STOP SILENCING CHRISTIANS

A concerned citizen is posting up signs all over Lake Elsinore. These photos were taken on Lake Street, Machado Street, and some other streets I don't know. There were signs on Indian Truck Trail, Lincoln Avenue, and on Lakeshore Avenue. Some of the signs were taken down, but isn't it nice to see someone speaking up for Christians, who seem to be constantly under attack in Lake Elsinore, California and elsewhere?

 

Christians founded this nation to escape religious persecution by the Church of England. Remember the Pilgrims and Puritans? The First Amendment was meant to protect the settlers' religious freedom, not eliminate references to Christianity. The free exercise thereof...that means people are supposed to exercise their religious freedom. How did we get to a point in this country where history is revised and Christianity is marginalized? One nation under God, not without God! The Humanists would  have been upset in the time between 1690 - 1790  when kids were reading out of their Bible primers in elementary school!

 

 

Here are some examples of the Bible Primer from Wikipedia!

 

 

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If God is for Us, Who is Against Us?

"If God is for us, who can be against us?" This verse from Romans asks a pertinent question. Who would dare attack God and those who stand for him? In today's modern era, it seems quaint to suggest that Satan would motivate others, yet how else could this relentless attack on Christians and Christianity occur? How could one explain the persistent drive to eliminate Christianity from the public forum?

Consider the staunch anti-Christian slant in politics or the news media. Observe what happens when someone gives reasons for being pro-life, anti-gay marriage, in favor of displaying a cross on public land, supporting smaller government, speaking up against illegal immigration, or suggesting that the United States has a Christian heritage.

Suddenly, feminists cringe when a woman speaks against abortion. No freedom of speech is afforded to her. The rallying cry for gay pride, "be yourself" suddenly no longer applies if "yourself" happens to have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior. I'm not a right-wing conspirator whispering conspiracy theories, but just ask yourself why the same rules do not apply when Christians attempt to speak up.

What's so bad about Christianity, anyway? In surveys, Christians are happier, more fulfilled, and even have more satisfying sex lives than others. They don't seem to worry about everything the world tells them to worry about. It doesn't seem to matter that creationism is no longer taught in schools, that prayers have been eliminated from the public sphere, that life has become disposable -- they still "press on," believing the unpopular doctrine, embracing the Bible that has come under attack, loving a Jesus that people do not revere like the gods of religions and cults.

Who would dare attack Wicca or Islam or Buddhism or Hinduism in the public sphere? Why is it acceptable to say, "Jesus Christ already!" or "Oh. My. God!" in nearly every television show or movie? Remember what happened when South Park tried to poke fun at a sacred deity from another religion? What about when someone attempted to satirize a different religion on YouTube? But it's cool to put sayings like, "Jesus is my homeboy" on t-shirts or to have someone obviously not a believer sing, "Jesus Walks." Anything to sell music.

So, I wonder, who are these faceless, hateful individuals who dare attack the living God, who seek to strip the public sphere of all references to God, Jesus, and Christianity? I figure they must be angry people: atheists, agnostics, humanists, universalists, and others who are overly educated and well-versed in legalism, logic, and reason. I believe they must be self-righteous and think that all roads to enlightenment are legitimate. How can that be so, logically? It would seem that there could only be one version of truth. Whoever made the universe must be right. If it were The Creative Force of Eternal Happiness, then he or she would be the one to worship. If it were someone else, then he would be the one to follow. And it f it were true that life could somehow emerge from non-life, that a perfectly ordered universe just magically appeared out of nowhere, created by no one, and all this is just an accident, what would it matter if people followed other beliefs?

What a sad, unfulfilling life they must have. Nothing they have will last. Everything they build with their hands will crumble. Even great pyramids slowly disappear, dismantled by the sands of time. Like wind blows away dust, all of their possessions will either decay, succumbing to "moth and rust" or their belongings that they worked so hard for will outlast them.

What do they have when trials come? From where do they receive comfort when a phone call shatters their lives, or a pestilence racks their bodies, or a worry becomes so burdensome they have nowhere to turn? And their children? How will they accomplish anything without God as the foundation of their lives? What success will be enough for them if all they have is the world's standards? Fame? Fortune? Power? They, and their children, will wander and stumble through life, searching relentlessly for something to fill their souls.

And what will happen when death is at their doors? Imagine the fear at being helpless and pondering the wasted life they lived. In the beliefs of existentialism, hedonism, even reincarnation, death is a bleak, yawning chasm. How could you face the unknown, entertaining the possibility that this is all there is, that there is actually nothing to live for, that we are here for no other reason than chance? Why does everyone you know rush blindly around, seeking fulfillment when there is no other fulfillment than God? They will try to fill this void with heroin or other drugs, illicit sex, power, personal intrigue, business acumen, career success...and none of it will work.

Only Jesus Christ can fill this void. Only Jesus saves. There is no other way to make sense of this world, our roles, our duty here. There is no other way to explain our purpose, our presence, our lives, our deaths. There is nothing else to live for. Without God there is no justice, no right and wrong, no reason to embrace life - our own or anyone else's. Survival of the fittest, evolution, environmentalism...all these other ideals are cruel and inhumane. Why save anyone weak? Why allow anyone born with flaws to live and pass their defective genes in the gene pool? Why not selectively choose traits or people or races to endure? Why not clone, abort, genetically modify? The Bible is true, and if someone were to read it cover to cover, I think the truth of God's word will prevail. Why not try it???

