majority of the United States voters are Christian, then logic tells us that Christians are responsible for what's going on today.

Maybe you are voting, and maybe you are voting "the right way." Before you tell yourself that you are not the problem however, you will be well advised to read, "Shadow Truth: The Ultimate Deception" by Larry Tate. Even the most devout Christian will be prompted to reconsider his ways.

For more information, go to http://bitly.com/bCKGlW.

CWAS Excerpt Number Three

2011-07-14T16:58:00.000-05:00

The Mover

On Wednesday, I went to the coffee shop at my usual time. I found the shop to be nearly as busy as the day before. My usual table was taken but I really didn’t mind. I didn’t want to make it easy for the stranger to find me again. I settled in at a table on the other side of the shop. I chose a chair facing the wall, thinking that he may not recognize me and move on to pester another patron. After patting myself on the back, I buttered my bagel, took a sip of coffee, and opened up my newspaper.

Before I got through the first paragraph of an interesting story, I heard a voice behind me saying, “Hello, friend. It’s so good to see you again. Do you mind if I join you?”

What luck! He had found me in spite of my efforts to hide from him. While mustering up a fake smile, I said, “Hello, sir. Have a seat.”

He didn’t waste any time getting right into conversation. “Well, friend, do you have any thoughts regarding the wager theory we talked about yesterday?”

“It was rather interesting, in a strange sort of way. Sure it caused me to think, but it doesn’t prove that God exists by any means.”

“You’ve made a fair assessment of the wager theory, my friend. I just wanted to begin our discussion with a thought-provoking theory developed by a great scientist who had a hand in the development of probability theory. Before we continue, I would like to interject one more thing for you to consider.”

“What is that, sir?”

“People use elements of that scientist’s probability theory every day in the arena of economics as well as gambling, but you’re having trouble being convinced to trust his wager theory.”

“You drive a hard bargain, sir. But I think I have good reasons for accepting his probability theory while rejecting his wager theory on God’s existence.”

“What is that, friend?”

“His probability theory actually works. It works both in theory and in practice. On the other hand, while his wager theory appears to be sound on paper, it cannot be proven in practice.”

“It looks like I am going to have to work hard to convince you that God exists.”

I felt a smug look creep across my face. Leaning back in my chair, I said, “Yes, sir, you’ve got your work cut out for you.”

Without appearing to be intimidated in any way he said, “If you don’t mind, we could continue today with the thoughts and ideas of another great person.”

I figured I might as well go ahead and listen to him one more time. “Okay, sir, let’s hear another one.”

He smiled again and began with a probing line of thought. “Would you agree that at this very moment things are in motion?”

“Sir, I don’t know what planet you are from, but on this planet there are things in motion, and there are also things that are not in motion.”

“Let’s talk about those things not in motion right now. Would you agree that most everything either has moved or could be moved at some point in the future?”

“Yes, sir, it is reasonable that most anything has moved or could be moved.” This stranger had a way of communicating thoughts and ideas without making me think I was being lectured to. It seemed as though he just asked questions and I ended up giving all the answers. His teaching methods were about as strange as he was.

“I suppose the same would apply to all matter that is out in the universe as well. Am I correct about that, my friend?”

“Yes, I suspect that everything out in the universe is moving, has moved, or can be moved. So it appears to me that everything, no matter what or where, is moving or can be moved.”

“Very good, friend. Can anything move its own self?”

I needed a little time to think. I didn’t want this guy trapping me, but so far, he seemed to be straight with me. Let’s see, I thought. Obviously a rock can’t move itself. First something or someone must put the rock in motion. A tree can’t move itself, but the wind can cause the leaves and limbs to move about; large earth-moving equipment could actually uproot the tree, putting it into motion. What else? A car won’t move until some outside source puts a chain of events together, resulting in the car’s movement. The planets move around the sun, but not due to their own power.

“Sir, I don’t believe any non-living object is capable of moving itself, and I suppose the same goes with plants. But the animal kingdom is a different matter. You asked me if anything can move itself. Well, I can move my own self, and most other animals are capable of moving themselves.”

“Friend, you said that you are capable of moving yourself. Is your body a single unit, or is your body an organism made up of many individual biological parts?”

“Sir, I’m not sure if I am following you.”

“That’s all right, my friend. We are exploring this idea together. Let’s see…okay, let’s try it this way. A person might consider his car as a single unit, but is it not actually an assembly of many individual parts?”

“Yes, sir, there are thousands of parts that make up the total assembly of a car.”

“Likewise, isn’t your body just an assembly of many biological parts?”

“Well…I suppose it is.”

“Can your fingers move on their own free will?”

“I don’t believe they can, sir.”

“Can your hands and arms operate as if they had a mind of their own?”

“No, they can’t.”

“And, before you begin walking, isn’t there something other than your legs that causes your legs to begin moving?”

“I hope you’re coming to a point, Sir.”

“Yes, friend, I am. Wouldn’t you agree that your brain must send certain signals to your various body parts before those parts are capable of moving?”

“Okay, sir. I give up. It appears that you’re right.”

“And then there is the brain itself. Can your brain send those signals without some outside influence?”

“Sir, I believe that the brain is the command center of all that goes on in the body.”

“Can the brain operate without an ample supply of blood and oxygen being sent to it by other parts of your body?”

He had me there. “Sir, I stand corrected. It appears that nothing, not even an animal, is capable of moving itself. And it appears that even my brain is dependent upon some outside influence. It sounds to me that some outside force is needed before anything is able to move.”

“I believe we are getting somewhere, my friend,” said the stranger. “Is there such a thing as perpetual motion?”

If this stranger wanted to push off his philosophies on me; he was going to have his hands full. I knew enough about how things work to ensure that he would not be able to pull the wool over my eyes. The concept of perpetual motion has intrigued mankind for ages. There is just one little problem that gets in the way. Friction cannot be eliminated. No matter how slight, friction will eventually stop anything that is in motion.

“No there isn’t,” I replied. “Perpetual motion is impossible. Eventually, everything put into motion will cease its motion without the continuing influence of some outside source.”

“Okay, friend, it appears that any object in motion had to have some other mover to put that object into motion. And, likewise, there had to be some other mover farther in the past to put that mover into motion. This sequence of moving and being moved goes farther and farther in the past. Now, friend, I think we are about to be confronted by a problem.”

“What is that, sir?”

“I can imagine the first object ever moved, but I’m having trouble figuring out what moved the first object.”

“Well, sir, the first object moved was moved by the first mover.”

“Friend, that sounds logical, but didn’t the first mover also need a mover?”

“Oh, now I see the problem.”

“Yes, friend, it looks like we’ve come up against a brick wall. We know that every object that moves needs a mover. We also know that every mover also needs a mover. Somewhere back at the beginning of time, there had to be a first object in motion. We know that to be a fact. But that first object in motion could not have begun moving without a mover moving it. We can imagine the first object in movement, but what about the mover of the first object in motion? What moved the first object? What was the first mover? How could the first mover move the first object if the first mover had to be moved itself?”

Now my head was spinning. It was simple enough to think that everything moving was caused to move by something else immediately in its past. But the complication arose as we looked farther and farther in the past. I retraced our conversation in my head. The more I thought about it, the more unsure I became. How can there be a first mover, if something was required to move it? If that were so, it would not be the first mover.

“Sir, I’m a bit confused. I guess I just haven’t had enough time to think about it. I agree with you that we’ve encountered a problem with the first mover, but there must be an answer. Tell me, what do you think caused the first object to move.”

“Friend, in the universe, everything that moves must have something other than itself to move it. Likewise, the first object to have ever moved, no matter how far back in the past, also had to have a mover that put it into motion. We know that perpetual motion does not exist. Nevertheless, there still had to be a first mover. So, whatever it was that put the first object in motion could not have been a part of the universe. The very first mover had to be something that did not have something farther in its past to cause it to move. What do you suppose that could be?”

Talk about mixed emotions! I had absolutely no desire to consider the existence of God, but somewhere in the dark corners of my scientific mind, I was enjoying this stranger’s tactics. Nevertheless, I had no idea what the answer to his question could possibly be. In exasperation I said, “Sir, the only conclusion left is that the first mover must be an unmoved mover. I don’t know how that can be, but it must be so.”

“I believe you are right, friend. The one and only conclusion is that there must be an unmoved mover.”

“Okay, sir, now what? Where does that leave us?”

“We have determined that the first mover is an unmoved mover. The unmoved mover cannot be a part of the universe. This unmoved mover is none other than God Himself!”

There it was! He told me that he thought he could prove that God exists. We walked through a series of logical conclusions and ended up with the ultimate conclusion that God must exist. This stranger was making me think of things I had never considered before. His logic seemed to be sound, but was it good enough to prove to me that there actually is a God? I still couldn’t see God. With all of his so-called proof, I still couldn’t bring myself to believe that there really is a God. There must be an objection to this conclusion, I thought.

Weakly, I argued back, “Sir, I think you’re making an assumption that the universe had a specific beginning. I’ve heard it said that the universe is infinitely old. What do you say about that?”

“You might have an argument there,” he said. “Why don’t we explore that idea together? After considering some facts we already know about the universe, perhaps we can come to a reasonable conclusion regarding its beginning.”

I seriously doubted that we could solve the mysteries surrounding the beginning of the universe while sitting at a coffee shop table. “Sir,” I replied, “this has been a most curious conversation and I would love to explore the beginnings of the universe. But, I need to leave for work before I get fired. That would cause my personal universe to fall apart. Perhaps we could talk more on this subject if we happen to meet on another day.”

“Friend, I am honored that you would like to continue discussing things with me. I’ll certainly look forward to it.”

With that, I excused myself and hurried off to work.

The above excerpt is from the copyrighted book Conversations with a Stranger by Larry Tate

CWAS Excerpt Number Four

2011-07-13T16:02:00.000-05:00

The Beginning

This excerpt is from the fourth chapter of Conversations with a Stranger by Larry Tate

On Thursday morning I was able to reclaim my regular table. Apparently the conference or whatever it was that came to town was over. I didn’t bother trying to hide from the stranger this time. I was beginning to learn that he would find me no matter where I seated myself. About the time I got comfortable in my chair, I heard the familiar greeting, “Hello, friend.” I didn’t even have to turn my head to see who it was.

His hands were full. In addition to a coffee cup filled to the brim, he was carrying two saucers, one with a bagel and the other with a doughnut. Inevitably, he spilled part of his coffee on the table. By instinct, I immediately reacted by jumping out of my seat before any of the hot coffee could land in my lap. In short order, we were able to clean up the mess and sit back down at the table. With a silly grin on his face he said, “I sure made a mess didn’t I?”

“Well, sir, it happens to all of us.”

“It sure does. How are you doing on this beautiful day?”

“I’m fine, sir.”

He began buttering his bagel, drinking his coffee, and chatting incessantly.

I just let him continue on, occasionally giving him an “oh,” or a “yes,” or a “hmm.” It seemed as though this guy just enjoyed listening to himself talk.

Eventually he had to stop and catch his breath. After a moment he asked, “Friend, what were we talking about yesterday?”

Grateful for a change of topic I said, “Well, you suggested that there had to be a first mover, and you determined that the first mover must be an unmoved mover. You went so far as to say that the unmoved mover could only be God. Then we began discussing the beginning of the universe.”

“Oh yes,” he said. “You must be keeping notes. But don’t forget, friend, we came up with those conclusions together.”

“The last conclusion was yours, sir.”

“Perhaps, my friend, but it does bear consideration, does it not?”

“I will keep my mind open, sir.”

“That’s good enough for me, friend. Well now, what do you think about the beginning of the universe?”

“Sir, I haven’t burned up many of my brain cells dwelling on the beginning of time, but I’ve heard a couple of theories. One is that the beginning goes back to infinity. Another is that the universe had a definite beginning. As far as my opinion goes, I tend to lean toward the theory that the universe is infinitely old.”

“Okay,” he said. “That is as good a starting point as any. Let’s just explore some known facts and see if we can agree on a logical conclusion.”

“Sir, do you really think that two regular guys like us can figure out the beginning of time right here in this coffee shop while sitting at this table?”

Chuckling, he replied, “You don’t appreciate the brain power you have, my friend. But who knows what we can accomplish until we try.”

“Okay,” I sighed. “Let’s get started.”

“Perhaps we should first agree on the meaning of the term infinity,” he said.

“That’s an easy one for me,” I said. “Infinity is an unlimited and unending extent of time or quantity.”

“Unlimited and unending…” he pondered. “Okay, so if the universe is infinitely old, then the beginning must extend backwards toward the past, down an unlimited and unending extent of time prior to today. Is that right?”

“It sounds like we are off to a good start,” I said.

“Okay. To help us understand an infinite amount of time in the past, let’s talk about something simpler first. Let’s talk about numbers in general.”

“You’re the teacher, sir.”

“Friend, I would like to think that we are doing this together. I pose a question, and you answer. You pose a problem, and together we will work out that problem.”

“If you say so, sir.”

“Now back to numbers…if it is possible to count forwards for a certain number of units, wouldn’t you agree that we must also be able to count backwards to the point of beginning?”

“Sure enough,” I replied. With my background, math was an easy subject.

“And likewise, if it is possible to count backwards for a certain number of units, wouldn’t you also be able to count forwards back to the point of beginning?”

“I don’t see any problem with that assumption either,” I said.

“Friend, pick a number.”

“Pick any number?”

“Yes, any number is fine.”

“Okay, my number is 823.”

“823? How did you pick that number?”

“I don’t know, sir. It just came in my mind. Is there a problem with that number?”

“Any number is fine. I was just curious about where that number came from. It’s a bit strange, but we can work with it.”

I thought, Why is he calling me and my thoughts strange? He makes himself at home at my table, talking about all kinds of weird stuff, and he thinks I’m strange?

Continuing, he said, “Okay, we’ll start with the number 823. Now, if we were to count forwards for another hundred numbers, we would get to 923. Is that right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Now that we are at the number 923, is there any problem with counting backwards until we get back to our original number of 823?”

“No problem, sir. If it is possible to count forwards to some certain number, it is certainly possible to count backwards to the point of beginning, whatever number the beginning happens to be.”

“All right, friend, if instead of counting forwards from 823 to 923, what if we were to try counting backwards from 823 to 723?”

“Sir, there wouldn’t be a problem doing that either. We can count back to the number 723 and then count forwards back to the original number of 823.”

“Great, friend. You are helping me immensely. Now, what if we were to try counting backwards from the number 823 all of the way to zero? Could that be done also?”

“No problem, sir.”

He looked toward the ceiling as if he was counting the ceiling tiles. Then he said, “Let’s consider the first moment of the universe. Is it conceivable to imagine the first moment of the universe?”

“Well, that would be a long ways back there, but I suppose a person could imagine the first moment.”

“But, friend, you said that the universe may be infinitely old, and that infinity is an unlimited and unending extent of time. If the beginning is infinitely in the past, then the very first moment must always be farther and farther back in the past, beyond any moment previously identified as the first moment. So how could the very first moment ever be identified?”

“Hmm…sir, you have a point there. Now that you put it in that kind of light, I doubt that the very first moment could ever be identified.”

He tapped his fingers on the table, considering his next words. “Okay, so you say that the first moment in an infinite past cannot be identified because by the time you could get to what could be conceivably identified as the first moment, you would just find that the actual first moment would still be farther in the past. Am I right?”

“I believe so, sir.”

“Consequently, the definition of an infinite past simply does not allow for a first moment.”

“That looks to be the case, sir.”

“Help me out, friend. Wouldn’t the beginning of time be considered as moment number zero?”

“Well, sir, technically the first moment would be moment number one, not moment number zero. But, I understand your point. Just before moment number one should be moment zero.”

“Okay then, Mr. Know-It-All. Let’s call the first moment, moment number one.”

For just a brief moment, I wondered if his last remark was some sort of an insult. But his big, crooked smile easily disarmed my negative notions regarding his intentions. I relaxed a bit and said, “Okay, sir.”

“Friend, if the first moment is always farther and farther in the past, then it appears that there may be a problem in assigning the number one to the first moment.”

“We may be on to something, sir.”

“We’ve already determined that it is possible to count from any given number back to the number zero. But if the first moment is elusively farther and farther back in the past, I don’t see how it would be possible to count back from this present moment to the very first moment in an infinite past. As a matter of fact, it is quite impossible to count back to the first moment if the beginning is infinitely far in the past.”

“I don’t have any problem with that assumption,” I said.

“Okay, we’ve determined that we can’t identify the first moment. Consequently we can’t attach the number one to the first moment. So…since we can’t identify the first moment, perhaps we could identify the second moment. Do you think it would be possible to identify the moment that occurs after the first moment?”

I thought for a little bit and said, “When considering a series of moments, it seems logical to me that the second moment should be identifiable, but if the first moment can’t be identified, then I don’t believe that the second moment would be identifiable either.”

“So,” said the stranger, “it sounds to me like you are saying that if the first moment can never be identified due to it being infinitely far in the past, then by default, the second moment would also be infinitely far in the past. Okay then, let’s go farther up the ladder. What about the third moment?”

“Well, sir, if there is no identifiable second moment, it doesn’t look to me that there could be an identifiable third moment.”

“Let me get this straight,” mused the stranger. “If you can’t count back from today to the first moment and if you can’t count back to the second or third moments, it would appear to me that you also could not count back to the fourth, fifth, or sixth moments. Is that right?”

“We are talking about infinity, sir.”

Continuing on he said, “If you can’t count back to the moment after the first moment, then you also can’t count back to the next moment after that or the next moment after that or the tenth moment or the thousandth moment or even the millionth moment. This hard thinking is about to singe the hair on my head.”

“Yes, sir, mine too.”

“Now, friend, if I had ten beans in a row, one of those beans would be the tenth, one would be the ninth, one would be the eighth, and so on, right down to the first bean. We can count back to the first bean because the beans had a beginning. But, in the case of an infinite past, there aren’t any first, second, third, fourth, fifth, or sixth moments. Likewise, there can’t be any tenth, hundredth, thousandth, millionth, or billionth moments. Am I right?”

“I can’t fault your logic, sir.”

Without saying a word, the stranger got out of his seat and started walking around the room, looking at the other coffee shop patrons. He went to the window and gazed outside for several minutes. I had given up on understanding this stranger, so I just sat there drinking my coffee and eating my bagel. After a long while, he came back and sat down. Without saying a word, he gave himself a vicious pinch on the arm. “Oweee,” he yelled out.

Embarrassed, I looked around to see if he was disturbing other patrons around us. Fortunately, everyone seemed to ignore him. “What are you doing, sir?” I whispered.

Ignoring my question he asked, “Friend, would you pinch yourself too?”

I was getting a little exasperated with him. I was accustomed to sitting in a corner and being somewhat invisible. This guy’s antics were compounding the risk that unwanted attention would be drawn to me. “No, I will not pinch myself until you tell me what is going on.”

“I’m right here!” he exclaimed. “I’m here…and this coffee shop is full of other people who are here. I am right here…in the now and the present, along with a room full of people. I just wanted to find out if you’re here too.”

Indignantly I retorted, “I don’t have to pinch myself in order to know that I’m here. What is your point, sir?”

“Well, friend, it looks like we just proved there’s no such thing as an infinite past.”

“What?” I exclaimed in a startled voice. “What does pinching ourselves have to do with proving that there is no infinite past?”

With a look of triumph, the stranger smiled at me and said, “If time past goes back to infinity, then we and our universe could not and would not exist. The present time can exist only if it is a step in the future from an immediate step in the past. But, if time past goes back to infinity then step number two has not yet been reached. If step number two has not yet been reached, then steps three, four, five, and six have not been reached. If step six has not been reached, then the tenth, hundredth, thousandth, millionth, and billionth steps have not yet been reached. So whatever step we are in, here in the present, could have never been reached. As a matter of fact, if the beginning of the universe goes back to infinity, then the beginning has not yet occurred. If time past goes back to infinity, then there actually is no such thing as time. Consequently, this current moment right here in this coffee shop can never be reached. If time past goes to infinity, then you and I would not be sitting here right now, pinching ourselves and acting silly.”

Still feeling the burning in my face from being embarrassed by his recent outburst, I replied, “Respectfully, sir, only one of us is acting silly…and it isn’t me.”

Still smiling he said, “Maybe I’m getting a little too excited about what we just discovered.”

He then leaned across the table and pinched me on the arm before I had time to pull back. I flinched and sat up straight, looking at him with evil eyes. My arm was stinging, and a red spot was beginning to form. Still smiling he continued, “If time past goes to infinity, we would not be sitting here right now. But, the fact is…we are sitting here right now; we are pinching ourselves. The only logical conclusion left is that time and our universe definitely did have a beginning.”

I was stunned and speechless. I didn’t know if I was more shocked at his conclusions or the fact that he had taken the liberty to reach across the table and pinch me. I had never thought of time like that, but it certainly did made sense. This stranger seemed to be able to solve one of the mysteries of the universe right there in the coffee shop, while sitting at the table.

After a little bit I said, “You may be right. It appears that the universe did begin at a specific time.”

“It’s not just me, my friend. We did it together.”

With foggy eyes, I looked around the room and out into the parking lot. After recomposing myself, I glanced back to the stranger. He was busily munching on his bagel. Here we were, struggling with the mysteries of the universe, and this stranger was just gobbling up bagels and slurping coffee as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

After an uncomfortable silence he said, “What a relief to know there is no such thing as an infinitely old universe. If it was, we wouldn’t be able to enjoy our coffee today. And this bagel is just too good to miss out on. Isn’t it fun solving age-old mysteries of the universe?” With his mouth half full of bagel he cheerfully said, “You know, friend, life is just about the greatest thing there is.” Then with a chuckle he uttered the old cliché, “It certainly beats the alternative. What do you think?”

