Why Our Kids Are Leaving Church Behind: The Architect of Disbelief

It is amazing to me how delusional, or how manipulative, or how hyprocritical many pastors can be. Delusional if they really truly believe what they are saying. Manipulative if they know it's not true. Hypocritical if their own kids have blatant sin and moral failures in their lives that are kept secret or are minimized.  These guys have more money then ever before to preach the gospel. They have more avenues by which to share the gospel then ever before. They have more celebrity status then ever before. They have more congregants then ever before. They take more Holy Land trips then ever before. They cruise more European rivers with members of their congregations then ever before. They stomp and yell and criticize their congregants more than ever before. They blame politicians and judges more then ever before.  They have more paid associates and ministers on staff then ever before. They have bigger buildings then ever before. And then they blame mom and dad when our kids decide it just doesn't mean that much anymore.  They blame the loving mom and dad who took them to church all their lives. Sunday morning. Sunday night. Wednesday night. Awana. Choir. Youth camp. Christian schools. These stomping pompous asses are too arrogant and narcissistic to look in the mirror and think, "what have I done? Why are we losing these precious young people?'  No, they don't even consider that it is THEM, that have lost not only these kids, but they have lost the faithful parents too. And what about their own kids?  Do they blame themselves for their own kids' beliefs and actions? 

How is it that supposedly God "called" these guys to lead these churches and yet they still are losing this generation as the church declines in number, conviction, baptisms, and influence in society. Doesn't God say something about once something loses its saltiness it is to be thrown out?  Maybe its time to throw out these pastors and the system they have exploited for decades. It's lost its saltiness. Maybe its time to proclaim to these arrogant jerks that "You are that man!" when it comes to placing blame on why our children leave the church as soon as they get a chance.  You see, some studies report that it takes less then a semester away from the cult-like environment of the fundamentalist church, for our children to realize that they don't believe it all.  They find themselves respecting other religions and beliefs. They realize they have love and respect for homosexual friends.  They realize that good decent people, like many of their friends, can partake in many of the "forbidden" fruits and find them not to be the destructive vice, or basis for going to hell, that they were raised to believe.  So like they did with Santa Claus, they begin to question what they were told. This is okay. This is healthy.  Whatever religion they were taught should be able to stand up to public scrutiny. It's ideas should win the day in the arena of public discourse. But when it doesn't, the best we can hope for is that they don't throw it all out. That they won't  suddenly believe none of it. That they might hold dear those teachings of Jesus about love and serving and helping others.

So what do these pastors do when faced with the crop that THEIR seeds of leadership have sown? Encourage mom and dad? Remind mom and dad of all they did and how they did the best they could? Remind them of scripture about God's promises that those kids will return to the Lord if they were raised up in the Lord?  ABSOLUTELY NOT! These pompous asses don't know when to quit.  They actually pile on mom and dad and tell them "The reason your beautiful young adult child drops out of church at eighteen years old or when they go off to college is because you criticized ME! You didn't raise them in the church, you raised them in an atmosphere of criticism of the pastor and church all their lives. NO WONDER they quit coming.!"  "If you, mom and dad, are not committed, then don't be surprised if they aren't committed."  Boy, this would be terrible if it were true.  But it is exponentially more harmful and terrible if it is not true. Hear me: It's not true. It's a lie. And maybe pastor, you were way too easy to criticize because you were a liar and manipulator and exploiter of the gullible, humble, helpless sheep that want to love Jesus and serve him and trusted you with the Word. Know this about me: With all the criticism I have directed at charlatan preachers, I would never, ever blame them or their wife if one or more of their children cheated on their wife, or knocked up someone else, or had any number of other moral and/or legal failures. Or worse to the fundamentalist, if one of their children became a Democrat. Or didn't believe it all. Or agreed that all citizens have a right to marry, even those with same sex partners.

