Heresy

I found this post on social media.  I found it to be an interesting take . . . 

The Heresy of “Keeping Christ In Christmas” ~ December 5, 2014 ~ I, PETER WINKLER APPROVE THIS MESSAGE

I am from a small town.
One small town in fact, Piedmont, Alabama.

It is a beautiful little place nestled in the foothills of Appalachia. It has some of the most gorgeous mountains in the fall and some of the best football in the state. I spent the first 18 years of my life there and am grateful for so many things from that tiny town.

Piedmont is also a troubled place.

Recently an organization from Wisconsin called Freedom From Religion Foundation wrote a letter to the city of Piedmont demanding that they immediately cease prayers over the intercom at their football games. The organization threatened legal action against the city and the school system if they did not comply. This tiny town, which has only really been in the national news for tornadoes and marijuana dealers, was now thrust into the spotlight. The board complied and they, like many other schools, now observe a moment of silence before each home game.

That is not the end of the story. Yesterday, Piedmont once again was in the national spotlight. Fox News did a story on our little town and its newest religious debacle. Piedmont and its leadership, many of whom I know and respect deeply (especially the mayor, whom I have known since I was a child) decided to make the theme of their Christmas parade “Keep Christ in Christmas.” This was no doubt in reaction to the recent decision to change the format of the prayer at the football games. So, as I am sure everyone expected, the group from Wisconsin issued another complaint and the city once again had to back off of their stance.

Here is the problem: The very fact that people feel that it is their duty to mandate Christ in Christmas is, in and of itself, an act of heresy.

I know many very well-intentioned people believe that they are fighting the good fight and are experiencing religious persecution, but that is simply a wrong way of thinking.

If you are a Christian in America, you have to stop pulling the persecution card.

It is not persecution just because you do not get everything you want or because you can not do whatever you please.

The fact of the matter is that every person in that stadium on Friday night can pray all they want to, through the whole game in fact, you just cannot mandate that everyone has to do it or be subjected to it by a federally funded entity.

The fact of the matter is that Individuals who pay entry fees to a parade can adorn their floats with Christmas themes, you just cannot mandate, from a municipality level, that the whole parade has to be religious. There are kids who will march in the band for the parade who do not believe in Jesus, and that is ok because we live in America. There are people who will line the streets, excited to see a small town at it’s finest, who have no religious affiliation and should not be subjected to a religious event that is funded in some part by their tax dollars. That is their right because we live in America.

I have grown so weary of the widely used phrase “well if they don’t like it they can leave” when the religious right do not get their way. That phrase will be an epitaph on the graves of our freedom if we are not careful. City, state and federal governments do not exist to represent and protect only those who are the most vocal, organized or even in the majority. One of the things that, in theory, should make this country great is that those entities exist just as much for the weak as they do for the powerful, just as much for the minority as the majority and just as much for the atheist, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, Jew and non-religious as it should for the Christian.

When we throw around irresponsible knives like “if they do not like then they can leave” it is at best un-American, and at worst un-Christian.

Christianity, as defined by the life and teachings of Jesus, never depended or insisted on being the majority, in power or even influential. It was a religion that lauded the weak, meek and the poor. Jesus came preaching a gospel that defaulted on the need for religion to have power and influence. He told us that the last shall be first and the first shall be last. When Peter picked up a sword and was ready to take Jerusalem, Jesus quickly told him to put it down because that is not the kind of gospel he was bringing.

I would rather we be a country whose Christians were forced to meet and pray in dark secluded caverns as a persecuted minority than one whose faith was mandated and proclaimed and sustained from Capitol Hill. At least that would be Biblical.

Finally, at the core of the problem is that any time people of faith chant slogans or mandate parade themes like “keeping Christ in Christmas” or “Put Christ back in Christmas” we prove ourselves people of little faith. When these are our battle cries we reduce the presence and power of God to only be where a government or law allows God. When we do this we deny that God was there before us, is there with us now and will be there long after we are gone. When we try to force God on others we reincarnate some of the worst epochs of our religious history, and default on its core founding principles of Love, Grace and Hospitality. When we assume these seats of power and belligerently insist that we take priority and our voice is the only that matters we are not representing the man who called for humility, peacemaking. meekness and self sacrifice. What we do is become pawns in larger economic and political narratives, not the narrative of Christ as found in the Bible. We do not serve the one we call the Prince of Peace, we serve corporate America, politicians who use religion for their platforms and men and women who ride the coat tails of Jesus straight to power.

As a person of faith, you do not have to keep Christ in Christmas, he is already there. He is there with the lonely, the depressed, the joyful and the confused. He is there with the widow and the orphan, with you, with me and with the atheist. As people of faith it is in these places, fueled by grace love and hospitality, we can, not bring Christ back to Christmas, but join with him in the work he is already doing, and sometimes work he is already doing in spite of the best intentions of his people.

The Bible Belt Has Buckled

In 1995, I preached a sermon based upon the 59th chapter of Isaiah.  This passage came to me with the urgent warning of impending judgment, shortly after the OKC bombing.  After preaching the sermon, the pastor told another pastor in town that I'd never preach from his pulpit again . . . I didn't; and it wasn't long until that pulpit wasn't his.

The OKC bombing shook this nation, but yet we built a memorial and went on with business as usual.  This nation is big on memorials and statues, without giving consideration that our Creator may see them as idols.  Timothy McVeigh was sentenced to death for domestic terrorism, and that execution was carried out in 2001 which is record time, considering capital punishment and the judicial system.  The man who was found guilty as his accomplice, Terry Nichols, is serving several life sentences in a maximum security prison.