Sometimes, this guy seemed to be so far out in left field that he should be institutionalized. Then at other times, he seemed to be able to look straight into the heart of a very complicated matter. I sat back in my chair and just stared at him with a puzzled look on my face. I just didn’t know what to make of the guy sitting across the table from me.

After downing his coffee, he said, “Friend, we went off on a tangent discussing the beginning of time. I believe we can get to the bottom of several other proofs that God exists. I’ve got plenty of time if you do. Are you ready to get back on track and discuss another proof?”

I couldn’t make up my mind if I enjoyed having discussions with him, or if I hated them. In one way, I was aggravated at the way he had elbowed his way into my life, but at the same time it was rather intriguing to follow his arguments to their conclusion. I looked at my watch and was surprised at how fast time was passing by. “Oh my, look at the time. I’ve got to run, sir. Maybe I should take a rain check on that offer.”

Without the slightest hesitation, he said, “No problem, my friend. The next time we meet, we can talk about the first cause.”

I didn’t have a clue what he meant by the first cause, but I was confident that he would have some profound explanation for it. I was already late for work so I said good-bye and excused myself. As I was walking out the door, I turned around and saw him go up to the counter and order another cup of coffee, along with the biggest bagel they had. Shaking my head, I headed off to work.

The above excerpt is from the copyrighted book Conversations with a Stranger by Larry Tate

CWAS Excerpt Number Five

2011-07-12T08:01:00.000-05:00

This excerpt is from the fifth chapter of Conversations with a Stranger by Larry Tate

The Cause

As habit would dictate, I entered the shop at my regular time, bought my same black coffee, and proceeded to my favorite table. Not long afterwards, the stranger came through the door, bought his coffee, and found his way to where I was sitting.

He stretched his arms up high and took a deep breath. As he exhaled, he let out a pleasant sigh. Then he cheerfully said, “Top of the morning to you, my friend.”

“Hello, sir,” I said. “Have a seat.” This fellow was just too happy and optimistic for me. I wondered to myself, Doesn’t he ever have the same old boring and routine days like everyone else? He’s too young to be retired, but he never seems in a hurry to go to work. What’s up with this guy? In spite of my questions, I didn’t ask any for fear that he would want to reciprocate by asking personal questions about me. Not that I had anything to hide, I just didn’t like opening up to other people.

“I am so glad to see you again,” he said with that same permanent smile.

His smile reminded me of music show personalities. All through the show they have a great big smile plastered on their faces. I often imagined them eating and sleeping and even shaving with that huge abnormal smile. I usually got more enjoyment out of those imaginations than I did from their actual shows.

I was brought back to reality when he said, “If you like, we can continue our conversation and talk about another proof that God exists.”

“Sure,” I said. “Day before yesterday we discussed that every object in motion needed a mover. That was interesting and thought provoking. Some people might actually find it to be convincing, but I still have my doubts. I’m not easily swayed by every seemingly logical statement that comes my way. What else do you have that I can sink my teeth into?”

“Well, I don’t know if I can promise to give you the absolute answer you want, but I do have more proofs to share with you.” He stopped talking, took a sip of coffee and began looking around at others in the coffee shop, saying good morning to them. They must have been as self-centered as I was, because they pretty much just ignored him and continued to eat their bagels and drink their coffee as if no one else was in the coffee shop. Or maybe they thought he was the strangest person on the planet and simply ignored him. The brush off by the other patrons didn’t seem to affect him at all. He turned back to me and asked, “Did your coffee cup make itself?”

What a strange question. He said he was going to talk about God, but instead he asked if my coffee cup was capable of making itself. “No, it didn’t make itself. Anyone with a lick of sense knows that.”

“If the coffee cup didn’t make itself, then who or what made the coffee cup?”

“Well, sir, a machine made the coffee cup.”

“A machine?” he pondered. “Now this machine you are speaking of…did it make itself?”

“Now, you’re playing games with me,” I said. “No, sir, the machine didn’t make itself either.”

“Okay, friend, you’re saying that the coffee cup didn’t make itself, and the machine didn’t make itself either. Now then, machines are made up of many parts, right? Perhaps the parts made themselves. What do you think, friend? Do you suppose that the various parts of the machine created themselves?”

“I don’t know where you are going with this, sir. No, the parts of the machine could not, did not, and never will make themselves. Do you have a point to your madness?”

“As a matter of fact, I do. The coffee cup didn’t make itself. The machine that made the coffee cup didn’t make itself. The parts in the machine didn’t make themselves either. It just makes you want to scratch your head in wonderment, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m just scratching my head until it bleeds. Continue on, sir. Please make a point before I lose my mind.”

“Oh yes…I believe there is a point to my line of questioning. Everything that exists was created or caused by something else. That something else was an object or entity that already existed. Friend, herein is our dilemma. As we go farther and farther back in time, we should eventually reach the first thing that was created or caused. Is that right?”

“I don’t see the dilemma, sir. What is so confusing about the first thing caused or created?”

“Well, friend, perhaps you can help me with my confusion. Everything in existence needs something else to cause or create it. So when we get to the very first thing in existence, we should be able to determine that something was the cause of that very first thing. But if every cause is also in need of a cause, then what caused the first cause?”

“Now, you’ve got me thoroughly confused,” I said. “You must stay up all night dreaming up these riddles. How do you ever get any sleep?”

With a belly-rocking laugh he answered, “I’m not losing any sleep at night, but thanks for the concern. It certainly can be confusing. It’s almost like asking which came first, the chicken or the egg. If the chicken came first, then we wonder how the chicken came into existence without first hatching from an egg. If the egg came first, then we are in a quandary about where the egg came from, because an egg can only come from a chicken.”

My mind began drifting. I really didn’t have any concern about how much sleep he was getting. As a matter of fact, it was rare for me to feel such emotions for anyone, much less this stranger who had befriended me. I knew he was just being polite, but all too often politeness tends to be little more than a façade. On most any day of the week, someone will ask me how I’m doing. Before I have a chance to open my mouth and answer, they are moving on and talking to someone else. To me, politeness is highly overrated.

Back to the task at hand, I continued our conversation. “All right, I see our dilemma,” I said. “How can we dig our way out of this one? What caused the first cause?”

“Well, let’s just dig a little deeper. Nothing can begin to exist on its own power. It must have a prior cause before it can begin to exist. We’ve already determined that the universe and everything in it had a beginning. The first thing in the universe had to have had a cause. That is a fact. So, there must be something that is not a part of the universe that caused the universe and everything in it to come into existence.”

I had to protest his last statement. “Sir, there can’t be something that is not a part of the universe. The universe is the accumulation of everything that is. Outside of the universe there is nothing. Anyone should know that out of nothing comes nothing. So, how can there be something that is not a part of the universe? Quite obviously, something can’t be a part of nothing.” I leaned back with the confidence that I had stumped the stranger.

“You bring up a valid objection,” he said. “Let’s try it from another angle. Everything that exists was caused by something else. Anything and everything that ever came into existence was not capable of making its own self but had to be caused by something that already existed. Going back in time, we find a chain of caused objects preceded by the causes that created them. Eventually, we must find our way to the very first object that was caused. This first object must also have a cause. We now know that the universe had a definite beginning. And we know that everything that is must be caused by something that already exists. The only conclusion left is that there must be a first cause that is uncaused.”

Repeating himself he said, “Everything that exists was caused by something. That something was caused by something else. So, everything that ever existed had to have been caused by something else that was previously caused. If there was no uncaused cause, then the first thing that came into existence had to come from nothing.”

“Sir, I think you are baiting me. I guess I’ll go ahead and bite in spite of my better judgment. Something can’t come from nothing. That is impossible.”

“Well, if something can’t come from nothing, then we are left with the one and only conclusion that the very first cause had to be uncaused. The uncaused cause had to exist outside of the universe of material things. But the uncaused cause also must be something. It can’t be nothing.”

“Are we getting somewhere, sir?”

“Friend, I do believe we have arrived. The uncaused cause is not a part of our universe of material things, and the uncaused cause is not a part of nothing. Friend, I think we have stumbled onto the solution to our problem. Day before yesterday, we discovered that the first mover had to be the unmoved mover, called God. Today we have determined that the first cause must be the uncaused cause, called God. This uncaused cause is not a part of the universe. This uncaused cause is outside of time. The uncaused cause has no beginning, and it has no end.”

I found myself regretting the day I crossed paths with this stranger. Up until then, I felt fairly confident about my beliefs. He was causing me to doubt myself and question most everything I had previously settled in my mind. “You know,” I said, “I can’t think of an objection to your so-called proof at this very moment, but there must be one. Your conclusion seems to hold water, but I just can’t see how it absolutely proves the existence of God. It sure would be convenient if I could just see God. Then I would know for sure that he exists.”

“You are stubborn, indeed,” he said. “I’m sure that this proof is not an absolute proof, but it sure sounds convincing to me. Since we got to the bottom of the First Cause, perhaps we could explore another proof.”

“Not today,” I said. “My cup is empty, and it’s time to go to work. It appears that you’re beginning to become a regular patron here at the coffee shop. Perhaps we can continue the next time we meet.”

“You’re the boss,” he said with a big smile of his face. “I’ll look forward to our next chat. If you don’t mind, I’m going to just sit here a little longer and have another cup of coffee.”

“No problem,” I said. “I’ll see you later.”

The above excerpt is from the copyrighted book Conversations with a Stranger by Larry Tate

CWAS Excerpt Number Six

2011-07-11T21:11:00.000-05:00

This excerpt is from the sixth chapter of Conversations with a Stranger by Larry Tate

The Necessary

On Monday morning, the stranger was already seated at my table when I walked in. In a sense, he was no longer a stranger. We had been having regular encounters and conversations. He certainly didn’t treat me like a stranger, not even on the first day we met. But I wasn’t anxious to take our relationship to the point of being friends. Being more comfortable on a formal basis, I hadn’t even asked his name, and so far he hadn’t asked mine. As I approached the table he said, “Good morning, my friend.”

“Hello, sir.”

“Being alive is about the best thing there is. Don’t you agree?”

“Well, it’s better than the alternative,” I replied. “It sounds like things are going good for you, sir.”

“I’m just great!” he resounded. “If life was any better than this, I wouldn’t be able to stand it. How was work Friday?”

“Every day is just like the day before,” I moaned.

“Well, I think you’re in for a great future. I don’t know why I think so, but I just feel it. Can you feel it?”

“Not really, sir.”

“You’ll come around, I’m sure. Start imagining yourself doing what you want to do and feeling the way you want to feel. Start imagining that the answers to life’s questions are right in front of you, waiting to be seen and understood. Pretty soon you will come to believe what you are imagining. After you imagine something and believe it, you will eventually begin doing the things necessary to achieve it. Soon, you will find yourself possessing it.”

I wasn’t sure if he was feeding me some sort of mumbo jumbo or what. It wasn’t the first time I had heard that sort of philosophy, but I never had given much consideration to it. I decided to file it away in my mind and reconsider it at a later date.

While I was mulling over his last statement he asked, “Are you ready to see if we can discover another exciting proof of God’s existence?”

“I didn’t realize that the first two proofs were exciting. But yeah, let’s hear it.”

“Well, I for one can’t wait to get started.” He didn’t waste any time getting right into the subject matter. “I’m sure you’d agree that you, yourself, exist.”

“Well, that seems easy enough to answer, sir. I saw myself in the mirror this morning while nicking myself with a dull razor blade. So yes, I believe that I definitely do exist.”

“Can you exist in a vacuum chamber?”

“No, sir, I need air to breathe. Besides that, my eyes would probably pop out of their sockets if I was in a vacuum.”

“Can you exist without food?”

“No, I can’t. My body needs the nourishment provided by food in order for me to survive.”

“So, it appears that the survival of your body is contingent upon other things and other factors.”

“You have no argument from me,” I said.

Without hesitating, he continued, “It looks like you are telling me that your body can exist only if something else also exists right now, at this very moment.”

“Sir, I believe that to be true. Our bodies require the influence and impact of other things in order to survive.”

He leaned back in his chair and twiddled his thumbs. After a few moments he asked, “Friend, what exactly, are you?”

He had a strange way of communicating his ideas. “What am I?” I asked. “I’m a human, of course. The last I checked, I wasn’t in the jelly fish family.”

His perpetual smile grew even bigger. “Well, whether you are a human or a jelly fish, wouldn’t you say that you definitely are a material being?”

“No one has accused me of being a ghost, sir.”

Ignoring my sarcasm he asked, “And wouldn’t you say that you are a limited being, as opposed to an infinite being?”

“Sir, we decided previously that the term infinite implies something of an unlimited and unending nature. So yes, I am a limited being.”

“Finally, friend, are you a changing being?”

“Of course, I’m changing. I have a picture of myself when I was twenty-one years old. I certainly don’t look the same today as I did then. And then there are those aches and pains. I didn’t have them when I was twenty-one either. And then there is the problem with my hair. When I was twenty-one, I had lots of hair on my head. Today, that hair is on my back and in my ears. So, yes I am a changing being. I’m not too happy about it, but that’s the way it is.”

“Friend, you are about the funniest person I know. Anyhow, you’re admitting that you are dependent upon other factors, and that you are a limited and changing being. What else do you suppose is limited and changing?”

“Well, everything in the animal kingdom is limited and changing.”

“Is that all?”

This guy didn’t make things easy for me. Far be it from him to volunteer much information. He acted like he wanted me to come up with all of the answers. Who was teaching whom? “Well, sir, I reckon that everything in the plant kingdom is also limited and changing.”

“Is that all? Is there anything else?”

While waiting for me to think about his question and respond, he was busy drinking his coffee, eating his bagel, and glancing about the room. He was beginning to get on my nerves. There were times when he reminded me of when I used to play chess with my father. Being a youngster and not having much enthusiasm for becoming intimate with the intricate strategies of chess, I would have to sit for minutes on end laboriously thinking about each and every move. Not being one to sit idly by, my father would keep busy reading a book, changing channels on the radio, or talking to others in the room. The more he did that, the more frustrated I got. Eventually, and with much hesitation, I would make my move. Out of the corner of his eye, he would see me retract my hand from the game board. With speed and flair of authority, he would then move his piece. Then the whole frustrating process would start all over again for me.

My eyes must have glazed over while I was reminiscing about my past. I had completely forgotten what he had asked. “I’m sorry, sir. My mind must have drifted off. What did you ask me?”

“Not a problem, friend. You said that both plants and animals are limited and changing. I asked you if anything else is limited and changing.”

“Oh yes, now I remember. I’m not sure what else is also limited and changing. But I suspect I will know shortly.”

“I am referring to inanimate objects. Take rocks for example. Do you suppose that rocks are limited too?”

“That’s simple enough to answer. Yes, rocks are limited too. They’re not infinite by any means.”

“Wouldn’t you agree that most everything on earth is limited?”

“Sure. Why not? Everything on earth is limited.”

“What about the planets and stars? Are they limited?”

“Well, the only other choice is unlimited or infinite. So my vote is for all planets and stars being limited too.”

“Bear with me, my friend. I certainly do appreciate your patience.”

Patience is necessary indeed, I thought. I needed a lot of patience to listen to this fellow every day.

“Since the universe is the total accumulation of all planets, stars, and all other matter, wouldn’t you say that the universe and all that is within it is limited?”

“You drive a hard bargain, sir. Sure, why not? The entire universe is limited.”

“Perhaps you would also agree with me that the universe and all that is within it is also changing.”

I was beginning to understand the negative feeling that most people have with attorneys. Like this stranger, an attorney continuously builds his case one statement at a time until his victim is backed into a corner with no way out.

“Sir, I’ve got to protest. I don’t know that I can agree on the changing part. A rock doesn’t change. It’s inanimate. How can a rock change?”

“Have you ever hit a rock with a hammer?”

“Yes.”

“Did it break?”

“Yes.”

“So, it changed, did it not?”

“If you put it that way, I guess so.”

“What about the sun and the stars? The very act of giving light and heat requires change doesn’t it?”

“I suppose so.”

“Now, there is other matter in the universe. There are planets, asteroids, comets, and no telling what else drifting about in the universe. Do they not change whenever they are impacted by other matter floating about in the universe?”

A bit irritated, I protested, “Sir, you won’t quit until you win. Yes, it seems that the entire universe and all that’s within it is limited and changing in some form or another. What else do you want from me…my first born?”

Undeterred, he continued, “Now, my friend, let’s recap a little bit. The existence of every human, every animal, and every plant is contingent upon something else for its very being. Without something outside of themselves, they would not have come into existence. Without something outside of themselves, they would not continue to be in existence. Without something outside of themselves, they could not change.”

“I believe that is what we agreed on.”

“And all other matter, while not living and breathing, is dependent upon something outside of itself to cause it to change in the way that it changes. All matter and the entire universe, living or not living, is dependent or contingent upon something else.”

“It sounds like we are going in circles again, sir. You remind me of a guy who has one foot nailed to the floor and all he can do is walk in circles. But yes, you seem to have a point.”

“You are quite comical, my friend,” chuckled the stranger. “Your existence is contingent upon something else. The existence of that something else is contingent upon something else yet. This contingency goes on and on and on. It goes farther and farther back in the past to the very beginning. We already discussed that there is no such thing as perpetual motion. Likewise, there can’t be an entire universe of contingent beings that are all dependent upon other contingent beings for their existence and change. Everything that exists needs to be given being, but at some point in the past, there must be something that was not contingent on something else.”

“I feel like I’ve been here before, sir. I think you’re getting ready to make a point.”

“Yes, I believe we are working our way up to a point. There must be something that is not and cannot be contingent on something else. From our description and definition of the universe, this something cannot be the universe itself, and it cannot be any part of the universe. This something that is not dependent or contingent upon something else can only exist in itself. It must be something from outside the universe of matter and limited beings. But what is outside of the universe?”

“We have previously determined that there is nothing outside of the universe.”

“Can nothing have an influence on something?”

“No, sir. We’ve made a determination on that also. Nothing is nothing. Only something can have the capacity to influence something else.”

“We have arrived at another dilemma, my friend. All matter is contingent upon something else for its existence and/or change. But beyond the beginning of the universe, there was absolutely nothing. Before there was something, there was only nothing. If nothing has no capacity to create or change, then the universe could not have begun to exist. Yet, my friend, the universe did begin to exist. So there must be a necessary being that is not contingent upon anything else for its own existence. There must be something that exists, something that does not exist on the condition that something else gives it existence. There must be something that exists only in and of itself. The only thing required for this thing’s existence is this thing itself. There must be a necessary being that is not a part of the universe. There must be a necessary being to cause the being of all contingent beings. All of creation cannot owe its being to its own self, but to something other than itself. All of creation had a beginning. If all of creation had a beginning, then there was a time in which it was not. All of creation and all parts of creation could not have created themselves. All of creation was the result and influence of some other necessary being that was not made or created. This Necessary Being is God.”

“Kudos to you, sir,” I said while slowly clapping my hands in mock applause. “You’ve done it again.”

“No, my friend, we have done it again, you and me together.” Continuing as if I had not just insulted him, he said, “So far, we have explored several proofs of God’s existence. He is the Unmoved Mover, He is the Uncaused Cause, and now He is the Necessary Being. Our two simple minds have proven that God exists. How do you feel about our discovery?”

“As I stated before, these proofs are thought provoking indeed. As convincing as they are, they still don’t absolutely and without a doubt prove that God exists. At the risk of sounding defiant, I wonder if you have any other proofs.”

“You ask and I provide,” replied the stranger. “Yes, my friend, I do have more. Let me think…oh yes, I’ve got another good one. It goes like this—”

Quickly, I interrupted him, “Wait a second, sir. Time is getting away from me again. Will you be here tomorrow?”

“If you’re going to be here, I’ll make a point to be here also, friend. I look forward to sharing another proof developed by a great thinker.”

Getting up I said, “Sounds like a date. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

The above excerpt is from the copyrighted book Conversations with a Stranger by Larry Tate

CWAS Excerpt Number Seven

2011-07-10T13:38:00.000-05:00

This excerpt is from the seventh chapter of Conversations with a Stranger by Larry Tate

The Perfect

On Tuesday, I was tired and cranky. Lightning, thunder, and pounding rain outside my window kept me awake nearly all night. It didn’t help matters that when running to my car I stepped in a deep puddle of water and soaked my feet and pants.

When I arrived at the coffee shop parking lot, I reached under my seat for my umbrella. After stretching and straining, I finally found it. It was one of those compact umbrellas that fit in the palm of your hand when not in use. It looked pretty practical when I saw it on the store shelf. But on that particular day, I was about to regret my choice of umbrellas. I slammed my car door and began trudging across the parking lot toward the coffee shop. Suddenly, a gust of wind turned my umbrella inside out. By the time I got to the protection of the shop’s sidewalk awning, I was soaked from head to toe. I carefully reset my umbrella to its original shape, folded it up, and left it near the door.

The stranger was standing by the window watching others make a mad dash to the protection of the canopy over the sidewalk. “You look like a drowned rat,” he said without making any effort to hide his laughter.

“I feel like one too. What a sloppy day.”

