A View From the Pew

Well duuuuh!

"THE country's most influential Catholic has offended Islamic leaders for the second time in a month by declaring Islam more warlike than Christianity."

Supposedly Cardinal Pell said something controversial--- for the second time! I don't know---- from my point of view it seems his Eminence was just saying aloud what most of the rest of us know--- but are too timid to say.

Yes--- I do know that there are good, peaceful Muslims but there is no fudging the fact that, as Cardinal Pell said earlier, "the Koran was riddled with "invocations to violence", and Islam was not a tolerant religion." To which I would say both its past and recent history provide plenty of proof of Islam's attitude towards non-Muslims--- or as we are "affectionately" (tic) known --the infidels. In an Islamic world we would have three choices. We could choose conversion (impossible -- Jesus is Lord and Savior and there is no way I will deny Him). So that leaves submission (and living as a lower class without rights) :

"Fight against those who believe not in Allah, nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which has been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of truth, from among the People of the Book (Jews and Christians), until they pay the jizya (tax payed by non-Muslims) with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued." (Sura 9:29)

And finally the third "choice" which is death. The majority of Koranic texts insist fighting the unbeliever is mandatory. "Make war on them until idolatry shall cease and Allah's religion shall reign supreme." (Sura 8:39). Also Sura 4:84,89 says:

"fight in Allah's cause...and rouse the believers. It may be that Allah will restrain the fury of the unbelievers. ... They only wish you would reject the faith as they do, and thus be on the same footing as they. So do not take friends from their ranks until they flee in the way of Allah from what is forbidden. But if they turn renegades, seize them and slay them..."

Those wishing to obscure the violence advocated by Allah and his Prophet point to the rare passages in the Koran like "There shall be no compulsion in religion" (Sura 2:256) but the few such seemingly tolerant passages were written early in Muhammad's career when he still had hope that he could sway Jews and Christians to follow him. As it became evident to Muhammad that that was not going to happen the directives to subdue or slay those who refuse to convert quickly overwhelmed in numbers the few early verses to the contrary. History shows in every era violence towards and conquest of of non-believers has been the hallmark of Islamism. Eras of peaceful, tolerant coexistence with other religions is what is rare.

What is sad is that those moderate Muslims who do seem to seek to live peacefully appear to be held hostage by those who do not. How often have we heard the moderate Muslim leaders speaking out against those who perpetrate violence and war? How often have we seen the same moderate Muslim leaders publicly denounce acts of terror and and carnage? Not very often.

It was an eye opener for me when I heard that after the big terrorist bust in Canada over the weekend--- (CANADA??? home of the liberal and tolerant---refuge of draft dodgers and peaceniks--- land of near porous borders---open to all) that a group of moderate Muslim leaders called a news conference--- not to condemn those who planned to blow up buildings and kill hundreds if not thousands of Canadian citizens--- not to deny any link between their community and that of the terrorists--- nope--- they called a news conference to complain of intolerance because someone had thrown a brick through their front window......

On my mind

Whew! I am getting over one bad sinus infection. I am one of those who suffers from springtime allergies-- tree and grass pollen --- not to mention mold and "dust"---- BTW---how does one avoid "dust"?!? I am beginning to feel more like me today--- I am such a miserable person when sick--- I cannot tolerate being a sick person---which is really funny because while I never had problems tolerating other sick people--- I have absolutely zero patience for myself when I am sick--- at least my head is no longer throbbing which makes thinking easier and more pleasant then it has been the last few days!

What has been heavy on my mind as I have been laying around recuperating is the story about the girl from Alabama who is still missing in Aruba. From the very beginning this story grabbed onto my heart. I have such empathy for her mother--- I am the mother of a twenty-three year old daughter who has been quite the world traveler. In fact she has been living outside of the country--- in Guadalajara Mexico for most of the last three years. A couple of summers ago she up and went to study German at a language institute in Germany--- then with a friend-- traveled around Europe for a few weeks. Now she has a great job at a prestigious high school in the city of Guadalajara. I feel like I know precisely the conversation Natalee Holloway's mom had with herself as her daughter prepared for the graduation trip "of a lifetime". I am sure it is the same one I have had with myself on many occasions. It goes like this---

" She'll be fine--- she's smart and has a good head on her shoulders--- she'll be staying in a "good" area. She knows people--- they'll watch out for her--- you can't keep them tied to your apron strings---it is such a great opportunity---everything will be OK."