Last year a very troubling headline from Tulsa crossed my newsfeed and we covered it here in the Goshen Gazette.  A man was found by his wife in his garage, hands and feet bound and decapitated.  If that isn't horrific enough, there is more.  Tulsa police, at the time of the interview, ruled his death a suicide . . . Let that sink in for just a moment.  At the time, the claim was made that the investigation would continue.  Just how qualified are these folks to continue an investigation based upon the presumption that this was suicide?  In a Google search this afternoon, most reports of this grizzly discovery continue to be dated in June of 2013, which is when it was reported to have occurred.  No name was given in the reports I found, family privacy, being cited as the reason.  All the links and blogs seemed to originate from the same site.
http://www.krmg.com/news/news/local/man-found-decapitated-police-suspect-suicide/nYNZh/

Last Sunday there was a black mass in Oklahoma City, with protesters, but it took place.

The breaking headlines of a beheading in Moore, Oklahoma have me both puzzled and concerned.  I "knew" immediately that even though there were reports of the alleged murderer's social media posts and attempts to convert co-workers to Islam, a public beheading would not be ruled terrorism, but workplace violence . . . because he'd just been fired.  Sadly, I was not wrong . . . which then raised another question.  Where is this woman's obituary?  How could everything be so quickly determined while the alleged murderer is lying unconscious in the hospital and the other victim continues to be hospitalized?  Of course, HIPAA laws prevent further investigation into those who are allegedly hospitalized.
 http://abcnews.go.com/US/fired-oklahoma-food-plant-employee-beheads-woman-attacks/story?id=25780332

Undoubtedly the Bible Belt has buckled, or come undone as the case may be.  Not to disregard the memory of anyone, and certainly there is no intent to discount the value of human life, but as is the case in so many horrific headlines of these days, there are more questions than answers.

Destruction From Within . . .

Usually this blog begins with a topic that easily becomes a title and the article simply flows.  In this particular case, however; there is just too much muddy water to flow properly.  Upon reading about the female soldier who completed suicide at Fort Lee last month, as well as a statement contained led me to a consider a question, several actually; that I think we all need to ask.  "It is not yet clear what motivated Walker to shoot herself. The base commander, Maj. Gen. Stephen R. Lyons, said she was upset and enraged but could not say whether this was consistent with her usual behavior. He didn’t know if she was being treated for any mental health issues, or whether drug or alcohol use was a factor." 
The article's title was an obviously intended to lead the reader to making a connection to the 2009 Ft. Hood shooting.  "What the Fort Lee Shooter Sgt. Paula Walker Thought of the 2009 Fort Hood Massacre"
The question?  Why mention a possibility of mental health treatment, when the 2009 Fort Hood shooter was the base psychiatrist?  What kind of "treatment" would she have possibly received?  What kind of treatment did the people in Dr. Nidal Hasan's care, receive before his rampage?  
Although the sensationalizing headlines referred to Paula White as a "shooter," I'd like to point out the fact that no one else was injured.  She simply took her own life where she worked.

These questions led me to the more recent 2014 Ft. Hood shooter, Ivan Lopez; whose rampage ended in his suicide.  It was reported that he had suffered the loss of his mother and grandfather recently and was taking the prescription: Ambien.  That doesn't excuse murder, but the side effects of Ambien were quite troubling.  Then there's also the factor to consider, who prescribed that for him, and what was discussed through the therapy he was receiving for depression and PTSD.  Which brings me right back to the fact that it was the base psychiatrist who was the 2009 shooter at Ft. Hood.  In both cases, terrorism was ruled out in the shootings, yet the 2009 shooter has made it clear, he sees America as the enemy.   CNN even cited Fox News for breaking the story first!

Since Nidal Hasan has been found guilty and given the death penalty, the reclassification from Workplace violence to Terrorism or Treason is unlikely.  The fact that it was classified as Workplace violence, in the first place reeks of terrorism or treason; in that our military was under attack on our own soil!

 See, it just isn't flowing, but all this information is pertinent!  A woman commits suicide and she's called a "shooter."  A soldier known to be distraught with mental health issues taking a potentially harmful drug, killed three people and himself, was reported to be responsible for a "shooting spree."  Whereas, officials at the US Department of defense determined there was not enough evidence to put Nidal Hasan on trial for an act of terrorism.  With 13 fatalities and 32 wounded on a US military base, his rampage was ruled "workplace violence."   His latest move seems a guarantee that the death penalty will never be carried out.   This man has now written to ISIS leader, requesting to become citizen of Islamic State. 

And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.  Torah of Holy Scripture

Georgia On My Mind

Our borders are a mess, both north and south.  It's no secret that many Muslims gain access to Canada then head south . . . Some of the northern border states have some seriously large immigrant populations of questionable legitimacy.  There are many Muslims here legally who have been granted refugee asylum due to our invasion of Iraq.  Politically speaking, our southern border is basically an open door, but . . . it has been for years.  The only person who seems unable to get to the US from Mexico is Marine Sgt. Tahmooressi.  According to the charges, a person is not allowed to have weapons when crossing the border going south . . . that includes a soldier, but apparently only applies when going south.

My home state is apparently attempting to restart the Civil War, and is conveniently located in the middle of the country.  Rev. Racebaiter, himself; Al Sharpton has been to the Show Me state.  Meanwhile in other news, a white man was shot in Utah by what is reported to be a non-white officer . . . unlike Officer Wilson, the Salt Lake City officer's identity has not been released.  His identity seems to actually be being protected, while the slain young man is being demonized in the media.  Ferguson is much more centrally located for a city wide or individual state declaration of martial law to affect the entire country.  Major Interstates and airports could be so easily affected by martial law in Missouri.

With so much in the news, Georgia just keeps quietly popping up on other issues that just don't grab the headlines or stay in the headlines.

