Robertson's 2008 predictions

Even though it's been proven beyond dispute that Robertson is a false prophet, here is further proof:

Robertson also noted that one especially horrible prediction he made last year - that a terrorist act, possibly involving a nuclear weapon, would result in a mass killing in the United States - did not come to pass.

"All I can think is that somehow the people of God prayed and God in his mercy spared us," Robertson said.

So why should we believe this?

Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson said Wednesday that 2008 will be a year of violence worldwide and a recession in the United States, followed by a major stock-market crash by 2010.

[...]

"The Lord was saying that there's going to be violence and chaos in the world," Robertson said on his "700 Club" news-and-talk show.

"We've just begun to see what's going to happen, and the nations are going to be convulsed with violence," he said, citing as an example unrest in Pakistan after the death of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

Evangelism will increase because more people are going to be seeking God as the chaos develops, he said.

"We will see the presence of angels and we will see an intensification of miracles around the world, which I think is going to be a wonderful thing," he said.

He also predicts that oil will hit $150 a barrel and that there will be a major stock market crash in 2009 or 2010 (I guess God hasn't decided what year he will send it). All these things might happen but Robertson has already proved that God has not spoken to him:

Deuteronomy 18:20-22 But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.' 21 And if you say in your heart, 'How may we know the word that the LORD has not spoken?'-- 22 when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him.

Good thing Robertson isn't living under the old covenant, huh?

Iranian hanged after verdict stay

Wow! Great justice system they have there in Iran. You get a stay but are executed anyway:

An Iranian man has been hanged for rape despite his alleged victims withdrawing their accusations and a judicial review being ordered into the sentence.

Makwan Mouloudzadeh, 20, had been found guilty of raping three teenage boys when he was 13 years old.

The hanging took place on Wednesday morning at a prison in Kermanshah province in western Iran.

Human rights groups say international law strictly forbids execution of child offenders, even after they become 18.

"On 11 November the head of the justice administration of Kermanshah received an order from the judiciary head, Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, to stop the verdict being carried out," the lawyer, Saeed Eqbali, was quoted as saying.

"But the case, which was supposed to be reviewed in Tehran, was sent back from there to Kermanshah, and the execution was carried out quickly," the lawyer said.

[...]

During court proceedings, Mr Mouloudzadeh withdrew a confession he had made earlier, saying it had been the result of coercion by the police, the US-based group says.

You know, for a country that supposed to be living under God's law they are awfully unjust. It certainly doesn't sound like this:

Deuteronomy 16:19 You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality, and you shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of the righteous.

Deuteronomy 32:4 "The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.

Hanging an innocent child when he's been given a reprieve? Really doesn't sound like what the God of Scriptures would do.

This is what man thinks is righteousness.

Great American God-Out!

I have been so busy with seminary that I almost forgot to post on the Great American God-Out! It's a day when we should live "as if there is no God." We would have to pretend wouldn't we? Isn't that what they are saying, "as if?"

THE GREAT AMERICAN GOD-OUT is a newly demarcated holiday wherein like "The Great American Smokeout"* individuals are encouraged to combine their supportive efforts to help prevent and cure disease. Even if just for one day--people will live as as if there is no god; people will live as if there only exists the goodness of self and others to sustain healthy living!

(via)

Because we all know there is a God but one day of the year let's live "as if" there isn't one.

So, how will you be spending your day apart from God? I've already blown it because I acknowledged him when I work up this morning by thanking him for getting me up early and I thanked him for getting me to school early and during my prayer group time, I praised and thanked him and went to him in prayer. Plus, I listened to a lecture on his church during the time of Ambrose. And when I get home today, I have to prepare for a Bible study tomorrow on Revelation 22. So, I think my day is too saturated with thoughts of the Creator of the universe and his word to ignore his existence as the atheists would have us do.

But even if I had remembered, my heart wouldn't have been in it because I know that the God of the universe sustains us and if he ceased to exist, so would we.

Tags: Great American God-Out

In God We Trust can be on our dollars but not our license plate?

A Reasonable Atheist is upset over this license plate:

Because it mentions God:

Wait. In God We Trust? Um. So.. my tax dollars paid for this? How did this ever make it through into a law without somebody calling out for separation of church and state?

Tax dollars that looks like this?