He joined me at the counter while I waited on my coffee, but he didn’t order anything for himself. “No coffee for you today?” I asked.

“Can’t pass up my morning coffee,” he said. “But mine is already at our table.”

I jerked my head toward him with a mixture of surprise and disgust on my face. He was talking about our table as if we were the best of friends. I didn’t say a word. Instead, I just meekly followed him over to our table.

Sure enough, when we got to the table I spotted his coffee and a half-eaten cinnamon roll. Leaning against his chair was the most massive umbrella I had ever laid eyes on.

“You won’t get very wet with that umbrella,” I said.

“It certainly is a good one,” he replied. “I don’t enjoy getting wet like you do, so I bought the biggest and best umbrella I could find.” Again, he started laughing while pointing to my wet and dripping clothing.

I pretended that he never even made that remark. Instead, I just stared at my coffee.

After some silence, I glanced up and noticed that he was looking out the window at the still-pouring rain. “Not as nice this morning as yesterday,” he said.

“No, it certainly isn’t.”

“You know, there are bad days, not so bad days, good days, and not so good days. Then, you hear people talk about the absolute worst days or the most perfect sunny days.”

“Yeah and today is one of those not so good days,” I said.

“And then there are flimsy umbrellas, there are lousy little folding umbrellas like yours, and there are fantastic umbrellas like mine.” This time he didn’t bust out laughing, but he sure did have a big grin on his face.

“It sounds like you just insulted me, sir.”

“Oh. I’m sorry,” said the stranger. “I didn’t mean to insult you. I was just talking about how some days are better than others and how some things are better than others.”

“Next thing I know, you’re going to start talking about how much uglier I am than you,” I retorted.

“Now, I wouldn’t do that,” he said. “But now that you mention it, some people are better looking than others. Have you ever heard someone say that they saw the most beautiful woman in the world? Or have you ever heard someone refer to the ugliest person on the face of the earth?”

“Are you going somewhere with this insanity?” I asked.

“As a matter of fact, I am. If you are ready, I would like for us to explore another proof of God’s existence based on what we’ve just been talking about.”

How can he do that? I thought. Just a casual conversation about the weather can turn into another proof of God’s existence.

“So, discussing my little flimsy umbrella and a rainy day is sufficient enough to prove that God exists. I’ve got to hear this one. Please go ahead, sir.”

“Since you insist, I believe I will,” replied the stranger. “We’ve already noted that some days are better than others, and some umbrellas protect you from the rain better than others. We also agreed that some people have a better physical appearance than others. You know, virtually everything we see and do has a certain degree of quality based on the best or worst of its kind. One bed is softer than another; one light bulb is brighter than another; one shade of paint is whiter than another. All of those comparisons are based on the best of that particular quality. All of those comparisons are relating to degrees of perfection. Beauty is a certain degree of perfect beauty. On the other end of the scale, homeliness is also a degree of perfect beauty…just farther down the scale.” He paused, took a sip of coffee, and made an ugly face. “You know, my coffee isn’t as hot as yours because it’s been sitting on this table for quite a while. I think I need to pour it out and get a refill. If you will excuse me, I’ll be right back.”

Before he took two steps, he paused and looked back at me with a smile. “You know, it just hit me…I was just referring to the various degrees of hot coffee. Your coffee is hotter than mine. Yours is closer to the ultimate for hot coffee, and mine is farther down the scale for the perfect temperature of hot coffee.” Without another word, he spun on his feet, heading for the coffee counter. I could hear him chuckling as he went. This guy was just too happy for me.

When he returned I said, “You seem like a nice guy, but sometimes you talk about the strangest things.”

Without any hesitation he said, “Speaking of being a nice guy, I guess you’re comparing me to some people who are not so nice, some who are very nice, and some who are downright mean. It sounds like you have just compared me to others, in degrees of perfect niceness.”

“Well, sir, I suppose so.”

Continuing, he said, “And then there are degrees of goodness, degrees of knowledge, degrees of color, and even degrees of prosperity, wouldn’t you agree?”

“All right,” I said. “Everyone and everything has qualities that are of various degrees of perfection for some particular quality.”

“How discerning,” he answered. Are you sure you don’t already know where we’re going with this discussion?”

“Believe me,” I replied. “I don’t have a clue where we’re going.”

“All of the things we’ve discussed are thought of as more or less of a certain quality that is considered to be the ultimate of that particular quality. That ultimate quality is the perfect quality.”

“I’m anxious to see how you can tie this into the existence of God. Quite frankly, I am amazed at how you’ve been able to do it so far.”

“Not just me, my friend. We have done it together.”

“Sir, I don’t think we’ve done it together. You already knew all of the information we discussed.”

“Not exactly, my friend. I was aware of the basic premise for each proof, but you and I worked our way through each of the proofs together. Quite frankly, my friend, I am mighty glad to be able to glean some scientific reasoning from your point of view.”

I wasn’t too sure if I had just received a compliment or not. “You are kind, sir. But I’m still not sure where we are going with this.”

“We’re just about there, friend. Let’s recap a little bit. There’s the perfect day that we compare every day to, there’s the perfect umbrella by which all umbrellas are judged, there’s a perfect beauty, a perfect brightness, a perfect whiteness, a perfect color, a perfect heat, a perfect courtesy, and a perfect goodness. We could sit here all day and never exhaust all of the qualities that are gauged against the ultimate of their respective qualities.”

“That sounds perfectly logical to me. Oh…pardon the pun, sir.” Here I was, the most boring person in the whole wide world, actually having a little fun myself.

Then I realized that I was thinking in degrees of perfection. I was referring to myself as the most boring person, as opposed to an entertaining person. And I was thinking of having a little fun, which is less than a lot of fun.

“Now, we have to think a little deeper. We’ve been discussing degrees of perfection. Somewhere there must be a most perfect color blue and somewhere there must be the brightest white. Someone must possess the greatest amount of goodness and there has to be someone whose face is the most beautiful face of all faces. But can those perfections be found? We know that for every perfect color found, we will eventually discover an even more perfect color. For every beautiful face, we will someday find an even more beautiful face. How can we solve our problem and determine the most perfect of all those qualities?”

“I’m lost, sir. Do you have an answer? Oh, what am I saying? You always have an answer.”

“Great people have studied this problem. They have, in fact, uncovered the answer to the most perfect quality. Are you ready?”

“I’m on the edge of my seat, sir. What is it?”

“The universe and all that is within it is made up of material objects. There can never be an ultimate best in material objects because there will always be a better quality found at a later date. There also cannot be a most perfect trait in the universe because there will always be an even more perfect trait show up at some point in the future.

“There must be a most perfect of qualities by which all qualities are judged. This most perfect of all qualities is the most perfect. However, the most perfect cannot be a part of this universe.

“The most perfect that possesses the most perfect of all aspects and all traits must be outside of all that is. The most perfect cannot be the universe or a part of the universe. The most perfect being cannot be of material substance. The most perfect must exist in and of itself. In order for the most perfect to exist in and of itself, the most perfect must be the most perfect being. This most perfect being must be perfect in its own self and judged by its own self. This most perfect being; this perfect one—is God.”

I was flabbergasted. This stranger could really make a case. And every time, he did it without any written reference material. How did he do it?

“That certainly is thought provoking, isn’t it, friend? So far we have proven that God is the Unmoved Mover, the Uncaused Cause, the Necessary One, and now the Perfect One. That’s not bad for a couple of average Joes, is it?”

“Sir, you are too modest.”

“Friend, I couldn’t have done it without you.”

I raised my coffee cup to my lips and discovered that it was empty. Time was running out, so I told him that I needed to leave. He wished me well and told me that he was going to stay awhile and have some more coffee. I excused myself and walked out the door.

The above excerpt is from the copyrighted book Conversations with a Stranger by Larry Tate

CWAS Excerpt Number Eight

2011-07-09T16:21:00.000-05:00

This excerpt is from the eighth chapter of Conversations with a Stranger by Larry Tate

The Intelligent Designer

On Wednesday, just as I was about to go through the coffee shop door, I heard a voice coming from the courtyard. It was the stranger saying, “I’m out here, friend. It’s such a pretty day, why don’t we sit outside?”

That wasn’t my pattern, but conversing with this stranger for the past several days wasn’t my pattern either. “Sure,” I said. “I’ll be back as soon as I get my coffee.”

With coffee and bagel in hand, I went back outside and sat down. It was a little bit windy and my napkin started drifting across the table. Quickly, I reached out and grabbed the napkin just before it fell into the stranger’s lap. As I was about to retract my hand, he noticed a scar on my finger. “I hope you don’t think I’m being nosy, but I see that you have quite a scar on your finger. Do you mind telling me what happened to your finger?”

I thought, Do I think he’s nosy? I almost snickered. This guy had decided to be my friend without any encouragement on my part. Now, he was looking out for my health. Is he nosy? You bet he is.

Looking down to see what he was referring to, I saw the scar. I had nearly forgotten about the injury. “Oh, that. A couple of months ago, while repairing my gas grill, my hand slipped against a sharp component of the grill. It nearly cut my finger to the bone.”

“Did you go to the doctor?”

“No, I’m not into that medical stuff. Doctors and dentists scare me to death. I would rather take a beating than to go to a doctor.”

“But you said you were cut to the bone. To me, that sounds serious enough to require medical attention. At the very least, you needed a tetanus shot.”

“Probably so, but I did my own doctoring. I looked in my bathroom cabinets and found antiseptics and butterfly bandages. Then I closed up the wound and gave it time to heal. I don’t think it looks any different than it would have if a doctor had taken care of it. There were other nosy people who were also chiding me for not seeing a doctor, too.” Uh-oh. I just had a slip of the tongue. Telling a little white lie I continued, “Oh, I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to imply that you were being nosy.

With a broad smile on his face he said, “No offense taken.”

“Well, sir, like you, they were acting concerned and suggesting that I could end up with a dangerous infection or a horrible-looking scar. But here I am, healthy and whole.”

“Thank goodness for that,” he said. “It sure is nice that your body is capable of healing itself of so many potentially dangerous infections and diseases. Your body is an amazing self-healing machine, isn’t it?”

Before I could open my mouth to answer he continued, “You closed up the wound with a bandage and then watched as your body knitted the wound back together. Have you ever considered just how proactive your body is in destroying potentially life-threatening attacks? Do you realize that this activity goes on continuously: minute by minute and day by day?”

“No, I haven’t given it much thought.”

“Exactly,” he said. “There are literally hundreds and thousands of potential disease and infection attacks on your body every day. If you had to think about a response to each and every one of those attacks, you wouldn’t have time for doing anything else. Your body is designed to keep itself healthy with little or no conscious thought on your part. Just think of the contaminants in the air you breathe. And then, nearly every time you put something in your mouth, you are also swallowing innumerable bacteria that would just love to ravage your body. Thankfully, the various defense mechanisms in your body just automatically identify, attack, and destroy all of those harmful intruders.”

“Interesting,” I replied. “I wish my computer was that efficient. I’m always dealing with a computer virus.”

“Yes, friend, as smart as computers are, they don’t stand a chance against the complexities and abilities of the human mind and the human body.”

“Perhaps so, sir.”

“Now, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t see a doctor. A doctor, along with the medicine he gives you, assists your body in healing itself, sometimes at a much faster rate. The medical world has done wonders in eliminating many serious diseases.”

“I suppose you’re right, sir. There certainly does seem to be a lot more disease in third-world countries than there is here at home.”

“Yes, we have a lot to be thankful for. Speaking of disease and sickness, have you ever wondered why they say there is no cure for the common cold?”

“Come to think about it, that certainly is strange. They can just about eliminate polio from the face of the planet, but they can’t do much about a simple thing like the common cold.”

“Well, friend, I don’t know if it’s true or not, but I’ve heard that the common cold may never be eliminated.”

“That’s interesting. I’ve got a feeling that you’re getting ready to tell me why. I’m eaten up with suspense, sir. Let’s hear it.”

“From what I hear, the common cold is the body’s way of cleaning house.”

“That makes no sense to me, sir.”

“Think about it for a second. You vacuum a carpet, because over time the carpet accumulates dirt, dust, pet hair, and everything else you can imagine. Your vacuum cleaner removes all the dirt for you. However, if you don’t empty the bag, the vacuum cleaner will eventually lose suction and quit cleaning the carpet. Likewise, I’ve heard some people claim that your body also cleans house. The contaminants you breathe and swallow need to exit the body in some way or another. If they can’t be expelled properly and quickly, your body will give you what is known as the common cold. For two or three days you cough, sneeze, and blow your nose. Could it be that your body has just cleaned out its vacuum cleaner bag? I don’t know, but it sounds logical to me.”

“Sounds far fetched to me, but who knows, maybe it’s true.”

“And then, there’s the fever. There are those who say that your body develops a fever to burn out and destroy harmful organisms in your body. I’m not a doctor, but that sounds reasonable also.”

“Are we having all of this discussion because I’ve got a scar on my finger?” I asked.

“Yep, you’re right,” he said. “Whether the common cold theory or the fever theory is true or not, it’s still true that your body is an amazing healing machine. Wouldn’t you agree with that?”

Wearily, I agreed.

Without any sign of slowing down, he continued, “Your body is one complex organism, doing many things at once with little or no conscious effort on your part, right?”

Before I had a chance to respond, he continued, “Your body is one single biological unit, but on closer examination a person would have to admit that the human body is able to function only because many organs and other body parts are working in cooperation and in unison with each other. While the heart’s only function is to pump blood, it depends on signals from the brain to determine the rate of its pumping action. Even though the heart has no direct contact with the kidneys, it must supply blood to the kidneys so that they might do their own function for the health of the body. If the heart failed to supply blood to the kidneys, the kidneys would fail to do their part. If the kidneys failed to do their part, the heart would ultimately fail. So the kidneys are dependent on the heart, but the heart is dependent on the kidneys. It gets confusing doesn’t it?”

As usual, he had my mind going in circles. It seemed as though every subject he talked about gradually went to the impossible premise that everything is dependent on something else.

“Think about your vision,” he said. “You don’t even think about the effort involved in order to cause your eyes to function properly so that you can enjoy looking at nature. Your brain tells your eyes to focus on your cup of coffee. Then in an instant, when you decide to look up at a tree, your brain instructs your eyes to change shape and focus on the tree. Like your body, your eyes are made up of many intricate mechanisms that all work together in an intelligent manner so that you might be able to see the tree.” Without missing a beat he continued, “Your body is an amazing biological machine. Your body is made up of many interconnected, dependent organs. The organs are made up of specialized tissues and cells. The cells are made up of molecules, and the molecules are made up of atoms. Each and every step we take toward the most basic parts of our bodies, we find materials that are working together in an efficient and intelligent manner for the good of the greater.”

“I didn’t know I was meeting you this morning for a biology lesson,” I said.

“Well, with me you never know, do you? It appears that the wonders of your body can prove that there is a God.”

Here we go again, I thought.

He continued, “The way your body works and the way every part of your body works together can only be accomplished by an intelligent order. Like the relationship between the heart and the kidneys, if any interdependent part of an organ fails to do its part, other parts, and the body as a whole, will suffer. The only way such interdependence can exist is by way of intelligent design. Design doesn’t just happen by chance. Design is the product of a designer.

“The universe and everything in it operates the way it does because of its design. Since everything in the universe is dependent upon something else in some way or another, there must be intelligent design.

“This intelligent design cannot be a part of the universe because the entire universe operates as a result of intelligent design. There must be something that is not a part of the universe that intelligently designs all that is within the universe. There must be something that is designed in and of itself and requires no outside influence for its own intelligent design.”

He stopped and sat back in his chair for what seemed like an eternity. The ensuing silence allowed my mind to consider his latest statements. I could not deny the fact that the components of the universe seem to have the uncanny ability of working together as if they were designed to do so. Although I didn’t have any strong feelings regarding the existence of God, his argument certainly did cause me to wonder about the possibility of some sort of intelligent design. I didn’t have anything more to add, so I just waited for his next words.

Presently, he said, “There must be a non-designed intelligent designer. This non-designed designer must be designed in and of itself. It cannot be designed by any other outside influence. There must be an Intelligent Designer of this universe and all that is in it. The Intelligent Designer is God.”

He had done it again. It seemed that every time he came to one of his deep and mysterious conclusions, he would break out in a great big smile as if he was patting himself on the back for how smart he was.

“You make a good argument,” I said. “I don’t know if I’m more intrigued with the subject matter of your arguments or your techniques for building a case.”

“I take that as a compliment,” he said. “You are very kind.”

I hadn’t made up my own mind if I was being kind to him or not. How many days was I going to have to listen to this stranger? I really liked the coffee shop and I didn’t want to try out a new one, but it seemed that as long as I continued to frequent this particular shop, I was going to have to deal with him.

Time was beginning to slip by and I needed to leave for work. I told him that his intelligent designer argument was somewhat interesting, but not interesting enough to sway my opinion one way or another.

Unaffected by my candor, he smiled at me and continued drinking his coffee. I didn’t know if I could ever hurt his feelings. My remarks just seemed to go right past him as if I hadn’t said a word. As a matter of fact, he seemed to get friendlier than ever before.

The above excerpt is from the copyrighted book Conversations with a Stranger by Larry Tate

CWAS Excerpt Number Nine

2011-07-08T23:16:00.000-05:00

This excerpt is from the ninth chapter of Conversations with a Stranger by Larry Tate

The Greater

Like clockwork, I showed up at the coffee shop on Thursday at my usual time. Like clockwork, the stranger was there too. What more could he find to talk about? Not to worry, I was sure he had plenty more material to try out on me.

I was in a big rush on this particular day. An early appointment was on my mind. My boss had instructed me to meet with him before I did anything else. He didn’t tell me what the meeting was about; he just said to be there. I didn’t do well with changes in my pattern, but deal with it, I must.

I must have been squirming in my seat because he said, “You look like you’re in a hurry this morning.”

“Yes, sir, I am. I’ve got an early meeting scheduled today. I’m sorry, but I can’t stay long. I guess I won’t be able to hear another of your proofs that God exists. I’ve got to drink my coffee quickly and run. I’m sorry, sir.”

“I understand,” he said. “It’s important to take care of business.” Hesitating, he said, “I was really looking forward to another discussion on the proofs of God.”

“It doesn’t look like it’ll work out for today…unless you’ve got a really short one.”

“Actually, I think I do. Maybe five minutes’ worth.”

There I went again. I had given a reason for not wanting to listen to him, and he had an answer to my objection. “Okay. It’ll take that long to drink this hot coffee anyway. Go ahead, sir.”

“I’ll get right to the point, my friend. I know you haven’t made up your mind if there is a God or not. However, for argument’s sake let’s consider the concept of God. In your mind, could you imagine anything, or any being that would be greater than God?”

“No, I cannot. If there actually is a God, there couldn’t be a greater being. If there were, then he wouldn’t be God.”

“So, my friend, it looks like you’re admitting that the concept of God can and does exist in your mind. Is that correct?”

“Yes, sir, the concept of God exists in my mind.”

“And even though you personally haven’t made up your mind about it, could he actually exist in reality?”

“We are exploring all options anyway. Yes, God could exist both in my mind and in reality. Now, sir, that doesn’t mean to imply that I think he really does exist.”

“I understand, my friend. Okay, now suppose that he exists in your mind, but not in reality. Then, my friend, a greater than God could be thought.”

“Why is that, sir?”

“Because a God existing in reality is greater than a God existing only in your mind. Am I correct in that assumption?”

This guy was really good at throwing out statements and questions that required a lot of thought before answering. I considered his proposal. We had agreed that when considering the concept of God, one must determine that a greater than God could not be thought. He threw a monkey wrench in my thinking when he suggested that we assume that God exists in our minds but not in reality. In such a case, there would be a violation against our concept of God, because it would then be possible to think of a God existing in reality, even though he actually does not exist in reality.

“Sir, I believe there is a problem with your last statement. We’ve already determined that a greater than God cannot be thought. An assumption that he does not actually exist in reality would go against our concept of God.”

“Friend, I believe you are on to something. I guess it would be impossible for God to exist only in our minds. We have already determined that it would be impossible to think of anything greater than God. If God existed only in our minds, we would be able to imagine that God also exists in reality. Imagining a God who exists in reality would be imagining a God who is greater than a God who just exists in our minds. Friend, do you know what we have just done?”

“No, sir, I don’t. What have we just done?”

“We have just proven that God must exist in both our minds and in reality.”

“How do you do this, sir?”

“It’s not me, my friend. We did this together. We used our own thoughts, wisdom, and deductive powers to prove that God exists. That grey matter between our ears has been hard at work.”

“Let me get this straight. If I can imagine the concept of a God in which nothing is greater, then by default, he must also exist in reality. Is that what you’re saying?”

“It’s not just me, friend. You and I are both saying that.”

“Don’t put me in the God-believing camp just yet, sir. For such a short session, you have given me a lot to chew on. I am not one to make fast decisions. I like to look at everything from every possible angle. Sir, there are a lot of angles to the things we have been discussing. If and when we actually prove without a doubt that God exists, I will be the first to embrace that concept.”