When I first did some research about the no knock warrant, it was based upon a Georgia headline.  That no knock warrant resulted in the death of a 92 year old woman.  After that incident, that particular department of the Atlanta PD increased from 8 to 30 . . .

A bill was introduced in Georgia, back in the 90's to use a guillotine for capital punishment, for organ donation.  The bill didn't pass . . . but clearly someone in power in Georgia, gave it enough serious thought to write a bill and introduce it.

Georgia is home to a very interesting monument, called the Georgia Guidestones.

Georgia is also home to the CDC  Center for disease control, and disease can be "controlled" both ways . . .  I don't mean to sound conspiranoid, but why would anyone need a patent for a disease, especially one like ebola?  The CDC has one, right there in Georgia.  The doctor and nurse who contracted ebola in Liberia, were brought to Georgia.  Atlanta is also home to the world's busiest international airport, which seems like an interesting potential of a pandemic proportion.

There's a mall in Georgia that truly takes the cake for this month.  A ladies group met there to walk and they are a church group, so they begin their walking with a prayer.  Security guards informed them that prayer was not acceptable in the mall.  The official word is, private personal prayers over a meal are still acceptable, if it doesn't disturb any of their patrons . . .
http://www.13wmaz.com/story/news/local/dublin/2014/08/05/dublin-mall-prayer/13618189/

Media has become sensationalized and clearly designed to lead the readers to draw conclusions.  Lines to grab our attention.  How many headlines do you click on, only to find out, it really misrepresented the article?  The headlines are designed to distract us from connecting the dots.  While all eyes are on Washington politics, or Chicago crime, or Ferguson riots; things are quietly going in to place.    

The Agenda Continues

Two young men were gunned down by police this week, yet the reactions are quite different.  As a resident of the Show-Me state, I'm watching closely to the events in Ferguson, MO.  Missouri has also been dubbed the political bellwether state, and I've been told before, the powers that be have used a Missouri city as a model to see how people react to implementation of codes and enforcement.

Two things stand out about the case in Ferguson.  One, is the fact that it immediately became racial and two, the protesters seem to be imported.  I'm so saddened that our nation has become so racially divided, once again; after electing our first president of color.  From a skeptical perspective, and that's the perspective I now have; it seems almost orchestrated.  Not only has racial division risen, but so have theories about causation and the source.  What seems to be overlooked is the fact, that regardless of who is causing it, there is military style police equipment and curfew in Ferguson, MO.  It doesn't matter who is causing what, the solution is the same . . . one step closer to martial law, for our own good, of course.

As a matter of fact, the reports of out of town protesters and a resurgence of the Black Panthers will probably expedite the people's demand for martial law and fear will be the motivating factor to embrace it.  In the event that any organized group is going to destroy a town, the people would naturally seek whatever protection is available.  The sad fact of the matter is, this has racial overtones that are not going away anytime soon.

Meanwhile in another state a white twenty year old is gunned down by three officers.  The race of the officers was not distinctly reported, but the report did include that they were all three on paid vacation at this time.  There is no report that Salt Lake City is experiencing the same issues as Ferguson, MO, although the Salt Lake Tribune has offered it's spin on the young man's past.  Sgt. Darin Sweeten is reported to have stated, it is unlikely the officers knew of any warrant, at the time of the shooting.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/08/16/missouri-governor-declares-emergency-imposes-curfew-in-ferguson/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=story&utm_campaign=ShareButtons

http://thefreethoughtproject.com/20-year-executed-slc-police-allegedly-wearing-headphones-unable-hear-orders/

Utah has a new big data storage building that has made the news recently, but a video was sent to me a few weeks ago that is really quite haunting in view of recent events, here in Missouri.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYCg7_qVLzo  New Haven, Missouri is in Franklin County and Ferguson is in the next county, St. Louis County.  Regardless of who is protesting and who is protecting, equipment for martial law is covering much of this country.

Delusion or Deception

When report of this crime came across my newsfeed, I was horrified.  I know people are dying everywhere and violence is certainly on the rise, but this particular incident stood out.  ISIS is reportedly killing because they hate those who don't believe what they do.  They own their hate and admit it.  Hamas openly admits their hatred of Israel and the Jewish people.  But here in America, a Jewish man is gunned down as he walks to synagogue and it's reported to not be a hate crime, but a robbery gone bad.  Really?

As these incidents increase, and they will, is law enforcement going to turn a blind eye toward certain victims based upon religion?  It's obvious that politics has already redefined who the victims are when it comes to matters pertaining to Israel.  When it's this blatant and we accept it, we need to realize that we've chosen to be deceived.  We are called to endure the mess, but we do not have to choose a lie.  We can choose to cling to the Truth.

Maybe the perpetrators didn't realize an Orthodox Jewish man would not be carrying money on Sabbath.  According to one report, witnesses said there was no altercation and the victim was shot several times.  A synagogue in that neighborhood had been vandalized earlier in the week with swastikas and hamas spray painted on the pillars.

How can this not be a hate crime?

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4556903,00.html

http://www.jta.org/2014/08/09/news-opinion/united-states/rabbi-shot-dead-on-way-to-synagogue-in-south-florida-1

Anti-Semites and Deniers

The recent division about Israel is not shocking, as this nation is determined to be divided very clearly along political lines, so if red is for it, blue is against it, and vice versa.  It will truly be interesting to see how GMOs get politically played, yet I digress.  The division and accusation about the current issues in Israel and Gaza came as no surprise, but denial of the holocaust caught me by surprise.  I realize there are deniers, but one happened to be of a Christian denomination.  When one denier trolled my wall, I suggested they Google Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Corrie Ten Boom.  Their response was clearly argumentative.  When I read what people went through, I can't imagine denial less than 70 years later.

