Quisling PM John Key Hogi’s Racist Radical Tame Iti.
Its Waitangi day again. Rather than write another piece decrying the state of Apartheid we continue to suffer via the Socialist doctrines of Indigenous rights and their Bogus separatist interpretations of the Treaty Ill simply post a TV 1 debate I participated in 2010. (My contribution is in parts 4,5,6)
Part 1.
Part 2.
Part 3.
Part 4.
Part 5.
Part 6.
This is the second in a 13-part series wherein I give you Hell, a little booklet by the inimitable Dr. Jeff Obadiah Simmonds.
I was visiting a local Pentecostal church, and an elder was preaching. The subject was hell.
“I was talking to my next door neighbour over the fence,” he said. “His father had recently died after a long battle with cancer. ‘At least he’s at peace,’ the neighbour said. ‘No,’ I replied, ‘If he didn’t have Jesus as his personal Lord and Saviour he’s in hell, and the pain he suffered here is nothing compared to what he’s going through now.'”
This guy had never read How to Win Friends and Influence People!
Many Christians feel uncomfortable about the idea of hell, and wonder how this eternity of punishment can be reconciled with the belief that God is a God of love. Perhaps most Christians avoid thinking and talking about hell, because it does not sit well with us. We prefer to talk about the more marketable aspects of our faith: love, grace and salvation.
The traditional view of hell seems, to many modern Christians, a little barbaric. Those who do not want to portray God as quite so vindictive often eliminate the idea of active punishment inflicted by God through fire and retain only the idea of exclusion from God’s presence. This makes the punishment of hell something which God is not actively involved in.
Therefore a popular Christian idea these days is that “hell” is simply the absence of God. Thus hell is not a place where God actively inflicts punishment on people, but rather a place where “God is not”. Those who do not choose to follow God will find themselves in a place of eternal separation from Him. This will be a place of torment only in the sense that people will be forever afflicted by the knowledge of what they have missed out on.
While this idea is appealing, it is not really a Biblical idea. God is omnipresent (present everywhere). There is no corner of the Universe where God is not. That means that He is present in hell also.
David says:
Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Where can I flee from Your Presence?
If I go up to the heavens, You are there;
if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there.
(Psalm 139.7-8)If God is present in Sheol, then hell cannot be absence from God or eternal separation from Him.
Another common response to the problem of hell is simply to ignore it, in the hope that it will go away. While preaching “hell-fire and brimstone” used to be popular, most preachers avoid the subject. There is a recognition that the age old doctrine of hell is problematic—it is difficult to reconcile our belief in a loving God with that of a place of eternal torture.
Still another solution to this problem has been to reject the idea of hell altogether. Numerous heretical Christian groups and sects have rejected the orthodox view of hell. The Jehovah’s Witnesses, Christian Scientists, Mormons, Herbert W. Armstrong’s World Wide Church of God (which recently returned to Christian orthodoxy) reject the doctrine of hell.
But the Bible does affirm that God will punish the wicked in the afterlife—a simple rejection of hell is not satisfactory. Some Christians have responded to this problem of hell by rejecting the traditional understanding of what hell is, and propose alternative interpretations—especially the idea of annihilationism.
There is a growing trend among Evangelicals to turn away from the traditional view of hell as an eternal torment. A number of Evangelical writers have advocated annihilationism—Clark Pinnock, John Wenham, Philip Hughes, Stephen Travis and others (see the bibliography at the end of this little booklet). Most significantly, Anglican John RW Stott, from All Soul’s Church London and a leading Evangelical, has declared himself to be an annihilationist in his book Evangelical Essentials : A Liberal-Evangelical Dialogue.
A recent Commission of the Church of England has suggested that “it might be better to think of hell as a state of annihilation,” and that the traditional view of hell as eternal torment has “portrayed God wrongly in a sadistic manner” (quoted in Burge 29).
Clark Pinnock notes that the annihilationist position “does seem to be gaining ground among Evangelicals. The fact that no less of a person than J. R. W. Stott has endorsed it now will certainly encourage this trend to continue” (Pinnock [1990] 249).