I looked at my watch and realized that the meeting with my boss was quickly approaching. I slid my chair back and stood up. “Sir, I’m sorry for leaving so quickly, but I’ve got to get to my meeting. Although you may believe that God exists both in your mind and in reality, I know for a fact that my boss exists both in my mind and in reality. If I don’t get to that meeting on time, my job may no longer be a reality. ”

Chuckling, he said, “All right, my friend. Business is business. I hope it is a good and profitable meeting. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

The above excerpt is from the copyrighted book Conversations with a Stranger by Larry Tate

CWAS Excerpt Number Ten

2011-07-07T19:33:00.000-05:00

This excerpt is from the tenth chapter of Conversations with a Stranger by Larry Tate

The Parting

I rushed to work and hurriedly parked my car. I knocked at my boss’ office door and said, “Good morning, sir.” Did you wish to see me?” My face reddened. Why did I ask that? I knew he wanted to see me, and he knew that I knew that he wanted to see me. The last thing he told me the day before was that he wanted to see me. “I’m sorry, sir. I knew you wanted to see me. I’m just a little flustered this morning.”

“Sit down,” he said while motioning toward a chair. “We’ve got a lot to talk about.”

As I nervously found my seat, I wondered, What could this be? Surely, I’m not in trouble. I’m the most trustworthy employee he’s got. All of my reports and assignments have been complete and on time. What else could it be? The reddening in my face began to be replaced by an ashen white, caused by the intense fear that gripped me. I’m being fired, I thought. What will I do? Where will I go? This is the only job I’ve ever had.

Interrupting my racing thoughts he said, “Bill, you may have heard that we’re starting a new office on the East Coast.”

With a stammering voice I answered, “Yes, sir, it’s been rumored about for some time now.”

“Well, Bill, you are my most trusted employee. I want you to go to the new site, get it set up, and running.”

I wasn’t in trouble. What a relief. Color began to come back into my face. My shaking hands began to stop quivering. I relaxed a little and repositioned myself in my seat.

“I don’t know how long it will take, Bill, but I would guess a couple of months—four at the most. What do you think?”

Four months? I thought. Good grief. I don’t like living out of a suitcase.

Lying, I said, “Sir, I am honored that you would consider me. I will do my best. The good of the company comes first.”

“Great, Bill. I knew you would be a team player. As a matter of fact, I’ve already arranged for your flight. You’re leaving at nine o’clock in the morning.”

What a price to be a team player, I thought. “Sir, that’s not much notice.”

“I know, Bill. I really am sorry, but this thing came together quicker than I anticipated. But, I know you will be able to pull it off.”

“Okay. I’ll be on the plane.”

“Thanks, Bill. I’m depending on you to make us shine. Good luck.”

I didn’t share his enthusiasm as I left the office, but I didn’t let him know about it. I went home and began packing my bags. Just before going to bed, I noticed the notes I had been making after each meeting with the stranger. At the last moment, I threw the notes in my suitcase. Four months is a long time. I figured that I might as well go over those notes and see if they can make any more sense to me.

On Friday morning, I got up a little earlier than usual. I figured I might as well have one last cup of coffee at my favorite coffee shop. I knew that by coming early, I would miss the stranger, but we weren’t exactly buddies anyway. He would just have to get over it. Besides that, we hadn’t even exchanged names.

After arriving at the coffee shop I ordered my coffee and sat down by the door. I wanted to take in all of the familiar sites of home before leaving. I had no more than taken my first sip of coffee than who walked in the door, but the stranger.

“Hello, friend. You’re here early today.”

I was surprised to see him at the coffee shop this early in the morning. “Yes I am,” I said.

Since he was there, I decided that I might as well explain what was going on and why I wouldn’t be back at the coffee shop for a while. “Sir, I’m afraid our conversations must come to an end.”

“Friend, have I offended you? If I have, I would like to make things right.”

“Oh no, you haven’t offended me. I honestly can’t say that I have been enthused about your proofs that God exists, but you may be delighted to know that I have taken notes on every one of them. Actually, sir, my boss surprised me yesterday with the news that I must leave town on business for an extended period of time.”

“Oh, was that the important meeting you had to get to?”

“Yes, sir, it was. I really don’t know when I will be back. Sir, I can’t say that you’ve convinced me to believe that God exists, but I plan to examine my notes a little closer while I am gone. Whenever I do make it back home, perhaps we could continue our conversations. Do you live nearby?”

“No, friend, I don’t actually live here. I’m just passing through.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” I replied. “It looks like we may never meet again.”

“Don’t worry about it, my friend. I’ve enjoyed the conversations we’ve had together. I just hope you have enjoyed my company as much as I’ve enjoyed yours.”

I didn’t understand how he could consider me to be a good conversationalist. I mainly just listened to him and answered his questions. You meet all kinds of people during your life. This guy was one of those that causes you to scratch your head.

I couldn’t be as enthusiastic as he was, but I tried to be cordial. I wished him well and got up to leave the coffee shop.

He embarrassed me when he also got up and gave me a massive bear hug. “Take care,” he said. “You’ve been a joy to talk to.” I nervously glanced about the room to see what the other patrons thought about me getting a lingering hug from the stranger. I was relieved to see that they didn’t give us any glaring looks of surprise.

The above excerpt is from the copyrighted book Conversations with a Stranger by Larry Tate

CWAS Excerpt Number Eleven

2011-07-06T18:56:00.000-05:00

The Revelation

This excerpt is from the eleventh chapter of Conversations with a Stranger by Larry Tate

I looked over my notes during the first few days at the new job site. I had a bad habit of being too detail oriented. Not only had I entered all of my notes on my laptop computer, but I had even titled my notes as if I was writing a book. Sitting there on my nightstand was a neatly stapled stack of notes entitled Conversations with a Stranger. Sometimes I had to shake my head at myself when wondering why I did the things I did.

His assumptions and conclusions regarding the existence of God did seem to make a lot of sense. And they could be quite convincing to someone who was not as analytical as I was. But he was not dealing with the average Joe. He was dealing with me. Still not convinced, I put the notes back in my suitcase.

Days came and went. Each time I left the motel room, I would notice a Bible on the lamp stand by the door. One evening, finding myself rather bored, I glanced over at the Bible. It caused me to think about my conversations with the stranger. He had said that his proofs were not actually his own proofs. Instead, they were the products of great men from the past. Not once had he mentioned a proof from the Bible. That struck me as odd. Normally, Christian fanatics point to the Bible to back up and prove virtually everything they are promoting. Was that stranger one of those Christian fanatics? If so, why didn’t he refer to the Bible? If not, why did he care about proving God’s existence? I was beginning to wonder about the stranger. He didn’t seem to fit either category.

I decided that since I was stuck in a motel room for no telling how long, I might as well read the Bible. It would be interesting to see what it had to say about God and His existence.

I tackled my Bible reading just like everything else I did. I read it from cover to cover; frontward and backward. I even went so far as to make my own flash cards. Starting with page number one, I began reading and taking notes. Days turned into weeks. Weeks turned into months. I ended up being gone from home a little more than four months. During that time I had amassed many notes taken from that motel Bible. Although the Bible was interesting indeed, I was not able to find any absolute proof of God’s existence in the Bible.

One night before going to bed, I labored over my notes one more time. I just couldn’t find anything to point to and definitively state that I had finally proven that God exists. I went to bed that night thinking about my quest. My mind drifted to all of the Bible characters who claimed to know God. It seemed as though they had a certain peace and stability about them. It seemed as though they had a purpose that defined their lives.

Before going to sleep, I murmured to myself, I don’t know if God exists but if he does, I sure would like to know him the way those people did. Finally, a fitful sleep overtook me. I tossed and turned for hours. Suddenly, I woke up and bolted to a sitting position. Had I heard a knock at the door? I raced to the window and looked outside. No, it wasn’t anyone at the door. I went back and sat down on the edge of the bed. My heart was pounding and my mind was racing. I had been awakened by my own thoughts. I can’t say how it happened, but a common theme from my Bible notes was playing itself out in my mind over and over again. I tried going back to bed, but I couldn’t clear my mind.

Finally, I got out of bed, turned on my light, and began typing furiously on my laptop computer. By morning I was exhausted, but satisfied. Out of the hundreds of pages in the Bible, the truth of God’s existence along with His plan for me was staring me in the face. How could I have missed it all those years?

A week later, I wrapped up business on the out-of-town project and arranged to go back home.

The above excerpt is from the copyrighted book Conversations with a Stranger by Larry Tate

CWAS Excerpt Number Twelve

2011-07-05T14:25:00.000-05:00

This excerpt is from the twelfth chapter of Conversations with a Stranger by Larry Tate

The Light

On the first morning back home I returned to my favorite coffee shop. The person behind the counter did a double take and said, “Where have you been? I thought you had left us.”
“I just had to leave town for an extended business trip. I’m back now…for good, I hope.”
“I’m trying to remember; you’re a black coffee and bagel man, right?”
“Yes, you’re right.”
“Here you are. Have one on the house and welcome back.”
“Thanks,” I said as I headed off for my favorite table. Then I stopped in mid stride. I no longer desired to be in a dark corner of the coffee shop by myself. Spinning on my feet, I headed toward a table near a window.
This time, instead of just drinking my coffee and staring off into space, I found myself busily reading over my Bible notes. This was a refreshing change to my routine. In the past, I usually nursed my coffee while dreading the long day of work ahead of me. This time, I felt energized. I even caught myself locking eyes with other people and smiling at them.
While engrossed in my reading I heard a strangely familiar voice ordering coffee at the counter. Surely not, I thought. The stranger told me he was just passing through. What would he be doing here four months later?
I turned around, saw that he had already discovered me, and was making his way to my table. From thirty feet away he hollered out, “Good morning, friend. It certainly is nice to see you again. How was your trip? Did you have a good time?”
“The trip was good,” I said. “It can be a little rough living in a motel room, but I made it safe and sound. Sir, I thought you were just passing through. I’m surprised to see you here this morning.”
“Oh, you never know about me,” he chuckled. “I could turn up just about anywhere and at any time.”
We talked for half an hour about my job and various other subjects. Eventually he said, “Since we’ve crossed paths again, would you like to take up where we left off? I’ve found more proofs that God exists. The last time we talked, you still weren’t convinced that God actually exists.”
Not being one to mince words I answered, “No, sir, I don’t.”
There was a bit of surprise in his face. After a moment of silence he asked, “Have I offended you, friend?”
“No, sir, you haven’t. I’m sorry that I sounded so blunt. Please forgive me, sir, and let me explain.”
With a look of relief, he said, “Whew. Thank goodness. You had me worried for a minute. Please continue, friend.”
“Sir, if you remember, I made notes on all of your proofs. I took those notes with me on my trip with the intention of reading them a little closer. They made a certain amount of sense, but they just didn’t go far enough to convince me that there is, in fact, a God. I was able to find objections to just about all of your proofs.”
“Friend, they are not my proofs. If you remember, I told you that the proofs were from some great religious thinkers.”
“Again, I am sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to imply that they were your own proofs. Sometimes I am just a little too blunt. However, my point is that the proofs are not one hundred percent water tight.”
“Friend, I thought you might say that. I was expecting such a response from you. Even though it is possible to voice legitimate objections to each and every proof, you might consider that when taken as a group, the proofs can weigh mightily toward ultimately proving the existence of God.”
“Your point is well taken, sir, but when you add it all up, everything you’ve told me is merely an accumulation of theories developed by men.”
“I’ll give you that, my friend. They are theories indeed. But theories can be very convincing. A theory is based on certain assumptions that cannot be one hundred percent proven or validated. But in spite of that, we benefit from theories every day. We have real, material things in our lives as a result of the application of theories. Even though theories are not one hundred percent provable, they help us to have better lives. So friend, is it really such a leap for you to believe these theories on God’s existence?”
“Sir, you make a strong case for everything you say. But if you don’t mind, I would like to be the teacher today. I am not as eloquent as you, but if you would bear with me, I believe I have something of importance to relate to you.”
He looked at me with a little uncertainty in his face. Then after recovering he said, “Be my guest, friend. You certainly were attentive when I was the one doing the teaching. I’m anxious to hear what you have to say.”
I swallowed hard and began, “Sir, I studied and considered all of your proofs. After a few days though, I gave up on finding an absolute proof of God’s existence. Then one day I noticed a Bible in my room. I realized that you had exclusively promoted the thoughts and ideas of intelligent men, but not once had you referenced anything from the Bible, which is considered by many to be the Word of God. I decided to read the Bible and see if anything might stand out on its pages and convince me of the existence of God.”
He hesitated for a few seconds. Then with a weak voice he said, “Okay, friend, what was your conclusion?”
“I read the Bible from cover to cover, making notes as I went. One night, I woke up with a sudden realization…no I woke up with a sudden revelation of God’s existence.”
He sat up straight in his chair and said, “This I’ve got to hear. Please, friend, tell me what you discovered.”
I continued, “I’m warning you, sir, it’s not going to be the kind of proofs you may be expecting to hear from me. I doubt that you would even call them proofs at all. There were several passages of scripture that stuck with me. I’ll share a couple of them with you. There was one in which the disciple named Thomas said he would not believe that Jesus was raised from the dead unless he first saw Jesus with his own eyes. Eventually when Jesus appeared to him Thomas finally did believe, and he called Jesus his Lord and God. However, it doesn’t appear to me that that Jesus was pleased with Thomas’ doubt. Jesus more or less chided Thomas for requiring an absolute proof before he would believe. Jesus said that the ones who believe in Him without having to see Him are the ones who are truly blessed. This chastisement made me think of my own situation. I had wanted undeniable proof before I would believe that there is a God. But Jesus just wants me to simply believe in Him, and He wants me to simply accept Him in my heart.”
“Are you sure about that?” asked the stranger. “I have been giving you strong proofs, which you have not accepted. Then while you were gone, you decided to accept a concept that is nowhere near a proof?”
“Yes, sir, I am sure. Another scripture speaks about a time when Jesus’ disciples attempted to keep little children from pestering Him. Jesus rebuked the disciples and said that whoever doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God as a little child, the same shall not be permitted to enter into His Kingdom. This passage caused me to recall that a child doesn’t normally question his father’s authority. The child trusts his father and he blindly accepts what his father says as truth. God’s Word tells us that He exists. We are expected to accept God’s existence by faith, not by proof. We are not a judge and jury who must be presented a proof of his existence. He tells us that He exists. That’s all we need to know. We are to trust what He tells us just as a child trusts his father.”
The stranger just sat there, staring at me. I didn’t know if he was mad or embarrassed or just speechless.
I was on a roll, so I continued saying, “Over and over again, the Bible instructs us on one primary theme—that we are to simply believe in Him. We don’t need proof; we don’t need intelligent men to show Him to us; we don’t need to see him face to face. Sir, we are to believe in Him and accept Him into our lives. Sir, while I was away, my life changed. I came to be a believer in God. I didn’t become a believer because of your proofs. Instead, I became a believer because I simply made up my mind to be a believer. Sir, I have accepted Christ into my life. I am a new person.”
Still, he sat in silence. I couldn’t read his face. For all I knew, he might have been getting ready to reach across the table and hit me.
I went on, “Sir, please understand that I am not trying to ridicule you. I think your heart may be in the right place, but I believe that you are putting too much emphasis on the knowledge and intelligence of men. Sir, I suspect that you are not much different than I was. It looks to me like you decided to believe that God exists, only because of proofs that men have developed. I suspect that you believe, only so long as you have been provided a definitive proof of God’s existence. I am reminded of passages in the Bible that tell us that the wisdom of this world is as foolishness with God. Not once did you speak to me of anything that is written in God’s Word. You only spoke from the vantage point of man’s wisdom. As intelligent as some men are, they cannot begin to comprehend the nature of God. Now, sir, there is nothing wrong with using man’s wisdom and knowledge—nothing whatsoever. Man’s wisdom and knowledge is good, up to the limits placed on him by God. But in the end, regardless of man’s knowledge, a person must make the decision to simply believe in God and accept Him by faith.”
The stranger may as well have been a statue. He sat rigidly in his chair. His eyes didn’t move. His face didn’t change. He never even touched his coffee.
Swallowing hard, I continued, “I can’t really put my finger on it, sir. But that’s the beauty of accepting Christ. He wants us to accept him by faith, not by fact. If he expected us to accept him only after absolute facts were presented to us, he would have made us like mindless little toy soldiers. He would have programmed us to believe that he is the master and maker of all that is and that we are to believe in him and accept him because he told us to, and we have no other choice in the matter.”
Silence was the only thing coming from the other side of the table.
I was in too deep to back out so I continued, “You, sir, have based your own belief that God exists on man’s wisdom and knowledge. I am not suggesting that the theories you presented to me are wrong. I am not suggesting that those great thinkers are wrong. As a matter of fact, I believe those men were great men of God. I am not suggesting that man’s knowledge and wisdom shouldn’t be taught. What I am suggesting is that belief in God should have its roots in the Word of God. Then and only then, man’s wisdom can be presented as a supplement to God’s Word. Then, after you have accepted Him, you should turn around and tell others about Him, using God’s Word as the basis, and man’s wisdom as a supplement.”
Breaking his silence, he said, “You’ve certainly developed quite an opinion.”
“Yes, sir, I have. I have determined that the central theme of God’s Word is that you are to make the decision within your heart to believe in God. After you accept Jesus into your heart by faith, you will receive salvation. He made you with a free will. He wants you to use your own free will to choose to believe in him. He wants you to accept him unconditionally. He doesn’t want you to attempt to prove that He exists by way of man’s wisdom and intelligence. No, sir, he wants you to accept him by faith.”
Appearing to be somewhat humbled he said, “Do you have any more to say, my friend?”
“Yes, sir, I do. Sir, you believe there is a God. I believe in God.”
“Well, friend, it sounds like we both believe the same thing.”
“Respectfully, sir, I don’t believe we do. Even the devils believe there is a God. Sir, you only believe with your mind that God exists. On the other hand, I believe in God. I believe with my heart. Sir, please don’t take offense at this, but I suspect that your belief is rejected by God, while my belief is accepted by God.”
“Friend, now you’re going out a limb. Do you have an explanation for that last statement?”
“I’ll try, sir. When a person merely believes something, they only passively believe. But, when a person believes in something, they actively believe.”
“Is there a difference, my friend?”
“Sir, when people believe in something, they become actively involved in their belief. They join forces with others of like belief. They promote their belief. They sell their belief. They defend their belief. They are activists. Suppose that we have an elected leader who is suspected of being involved in corruption. Anyone can believe that the corrupt leader should be removed from office. But activists take their belief to the next level. They organize, they march, they take their belief to the streets, and they make their voices heard. Things may get so far out of hand that the government is forced to bring in law enforcement personnel to maintain peace and civility. Due to belief with action behind it, the leader is likely to be removed from office. Passive believers don’t get anything done. Active believers advance their cause. Sir, you passively believe, but you’re not actually promoting the Kingdom of God. All you have done is tell me that God exists from an academic point of view. Back in Jesus’ day, most of the Pharisees, priests, and other Jewish religious rulers did not accept Jesus Christ. However, there were certain ones among them who actually did believe that He was the Son of God. However, they so enjoyed being praised by the people, that they would not openly admit that they believed in Christ. Sir, I believe they were passive believers, just as you are. Jesus tells us that there is no way to get into the Kingdom of God except through Him. Sir, God is love, first and foremost. We cannot see love and we cannot touch love. We can only feel love. God’s love is all around us and in us. We don’t need to see God to know He exists. We only need to experience his love for us. Then we will know He exists.”
“Friend, you are definitely frank and to the point.”
“Believe me, sir, I am telling you this with utmost humility. I would like to suggest that you do what I did. I realized that Jesus became the Sacrificial Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. You, sir, need to believe in Him and accept Him into your own heart. When you do, you, too, will be a changed person. God will live within you. He will be a part of your very being.”
“You have certainly stated your case with conviction. Friend, I am impressed. You’ve become a different person since I last saw you.”
“Yes, sir, I have. Sir, may I ask one last thing?”
“I’m afraid to say yes after the beating I just received from you, but go ahead.”
“Sir, I have two requests to make. First, I would like to formally ask you to accept Jesus into your heart and become one of his followers. Secondly, I would like for you and I to become friends. Do you realize that we have never been formally introduced to each other? My name is Bill. May I ask yours?”
His face began glowing. I thought I had embarrassed him. Was it because I told him his teachings were wrong, or was it because he had never asked my name? But then, I realized that his face was not turning red. Instead, his face was turning white. I wondered if he was about to faint. No, he couldn’t be about to faint. If he were, he would be taking on a somewhat ashen appearance. Instead, he seemed to be glistening in the brightest and whitest hue I had ever seen. Whiter and brighter he became, so bright I had to start shielding my eyes. Not just his face, but his whole body, clothing and all were glowing. The whole room was bright. I could never have imagined a brighter or a whiter white. I was in such a shock I couldn’t find any words to say. I may as well have had cotton in my mouth. Then I began to notice scars about his forehead, and horrible gashes in his hands.
Eventually it came to me that sitting right in front of me was none other than Jesus Christ himself. After an eternity of moments I managed to find the strength to speak, “Jesus, is that you?”
“It is I, my friend. I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
After another long and painful silence, I asked, “Lord, was it you who met with me all of those mornings right here in this coffee shop?”
“Yes, my friend. It was I.”
“And Lord, was it you who explained to me all of those proofs of God’s existence?”
“Yes, my friend. It was me.”
“I feel terrible, Lord. I just got through correcting you, and yet you sat there and listened to me. Lord, why didn’t you reveal yourself to me on the very first day? Why did we have to go through all of those conversations? Lord, I was never convinced by those proofs. I finally became convinced when I searched for you in the Word of God. What if I had never picked up a Bible and searched for more?”
“Friend, I only answer that which has been asked. On the very first day, you said that no person had ever given you an absolute proof of God’s existence. You said that you would believe only if someone could furnish you with undeniable facts.”
“Yes, Lord. So why didn’t you show yourself to me?”
“I answered the questions you asked. You wanted man’s ideas. I gave you man’s ideas. You were not really seeking me. You were merely looking for a scientific proof that I existed. Had you told me that you were seeking God and wanted to know God, I would have answered you differently. You now know me because you blindly accepted me, just as would a child.”
I was astonished at my foolishness. The Maker of all things had been sitting at my table day after day after day. But I was not able to know him as long I attempted to understand him using the knowledge and wisdom of mankind. It was only after I accepted him by faith that I actually came to know him.
As quickly as he had begun glowing, he started fading from my sight. With fear gripping me, I said, “Lord, where are you going? Are you leaving me, just at the very moment I found you?”
Still fading, he replied, “Friend, you didn’t find me today.”
Confused and trembling I said, “Lord, it was just a few minutes ago that you appeared to me.”
“Friend, I appeared to you a few minutes ago, but you found me back in that motel room. Now, I must go. There are others who are seeking me.”
“But, Lord, please don’t leave me now. I have so many questions. What about rules and regulations? How am I to know what I should and should not do? How do I know how to live my life?”
I was struggling to see him. I could just barely make out his image as he answered, “Now that you have accepted me in your life, I live within you. I am a part of your very being. So long as you love me and love your neighbor, you will have me with you as your guide. When you truly live for me, when you have me living within you, you will have no trouble knowing how to obey my laws. You will know within your heart if a thing is right or wrong; you will know instinctively what you must do. Tell me, friend, do you have to hold on to anything in order to keep yourself from floating out of your chair and up into the sky?”
“No, Lord, I stay on the ground because of the law of gravity.”
“That’s right, my friend. You are obeying the law of gravity right now, not because you are obeying written rules, but because you are an integral part of this earth’s system and its physical laws. If you were to ride in a rocket ship out into the vast reaches of space, you would no longer be bound by earth’s gravitational laws. You would be free of the law of gravity and you would float about in space. Likewise, as long as you are truly in the Kingdom of God, you will obey my laws. Do you remember the story of Peter walking on the water?”
“Yes, Lord.”
“As long as Peter kept his eyes on me, he had the power to walk on water just as I did. It was only when he took his eyes off of me and focused his eyes on all that was around him that he began to sink into the sea. Just as Peter had the power to walk on water, you have the power to obey my laws. All you have to do is keep your eyes and your heart focused on me. It is only when you take your eyes off of me that you will begin to disobey my laws. Keep your eyes and your devotion on me and you won’t have to wonder about whether or not you are doing the right thing.”
“But, Lord, I want you to be close to me.”
“Even though you won’t see me, I will be closer than a brother to you.”
Then he was gone. His chair was empty. The room lost its brightness. It must have been fifteen minutes before I managed to struggle out of my chair. I stumbled up to the store manager and asked, “What did you think about that?”
He answered, “What did I think about what?”
“The brightness in the room, the man at my table who just disappeared.”
“I saw nothing unusual. No one disappeared. What exactly are you talking about?”
“Are you telling me you saw nothing unusual just now?’
“No, sir, I did not. I’ve been here all morning and nothing out of the ordinary has happened.”
“What about the man I have been talking to for days on end? What did you think about him?”
“Sir, you have been a good customer. However, lately you have been acting a bit strange. You always come in alone and you leave alone, but lately you have acted as if you were with someone. The funny thing about it is that you have been gesturing and talking as if someone was at your table with you. It’s been rather amusing actually. The other customers didn’t seem to mind because you never got loud or out of line.”
I stood there for a moment with my mouth open. I could not believe what I just heard from the store manager. “You never saw me with another person?” I asked.
“Not one time,” answered the store manager. “You are the ultimate loner.”
I left the store and went on to work. For about a week, I went back to the coffee shop hoping to see Him again. Much to my disappointment, I never saw Him again.
For days on end, I replayed all of our encounters and conversations. I attempted to gain a better understanding of our conversations in the light of knowing that instead of speaking to a stranger all of those days, I was actually speaking to my Lord. I thought back to the many times I referred to him as a stranger, and I remembered that He always called me His friend. It was then that I realized that until I came to know him personally, He actually was a stranger to me. But through all of those days of conversation, He always called me his friend. Why was that, I wondered. Then I was reminded of the scriptures that tell us that the righteous ones are called the friend of God.Perhaps He had the foreknowledge that I was about to believe on Him and accept Him in my heart.