What's interesting about the history that we seem to be overlooking and the deniers are claiming, is that much of what took place in Nazi Germany began as "health care" and disease management.
Take note America.  One does not have to dig very far to discover the concentration camps came after an economic collapse and government health care.  Complete Article

National Socialism and the Nation’s Health

No profession in Germany became so numerically attached to National Socialism in both its leadership and membership as was the medical profession. Because of their philosophical orientation toward finding a more scientific basis for medical research and practice, government funding for research, and the practical benefits of acquiring university positions and medical practices from the many banned and exiled German Jewish doctors, many physicians supported Nazi policies. One of the first Nazi laws, passed July 14, 1933, was the “Law for the Prevention of Progeny of Hereditary Disease,” intended to “consolidate” social and health policies in the German population and prohibit the right of reproduction for persons defined as “genetically inferior.” After 1933, the connection between the theory and practice of politicized medicine advocated by many in Weimar Germany became actual in Nazi Germany.

As the trouble in Israel escalates, it is truly dividing the social commentary.  There are folks openly anti-Semitic and even holocaust deniers who will troll posts of those who are pro-Israel.  This week, I did something I've never done before.  I deleted some comments made by another in one of my threads.  I did not do that, however; without first giving 12 hour notice and warning that it would take place.

This is my stand regarding the nation of Israel in these current days.  The present nation of Israel is a democracy, actually Judah; therefore not Biblical Israel, but still descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and this is a big BUT; current democratic Israel has a right to exist in the Middle East and current democratic Israel is defending Jerusalem, which is absolutely Biblical.  Zechariah  12:2-3 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.  And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.  This passage appears to be coming into fulfillment at this time with all nations coming against Jerusalem.  I'm not sure how to interpret Judah's stand in this, but clearly the intent and behavior of the rest of the world is stated.

Great and Terrible

The gardens are producing amazing crops this year and the rainfall has been abundant.  As the debate continues as to whether 5775 or 5776 is the year of Shemitah, my advice would be for those who are undecided or think there is another year before the land rests, to still not waste a thing this year!  Even the unbelieving Pharaoh of Egypt was wise enough to store the abundance . . .

As these end of days continue to unfold, I read of many who are counting on a second Exodus and I hope they are prepared for what happens.  Of course, as I plan to stay put and prepare for what I understand to be the days of Noah, I continue to seek greater understanding, and hope I'm prepared for what happens.  I know I've made this statement before, but I believe; we are very soon going to see the line in the sand become a chasm.  Once the line becomes a chasm, even spiritually or figuratively; there will be chaos and very few that manage to make it from one side to the other.

Many of us who are sounding the warning, are probably receiving the same responses, even though much of the unbelieving world feels something is coming . . .  With what is going on in Israel, our own borders broken down, the world economy crumbling, the cattle dying, and America's serious drought conditions in the SW, with wildfires in the NW.  Not to mention the plagues and pestilences that are antibiotic resistant, looming on the horizon, and the food supply has been genetically altered.  We, as a nation, are definitely facing judgment, as well as the time of terrible tribulation coming upon the whole world.

The point I would stress here, is to realize, we are NOT going to awaken to the alarm coming on with the News announcing, "Judgment Has Come" or "The Tribulation Begins Today."  We are told to not fear what man can do to us, and we know much of humanity is just thriving on evil, but it is time to get serious about our fear and reverence of YHWH.  Judgment is coming.  Not only has unbelieving America celebrated sin, but religious America has wilfully disobeyed the Word of the Living G-d.

Any Questions?

Cooper Harris

The number of headlines seem to be on the increase in reporting the deaths of children at the hands of their parents, or while in the care of their parents.  Cooper Harris is the toddler who recently died in his father's vehicle.  This case has taken some bizarre twists and turns, to the point, it is difficult to imagine Cooper's death to be an accident.  I keep telling myself, as I follow the case, in America we are presumed innocent until proven guilty.  The media sway is easy to follow.

I think of the case of Caylee Anthony a few years ago, and Lacy Peterson several years ago.  I don't agree with either outcome of those cases, so perhaps my perspective of this case will differ from the outcome, as well.  The one statement that continues to haunt my thoughts may be a misquote, maybe not.  When the father, Justin Harris, was making his statement about researching hot car deaths online, he was searching to see how hot it needed to be . . .  If those are his exact words, I find that troubling.

The mother's reaction is an enigma as well.  Perhaps she's in shock, but mothers get protective and angry over much less than a child's death!  Mothers will get angry over diapers unchanged, faces not washed, all sorts of trivial matters, by comparison.  Whether it's proven an accident or not, Cooper isn't my child and I'm mad at his dad!  I understand people can be distracted on occasion, but this isn't like he ran into the store thinking he'd only be a minute and got held up in line.  Since the mom worked from home, why take the child to daycare in the first place?  I was shocked at the mother's response when she went to pick the child up that afternoon . . .

I can't imagine parents conspiring to kill their child, but then I can't imagine all those online searches and doing nothing to take precaution, if the fear was that great.  A simple dog leash hooked to the underside of the car seat and the loop around the driver's door handle.

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/fundraising-site-cooper-harriss-family-shut-down/ngc9s/

http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/10/justice/hot-car-death-whats-next/index.html?iref=allsearch

Equality?

Having grown up with a very convoluted definition of FAIR and EQUAL, I recognize the cognitive dissonance in this sexual equality agenda.  In reading the headlines, I shake my head or . . . (smh) as it is in social media, and ask myself, is anyone having procreative, responsible, heterosexual sex any more?