No one is forcing anyone to buy the plate, there are plenty of other plates to choose from. The money is being used for a good cause:

Specialty license plate supporting senior citizens’ home-delivered meal program provided by Arkansas Senior Citizen’s Centers.

So why would anyone be upset over something that really doesn't effect them at all? It's obvious of course, atheists are theophobic and want God name removed from our public discourse.

Maybe Arkansas should make a plate like this for the atheists:

I wonder which one would be the biggest seller :-)

Tags: Arkansas license, senior citizens

Susan, I feel your pain!

It can be so frustrating to know that you did everything that you could do and yet it wasn't good enough. Just know that you are far ahead of those who took algebra all those years ago and remember nothing!

But more importantly, remember that you have the the mind of Christ:

1 Corinthians 2:16 "For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.

And wisdom that comes from God:

1 Corinthians 1:30 He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption.

And that is so much more valuable than algebra (though math is very important as I keep telling my Sarah).

I'm praying for you as well. I know that you will persevere because you know how important it is to demonstrate to your daughters the importance of facing your failure and not allowing it to defeat you or stand in the way of your goals.

Thompson's pandering pays off

He moves up one point on the God-O-Meter for his comment to the Values Voters that the first thing he would do when he entered the Oval Office was pray. This puts him ahead of Ron Paul (sorry, Paulians) but behind McCain and Romney who is almost a ten (the level of perfection?).

Free Offer of the Gospel

Yes, God does freely offer salvation to all and yes, it is Reformed to say that. Here's a link to my digest of John Murray's article "The Free Offer of the Gospel" and here's a link to Mark Horne's defense of that article.

See what the Jesus doll manufacture has wrought!

This is soooo wrong!

Jesus doll sanctifies shelves at Wal-Mart

If that wasn't bad enough, how about this:

Down the Wal-Mart aisle, past the hot brunette Barbie wearing an (always low-cut) dress upon perfect bosoms and the GI "Commando" with a gun larger than his body for "rapid-action" firing during a large-scale assault, he serenely sits on the shelf.

Jesus, the son of God.

He's wearing a simple tunic with that Kenny Loggins haircut. Push the button on his back and he says this:

"I am Jesus. I am the son of God."

[...]

On the box for Jesus, these words are printed: "God's Son" and "Fully Poseable."

Yes, just what we need, a fully poseable deity.

Related Posts:
Walmart to sell Jesus action figure
Giving Jesus dolls away to churches to create a buzz
Jesus doll coming to a Wal-Mart near you

Oh no! The poor bunnies in England

They're being wiped out by disease (via). How sad! I can't believe that the guy who introduced the disease to Europe was lauded by the French government, that's pretty sick and shows a shocking lack of understanding of man's responsibility to God's creation.

Tags: bunnies, myxomatosis

Lennox-Dawkins Debate

It looks like Dawkins meet his match in a debate that took place on Oct. 3 in Alabama of all places. He debated John Lennox, a professor of mathematics and philosophy at Oxford (Dawkins is also an Oxford Don). It looks like they kept each on their toes:

A highly publicized, sold-out debate on God at UAB turned into a lively joust Wednesday night between Oxford University scholars who took turns driving each other onto the defensive.

Scientist and atheist author Richard Dawkins came to the Bible Belt to debate the existence of God with his fellow scholar John Lennox, a professor of mathematics and philosophy.

"We all of us share a reverence for the beauty of the universe," Dawkins said. "You want to attribute it to a maker, a creator."

But the feeling of awe can best be explained by science, he said. "Religious explanations are now superseded and outdated."

[...]

"God, far from being a delusion, is real," Lennox said. "What divides us is not science. We're both for it. It's world views. Which is a delusion? Atheism or Christianity?"

[...]

The exchanges were sometimes sharp and funny when the speakers were allowed to directly address each other. Lennox suggested Dawkins believed that his wife loved him, but it's not scientifically provable. "Is there any evidence for that?" Lennox said.

"Yes, plenty of evidence," Dawkins said. "Never mind about my wife."

At another point, Lennox said, "Atheism is a faith as well." Dawkins retorted, "It's not," and hung his head, shaking it.

"I believe God created the universe; you believe the universe is all there is - those are both statements of belief," Lennox said.

I think this is the most telling admission and one that Hitchens might want to keep in mind:

Dawkins ended the debate there. "Although we can't disprove there is a god, it is very, very unlikely indeed."