Stott says:
I find the concept [of everlasting torment in hell] intolerable and do not understand how people can live with it without either cauterising their feelings or cracking under the strain. (Stott, 314-15)
However, unlike liberals, who deny the doctrine of hell (along with miracles, the deity of Christ, the resurrection and many other key doctrines) because it seems incomprehensible to them, evangelical annihilationists believe that their position is faithful to the teachings of Scripture. The question is not whether we like the doctrine of eternal torment, but whether this is what the Bible actually teaches. Evangelical annihilationists would say that it is not. Stott says the question is “not what does my heart tell me, but what does God’s word say?” (Stott, 314-315).
There is no doubt that belief in the eternal torment of the wicked has been taught by the Church throughout its history. At the same time, our allegiance is not to the traditions of the Church, but to the teachings of the Bible. The fact, then, that Christians for nearly two thousand years have believed in the eternal torment of the unsaved is of no consequence—it is only the teachings of God’s Word which carries any weight in terms of what we should or should not believe.
If, as Evangelical Annihilationists believe, the traditional view of hell is not Biblical, where did this doctrine come from?
Ruff Draft.
In the early part of the First decade of the New Millennium, The New Zealand Objectivists at The Free Radical Foundation invited one of their most revered Clerics to New Zealand. Tibor Machan. Joy and I traveled up to Auckland to hear him speak.
After everything had finished there was opportunity to have one on one conversations with him over a coffee. I had a question I wished to ask.
When my chance came, I introduced myself and asked him “ Do you think it is possible to live in perfect accord with Objectivist values?”
After a moment he said “Yes,… Of course.” He said he believed that was one of Objectivism’s most important attributes.
Now, as a Free thinking Christian, That answer has always provoked contemplation within me. It must be nice to have a system of values and ethics which is not only attainable, but also leaves you with an absolutely clear conscience, and faith in the perfectibility of Humanity… Indeed faith in ones own self- perfection.
When one understands ‘The Egoism’ which is the central tenet of Objectivism, it is easy to draw the inference that such a Religion requires one to think of one self as ‘The ideal Human Being’.
Now when this system is compared to the Judeo-Christian world view of Man as a Fallen and sinful being, guilty before God, One can see the appeal of such a faith, and the Temptation involved in wanting this world view to be true… by those whom seek to ‘shrug off’ Guilt, and a Code of Morality which says Man has moral obligations beyond self-interest, and that ultimately we must all give account of ourselves before a supreme Moral Judge.
This is what freedom means to the Atheist. They think obligation to a moral code set by a Higher Power is a form of slavery. (I wonder if they also think of themselves as slaves to the Law of gravity!)
Now to me these notions smack of subjectivity! Of whim. How convenient it is to invent your own code of values that magically sanitizes all your selfish actions and absolves you of Sin!
It also occurs to Me that Objectivism is a Patent rejection of Objective morality… which if they exist at all… are not merely a system of convenient sanctions that justify self interest… but are true whether convenient or not, even if their truth convicts us of evil.
“There are two types of people. Righteous Men whom think they are sinners, and sinners whom think they are righteous”. Pascal
From my perspective Objectivism far from truly being Objective reeks of Psychological motivation, and may be clearly seen as just one more revolt from Christian/ theistic values. What is interesting about this is that Ayn Rand cherry picked many Theistic values such as Human rights, limited Government etc as suited her, and attempted to cloak them in atheist Garb.
This is a laughable ploy because an Atheist reality is an Objectively Amoral reality… the only codes of ethics and values of necessity being merely subjective conventions, and not Obligatory upon anyone.
There is good reason why I have started my post with this stab against Objectivism. It serves as a good back drop for contrasting my own beliefs and the dilemmas that they involve… and how My Christian world view causes me to humble myself, and confess my many short comings as a sinful Man.
It is my experience that the Biblical story of Humanities fallen Nature is tragically real…indeed it is one of the most established facts of Human Nature. This being so it becomes clear how far from the truth the ideas of Objectivism are Though they may appear to have very pleasant ‘opiate effect’ for the conscience… They are nonetheless a flight into pure self delusion.
Now I was born in 1967, into a world in which The King James Bible is a reality.
I did not write it. I did not invent the God of the Bible. I did not invent Christianity.
These were objective realities that existed independent of me, just as other realities like Beautiful woman, and Murder, and War.
How is a Man like myself supposed to treat this Objective reality called ‘The Bible’?