If a person's sex life is their own personal business, and I agree that it should be, why are there so many headlines about the subject?  I've been celibate for years, and I'm not saying everyone should be, but sexuality should be a private matter, and all sexual activity is clearly a choice.  I'm not saying gays should be bullied, but their sexuality doesn't need to be paraded down main street, either.  I think everyone's sex life needs to stay in the bedroom.

Before I got married and before I became a believer, I was a fornicator.  I'm not proud of that fact, and I certainly don't need a parade in celebration of my sin of choice.  As many of the headlines have been sexual in nature this past month, I smile remembering one of Miss Lillian Carter's quotes, which I quote to myself frequently.
She once remarked "When I look at all my children sometimes I say to myself, Lillian, you should have stayed a virgin."
I love my kids, but I do wish I'd managed my sexuality differently in my younger years, and in differently, I mean Biblically.

 My heart goes out to all those who love their children, but those children have made the choice to act out on anti-Biblical sexual urges.  I guess since my fornication was heterosexual, I don't get any special political accommodations, and I'm not saying my sin of choice was better than any other sexual sin.  What I am saying, is we have a nation that is seriously focused on sexuality, and we've brought what should have been a matter of bedroom privacy between two people and their Creator and made it a matter of public focus, thus "creating" or manufacturing, a circus.

I don't have any gay children, but one of my daughter's is in the adult entertainment industry, and that certainly has not made our bad relationship any better.  As a matter of fact, when I view all these guilt inducing gut-wrenching videos about how loving parents need to respond to their kids "coming out," I take comfort in knowing the relationship between that child and myself was already strained beyond the breaking point before she "came out" in this "line of work."

I think I've finally realized, now that our society has become so openly brazen about sex, the difference between Biblically ordained sex and all the rest of this becomes clear.  A loving act between a man and a woman is an act of giving and truly being joined.  Every other act of sexuality in the headlines seems to be an act of taking, an act of self-indulgence, or an act of spiritual rebellion and mocking defiance.  When sexuality becomes an agenda on main street and a political statement in the headlines, not to mention perverse entertainment; intimacy is obviously lacking.

Please forgive me if I'm coming across too blunt or sound forward, but YHWH has placed upon my heart - this "gay agenda" is based upon programming from early psychoanalytic studies as to when children are the most impressionable, least fond of the opposite sex, and children are born; naturally self-focused.  Remember in elementary school when boys and girls thought each other had “cooties?”  Now if a child is affectionate in any way to the opposite sex, they are labeled a sex offender.  Children grow up in homes where the TV promotes it, education promotes it, etc.  HE has been showing me much regarding this, but the evil of society is of course "after the children."

Joe Biden has made quite a statement on behalf of a nation known as a Super Power

http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/miller/140626

http://www.charismanews.com/opinion/watchman-on-the-wall/44465-apostasy-rising-4-denominations-in-less-than-a-week-defy-god-s-word

One Step Closer?

Is this one step closer to the mark of the beast?  What an idea!  I was shown years ago, that the mark of the beast would not be given as an ominous choice between taking the mark or death.  At least not to begin with . . . It will be offered for safety and convenience.  I "heard" that in 1995.  In watching tattoos becoming more popular, even facial ones, I saw the mark could easily be accepted by many, but I didn't see this incremental step coming.

Not only is Smart Cuff worn for safety and convenience, but it's an accessory.

Priorities

We, here at the Goshen Gazette do have obvious beliefs and leanings.   I try to remain a-political in my reporting and editing.  The direction of this country is not good, and I truly do believe the two political parties are not nearly as divided as the people.  With that being said, while we are being played politically, law enforcement is really changing.  Realizing one bad cop doesn't mean they are all bad, and by that same token, one good cop doesn't mean the rest are good.

I post videos that show true heroism on the part of law enforcement and true brutality.  I realize we don't see all the everyday stuff that takes place.  We see the exceptional moments of both extremes.  This past week, an incident occurred in Utah that is completely par for the course by now, but the immediacy of the investigation troubled me.  In other news, however; people are beaten, hospitalized, and even killed by police and some of these incidents are not even investigated until public outcry brings attention.  I'll include links to both articles and simply ask the question.

Which situation should be a top priority of investigation?

An officer asked to be reassigned to a less conspicuous post, rather than join a choreographed motorcycle formation at the beginning of the gay pride parade.  He didn't refuse, he simply asked and was immediately placed on administrative leave and under investigation.  Below is a quote from the department.  This is in conservative Utah.
“We don’t tolerate bias and bigotry in the department,” Jones told another local outlet, KSL.com, “and assignments are assignments.  To allow personal opinion to enter into whether an officer will take a post is not something that can be tolerated in a police department.”   Full story

The link below contains a very sad situation in which a young handicapped man was brutalized.  I was unable to discover if the offending officer was placed on leave, fired, or even named, as the only statement I could find, was that the matter is under investigation.  This is not a new story, and although the report has resurfaced recently, I was still unable to discover how the situation was resolved, or if it has been.

http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/riptide/2011/09/miami-dade_police_beat_up_man.php
This was reported in 2011, so clearly the direction of law and order has been dismal for some time now.

Here's another report to think about, while the town decides if they need to change some policy.
http://www.politicalears.com/blog/9-year-old-girl-arrested-detained-after-running-through-sprinklers-in-own-yard/

Pride Month

To be honest, I've never understood how so many people claiming to be humble Christians can claim national pride, but that's a topic for another blog.  Today, I'm going to be openly politically incorrect.  I'm coming out with my free speech and freedom of the press, while it still formally exists.

The gay issue truly does seem to be a huge political agenda, what with a pride month now.  Remember all the comments that same sex marriage won't affect any heterosexuals?  If I were a betting woman, I'd bet the farm that it will affect all of us.  It's already affected a businessman in Colorado.  Colorado doesn't even recognize same sex marriage, but a local judge has ruled against the businessman.  Tricky, huh?