Ultimately that is the single most important fact: science cannot disprove God. That's a fact and beyond dispute.

Here's another take on the debate:

"The point about teaching children that faith is a virtue is that you're teaching them that you don't have to justify what you do, you can simply shelter behind the statement 'that's my faith and you're not to question that,'" Dawkins argued.

He said what he objects is the convention that society has bought into, that religious faith is something to be respected and not questioned. "Faith is a terrible weapon because it justifies the performance of terrible acts," said Dawkins as he imagined a world without religion.

Lennox agreed with the danger of teaching children to be fanatics by not allowing them to question, but he asked the audience to imagine a world without atheism, without Stalin, Mao Zedong and Pol Pot and the thousands of churches that were destroyed.

You contend that the teachings of modern religion are an open invitation to extremism," said Lennox. "Well, that is not true of the teachings of Christ, I can't speak for other religions but what about the modern teaching of atheism?"

Clarifying his remarks, Dawkins said he was not trying to say all religious people do bad things. And atheism may have even been an integral part of the Marxism that led Stalin and other infamous atheist despots to do terrible acts, but Dawkins stressed that atrocities are never committed in the name of atheism while that's not the case for religion.

"If you really, really believe that your god, Allah, whoever it is, wants you to do something and go to heaven or go to paradise if you do it, then it's possible for an entirely logical, rational person to do hideous things," he explained. "I cannot conceive of a logical path that would lead one to say 'because I am an atheist, therefore, it is rational for me to kill.'"

Make sure you read both articles because I only took snippets.

And here's is a live blog of the debate.

Here's the first part of the debate (the rest are up at YouTube):

(via)

President Bush needs to think before he speaks (yeah, what else is new)

Why, oh why doesn't Bush get it? Sometimes you think he does and then he says something incredibly stupid and you wonder if the left is right about him:

President George Bush has repeated his belief all religions, "whether they be Muslim, Christian, or any other religion, prays to the same God" – an assertion that caused outrage among evangelical leaders when he said it in November 2003.

Bush made the statement Friday in an interview with Al Arabiya reporter Elie Nakouzi.

Al Arabiya is Al Jazeerah's top competitor in the Mideast.

As the president and Nakouzi walked from the Oval Office to the Map Room in the White House residence, Nazouki asked, "But I want to tell you – and I hope this doesn't bother you at all – that in the Islamic world they think that President Bush is an enemy of Islam – that he wants to destroy their religion, what they believe in. Is that in any way true, Mr. President?"

"No, it's not," said Bush. "I've heard that, and it just shows [sic] to show a couple of things: One, that the radicals have done a good job of propagandizing. In other words, they've spread the word that this really isn't peaceful people versus radical people or terrorists, this is really about the America not liking Islam.

"Well, first of all, I believe in an Almighty God, and I believe that all the world, whether they be Muslim, Christian, or any other religion, prays to the same God. That's what I believe. I believe that Islam is a great religion that preaches peace. And I believe people who murder the innocent to achieve political objectives aren't religious people, whether they be a Christian who does that – we had a person blow up our – blow up a federal building in Oklahoma City who professed to be a Christian, but that's not a Christian act to kill innocent people.

"And I just simply don't subscribe to the idea that murdering innocent men, women and children – particularly Muslim men, women and children in the Middle East – is an act of somebody who is a religious person."

Go read the rest of what the president had to say. The jihadists must be filled with joy to see how readily Bush submits to Islam.

It's amazing to me when a Christian, who worships a Triune God would say that Muslims are worshiping the same God. If you say that then you are saying that Christ is not part of the Trinity because the Muslim would never think to worship Christ. His words are a complete rejection of the deity of Christ and I'm sure he isn't even aware of it.

It's also amazing to me that he could compare the Oklahoma City bombings to the jihadists. Why? Where in the NT does it say that we are to kill infidels? Where are the teachings that would lead to the bombing of innocent men, women and children? There is not even a verse that could be twisted to say such a thing. How can anyone who reads the following think that God would be pleased with killing in his name:

Matthew 5:43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

And does this even sound like a Christian?

