I Am Angry ...

from Jim Schoch


I watched a video today on YouTube that was called Jesus Camp ... I found it disturbing that many in the charismatic church actually think this is great and the fact that I once bought into it hook line and sinker ...

Basically I think I would rather send my kids to Camp Quest ... yeah you can google Camp Quest ... I really found myself getting angry the longer the Jesus Camp video played ... you can google that one too ...

I hate pressure from sales people and especially religious sales people preying on young kids ... the innocent kids just wanted to do what was right and yet I know from experience that all it produces is emotionally damaged kids that have so much to work through as they grow up normally, let alone heaping on the religious baggage that I saw being dumped on them in that Jesus Camp video ...

I have a fine 2 year old grandson that hopefully will never have to wade through the sewer of guilt and shame that the church is handing out like free candy to kids these days ...

In addition to telling kids to stay away from strangers, I am in favor of telling kids to stay away from Strange Church people who masquerade as concerned and helpful adults offering the treat that takes you to heaven but in reality it is the garbage that will make your life a living guilt-ridden hell that strips you of who you really are as a human being and turns you into a zombie that can only parrot the inappropriate responses that were programed into you the moment you accepted the fake candy that you were offered when your conscience was innocent and suggestible ...

grrrrrrrrrrrrrr ... I think I have just blown a gasket and need to be HEALED by a shot or 2 of Jack, Jim or Johnny now and take an hour to enjoy a nice fat cigar ...

ps ... yes that is me in that picture

A cute little blind boy

from Bill Henness



I used to work with a man, Jim Conkler and he had a son he named Jamey. I saw Jamey, oh maybe once a year or so. Just the other day I met him in Wal-Mart, and he was pushing a little 2 year-old boy in a stroller. I noticed the cute little tike had closed and deep set eyes. I motioned to Jamey, pointing to my eye, about him. He said, "Yes, he was born blind." I talked with him for a little while and we parted.

I got to thinking about that poor little blind feller. Born blind from birth and will be blind all the rest of his life. How cruel. When the Hebrew god was talking with Moses at the burning bush, he supposedly said;

"And the LORD said unto him, Who has made man's mouth? Or who makes the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the LORD?" (Exodus 4:11)

According to this verse, the Hebrew God makes the blind and the seeing. Why would a kind, loving heavenly father make a little boy born blind and will never see? That is cruel.
I suppose some believers will say something like "God's ways are past finding out", or "God has something special planned for him". These are nothing more than cop outs. If a God made him born blind he was cruel.

A believer becomes an apostate

from Bill Henness



Can a born again believer ever become an apostate? I don’t mean just falling into some sin and backsliding while still in their heart still believing in God, Jesus, and the Bible. I mean a sincere believer who believed the Bible like a little child. Even preaching and pastoring, teaching, witnessing, winning souls, evangelizing. Then, because of errors, contradictions, etc., in the Bible he found, pursued searching for more (neg. Truth), until he no longer could believe the Bible as he once did, became critical, agnostical concerning the Bible, and looses, for the most part, his faith. However, still attending Church regularly, separated, etc., not practicing any sins.

The five stages

When a Christian is first exposed to the fact of "errorance" of the Bible, they manifest much the same symptoms that a terminally ill person does when told of their fate.

1. Denial. (Becomes defensive)

2. Depression. (Don’t want to hear or think about it, withdrawal.

3. Anger. (Angry at the one who showed errors) "Why me?"

4. Bargaining. (Searching to prove wrong---)

5. Acceptance. (Becomes liberal, agnostic, atheistic, or apostate)

These manifestations are not identical, but similar.

A sign from heaven, please

from Bill Henness

Can you really believe what Jesus of Nazareth said? If, after you finish reading this, you have doubts as to whether you can believe this one thing, just think of the hundreds of other statements made by Jesus.

"And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him seeking of him a sign from heaven, testing him. And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? Verily I say unto you, there shall no sign be given unto this generation." (Mark 8:11,12

Now, this statement, recorded by Mark, is pretty clear. There shall no sign be given., However, this is not the end of the subject. According to John there were many signs done to confirm who Jesus was, to that generation.

"And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book; but these (8) are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name." (John 20:30,31)

John only records eight signs, however between Matthew, Mark, and Luke there are around 29 other signs that were given.
Then after Jesus was gone from the scene there were many more signs given to that same generation.