In 1995 I was in San Francisco for a conference and got a little preview of what was coming to America.  San Francisco was openly embracing the gender issues that have since been introduced nationwide.  People literally came up to me and said, "You're so different . . ."  Someone actually asked to touch my hair, as they reached out doing so . . .  San Francisco was a very unusual experience for me, in general, but something happened specifically that was an eye opener.

 Have you noticed three restrooms in some stores now?  There's a women's a men's and one that indicates unisex or family . . .  The hotel I stayed in, in San Francisco was historic but refurbished and the restrooms were very nice, but there were three in the lobby.  It was the first I'd seen three restrooms like that, together.  I knew service stations often had only one restroom, making them unisex, but I hadn't seen this particular situation before.  Each door had a different sign.

I naturally chose the women's, but it was locked.  Assuming it contained no stalls and was designed for single occupancy, I opted for what I thought was the unisex bathroom.  I walked in there and to my surprise, it was quite large and contained stalls . . . I entered an empty stall, and thought little more about it, until I came out to wash my hands.  I'm a fairly tall woman, but the others in there were quite tall, with perfect make-up and they were looking at me, curiously.  The awkward feeling that came over me, was undeniable.    

It then dawned upon me, that I had misunderstood the sign.  

As I see these signs more and more, now in my neck o' the woods, I'm sure the reason assumed or even presented is for safety.  Single parents of opposite sexed children, have the option to not send them to the bathroom alone, but discernment says otherwise.  The option to take your kids into the restroom with you or stand right outside the door has always been there.  I don't believe we are looking at an option, but signs the gay agenda is gaining ground.   

The article about the Colorado businessman.

Bankrupt

I hadn't caught the promise and the report in mainstream media, but I did do a Google search and it turns out the President did use Detroit in one of his never ending promises, then it would seem just a short year later, Detroit did indeed go bankrupt.

When cities go bankrupt, the economy is not improving.  When the cities, states, and federal government are operating on credit and drowning in debt, it doesn't take an economic degree or really much advanced math to see a problem.  This problem is just too big for one more empty promise.

I've truly been surprised that the Obama loyalists are as blind to him as the Bush loyalists were.

http://www.tpnn.com/2013/12/03/2012-obama-brags-i-refused-to-let-detroit-go-bankrupt-today-detroit-goes-bankrupt/

Coincidence?

I don't believe in coincidence, so when interesting oddities cross my path, I try to take notice.

This past week or so, an old song from the seventies kept crossing my mind.  I'm not terribly musical, so it wasn't like I was walking around singing it or anything, it would just cross my mind and derail my train of thought.  The song was the single by R. Dean Taylor, "Indiana Wants Me."   Since there are no outstanding warrants for my arrest in Indiana, I did think it was odd to have that song on my mind forty years later . . .

When an article and a video from two different and relatively unlikely sources, came across my news feed, I couldn't help but take notice of the topic and the timing.

I am not a Conspiracy Theorist for two reasons.  First, I do not believe what is coming is a conspiracy, but simply the prophesied agenda of evil.  Second, it is not a theory!

Here are the links and I realize they are not from "mainstream" sources.  Mainstream media isn't exactly covering all that should be in the news these days.

http://eaglerising.com/6241/police-arming-war-veterans/#hQu18XTJORzqJHm8.99

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0P-hvPJPTi4&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Disturbing

A very reliable source has told me Nestle has a contract for goat's milk less than 100 miles from where I am.  You may be asking how this is news.  Several things are disturbing, literally to the point I've been physically ill over it.  To the point of not eating or needing food to be very bland, which isn't like me at all!  I feel like I'm experiencing Daniel 8:27.   And I Daniel fainted, and was sick certain days; afterward I rose up, and did the king's business; and I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it. 

I've attempted to find a Nestle product that would justify the exorbitant price Nestle has contracted for hundreds of gallons of goat milk a week.  To date, I can't find a specific Nestle goat's milk product.  I realize Nestle owns many brands, so I'll continue to research, but my source indicated Nestle is paying a premium price for this goatmilk and secured the contract, so something is in the works.  Every time Big Corp shows interest in independent agriculture, things change.  Sadly it seems, things always change for the worse for independents and small operators.

Nestle's CEO hasn't been shy about his willingness to control food and even water.  We'll continue to follow this.  With Corporate lobby power, political sway seems obvious.  It's truly not about political leanings, as the really Big Operators fund both parties.  WIN/WIN for the big guys.  Meanwhile, USDA starts squeezing the small independents in the surrounding area.  Between Monsanto, BLM and hobby farm raids, it's already clear, independent agriculture is in the crosshairs of the powers that be.

What Have We Become?

I first noticed a vehicle like this in the news footage when the Yearning for Zion Ranch was raided based upon a phone call known to be a hoax.  The county vehicle with the word "Sheriff" on the side looked like some sort of military vehicle.  The other vehicles, behind it, I found quite alarming.  They were church buses to load up all those children and take them away from their mothers.  That was nearly six years ago.  Now more cities and counties have these vehicles.  Will the churches in these communities follow the precedent set in Texas and offer their services to the ones in these intimidating vehicles?

Oh, by the way, in January of this year, Texas won the ruling to seize the 1700 acres, link included below. 

http://fox13now.com/2014/01/07/texas-wins-judgment-to-seize-flds-ranch/

Insanity

We need to stop being distracted by details and focus on the reality.  Fort Hood has been attacked again, from within.  I was shocked to learn that Fort Hood is a gun free zone.  I had no idea a military base was gun free, except of course, for the shooters.  As I read the reports, I was sickened that our own military is not safe on home soil.  A contractor killed 12 at the Washington Navy Yard last fall, before police shot him.