The above excerpt is from the copyrighted book Conversations with a Stranger by Larry Tate

CWAS Excerpt Number Thirteen

2011-07-04T20:03:00.000-05:00

The Mission

This excerpt is from the thirteenth chapter of Conversations with a Stranger by Larry Tate

A few weeks later I received notice that I was to be permanently transferred to the new office on the East Coast. The daily ritual of visiting my favorite coffee shop came to an end.

Occasionally I have an opportunity to return to my hometown on business. Before heading back East, I usually visit my old coffee shop one more time. I no longer expect to see Him at my table, but I enjoy sitting down and remembering the conversations I once had with the stranger, who became my Savior.

It’s not often that I tell people about the day I met my Lord face to face. I have learned that people tend to excuse themselves from my presence rather quickly when I say such things.

Now days, I am less driven by ritual. I visit various coffee shops. I make myself friendly with others. I now have a smile on my face, not unlike that of the stranger. Now, it is me who begins conversations with other people. I have learned from my own mistakes. Through conversations, I lead others to ask themselves if they know Jesus and if they have a personal relationship with Him. I encourage them to direct their thoughts and desires toward accepting Jesus into their lives. This has been a wonderful journey.

I keep my spiritual eyes focused on Jesus. As long as He is my passion, I can rest assured that I am actively involved in theKingdomofGod. I tell people about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I tell them that He loved them before the foundation of the world and that He is the sacrificial lamb that saves the world from its sins.

Sometimes I think back to the Wager spoken of by the stranger and how every person will either choose to believe he exists or choose not to believe he exists. There is a great irony to that Wager. During life, every person can make a personal choice to believe or not to believe. But a day will come when, at the judgment, every person who made a decision not to believe, will confess with their mouths that He does in fact exist.

I am on a mission. My mission is to introduce everyone I meet to the Lord Jesus Christ. I ask them to choose to believe in Him and accept Him into their lives. Then they, too, will be assured of an eternal life with Jesus.

I have a mission. You have a mission. We are to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, and we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. When we do, we will be obeying His call to be fishers of men. We will be helping those in need. We will be feeding the hungry. We will be ministering to the distressed. We will be visiting the sick. We will be visiting those in prison. We will be encouraging the down hearted. We will be sharing the Gospel.

I have learned that religion is not accomplished by the act of sitting in a church. We go to church for fellowship, teaching, and encouragement, but that is not our purpose. Pure religion is caring for others.

Will others physically see Jesus as I did? I can’t say for sure that I physically saw Jesus that day. Perhaps it was a dream. Perhaps it was a vision. It doesn’t matter whether or not I actually saw Jesus with my own eyes. What does matter is that I saw Him with my heart. I am walking with Jesus by faith, not by sight. No, the people we witness to may not physically see Jesus, but I can tell you with certainty that they will see Jesus through us. When we truly love our neighbor; when we feed, clothe, visit and care for our neighbor, we are doing those things directly for, and directly to our Lord. When we love our neighbor and share His Good News, they will see Jesus in us. When they look on us, they will be looking on Jesus.

The above excerpt is from the copyrighted book Conversations with a Stranger by Larry Tate

Politically Correct Ten Commandments

2011-05-13T16:32:00.001-05:00

What would it have been like if Moses was a card-carrying member of the ACLU? Try to imagine what the Ten Commandments may have looked like if they were written from a politically correct viewpoint. Perhaps the document would have looked like this:

Ten Suggestions

1.There are people who believe in the existence of a higher being, and they refer to this alleged higher being as “God.” For those who subscribe to this unlikely and unproven theory, they would be well advised not to believe in even more higher beings. It is difficult enough to believe in one higher being, much less two or more higher beings.

2.For those who insist on believing that there is a higher being, they would be foolish to create graven images of that higher being. Obviously, if the higher being is invisible, it’s only logical that an image of that higher being would have little or no chance of having a true resemblance of that higher being.

3.If anyone continues to insist on believing in a higher being, it stands to reason that he or she should think twice before speaking in vain about that higher being. Such an activity could end up being harmful to that person. After all, by definition, a higher being would most likely have a certain degree of control and power over human beings. The last thing a person would want would be for a higher being to be upset with him or her.

4.Other than days set aside for recreation and relaxation, no particular day should be different from any other day. No one should be coerced into believing that one day should be set aside in order to revere and meditate on some higher being that probably doesn’t exist anyway.

5.Honoring one’s mother and father is nothing more than a distant memory of days gone by. In this generation of enlightenment, all of our citizens should understand that mothers and fathers have little more than a biological connection to their children. Every person should understand that he or she is an independent being and should be able to do whatever he or she pleases.

6.It isn’t the best idea for someone to terminate the life of another. There is one exception to this rule, however. In the case of unborn and unwanted children, a woman should have the right to end that child’s life however and whenever she chooses. A woman is completely and unequivocally in charge of her own body, regardless of the alleged life that may be dwelling in her womb.

7.All people have the right and the privilege of engaging in intimate relations with any other consenting person, whether those partners are of the same gender or of the opposite gender. This right is valid even among those who have entered into a so-called “marriage” contract.

8.Taking that which belongs to another person may not be the wisest of decisions. Such activities are likely to create strife and misunderstandings with others. However, if you can deal with that sort of strife, then who am I to suggest that you not do it?

9.Bearing false witness against another person is totally up to the each individual. Freedom of speech is your right and privilege.

10.While it isn’t a good idea to steal another person’s belongings, it is perfectly normal behavior for one to covet that which belongs to his or her neighbor. How can a person get ahead in life if at first they don’t harbor a bit of healthy jealousy over that which someone else has?

Those offensive Easter Eggs

2011-04-19T21:46:00.001-05:00

A Seattle school made headlines when administrators insisted that Easter Eggs be referred to as “Spring Spheres.” The City of Seattle is going to new lengths in order not to offend its citizens. The city’s parks department has removed “Easter” from “Easter Eggs.” Now, the kids simply go on “Egg Hunts.” In order to comply with Separation of Church and State, the city felt it necessary to remove the offensive term, “Easter” from this long-held tradition.

If a person wants to have an egg hunt at home, it’s okay to call it an Easter Egg hunt, but if it’s sponsored by the community, it must simply be an “Egg Hunt.” With a community comprised of people who are Jewish, Christian, Atheist, Agnostic, and more, then it must be politically correct to remove the Christian term, “Easter” from the language associated with this tradition. Doing so ensures that the community is inclusive and caring.

Christianity and Government Involvement

2011-03-25T16:56:00.003-05:00

Should Christians be involved in Government?

Should American Christians be involved in political issues and elections? Should Christians vote for their leaders? If they do vote, do they vote in every election that comes around, or do they just vote in the “major elections?” Do they take the time to acquire a sample ballot prior to the election so they can make an informed decision on what they are voting for? Do they make any effort do in-depth research on the candidates, the issues and the questions? Should Christians write to their Senators and Congressmen?

If you ever decide to poll your Christian friends with these questions, you may want to prepare yourself for a shock. A fair number of Christians will tell you that they vote in Presidential elections, but you aren’t likely to find many who vote in every election that comes around. Even more disturbing is the degree of background information that most Christians actually utilize in order to make informed decisions about what they are voting on. Outside of headlines and bullet points acquired in the evening news, most voters have little to no information about the candidates or the issues. Why are many Christians simply not interested in our political process?

Voting is merely the starting point in citizen involvement. Our responsibility isn’t over after the election. Our President, our Governors, our Senators and our Representatives still need to hear from us on a regular basis. Our elected leaders need to know and understand the heart of the electorate. It’s very easy to communicate with our representatives these days. Nevertheless, very few Christians have ever written to their elected leaders.

“We have no business interfering with God’s plan,” say many Christians. “God is in charge of all the rulers and kingdoms of the world. There is nothing we can do about it.” One of the scriptures these Christians are likely to quote is: Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
Romans 13:1

“As a matter of fact,” they may continue, “We are instructed that instead of being involved in the governmental process, we should just pray for our rulers.” I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
I Timothy 2:1-3

Many Christians defend their silence on political issues by saying, “God did not call the church to influence the culture by promoting legislation. What happens in this world is God’s will. We are to stay out of it. We should only pray that God’s will be done.” They continue to say, “The Bible does not specifically instruct us to be involved in government, therefore, we should not voice our opinions to our representatives. Instead of trying to manipulate the direction of government, we should just pray for our leaders.”

And finally, many Christians say that the Great Commission instructs us that our duty is to win souls, not influence government. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Matthew 28:19.

Are these responses right? Are we to stay out of our country’s political business? Should we forego the opportunity to inform our leaders of our opinions about the direction our country is heading?

Old Testament Examples of Government Involvement
Maybe this would be a good time to spend a little time looking at other scriptures in the Bible. Are there any instances in scripture where God’s followers participated in government?

Joseph was involved in government. Not only was he involved, he actually participated as a government ruler. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art: Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck; And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.
Genesis 41:39-44

Another example of government involvement is found with Mordecai. And Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a garment of fine linen and purple: and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad.
Esther 8:15

For Mordecai the Jew was next unto king Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the wealth of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed.
Esther 10:3

This is interesting. If God’s followers are not to be involved in government, why were Joseph and Mordecai involved in government?

“Well, those examples are found in the Old Testament,” some Christians may say. “What about the New Testament? The New Testament sets the stage for Christian activities.” Okay, let’s consider someone in the New Testament. John the Baptist wasn’t afraid to offer his opinion to King Herod. For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife.
Mark 6:18

“That isn’t a very good example,” some may say. “For one thing, it is only one example out of the whole New Testament. For another thing, John the Baptist lived prior to the Church age. Since the Bible is silent about Christian involvement in government, we should stay out of such affairs.” That may be a fair statement, so let’s explore it a little further.

Models of Government in Jesus’ time
What sort of governmental bodies existed in Bible times? Almost without exception, all governments were of an authoritarian sort. Generally, every country in the known world was ruled by a king, a monarch, a dictator or a pharaoh. In these kinds of governments, one or a handful of people were forcefully in charge of their subjects. If someone were to approach the king and tell him that he was running the country wrong, that person would likely be executed on the spot. In Jesus’ day and in the days of the Apostles, the world’s countries were still controlled by men who ruled by force.

As a consequence, the Bible was silent when it came to instructions regarding Christian involvement in government. “That’s not fair,” some may say. “If God wanted us to be involved in the direction of our country, the Bible would have found some way to give us the proper instructions for such involvement. Besides that, all governments are put in place by God and ordained by God. We have no business interfering in God’s plan.”

Examples of commands in N.T. that we do not follow
Well, let’s look a little closer. With that kind of logic, every modern-day Christian woman should be silent in the Church.

Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law. And if they will learn anything, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.
I Corinthians 14:34-35.

In spite of this scripture, modern Christian women are far from silent in the Church. This seems to be a direct command, yet it is not obeyed in modern churches. Why? Perhaps it is because the position of women in Bible times was far different than the position of women in modern times. Times have changed and circumstances are different.

Then, there is the issue with slavery. Slavery was commonplace in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. There was nothing wrong with a Christian being a slave owner. Actually, it was quite normal. Consequently, there were rules that a Christian slave owner was obliged to adhere to. Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven.
Colossians 4:1

We Twenty-First Century Christians would never think of owning a slave just because the Apostle Paul thought it was just fine to own one.

U. S. government is a Republic that is based on Democracy not Dictatorship
The Bible says that governments were put in place by God. It stands to reason therefore, that the United States government was put in place by God. The Bible also says that we are to obey the government. According to Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, our government is, “…of the people, by the people, and for the people.” The Preamble of the U.S. Constitution says, “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

The “of the people and by the people” in Lincoln’s Address, and the “We the people” in the U.S. Constitution implies that all of the country’s citizens are by default, involved in the direction our country takes. As citizens of this great nation, we are obliged to have a voice in our government’s affairs. This nation that was “…ordained of God” (Romans 13:1) was established to be ruled by the will of its citizens…not by the will of its leaders.

How often have we heard ministers remind us that we should thank God every day that we live in a free country where we can say what we want, do what we want, read what we want and go where we want to go without fear of punishment from the government? How often have Christians expressed thankfulness that we can freely read our Bibles while at the same time, citizens of other countries are at risk of being jailed if they are caught with a Bible in their possession?

These freedoms did not come about by accident. Christian men formed this nation of freedoms. Ever since this nation was formed, voters have been electing people to office who have continued to keep our freedoms in place. In addition to voting people in office, a certain number of concerned citizens have reminded our leaders of the people’s will. This is done by communicating with the leaders, either personally, by phone, or by mail.

Should Modern-Day Christians be involved in politics?
Many Christians are quick to point out that our mission is to simply “let our light shine” before all of the unbelievers in the world, yet far too many Christians are not only apathetic when it comes to politics, they actually refuse to let their light shine when it comes to making their voices heard regarding the direction that our country is heading.

There are two forces at work in this world, one evil and one righteous. Jesus said, He that is not with me is against me, and he that gathered not with me scattereth abroad. Matthew 12:30. By voting and communicating with our leaders, our nation goes in the direction its citizens instruct it to go. If Christians don’t vote, and if Christians don’t communicate with our leaders, this nation will go the way of other nations of the world, which is away from God and God’s principles.

Our country was established on Judeo-Christian principles. However, that moral consensus has given way to many morally corrupt and hedonistic principles. This happened only with the tacit approval of the Christian majority. How did the Christian majority approve such a change? They approved this change by their apathy. Instead of voicing their opposition to such changes, only a vast silence has been heard. The silence of many Christians has also been evident at the polls. Sadly, less than half of self-described Christians voted in federal elections in the last fifty years. Too many voices within the Christian community are encouraging fellow Christians to keep silent, especially when it comes to civic and cultural concerns.

The preservation of our freedom and morality depends on our citizens placing principled men in office. If we fail in this obligation, our government will soon be corrupted, and laws will be made that are not for the public good. Corrupt or incompetent men will end up being appointed to be judges, and the rights of our citizens will be violated or outright disregarded.

Americans are blessed with the freedom to organize, campaign, vote and write to their Senators and Congressmen. If they allow apathy to cause them to ignore that freedom, they may find themselves someday being held accountable for that apathy.

It seems to reason that if Christians neglect their civil duty, they should not expect deliverance from the national consequences to follow. On the other hand, when Christians do the opposite and diligently fulfill not just their duty toward God, but also their civic duty to their government, they set the stage for His blessings on their land. When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice” Proverbs 29:2 and Righteousness exalts a nation. Proverbs 14:34.

Some Christians say that rather than voting and being otherwise involved in government, we should obey I Timothy 2:1, 2 which says that we should just pray for rulers. Continuing, they say that by being involved in the government, we might be working against God's power to choose rulers according to His will.

Think on this for a moment. God instructs us in Matthew 6:11 to pray for our daily bread. Does this mean we should just sit back and let God do it all, or should we try to find a job and let God use us as the means to answer the prayer? Should we avoid looking for a job because we might take a job other than the one God in His providence wanted us to take?

In III John 2, we are instructed to pray for good health. Some people mistakenly believe that going to a doctor shows a lack of faith in God's power to answer prayer. Yet Christians know that the doctor may be the very means God uses to answer the prayer!

By default, all Americans are participants in political involvement. By participating, we have the opportunity of voting for our elected officials and for ensuring that we have proper and decent laws and traditions. If we truly believe our government was divinely ordained and instituted by God, this freedom and opportunity should not only be enjoyed, it should be exercised.

Christians who vote but are at the same time against writing to their Congressmen and Senators could be confused. These Christians mistakenly say that voting is one thing, but writing to their leaders is meddling in God’s plan. What then, is voting? Casting a vote can also be defined as meddling in God’s plan. The very act of voting is the same as voicing one’s opinions.

Christians should not be passive spectators in society's culture. While our primary task may the Great Commission, we are to engage our culture at all levels, advancing moral principles and seeking to restrain evil.

Words and Actions from Barack Obama

2011-02-26T17:27:00.002-06:00

Christian Nation
While on an overseas trip to Turkey in April 2009, Obama said, “…we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation…”

Muslim Nation
June, 2009. In an interview with Laura Haim on Canal Plus, a French television station, Mr. Obama noted that the United States also could be considered as “one of the largest Muslim countries in the world.”

National Healthcare
In June 2009, President Obama suggested at a town hall event that one way to shave medical costs is to stop expensive and ultimately futile procedures performed on people who don't stand to gain from the extra care. Obama said that families should not be unthinkingly approving so many additional tests or additional drugs. Instead, he said, "Maybe you're better off not having the surgery, but taking the painkiller."

Benefits of abortion
In March 2008, Obama said, “…politicians must trust women to make the right decisions for themselves.” Then he said, “…I've got two daughters. 9 years old and 6 years old. I am going to teach them first of all about values and morals. But if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby.