"And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen." (Mark 16:20)

Peter preached that God confirmed Jesus with signs.

"Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know." (Acts 2:22)

Luke also says the signs were done by the disciples.

"And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people..." (Acts 5:12)

"Then Simon himself believed also; and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and was amazed, beholding the miracles and signs which were done." (Acts
8:13)

Then if this were not enough conflicting testimony, Jesus himself gave a conflicting statement to his original statement, according to the writer of Matthew.

"Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign, and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet, Jonah; for as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale's belly, so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." (Matt. 12:38-40)

Freedom Isn't Free: Real Patriotism & the 4th of July

by Jim Worrell

THE 4TH OF JULY
Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?

Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they
died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War. They signed and they
pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.

What kind of men were they?
Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated, but they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured. Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags. Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.

Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.
At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters.
He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.
Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.
John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their
13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. Some of us take these liberties so much for granted, but we shouldn't.
So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid.

Remember: freedom is never free!

I hope you will show your support by sending this to as many people as you can, please. It's time we get the word out that patriotism is NOT a sin, and the Fourth of July has more to it than beer, picnics, and baseball games

NOTE: Thanks for sending this my way Jim! To newer visitors to the blog or site, you should read every article that Jim has sent to the website! Jim's writing always stirs me! Few people in the world have the ability to clarify and bring one to the point of making a decision upon a matter as quickly as Jim does! His articles are always welcomed here!.....Brian

Did Prophets Speak as Moved By Their God?

from Bill Henness


The second most important scripture to fundamentalists and their faith is:
"Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not at any time by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." (II Pet. 1:20,21)

First, a word of explanation. Because of the context of these verses, it is only referring to prophecy, and not every word in the entire Bible, as most fundies say. And also, the context shows it is only speaking of prophecy in the O.T.; the N.T. not having been written yet.

This work will show, to anyone who will reason, that many of the "prophecies" that were spoken (or written) by "holy men of God", could not have spoken "as they were moved by the Holy Spirit", because their prophecies did not come to pass, thus making them false prophets.

The examples I will give are only a fraction of the false prophecies. Also, I will not give the more lengthy ones. My knowledge of history is limited so I will show only the false prophecies that I remember from history.

1. The prophecy
"Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, Go and speak to Zedekiah, king of Judah, and tell him,... and thou shalt not escape out of his hand, but shall surely be taken, and delivered into his hand; and thine eyes shall behold the eyes of the king of Babylon, and he shall speak with thee mouth to mouth, and thou shalt go to Babylon... thou shalt not die by the sword, but thou shalt die in peace; and with the burnings of thy fathers, the former kings who were before thee, so shall they burn odors for thee, and they will lament thee, saying, Ah lord!: (Jer. 34:2-5)
What actually happened?
"So they took the king (Zedikiah) and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah; and they gave judgment upon him, and they slew the sons of Zedikiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedikiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon." (II Kings 25:6,7)
"... and put him in prison till the day of his death." (Jer. 52:11)
They could not have honored him with burnings because all the princes were killed, most of the people carried away to Babylon, and only a few poor left in the land. Beside this, Zedikiah was the one that caused all this by not obeying the king of Babylon. How could he have died in peace?

2. The prophecy
"... He shall build an house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever... And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established forever before thee; thy throne shall be established forever." (II Sam. 7"11-16)
"... David shall never lack a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel.: and, "Neither shall the priests, the Levites want a man before me to offer burnt offerings, and to kindle meat offerings, and to do sacrifice continually." (Jer. 33:17,18)
What actually happened?
There were 600 years from the time of the last king of Israel (Zedikiah) until the time of Jesus, (if you say Jesus was David's successor), when David did in fat, "lack a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel", beside this, since the time of Zedikiah there have been no "priests to offer burnt offerings, and to kindle meat offerings and to do sacrifices continually."

3. The prophecy
"Therefore, thus saith the LORD of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, He shall have none to sit upon the throne of David;..." (Jer. 36:30)
What actually happened?
"So Jehoiakim slept with his fathers; and Jehoiachin his son, reigned in his stead." (II Kings 24:6)

4. The prophecy
"Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities; thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down; not one of it's stakes shall ever be removed, neither shall any of it's cords be broken." (Isa. 33:20)
What actually happened?
In 70 A.D., Titus completely destroyed Jerusalem.