On the two great state occasions McVeigh had, at his sentencing and his execution, Jesus made no appearance in his rhetoric. At the sentencing, McVeigh quoted from Louis Brandeis' 1928 decision: "Our government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example." McVeigh's last public act before he was executed was to distribute copies of the 1875 poem "Invictus." It begins: "I thank whatever gods may be/ for my unconquerable soul," and ends "I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul" -- sentiments that to a Christian are at least vaguely blasphemous.

In a letter to the Buffalo News and in conversations with author Dan Herbeck, McVeigh said he had no firm convictions about an afterlife: "And he told us that when he finds out if there's an afterlife, he will improvise, adapt and overcome, just like they taught him in the Army," Herbeck said. In May 2001, Esquire published 13 letters of McVeigh's. In them, he portrays himself variously as a patriot, a lover of "The Simpsons," a "Star Trek junkie," a fan of the movie "Unforgiven," a reader of Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged," an enthusiastic consumer of Hustler and Penthouse magazines. His only direct religious reference (other than a Christmas card) was a letter dated April 11, 1998: "Yesterday was Good Friday; tomorrow is Easter; and it's been so long since I've been to church (except Christian Identity) (kidding!)."

Reporting on his execution, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution described McVeigh as "an avowed agnostic" whose sudden last-minute decision to see a Catholic priest just before his execution surprised everyone who knew him. As recently as July 2001, even a lefty like Barbara Ehrenreich (writing in the Progressive) did not portray McVeigh as having religious motives. She called McVeigh a "homegrown neo-Nazi mass murderer," yes; Christian fundamentalist, no.

Since 9-11 this charge has been made by the left, why is Bush putting the official stamp of the presidency on it? It makes me long for the day he'll be out of the White House and we can put to rest his Bushisms.

The prayers of the left

I wonder if anonymous thinks these prayers glorify the Lord.

What are they going to do with all that hatred when Bush leaves office? Set up support groups?

"God" now has an attorney in Nebraska lawsuit

A Christian attorney has responded to the lawsuit of state Nebraska State Sen. Ernie Chambers. Since he hasn't been retained by God, I can't see how he would be able to represent him in a court of law:

The mystery of one response to a lawsuit against God has been solved. Eric Perkins, an attorney in Corpus Christi, Texas, said Friday he filed a response to the lawsuit from Nebraska State Sen. Ernie Chambers. "It's kind of a turn on 'What would Jesus do?'" Perkins said. "I thought to myself, "what would God say?"

"Defendant denies that this or any court has jurisdiction ... over Him any more than the court has jurisdiction over the wind or rain, sunlight or darkness," according to Perkins' response.

As for Chambers' contention that God made terroristic threats, inspired fear and caused "widespread death, destruction and terrorization," Perkins wrote that God "contends that any harm or injury suffered is a direct and proximate result of mankind ignoring obvious warnings."

I read an interesting take on the lawsuit by an open theist (since man has free will, God does not know the future), Greg Boyd, he blames the complainant:

Then, given this attorney's New Testament track record, I suspect he may turn the case around on Chambers himself. "I gave my life to free the world from sin and suffering," he may argue. "Are you doing everything you can to rid the world of sin and suffering Mr. Chambers? Why aren't you joining my cause?"

It's just possible Chambers will come to see that he's actually the one on trial and just possible he'll come to realize and confess his guilt.

I can't see how Chambers is to blame for "widespread death, destruction and terrorization of millions upon millions of the Earth's inhabitants" and for "fearsome floods ... horrendous hurricanes, terrifying tornadoes."

I doubt God would shift the blame to man for the tremendous display of his power in nature. The heavens and the earth belong to God and all of his creation is his to control.

Deuteronomy 10:14 Behold, to the LORD your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it.

Psalm 104:1 Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, you are very great! You are clothed with splendor and majesty, 2 covering yourself with light as with a garment, stretching out the heavens like a tent. 3 He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters; he makes the clouds his chariot; he rides on the wings of the wind; 4 he makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire. 5 He set the earth on its foundations, so that it should never be moved. 6 You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. 7 At your rebuke they fled; at the sound of your thunder they took to flight. 8 The mountains rose, the valleys sank down to the place that you appointed for them. 9 You set a boundary that they may not pass, so that they might not again cover the earth. 10 You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills; 11 they give drink to every beast of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. 12 Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they sing among the branches. 13 From your lofty abode you water the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work. 14 You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth 15 and wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine and bread to strengthen man's heart. 16 The trees of the LORD are watered abundantly, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted. 17 In them the birds build their nests; the stork has her home in the fir trees. 18 The high mountains are for the wild goats; the rocks are a refuge for the rock badgers. 19 He made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows its time for setting. 20 You make darkness, and it is night, when all the beasts of the forest creep about. 21 The young lions roar for their prey, seeking their food from God. 22 When the sun rises, they steal away and lie down in their dens. 23 Man goes out to his work and to his labor until the evening. 24 O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.