It is reported that this shooter was undiagnosed, but had "issues."  The previous Fort Hood shooter was a psychiatrist, so I'm guessing he had already passed a mental health evaluation.

 No state in the union is more pro NRA and Second Amendment than Texas.  Insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results. Now that this has been handled in the same manner twice, while a distracting media diversion is offered;  perhaps it's time to reconsider policy.  Our military personnel should not have to serve in fear in their own country.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/04/06/ft-hood-shooting-renews-capitol-hill-debate-over-guns-defense-spending/

Of Grave Concern

I am openly opposed to vaccinations and I try to qualify any articles I write with that statement upfront.  Upon reading the report in the second link earlier this week, I couldn't help but see a correlation in reading the article in the first link.  The last section of the article was prefaced with this statement.

Vaccine Industry Cannot Survive in a Free Market – Government Funding and Mandates Needed

http://healthimpactnews.com/2014/censored-in-u-s-media-killer-vaccines-exposed-in-india-and-around-the-world/

http://www.foxnews.com/story/2007/11/17/md-judge-to-parents-vaccinate-kids-or-go-to-jail/

Many people do not know how to stop participating in something they have very much grown to distrust.  Read, research, and make an informed decision before submitting to a mandate.

It's Come to America Without a Vote

I was following the case of the woman, Robin Speronis, living in a Florida town and choosing to be off grid.  Since I am openly biased on the subject, I've simply followed along waiting for a verdict.  The verdict is in.  She can choose to continue to live the way she's been living, but she has to get connected.  In essence, she isn't required to have electricity, but she does have to connect to the city water system, even if she continues to collect rain water and not use the system.  So, as long as she pays a monthly connection fee, she's allowed to live the way she chooses in her own home.

What caught my attention in this latest article was the reference to "International Property Maintenance Codes" and the enforcement thereof in Cape Coral, Florida.  International law has come to private property owners here in the USA.  I remember when I first stumbled across this concept back in 2005 and it was presented to be voluntary . . .
Links are included for the full article and the website of the International Code Council.

http://www.offthegridnews.com/2014/02/22/court-rules-off-the-grid-living-is-illegal/

http://publicecodes.cyberregs.com/icod/ipmc/2012/

Paul Harvey's Newspaper Column - 1964

If I Were the Devil 

If I were the Prince of Darkness I would want to engulf the whole earth in darkness. 

I'd have a third of its real estate and four-fifths of its population, but I would not be happy until I had seized the ripest apple on the tree. 

So I should set about however necessary, to take over the United States.

I would begin with a campaign of whispers. 

With the wisdom of a serpent, I would whispers to you as I whispered to Eve, "Do as you please." 

To the young I would whisper "The Bible is a myth." I would convince them that "man created God," instead of the other way around. I would confide that "what is bad is good and what is good is square." 

In the ears of the young married I would whisper that work is debasing, that cocktail parties are good for you. I would caution them not to be "extreme" in religion, in patriotism, in moral conduct. 

And the old I would teach to pray — to say after me — "Our father which are in Washington." 

Then I'd get organized. 

I'd educate authors in how to make lurid literature exciting so that anything else would appear dull, uninteresting. 

I'd threaten TV with dirtier movies, and vice-versa. 

I'd infiltrate unions and urge more loafing, less work. Idle hands usually work for me. 

I'd peddle narcotics to whom I could, I'd sell alcohol to ladies and gentlemen of distinction, I'd tranquilize the rest with pills. 

If I were the Devil, I would encourage schools to refine young intellects, but neglect to discipline emotions; let those run wild. 

I'd designate an atheist to front for me before the highest courts and I'd get preachers to say, "She's right." 

With flattery and promises of power I would get the courts to vote against God and in favor of pornography. 

Thus I would evict God from the courthouse, then from the schoolhouse, then from the Houses of Congress. 

Then in his own churches I'd substitute psychology for religion and deify science. 

If I were Satan I'd make the symbol of Easter an egg 

And the symbol of Christmas a bottle. 

If I were the Devil I'd take from those who have and give to those who wanted until I had killed the incentive of the ambitious. Then my police state would force everybody back to work. 

Then I would separate families, putting children in uniform, women in coal mines and objectors in slave-labor camps. 

If I were Satan I'd just keep doing what I'm doing and the whole world go to hell as sure as the Devil.

Too Much Brutality

If our society has now come to the place in which the police have to fear people already in handcuffs, what's next?  As I read about tasers, and the seemingly indiscriminate way they are used, if I was in a large city, I'm not sure I'd ever want to leave the house.  I know I wouldn't have a clue who to call, as far as hoping for help.

Years ago, I changed lanes without signaling and saw the flashing lights in my rear view mirror.  I slowed down, but attempted to get past the exit ramp before stopping, so I wouldn't be blocking it.  That new law about leaving an extra lane on the right for law enforcement and emergency vehicles had just passed, so I thought I was being diligent.  Just as I got to the exit ramp, this wild cop car came circling around all the lanes, blocked me and he got out with his gun drawn.  My first thought was, "this idiot is going to get someone killed" . . . with my next thought realizing he was aiming his pistol at me.  He told me to put my keys on top of the car and keep my hands on the wheel.

The first cop that had flashed the lights, asked to see my driver's license.  I told him I'd have to take my hands off the wheel to get it.  He professionally told "Barney bad butt, to ease up . . ."  The gun went to his side.  As I handed the officer my driver's license, he asked me where I was going.  I told him I was on my way home.  He asked where I'd been, and I told him, synagogue.  You could see his countenance change.  He then, of course went back and ran my license, only to discover I was exactly who it said I was.  He brought it back to me, and ask I reached for my purse to put it away, he saw my badge.  That's right, those were in my Police and Fire Chaplain days.