Fight for Your Rights

Fight for your rights as Christians! You have the Constitution on your side. Don't let them rewrite our history. Fight for your freedom of speech, freedom to assemble, freedom of religion and the free exercise thereof. If we don't stand strong for our Christianity, soon it will be too late. Do you think the world cares if Christians disappear? Many will be relieved that they don't have to hear about the word of God. Many will rejoice at our misfortune. Nobody else will stand up for you. Not your family, your friends, or your coworkers. Don't let them take away your rights, or you will never get them back. Don't let someone else do it for you, either. You need to take a stand. Or you won't have a chance again.

What if God is Real?

Why fear Christianity? What would come of a worldwide movement to embrace the Bible? People who turn the other cheek, go the extra mile, and love their neighbors as themselves? What is so offensive about the cross that it elicits such a backlash?

Some may feel that Christianity represents white Western influence. They cite the Crusades, unequal treatment of women, the discrimination against homosexuals. First, just because man is not always faithful to the Bible does not mean that the Bible promotes indiscriminate murder. The Crusades were carried out by men who believed they were doing right, just as Abraham and Sarah believed they should help God out by involving Hagar in God’s plan for them. The consequences showed their errors.

Just as people misapplied Christian principles in the Crusades, people have continued to misapply them throughout history. Nazi propaganda depicted Hitler and Jesus riding their horses to victory together. But that is not a true representation of the Bible. The proof is in the Bible. When one reads the Bible, one sees God’s promise to humanity. No one can argue the Bible who hasn’t read the whole book from beginning to end.

The Bible also condemns racial discrimination because we are brothers and sisters. He does have roles for men and women, but that does not make woman inferior to man. The Bible does condemn homosexuality. I can't argue against that. However, God loves all sinners, and we are all sinners. He wants us to stop sinning. I know people say that gays are born that way, but maybe in God's plan, that is meant to be something to be overcome. Instead of instinctively lashing out against that, just think about it and imagine not embracing homosexuality. Imagine just the possibility that God is real and says homosexuality is wrong. Then what?

Reading the entire Bible provides the context in which God acts and demonstrates his love for humanity. Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament. Everything that happens later is foreshadowed earlier. God creates all of creation then creates man. Man sins. God punishes. Jesus redeems. Man continues to reject God despite all of God’s chances, which is where we are now. Biblical prophecy has been one hundred percent accurate so far, unlike any other predictions, premonitions, or forecasts. We know what’s coming because the Bible tells us. We still have a chance to turn from our wicked ways. But when the signs begin to indicate that the end is near, then we will see what happens. Those who read the Bible know how it ends.

Whenever I begin to feel uncertain about God or his promises in the Bible, my constant reassurance is the impossibility of the Bible correctly predicting what would happen in modern times if it were not authored by a divine being.

The Bible predicted great apostasy, or falling away, from God. (2 Thessalonians 2) He knew that love would diminish in this world and detailed the ways in which this would occur. (Matthew 24:13) He foretold the “lukewarm” churches who fail to differentiate between right and wrong. (Revelation 3:14-22) He warned of false teachers and those promoting false doctrine, (Matthew 7:15) those who “tickle the ears.”(2 Timothy 4:3) He even described which countries would form alliances in the last days, (Ezekiel 38-39) which is especially relevant in this post-Cold War era where Russia is again emerging as a threat. If you are confused about what is happening now, or wondering about all the unrest and war around the world, then turn to the Bible for answers.

I know it’s difficult to accept the creation story when evolution has been drummed into your head since kindergarten. I know it’s hard to believe that God delivered the Jewish people from Pharaoh with miracles. I know it’s weird to think the earth is just over 6,000 years old when science says it has proven that it is millions. I know you can’t imagine a fish swallowing a person who emerges alive three days later, or that it seems impossible that Jesus died and rose from the dead. But imagine if it’s all true? Then where would you be? What would your life be like if you knew the story of humanity and God’s plan for salvation? What if God is good and he is the only chance you have? What if hell is real and when you die, you find out? Well, you are going to die, and you are going to find out.

 

Image Credit: I do not own this image, it is publicly available on the Internet.

Protect the Freedoms of Christian Americans

When people talk about freedom, they often mean the freedom of all to believe whatever they want. The discussion rarely addresses the freedoms of Christians. In fact, public outcry resounds when anyone expresses their Christian views. The flap over Duck Dynasty's star defending Christianity and condemning homosexuality illustrates this well. But what about Chick-Fil-A, or the Miss America contestant slammed for stating her beliefs? There is a rabid attack against any Christian expressing his or her belief. It's all glossed over, but think about it - why the disproportionate response? Why would someone get so angry just because a person doesn't accept a certain lifestyle? They just said they didn't think it was right, or that the Bible says that it's wrong. Who cares what some Christian thinks if you aren't Christian? Why is their approval so necessary?

In Lake Elsinore, there was great public outcry over the American Humanist Association demanding that a grieving mom remove the roadside cross for her son. Why the fierce opposition to the cross? "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." (1 Corinthians 1:18) They are literally DYING for attention. Without God, they have nothing else to live for. Interesting that in clawing for recognition and acclaim as desperately as they are, they are alienating a great majority of people who see their antics as extremist and insensitive. Even atheists in the newspaper and Internet are commenting that they've gone too far! Fancy that!

Disappointment

Lake Elsinore's City Council decided to remove the cross from the memorial at the Lake Elsinore Storm Stadium instead of standing up for our Christian heritage. What could be more important than standing up for Jesus? Many court precedents could have been cited to support the case as established case law is not clear about the criteria of a religious memorial. This is God's fight.