My heart aches for her mother. It is so hard to let them spread their wings--- to let them fly away from the nest. I remember when Alissa, my daughter, left for college, when she was an exchange student in Mexico for the first time, when she traveled to Europe, when she lived in the city (Chicago) for a semester and did her student teaching at a inner city high school--- each step caused me great anxiety and countless conversations like the one above, as well as never ending prayers. When Alissa took the job in Guadalajara and moved there it was torture at first (thank you Lord for the internet---we talk almost everyday!) but I soon realized that my job now is to let go and to let God's plans unfold in her life--- and to let Him finish the work that He began--- trusting all the while in His goodness and mercy. I have been blessed that all my worries so far have been for naught--- and of course my constant prayer is that she continues to be safe--- I also realize though that it doesn't matter where she is because there is no place on earth that is completely risk free--- what happened to Natalee could happen anywhere--- in this country, in her home state---even in her hometown. I pray that her mother will not blame herself for letting Natalee go--- I pray for Natalee--- for her mother and for all those who love her--- I pray that they find her and that her mother can bring her back home--- I pray that the Lord comfort them all and bring them peace at this most difficult time.

This photo is my daughter and her boyfriend. It was taken when my husband and I went down to visit her in March. The photo below it is her classroom.

            

UFO's again...

There Here!

Much was made about a serious journalist of Peter Jennings "caliber" making a documentary on UFO's. UFO's are a subject that has captured our imaginations as well as tapped into our deepest darkest fears. It's one of those "primal" things like fear of the dark. Fear of the dark is based on survival--- long, long ago if Mr. Caveman went wandering around in the dark he could easily end up as a snack for a saber toothed tiger or some other pre-historic carnivore. This means some of our fears are founded in actual survival mechanisms. They serve a real purpose. Fear of the dark is a perfect example of one of those universal fears--- all human beings in every culture exhibit this uneasiness with darkness--- just look at our entertainment media--- bad stuff always happens at night, or in a dark basement, in a dark cave or at the bottom of the dark ocean--- in movies you know something terrible is going to happen if the power goes out--- or the flashlight battery dies---WATCH OUT! Behind all the special effects and creepy music there is a real message that has been echoed from the beginnings of man's existence---darkness can be dangerous to ones physical survival.

We have a similar fear about monsters, ghosts, werewolves, vampires and aliens. Folklore from all cultures is full of mythical monsters and beings. We even have our own today in the form of "Bigfoot" and "Nessie" the Loch Ness monster. They are entities that inhabit the fringes of our consciousness--- they are there but elusive---- lurking in the depths of ancient lakes or the oceans, out in the wilderness-- or appearing in remote and sparsely inhabited areas. All through the ages there have been people who have witnessed and experience things most of us have not. People though out the ages have seen elves, trolls, fairies as well as the more menacing ones I mentioned earlier or any number of other elusive beings. It seems to me that aliens are just the modern version of this phenomenon. So going back to my premise of the universality of a fear meaning it has some "survival" aspect tied to it what could it be?

Being a person of faith I believe we were intentionally created and that we were created with a purpose--- aside from our purpose here on earth our greater purpose is to know and love God and to live with Him forever in heaven (OK--- now you all know how old I am!!!). All our survival instincts kept us "in the game" as we advanced in our relationship and knowledge of God. So what purpose does fear of unseen beings serve? To put it in as simple terms as possible--- I would say spiritual survival.

Satan is real and so are his fallen angels. Their goal is to try to steal for themselves God's glory through tempting His creatures to follow him, Satan, rather then God. Satan is THE trickster and while in days past when human beings were not as sophisticated as they are today ---fairies, trolls, monsters and werewolves would work but today we reject all that stuff as myths and fables--- but according to polls half of the population today believes in UFO's and aliens. So we no longer see these other creatures but suddenly we start seeing aliens. Coincidence? Nah--- don't think so.

Satan has pretenatural powers and UFO's and alien phenomenon seem to be nonphysical, because they disobey the laws of physics. For instance, they may be detected by radar but not seen, or they're seen but not detected by radar. They make impossibly sharp turns and sudden stops, disappear and reappear. They melt asphalt and burn grass without fire or flame. They seem to be beings who favor the dead of night and lonely roads. Only one preternatural being is real but nonphysical, animate, powerful, deceptive,and bent on wreaking psychological and physical harm. So--- if UFOs and aliens exist my guess would be that they are associated with the activities of demons.

While I do believe that some reports come from mentally disturbed people and some from those seeking attention and recognition I cannot dismiss all accounts as unreliable.  After reading Whitley Strieber's book "Communion" when it first came out and having read other accounts of abductees it is obvious that many of these people do experience something real and frightening--- they are regular people who witness and/or experience unexplainable things.

There have been quotes from "specialists" like Jacques Vallee who said "The UFO phenomenon represents evidence for other dimensions that simply cannot be understood apart from their psychic and symbolic reality. What we see here is not an alien invasion it is a spiritual system that acts on humans and uses humans."