5. The prophecy
"..., O Jerusalem, the holy city; for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean." (Isa. 52:1)
What actually happened?
Continually, for thousands of years, uncircumcised and unclean people have come into Jerusalem, even to this day.

6. The prophecy
"And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called anymore Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel." (Gen. 35:10)
What actually happened?
Throughout the rest of the Bible, Jacob is called by his name "Jacob", 240 times. Even at his death, his old name, "Jacob", is used.

7. The prophecy
"For this is like the waters of Noah unto me; for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I would not be wroth (angry) with thee (Israel), nor rebuke thee." (Isa. 54:9)
What actually happened?
Isaiah said this in the 8th. Century B.C., however, in the 7th. Century B.C., Jeremiah, Habakkuk, Nahum and Zephaniah: in the 6th. Century B.C., Ezekiel, Obadiah, Haggai, Lamentations, Daniel and Zechariah; in the 5th. Century B.C., Malachi; and in the 1st. Century A.D., Matthew, Mark, Luke and John; all have God angry and rebuking Israel.

8. The prophecy
"And I (God) will encamp about mine house because of the army, because of him that passeth by, and because of him that returneth; and no oppressor shall pass through them any more; for now have I seen with mine eyes." (Zech. 9:8)
What actually happened?
This prophecy was made in the 5th. Century B.C. There have been many oppressors pass through Israel since then.

9. The prophecy
There is a lengthy prophecy about the total destruction of the city Tyre, by Ezekiel. To save time and space I will give only the important parts.
"...; I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock." (Ez. 26:3,4)
"..., like the cities that are not inhabited;..." "That thou be not inhabited;..." "...; and thou shalt be no more; though thou be sought for, yet shalt thou never be found again, saith the LORD God." (Ez. 26:19-21)
What actually happened?
"..., and they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him." (Mark 3:8)
"..., and sailed unto Syria, and landed at Tyre;..." (Acts 21:3)

10. The prophecy
"And Joshua burned Ai, and made it an heap forever, even a desolation unto this day." (Josh. 8:28)
What actually happened?
700 years later.
"Howl, O Heshbon, for Ai is spoiled; cry, ye daughters of Rabbah, gird yourselves with sackcloth; lament, and run to and fro by the hedges; for their king shall go into captivity, and his priests and his princes together." (Jer. 49:3)
200 years later still.
"The men of Bethel and Ai, two hundred twenty and three." (Ezra 2:28)

11. The prophecy
"And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land; and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principle men. And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances of it; thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders." (Micah 5:5,6)
What actually happened?
No one delivered Israel from the Assyrians. In fact, the Assyrians took back to Assyria most of the people and left only a few poor there. The 10 tribes of Israel were completely dissolved and lost their identity completely.

12. The prophecy
"... Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap." (Isa. 17:1)
What actually happened?
According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, Damascus, which is one of the oldest cities in the world, has been continuously inhabited and is the only city in Palestine that has never been completely destroyed. Never has it been a ruinous heap.

14. The prophecy
"And now art thou cursed from the earth,...; when thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee it's strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth." (Gen. 4:11,12)
What actually happened?
"And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod,... And Cain knew his wife;... and he builded a city,..." (Gen. 4:16,17)

15. The prophecy
"And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with favor, and full with the blessing of the LORD, possess thou the west and the south." (Deut. 33:23)
What actually happened?
Naphtali's land portion was given to her in the north eastern location of Israel.

16. The prophecy
"And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; he shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." (Gen. 3:15)
What actually happened?
This is supposed to be a prophecy of Jesus and Satan. Satan, if he exists, is just as strong today as ever.

17. The prophecy
"The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me, unto him ye shall harken." (Deut. 18:15)
What actually happened?
Christians believe Jesus was that prophet. When did the Jews harken to Jesus? They still do not.

18. The prophecy
"But when they persecute you in this city, flee into another; for verily I say unto you, ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the son of man be come." (Matt. 10:23)
What actually happened?
Nothing!

19. The prophecy
"And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." (John 12:32)
What actually happened?
Not all are drawn to Jesus; millions haven't even heard about him.

20. The prophecy
"For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so shall the son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." (Matt. 12:40)
What actually happened?
Start with Sunday morning before day brake, and count back three nights and three days. Jesus was allegedly crucified on Friday and buried before sundown.