So what is the motive of these charlatans when it comes to beating up mom and dad when their kids are already hurting them by their decisions? Other then the obvious love of money and desire to feel important and respected with a college degree in bible, some of these pastors want the remaining pew sitters to feel guilty for questioning his operations that have led to the demise of the church and its role in society. He wants to make the connection between losing the next generation and mom and dad not being supportive enough. Mom and Dad not being good enough. He wants the faithful members that have stuck with him to feel that somehow had they given more money, given more time, given more respect to the preacher and everything he says, then little Sally and little Jonny would still be in church.  This is HOGWASH and breaks my heart.  But I and millions of others left this abusive environment a long time ago, so the brunt of this beating rests on the poor gullible faithful families that stayed. And they have to listen to this? Come on pastor, have some compassion for these nice folks. Don't blame them. They have suffered enough.  Does your manipulation have no bounds? What, you need more money? You need more commitment from the ones that stayed with you? Your cute little slogan of "All In" didn't work?

The camera pans the congregations of these TV charlatans and I see faithful moms and dads suffering over their kids' decisions, and then I see a pile of guilt layed on top.  "Honey, if we give more money, and volunteer more time, then our kids will see our level of commitment and so they will stay committed when they get older.  We must do it for our kids."

That, my friends, is guilting people and manipulating people.  And it makes me sick. And it makes me sad.

I wish it was just one or two mega pastors that teach this.  But with the internet and sites like Sermons.com, (see below)even the smaller congregations are plagiarizing whatever topics are put out there and you hear lazy preachers simply preaching on whatever topic they see online or hear some other preacher ranting about.

But it also makes me praise Jesus when my own kids question "the church", and when they laugh at the pompous ass stomping around on the stage, and when they get involved in charities and non-profits and begin to love and help hurting people, and when they stay faithful to their spouse, and when they love and provide for their own children, and give their time, talents and energies to organizations that actually help people. All people.  Even the Muslim and homosexual people. It is then that I am glad I provided leadership to my family and will rejoice pastor, when they don't give their loyalty, devotion, time and talent to some millionaire man of God and his 501(c)(3) business.

The young people get it pastor. You aren't fooling them. They left, or will as soon as they can. But please leave alone the few good folks that stayed with you. Quit blaming them. Give them a break. Have you no shame.  Stop it!

So Christian mom and dad, don't listen to that manipulative, arrogant, and narcissistic millionaire seminarian up on the platform.  If you really want to see your kids stay true to the values you taught them, then stand up and be a man or woman of faith and conviction and walk out of that church and take your kids with you.  Then explain to them how God has called you to discern wisdom and lead your family in spiritual matters. Take it up with the book. Read them the verses that say to kill homosexuals and tell them they shouldn't believe that and not to practice that. Teach them to invest their incomes in things that will make a difference, and not in another new building for a 501(c)(3), or another pastor's vacation bonus.  You won't lose them that way.  But if you leave them there listening to, and respecting, and believing that delusional or manipulative or hypocritical seminarian up on stage, you will lose them for sure. Let them know you don't agree with that jerk up there.  Get out a dictionary and read to them the definitions of pompous. And the definition of charlatan.  And read those verses about wolves in sheep's clothing. And let the Holy Spirit guide their conclusions about YOUR pastor. Yeah, him. If the shoe fits...

On your way out, let that "man of God" know that if he represents God and the church, then you are delighted your kids won't be sticking around once they are adults.  And you, mom and dad, don't let him guilt you into taking the blame for his failures.  While he was building new buildings, and hiring his family, and taking vacations, and traveling the country to speak, and stomping around, and criticizing our courts and our country, he was turning your kids away from what you tried to raise them to believe. You were doing all you could to teach them about Jesus and to model that love.

He, your pompous ass pastor, NOT you, is the Architect of Disbelief.

Please get yourselves and your kids out of there.  He's now blaming you! And if your kids trust him, they will blame you, too!  And while you struggle with this, he will just leave for another tour of the Holy Land and take another cruise. He is the Architect of Disbelief. Shame on him. Get out of there.

"God Said it, That Settles It!"

Leviticus 20:1, 13: The Lord said to Moses... If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.

