August/September 2005

Dear ones,
These are unusually trying times. In this issue there is so much to be shared, and so little space, that selection has been unusually difficult. Please read on.

MORE ON GLOBAL GOVERNMENT: A GOOD IDEA? A BAD IDEA?
According to its proponents, the main advantage of global government would be the elimination of wars. Under this system the people would be completely disarmed, and only the Global Police (or Army) would have weapons. Wars would simply be forbidden-against the global law. Another, they say, would be the elimination of poverty, since wealth would be redistributed and the economy managed. This would be the sociopolitical communist "Utopia" preached by Marx and Lenin.

Our National Sovereignty. The problem with the first point is that the first thing we would have to do would be to burn our Declaration of Independence and Constitution. The forfeiting of our national independence and sovereignty, along with all other nations, would create a global tyranny, in which individuals and member nations would be completely powerless, and at the mercy of whatever powerful individual or group may be in control of the World government. As things are now, and always have been, with each nation a sovereign entity, when a tyrant such as Hitler, Stalin, Mao or Pol Pot arises, he can eventually be brought down through the independent power of the free nations. Under a single, global government, individual nations would surrender their sovereign independence and there would be no remedy for whatever tyranny might subsequently arise. There would be no balance of powers, no "free world" to counter the aggression of those who would attack and enslave others.

But, some may say, the World government would be a representative government, and that would provide the safeguard against tyranny; but that's not so. Consider the fact that our ancestors came to these shores, and eventually fought a war, to escape British tyranny, and they had a representative government (Parliament). Consider also how many of our ancestors fled to this free nation to escape the tyranny in their home countries in Europe and Asia; under World government there would be no independent, free countries to which people could go for refuge.

Actually, a great deal of our precious national sovereignty has already been forfeited to the United Nations (UN), by way of international treaties. Under presidents like Clinton, this process was accelerated; under presidents like Reagan and G.W. Bush, this process has been reduced and, in some cases, reversed.

Free Market or Socialism/Communism. The problem with the second point (socialism/communism) is that it has never worked. It wasn't our nuclear missiles and B-52s that brought down the tyrannical Soviet Union (although their threat kept the Soviets from conquering the World); it was the complete failure of their socialist/communist economic system, and the success of our free-market economy that caused its collapse. God made man with a fundamental desire to be free-free to think, create, work, save, and improve his lot in life. Man produces best, and creates more wealth and helpful ideas, when free to work for himself, or for someone else of his choosing.

So, What About Our Sovereignty? Now, it seems obvious that, in order to have a global government with power over all existing nations, then the existing nations would have to forfeit their own independence and sovereignty. Is this just an idea-a theory without substance? Or are there influential Americans who actually favor such a suicidal surrender of our freedom-the unique free system created by our founding fathers, and bought and protected by the blood of our fighting men since the first shot was fired at Lexington Green? Oh yes, sad to relate, there are such men and women-and you would recognize many of their names. They control most of our establishment media, our educational system, our financial and banking system, our State Department, and much of the institutional Church. More about them next time.

AN ALARMING TREND IN OUR SUPREME COURT
According to our matchless Constitution, unique in all of human history, the function of our Supreme Court is to evaluate laws, enacted by Congress and signed by the president, based upon whether or not they are consistent with the U.S. Constitution. Increasingly, the Supreme Court has drifted from this principle, basing its decisions on European law (and, in the case of Brown vs the Board of Education, upon the writings of European sociologists). Very recently, liberally inclined Supreme Court justices have stated publicly that the court should consider European law in addition to the content of the Constitution. In the recent Texas case which legalized sodomy, and the case which banned the death penalty for juvenile criminals, both decisions were based (in part) on European law. Still worse, Justice Kennedy stated that in this case, "It is proper that we acknowledge the overwhelming weight of international opinion against the death penalty" (emphasis mine). In the decision to legalize sodomy (striking down the Texas law), the six justices who voted to legalize this crime against nature, in writing their opinions, did not make a single reference to the Constitution. Rather, they cited European public opinion. (NM, CSN)