21. The prophecy
"Verily I say unto you, there are some standing here, who shall not taste of death, till they see the son of man coming in his kingdom." (Matt. 16:28)
What actually happened?
Nothing in 2,000 years now.

22. The prophecy
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do, because I go unto my father." (John 14:12)
What actually happened?
No one has done all, or in part, the works that the Bible reports Jesus having done, much less greater works than those.

23. The prophecy
"And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly." (Rom. 16:20)
What actually happened?
The Christians in Rome suffered intense persecutions until 312 A.D. That's 255 years of persecution. Several generations lived and died without seeing peace. Shortly? Ha!

24. The prophecy
"Behold, I come quickly;..." (Rev. 3:11) "Behold I come quickly..." (Rev. 22:7) "And, behold, I come quickly,..." (Rev. 22:12) "He who testifieth these things saith, Surely, I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come Lord Jesus." (Rev. 22:20)
What actually happened?
Nothing! The word "quickly" means shortly, I.e. without delay, soon. (# 5035) in 2,000 years now he has not come.

25. The prophecy
"And whatever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the father may be glorified in the son. If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it." (John 14:13,14)
"And all things, whatever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." (Matt. 21:22)
What actually happened?
You do not get whatever you ask for. It is not done. You do not receive whatever nor all that you ask for. It is a lie.

These are only 25 false prophecies, although there are many more, these should show that the ones who gave the prophecies were false prophets, and that they were not so "holy", and that there was no holy spirit moving them to speak.

Bill Henness

Paganism & the Wiley bunch at the SBC

from Brian

read the Ethics Daily article:
Southern Baptists Meet to Combat Membership Malaise

The good ole boys from the Southern Baptist Convention are at it again! Seems they cannot find a reasonable explanation about why they are losing their people! But, I'm sure they will get the answers when they pray about it (sic)!

Am I the only one that seemed to notice that they decided to open their convention on one of the biggest pagan days of the year June 23rd? I’m referring to the Summer Solstice! Nah, this couldn’t just be a coincidence? After all these guys are like “hawks” on guard against paganism or anything else that threatens faith!

They booted out the Broadway Baptist Church of Ft. Worth Texas after 125 years of patronage for being gay friendly. This occurred without any discussion amongst the 8,000 that were gathered in Kentucky. Although this isn’t surprising coming from a stone cold hearted convention with all of their history; I shouldn’t be surprised that we heard of no reported discussions of votes to kick out Wiley Drake and his First Southern Baptist Church of Buena Park, California! You might recall that this “reverend” prays for the death of President Obama and isn’t shy to violate scripture by letting the public know about it via the media!(read the Ethics Daily article:)
Pastor and Former SBC Vice Pres Prays for President's Death

What a lousy bunch of depraved human beings within the SBC that doesn’t stand against pedophilia; winks at prayers for the death of the American president; and hatred against gay people! Sure wouldn’t want to have an SBC tithe payer living in my neighborhood!

Watch Your Language!

from Brian

Be careful, biblical language can be offensive to Christians! Here is the brief story.

When you live in the city square, chances are good that you will be seeing many people. While cutting the grass Sunday evening, the American missionary walked by and I waved to say hello! He came over and after shaking hands I asked him why Doma was so kind to them? I asked in a playful mood, “Are you kissing their ass?”

He immediately recoiled and said “Watch your language around my son!” I don’t want to tell you his name here, but I called him by his name and calmly mentioned that “ass” is a legitimate Biblical word. I asked him if he had read his Old Testament? Then I chuckled and said, “Oh wait….that is also a New Testament word as well!”

I said, “ if the Bible is offensive to you then why do you read and preach about it to others?” I loved the dumbfounded look upon his face! You could have heard a pin drop because I could tell that the thought had never crossed his mind before!

He got offended and left before I could probe deeper about the Christian relationship with “city hall!” My last words to him as he departed were to “make your Christianity mean something to the community rather than keeping silent about the corruption!”

"In the name of.....

from Paul Benedict

I have recently read, with a heavy heart, reports of an American politician
(an outspoken Christian and proponent of marital fidelity); two prominent
Baptist church leaders (a pastor and a music director) and an American
evangelist campaigning in Jamaica, who are reported to have been arrested
because of their involvement in sexual misdemeanours. Parallel to this have
been the worrying media reports of the debacle in Iran in the aftermath of
their recent elections. One set of incidents involved those who are
deeply committed, no doubt sincere Christians whilst the other emanated from
an Islamic nation - where the meaning of Islam means "submission to Allah".