Some Christians love to quote the old phrase "God said it, I believe it, That settles it!"  Usually followed by the proud question "Amen?"  You may have even seen this on a bumper sticker.  Now, they cleverly update this proud saying by omitting the middle portion.  They say it doesn't matter whether you or I believe it or not, because if God said it, then that settles it whether we believe it or not. They prefer: "God said it, That settles it!" It's a nice little phrase, but unfortunately, none of the phrase is true.  For one, God didn't "say it."  What they mean is, "it is written in some ancient texts, by someone we don't know who actually wrote it, and I trust what has been passed down, and personally have faith that God inspired someone to write it and that it was accurately re-written and transcribed and recorded and then later translated correctly over thousands of years into many languages. And most importantly, I personally like that verse and want to follow it so I don't argue about it's context or applicability to the Jews, or to an ancient culture, like I do the verses I don't like and never would follow."  Either way, God never said it to me. Or to anyone I have ever known.




In our justice system, this type of utterance would be deemed "hearsay."  It would be excluded from evidence of every court in the land due to it being inherently unreliable.







Imagine if every court allowed people to testify what someone else said to someone else about a crime they allege we committed.  "Bob told me that Jim stole the money."  And I believe Bob would never lie, so it has to be true.  Well, folks, our courts would require Bob to come in to court and tell us what Jim did and what he saw. And even then, we could cross examine Bob as to his memory and most importantly, as to his credibility.  Jim would be available to give his side of the story.  So, we can't even know the premise is true that God said it.  And even if God did say it to a bronze age Jewish man, he didn't say it to YOU, therefore, it's only a revelation from God to him. It's not a revelation of God to you. We call that hearsay.  It's unreliable. Therefore, it's not allowed into evidence and it's not sufficient for rendering a verdict.

The "I Believe it" part is equally ridiculous.  We say we believe much of the nonsense I have previously posted about in my recent posts simply because "God said it and he is inerrant and infallible."  We don't believe in talking serpents or talking donkeys. We don't believe in the sun revolving around our earth.  We don't believe in stoning our disobedient children.  We don't believe women should remain silent.  We don't believe in raping a woman and if she is not a virgin, stoning her. We don't get outraged at the adulterer, but instead we choose to get all tore up about gays. Which hurts the institution of marriage more: Adultery or same sex marriage?  I could go on and on.  But I do agree that this middle part of the phrase is not needed, because whether you or I believe it or not, does not make it true. Amen?

Finally, "That settles it!"  Really? Do a little research on that "settled" viewpoint. Or just listen to any preacher anywhere, any time, on any subject of faith and then listen to another view. You will find literally hundreds of other preachers that disagree with him. That's why we have so many denominations and so many fights within denominations.  And even if God did miraculously appear to you (by way of talking animal or burning bush or ancient text) and actually did tell you to kill your child, would you do it? If he told you to kill an abortion doctor would you do it?  If he told you to kill Muslims would you do it? If he told you to fly planes into buildings would you do it?  

So allow me to rephrase the slogan:

God Didn't Say It to Me, I don't believe it just because you tell me to, and even if God did happen to say it,  nothing is settled.  Amen?

Once Saved Always Saved and Predestination

More from the inerrant, infallible Word of God.

This time we will discuss the many clear scriptures that teach us about the doctrine of "once saved always saved", which means once you are saved, no matter what you do, you still go to heaven. (That really stinks as a doctrine doesn't it? Saved people can do whatever they want.) We will then compare that doctrine to the other view which is you can lose your salvation. (This also stinks doesn't it, since you can't ever be sure that you haven't done anything to cause you to lose the "eternal" salvation you thought you had received by grace.) I can tell you that the Catholic church, for example, teaches the latter, which if you think about it, keeps a lot of it's people feeling guilty and doing all they can to make sure they are in good standing with the requirements.  It would seem to me to be much easier to manipulate people who are constantly worrying about losing their eternal life.  But on the other hand, can a person "do whatever they want" and still go to heaven if they were saved earlier in their life?  So let's see what the Scripture says and determine once and for all what God's word teaches.

After that, we will delve into discussing the clear verses on the doctrine of predestination, (the "elect") which is a hot topic in Southern Baptist circles. (See Calvinism vs Arminianism)

Just kidding.  Even I don't have to tell Charlatans and Fundies that they could be wrong on their dogmatic views of these two scriptural "truths" that are contained within the pages of the god-breathed and profitable for teaching, Holy Bible.  They have each other to do that.

Continuing our study of the Word of God - Say What?

Deuteronomy 4:29: But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find Him if you seek him with all your heart and all your soul.

Romans 3:11 There is none that understandeth. There is none that seeketh after God.

