This trend is merely a part of the drift toward global government discussed above, and should be an alarming wake-up call for President Bush as he chooses nominees to fill vacancies on the Supreme Court. (ANS/FOF, et al)

TODAY IN SWEDEN; TOMORROW HERE?
As you probably know, European nations are way ahead of us in the process of dismantling the Bible-based foundation of Western Civilization. Our nation is on the same downward, slippery slope, but Europe is way ahead of us; and, in Europe, Scandinavia (Sweden, Denmark and Norway) has always taken the lead. A case in Sweden should give us all pause. The Rev. Ake Green preached a sermon in which he pointed out the obvious: that the Bible declares homosexual activity to be sin. The pastor was convicted of violation of Sweden's "hate speech" law and sent to prison. After review by an appeals court which ruled in Green's favor, the case will now go to Sweden's Supreme Court. Canada has already enacted a similar law (and is enforcing it). Could it happen here? You bet! We already have laws against "hate crimes," and we aren't far behind Sweden. (FOF)

HOME SCHOOLER WINS NATIONAL GEOGRAPHY BEE
A home-schooled seventh-grader from Minnesota, Nathan Cornelius, won the National Geographic's annual National Geography Bee. He won a 25,000 college scholarship and a life membership in the Society. (AP/Duluth News-Tribune)

"HOPELESS" CASES RECOVER
We should never forget the case of Terri Schiavo, the poor brain-injured woman whom the courts condemned to a horrible death from thirst, over the pleas of her parents, but at the insistence of her "husband" (who lives with another woman with whom he has children). Terri's torture and death were the product of her husband's selfishness, and the court's ideas of "quality of life." But are cases like Terri's hopeless? Do such severely injured patients ever recover? Yes!

Since Terri's death, in two similar cases, apparently hopelessly disabled patients have recovered. In Kansas, Tracy Gaskill suffered near-fatal head and internal injuries in 2002. Recently, after three years she suddenly began to speak-coherently-and is now able to swallow. Her physician and nurse are amazed. In New York, firefighter Donald Herbert suffered severe head injuries when a burning house collapsed on him in 1995. Recently, after 10 years, he suddenly asked the attending nurse if he could speak to his wife, and he conversed coherently for the next 12 hours. Dr. Rose Sherr of NYU remarked, "It's almost unheard of after 10 years, but sometimes...people suddenly improve and we don't understand why." (FOF/WND)

KANSAS CITY ABORTIONIST EATS BABIES
Krishna Rajanna, a Kansas City abortionist, has been shut down. He had called police to investigate alleged theft by an employee; but when the police arrived at the amazingly unsanitary clinic, they found a house of horrors and closed it down. The police described trash everywhere, dirty dishes, and noted that Dr. Rajanna's hands were dirty and his clothes wrinkled and dirty. Roaches crawled on the counter tops, and aborted babies were in open styrofoam cups in his refrigerator. An employee testified to seeing him microwave one of the babies and stir it into his lunch. There was dried blood on the floor, and the employees' toilet was bloody from having babies and placentas disposed of. His medical license has been revoked, but he is appealing. The Kansas legislature recently created a law to require abortion clinics to he held to the same standards of cleanliness and safety as hospitals-can anyone deny that this is needed and reasonable? But Governor Kathleen Sebelius, a staunch defender of abortion, vetoed the measure, killing it. (WND)
Incidentally, the eating of babies by an abortionist is not new; we reported previously on a female abortionist in China who has written a recipe book for preparing them. There is a vital lesson here: once we abandon the morality of God's Word, the direction of change is always downhill, with increasing speed, and there really is no place to stop.