Matthew 5:45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

Matthew 6:6 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

Colossians 1:16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities- all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

He is in control of life and death:

Psalm 68:20 Our God is a God of salvation, and to GOD, the Lord, belong deliverances from death.

Psalm 139:13 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb.

Matthew 10:28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.

Boyd states that the God of the Calvinists would have a hard time making his case:

Now, it seems to me everything rides on which God takes the defense stand. If the omni-controlling God of classical Calvinism shows up, I suspect God's defense attorney is going to have a rough time of things. He would have to concede that God in fact did all the things Chambers alleges, but that he had good reasons for doing so. His glory would have been displayed less brilliantly had each disaster alleged in the lawsuit not transpired.

Well, since the God of the Calvinists is the God of the Bible, we can look there for help in understanding how God would defend himself against Chambers' charge. And surprisingly this isn't the first time someone thought about putting God on trial, Job beat Chambers to it. This was God's response when Job tried to get answers from him:

Job 38:1 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: 2 "Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? 3 Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. 4 "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. 5 Who determined its measurements- surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? 6 On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, 7 when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? 8 "Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb, 9 when I made clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band, 10 and prescribed limits for it and set bars and doors, 11 and said, 'Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed'? 12 "Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place, 13 that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth, and the wicked be shaken out of it? 14 It is changed like clay under the seal, and its features stand out like a garment. 15 From the wicked their light is withheld, and their uplifted arm is broken. 16 "Have you entered into the springs of the sea, or walked in the recesses of the deep? 17 Have the gates of death been revealed to you, or have you seen the gates of deep darkness? 18 Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth? Declare, if you know all this. 19 "Where is the way to the dwelling of light, and where is the place of darkness, 20 that you may take it to its territory and that you may discern the paths to its home? 21 You know, for you were born then, and the number of your days is great! 22 "Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, or have you seen the storehouses of the hail, 23 which I have reserved for the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war? 24 What is the way to the place where the light is distributed, or where the east wind is scattered upon the earth? 25 "Who has cleft a channel for the torrents of rain and a way for the thunderbolt, 26 to bring rain on a land where no man is, on the desert in which there is no man, 27 to satisfy the waste and desolate land, and to make the ground sprout with grass? 28 "Has the rain a father, or who has begotten the drops of dew? 29 From whose womb did the ice come forth, and who has given birth to the frost of heaven? 30 The waters become hard like stone, and the face of the deep is frozen. 31 "Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades or loose the cords of Orion? 32 Can you lead forth the Mazzaroth1 in their season, or can you guide the Bear with its children? 33 Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you establish their rule on the earth? 34 "Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, that a flood of waters may cover you? 35 Can you send forth lightnings, that they may go and say to you, 'Here we are'? 36 Who has put wisdom in the inward parts or given understanding to the mind? 37 Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens, 38 when the dust runs into a mass and the clods stick fast together? 39 "Can you hunt the prey for the lion, or satisfy the appetite of the young lions, 40 when they crouch in their dens or lie in wait in their thicket? 41 Who provides for the raven its prey, when its young ones cry to God for help, and wander about for lack of food?

He goes on for three more long chapters that demonstrate the folly of attempting to question the Almighty God, Creator of the heavens and the earth.

Here's Job's response to God:

Job 40:1 And the LORD said to Job: 2 "Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it." 3 Then Job answered the LORD and said: 4 "Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth. 5 I have spoken once, and I will not answer; twice, but I will proceed no further."

Job 42:1 Then Job answered the LORD and said: 2 "I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. 3 'Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?' Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. 4 'Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you make it known to me.' 5 I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; 6 therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes."

The creature doesn't put the Creator on trial. Paul understood this:

Romans 9:19 You will say to me then, "Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?" 20 But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, "Why have you made me like this?" 21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honored use and another for dishonorable use?