Defense of Marriage Act
To drum up support for his Senate bid in 2004, Obama wrote a letter to the Windy City Times, a publication targeted to Chicago’s gay community. “I opposed DOMA [the Defense of Marriage Act] in 1996. It should be repealed, and I will vote for its repeal on the Senate floor,” he vowed. “I will also oppose any proposal to amend the U.S. Constitution to ban gays and lesbians from marrying”

Feb. 24, 2011 The Obama administration said it will no longer oppose court challenges to the Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibits the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages for purposes of taxes, social security and other programs.
In response, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said, “I will instruct department attorneys to advise courts in other pending Defense of Marriage Act litigation of the president’s and my conclusions” that the law’s definition of marriage as between a man and a woman is unconstitutional, Holder said in a statement. Members of Congress “who wish to defend the statute may pursue that option,” he said.

Coal-fired energy plants
In November 2008, Obama said, "…we would put a cap and trade system in place that is as aggressive, if not more aggressive, than anybody else's out there." Continuing on, he said, "So if somebody wants to build a coal-powered plant, they can; it's just that it will bankrupt them because they're going to be charged a huge sum for all that greenhouse gas that's being emitted."

We must watch what we eat
Speaking about the U.S. role in being a good example for taking care of the planet, Obama said in May 2008, "We can't drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times ... and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK."

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
In December 2010, President Barack Obama signed a landmark law Wednesday repealing the ban on gay men and women serving openly in the military, fulfilling one of his major campaign pledges and casting the issue as a matter of civil rights long denied. "No longer will tens of thousands of Americans in uniform be asked to live a lie, or look over their shoulder in order to serve the country that they love," Obama said.

Pro-Lifers are ideologues
In May 2009, Obama related a story about how a Christian, pro-life doctor was concerned about a comment on his web site saying Obama would fight "right-wing ideologues who want to take away a woman’s right to choose." After reading the doctor’s concerns, Obama said that even though he was not changing his position, he would delete that language from his website.

What exactly is an ideologue? It is a blindly partisan advocate or adherent of a particular a systematic body of concepts especially about human life or culture.

So, it seems that Obama is suggesting that Pro-Lifers are blindly partisan advocates of those who are yet unborn.

Obama could not have been placed in his office of President of the United States without the support of a large number liberal Christians. Why did they vote for Obama?

They may say that they voted for him because of his liberal fiscal policies such as entitlements, welfare, increased support of the poor, powerful labor unions, etc. Okay, that is a subject that we can argue about for many hours. However, liberal fiscal policies are only part of the package. What about the other half of his stance?

In one hand, he supports liberal fiscal policies, but in his other hand are liberal social policies. He supports terminating the life of unborn children. In fact, he suggests that those who call themselves Pro-Life are little more than blindly partisan advocates of silly concepts such as life. He supports the right of homosexuals to be united in marriage. In order to be politically correct, he tells the world that the United States is not a Christian nation. In order to make his National Healthcare plan work, he supports restricting life-saving medical care, and instead suggests that we take pain killers and accept the inevitable.

When people vote for a candidate, they are voting for the whole man, not just a part of the man. When Christians voted for his liberal fiscal policies, they also told the world that they support terminating the life of unborn babies; they support allowing homosexuals to marry; they shout to the world that we are not a Christian nation; and they support restricting medical care for the sick, and instead consider end-of-life options, possibly even euthanasia.

Many Christians are quick to say that the Bible instructs us to care for the poor and the needy. Therefore, they believe we should adopt mandatory fiscal policies that support the poor. Okay…but at the same time, these same Christians are telling the world that they are for abortion, homosexual marriage, and hiding the light of Christianity. Is this really how Christians should stand for Christ?

Belgium is now harvesting organs from euthanasia victims

2011-02-22T16:37:00.002-06:00

Human euthanasia became legal in Belgium in 2002. Any patient over the age of 18 who claims to be constantly suffering from a physical or psychological condition may request to be euthanized. If the person is not in the terminal phase of his illness, his doctor must consult with a second doctor, either a psychiatrist or a specialist in the disease concerned. At least one month must pass between the written request and carrying out the act.

As of December, 2010, a new phase in this euthanasia practice has been adopted. Belgian doctors have begun harvesting organs from euthanasia donors. What started out as “compassionate” mercy killing of the terminally ill, has evolved to killing people who don’t have a good quality of life, to harvesting perfectly good organs for the purpose of improving the lives of other people who still have a desire to live.

Prior to this, it had been rather difficult to obtain healthy organs for needy patients. This new practice has the potential to increase the supply of available organs. One factor leading up to this decision is the discovery that 20% of people choosing to be euthanized, have organs that are of relatively high quality for transplanting to other people.

Society has evolved to the point that we now see those who are paralyzed, and those who are merely down and discouraged as nothing more than potential organ givers. Society is now telling us that if we are tired of living, in the interest of compassion for others, we should just kill ourselves so that we can help out someone else. Doing so, would demonstrate that we are utilizing the ultimate in utilitarian compassion.

And the Word was made flesh

2010-08-04T11:38:00.001-05:00

We all know that the scripture, “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us” was referring to Jesus Christ. Even Nancy Pelosi made a reference to that Biblical truth. However, when she was questioned about whether Jesus had the right to life at the moment of conception, or if that right only occurred at the moment of birth, she refused to provide an answer.

Isn’t it a good thing that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was Pro-Life? Had she been influenced by the likes of Nancy Pelosi, she may have aborted that which was conceived of the Holy Ghost, because it was “nothing more than so much biological matter.”

The Coin

2010-07-02T08:04:00.001-05:00

I examined a coin one day. On one side was “heads,” and on the other side, “tails:” different appearances and different meanings, yet the same coin. That coin caused me to pause and it caused me to think. Each action I take, and each choice I make is like minting a new coin. On one side of the coin is how that choice affects me, and on the other side is how it affects others. While carefully flipping that coin in my hand, I asked myself, “What sort of coin am I minting today?”--Larry Tate

Will the real Mount Sinai please stand up?

2010-06-27T14:39:00.002-05:00

Christian tradition places Mount Sinai on the southern part of the Sinai Peninsula. However, several problems have been identified with this site. One is that there is no archaeological evidence prior to the 6th Century A.D. Secondly, it has been stated that only a small group of very healthy individuals could travel that distance in the number of days described in the Bible. A larger group of several million individuals consisting of men, women, children, the elderly and herds of animals could not possibly arrive at the site in the time described.

Professor Emmanuel Anati who graduated from the Jerusalem University believes he has found the true Mount of Olives at Har Karkom in the Negev Desert. Har Karkom is a particular kind of desert called “hammada.” The main characteristic of this terrain, covered by a compact layer of small pebbles, is that there isn’t any process of sedimentation or erosion. The surface has remained unchanged for tens of thousands of years, and maintains in perfect state of conservation, the traces of whoever has put up a tent or dwelling since the beginning of man.

The precise location and shape of every tent or other structure that has ever been erected in this desert is still clearly evident. Near the base of this particular mountain is the footprint of a rectangular tent-type structure that precisely matches the size and shape of the tabernacle that Moses constructed. The match is perfect down to the smallest detail. Even the position of every tent peg is marked by large stones, well aligned.

Is this the true Mount Sinai? There are some archaeologists who disagree, but the Vatican has seen enough evidence to officially decree that this site is the Mount Sinai of the Exodus journey.

See news of this find at http://bit.ly/bxxqFf.
Dr. Anati’s proofs are presented at http://bit.ly/cyONTt

Why Should We Vote?

2010-06-24T08:00:00.002-05:00

“It is not easy to determine who are the more criminal. They who would make their way to places of power and trust by indirect means, or they who have so little concern for the welfare of their country as to harken to them. No civil rulers are to be obeyed when they enjoin things that are inconsistent with the commands of God: All such disobedience is lawful and glorious.”
---Jonathan Mayew (1720-1766) Preacher in The First Great Spiritual Awakening

When a citizen gives his suffrage [vote] to a man of known immorality he abuses his trust; he sacrifices not only his own interest, but that of his neighbor, he betrays the interest of his country.”— Noah Webster (1758-1843) Father of the Dictionary & American Patriot

When you become entitled to exercise the right of voting for public officers, let it be impressed on your mind that God commands you to choose for rulers, just men who will rule in the fear of God. The preservation of [our] republican government depends on the faithful discharge of this Duty; if the citizens neglect their Duty and place unprincipled men in office, the government will soon be corrupted; laws will be made, not for the public good so much as for selfish or local purposes; corrupt or incompetent men will be appointed to execute the Laws; the public revenues will be squandered on unworthy men; and the rights of the citizen will be violated or disregarded.”— Noah Webster (1758-1843) Father of the Dictionary & American Patriot

"If men of wisdom and knowledge, of moderation and temperance, of patience, fortitude and perseverance, of sobriety and true republican simplicity of manners, of zeal for the honour of the Supreme Being and the welfare of the commonwealth; if men possessed of these other excellent qualities are chosen to fill the seats of government, we may expect that our affairs will rest on a solid and permanent foundation."— Samuel Adams (1722–1803) Father of the American Revolution, Patriot and Statesman

“Bad men cannot make good citizens. It is impossible that a nation of inlldcls or idolaters should be a nation of freemen. It is when a people forget God, that tyrants forge their chains. A vitiated state of morals, a corrupted public conscience, is incompatible with freedom. No free government, or the blessings of liberty, can be preserved to any people but by a firm adherence to justice, moderation, temperance, frugality, and virtue; and by a frequent recurrence to fundamental principles.”— Patrick Henry (1736-1799) Patriot, Lawyer and Orator

“Republics are created by the virtue, public spirit, and intelligence of the citizens. They fall, when the wise are banished from the public councils, because they dare to be honest, and the profligate are rewarded, because they flatter the people, in order to betray them.”— Joseph Story (1779-1845) Lawyer, Supreme Court Justice & influential commentators on the U.S. Constitution

“Elections belong to the people. It is their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their blisters.”— Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865) Sixteenth President of the United States

“The people are responsible for the character of their Congress. If that body be ignorant, reckless, and corrupt, it is because the people tolerate ignorance, recklessness, and corruption. If it be intelligent, brave, and pure, it is because the people demand these high qualities. ... If the next centennial does not find us a great nation... it will be because those who represent the enterprise, the culture, and the morality of the nation do not aid in controlling the political forces.” — James Garfield (1831-1881) Twentieth president of the United States

“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.”— Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865) Sixteenth President of the United States

“Our nation will prosper or decline in direct proportion to our selection of leaders who are guided by the Holy Spirit. If we fail to select Godly leaders our destiny will surely be as that of the Roman Empire.”— Ronald Reagan (1911-2004) 40th President of the United States

http://www.godtheoriginalintent.com/web%20pages/Quotes%20on%20Voting.html

The world is demanding that Israel give their land back to the Palestinians

2010-06-20T16:02:00.001-05:00

The nations of the world are highly offended at the takeover of Palestinian land. Even many in the United States are joining the call for Israel to step off the face of the earth. Helen Thomas, a well known White House correspondent recently said that Jews should "get the hell out of Palestine" and go back to Germany and Poland or the United States.”

Okay then, let’s just make things fair, Ms. Thomas. If you think the Jews don’t belong in Israel, why are you residing in the United States? Shouldn’t you be calling for all people of European descent to leave America and give it back to the American Indians? How about France and Germany? Shouldn’t they give their land back to the Gauls? Iran is currently occupied by Islamists. Shouldn’t they leave their “occupied” land and give it back to the Persians? Russia, which is known for its hatred of God, was once a Christian nation. Shouldn’t they return their land back to the Christians?

Who said, "I like it when the government provides for my needs?"

2010-06-15T13:03:00.002-05:00

Today’s society is increasingly looking to the government to provide for its every-day needs. More and more, we see people with their hands out, asking for food stamps, clothing, housing assistance and health care. As the socialism state-of-mind creeps in and gains strength and power, more and more people are apt to discontinue striving to achieve, and instead, sit back and permit the government to provide for their needs.

On the surface, government hand-outs may sound enticing, but there is a price to be paid for such pampering. Everything in life comes with a price. Mankind is meant to work for his food, clothing and shelter. Socialism appears to be the magical answer that problem when it says, “Let the government provide for your needs.” When we as a society succumb to that plea, we will still pay for our food, clothing and shelter. How will we be paying for it? We will be paying for it with our freedom. For every new benefit we permit the government to hand out to us, we are exchanging one more freedom in payment for that benefit.

Now, let’s go back to the question at the top of this posting. Who said, “I like it when the government provides for my needs?” Perhaps you’d like a hint. It was said nearly 3,500 years ago. The Hebrew nation complained to Moses, “Why did you tell us that you wanted to lead us to a Promised Land flowing with milk and honey? Why did you promise us that we would be able to exchange our life of slavery for the freedom to do as we please? Why are you taking us to a place where we will have the supposed privilege of working for ourselves instead of working as slaves for Pharaoh? Do you realize that there are giants in the land? Have you seen the walled cities? There are too many obstacles between us and the successful life you have told us about. We don’t want any of that. We would be happier to live our lives as slaves for Pharaoh because he gives us housing; he gives us food; he gives us water; and he gives us clothing. Please Moses, take us back to Egypt. We will be more than happy to exchange our promised freedom in return for having our basic needs met.”

You won’t find those exact words in the Bible, but if you examine the context of the Hebrew mumblings while on the Exodus journey, you will have to agree with the above paraphrasing. What was God’s reaction to the Hebrews’ socialism state-of-mind? It was one of anger and judgment. There are those who say that Jesus taught us to care for one another. Sure, the Bible encourages us to help those in need. But it is to be through our charitable giving and personal involvement, not through governmental mandates.

Today, our society is saying much the same thing as the Hebrew Children thousands of years ago. “We are tired of working hard in order to acquire our own basic needs. We want the government to take care of us. If it means losing our freedoms, then so be it. If it means answering to Big Brother, then let it be. If it means that our every move is being watched and monitored, then go for it.

There is a price to be paid for everything we have. We can work for what we get, or we can give up our freedom and let the government do it for us. Just remember one thing; the loss of freedom is the definition of slavery. What sort of price do you want to pay for your government-supplied food, clothing, shelter and health care?

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Close families are important for the good of society

2010-06-14T14:30:00.000-05:00

A strong family bond, together with a good set of values is a valuable ingredient for the good of society. Our future is contingent upon the value we place on our families. The strength and togetherness of the family unit is the oldest and most basic of values. A strong and intact family should be sought after and cherished by all of mankind. A close-knit family fosters love, companionship, inward strength and unity. Pope John Paul II said, “As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live.”

The attack on the integrity of the home is near the top of Shadow Truth’s evil agenda of destruction because the home is the most influential value-teaching institution in a person’s life. The values we as a nation collectively hold are the very instruments by which we are forming the future state of our society. As the family unit declines, many of our other values will also decline.

In past years, parents had more influence over the development of their children’s value systems than any other single factor. Today’s children however, are obtaining their values from other sources. By way of television, radio, movies, video games and the internet, our children’s minds are being exposed to stimulating sounds, images, fantasies and highly questionable entertainment. Due to numerous avenues of deceit, today’s parents are losing the position of influence they once had on their children.

Children who grow up with wrecked value systems become adults with wrecked value systems. Adults run the world. Adults teach children. It doesn’t take many generations of people whose value systems are declining, to throw the entire world into chaos. This is exactly what Shadow Truth wants to do. Shadow Truth wants to come in and rescue humanity. But first, humanity must have something to be rescued from. Shadow Truth masterfully creates problems that need correcting, and then provides its devious brand of solutions to those problems.

Strong family bonds help us to thrive in all aspects of life. Lack of these bonds can lead to forever seeking that something which is missing. Don't take the value of family bonds for granted. You can mold a beautiful creation for today and the generations that follow!

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Vote--It's your Responsibility

2010-06-13T19:32:00.002-05:00

The Freedom and Success we as a society enjoy is contingent on voting. Non-voting societies tend to be oppressive, and the common people have little or no freedom or success. Voting is a right, a privilege, and most importantly, a responsibility. We are often encouraged to vote, but many eligible citizens do not vote.

Perhaps the most common reason people don’t vote is because they feel that one vote wouldn't make much of a difference. But that reason is totally and completely unfounded. If everyone felt that way, we would soon lose the freedoms we now enjoy.

Voting is easy and painless. All it takes is a little personal responsibility and a little effort. Do yourself and all of your fellow citizens a favor by going to the voting booth in every election.
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President blasts Louisiana’s efforts to fight the advances of oil slick

2010-05-25T20:24:00.006-05:00

Speaking from the security of his teleprompter, the President was quick to criticize Louisiana’s Governor for his defiant announcement that he was going to take matters in his own hands regarding the advancing oil slick. With a double-barreled attack against the governor, the President said that such a move by the State of Louisiana was quite possibly discriminatory and perhaps even unconstitutional. He warned that his administration would not stand for such behavior, and he would immediately appoint a czar who would in turn form a team of experts to determine if Louisiana’s actions are unconstitutional. In addition the President announced that should Louisiana actually incarcerate any of the alleged illegal oil slick, the U.S. government would not necessarily process that undocumented oil referred to them by the State of Louisiana. Let me be clear, said the President. I will never let a good crisis go to waste when there’s a chance to make my big government even bigger than it already is.

Not one to take the President’s criticism lying down, the governor shot back that he wouldn’t have to go to such extremes if the federal government would merely enforce current policies against oil spills coming ashore. Nevertheless, the Louisiana Governor plans to proceed with his plan even it means that he will have to go to jail. He has been waiting and waiting for the federal government to provide millions of feet in booms and build new barrier islands to keep the unwanted oil from reaching his shore line, but nothing ever happens.

It’s true that current U.S. laws and regulations prohibit oil spills from making landfall, but the administration has been notoriously lax in enforcing those laws. The President warned that any effort to thwart the unending advances of the illegal immigration of the oil slick could very easily lead to unfair profiling practices. Still speaking from his ever-present teleprompter, the President said that while the nation’s citizens, and especially Louisiana’s residents rightfully may not want the uninvited oil to cross their shores, they should understand that the oil has been unduly repressed and held against its will below the earth’s surface for millennia. As anyone knows, the U.S. is viewed around the world as a land of plenty and opportunity. Who can blame the oil for wanting to exist in a better place?

The President expressed grave concerns that if Louisiana goes forward with pushing back against the oil slick, they could easily slip into discriminatory profiling. Doing so could lead to other substances, and even certain life forms being targeted for deportation. There are many legal residents of the United States that don’t deserve being subjected to the profiling that is likely to occur under Louisiana’s new policies. Just think about it. The oil is black when it emerges from below ground, but after spending weeks floating around in the Gulf of Mexico, it can take on a brown, or even a dirty white appearance. In any case, it is always slippery. The President so eloquently pointed out that the sure-to-come profiling could possibly target certain legal U.S. residents such as the Black Sea Turtle, the Brown Crab, the White Grunt which is a tasty salt water fish, and various slippery sea critters. In addition to the potential profiling of the aforementioned life forms, other inorganic substances could be discriminated against. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that mud, which is brown in color, could easily be scooped up and disposed of along with the undesirable oil.

The whole idea of indiscriminately rounding up the invasive oil slick is repulsive, said the President. All summer long, human beach lovers douse themselves in oil until their bodies shimmer in the bright noon-day sun. Don’t the rocks and sand along the shores of Lousiana have a right to the same pleasures? Perhaps they too, would like to have a soothing coating of oil.

Mirroring the President’s stance, California’s legislature immediately called for all of its citizens to boycott Louisiana. New Orleans holds no unique attraction to us, said one Senator. After all, we’ve got San Francisco. We have enough odd balls here to satisfy anyone’s lust for pleasure and entertainment. One West Coast liberal went so far as to call the owner of the New Orleans Saints and pressured him to move his club to another state.

Not necessarily on the President’s Band Wagon, a radio personality was quick to jump into the fray, nevertheless. Mr. Beck immediately doubled his efforts to promote the purchase of gold. Asked what gold had to do with an oil spill, he said that he buys gold, not as an investment, but as insurance. And what better thing is there to insure against than millions of gallons of oil washing ashore.

How this latest chain of events ends up is anyone’s guess. We will keep you posted.

(This is a spoof of the way we are handling the oil spill in light of the way we are handling the Arizona illegal immigration law)

Will you accept the Mark of the Beast?

2010-05-24T12:07:00.000-05:00

Stop any Christian on the street and ask them if they will accept the mark. Without exception, they will unequivocally deny any past, present or future tendency to receive the mark. But can it be that cut and dried? We all know that actions speak louder than words. After reading this article, you may discover that the actions being taken by many of today’s Christians are telling a completely different story.

What exactly, is the Mark of the Beast?

And (the beast) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Revelation 13:16-17.

What are the consequences of taking the mark?

… If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: Revelation 14:9-10.

“I would never even consider receiving the mark of the beast,” you may say. “Besides that, I plan to be long gone in the rapture before the mark becomes an issue.” Hopefully so, but are you sure without the slightest doubt that you will not have to make a decision regarding the mark?

And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Revelation 20:4-5.

There will be a number of people who will be killed as a result of their decision to refuse the Mark. Those people will reign with Christ for a thousand years. Many, if not most Christians, believe they will be taken away before the Mark of the Beast is introduced. Are the people referred to in the above passage ones who missed the rapture? Maybe so, or maybe not—are you willing to risk your eternal spirit on the assumption that you won’t have to make a decision about taking the mark? Wouldn’t it be prudent to at least prepare yourself to resist the Mark just in case you will be faced with that decision? Hopefully there is going to be a Rapture of God’s saints before the Tribulation starts, and we will not have to worry about the Mark of the Beast. On the other hand, maybe the people referred to in the above passage are those who missed the rapture and are given a second chance at salvation. Those could be people who outright refused to accept Jesus in the first place, or they could be people who thought they were saved, but were not. It’s almost as if God may be saying to the ones who get saved after the Rapture – “You all had your chance to accept My salvation before the Rapture and turned it down. Now that the Rapture has taken place, you now know that My people were telling you the truth about My message of salvation. Now I will accept any and all who are willing to come to Me, but you will have to prove yourself to Me by being willing to die for your faith in Me by refusing to worship or receive the mark of the beast.”