The decision to embrace it as truth, or reject it as simply one of many deceptive fabrications, requires a thorough and impartial investigation.
Though there are Millions of man made false religions in the world, and many things contained within the scriptures that are cause for alarm, esp the News that I am a sinner and that my sin puts me at variance to the Holy God …creator of the Universe… These things are not grounds enough to reject it.
Ie Just because the world is flooded with Primitive superstition, and the world is wracked by religious conflicts, does not mean Religion is evil, or that All Religion is merely the fruit of Human imagination. To reach that conclusion is a very shallow pitfall that sadly many people are quick to leap into. They do it with glee… thinking they are escaping Moral obligation… the self flagellation of guilt, and the eternal fires of Damnation.
It is my testimony that when the Bible is considered Objectively, that like a Man passing through a Labyrinth, with Dead ends, Booby traps, and even a Minotaur or two… that there is one route trough all the confusion, and that, though battered and brused, it is possible to make the traverse that establishes the Bible as believably the Revelation of God to man. It is via such a quest for truth… such a voyage of perseverance and discovery, that the Older man may contemplate his pilgrimage, and realize all the Snares and pitfalls were laid down by those of malicious mind, or of weak intellects overcome by the fashions of their times, and by those whom despise the implications that arise when one accepts the bible as truth. The world is filled with such Naysayers whom desire to halt the Pilgrim in his tracks, and to deceive them into thinking their journey of faith is a lost cause.
I will soften this a bit, as I know but by the Grace of God there go I also.
I marvel that The gracious God has seen fit to reveal himself to me!
So thick are the groves of the Labyrinth, and so prone to selfish whims that I am, I wonder how I managed to become a vessel so filled with the Magnificent mysteries of God Almighty!
I too am a creature of my Time. I have the luxury of Living today in New Zealand.… the luxury of hindsight. Thus I do not equate the luminosity I have received as a sign of my own genius, Indeed I wonder that I have received it, in spite of my manifold weaknesses and folly.
And perhaps this is the greatest secret of it all! God looks to the heart of a Man, rather than his intellect, and in this age of Grace God calls a man to his service, not because of his personal piety, but for His own Divine purposes…
“Who [God] hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began” (2Tim1vs9)
This is where My story as a morally weak and insignificant human being connects with the Divine plan, and is an example of how Christianity is diametrically opposed to Rands Ideals of Egoism.
What is incredible to realize is that because of our fallen Nature, our intellect can easily be trained to think diabolically and to vain imaginations and Grand delusions.
Yes Intelligence is no safeguard to avoiding error! It can be the source of great vanity and foolishness! It is prone to inventing false accusations against God… and thereby exacerbating our alienation from him, and keeping us from a knowledge of the truth. This is why the Christian is told to avoid vain janglings of philosophy, and beware science falsely so-called. Thus it is when a philosophy or scientific assertion is made that contravenes the scriptures it must be thoroughly examined.
It is my experience that such assertions will inevitably prove to be vacuous. Or expose a false doctrine regarding the interpretation of scripture. Ie we must be careful not to simply throw out the assertion simply because it conflicts with our current ideas. I have learned mountains of truth from the critics of the Bible and Christianity!
They have helped me correct many errors.
Being a Christian does not mean shutting your mind.
Indeed though I am a man full of weakness and vice, yet still it appears to suit God’s Divine purposes to use such a weak vessel as I.
For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
For after that in the wisdom God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe… For ye see your calling brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; The Base things of the world, and the things which are despised, hath God chosen… And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with Excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified….And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of Man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God…” (1Cor1vs19- 2vs5)
Let us hear what St Paul says about himself…
7And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
8For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
9And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
St Paul (2Cor 12vs 7-10)
Here St Paul confesses to his own spiritual imperfection… his sinfulness… his inability to live up to Gods Holy standards. Moreover he says that he glories in this because God uses his weaknesses, to achieve his ends… and thus we see that Paul is humbled by his knowledge of his own weakness, That he keeps his intellectual vanity in check, knowing that he is not saved…. Not raise to a higher plateau by his own genius, but rests in the grace of God Almighty, and the simple truth of The gospel… That Christ Died on the Cross for our sins, and was buried, and rose again for our justification.