Proverbs 15:29 - The Lord is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.
James 5:16 - The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
1 Peter 3:2 - For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayers

Romans 3:10 - As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.








Ephesions 2:8 - For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: It is the gift of God.

James 2:24 - Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith alone.

Any questions?

I don't need the Bible or religion to know that 2+2=4, or that rape and murder and stealing are wrong.

Another shocking thing I hear from fundamentalists is "If the bible isn't true, then I might as well sleep with ten partners, or go do whatever I want."  They don't realize what they are saying.  They are actually admitting that the only reason they are not raping another person, or having sex with anyone they can, is because they are trying to please the Creator of the Universe.  Or worse, they are restraining themselves only out of fear of eternal damnation. Do they really believe that without their faith, they would actually steal and take things that belong to other people? That they would kill another human being? That the only reason they don't do these things is because the Old Testament Ten Commandments says not to do it?

Excuse my all capitals here: I DON'T NEED ANY RELIGION OR HOLY BOOK TO KNOW THAT I CAN'T RAPE WOMEN, OR THAT I CAN'T KILL OTHER PEOPLE, OR THAT I CAN'T TAKE THINGS THAT BELONG TO SOMEONE ELSE.  

And, hear me on this: I DON'T WANT TO DO ANY OF THOSE HURTFUL THINGS ANYWAY!  But if I did, the criminal laws in this country would suffice in keeping me under control, not my beliefs about the ancient texts, or fear of some eternal punishment after I died.

Question: Would you really be a murderer, adulterer, thief, drug addict, and rapist if it were not for the Bible OR not for your faith in Christ?  I certainly hope not. I would hope your parents and schools and police and friends and civilized society would help you to realize that killing and raping is WRONG, not because the Bible says it is, but because it is WRONG.  And worse, many people kill because of the Bible, not in spite of it. (Crusades, Inquisition, Witch trials, Holy wars, etc.)

 

Let me give you another example. I believe that God created the earth and everything in it.  Why? Because I see the beauty and complexity of it all, the design of it all, and there is no other logical, reasonable explanation except some highly intelligent Creator was involved. Big time! Once again, excuse my all capitals here: BUT I DON'T BELIEVE IN A CREATOR JUST BECAUSE THE BIBLE SAYS SO IN GENESIS 1:1.  Put another way, I believe Genesis 1:1 is the most truthful, accurate and verifiable verse in the entire Bible. It is the one verse that is not open to debate, that is based on reality, science and evidence and doesn't depend on what part of the world I was raised in. But I don't believe it's true just because the Bible says its true. It's true because it's true.  Another example: If the Bible says 2 + 2 = 4, then I certainly believe that verse without any doubt or skepticism.  It's true because it's true. Try it out for yourselves. Go get two rocks. Then go get two more. Now count how many you have left. But I don't believe 2 + 2 = 4 just because the Bible might say that it is.  Get it?

So, killing, raping, murder, stealing, etc. is wrong just like 2 + 2 = 4. And I don't need the Bible, religion, or a holy man to tell me either.

More God-breathed scripture that is profitable

Continuing our closer study of the Bible...

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All scripture is god-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The following bible verses speak for themselves:

Exodus 35:2 – " For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day, a Sabbath of rest to the LORD. Whoever does any work on it must be put to death."

Ezekiel 23:11-21 - There she lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses.

Numbers 31:17-18 - Now kill all the boys. And kill every woman who has slept with a man, ¹⁸ but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man.

Deuteronomy 23:1 No one whose testicles are crushed or whose male organ is cut off shall enter the assembly of the Lord.

Deuteronomy 25:11-12  If two men, a man and his countryman, are struggling together, and the wife of one comes near to deliver her husband from the hand of the one who is striking him, and puts out her hand and seizes his genitals, then you shall cut off her hand; you shall not show pity.

THIS ONE FOR KIM DAVIS AND MIKE HUCKABEE: 
Deuteronomy 17:12 Anyone arrogant enough to reject the verdict of the judge...must be put to death. Such evil must be purged from Israel.

Deuteronomy 22:28-29  If a man is caught in the act of raping a young woman who is not engaged, he must pay fifty pieces of silver to her father. Then he must marry the young woman because he violated her, and he will never be allowed to divorce her.