Okay, we’ve established that the Mark of the Beast is a bad thing, and bad things will come to those who accept the mark. That is why you and every other Christian walking on the face of the earth will declare without hesitation that you will not take the mark. Oh, really? If you feel so confident in announcing that you won’t take the mark, why don’t you examine the precursors to the mark, and test yourself to see if you are indeed, a candidate for the mark? Here is your first clue: deceit. Satan is known as the deceiver. Yet, when it comes to considering the Mark of the Beast, we Christians often forget that Satan is a deceiver. The Anti-Christ is not going to walk up to mankind one day, place hand cuffs on them and force everyone to take the mark. Obviously, we’d be running in the opposite direction. Instead, the masses will willfully and gladly stand in line, anxious to receive the mark. The mark is a bad thing; everyone knows that. But the deceiver (Satan) is going to package the mark as a good thing. Satan has time on his side. What many of us fail to understand, is that the Mark of the Beast will not be suddenly introduced one day with an announcement that everyone needs to receive the mark on the next day. Instead, he will pre-market his agenda for years, slowly but surely convincing mankind that his “I.D.” system is coming to our aid. Even more deceitfully, it won’t be him that is telling you how advantageous it is. Instead, it will be your neighbor, your friend, your grocer and your school that will be asking you to get involved with something that will make your life better, protect you, and improve your health—and it won’t be marketed as a “mark.”

The Mark of the Beast is based on the importance of a number. Everything we do and everything we buy is tied to a number. From the food we purchase, to account numbers, to property taxes, to credit cards, to bank accounts, and to driver’s licenses, we are mired down with numbers. Call anyone you do business with. Chances are, they will ask for your account number before they ask for your name.

One of our earliest encounters with I.D. numbers involved the Social Security System. We are quick to call anyone an “extremist” who says that Social Security numbers are somehow connected to the Mark of the Beast. Before you dismiss this author as a conspiracy theorist or an extremist, let it be known right now that your Social Security number is not the Mark of the Beast. With that said, let’s examine this issue. Out of compassion for the retired and the elderly, our society implemented the Social Security System. Each working person is expected to chip in a little bit so that those who cannot help themselves can have food, clothing and shelter as they move through their golden years. What is wrong with that? “Nothing,” we say. “It’s a good thing.” So, in order to get Social Security implemented, every person desiring such a benefit was issued a Social Security number.

Is the Social Security system Satan’s doing? We’ve established that Social Security is not the Mark of the Beast. But does that mean that Satan is not in the background pulling the strings that eventually led up to Social Security? Remember one word: deceit. Satan is a master at putting his programs in pretty packages. He offers us ways to improve our lives, better our health, and increase our finances. Perhaps Social Security was an innocent-sounding program to get us accustomed to carrying a number around in our hip pocket. Perhaps Social Security was one of the first steps designed to keep us from being alarmed at the fact that we are a number in some government file cabinet. Social Security is not the program that Satan is interested in. Social Security was simply one of his useful vehicles of preparation to gradually guide us toward his ultimate goal of putting his number (mark) on our wrist.

After Social Security gained a foothold in society, it was determined that a monthly retirement check from the government was not enough support for our elderly citizens. They also needed medical care. So Medicare was incorporated into the Social Security System. Now, our parents and grandparents can obtain free or nearly free health care; that is if they can present their Medicare number to the health care provider. Without that number, they’re out of luck. Without having a certain number, the elderly cannot receive a monthly check in the mail, and they cannot receive any health care. If they have no money, they cannot buy food; they cannot pay property taxes; they cannot rent housing; they cannot buy clothes; and they cannot obtain health care. Oh boy, that doesn’t sound good. It’s just a wild stretch of the imagination, but just for the fun of it, why don’t we revise Revelation 13:16-17. Perhaps it will make those Christian extremists and conspiracy theorists happy. And the beast forced all elderly citizens to receive a social security number in order for them to obtain food, clothing, shelter and health care. Without that number, they could not buy anything, and they could not see a doctor. Obviously, this revision of verses 16 and 17 is written in fun, but the exaggeration was created to cause us think about the deceitfulness of Satan. Social Security, in and of itself is not evil and it is not the Mark of the Beast. It is however, a very effective tool designed to prepare mankind to freely accept the mark sometime in the future.

“Is that all you’ve got?” you may say. No, that’s just the jumping off point. Social Security is simply a government program designed for the good of the citizens. The real culprit is the “number.” Social Security got us accustomed to being a number, and it got us accustomed to everything around us being a number. There was a day when you obtained a Social Security number just before you entered the work force. Nowadays, Social Security numbers are assigned shortly after birth. We as a society have become so accustomed to being associated with a number, that without hesitation, we freely submit out new born babies to their own numbers.

Now, many years after Social Security was implemented, we as a society cannot function without being associated with numbers. Step number one on Satan’s agenda was to make mankind dependent on being associated with certain numbers. While step number one is not the Mark of the Beast, it is an important and very successful step toward the implementation of the Mark of the Beast. There are several steps involved in Satan’s agenda. They are not clear-cut steps however. That would be too obvious. That would be too straight forward. There is much overlapping and blending of the steps; so much blending that we cannot clearly discern one step from the next.

Broadly speaking, step number two is associated with the ease of buying and selling. Before the Mark of the Beast can be fully implemented, all buying and selling must be linked to numbers. This step was started in step number one, but it is being advanced even further in step number two. There was a time when all transactions were in the form of barter. Barter was difficult however. The fur trader may have wanted tools, but the tool maker may not have wanted any furs. So cash was eventually implemented. That way, the fur trader could sell his furs to the pottery maker for cash. Then, he could go to the tool maker and pay cash for the tools he needed. The cash system worked handsomely for many, many years.

There came a time however, when cash transactions became a bit burdensome. So banks and checking accounts came to the rescue. Modern society had evolved enough that writing a check to another person was as good as giving them cash. One unique thing about a checking account however, was that a number was absolutely essential. Each checking account had to have a number associated with the person who opened the account. Then further down the line, came the credit card and the debit card. These cards were a dramatic improvement over writing checks. Swiping a card is a great time-saver in our modern and hectic society. Go into any grocery store or home improvement store and observe the check-out lane. You’d be hard-pressed to find that no less than 95% of all transactions are being processed with one of these great little cards. The card is not the focus of the transaction, however. It’s the number associated with that card. Each card has an all-important number, and that number is linked to the person who is carrying the card.

Another modern trend is to eliminate paper billing. Every utility company and nearly every other vendor you buy from on a regular and consistent basis wants you to set up a paperless billing and payment program. Like clock-work, your checking account or your credit/debit card will be debited every month. You don’t have to do a thing other than apply for that all-important “number.” That number will process your purchases and automatically take the necessary funds from your personal account. We often hear of a coming cashless society, and it is almost here. There will be a day in the not-too-distant future when cash will only be known as an entry in a history book.

Step number three is tracking and surveillance. Tracking of the products we buy and sell is a very useful tool in our society. Barcodes are found on virtually everything we buy. These barcodes permit stores and manufacturers to keep track of inventory and sales. Barcodes are absolutely essential at the check-out lane. Try going to your grocery store and asking the clerk to just punch in the price of the product you are purchasing like they did thirty years ago. You’ll get nothing but a look of confusion from the clerk. Have you ever been in a store when the electricity went out? Even if you have cash in your hand, and even if you can take the clerk back to the shelf and show him the price of the product you want to purchase, you cannot buy the product. If the clerk cannot scan the barcode, he cannot sell you the product.

Take a look at your driver’s license and you will see a barcode. That barcode can tell authorities everything they want to know about you and your driving record. If you will remember, you probably had to submit to a fingerprint when you obtained your driver’s license. With that information, crime scene investigators can quickly associate a finger print with an individual even if that person has had no previous criminal record. “That’s a good thing,” we are told. “We are protecting our citizens when we require fingerprints.” Perhaps it’s a good thing, but it’s the ever-increasing requirement of utilizing a number that is leading society down the pathway to accepting the Mark of the Beast.

When was the last time you bought medicine without a barcode attached to the paperwork? “It’s a good thing,” says the pharmacist. Now we know every medicine you take, so we can quickly tell you if one medicine is incompatible with another.”

We see cameras at nearly every intersection, and we see cameras watching our every move in every store. “It’s a good thing,” we are told. “Cameras at intersections can solve disputes as to who was at fault in an accident and cameras in stores can help prevent crime, and keep costs down as a result.” Right now, cameras don’t necessarily identify a person, but facial recognition software is nearly ready to implement into the program. Do you remember having your picture taken when you got your driver’s license? When the facial recognition software is fully implemented, and when it is tied to the driver’s license data base, Big Brother will be able to track a person’s movements virtually everywhere he goes.

Toll roads have opened up another great way to track a person’s movements. Who wants to waste time at a toll booth fumbling for money? This little problem has been conveniently solved with electronic devices that you attach to your windshield. With one of these nifty little devices, you can freely zoom through the toll booth without stopping, while others wait in line to pay the toll booth attendant. While the pike pass device is useful and handy, it also allows authorities to monitor and track the usage of vehicles. “Well, it may monitor the location of my vehicle, but it doesn’t know who’s inside the vehicle,” you may say. Perhaps so for the time being, but do you remember the cameras? There are cameras at every toll booth. Right now, they are primarily dedicated to capturing an image of every vehicle that goes through the booth, but they are also capable of capturing an image of every person in the vehicle. When facial recognition software is fully implemented, surveillance and tracking will take a giant leap forward.

It used to be that new-born babies could be carried out of a hospital by a baby-snatcher. That crime is a virtual impossibility now. As soon as a baby is born, a band is placed on the baby. This band has a sensor that will alert hospital staff if the baby is taken into an unauthorized area. In addition to the sensor, there is a number associated with that band. With that number, authorities know who that baby is, and they know who its parents are.

Steps one through three are slowly but surely getting us accustomed to accepting I.D. numbers in virtually everything we do. It hasn’t taken long for us to realize that we can’t buy or sell without a number being utilized. Up to this point however, the “number” is on a card or on a statement, or on a band; not actually etched on or in our bodies. Take a moment and think about it. When the Mark of the Beast is implemented, buying and selling cannot occur without a person having the “mark.” Even though the Mark of the Beast is not in place right now, the spirit of the Mark of the Beast is preparing us for that eventual occurrence. Today, it is a rare occurrence to buy or sell without utilizing a number for the product we are buying or selling, and without utilizing our personal number for that transaction.

Step four goes one step further. Somehow or another, Satan must convince the masses to utilize one number that handles all transactions and all activities, and that one number must be permanently attached to, or implanted in or on the body of each person. Remember that Satan’s mode of action is deceit. He knows that even though Twenty-First Century society has become accustomed to being tied to a number, they will still balk if asked to have that number permanently attached on their bodies. Nevertheless, this last step is slowly but surely being set up.

Radio Frequency Identification Tags (RFID) emit a simple radio signal alert akin to a barcode. The use of RFID devices began in 1945 as an espionage tool for the Soviet government. In 1973, the first patent for a re-writeable memory on an RFID tag was issued. In 1991, Oklahoma was the first state to provide RFID tags for an open highway electronic tolling system. In 2004, the FDA approved the implantation of RFID tags the size of a grain of rice into humans. The usage of RFID tags is still in its infancy, but it is gaining in public approval. These electronic chips are capable of performing financial transactions, tracking presence or non-presence in buildings, storing medical records, and even monitoring and reporting ongoing health-related issues.

RFID tags are being utilized to come to the aid of real human needs. Some researchers are suggesting that the tags could help save lives in the aftermath of a major earthquake or other similar disasters. Anyone entering or leaving a building would be identified via an RFID tag. Then if a disaster happened to take place, authorities would know who, and how many people were still in the building. Continuously updated information on casualties and losses could be made available to disaster response managers in real time so that they could arrange and deploy relief supplies in an appropriate and timely manner. According to these caring and concerned people, once the majority of the world’s population has RFID tags, rescue authorities will be able to know how many people are in a building when a disaster takes place. “It’s a good thing,” they say. “We want to save lives.”

Some schools have suggested that RFID tags would improve the security and safety of our children. The tags could be useful in tracking library book borrowing, disciplinary records, cafeteria purchases, visits to the nurse’s office, punctuality, getting on and off of school buses, and best of all, protecting children from predators. These schools are calling for the usage of RFID tags as a safety issue. “It’s a good thing,” they say. “We’re only interested in the welfare of your child.”

Some people however, are apprehensive about RFID tags tracking their every movement. That concern has some genuine merit. Perhaps that area of usage is moving a bit too fast. At least one firm has announced that they are shifting gears and changing the focus of RFID tags. Now, they are suggesting that the chips should be used for medicinal reasons. Now that is worth a closer look. With this change in focus, the general population is not so up-in-arms. Who can argue with health monitoring? Medical applications don’t hold near the controversial aspects as tracking, surveillance and financial aspects of the devices. At the physician’s office, a scanner could easily access a patient’s medical history and recent health issues.

Hundreds of hospitals have already registered for microchip-based patient identification systems to more quickly identify patients admitted to their emergency rooms. Suppose that a patient is found unconscious by emergency personnel. RFID tags would allow physicians to easily identify the victim and become aware of all of the victim’s medical history and medications. These microchips would also be useful in monitoring elderly people who can be forgetful about taking their medications.

RFID tags can be made capable of monitoring blood glucose levels in diabetics. How many people do you know who do not monitor their own levels often enough? Lots of people; that’s how many. RFID tags can come to the rescue of the health of untold thousands of people. These chips will be able to detect glucose levels and report those levels to physicians. VeriChip Corporation has already been granted a license to provide RFID tags that will be capable of detecting and identify viruses, including the dreaded H1N1 virus. These chips will provide multiple levels of identification—first identifying the agent as virus or non-virus, secondly, classifying the virus and alerting the person of the presence of the virus, and thirdly, identifying the precise pathogen.

How can Satan’s final step be implemented? Answer: Much easier than you thought. With deceit as his best asset, Satan will convince mankind to accept his “mark” by coming to the rescue of mankind’s needs. It will (or did) start innocently enough. Through the advances of medical technology, we don’t think twice about having man-made products placed inside our bodies. Severely broken bones are often mended by placing a pin in the broken bone. Women’s bodies are enhanced by placing implants in their breasts. Heart patients are capable of living a much-longer life with the aid of Pace-Makers. Obese patients may have a ring strategically placed on their stomachs for the purpose of aiding in weight control. Without exception, every man-made object placed in a human body has a number stamped on it. That number can be useful in the event that something goes wrong with the procedure. “That number is for the benefit of the patient,” they say. Who in their right mind, would refuse a pace maker just because it has a number on it, and just because the doctor can communicate with that pacemaker without requiring additional surgery? Who in their right mind would refuse to have a broken bone repaired just because the pin has a number stamped on it? The answer: Almost no one.

RFID tags are small. The original tags were the size of a grain of rice. Later on, the Hitachi mu-chip was introduced, which was smaller than the diameter of a strand of hair. Since then, even smaller devices have been developed that are sixty times smaller than the mu-chip. They are more of the consistency of a grain of powder.

What’s so alarming, is that these chips don’t have to be legislated by the government to become universally used. If enough hospitals and insurance companies begin requiring them, or treating patients wearing them more expeditiously than nonusers, or providing discounts for usage of the chips, they could easily become the new norm. Then, not wearing a chip might be akin to not having an ATM card or a credit card.

Okay, this is referring to implanted devices. Maybe the Mark of the Beast will be some sort of invisible tattoo on the surface of the skin. Would people resist that? Have you ever been to an amusement park, and decided that you forgot something in the car? When you told the gate attendant that you needed to go out of the park for a few minutes, what did he do? He said, “No problem. Stick out your hand so I can “mark” your wrist.” Without thinking twice, you eagerly extended your arm and received a mark. Sometimes the marks are easily visible, and sometimes they are nearly invisible and need to be illuminated with a black light in order to be seen. In either case, you had a need, and the “mark” on your wrist solved that need. “Well, that’s not the Mark of the Beast,” you may say. True. It’s not the mark, but it is a mark nevertheless. Satan’s deceit is focused on getting us accustomed to being tied to numbers, and on getting us accustomed to man-made devices and markings placed in and on our bodies. Who knows whether the Mark of the Beast will be implanted in the body, or if it will be stamped or marked on the surface of a person’s skin? It doesn’t really matter. We as a society are becoming accustomed to the forerunners of Satan’s Mark.

“But,” you may say, “I’ll recognize that line, and I’ll never cross that line.” Well, that sounds good, but most likely; you’ll never see that line. You’ve demonstrated that you may never see that line by the fact that you’ve accepted one baby-step after tiny little baby-step of societal change. We need to realize that there may never be a detectable line in the sand that separates us from taking the mark or not taking the mark. The line, if there actually is one, will be so blurred that there will be few who will recognize it. For that reason, we should refrain from self-righteously saying that we won’t take the mark when it comes. What we should be doing is resisting the current societal drift toward that mark. Vigilance is the key to resisting the mark. It may come as a surprise to you, but it’s not the act of accepting the actual mark that is the problem. The problem has to do with accepting the deceitful spirit that is associated with the mark. Too many Christians are asleep. They think that Satan’s Anti-Christ is going to make an announcement some day saying, “I’m a really bad dude. And to prove how bad I am, I’m going to require you to take my mark on your wrist. If you don’t, I’ll have your head.” No, it won’t be that obvious. The majority of the world’s population will eagerly accept their “personal” number as an aid to good health, well being, and ease of buying and selling. Satan won’t be the one placing that mark on us. It will be our merchants, our utility companies, our doctors and our taxing authorities.

How then, are we to resist the mark if we are faced with that decision? The one who is most likely to refuse the mark when it is eventually presented, is the person who is actively involved in the direction our society is taking today. What a person is doing today is a clear indication of how that person will deal with the “mark” in the future. The person who is most likely to resist Satan’s “mark” is the person who is writing and calling his Senators and representatives and telling them what they are doing wrong and what they are doing right. The person who will most likely refuse the Mark of the Beast is the person who registers to vote; it is the person who actually studies the issues and candidates; it is the person who votes for issues and candidates that are fiscally, socially, and morally responsible; and it is the person who votes in every election that comes around, whether it be the President of the United States for the local dog catcher. Whoa, Nellie. What does voting have to do with taking the Mark of the Beast?

Socialism is one of Satan’s most important vehicles for gaining total control over the people of the world. Capitalism resists government control over the people. Socialism embraces government control. Anyone who votes for issues or candidates that are in favor of socialistic trends is a person who is a prime candidate for accepting the “mark.” The person who is most likely to resist the “mark” is more than just a Sunday-go-to-meetin’ person. The Bible instructs us to resist the wiles of the devil. RESIST: that is the key to avoiding the Mark of the Beast.

Will you resist the Mark of the Beast? The Anti-Christ may not be active today, but the spirit of Anti-Christ is alive and well in our society. The current trend to social programs and Socialism is being orchestrated by the spirit of Anti-Christ. Socialism is a government that provides for the needs of the people. On the flip side of the coin, Socialism is the people being dependent on the government. The person or entity that is doing the giving is the person or entity that has the greatest power and control. Before the Anti-Christ can take control of the entire world, the entire world must be ready to be taken over. The more power and control we give to the government, the more likely we are to come under subjection to that government. America is the only major hold-out against Socialism. Sadly though, we are embracing every socialistic trend that comes along.

Once America becomes a socialistic nation, Satan will be able to move into his final game. With the citizens of all the world’s nations depending on the government to care for their needs, the world will be ripe for embracing a one-world government. The Anti-Christ will become the head of that one-world government. This one-world government will not be capitalistic; it will be socialistic. The citizens of the world social system will already be utilizing their personal I.D. number for everything they do. The only thing left on Satan’s agenda, will be to permanently place that mark on our bodies.

Have you ever studied the parable of the ten virgins? Five of the virgins said they would be ready to perform their duties when the bridegroom showed up. But when he actually did show up, they weren’t ready. They claimed that they would be ready, but their actions said otherwise. The other five didn’t just “say” they would be ready; they constantly made themselves ready; taking care of business all along the way. Then when the bridegroom showed up, they were fully prepared to carry out their business. We Christians are the ten virgins who are waiting for the bridegroom. If we merely go to church and worship the Lord while “saying” that we will resist the mark when it shows up, we won’t have a chance to resist the mark. On the other hand, if we go church, worship the Lord and resist every wile of the devil’s agenda all along the way, we may have a chance to resist the mark.

How does one resist the spirit of the mark that is preparing mankind to accept the actual mark? Social programs and socialism in general must be deeply engrained in society before the actual mark can be administered. Resistance of the spirit of the mark is resistance against the socialistic vehicle that is bringing us the mark. Diligent voting and diligent oversight of the people and policies we have put in place is our fight against the spirit of the mark. If you are not making a great effort to put the right people in office, you are not resisting the spirit of the mark. If you are not regularly communicating your thoughts and desires to your leaders, you are not resisting the spirit of the mark. If you are not currently resisting the spirit of the mark, you won’t stand a chance to resist the actual mark. Not only will you take the mark; you’ll be the first in line to accept the mark.