---Or from J. Allen Hynek who said that UFOs cause physical effects "in the same way that a poltergeist can produce very real physical effects."

---Or UFO specialist John Keel, who concluded that victims of what he calls "demonomania" suffer the same medical and emotional symptoms as UFO contactees.

So I do believe that the UFO phenomenon is real--- just as I believe people have seen fairies, trolls and monsters in other times. It would be interesting to see if exorcism would help abductees but I doubt we'll see that---UFOs are big money makers and they have spawned a huge community. I also believe that it is quite possible that there is extraterrestrial life--- certainly God can create as He chooses and who knows what God has created in this vast universe but I do not believe that if advanced life exists elsewhere that they are zipping around the universe wreaking terror--- anyway it is very narcissistic of us to believe that we are so unique and our world so enviable that others would pick our world to visit of all worlds in this unfathomably vast universe.

Woodcut of a demon circa mid 1800's

It's over!

What a wake up call to the Democrats, mainstream media and the liberal elites in this country. It was fun to listen to them last night. At first they were all pumped up by their ill conceived exit polls--- some of the people were almost giddy (I was listening to an ABC outlet). But that changed as the actual results began to come in and they started to realize how wrong their exit polls were--- that giddiness soon turned into shock--- they just couldn't believe it---Bush actually won two of the "big three" swing states---and the popular vote by over 3,000,000 votes(and it looks like 22 electoral votes). This country is apparently a lot "ruddier" then the liberal media and democrats realized. Except for New England, the three left coast states, and a smattering of other states--- the country is very red.

Not only did Republicans keep the White House---- they increased their majorities in the Senate and in the House--- they also picked up a few governorships. Another amazing fact was that 11 states that had constitutional amendments to define marriage as between just one man and one woman--- and the amendments passed in all 11 states--- including OREGON---by wide margins! One of the biggest coups--- Tom Daschle lost!!! How could the liberal elite be so far out of touch with mainstream America? I have a couple of theories--- the first--- that they are like the emperor in the story of the emperor and his new clothes--- Secondly--- that they may have thought that they are just so much smarter then the rest of us that they could dupe us all into believing the propaganda.

This is such a positive event--- No--- Bush is not perfect--- but then no one is--- but at least he has a conscience, at least his faith is genuine---whether he is right or wrong on some issues at least he is guided by moral principles that he adheres to. I don't know if the Iraq war is just--- I do know that it is good that the Iraqi's are free--- I struggle with the death penalty--- mostly I believe it is unjust but every so often a really heinous case comes along, like the one here where a father is accused of sexually assaulting and beating his three year old daughter and then throwing her in a creek where she drowned--- when it is very hard to feel anything but relief at such a sentence due to how heinous his acts were. I know that most likely as a Catholic I should not feel that way--- but the one thing I know--- is that there is NOTHING that justifies the acts of abortion, euthanasia, cloning and embryonic stem cell research--- all these acts involve the use and abuse of innocent and vulnerable human beings--- those without voices, who are the weakest among us---- George Bush has a much better record on these issues---with the vacancies coming up on the Federal Bench we are in a much better position to have justices appointed who will vote to restore and support the dignity and right to life of ALL Americans.

I think in part what we saw yesterday was a backlash from some of the decisions rendered by runaway jurists in the last few years. The Ten Commandment cases, Abortion, Euthanasia, Lawrence v. Texas, Gay "marriage" decisions, etc---all of which trampled on the rights of voters--- and ignored the voices of the vast majority of the people. I think the people have reached their limits of tolerance as they saw "tolerance" turned into a weapon to be used against their beliefs, their good conscience and their rights. I have heard several commentators say they were really surprised to see that moral issues played such a huge part in this election--- What those who are so shocked seem to have forgotten--- due to being blinded by their own secular/socialist world view--- is that this country remains a country of believers---we were founded on Christianity--- Our Founding Fathers wanted to insure our freedom to worship God freely and openly--- In the recent past attacks on religion and people of faith have shocked mainstream America to their senses--- or so I believe. This is why I believe that there was a record turn out in voters, this is why President Bush enjoyed biggest win in terms of the popular vote of any president in our history.

So what have I learned personally? That the idea of a biased media is not just the figment of conservative people's imagination. Also, that media and liberal elite do not represent the views of most Americans--- their voices are predominently promoted largely because they have the money and media access. Finally--- this remains a country who believes in God, whose faith remains the moral foundation of how they live their lives and they are not willing to be Sunday only Christians who seperate their faith from the rest of their life--- like John F. Kerry.