SPAIN LEGALIZES SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
Roman Catholic Spain has become the third nation to legalize same-sex marriage, joining Roman Catholic Belgium and Lutheran Netherlands. Of course, I should put "" marks on the labels "Roman Catholic" and "Lutheran," for these countries have become essentially secular socialist nations that have abandoned their Christian origins. Canada is very nearly ready to do the same thing. (ANS/BP)

WHY ARE BRITAIN'S CHURCHES DYING?
According to a year-long study of 14,000 people in Great Britain, people are no longer going to church there because the churches are preaching a non-Biblical, social message that is no different from what the secular world is telling them. What they hear in church, they say, is a "seeker-friendly" message that has been emptied of moral or doctrinal Christian content. More than nine out of 10 people questioned made this same response. The same thing, sad to relate, could be said about our traditional denominations here in the US, where membership and attendance are in free-fall and once-vital churches are closing their doors daily. (ANS)

ILLEGAL ALIENS KILLING BORDER-STATE HOSPITALS
A report by an Arizona-based physicians' group tells an alarming story about how the flood of illegal aliens is causing a medical care crisis in states bordering on Mexico. One study published in the Spring edition of The Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons reveals that in California alone, 84 hospitals are being forced to close their doors because they have been overwhelmed by illegal aliens whom they must treat without reimbursement. In addition to this problem, illegal aliens are reintroducing diseases that have been already eradicated in the US. (ANS)

"TRYING TO GET RELIGION": THE LUDICROUS EFFORTS OF THE POLITICAL LEFT
The consistent attacks on religious freedom, expressions of religious faith in public life and on the Church in general, by the Political Left (translate that the radical liberals who control and dominate in the Democrat Party, plus a few of their Republican friends) has polarized the electorate, and made enemies of most in rural and small-town America, especially in the South, Midwest, and large portions of the West. In the process, the Political Left has lost its voters in huge sections of the nation, making it a loser in most recent elections. Now, some of the leaders of the Political Left are trying to build bridges to those of us who hold dear the Church, its Bible, and the Christian values on which our nation was founded. The trouble is that they just don't understand; and, as a result, their bridge-building efforts are often laughable. An example is "The Interfaith Alliance," whose spokesman and poster boy is Walter Cronkite; these people are so "inclusive" that within the big tent of their coalition of believers are "agnostics and atheists." Don't you wonder why these intellectual elitists can't see a contradiction here? (NM)

REVERED METHODIST RETREAT CENTER TO HOST HOMOSEXUAL RALLY
Lake Junaluska in the mountains of North Carolina is the official retreat center for the Southeast Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church. It is the Methodist counterpart of the Presbyterians' Montreat and the Southern Baptist Convention's Ridgecrest. To believing Methodists, Lake Junaluska is sacred ground; countless lives have been changed there by the Spirit of God. But now the unthinkable is happening: the retreat center will host a homosexual rally over the Labor Day weekend. Really! The stated purpose of the weekend rally will be organizing to overturn the church's teachings on marriage and sex, and to lobby for same-sex "marriage" and a practicing homosexual clergy. One workshop will "explore the development of transgender and gender queer spirituality." I believe that John Wesley, emulating his Lord, would make a whip, overturn their tables and drive them from the consecrated grounds. (ANS)

BANISHED IN THE NAME OF "TOLERANCE"
Universities today talk a lot about tolerance and diversity. They are tolerant of just about anything, except one thing: they don't tolerate anyone who disagrees with the prevailing political correctness. Especially Christians. At the University of Colorado, they tolerate a professor named Ward Churchill, who lied about being an American Indian in his resume', who hates America, called those innocent Americans murdered on 9-11 2001 "little Eichmans" and said they deserved to die, and is now urging American fighting men in Iraq and Afghanistan to murder their officers in order to sabotage our efforts there. At the same time, 20-year history professor, Phil Mitchell has been fired by Colorado U. for requiring his students to read the American classic, "In His Steps," a novel about liberal Christians at the turn of the 20th Century. He says what should be increasingly obvious to all of us: "The truth is, universities are the most hostile, narrow-minded, and intolerant environment in society." (AFAJ, et al)