Now, I have no problem with the sexual issues or the apparent political
demonstrations that have led to deaths and mass imprisonment. What I
question is the impotency of the divinity who reportedly rules over
his children. These dear people declare so much "In the name of ..."- yet their divine personage does not prevent such events plus the painful collateral damage.

Now, the faithful are gathering to pray - for what purpose? To remind the
divine figure to get off his throne of grace and comfort et al? Could he
have not stopped the happenings before they took place? Any loving and
caring human parent would certainly do more - especially when knowing the
makeup of their child!

When will these otherwise very human people call it a day and appreciate
that "In the name of ..." serves no purpose whatsoever.

Paul Benedict

Rich Justice & Naked Women

from Brian

Big news here, the US Embassy has finally been stirred to action! All it took was for some wealthy folks who have enough extra money in these times to patronize the local strip clubs to get abused! Riga is renown for it’s slim beautiful women so beware because these woman can mesmerize most any horny guy and extract some money! Guys like the feminine “attention” and easily fork over the bills while they enjoy watching the women bend over and collect them. This is just normal exposure; not extortion!

The ecstasy of a sensuous table dance and possibly more is short-lived though when it comes time to pay their “tab” only to find out that they have been extorted with demands of 3 to 10 times the amount of their original agreement! They don’t take kindly to these type of things and the embassy agrees with them!

This is something that most married men that patronize these clubs cannot risk fighting, if their wives discovered this everything would hit the fan as they say!

Good to know that someone got to the Embassy! It appears that the clubs with the complaints might just have their doors closed for good! Well, that is until they re-open under a different name and owner!

I quit approaching my US Embassy here, evidentially I couldn’t afford the justice like those that have enough left over to visit the clubs do! I realize that I might need them in the future; but my history with them has been that I have really needed them in the past and they have failed to deliver relief or justice. They come out to talk with you, look you in the eyes and yet nothing really changes! So, I’m not burning a viable bridge, just questioning what it takes to get them motivated to do what they should be doing?

Uldis is Gone!

from Brian

Who is Uldis? Uldis is a Latvian fundamentalist Christian layman that occasionally fills the pulpit when his preacher cannot. He is also the ex-boyfriend of my mother in law.

Uldis used to have a severe drinking problem. Seems that nothing quenched his penchant for alcohol; but then he met Jesus! Swallowing the religious placebo pill has magically cured his alcohol problems! Viewing the gospel in this light, one can rejoice in the message of the good news!

Pharmaceutical companies have probably lost quite a bit of money to it’s placebo making competitor. Perhaps they should really consider marketing “Salt Peter?” What’s that?

While I was undergoing “boot camp” in the US Army during the early 80’s, there was much talk about “Salt Peter!” You see, for those 8 long weeks of bootcamp one is denied the opportunity for opposite sex sexual intercourse. Imagine the frustration of youngster’s in their sexual prime, one can go crazy! So the joke was that “Uncle Sam” put “salt peter” in your food to minimize the natural sexual cravings. It was considered an act of mercy. Anyway, you veterans know what I mean here and you probably got a good laugh from it as well!

Now back to Uldis. While the placebo seemed to fix his drinking problem, the Jesus pill didn’t address his sexual judgement! He told my mother-in-law that it was Ok for a married woman they knew to have a “boyfriend” around if she wanted to. Strange, but he never figured out how that conversation changed their relationship! They remained “shacked up” together as a convienience as an unlikely couple: saint and pagan under one roof until the split!

A Latvian woman in her 50’s has a better chance of getting struck by lightning or winning the lottery than she does finding a good man locally; so she kept him around.


It’s their life, they can do whatever they please. Outside of Uldis’ sexual pecadillos, he was a very kind, considerate man that I grew to like....but respect is an entirely different matter! I’ve never understood the “cherry picking” of Christians toward the commandments that they deemed essential for salvation. Drinking sends you to Hell, but fornication evidently doesn’t. I’ve got news for all of these “cherry pickers” (this time pun is intended); fornicators will be tossed into the Lake of Fire according to the scriptures!