Apocalypse now????

Naw--- I am not running off to sell the farm and await the rapture (BTW--- despite what may be stated in the distorted "theology" of Jenkins and Lehaye--- there will NOT be a pre-tribulation rapture in the near future or EVER---See Matthew 24:22) but I am beginning to pay attention to the fig trees (Matthew 24:32 "Learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near."). To those with discerning eyes current events are a forest of fig trees with "tender branches". One does not have to stretch their imagination too much to see Matthew chapt. 24 reflected in world events today. I do not believe Jesus will return tomorrow, next year or even ten years from now--- I could be wrong--- but I doubt that I will see it even in my lifetime (I am 50)---although in all honesty, my heart tells me that it could be very likely that my children and/or my grandchildren could see it happen.

So why is someone like me--- a person who tends to be very rational and logical (some people tell me to a fault at times) suddenly afflicted with the feeling that these times are the beginning of the tribulation--- We all know, thanks to Jenkins and Lehaye, the currently popular Protestant view of these times but the scriptural and traditional understanding of the "end times" (which began when Christ ascended to heaven) has been, until very recent times, that the Church and the world will undergo much suffering through wars, natural disasters, plagues, etc. There will be scandal and persecution which will bring about a purification of the church and the world, this will lead to a short era when people will embrace God and live in peace--- this is when it will be said that the Gospel has spread to the ends of the earth--- and then will come the great apostasy, the rise of the anti-christ, the return of Jesus in glory and then the end of the world---see below:

Besides the sufferings, including death, and the hatred of all nations that the will have to endured, there will be worse affliction within the church itself. This is described in Matthew 24:10-12, which are peculiar to Matthew. Will be led into sin: literally, "will be scandalized," probably meaning that they will become apostates; see Matthew 13:21 where "fall away" translates the same Greek word as here. Betray: in the Greek this is the same word as the hand over of Matthew 24:9. The handing over to persecution and hatred from outside will have their counterpart within the church. False prophets: these are Christians; see the note on Matthew 7:15-20. Evildoing: see Matthew 7:23

So now let's look at some of the fig trees--- Without rehashing it--- THE story of the past year here at home--- the sexual misconduct scandal in the Church--- this has been the biggest scandal since the middle ages. The middle ages were also a time of tribulation for the church and the world--- and the end result was the emergence of the Church which was purified by scandal and persecution (persecuted by the Protestant reformers and Moslems) and then renewed and made stronger by "radicals" like St. Benedict, St. Francis, and St. Teresa who brought great holiness and humility back into the church.

If you notice in the commentary above in blockquotes--- it says the handing over to persecution will come from outside as well from apostates within the church. The mainstream media HATES the Catholic Church, the UN hates the Catholic Church, secularists hate the Catholic Church, Islam (most especially fundamentalist Islam) hates the Catholic Church--- and from the inside Christianity many Evangelicals, Pentecostal and Fundamentalist Christians--- believe the Catholic Church is the Whore of Babylon and while they may not hate Catholics themselves they believe that the Catholic Church is evil and will be destroyed. Now--- within recent months there is a diviseness within the Catholic Church that has been simmering for many years---and it is just about to boil over into an actual schism in the American Church. The line is being drawn along the life and family issues--- most notably of course that being abortion and homosexual marriage. Here are just a few recent stories:

Cardinal Wants Communion Denied To Rainbow Sash Movement

Bishop Aymond Returns From Visit With Pope

Worcester bishop shocks gays with `evil' statement

Catholics warned on approving same-sex unions

Boston archdiocese announces 60 parishes to close

Archbishop defends Communion stance

48 parishes may close in Newark (2 parish-closing articles)

Bishops' order is debated

Denver Catholics awaiting edict

Bishop Nevins won't allow communion to be used as political ploy

Cincinnati archbishop urges caution in denying communion

Catholic politicians scolded

Bishop denies Communion to politicians who support abortion and euthanasia

These are just a sampling of the hundreds of articles in secular as well as Catholic national publications in recents weeks. The proverbial tip of the iceberg of a broader spiritual war which is now breaking into the physical world. It brought to mind some prophecies that are not only well known in Catholic circles but have received the approval of the Church. Before I go on I assure you these are not from people that see the Blessed Mother in oddly shaped cinnamon buns or in the shadows cast on the sides of apartment buildings.... these are prophecies about our times--- leading up to and during the tribulations--- from mostly unknown, inconspicuous people who lead quiet, faithfilled--often difficult lives---

Sr. Agnes Sasagawa in Akita Japan, October 13, 1973
"The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops against other bishops. The priests who venerate me will be scorned and opposed by their confreres (other priests). The Church will be full of those who accept compromises and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord."