ADOLESCENT VIRGINITY GIVES YOU THE EDGE
A study released in April, "Association of Virginity at Age 18 with Educational, Economic, Social and Health Outcomes in Middle Adulthood," demonstrates that virginity in adolescence pays off in later life. The study, which included men and women who remained virgins until they were 18, was published in the journal, "Adolescent and Family Health." In these days of incurable sexually transmitted diseases, some of the advantages of abstenance are obvious. But this study found that "adolescent virginity has a significant impact on well-being in middle-adulthood." Both men and women who were virgins at age 18, evaluated 20 years later, had about half the risk of divorce, had one year more of education, and had incomes 20 percent higher than those who were not virgins at 18. Age 18 was selected as the cut-off age because at that age the two groups are approximately equally represented in the general population. (FOF)

MTV IS POISON-IT'S JUST THAT SIMPLE
All you have to do to know that MTV is moral and spiritual poison is to watch it for a few hours. Most of its content glorifies promiscuous sex, drugs, alcohol and violence-especially violence to women. A recent report by the Parents Television Council summarizes. After analyzing 171 hours of programming during the cable channel's "Spring Break" coverage in 2004, they found an average of 13 sexual scenes per hour. MTV music videos averaged 32 instances of foul language per hour (more than one every two seconds). MTV is watched by 73 percent of boys and 78 percent of girls between the ages of 12 and 19; do yours watch it? (AFAJ/PWB)

THE HIGH PRICE FOR WOMEN SHACKED-UP
Living together without marriage is sin, and thus destructive; but that's not all. Couples who live together, and later marry, have about a 70 percent probability of divorce. But it's worse for the women involved in no-marriage "relationships." According to a number of studies, the woman provides 70 percent of the income, her "partner" is 4 times as likely to cheat on her as a married husband, the break-up rate is nearly double that of married couples, she is more likely than a married woman to abuse drugs, alcohol, and to commit suicide, and the mortality rate is 50 percent higher than it is for wives. (ANS)

KWEISI IMFUME'S DISMAL RECORD GETS WORSE
Kweisi Imfume, recently head of the National Association of Colored People (NAACP) has boasted publicly that he has 5 sons, born to five different women, none of whom he married. Now he can boast of a sixth, born to a younger woman who worked for him at the NAACP. And no-he will not be marrying her either. (Paul Harvey 29 Apr 05)

WORLD'S CHAMPION LOVE AFFAIR
They met in church; he sang in the church choir, and she was a Sunday school teacher. On 1 June the British couple celebrated their 80th wedding anniversary. Percy Arrowsmith is 105, and Florence, his bride, is 100. The secret to their success? Every night at bedtime they hold hands, kiss, and tell one another of their love. (AP/ANS)

HOMOSEXUALS DIE 15-25 YEARS SOONER THAN HETEROSEXUALS
The Centers for Disease Control has concluded a study of the life expectancy of homosexuals compared with that of heterosexuals, and found that homosexuals on the average die 20-or-more years sooner than heterosexuals. Dr. Paul Cameron of the Family Research Institute (FRI), who has studied 10,000 homosexual obituaries has found essentially the same thing: that they die 15-25 years sooner. Causes of the earlier deaths of homosexuals include disease, drug and alcohol use, suicide, and accidents. (CDC/FRI/ANS)

WHOLESOME MOVIES MAKE THE MOST MONEY
Although G-rated movies are much more profitable than R-rated movies, Hollywood continues to make 12 times as many R-rated films. On the average, family-friendly movies make a profit of $79 million, while the average R-rated movie losses $6.9 million. Why, then, would Hollywood go on making the movies filled with sex, violence and filthy language? Apparently because they want to change our culture for the worse-they want the rest of us to have their sick values. What's a parent to do? Two excellent sources for identifying safe movies for your children are The Dove Foundation (www.dove.org) and Focus on the Family's "Plugged In" web site (www.pluggedinonline.com). (PWB)

SAME-SEX MILITARY WEDDING IN CANADA
In Canada, military chaplains are under orders to perform same-sex weddings. In May, two men, one a sergeant and one a warrant officer, were married by a chaplain at a base in Nova Scotia. In case you didn't know, Canada no longer has a separate army, navy, air force, etc; her armed forces are combined in one mish-mash. (AP/ANS)