There is no space for Egoism in the gospel!
The Gospel is not the preserve of Human genius!
And it is for this reason that many Vain intellectuals despise it!
Christianity is no elitist club… no Utopian enclave like Galt’s Gultch!
According to the Bible any Plonker can go to heaven! Indeed Christ seems to busy himself saving the simpletons and scum of the Earth!
And Happily… I am one of them.
The Bible is clear that as a fallen race of beings we cannot live up to Gods Holy (Objective) Moral standard. Though we can learn and reform ourselves… and become better people…We cannot perfect or Save ourselves.
Confession time. I am a man whom has many short comings. I am very Carnal… full of thorns in my flesh.
The words of St Paul ring true for me…
“For what I would, That I do not, but what I hate…that I do… Oh wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”…. (Rom 7vs14-25)
Yes I assert the doctrines of St Paul to be 100% true!
When a Person receives Christ they are ‘Born again’ and are sealed by the Holy Spirit. They begin a new Life, and yet they are still carnal, Mortal…still sinful.
They have in fact become two people. Described as the Old man and the New Man, and will not become spiritually perfected until a special day called ‘The Day of Redemption’ when God creates us new bodies that are no longer full of evil lusts.
Until that day Life involves a struggle between our two Natures, between our sinful carnal Nature and our new spiritual Life from Christ.
And what a struggle it is! Depending which Nature we ‘feed’ the most determines which Nature rules in our lives.
And I confess to being hopelessly carnal. This is my Achilles Heel! For all my knowledge of the scriptures, my lusts and carnality consume me to such a degree that I am unworthy to minister over others. I could never be the pastor of a congregation because I don’t know how to live a Godly Life. If holiness is the measure of Christian success…I am a complete failure! A part of me is so ashamed that sometimes I wonder if I ought to stop preaching about Christ and go and hide somewhere… yet when I read st Paul I realize That apart from Jesus Christ, God has never had perfect servants working for him. All of his children have had to function under his benevolent grace and forgiveness.
I rest in his Grace, and stand fast in the liberty of Christ! (Gal5vs1kjv)
I trust in the Gospel truth that I have been deemed righteous by Faith without works, and that I have the righteousness of Christ, whom took upon himself my sins. (Eph 2vs8,9kjv)
Before I understood dispensationalism, as a young Christian I was taught that God only saves the Good people… that I must repent of all my sins and forsake them to be saved, and that if I ever returned to my old ways I would loose my salvation.
That was to fail to understand the gospel of grace and to be literally enslaved to the Jewish Law again…’the yoke of bondage’ (This is not the same type of ‘slavery’ that atheists think of when they condemn religion…This is talking about having to do works for salvation, not as atheists think… a system of Human subjection and control)
I was told Sex, Drugs, and rock and roll were all of the Devil, so I Tried to quit them all… burned my records, and avoided many of my old Lost friends… yet always ended up relapsing.
I failed to maintain my promises to God to be a good boy.
Thus I learned never to make such promises to God, and thankfully though I struggled to live a godly life, I never abandoned my faith, and eventually I discovered the dispensational truth that I was completely under Gods grace, and Free from the Law.
Thus being set free myself, and knowing my own short comings this led me to having grace upon others as God has grace upon me.
My own personal struggles with life have helped me to be more understanding, more compassionate, and more tolerant of the struggle and sins of my fellow human beings.
Gods grace towards me has made me a Libertarian, because I see the hypocrisy of being full of vise myself yet calling the Law and government to persecute the vices of others.
Gods has shown tolerance and forgiveness of my sins, and calls me as a Christian to preach this ‘Good News’ to other lost sinners… not lobby the State to persecute them.
Thus I am humbled before God, and the thorns in my flesh have helped me to see the glory of Gods grace clearly, and the true libertarian nature of Christianity.
Today though I am no Pastor, I am a witness for Christ and the truth of The King James Bible to anyone who will listen.
I wont caste pearls before self righteous Christ hating swine. As a Guy who Grew up in Glen Eden West Auckland, I have always Been a Bogan Westy and alway will be. I write this Blog with Richard in Bogan style, preaching a very Bogan Gospel.
I dont preach self-righteousness.
I despise Pharisaic Hypocrisy.