In 1976 Karol Wojtyla in Krakow Poland--- he became Pope John Paul II in 1978
"We are now standing in the face of the greatest historical confrontation humanity has gone through. I do not think that wide circles of American society or wide circles of the Christian community realize this fully. We are now facing the final confrontation between the Church and the anti-Church, of the Gospel versus the anti-Gospel."

Marie Julie Jehannet 1850-1900
"because of the little respect it has for the apostles of God, the flock grows careless and ceases to observe the laws. the priest himself is responsible for the lack of respect because he does not respect enough his holy ministry, and the place which he occupies in his sacred functions. the flock follows in the footsteps of its pastors; this is a great tragedy.

Ven Anne Catherine Emmerich 18th Century (the nun whose writings inspired Mel Gibson to make his movie on the Passion)
"I see many excommunicated ecclesiastics who do not seem to be concerned about it, nor even aware of it. Yet, they are (ipso factor) excommunicated whenever they cooperated with [sic] enterprises, enter into associations, and embrace opinions on which an anathema has been cast. It can be seen thereby that God ratifies the decrees, orders, and interdictions issued by the Head of the Church, and that He keeps them in force even though men show no concern for them, reject them, or laugh them to scorn."

April 20, 1820: "I had another vision of the great tribulation. It seems to me that a concession was demanded from the clergy which could not be granted. I saw many older priests, especially one, who wept bitterly. A few younger ones were also weeping. But others, and the lukewarm among them, readily did what was demanded. It was as if people were splitting into two camps."

April 22, 1823 "I saw that many pastors allowed themselves to be taken up with ideas that were dangerous to the Church. They were building a great, strange, and extravagant Church. Everyone was to be admitted in it in order to be united and have equal rights: Evangelicals, Catholics, sects of every description. Such was to be the new Church. . .

I saw the Holy Father surrounded by traitors and in great distress about the Church. He had visions and apparitions in his hour of greatest need. I saw many good pious Bishops; but they were weak and wavering, their cowardice often got the upper hand... Then I saw darkness spreading around and people no longer seeking the true Church."

"Among the strangest things that I saw, were long processions of bishops. Their thoughts and utterances were made known to me through images issuing from their mouths. Their faults towards religion were shown by external deformities. A few had only a body, with a dark cloud of fog instead of a head. Others had only a head, their bodies and hearts were like thick vapors. Some were lame; others were paralytics; others were asleep or staggering. I saw what I believe to be nearly all the bishops of the world, but only a small number were perfectly sound. I also saw the Holy Father - God-fearing and prayerful. Nothing left to be desired in his appearance, but he was weakened by old age and by much suffering. His head was lolling from side to side, and it dropped onto his chest as if he was falling asleep He often fainted and seemed to be dying. But when he was praying, he was often comforted by apparitions from Heaven. Then, his head was erect, but as soon as it dropped again onto his chest, I saw a number of people looking quickly right and left, that is, in the direction of the world.

Venerable Vartholomew Holzauser 1658 AD
"During this unhappy period, there will be laxity in divine and human precepts. Discipline will suffer. The Holy Canons will be completely disregarded, and the Clergy will not respect the laws of the Church. Everyone will be carried away and led to believe and to do what he fancies, according to the manner of the flesh.

St. Nilus 430 AD
After the year 1900, toward the middle of the 20th century, the people of that time will become unrecognizable. When the time for the advent of the Antichrist approaches, peoples minds will grow cloudy from carnal passions, and dishonour and lawlessness will grow stronger. Then the world will become unrecognizable. Peoples appearances will change, and it will be impossible to distinguish men from women due to there shamelessness in dress and style of hair. These people will be cruel and will be like wild animals because of the temptations of the Antichrist. There will be no respect for parents or elders, love will disappear, and Christian pastors, bishops, and priests will become vain men, completely failing to distinguish the right hand way from the left. At that time the morals and traditions of Christians and the Church will change. People will abandon modesty, and dissipation will reign. Falsehood and greed will attain great proportions, and woe to those who pile up treasures. Lust, adultery, homosexuality, secret deeds and murder will rule in society.

At that future time, due to the power of such great crimes and licentiousness, people will be deprived of the grace of the Holy Spirit, which they received in Holy Baptism and equally of remorse.

The Churches of God will be deprived of God-fearing and pious pastors, and woe to the Christians in the world at that time; they will completely lose there faith because they will lack the opportunity of seeing the light of knowledge from anyone at all. Then they will separate themselves out of the world in Holy refuges in search of lightening their spiritual sufferings, but everywhere they will meet obstacles and constraints.
And all this will result from the fact that the Antichrist wants to be Lord over everything and become ruler of the whole universe, and he will produce miracles and fantastic signs. He will also give depraved wisdom to an unhappy man so that he will discover a way by which one man can carry on a conversation with another from one end of the earth to the other. At that time men will also fly through the air like birds and descend to the bottom of the sea like fish.