Luke 14:26 – " If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple."

Isaiah 13:15-18 - Anyone who is captured will be run through with a sword. Their little children will be dashed to death right before their eyes. Their homes will be sacked and their wives raped by the attacking hordes. For I will stir up the Medes against Babylon, and no amount of silver or gold will buy them off. The attacking armies will shoot down the young people with arrows. They will have no mercy on helpless babies and will show no compassion for the children.

Leviticus 25:44-46 - However, you may purchase male or female slaves from among the foreigners who live among you. You may also purchase the children of such resident foreigners, including those who have been born in your land. You may treat them as your property, passing them on to your children as a permanent inheritance. You may treat your slaves like this, but the people of Israel, your relatives, must never be treated this way.

Leviticus 21:17-24 - "Say to Aaron: 'For the generations to come none of your descendants who has a defect may come near to offer the food of his God. No man who has any defect may come near: no man who is blind or lame, disfigured or deformed; no man with a crippled foot or hand, or who is hunchbacked or dwarfed, or who has any eye defect, or who has festering or running sores or damaged testicles.

And this one for bloggers?

Deuteronomy 13:6-11 - Show him no pity. Do not spare him or shield him. You must certainly put him to death. Your hand must be the first in putting him to death, and then the hands of all the people. Stone him to death, because he tried to turn you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. Then all Israel will hear and be afraid, and no one among you will do such an evil thing again." 

1 Samuel 18:25-27 - "Saul replied, "Say to David, 'The king wants no other price for the bride than a hundred Philistine foreskins, to take revenge on his enemies.' " So before the allotted time elapsed, David and his men went out and killed two hundred Philistines. He brought their foreskins and presented the full number to the king so that he might become the king's son-in-law. Then Saul gave him his daughter Michal in marriage."

Are you aware that these types of verses are in the Bible?  Regardless of how you might rationalize these types of verses, the point is that the Bible is full of such killings, rapes, genocide and infanticide, not to mention the ultimate damnation to hell of every man, woman, and child that does NOT "get saved."  It's not Good News and while the overall message of redemption in Christ Jesus is a hopeful one, it becomes Bad News when perverted and corrupted by religious men and fanatical followers. And most importantly, don't demand I read it, believe it all, and put it into practice!

Biblical "Traditional" Marriage

Today, we look to the Bible regarding what it says about "traditional" and "Biblical" marriage. Since the New Testament is largely silent on the issue, and what New Testament verses are included are open to various interpretations, I will leave those scriptures to the spin doctors and seminarians to apply and debate. (For example church leaders should be the husband of one wife; and Paul's reference in Corinthians to sleeping with a prostitue constitutes "the two becoming one flesh.") 

Biblical marriage requires the women to be a virgin, otherwise, if the man "dislikes her" she shall be killed.


Deuteronomy 22:13 - 21 ¹³ If a man takes a wife and, after sleeping with her, dislikes her ¹⁴ and slanders her and gives her a bad name, saying, “I married this woman, but when I approached her, I did not find proof of her virginity,” ¹⁵ then the young woman’s father and mother shall bring to the town elders at the gate proof that she was a virgin. If, however, the charge is true and no proof of the young woman’s virginity can be found, 21 she shall be brought to the door of her father’s house and there the men of her town shall stone her to death. She has done an outrageous thing in Israel by being promiscuous while still in her father’s house. You must purge the evil from among you.

There are numerous examples of polygamy in the Old Testament

Exodus 21:10 If he marries another woman, he must not deprive the first one of her food, clothing and marital rights.

Deuteronomy 21:15 - 16 If a man has two wives, and he loves one but not the other, and both bear him sons but the firstborn is the son of the wife he does not love, 16 when he wills his property to his sons, he must not give the rights of the firstborn to the son of the wife he loves in preference to his actual firstborn, the son of the wife he does not love.

Many important figures had more than one wife

Esau - Genesis 26:34  When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite.
Genesis 28:9 so he (Esau) went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham, in addition to the wives he already had.

Moses - Exodus 2:21  Moses agreed to stay with the man (a Midianite), who gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage. 
Numbers 12:1 - Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife,for he had married a Cushite.