God stooped down to show the way to salvation to his people but he will not do so to answer the charge of his creation.

State Senator Sues God

He is protesting frivolous lawsuits by filing a frivolous lawsuit:

The defendant in a state senator's lawsuit is accused of causing untold death and horror and threatening to cause more still. He can be sued in Douglas County, the legislator claims, because He's everywhere.

State Sen. Ernie Chambers sued God last week. Angered by another lawsuit he considers frivolous, Chambers says he's trying to make the point that anybody can file a lawsuit against anybody.

Chambers says in his lawsuit that God has made terroristic threats against the senator and his constituents, inspired fear and caused "widespread death, destruction and terrorization of millions upon millions of the Earth's inhabitants."

The Omaha senator, who skips morning prayers during the legislative session and often criticizes Christians, also says God has caused "fearsome floods ... horrendous hurricanes, terrifying tornadoes."

He's seeking a permanent injunction against the Almighty.

Chambers said the lawsuit was triggered by a federal suit filed against a judge who recently barred words such as "rape" and "victim" from a sexual assault trial.

The accuser in the criminal case, Tory Bowen, sued Lancaster District Judge Jeffre Cheuvront, claiming that he violated her free speech rights.

Chambers said Bowen's lawsuit is inappropriate because the Nebraska Supreme Court has already considered the case and federal courts follow the decisions of state supreme courts on state matters.

I can't wait to see what "terroristic threats" God has made against the Senator.

Kathy Griffin's acceptance speech

Well, she wasted her time dissing Jesus because it's being edited from the broadcast.

Comedian Kathy Griffin may have won an Emmy but we won't hear who she has to thank for it. The D list celebrity has people up in arms about her acceptance speech at the creative arts Emmys last Saturday, in which she blasted Jesus.

Griffin said, quote, "A lot of people came up here to thank Jesus for this award. I want you to know that no one had less to do with this award than Jesus. This award is my God now!" A lot of folks are angry about the red headed comic's comments, saying the speech was vulgar and some were calling it a hate speech.

I think they should air it as is. I'm glad she's being honest and telling the world how she really feels. I think it's helpful to know that she has no respect for Jesus and for those who are thankful to him. Let the world see it, it's what she deserves.

The Problem of Evil

How can a good God ordain evil? John Frame has an interesting way to look at the problem:

I borrowed the Shakespeare/Macbeth illustration from Wayne Grudem’s excellent Systematic Theology. But I do disagree with Grudem on one point. He says that we could say that either Macbeth or Shakespeare “killed King Duncan.” I agree, of course, that both Macbeth and Shakespeare are responsible, at different levels of reality, for the death of Duncan. But as I analyze the language we typically use in such contexts, it seems clear to me that we would not normally say that Shakespeare killed Duncan. Shakespeare wrote the murder into his play. But the murder took place in the world of the play, not the real world of the author. Macbeth did it, not Shakespeare. We sense the rightness of the poetic justice brought against Macbeth for his crime. But we would certainly consider it very unjust if Shakespeare were tried and put to death for killing Duncan. And no one suggests that there is any problem in reconciling Shakespeare’s benevolence with his omnipotence over the world of the drama. Indeed, there is reason for us to praise Shakespeare for raising up this character, Macbeth, to show us the consequences of sin.

The difference between levels, then, may have moral significance as well as metaphysical. It may illumine why the biblical writers, who do not hesitate to say that God brings about sin and evil, are not tempted to accuse him of wrongdoing. The relation between God and ourselves, of course, is different in some respects from that between an author and his characters. Most significantly: we are real; Macbeth is not. But between God and ourselves there is a vast difference in the kind of reality and in relative status. God is the absolute controller and authority, the most present fact of nature and history. He is the lawgiver, we the law receivers. He is the head of the covenant; we are the servants. He has devised the creation for his own glory; we seek his glory, rather than our own. He makes us as the potter makes pots, for his own purposes. Do these differences not put God in a different moral category as well?