And when they have achieved all this, these unhappy people spend their lives in comfort without knowing, poor souls, that it is deceit of the Antichrist. And, the impious one! He will so complete science with vanity that it will go off the right path and lead people to lose faith in the existence of God

Then the All-Good God will see the downfall of the human race and will shorten the days for the sake of those few who are being saved, because the enemy wants to lead even the chosen into temptation, if that is possible--then the sword of chastisement will suddenly appear and kill the perverter and his servants.

The Father is my hope; the Son is my refuge; the Holy Spirit is my protector. O All-Holy Trinity, glory toThee.

I don't know---could all be a bunch of crazy talk---but you have to admit that when viewed through the lens of current events--- it IS thought provoking---but then this is my personal approach to all things--- first---pray, pray, PRAY--- listen, observe and DISCERN. All we Christians know for sure is that Jesus will return after the things occur that he said must occur--- For those of us living in the "end times" which began when Jesus was taken up in the clouds 2000 years ago---we just have to remember these things---

Matthew 24:42-44 "Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.

So I will continue to watch those fig trees--- and try my best to live as the Master says---

Maranatha!

The reality of religious discrimination and persecution

I have been watching all this for a few years now. I have seen it go from being called "crazy speculation" or "alarmist propaganda" to not only real but open and blatant in that very short period of time. What is even more disconcerting to me is that there is such apathy from Christians on this matter. While disappointed by the secular attitude I am not surprised since there is seemingly a sense of "they deserve it" in their not so subtle anti-Christian mindset.

The most telling display has been the commotion around Mel Gibson and his movie. I do believe that this movie is going to crystalize as a focal point for discrimination and persecution--- in fact it has already has begun and I am certain that after it opens things are going to get ugly--- Ironically, it will not be in the way everyone expects. There is NOT going to be outbreaks of anti-Semitism or attacks on Jews by Christians who go to see this movie. It will be an all out attack on Mel Gibson---a full scale attempt to destroy the man's reputation as well as his career--- it has already begun. Gibson will be crucified for having the gall to make this movie and not cave to the personal demands of the largely secular-Jewish film industry to rewrite history according to their self serving view of it.

What should be of great concern to all Christians are the following comments from the ADL's spokesperson Abraham Foxman. He was quoted as saying on January 23 in the Los Angeles Times “[Gibson is] hawking it on a commercial crusade to the churches of this country. That’s what makes it dangerous.”

This is very disturbing. What Foxman is saying is that the film is dangerous because the people who are previewing it are church-going Christians. This is an insult to practicing Christians. The implied meaning of his remark is that church-going Christians are latent anti-Semitic bigots ready to lash out at Jews at any given moment. It is not Jews who are being attacked in all of this---so far ALL the attacking has been from groups like ADL "hawking" the presumed anti-Semitism this film will evoke among fatithful Christians---Christians are the ones being attacked and misrepresented--- NOT Jews.

What is astounding to me is that if you read the comments of those who have seen the movie, without fail, their comments describe the impact of the film on them as that of bringing a vivid and profound understanding of their own sinfulness and how they personally are as responsible as any first century Jew or Roman for the death of Jesus Christ. And that my friends IS the message of the Gospels--- we are responsible ---EVERY human being---and that is the way EVERY believer in Christ will walk away from this film--- they will walk away convicting themselves and no one else.

Foxman goes on to say:

There is no question in this film about who is responsible. At every single opportunity, Gibson's film reinforces the notion that the Jewish authorities and the Jewish mob are the ones ultimately responsible for the Crucifixion.

To which I would respond--- Wake up Mr. Foxman! SOME of them were--- historically!!! They went to the Roman authorities because Jews under Roman occupation had no authority to put anyone to death. Jesus was a Jewish man, a Jewish man causing problems for a certain sect of Jewish leadership at that time. Just as SOME Roman soldiers and leaders called for Jesus' death so did SOME Jews. The problem is with the Jewish interpretation--- they seem to forget that almost ALL of Jesus follower's were Jews--- and they did NOT call for his death. They seem to ignore Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea--- both Jewish men that supported and tried to help Jesus and his disciples. What about the Jews in the crowd that were there calling for Barrabas' death rather then Jesus'--- they were Jews too. The truth is, as any Christian knows, historically not ALL Jews wanted Jesus dead--- MANY of them wanted him alive--- the vast majority of Jesus followers were Jews. So here is the irony Mr. Foxman cannot grasp--- While SOME Jewish leaders were instrumental in the events leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus--- it was his Jewish followers (his apostles--) that kept him alive in His word and teachings--- in reality as a Christian I am indebted to the Jewish people--- it would be schizophrenic of me to hate Jews because of the actions of some--- TWO THOUSAND years ago. I wonder how Mr. Foxman would feel if a group of Germans asked Steven Spielberg to tone down or change the script of Schindler's List because it might incite anti-German responses among Jewish people today. Does Mr. Foxman hold German people today responsible for Hitler's atrocities? Would he suggest that every German person today is responsible for the holocaust? I doubt it.