A MERRY HEART DOETH GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE
A recent study published by Dr. Michael Miller, head of Preventive Cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center, confirms what has been in the Bible for 3,000 years, but never scientifically demonstrated: laughter is healthy. Dr. Miller found that laughter relaxes blood vessels, increasing blood flow and, in his case, especially to the heart. See Prov. 17:22. (PWB)

MARTY'S CORNER
Several weeks ago, I read a supposedly Christian article that used the terms of BCE and CE in reference to historical dates. Wondering "What in the world are those supposed to mean," I began to research the terms and found that I was way behind the times. I discovered that the national Advanced Placement test in history has used those new terms since 2001 thus the younger generation reading this may wonder why it's new to me. Others will wonder "what's the big deal." Every time a Christian term is used, it will have an impact on someone's life so it's essential that we make sure we use the Christian terms and teach our children their importance.

The basis of our modern calendar was developed by Christian monks in the Middle Ages who decided to begin numbering years with the birth of Christ, and designate that year "0." Years following year "0" were designated AD, for the Latin anno Domini, "in the year of our Lord" - now being replaced by CE, the Common Era. Years counting backward before year "0" came to be designated BC, before Christ-now being replaced by BCE, Before the Common Era.

In this era of political correctness and multicultural sensitivity, using Christian designations for calendar dates is deemed offensive and/or not "religiously" neutral enough. That is particularly true in the academic world. Has anyone actually been oppressed by the use of B.C. and AD? One academic said that it made others feel inadequate. Next we'll have to figure out another way to write number "1" because that means that someone is first and others would feel inadequate.

The question of "what's the big deal" that was posed earlier is answered in the following short summation by one writer. "The Common Era business is a not-so-sneaky way to tell time without acknowledging Jesus Christ at all. And silly people tell me Satan ain't real. He sure does inspire! Who would sit around thinking about stuff as basic as the way we calculate time? The beast is coming and he is attempting to erase all reference to Jesus Christ." (Jesus-is-Lord.com)

WAS JOSEPH THE FATHER OF JESUS?
In Chapter 2 of Luke's gospel, the baby Jesus is brought to the Temple for consecration as Mary's first-born son; both the aged Simeon, and an elderly prophetess, Anna, prophesied over the child. In verse 33, the King James Version states accurately, "And Joseph and his mother Mary marveled...." The NIV, however, reads, "The child's father and mother marveled...," calling Joseph Jesus' father. This is wrong in at least two very important ways.

First, in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew (Joseph's line), Joseph is descended from David, but through Jechoniah, the king so wicked that he only ruled for 3 months, and God said that his seed would never sit on the throne of David. Therefore, if Joseph were Jesus' father, then Jesus could not be the Messiah. Mary was likewise descended from David, but through Nathan, not through Jechoniah.

Second, if Joseph were really Jesus' father there would also be the divinity problem, for Jesus is God. And don't forget-in Matthew I:25 it is plainly written, "And [he] knew her not until she brought forth her first-born son...."

If Jesus of Nazareth was really the son of Joseph, then he was merely a Jewish carpenter who has been dead for 2,000 years, and we are without a savior.

CRUCIFIXION AND JESUS' MIRACULOUS DEATH
Scientists studying the shroud of Turin, in related research, made an exhaustive study of crucifixion. It was already known that crucifixion was designed to be a slow death, in order to prolong the agony. What we didn't know was how slow it could be. They found that the longest such death on record lasted 13 days; except for the two crucified with Jesus (whose legs were broken to bring about their death quickly), the very shortest took 32 hours. But what of the crucifixion of Jesus? He died after only 9 hours on the cross. Why? In order to fulfill the prophecies, including the one that none of his bones would be broken (Ps 34:20), and that no one could take His life-rather that He chose to die (John 10:17,18). He "gave up the ghost"-his spirit was not snatched away from Him. His conception was a miracle; his entire life was miraculous; and even the death of Jesus was a miracle. The Lamb of God, "Christ our Passover" (I Cor 5:7,8), chose to die at that moment, at the very time that the natural Passover lambs were being killed by the priests in the Temple.