Putting my faith into practice, I busy myself in Libertarian Activism, standing up for justice and the rights of the oppressed minorities like Prostitutes and Drug addicts.
I don’t reject the Holiness of God simply because in the light of it I fall short.
I hold it to be objectively true in spite of the fact that such an acknowledgement means I must confess my own sinfulness.
This is an intolerable thing for an Objectivist to contemplate.
In their own eyes… to have self esteem… they need to delude themselves of their own perfection.
Tim Wikiriwhi.
Christian Libertarian.
AV King James Bible believer.
Dispensationalist.
Never seriously doubted the modern evolutionary synthesis? You should try it sometime.
[Hat tip: Reed]
It’s Ayn Rand’s birthday today. Happy Birthday, Miss Rand!
As everyone knows, Ayn Rand is responsible for a philosophical system called Objectivism.
At a sales conference at Random House, preceding the publication of Atlas Shrugged, one of the book salesmen asked me whether I could present the essence of my philosophy while standing on one foot. I did as follows:
- Metaphysics: Objective Reality
- Epistemology: Reason
- Ethics: Self-interest
- Politics: Capitalism
If you want this translated into simple language, it would read: 1. “Nature, to be commanded, must be obeyed” or “Wishing won’t make it so.” 2. “You can’t eat your cake and have it, too.” 3. “Man is an end in himself.” 4. “Give me liberty or give me death.”
I’m 100% with Ayn Rand when it comes to politics (capitalism). I used to think I was 100% with Ayn Rand when it comes to metaphysics and epistemology, too. Until I read some of Rand’s metaphysics and epistemology. Don’t be fooled by Rand’s casual use of terms like ‘objective reality’ and ‘reason’. Rand’s ideas about objective reality and reason are completely at odds with objective reality and reason! And, when it comes to ethics, Rand’s philosophy is pernicious and wrong.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Objectivism is bat-shit crazy. (Politics excepted.) See, for example, reasons given here and here.
Oh, and this is hardly news, but Objectivism is also anti-Christian. Read more here and here.
I read the news today oh Boy!
Horrible headlines, and Photo of a crumpled car.
A Waikato mother died after pulling out in front of a truck, and her 9 year old son is in a very bad way in Starship hospital.
In the same article another horrible tale of a Toddler killed in a driveway.
Oh the Humanity!
Such stories are tragic and disturbing.
We all fumble our way through life, driven by our emotions, or consumed by worries, and yet most of the time we survive. Most days the phone remains happily silent, and then out of the blue…because of a momentary lapse of Judgment, or distraction, evil conjunctions deliver merciless fates.
I find reading about these sorts of tragic misfortunes of others is almost enough to drive me insane.
I marvel at the courage of The Emergency crews, the doctors and nurses whose Job it is to clean up the mess, to try and mend broken Bodies. I wonder what mechanisms they employ to keep from flipping out?
Though I don’t smell the gore, or hear the cries and screams, I am still affected, shaken to my bones, experiencing a mixture of sorrow and dread, and troubled by a cascade of implications flowing from living in such a traumatic world.
I worry about the souls of those involved…Where do they stand before God? Have they received Jesus Christ as their Savior? I worry for the souls of those whom love the victims…Will this tragic event cause them to harden their hearts against God?.
And these events effect almost every one who hears about them. After hearing about these sorts of events via the media, many people allow themselves to take umbrage, and shake their fist at Heaven, as if it was God’s fault the dead woman pulled out in front of the truck. They look at such events as evidence that proves belief in a Good and caring God to be folly.
It is truly horrible when an innocent child is killed. It can rattle the faith of those like myself whom believe in a Good God and Divine providence. In this way I admit the difficulty…the test… of Faith.
C’est la vie!
It is in this type of world that the Christian salesman must pedal his wares.
Because Death, mayhem, and injustice hold such a sway over us mortals, It is in many ways a hostile territory.
It is the burden of the Christian to confront the darkest of realities and to shine a light to guide our Friends, neighbors, and loved ones through this valley of the shadow of Death.
I am grateful to God Almighty that he opened my blind eyes to his truth.
It truly was a miracle that someone as militantly Atheistic and as rebellious as I was, to see the Light of the Gospel.