The occasion that reminded me of Uldis was yesterday, my wife’s sister graduated from High School. Uldis cringed whenever alcohol was present in any gathering. He didn’t want it around and tried to make those uncomfortable or guilty that put their lips to the bottle. We tried to respect Uldis wishes by not provoking him, but he sure made things tense! After all, in a family atmosphere one makes adjustments for the common good. To this day, I rarely drink so it wasn’t much of an adjustment for me to abstain from alcohol.

It was nice to pop the corks yesterday for the special occasion without the guilt trip. Cheers Uldis!

Shit-throwing Christians & the pseudo-nun

clicking the title above will bring you to the website post of Juris Kaza

Visit Juris' Thoughts From Latvia Blog!

If this post were made into a film, it would have to go down as a “cult classic!” Everita and I laughted so hard at the pathetic local homophobic Latvian Neanderthals of the article! Juris hasn’t “stretched” anything here, local people can be real animals when someone else is different than they are! In the absence of public campaigns against homophobia, and other human rights deviations, I want to bring to you a re-post of a 2006 Juris Kaza blog about a bizarre case of extreme homophobia! If Latvia wants a good image, it needs to act like a democracy and join the rest of the free-world by addressing its societal problems! Some of us are tired of taking the hits and are not going to silently suffer anymore! When your politicians and media starts to cover these things, we won’t have to!

To the Latvian Christians that took part in this, you have disgraced Christ! Have you no shame? Moreover, don’t try to patronize me by saying that we should have kept this “unfortunate episode in house! That is a big part of the problem, humanity is in short supply here and keeping quiet about it only helps the deviant! Below, I have listed a few other reasons behind posting the article!

1. Latvia’s neighbor Lithuania has just pissed on freedom of speech and expression. See “Gay Education Ban Voted in” http://www.baltictimes.com/news/articles/23065/ The two countries are “tight” and the same thinking goes on here in Latvia. Juris’ article documents Latvia’s hysteria!
2. I have a little history with the minister whom had the feces hurled at him, Juris Calitis . I have the highest respect for the man! I don’t claim to know him all that well, we are not close at all; but in my estimation he and his family are one of the finest examples of what a Christian should be. He is one of the best human beings that I have ever met!
3. This is just another example of the travesty of human rights and democracy in a post-communist society that does these things while holding membership in the EU! If Latvia desires recognition of being a real democracy, start acting like one!
4. I caught an older woman that has caused us much grief here in Ogre (newspaper and dog feces) walking along our fence well over a year ago. She had a plastic Maxima grocery bag and was tossing something towards my yard. I shined the flashlight upon her, but didn’t notice any cans or bottles in my yard and I just marked it off as another weird Ogre episode! But the next day, I noticed more of the mysterious dog feces in my yard. This time in that area where the tossing motion occurred! Keep in mind, I have no dog and the only way dog feces could get into my yard was if someone hurled it over my fence! I had originally met this woman when her dog squatted in my yard (prior to our installing a fence..must have been Feb or Mar 2007.) My raised voice disturbed the dog midstream and we conversed the best we could with the language barrier. She proceeded to show me her doggie doo pick-up baggie and told me she always cleans behind her dog. So when I read Juris article here, I started to wonder if this crazy “female” (can’t rightly call her a lady) might be associated with all of this! I know she collects dog poo and has thrown it towards people she is upset with!
5. Just like an onion, keep peeling and they will eventually come for folks like me (if we don’t stand for human rights NOW)!
6. I have helped Christian groups a few times here in downtown Ogre, despite this they have caused us some grief. One of their ministers with an American connection is tight with the local Ogre Doma criminal enterprise. I was kind enough to provide the electricity for their PA system in the summers of 2007 & 2008. When they exceeded the 10PM agreement we had, I politely asked this “reverend” to stick to the agreement and turn the volume down because it was making my old windows rattle with the heavy bass. He got indignant with my reasonable request and marched right into Dome. The city then hooked him up with electricity in just a few hours! I would like to know if the city ultimately paid for the evangelism on the public’s tab? Another minister that I referred to in the Egalitarian Myth page has had dinner with the corrupt ex-Municipal police chief that has caused us GREAT GRIEF! That guy should be rotting in jail! Now, I have pictures in my procession where the coffee shop in front of their “mission home” has been permitted to open for business WITHOUT A PUBLIC BATHROOM. You see, we were discriminated against and told that for some reason we had to have something (bathroom) that others were not required to have! We did this and haven’t been allowed, they didn’t and have been making money! The fundies and others got permission, the humanist (me) was denied…..call it discrimination, xenophobia, protectionism or whatever. We cannot get justice within Latvia!!!
7. Image is one thing Latvian’s care about! Yet who is speaking out against homophobia, xenophobia, corruption or other critical issues?