In Which Direction Is God's Throne?

In Leviticus Chapter 1 there are some interesting references to north and east (verses 11-16); they are worth a thought in passing. Have you ever wondered about where Heaven is? Most of us have a general idea the it is "up"-that is, above us, in the sky, or out in space. But where? In what direction? It is probably unimportant, except as it concerns cults and paganism, in which directions are sometimes extremely important. In Freemasonry, for example, the direction of deity is always east. The Worshipful Master (he is the main man) of the local lodge has his throne in the east end of the room; he will often say, "I sit in the east" (which is insiders' lingo for "I am the Worshipful Master"). Locations in the lodge room for the seats of the Senior and Junior Wardens, the two most important officers in the lodge after the Worshipful Master, are in the south and west, respectively. There is no seat in the north, and nothing important happens there. This reverence for the east derives from paganism (nature worship) in general, because the Sun, the source and sustainer of life, rises in the east; and Freemasonry is a modern day expression of Egyptian paganism and the worship of the Sun (Osiris) and the Moon (Isis). In this regard, see Ezekiel Chapter 8, especially v 16.

The Bible, however, suggests that God is in the north, and that the east is the location for ashes and garbage. See Ps 48:2 and Is 14:13; so, for whatever it may be worth, the scriptural direction of God seems to be north.

ERRATA: DENZEL WASHINGTON, AND TRUE MATRIMONY
There were two errors in the last issue that need to be corrected. First, while the encouraging story about Denzel Washington and Brook Army Medical Center is basically true, and the gift he made was one of the largest single donations ever made, it was not sufficient to build an entire, multi-million dollar apartment building. Also, he has two sons, but neither is in Iraq; one is in college and the other is only 13. Incidentally, since his visit to the wounded at Brook Hospital, both he and his wife have become members of the board of directors of the Fisher House project there.
Second, in the article about holy matrimony, there was a gross typographical error, one that got past both me and my sharp-eyed editor. The last sentence should read, "Because homosexual, same-sex 'marriage' cannot produce [not 'procure'] a (mater) mother."

MILESTONES
Born 5 Mar - Zion Abigail Bowles at 6 lbs., 7 oz., to Mary Beth (Ferguson) and Ray Bowles, their fifth child, in Louisville, Ky.

Married 9 July - Stacy Cook (Marion, Ky.) and Clay Davis (of Louisville, Ky.) in Paducah, Ky.. Stacy is the daughter of Bob and Regina Cook, longtime neighbors and friends. Both Stacy and Clay will enter Louisville medical school in the fall.

Died 26 May - Charles G. Smith, Distinguished Professor of Biology, long-time friend and colleague, after a lingering illness, in Murray, Ky. Chuck was an amazing, unique and unforgettable combination of intellectual brilliance, humor, honesty, and a complete absence of pretense.

A FINAL WORD
Treasure and use each day as if it were your last, and never give up hope; God has a limitless supply of new beginnings, and He makes beautiful things out of broken pieces.

You are precious,

(Sources: AFAJ-American Family Journal; AFRN-American Family Radio News; ANS-Agape News Service; AP-Associated Press; BP-Break Point; BPr-Baptist Press; C-Charisma; CBN-Christian Broadcasting Network; CR-Congressional Record; CSN-Calvary Satellite Network; DR-Drudge Report; EP-Evangelical Press; Fox (Fox News); FOF-Focus on the Family; FRC-Family Research Council; GN-Good News Magazine; HC-History Channel; LAT-L.A. Times; Mil-Military Magazine; NR-National Review; NewsMax.com (NM); NW-Newsweek; NYP-New York Post; NYT-New York Times; PWB-Pastors' Weekly Briefing; RTLB-Right to Life Education Foundation Bulletin; RTLGC-Right to Life of Greater Cincinnati; USAT-USA Today; USNWR-U.S. News and World Report; VOM-Voice of Martyrs; W-World Magazine; WND-World Net Daily; WT-Washington Times; WW-Washington Watch.)