It pains me to think of anyone dying without having the hope of Salvation.
Thus it behooves me to use my finite hours of life to share my faith in Jesus Christ, In the hope that my testimony can retrieve those whom walk in Darkness, Meaninglessness, and despair.
Much of the Despair that robs people of their love of life is founded upon nihilistic notions such as ‘Death is the end’…’I will never see my loved one again’… ‘There is no divine justice’… etc, thus if it be possible to instill faith that ‘Death is not the End’… ‘I will see my loved one again’… ‘There is Divine Justice’…,etc, then it ought to be obvious how such faith will alter how we respond to tragedies, and bring solace to ease our spiritual pains.
I declare that Evidence/Reason enough does indeed exist for such an uplifting and optimistic faith! (Keep visiting this Blog to find out what I’m talking about)
There are valid reasons why God does not intervene to prevent tragedies from happening… but allows the Natural Laws to take their course.
The first chapters of the Book of Genesis explains why we suffer Death, chaos, and evil. The picture it gives of Fallen Mankind wandering Naked, full of violence, and exposed to the elements still holds 100% true today.
And when the scripture declares That God rested on the seventh day, yet the Universe carried on functioning autonomously, shows that God has so framed Nature to obey fixed Laws, and it is by these laws that the Universe is stable, and constant, and rational. We can trust the universe to behave like the universe does… and this is a form of ‘Blind Justice.’… God is not a capricious God rolling dice, he causeth it to rain upon the Just and the unjust.(Mat5vs45)
Thus it is that if our car is in Good condition that we can rely on our brakes to work. The flip side of this is that if we put our foot on the Gas pedal… even though a truck is coming … Our Car will carry us out into oblivion… and terrible as that is… it is just.
If we send aid money to a disaster relief, we can help alleviate the suffering of people enduring calamities, yet still if we roll out of our driveway without first checking it is clear… we could cripple, or end an infants life… That’s how this world works… Our actions can have serious consequences for good or ill.
Though We may think of ourselves as Advanced Human beings in comparison to the ancients, yet still we must contend with the very same realities.
Rich or Poor, old or young, we are all equal in this sense. Like gamblers, We must all play the hand we have been dealt… with dignity, and not allow bitterness and envy to corrupt our souls.
There are Deeper truths yet still!
when I consider our lot, living upon this planet, in this solar system… the fact that every one of us frail creatures lives life poised upon a razors edge, yet day after day goes by and all my friends and family arrive home safely… I get a sense of Providence! Though it can not be proved… it is as if an invisible hand does indeed keep evil at bay…most of the time. I believe God can and does opperate in the world as suits his Divine purposes. He has been Merciful unto me.
Thus I would like to point out that while tragedies occur in all our lives… We all have an apointment with death… yet still this in itself does not negate the many days of Providential goodness that we ought to be very grateful for.
In fact If it were not for the punctuations of calamity in our lives, we would not be aware of Providence at all! We would become puffed up.
Yes Faith in God not only gives you someone to call out to in your darkest hours, but also someone to thank and to worship for all the blessings we enjoy every day.
For the atheist. Good days are as meaningless as bad ones. If they find love, or something fortunate happens to someone they love, they have nothing to thank… you cant be grateful to a cold and indifferent Materialist universe. The Christian can celebrate and worship His God!
So many people blindly take all the great blessings of heath and wellbeing for granted. They live an ignorantly ungreatful existance… whining about the smallest of inconveniences. Tragic events such as the death of innocent children or the loss of bodily health ought to make us appreciate the many blessings we have.
I am acutely aware that Death and Chaos stalks us all. Every day that goes by, that I arrive safe home, and I don’t receive any dread news or phone calls… I count myself blessed. I rest in God’s Mercy and Grace. The Bible tells me that through Jesus Christ I have peace with God. I know not what will happen on the morrow. I expect that I will switch off my alarm, Put my pants on, and head on out the door… ???
The Pendulum swings. The hour of my departure becomes less distant. I must use my time wisely. Every hour of labour doing Good, in the service of Christ is an hour well spent.
Yes I believe in Gods Blessed Grace and Providence!… yet also realize that I must walk wisely… It is evil to tempt God by foolishly taking rash and unnecessary risks. God is not our Fairy God-mother, not your Genie in a bottle.