Jacob - Genesis 29:15-28 Laban replied, “It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one. 27 Finish this daughter’s bridal week; then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work.”28 And Jacob did so. He finished the week with Leah, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife.

David - 1 Samuel 25:42-43   Abigail quickly got on a donkey and, attended by her five female servants, went with David’s messengers and became his wife. 43 David had also married Ahinoam of Jezreel, and they both were his wives.  
2 Samuel 5:13 After he left Hebron, David took more concubines and wives in Jerusalem, and more sons and daughters were born to him.

Solomon - 1 Kings 11:3 - He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray.

Men were obligated to marry their brother's widow

Deutoronomy 25:5 If brothers are living together and one of them dies without a son, his widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband’s brother shall take her and marry her and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her. 

Any and all divorced men who remarry are adulterers and are going to hell (except one excuse.)

Matthew 19:9 - I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”
1 Corinthians 6:9 -  Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind..."

Unfiltered Truth From God's Holy Word

Enough of my opinions about things, right?  Let's take the advice of many Christians and get back to the Bible.  With so much doubt and cynicism by "the world" and so many "attacks" on Christianity, let's take the advice of some loud and arrogant pastors, and "take it up wit da book!" Unfiltered verses. Without comment. Without opinion. Because the Bible is God's word. It is inerrant. It is infallible. And it says what it means and it means what it says. And God never changes. And if you don't like it, you don't have a problem with me, you got a problem with God. No Priest needed. No seminarian needed. No Greek or Hebrew needed. The King James Version Bible says it, so why don't you do what it says. Amen?  Amen! We'll start with some scriptures about children. Stay tuned for my next post, which will be verses on Biblical marriage.

Bible Verses About Children

Children who refuse to obey their parents must be executed.

Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place: And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard.  And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die; so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear. Deuteronomy 21:18-21

He that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death. Exodus 21:15 He that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death. Exodus 21:17 Children who mock their parents will have their eyes plucked out by ravens and eaten by eagles. The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it. --Proverbs 30:17 God killed all the firstborn children in an entire country. The LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon.... And there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead. Exodus 12:29-30 Sometimes God kills children for misbehaving. And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth  little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head;  go up, thou bald head. And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them. 2 Kings 2:23-24 Someday God will force parents to eat their own children. And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat. Lev 26:29 And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters. Deuteronomy 28:53 And I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they shall eat every one the flesh of his friend. Jeremiah 19:9 And then there's this statement, found in the Bible: Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones. Psalm 137:9

Fox News Agrees - Kim Davis Attorney is "Ridiculously Stupid"

Here we go again.  The far right wing Christian fundamentalists are exposing themselves to the rest of the nation, and to our children, as ignorant, bigoted, hypocrites.  Even Fox news realizes that the support for Kim Davis is outrageous and based on ignorance. This type of thinking by right wing Christians is giving support to those that say Christians are intolerant, bigoted, irrational, militant, angry, and delusional.  So many good old boy fundies get so upset when Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson show up and make every story about race.  Well, here we have a lady defying a judge's order, disobeying her supervisor's orders, and good ole boy Mike Huckabee rushes to support her in the name of religious freedom.  Really?  The government has a right in this country to deny individual's rights based on their employees' arbitrary religious convictions regarding which "sins" they pick and choose to offend their conscience? This, my friends, by definition is DISCRIMINATION.

On Monday’s edition of Fox News' Happening Now, trial attorney Chip Merlin pointed out that anyone who violates a judge’s order should “expect to be thrown in jail.” “She can still practice her faith,” Fox News host Gregg Jarrett noted. “Just not on the job in a way that interferes with the legal rights of the citizens she serves. And in fact, the U.S. Supreme Court said so nine years ago.”

“She’s a hypocrite,” criminal defense attorney Sharon Liko agreed. “She’s applying for the job of a martyr. She wants to practice her faith by not issuing marriage licenses. Yet, she will not agree to let the deputy county clerks issue marriage licenses even if it’s okay with their faith.” “When she took the job she swore to uphold the law,” Jarrett explained. “We rely on government officials to do that."