The very transcendence of God plays a significant role in biblical responses to the problem of evil. Because God is who he is, the covenant Lord, he is not required to defend himself against charges of injustice. He is the judge, not we. Very often in Scripture, when something happens that calls God’s goodness in question, God pointedly refrains from explaining. Indeed, he often rebukes those human beings who question him. Job demanded an interview with God, so that he could ask God the reasons for his sufferings (23:1-7, 31:35-37). But when he met God, God asked the questions: “Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me” (38:3). The questions mostly revealed Job’s ignorance about God’s creation: if Job doesn’t understand the ways of the animals, how can he presume to call God’s motives in question? He doesn’t even understand earthly things; how can he presume to debate heavenly things? God is not subject to the ignorant evaluations of his creatures.

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Go read the rest and make sure to read the earlier posts as well.

It's a good thing that God is more gracious than this

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I was laughing so hard while I watched that my daughters were saying, "What the heck are you watching? Mommy stop laughing so hard, it's annoying." I told them that I would post it to my blog and Sarah's been bugging me all morning to post it.

Updated: I updated this post because I've offended an atheist agnostic with my comment. Evidently, atheists don't think it's a problem that that God doesn't strike them dead for their blasphemy. The atheist of today is too hip and logical to use the theatrics of atheists of the past. I thought about editing it but decided it would be easier to take it out.

God's reply to Hitchens?

It could have been on purpose but it looks like that's just the place where they put the stickers on the book. Pretty funny! (We all know it was predestined to happen :-)

Tags: Target, Hitchens

Giving Jesus dolls away to churches to create a buzz

Want to sell something to Christians? Give it away in the church. (Wasn't there something about sellers being driven from the temple in the Bible?)

For a religious toy maker, getting onto the shelves of the world's biggest retailer must be like dying and going to heaven. So last week, when One2Believe, the Valencia, Calif., company that makes such scripture-quoting dolls as Jesus, Esther, Moses and Noah, was welcomed by Wal-Mart into 425 of its 3,376 U.S. stores, its 37-year-old chief executive David Socha was understandably chuffed. "We have been really blessed," says the self-described evangelical Catholic, who can't help mixing in a little pride with his humility. "The faith aspect is our No. 1 driver. It's all about Jesus," he says, adding in the same breath that his 35 different Bible dolls have no competition in America's faith community, which spent about US$5 billion for religious products last year.

Well, God helps those who help themselves. To drum up interest, Socha (who also distributes product tie-ins for the likes of SpongeBob SquarePants and Something About Mary under another company name, Beverly Hills Teddy Bear Co.) says he did "a lot of church seeding," meaning he visited as many as 7,000 churches and gave away his dolls.

"God helps those who help themselves." He does? I wonder where you find that in the Bible. Oh yeah, you find it here.

I'm really getting tired of people using my faith to sell me something whether it's a political candidate, a Jesus doll, a "Christian" movie, whatever. I'm not interested in my faith being used for political or financial gain.

Oh, and BTW, you can also create a buzz by giving away your product to the Marines' Toys for Tots program, especially if it's rejected.

Related Posts:
Walmart to sell Jesus action figure

Tags: Jesus dolls

Walmart to sell Jesus action figure

Ugh!

The company targets parents who would rather their children play with the faith-based toys rather toys rather than other super hero action figures, the report said.

There are Christian parents who would rather their children play with a doll that represents their deity instead of Superman? They would have the representation of their Lord and Savior be subjected to all the indignities that children put their dolls through, so that they can avoid buying them a Batman toy? They would have the King of kings and Lord of lord reduced to a child's play toy? That is preferable to a Spider-Man doll?

What if the Jesus doll becomes a favorite? Those of you with kids know what I'm talking about when I say that they are the toys that really get beat up from use because the kids take it everywhere. What if the Jesus doll were to be loved and adored by the kid? "I love you, Jesus!" How doesn't this violate the first and second commandments (how doesn't it violate the first and second commandments by it's very creation)? Now, there may be some Christians who think that it might be nice to foster the love of Jesus in a child by using a doll but what does that say about how these parents are teaching their children to view Jesus? Where is the awe-inspiring aspect of his nature? Dolls by their very nature infantize those things that they represent, how does a doll inspire the awe and fear of God?

If you have to get a Bible doll, get the Samson instead. At least he had super human strength and if you get the Philistine dolls as well, the kids can pretend that they are fighting. Who needs the Transformers when they can have Samson instead?

Update: I don't know what I was thinking when I wrote this and didn't include the second commandment which deals specifically with graven images. Sheesh, why didn't someone mention it? How embarrassing!

Tags: blasphemy