Brian Worley has written this blog post.

New Post by Juris Kaza

clicking the title above will bring you to the website post

I want to introduce a Latvian-American journalist, Juris Kaza.
Juris has a good pulse upon Latvian society, he writes about many things that are important in life and I encourage you to visit his blog Free Speech Latvia.blogspot . The website re-post of Juris article was originally posted upon his blog on May 28, 2008. Here is the link, be sure to visit the comments following the article! Latvians Love Hate Speech, Hate Free Speech
Now I suspect that some in the US, Canada and the UK might not be that interested in what is happening in Latvia. You might even question if I have temporarily lost my focus. After all, isn’t this supposed to be a blog/website about what is wrong in the Christian world?

I would answer by saying that stories like this illustrate the difference between an atheist website (which Ex-Minister isn’t) and a humanist’s website (Ex-Minister is a secular humanist website). Plus, I want to remind you that you should be grateful to live in a society where freedom, democracy, and human rights are understood and cherished. Life isn’t the same when these liberties are missing! In environments like these, gravity has a way to bring one back to focus upon the most pressing issues of our day!

To those that have questioned my recent examining of xenophobia and Latvian issues, I am asking you to look at attitudes within our own society towards Christians. Christian’s aren’t our enemies! When one has a bad attitude towards Christians, one should look within asking if they have subliminal xenophobia tendencies that need to be addressed?

My time here in Latvia has taught me that people aren’t that aware of xenophobia and often don’t recognize it quickly enough to do something about it! I would say that people are reactive to these problems rather than proactive; but can one be proactive if one isn’t alert or untouched by those in peril?

Juris has written an excellent article here and ends it with a very interesting viewpoint in the last paragraph. Stay tuned, because there will be another post from Juris coming soon (dealing with homophobia) that would raise the blood pressure of any decent human being!

PS: Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty has recently addressed the xenophobic problem of Post-Communist societies as well
http://www.rferl.org/content/Postcommunist_Societies_Remain_Acutely_Susceptible_To_Racism/1748366.html

Good Job Rev. Morgan!

from Brian
See the Yahoo story: N. Ireland Church Harbors...

I admit to being somewhat of a pragmatist; if someone's religion makes them a better person then I don't want to "disrespect" the humanitarian good that they do! So after reading this story link above, let me be the first secular humanist to pat the Rev. Malcolm Morgan on the back. No sarcasm here, I'm sincere about this!

The racist (xenophobic) attacks are a dispicable display of cruel humanity! Cudo's to the mayor Naomi Long for condeming the attacks! I'm glad to see Yahoo post a story, even if they acknowledge a good deed of a minister! Europe is ASLEEP to integration problems, trust me I know! Good to see that a few in Europe understand that xenophobia attacks are wrong and that they were stirred to action. It would be nice if they sent a delegation to the host of organizations upon the website's front page "Scorecard" that sit on their obtuse asses and ignore the life threatening problems here in Latvia!

OT Scriptures Given by Inspiration of God?

from Bill Henness

The purpose of this work is to show the fallacy of the two verses that fundamentalists put most of their faith in. I will forgo all the verses that give conflicting numbers because they will explain those errors are due to scribal mistakes in copying. These following verses are from the New Scofield K.J.V. and they will be only conflicting statements, which cannot possibly be explained away as copyist errors, but are clearly two opposite statements.

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." (II Tim. 3:16,17)

All the following scriptures show that "all scripture" could not have been "given by inspiration of God," because they are conflicting statements.

1. "And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Paddanaram unto LABAN, SON OF BETHUEL the Syrian, the BROTHER of Rebehah, Jacob and Esau's mother." (Gen. 28:5)
or
"And he said unto them, know ye LABAN, THE SON OF NAHOR? And they said, we know him." (Gen. 29:5)

2. "And when Saul INQUIRED of the LORD. The LORD answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets." (I Sam. 28:6)
or
"And he (Saul) INQUIRED NOT of the LORD; therefore, he (God) slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David, the son of Jesse." (I Chron. 10:14)