Frankly, as a Christian man, I am embarrassed by the manipulation and exploitation of people like Kim Davis.  Men like Governor Mike Huckabee, and men like your angry pastor, who are blatantly pandering to their fundamentalist followers, are going "all in" by stating they are "#ImwithKim." Let's remember this and hold them accountable, when once again, they are on the wrong side of history.(slavery, women's rights, interracial marriage, same sex marriage, pedophile priests/pastors, etc. etc.) Mike Huckabee now loses any chance of getting the nomination, since his chances were already little to none before he showed himself to be a hypocritical ignorant panderer.

I wonder why would anyone want to hire a Christian now?  They see that Christians arbitrarily choose what they will and will not do on the job based on a "higher authority", which is their interpretation of God and what they think/believe/guess as to WWJD, "what would Jesus do?" Should judges not enter divorce decrees since "God hates divorce?" What about employees at McDonald's? Should they not serve obese customers because gluttony is one of the seven deadly sins? Should the clerk not issue marriage licenses to adulterers? Liars? Alcoholics?  What about the local baker?  Will he stop serving liars, the lazy, adulterers, non-tithers who are robbing god, women pastors (who are not to teach a man or have authority over a man)?

Hear me. Let me tell you something.  OF. COURSE. NOT. This notion that a government employee answers to a higher authority is hypocritical and is total nonsense.  A county clerk is a representative of the state.  They are paid by all taxpayers of all faiths and orientations to do their job, which includes issuing various types of licenses, including marriage licenses.  If their faith is so devout and orthodox that they actually try and follow the actual teachings of the Bible, then they should not apply to work in a liquor store, a gun store, a porno shop, a strip club, OR A GOVERNMENT position, all of which might require them to violate their conscience. And I'm not even going to get into the hyprocisy of Kim Davis being married several times already.  Or whether or not she has authority over a man in her position as the county's clerk.

This issue is so simple and so clear, I don't want to waste any more words describing it.  There is really no basis for debate, except that powerful, rich men like Mike Huckabee, and your angry pastor, use events like this to manipulate and exploit not only hurting, needy people like Kim Davis, but people like you that support her and them.  Please think!  You are hurting the gospel, the cause of Christ, and all Christians by showing yourself to be ignorant and gullible on the most basic issues.

Sorry, but "God's supreme law" is NOT above the Supreme Court's law of the land. Not in this country.  Maybe where ISIS is in control, or where the Taliban is in control, or in your mind, or in your cult.  But not here in the United States of America.  

How did the gospel and Christianity get hijacked by the "ridiculously stupid?"  Good luck Mike Huckabee, and fundamentalist supporters. You just forever hitched your image and campaign to Kim Davis.  Enjoy the fallout.

Coming soon to a fundy church near you! Religious Freedom champion Kim Davis. Hear the former mafia hit man first, then stay for the former coke head adulterer pro baseball player, then the persecuted Kim.  Books on sale in the lobby.

Nine Labor Day Comics

And the Sun Stood Still, and the Moon Stayed

Joshua 10:12-14 - Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.¹³And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.¹⁴And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the Lord fought for Israel. 

Usually after insisting that I must believe all the scripture or none of it, and after telling me to tear out pages that contain anything I don't believe, the fellow Christian will then ask me: "Well, what part of the Bible don't you believe?"  I've already shared two of those parts with you in earlier blog posts: The Tower of Babel, and The Pompous Ass Speaks. Now, I will share a third such story. And remember, my point is not to attack scripture or doubt God's miracles.  My point of this blog is to call out charlatans and fundamentalists that are lying about God.  One way they do that is to insist that a man, woman, or child must believe the Bible is inerrant while demanding that you must believe it all or none in order to place your trust and faith in Jesus Christ for your salvation. 

That is not historical Christianity and is not the Gospel. Please don't turn your back on Jesus just because some charlatans and fundamentalist religious fanatics are demanding your loyalty to every single word and story in an ancient text; to the Catholic church; to a local Protestant church; or to some holy man of God who gets paid to tell you what the Bible says and what it means. Jesus said "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."  He didn't say the scriptures can get you to the father, or that the church can get you there. He certainly didn't say religion could do it.  He actually spent a lot of time calling out the religious leaders and religious practices of his day.