The problem here is their bigotry towards Christianity and Christians--- not the other way around. The bias here is that they are right and Christianity is the lie. He is bothered by the fact that SOME Jews may be portrayed in a less then flattering way-- To Mr. Foxman, this is nothing more then a movie script (an an insulting lie) in need of editing.
This is revealed in the way Mr. Foxman and other critics demand that certain parts of Scripture be rewritten to suit their perception of events back then. I wonder how the ADL would respond to a group of "Babylonians" protesting their portrayal in the Torah and Prophets--- would Mr Foxman agree that the OT be rewritten so as not to offend them? I doubt it.

What is plainly obvious to me as evidenced by the great disparity in the ACTUAL responses of those Christians who HAVE seen the movie and the mad histrionics of those like Mr. Foxman and other critics who have NOT seen the movie is this---- Jesus is as threatening to (all) people today as He was two thousand years ago---especially to modern day Pharisees (Jewish or not). It is not the portrayal of SOME Jewish people that lived 2000 years ago that is so disconcerting to Mr. Foxman and others (including non-Jews). It is the fact of being forced once again consider the meaning and purpose of the life, death and message of this one man--Jesus of Nazareth. The fact that Jesus is one of theirs strikes at the heart of every Jew in a way that most of us who are not Jews cannot understand. He was sent to them--- and they rejected him--- even so the problem is that he will not go away. The problem with this movie is NOT that it blames Jews for Jesus death--- it doesn't---- the problem, especially for people like Mr. Foxman, is that it resurrects the 2000 year old dilemma which is just as much a part of Jewish History as it is Christian/world history--- who was Jesus? In a real sense this is a more threatening question for Jews--

After viewing the movie the Pope was quoted as saying "It is as it was." Not only is that a statement on the accuracy of the Gospel interpretation presented--- Those words are also a commentary on the events surrounding this movie and the resulting controversy --- "It is as it was"--- Just as certain Jewish leaders in Jesus day condemned him and his message as dangerous--- so it is with certain Jewish leaders today--- Jesus and his message are just as discomfiting today to the status quo as they were 2000 years ago--- this is the REAL problem. Instead of insulting his Christian brothers and sisters, most of whom have been the staunchest supporters of Israel and the Jews, Mr Foxman should examine his own heart. He cannot make Jesus go away. It has been 2000 years and Jesus is still here and as God said through the Prophet Isaiah "So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it." -----with or without Mel's movie this age will not end until that has been fulfilled.

This makes me crazy!!!

This disgusts me and makes me ashamed to be a human being. What the hell is wrong with people today??? I know that I rant and rave sometimes about the mess our society has become and this to me is just another perfect example of how far we have fallen.

Woman Knocked Unconscious By Wal-Mart Shoppers

ORANGE CITY, Fla. -- A 41-year-old woman was knocked unconscious and then trampled by a mob of shoppers who continued to step over her as she suffered a seizure during a Friday sale at Wal-Mart in Orange City, Fla., according to Local 6 News.

What goes on in people's heads that they could behave in such a cold and callous manner? What makes people so selfish and concerned about *things* that they could IGNORE another human being in this condition and continue to shop??? This is one reason why three years ago we decided to forego the secular, consumer based aspect of Christmas. I do not want to have anything to do with it anymore.

A couple of years ago we had a similar incident except it had nothing to do with shopping. It happened in a bar near here during their holiday "festivities". An older guy fell off a barstool and laid on the floor for fifteen minutes before anyone decided to check on him--- he had a cardiac arrest and they were unable to revive him by the time it was attempted. Pathetic! Sometimes it makes me want to be a hermit!

Alarming report

Found this report from Reuters--- it is very disheartening.