Satan temped Christ by trying to get him to test God’s Providence by taking him to the top of the Temple and even quoted the Scriptures saying “Throw yourself off! God will save you…wont he?”
Christ replied “Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God”. (Mat4vs1-11)
When we face a tragic personal circumstance Remember that though God did not intervene, yet he suffers with us too.
He knows the pain we feel. He feels it. He felt it…yet did not intervene when his sinless Son Jesus Christ was arrested on false charges, was wrongfully convicted by a corrupt court, and was murdered.
Yes God knows what suffering is!
He herd the mockers enjoying Christ’s crucifixion who said… “Where is his God Now?”
Yes God allows things to transpire that many mistake as evidence that evil is victorious…
Mankind is quick to form such opinions… men love darkness because there deeds are evil.
Yet The Truth shall make you Free!
God was there when Christ was crucified!
Providence was working upon the Salvation of countless Millions!
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Rom8vs28)
Thus it is that, not only when the sun is shinning that we ought to rejoice in faith, but also during the terrible storms. That is the true test of our mettle.
“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him… For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”
(1Thes4vs13,14,16-18)
Tim Wikiriwhi
End Note: I started this Post Last week. Since then I read the News that the little 9 year old Boy injured in the Car crash has Died. His photo was in the Paper.
Things happen on Earth that are not God’s will.
Two things I ask of you. Please take care… esp when driving on the roads, and secondly Don’t Let the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune blind you to the truth of Jesus Christ. Search him out. Make a decision to trust him with your soul. Life without Christ is hollow. Death without Christ is utter hopelessness. It is not God’s will that anyone rejects Christ … but he allows you to have your own will and make your own choice.
This is absolutely appalling. And I say that as a vegetarian since 1984.
The sausage sizzle is a Kiwi icon! The very idea of taxing this particular tradition is monstrous. This is what Hannah Arendt was referring to when she spoke of “the banality of evil“.
An analogy may help. You have this warehouse that allows people to deposit copies of films and music. Then you allow other people to visit and take away those copies. At best, you don’t charge for such a service, yet you provide a facility for the transaction. What are you guilty of? Certainly not of the original theft. But you’re a fence. Did you know the goods were stolen? Perhaps not. But is your ignorance any defence? A reasonable person would say no.
The analogy is to Megaupload. But it might as well be to YouTube. What’s the difference?
There is an old (or perhaps not so old) adage, “It’s easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission.” This seems to be the principle by which YouTube operates. Copyright holders must opt out of having their copyright infringed, rather than opt in by giving (or not giving) permission to copy.
Copyright infringement is rifest where condemnation of copyright infringement is the loudest. Excuses abound.
I gave full attribution of source.
It was open content, not subscriber.
I was helping them in this instance.
I was criticising, reviewing and reporting some … news. Fair use.
Some makers of film/ music are quite happy to let their work be copied.
When someone posts a video clip that violates copyright to YouTube they are told to remove it.
We have to take it on faith that the videos on YouTube that have been copied without approval are taken down again.
Some are old and the owner of the copyright doesn’t intend to make any more money from them and gives them away free.
Many bands/popsingers these days want to show that they are “down with the kids” and don’t enforce their copyright on video clips, but probably actually see it as being good advertising for their music.
They probably do. But how would you ever know? The “it’s not a copyright violation unless someone complains” philosophy in evidence here just doesn’t wash.
In any case, can YouTube avail itself of the above excuses, weak as they are? A reasonable person would say no. In the Cannibal Corpse video I posted yesterday, at the beginning of the video we read the notice, “Ripped by Prince of Darkness,” and at the end there is a link to his website, MadhouseHQ. What’s more, YouTube includes the video in question in its YouTube Mix for Cannibal Corpse. And, not only that, but YouTube hosts his blog (both YouTube and Blogger are Google-owned), which is a collection of links to the likes of (the now deceased) megaupload.com and mediafire.com.
What will the Feds do next? Pull the plug on YouTube? I sincerely hope not. When copyright laws are enforced, the collateral damage is too great. Instead, let’s try to grow a voluntary culture of respect. Respect for the productive. Respect for the artists. Embed their videos, but also buy their CDs and buy their merchandise. That’s fair use.