First, let's deal with the book of Jasher.  Ever heard of it? God refers to it twice in Holy Scripture, so it must be true and legitimate god-breathed scripture, correct? God himself says in verse 13 of Joshua 10 that the sun stood still, the moon stayed AND then he confirms his own words by the Socratic method, which is asking the rhetorical question: "Is not this written in the book of Jasher?" Then God says again, after that reference to Jasher, the sun stood still and didn't go down for a whole day. The second place where we see God tell us the book of Jasher contains truth is in 2 Samuel 1:17-18: "Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher." 

I've already written a post about how religious men picked and chose which books you would be calling inerrant and infallible, but I encourage you to research the Book of Jasher because your Bible expressly mentions that book twice, once in the Old Testament and once in the New Testament.  But I digress.  The focus of this blog post is to give my next example in answer to the sincere questioner who asks "What part don't you believe?'

Second, let's look at whether this passage is true. The scripture speaks for itself. Do you really need me to tell you that the earth revolves around the sun (about once per year) while spinning on its axis (one rotation per day).  Do you need me to tell you that if the earth stopped spinning on its axis, gravity would cease to exist?  If your religion requires you to believe that the earth stopped spinning on its axis in order to help an Israelite army win a battle, then you need to examine what you believe and why.

As an engineer and a teacher of physics and electronics, I'm familiar with God's laws he has set in place in nature. I have studied them and applied them for decades. They are consistent and are measurable. Could God suspend the laws he put in place?  Absolutely yes, by most definitions, God can do anything. However, if God DID decide to halt the spinning of the earth to "hold the sun still", he would cause unimaginable destruction the likes the world has never seen.

Let's be good Bereans and consider this scripture to see if it is trustworthy. We can do this by using some simple math (We can trust those atheist scientists that tell us that 2+2 = 4 correct?) and use some simple science.

At the equator, the circumference of the Earth is 40,070 kilometers, and the day is 24 hours long so the speed is 1670 kilometers/hour (1037 miles/hr).

In basic physics, we teach about a concept called "momentum" and "inertia". Anything that has mass, has inertia. Inertia is the tendency of a mass once in motion to stay in motion unless a force acts on it to change its velocity. And a moving mass has momentum. So every object on the surface of the earth is moving at 1000 miles per hour just from the rotational action of the earth (ignoring the velocity from the earth's movement revolving around the sun!) If God stopped the earth from spinning, everything on the earth that is moving at the same speed would keep moving. The air would keep moving and relative to the surface of the earth we would have winds of 1000 miles per hour. The oceans would keep moving and would wash onto land. All creatures on the earth would be propelled at 1000 miles per hour from the earth into the atmosphere. A similar more observable concept is the injury that occurs in a car crash.  If you drive into a tree at 40 mph, the car stops immediately while your body continues forward at 40 mph. You then impact with the interior of the car or tree and can be seriously injured or killed.

So unknown at the time to the writers of this book, this event is physically impossible and almost incomprehensible to consider. So either the writers were ignorant, or they were mistaken, or the God that inspired them was wrong. That's an easy choice. The writers, not God, were clearly wrong. Same as if they had written 2 + 2 = 5. But, I can't blame the writers and centuries of subsequent scribes, because they had no idea they were flying through space on a ball that was spinning on its axis at 1000 mph while revolving around the sun.

I CAN, howver, blame modern day fundamentalists who still insist that it is true AND that I have to believe it to be a Christian.  Let me be clear: I don't believe this particular event ever happened. God hasn't given me the grace or the faith or whatever you want to call it, to believe this story. Maybe it is a story that can teach us about God wanting to help his people - but can't I learn something from the STORY without having to actually believe it happened? Do I have to believe in a literal fox and grapes to learn from that well known fable? What is more important, the teaching of the story, or winning the argument as to whether it is historically accurate? Forcing the next generation of Christians to believe this or they can't believe in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, is hurting the cause of Christ, hurting the gospel, dividing denominations and churches, harming the fellowship of Christians, and hurting families.

Again, why wouldn't God just strike the other army dead as he is so capable of doing with a single word? This type of story makes no sense, is unnecessary, and is not part of the saving faith a man, woman or child must have to come to Jesus Christ in repentance of sins for salvation.  Please don't tie the gospel message or being a Christian into believing this type of nonsense.  It only hurts the gospel message and turns people away who need Jesus in their life. Shame on you. Stop it.