While health experts said declines among black Americans and women showed the success of targeted education and testing programs, they also said the data posed new challenges to attacking the dramatic increase in syphilis among gay and bisexual men.
Syphilis among men rose 27 percent, to 5,267 cases in 2002 from 4,134 a year earlier. The CDC estimated that more than 40 percent of all syphilis cases last year were among men who have sex with men.
"Given the complex challenges that gay and bisexual men face, we don't expect to see immediate results from our efforts," Ronald Valdiserri, deputy director of the CDC's National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention, said during a teleconference.
The CDC said previous research has shown that a large percentage of gay and bisexual men with syphilis also have HIV.
In New York City, for example, gay men who are HIV positive made up 61 percent of syphilis cases last year, up from 20 percent in 1999. In other cities, an average of about 50 percent of recent syphilis cases were among people with HIV, the agency said.
Valdiserri said relaxed attitudes about safe sex in the wake of effective HIV treatment and problems with substance abuse and depression could explain the acceleration of syphilis in gay men, which is also being seen in the United Kingdom and elsewhere in Europe.

From Syphilis Infections Rise Second year In A Row

It is astounding that 61% percent of new cases in New York were among gay men--- they are only 3% of the populations--- that is a frightening statistic, especially when you consider a large number of of gay men with syphilis also are HIV+. The other thing I found interesting is the reference to depression and substance abuse being factors in the gay community which may contribute to the increases. In the wake of all the societal changes towards acceptance of homosexual individuals I wonder why depression and substance abuse would be increasing rather then decreasing. Even worse is the media silence on this issue. This is the first I have seen of this report and I read many internet news sources. Makes me wonder if there is fear of bad pub when activists are trying deperatly to pass Gay marriage laws--- might not support the monogamous---family image they wish to promote. Red flags should be flying ---alarms should be ringing--- we are talking human lives here--- I sure hope activists are not selling out their brothers for the sake of a economic/political gain--- that would be even more sad.

This makes sense

From Lifesite news---

Bush's lawyer, Ken Connor, took to task the claims of Michael Schiavo which often have been repeated by the media but without proof. "Michael Schiavo is going to have to establish (at trial) that he has standing to represent his wife's interests," Connor said. "He's going to have to establish that her right to privacy is infringed, that the governor is interfering with her health care choice. You can't just say that. You have to prove it," he said.

This is what should have done to begin with--- MS should have had to PROVE his wife wanted death--- prove it legally--- He cannot do that--- there is no proof that Terri EVER said she wanted to die--- all there is is heresay--- we should not be killing people when they are mentally disabled based upon another person's asertion that at some point in time this was suppossedly stated. That is insanity---
I am so glad there will be a trial and finally all the details will be revealed. This woman has been neglected for years. There are specialists--- like the speech pathologist from RIC (The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago is world reknown)who states

10. It is not my opinion that Mrs. Schiavo is in a coma or in a persistent vegetative state. In my opinion, she exhibits purposeful though inconsistent reactions to her environment, particularly her family. Her eye movements, easily observed on the videotape, are particularly suggestive that she recognized family members and responded. She also appeared to have sufficient sustained attention to track a balloon. It is not my opinion that these behaviors are merely reflexive. The entire range of behaviors listed above, and each and every one of them, are inconsistent with a diagnosis of persistent vegetative state.

11. Even without the benefit of any medical treatment which successfully improves this patient's organic medical condition or cognitive abilities, in my opinion Terri would benefit from speech-language therapy, physical therapy and occupational/recreational therapy. Her ability to interact with her environment and her ability to communicate can be enhanced. Her quality of life can be significantly enhanced.

12. I would specifically recommend that Terri be given access to a system known as an environmental control system. We use such systems at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago to permit patients such as Terri to exercise control over their environment, such as to turn their television or radio on or off, change channels, and to control volume. Such environmental controls may also permit Terri to control room lighting. In my opinion, Terri could make use of such a system if it were made available and she received training in its use. I would further recommend that a yes/no system be implemented, and that Terri be trained in its use from the beginning of her rehabilitation regimen. Such a system could permit Terri to more effectively communicate.

13. It is apparent that Terri has sufficient swallowing ability to handle her own secretions, therefore it would be my recommendation that she receive a modified barium swallow study to assess swallow function for intake trials of thin and thick liquids and pureed consistencies. It has been my experience that patients similar to Terri have been able to accomplish food intake. This would permit Terri greater interaction with her family and in social situations through the enjoyment of mealtimes. I have worked with numerous disabled patients who have expressed to me that being able to eat would make the difference between their desiring to live or die.

14. It is my judgement based on my training and clinical experience working with patients similar to Terri that she would, within a reasonable degree of clinical probability, be able to improve her ability to interact with her environment, communicate with others, and control her environment if she were given appropriate therapy and training as outlined above. These recommendations, in my opinion, would greatly improve Terri's quality of life.

Sara Green Mele, MS, CCC-SLP