He asked me why I didn't show him that to begin with.  I responded that he had asked for my license and if I had broken the law, the badge shouldn't change anything.  With that, he told me to have a nice evening, and signal when changing lanes.  He then told the other cop to let me through.

Now, for the truly frightening part of the story.  Before I'd gotten five miles up the road, the hostile officer had someone pulled over and it was clear by his body language, the interaction appeared to be less than cordial.  Now, thirteen years later, this is not only intensified with tasers and cavity searches, but in nearly every investigation of severe circumstances, this brutality is now simply policy.

No Credit, No Bail Out, No Lunch

Banks get bailouts.  Adults get credit.  College students get student loans to obtain degrees for which there are no jobs, but children can't have lunch . . .

Have we given any thought at all to the lack of logic in which so many have entrusted their children?  Children cannot learn critical thinking skills from educators who have none!

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/elementary-school-takes-away-students--lunches-due-outstanding-balances-on-accounts-174726995.html

Protection?

I saw those big huge tanks or hummers or whatever they were, when the Texas sheriff took all those children from their mothers and put them on church buses, several years back.  That county equipment was ominous, and the fact the church supplied back up gave me a real shudder as to where we are headed . . .

When I saw this military style police equipment, it was so unsettling, but then we'd all been desensitized by the ATF and Waco.  For so many years, it seemed the exception to the rule of law enforcement in extreme cases, but no more.  This type of policing now seems to becoming to a town near all of us. 

Advice from a Wall Street Advisor

This link leads to video from a national news company.  I'm not endorsing, simply providing the information as I received it.

http://freepatriot.org/2013/12/27/wall-street-adviser-get-guns-ammo-collapse/

Preparedness, Conspiracy, or Agenda

There were a number of posts in the past few months claiming a flurry of activity in FEMA Region 3 indicated something big was coming.  Those concerns were dismissed by naysayers, those who accuse of conspiracy theories and even snopes weighed in with a big RED Circle: FALSE!

As it turns out, West Virginia is in Region 3 and no safe water does seem rather "big" to me, and to those who are struggling though this ordeal.  Reports indicate, safe water is still days away, and of course, the much hated by this administration "Coal Industry" is blamed.

For those who accuse the ones of us who are monitoring and alerting others to these so called "coincidences," as "conspiracy theorists, Wake up, quit condescending, and stop falsely accusing.  These things are happening, but I don't really think it's a conspiracy.  I believe it is simply the Agenda of those who would oppose our Creator.

http://www.activistpost.com/2013/09/is-fema-region-iii-alert-red-herring.html

The Gradual Collapse

We can read over and over again that everything Hitler did in Nazi Germany was legal at the time he was doing it!  Look how many laws are actually being embraced here, as our freedoms erode!  I am particularly troubled by the direction of the law enforcement and military, while being applauded by many.  Don't get me wrong, there are still good cops and good soldiers, but there is a rising number of incidents that seem very "police state" and some of us are becoming alarmed.  Individuals retired from the military are very supportive of many things that make some of the rest of us cringe, at times of crisis.

The alarming trend toward the idea that only police, military, and bad guys would have guns, concerns me greatly.  Although I'm not even a gun owner, I am very much in support of the Bill of Rights, including the second amendment.  As I watch what has happened in precisely my lifetime, here in the US, I can't help but draw a parallel to Hitler's Germany in the 30's.

Gold confiscation occurred before I was born, but the silver standard was dropped when I was a child.  Our economic system is based upon nothing more than perpetual motion, with arbitrary values assigned plated coins and paper currency.

The US Interstate Highway System was designed for defense and the German autobahn was the prototype.  Just like Hitler's Germany, highway construction became and still is considered to be valuable in creating jobs.  Just this past couple of years, my home state changed the number of a major highway, causing new signage to be required, and embarked on much construction that has literally blocked smaller county highways, and killed small businesses throughout the state.  

Once the Federal Highways became established, many downtowns became ghettos.   Also a haunting similarity to Nazi Germany, except in America, most of the Jewish businessmen headed to other parts of town to live and moved their businesses to the newly thriving malls.  They were also wise enough to see that their children had no future in ongoing family businesses, so they encouraged higher education, and relocation, which has left many older cities with a very, very small Jewish population.  

Socialized medicine came next, in the form of Medicare and Medicaid, which then brought agencies to supervise and facilitate a.k.a. control not only the services provided, but control the clients who receive these services.  Socialized medicine has expanded since the late 60's and has become an arm of power for the Federal Government.  Socialized medicine and social work already include mental health labeling, involuntary confinement and HIPAA which is presented to protect the patient's privacy, actually prevents friends and loved ones from being able to obtain information about someone trapped in the system.

Don't think "death for the good of society" has not followed.  It's already here.  It will not stop with abortion.  I am, personally, unsettled on the decisions regarding life support being removed and nourishment being withheld, in that I'm not sure they should be introduced and I'm uncertain as to the criteria in which the decisions are made, but clearly life and death have now been claimed to be in the hands of man . . . per individual case, at this time.

Gun registration is here.  In case it hasn't dawned on anyone, the conceal and carry permits . . . that is gun registration.  Background checks for purchasing, also:  gun registration. A number of retailers carrying ammunition require a signature, which of course is then kept in a data base.  You may not have to register every gun, at this time, but if you've bought ammunition, the assumption is, you have a weapon that fires that particular size of ammo.  The second amendment never has to be repealed, the ammunition can simply become unavailable!

We are already so close, and sliding closer daily.  More new laws just went into effect, with government controlled health care looming.  It all began so gradually and seemingly for such good reasons . . .