Will you be able to resist the Mark of the Beast? The actions you are taking today speak more truth about how you will handle the “mark” than the simple statement, “Yes, I will resist the Mark.”

For a complete view of today’s slide toward the end times, read Shadow Truth: The Ultimate Deception. Go to http://bit.ly/bCKGlW for ordering information.

Iran says it can destroy Israel in one week

2010-05-22T00:34:00.001-05:00

Iran is merrily on the road to the development of nuclear weapons. President Obama and the U.N. have been doing little, other than holding meetings and proposing sanctions. In the mean time, Iran is steadily advancing its nuclear program by continuing to enrich uranium which Israel believes is a covert weapons program.

With U.N. sanctions going nowhere, Israel prodded and failed to persuade the Obama administration to impose sanctions on Iran's petroleum sector, even after the House and Senate passed legislation enabling it to do so. In April, Iran's announcement that it had produced faster centrifuges further rattled Israel. Israeli officials are saying that nothing short of a sanction of Iran’s energy sector will work. And with no sign of that in the offing, the prospect of Israeli military action looms larger.

Israel’s chairman of the Israeli Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee said that Israel is frustrated with the fact that Iran does not feel the pressure of the world and does not care about the demands of the International Atomic Energy Agency and the U.N.

While the United States has been discussing some sort of an effective sanctions regime, Iran has been able to acquire a stockpile of at least two tons of low-enriched uranium, which is enough for at least one bomb. Israel believes Iran has also been developing a method for weaponizing highly enriched uranium.

Moshe Yaalon, Israel's deputy prime minister, said earlier this month that Israel has the capabilities to attack Iran and described the possibility of a preemptive strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. Israel has acted unilaterally in the past to set back nuclear programs. In 1981, it obliterated an Iraqi nuclear reactor and in 2007 it struck at a suspected Syrian nuclear site.

Giora Eiland, a former Israeli national security advisor has said that Israeli officials believe that in less than one year, Israel might need to make a terrible decision, either to get used to the sad fact that Iran has nuclear weapons, and nothing can stop it, or try to do something by themselves.

In May 2010, Ahmadinejad’s chief of staff, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei said that if Israel attacks Iran, Israel would be destroyed within a week. On a separate visit to Saudi Arabia Mashaei claimed that the annihilation of Israel should be a global goal. He told Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir that the corrupt and criminal Zionist regime is harming not only the Arab and Islamic world, but all of humanity.

With today’s politically-correct world that bends over backwards to protect and promote the Muslim world, Israel very well may have to resort to military action. As for Iran destroying Israel in one week, or one month, or even one year…well good luck! I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes.

Who in the world are "They?"

2010-05-20T14:36:00.002-05:00

We have a habit of referring to the way they are doing things.
We love to complain about how they are controlling our lives.

They are handing out birth control pills to eleven year old girls without parental consent.
They are teaching evolution and calling creationism nothing more than a myth.
They are teaching our kids that it is no longer important to excel.
They are promoting homosexuality as the lifestyle of choice.
They are suggesting that late-term abortion is a woman’s right.
They have convinced us that political correctness is the gentlemanly way to be.
They preach that right and wrong is much too black and white.
They tell us that the Ten Commandments should not be seen in public.
They rule that Christmas trees on college campuses are offensive.
They do not permit public prayer to end in “Jesus Name.”
They inform us that one’s gender is based on one’s feelings, not one’s biology.
They tell us that we should have the right to end our life whenever we want to.
They tell us that we should create babies to provide spare parts for living children.
They suggest that the elderly should not have as much access to health care as the young.
They believe that they should control your money—not you.
They want to do away with national sovereignty and implement a one-world government.
They want to do away with your right to privacy.
They are responsible for this country’s slide to socialism, reduction in values, and the removal of God from the public square.

Do you have enough interest to find out who they are?
Would you like to find out how we have lost control of the world we live in?
You will be stunned and shocked when you find out who they really are.

Do you have the courage to invest $16.99 in the future of your country? With the insight acquired from reading Shadow Truth, the downward trend of this nation can be reversed in short order.

Buy Shadow Truth: The Ultimate Deception by Larry J. Tate today. Go to www.shadowtruthbook.com for ordering information. It may be the best investment you could make in your life, the lives of your children and the lives of their children.

Laura Bush in favor of gay marriage and abortion

2010-05-15T22:45:00.004-05:00

While pushing her new book, “Spoken from the Heart” on the Larry King show, Laura Bush dropped a bomb shell regarding her inner liberal leanings. She said that her stand in favor of abortion and gay marriage has been a point of disagreement between her and George Bush since before his first term as President of the United States.

She said that when (same sex) couples are committed to each other and love each other, they ought to have the same sort of rights that everyone has. When asked by Larry King if she could accept gay marriage, Laura Bush said, yes. The ex-first lady also told King she believes abortion should remain legal, an opinion she has held since before President Bush's first day in office in 2001. Laura Bush said abortion should remain legal, because she thinks it's important for people…

She even admitted to not being honest when interviewed by Katie Couric. On the day of George W. Bush's first inauguration, the first lady was asked by Couric if she was for the overturn of Roe versus Wade. Believing that her true liberal stand in favor of abortion might be detrimental to her husband’s presidency, she answered, “no.”

These statements came on the heels of another recent interview where she offered her approval of Obama’s latest pick, Elena Kagan, for the Supreme Court. Speaking of nominee, Laura said, "I think it's great." Kagan’s approval would mean that three women will be serving at once. "I'm really glad that there will be three,” said Bush “I like to have women on the Supreme Court…I like women to be represented in all parts of American political and civic life." Laura expressed approval of Kagan in spite of Kagan’s widely known stand in favor of socialism, and in spite of Kagan’s ruling that military recruiters should be banned from Harvard Law School. It seems strange that Laura Bush would support a greater representation of females on the Supreme Court even though Obama’s pick is known for her liberal policies. To Laura Bush, a greater representation by females on the bench trumps a person’s stand on moral issues.

Are you disappointed in Laura Bush? Does her stand cause you to waver? Do you feel that you don’t know who to trust? You can never fully trust another person. You must be diligent and you must do your homework. But at the end of the day, there will still be certain people who will let you down. Don’t use that as an excuse for you to give up or let up. Continue standing for that which is right. Continue speaking up about the issues of the day. Continue voting for the candidate who best fits in with the future of this country. Never let apathy rob you of your obligation to do your part in choosing the leadership of this country.

Who’s Making Fun of Jesus Now?

2010-05-12T17:51:00.001-05:00

In the spring of 2010 Comedy Central announced aggressive plans to mock not only Christians, but Jesus as well. The network plans to develop a cartoon series about Jesus Christ, who will be called, “JC.” The story line will have Jesus moving to New York City to escape from his father’s oversight so that he can live out a more normal life and just be a normal guy. The apathetic father (God) will be portrayed as a lazy man who wastes his time playing video games while at the same time, ignoring his son, Jesus. The cartoon show will be making fun of religion and our Christian society and will be casting them as a bit dumb.

This announcement comes on the heels of the very same organization hiding and covering up a visual depiction of the prophet Muhammad after a protest by Muslims. In order to appease the Muslim protest, the network hid the Muhammad character in a black box so that he would not be depicted. It seems that many Muslims consider any depiction of Muhammad to be blasphemous. By their actions, the network is saying that they are happy to honor the belief systems of the Muslims, but Christians and their beliefs are fair game.

The network defends its platform by saying that comedy nearly always offends someone and causes them to become uncomfortable. That is the whole basis of comedy. But they draw the line when it comes to offending Muslims or making them feel the slightest bit uncomfortable.

This network, along with much of today’s mainstream media goes out of its way to respect Islam, while at the same time attacking and defaming Christianity and the 70 to 80 percent of Americans who call themselves Christians. Out of respect for the beliefs of Muslims, Muhammad can’t show his face around Comedy Central, but Jesus Christ is readily available for ridicule.

How, and most importantly, why is this sort of thing permeating our society today? The answer is much closer than we may think. As a matter of fact, the answer is right under our collective nose. To find the answer, read Shadow Truth: The Ultimate Deception by Larry J. Tate. Go to http://www.shadowtruthbook.com/ for ordering information.

One World Government—Coming Sooner Than You Think

2010-05-06T14:57:00.001-05:00

The nation of Greece has fallen to its knees in the wake of a total financial collapse. Now, the once-proud nation has gone hat-in-hand to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for bailout assistance.

Greece has found itself in a financial death spiral brought on by years of amazingly irresponsible deficit spending as is often done by countries that adopt socialism and/or socialistic-styled programs. In spite of the knowledge that there is no such thing as financial perpetual motion, socialistic-leaning governments continue spending money they don’t have—to the detriment of their own economies.

What are some examples of their deficit spending? In keeping with common socialistic thought, the common and working-class people should have the right to the life styles and pleasures enjoyed by the well-to-do. As a consequence, Greece set out to artificially elevate the Greek standard of living. The idea that being able to pay for increased salaries was not considered. With the stroke of a pen, salaries were simply raised to the tune of about 30% since 2006. However, additional salaries were not enough. Annual bonus payments were also implemented and paid out as 13th and 14th month salaries.

Then, there are holidays and vacations. Greece implemented a statutory minimum number of days off for its Greek workers. Employees were entitled to a minimum of thirty-seven days of paid leave which was required and mandated by law. In comparison, the United States does not place any statutory minimum holiday allowance requirements on employers.

In order to protect its workers, Greece instituted a law restricting a company’s right to fire and/or lay off employees in times of hardship. The maximum number of employees that a private company could lay off was set at 2%. The average age of retirement was a rather young age of 61, with many in the public sector entering retirement in their 50’s. The pension that a worker received after retirement reflected their wage being drawn at the time of retirement. And then, there was a common and out-of-control problem with tax evasion. To help pay for many of the above perks, income tax was relatively high. Consequently, many, if not most Greeks were involved in some sort of tax-evading methods.

So, Greece’s addiction to spending more than they were making finally caught up with them. Consequently, begging for assistance was the only option left. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that it is the lender who has the upper hand. Greece’s only hope of survival is to accept a bailout along with a long list of attached strings and demands. Europe, in partnership with the IMF has offered to come to the rescue of the floundering nation of Greece. If Greece wants to accept the help being offered by the world community, they will have to obey certain demands. There will have to be an across-the-board freeze of wages. Some wages must be slashed. Income taxes must be increased even more. Huge cuts must be implemented tin Greece’s public sector, including the elimination of contract workers. Private companies must be permitted to increase the number of employees they can lay off, from 2% to 4%. The age of retirement must be raised, and pensions must be reduced to reflect a worker’s average pay rather than their final pay. Consumption taxes must be increased on alcohol, fuel, cigarettes, etc. Construction projects must be taxed. People must be removed from public payroll, and tax evasion must be eliminated.

What are the consequences of a nation being bailed-out by other nations? It all boils down to a loss of sovereignty. The nation of Greece will no longer be able to call its own shots. Greece will have to seek approval from the world for almost anything it does. It may sound like the requirements being placed on Greece are a move back toward privatization and capitalism. However, control is what the one-world movement wants. Once world control is established, then socialistic mandates are sure to be reinstated, while the floundering nation remains under world control.

Comparisons can be drawn with the United States. Our leaders implemented large-scale bailouts for many giant companies, including AIG, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, GM, Chrysler and many large banks. In doing so, the United States has spent billions and billions of dollars it doesn’t have. In order to spend money you don’t have, you must borrow that money. Who have we borrowed from? At the end of the first quarter of 2010, the U.S. public debt was 87% of GDP. Now, for the bad news. In 1988, only 13% of our debt was owned by foreign governments. In 2007, it doubled to 25%. In 2009, that number has skyrocketed. China and Japan alone, own 44% of the American debt.

Like Greece, the powerful United States may someday find itself bound to comply with the demands of the world community. That is when a one-world government will be able to begin taking control of the entire world. The agents of humanism have been working toward that end for many years. The Fourteenth Affirmation of the First Humanist Manifesto says: …profit-motivated society has shown itself to be inadequate…A socialized and cooperative economic order must be established to the end that the equitable distribution of the means of life be possible.

The Twelfth Affirmation of the Second Humanist Manifesto says: We deplore the division of humankind on nationalistic grounds. We have reached a turning point in human history where the best option is to transcend the limits of national sovereignty and to move toward the building of a world community…

The Closing Statements of the Second Humanist Manifesto says: …(the) goal for humankind…(is) for each person to become…a citizen of a world community.

It is time for the U.S. electorate to wake up and put representatives in office who have a drive to keep America sovereign. Much of that will be predicated on reducing or eliminating foreign-held debt. The only way to keep debt under control is to spend only what we have. What a smart idea. Our government should act the way its private citizens have acted since the very beginning.

U.S. Federal Court Rules That Doing Business With The Boy Scouts Is Unlawful

2010-05-05T09:01:00.002-05:00

On May 3, 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to overturn a lower court’s ruling that the Boy Scouts can no longer lease city-owned parkland in San Diego because the group is a religious organization.

A California U.S. District judge had earlier ruled that the City of San Diego acted improperly when it leased 18 acres of camp space to the Scouts because the group is a religious organization. The judge said the lease violated federal law that prohibits the government promotion of religion.

It all got started when with the help of the ACLU, a lesbian couple and an agnostic couple filed a lawsuit regarding the one-dollar per year lease agreement between the Scouts and the City. The lesbian couple had a beef with the Scouts due to their policy against using homosexuals to lead the scouts. The agnostic couple was against the Scouts due to their recognition of God.

The ACLU found a loophole in the law, permitting them to sue the city and the scouts. This loophole was centered around San Diego’s non-discrimination policy which prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and religion.

The lawsuit argued that the city’s lease agreement with the scouts amounts to a subsidy of a religious organization that is violating the city’s non-discrimination law. The Federal Court ruled in favor of the two couples because they “suffered injury-in-fact.” What sort of injury did these couples suffer? Apparently, they suffered some sort of mental trauma when they avoided using the city park due to the Boy Scouts publicly expressed disapproval of lesbians, atheists and agnostics. The judge said that the city’s one-dollar lease to the Boy Scouts violates the state’s ban on support for religions.

The federal judge ruled against the Boy Scouts even though an earlier U.S. Supreme Court ruling stated that the Boy Scouts is a private organization with a First Amendment right to exclude gay people from its ranks.

Isn't it amazing that four people have the power to overturn the wishes of untold thousands of other people? How is it that the few can rule the many in today's society. The policies of non-discrimination started out as a necessary and a proper direction for our country to take. However, over the years, the definition of discrimination has evolved radically. To learn just how much and why, read Shadow Truth: The Ultimate Deception by Larry J. Tate. Go to www.shadowtruthbook.com for ordering information.

The U.N. is devoted to tearing down the nation of Israel

2010-05-04T10:42:00.001-05:00

In April 2009, the U.N. Human Rights Council commissioned “The Goldstone Report,” which on the surface, was intended to investigate violations of international human rights law that may have been committed during the military operations that were conducted in Gaza between late 2008 and early 2009.

In September 2009, the report was released, the majority of which was devoted to accusing Israel of military misconduct. Over a period of several years, Israel has defended itself against thousands of rockets and mortars fired by Hamas and other Palestinian groups at civilian targets in Israel. The U.N.’s Goldstone Report vividly accused Israel of human rights violations, war crimes and other actions that might justify a court finding that crimes against humanity have been committed. Even though Israel withdrew from its occupation of Gaza in 2005, the report labels Israel as an occupying power because it controls Gaza’s borders.

According to the report, Israel used Hamas’ rocket attacks as an excuse and a cover for its desire to target innocent Palestinian civilians, children, women and the elderly. What the report conveniently fails to report is that Hamas deliberately and willfully used its civilian population as human shields. The Hamas combatants mingled with the civilian population for the express purpose of shielding themselves from attack. The biased Goldstone Report suggested that Israel deliberately planned to kill civilians, while at the same time suggesting that Hamas did not use Palestinian civilians as human shields. While spending much verbiage condemning Israel, the report glosses over the terrorism to which Hamas is devoted to.

In November 2009, the United States rejected the Goldstone Report as irredeemably biased. In spite of the U.S. rejection of the report, the U.N. General Assembly adopted the report and sent it to the Security Council. Even though the Security Council has not yet acted on the report, the Islamic Extremists have won a victory in propaganda.

The Human Rights Council is made up of 48 members, including China, Cuba, Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. In spite of the widely known gross violations of human rights for which these nations are guilty of, they have singled out Israel for defending itself.

The world as a whole has drawn a line in the sand, leaving Israel and only a very few allies on the other side of that line. Let your Senators and Representatives know that you are in favor of continuing to support and defend Israel.

Cameras make Chicago the most closely watched US city

2010-05-02T21:18:00.002-05:00

In the fall of 2009, the body of Chicago’s school board president was found in the river. With the help of Chicago’s extensive interlinked camera system, police were able to prove that the bullet wound to his head was due to a suicide—not a murder.

Chicago’s police were able to recreate the man’s drive through the city by using high-tech equipment that was capable of singling out his car on a succession of surveillance cameras. As the car travelled out of the range of one camera, the sophisticated equipment handed the image to the next camera along the route, creating a virtual non-stop video of his 20-minute drive through the city.

Chicago proudly possesses the most extensive and sophisticated video surveillance system in the United States. In less than ten years, the city was able to link thousands of cameras situated on street poles, skyscrapers, aboard buses, in train tunnels, schools and in many other public and private locations. City officials are able to watch live video, following people or vehicles as they travel throughout the city.

London—the world’s most closely watched city, has approximately 500,000 cameras. But not even London incorporates private cameras in its system as does Chicago. While critics decry the network as the biggest of all Big Brother invasions of privacy, most Chicago residents accept it as a necessary fact of life. Authorities say the system helps them respond to emergencies in a way never before possible.

Each freedom and privacy we give up begins by sounding like it’s good, necessary and beneficial. However, there comes a time when humanity has lost so much freedom and privacy that they are destined to eventually become wards of the state. Read Shadow Truth: The Ultimate Deception by Larry J. Tate. Go to www.shadowtruthbook.com for ordering information.

Hillary Clinton Stumps for Global Abortion Policies

2010-05-02T17:00:00.002-05:00

In April, 2010, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke to a group of G8 foreign ministers in Canada regarding maternal health. She said that any global plan to enhance maternal health must include strategies to boost access to birth control and abortion. She said, “I've worked in this area for many years and if we're talking about maternal health, you cannot have maternal health without reproductive health. And reproductive health includes…access to legal, safe abortion."

The Toronto Star described this statement as a "grenade in the lap of her shell-shocked Canadian hosts." Clinton's grenade did damage beyond Canada. It’s like addressing poverty by doing away with the poor; like fighting disease by getting rid of those with diseases.

Contraception allows women, if they choose, to avoid high-risk pregnancies early or late in life, to space births at safer intervals and to limit the number of pregnancies they have during their childbearing years. Most people now generally assume that contraception is essential to the creation of happy, healthy families. Most Protestants, even of the more sober varieties, do not view contraception as a moral issue.

Abortion however, is a totally different issue. The global community is being pressured from all sides to adopt and embrace abortion as a normal method for limiting the size of families. People are being told that they can do what they want, when they want and how they want—all with no consequences. If they happen to end up with an unwanted pregnancy, all they have to do is terminate the life of that unwanted child.

Right to Pray in Jesus’ Name Restored in Virginia

2010-04-29T08:51:00.003-05:00

The Governor of Virginia Bob McDonnell has restored the rights of six State Police Chaplains to pray publicly "in Jesus name," reversing the policy of his politically correct predecessor Governor Tim Kaine who forced the chaplains to deny Christ or resign from their jobs. Now that McDonnell has fulfilled his campaign pledge, the six chaplain heroes who had turned in their badges rather than deny Christ, will be invited back to their chaplain jobs, and given free speech to pray "in Jesus name."

This victory was largely the result of the tireless of efforts of Chaplain Gordon Klingenschmitt who had been previously court-martialed by the politically correct U.S. military for praying in Jesus’ Name.

Read more about Chaplain Gordon Klingenschmitt in Shadow Truth: The Ultimate Deception by Larry J. Tate. Go to http://www.shadowtruthbook.com/ for ordering information.

Oklahoma Approves One Of The Nation's Strictest Anti-Abortion Laws

2010-04-26T19:10:00.003-05:00

On April 27, 2010 the Oklahoma House voted to override a veto of an abortion measure that Governor Brad Henry has called an unconstitutional intrusion into citizens' private lives and decisions. The Center for Reproductive Rights, a national abortion rights group, calls it among the nation's strictest anti-abortion measures.

The measure requires women to undergo an ultrasound and listen to a detailed description of the fetus before getting an abortion. It is hoped that with this new law in place, women will view the fetus for what it really is, a living unborn human, and not just some sort of obtrusive and unwanted mass of tissue.

Governor Henry is often on the wrong side of conservative issues. In his defense however, he has recently signed laws requiring clinics to post signs stating a woman cannot be forced to have an abortion, stating that an abortion will not be performed until the woman gives her voluntary consent, and that abortions based on child's gender are illegal.

Nebraska also put new restrictions on abortion this month, enacting a law that bars the procedure at and after 20 weeks of pregnancy based on the assertion that fetuses can feel pain at that point.