3. "And OUT OF THE TRIBE OF DAN, Eltekeh with its suburbs, Gibbethon with its suburbs, AIJALON with its suburbs, GATH-RIMMON with its suburbs; four cities." (Josh. 21:23,24)
or
"And they gave unto them, of the cities of refuge, Shechem in the hill country of EPHRAIM with its suburbs;... And AIJALON with its suburbs, and GATH-RIMMON with its suburbs." (I Chron. 6:67,69)

4. "And his servants carried him (Josiah) in a chariot DEAD FROM MEGIDDO, and brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own sepulcher." (II Kings 23:30)
or
"And they brought him (Josiah) to JERUSALEM, and he DIED, and was buried in one of the sepulchers of his fathers." (II Chron. 35:24)

5. "The wicked have made a snare for me; yet I ERRED NOT from thy precepts." (Ps. 119:110)
or
"I have GONE ASTRAY like a lost sheep..." (v. 176)

6. "And the Philistines were gathered together into a troop, where was a plot of ground full of LENTILS...But HE stood in the midst of the plot and defended it." (II Sam. 23:11,12)
or
"...the Philistines were gathered together to battle, where was a plot of ground full of BARLEY;... and THEY stood in the midst of the plot, and defended it..." (I Chron. 11:13,14)

7. "And these be the names of those that were born unto him IN JERUSALEM; Shammua, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon, and Ibhar, and Elishua: and Nepheg, and Japhia, and Elishama, and Eliada, and Eliphelet." (II Sam. 5:14,15)
or
"And these were born unto him IN JERUSALEM: Shimea, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon,... and Ibbar, and Elishama, and ELIPHELET, NOGAH, and Nepheg, and Japhia, and Elishama, and Eliada, and Eliphelet..." (I Chron. 3:5-8) (Note: two with the same name also Eliphelet.)

8. "ANSWER NOT a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him." (Prov. 26:4)
or
"ANSWER a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit." (Prov. 26:5)

9. "And in the fifth year of Joram, the son of Ahab, king of Israel, JEHOSHAPHAT being then king of JUDAH,..." (II Kings 8:16)
or
"...; all these were the sons of JEHOSHAPHAT, king of ISRAEL." (II Chron. 21:2)

10. "By these were the borders of the nations divided in their lands; EVERY ONE AFTER HIS TONGUE, after their families, in their nations." (Gen. 10:5)
or
"And the whole earth was of ONE LANGUAGE, and of ONE SPEECH." (Gen. 11:1)

11. "And OUT OF THE GROUND the LORD God formed EVERY BEAST OF THE FIELD, and EVERY FOWL OF THE AIR;..." (Gen. 2:19)
or
"And God said, Let the WATERS BRING FORTH abundantly THE MOVING CREATURE that hath life, and FOWL that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven." (Gen. 1:20)

12. "And ASA did that which was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God; for HE TOOK AWAY the alters of the strange gods, and THE HIGH PLACES, and broke down the images, and cut down the groves." (II Chron. 14:2,3)
or
"But THE HIGH PLACES WERE NOT TAKEN AWAY out of Israel; nevertheless, the heart of ASA was perfect all his days." (II Chron. 15:17)

13. "And his (Jehoshaphat) heart was lifted up in the ways of the LORD; moreover, HE TOOK AWAY THE HIGH PLACES and groves out of Judah." (II Chron. 17:6)
or
"Howbeit, THE HIGH PLACES WERE NOT TAKEN AWAY; for as yet the people had not prepared their hearts unto the god of their fathers." (II Chron. 20:33) see also I Kings 22:43.

14. "THOU (God) art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and CANST NOT LOOK ON INIQUITY;..." (Hab. 1:13)
or
"The EYES OF THE LORD ARE in every place, beholding THE EVIL and the good." (Prov. 15:3)
"For MINE EYES ARE UPON all their ways; they are not hidden from my face, NEITHER IS THEIR INIQUITY HIDDEN FROM MINE EYES." (Jer. 16:17)

15. "And the house of Israel called the name thereof MANNA: and it was like coriander seed, white; and THE TASTE OF IT WAS LIKE WAFERS MADE WITH HONEY." (Ex. 16:31)
or
"And the people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it; and THE TASTE OF IT WAS AS THE TASTE OF FRESH OIL." (Num. 11:8)

16. "And there was WAR between ASA and Baasha, king of Israel, ALL THEIR DAYS." (I Kings 15:16)
or
"...; and ASA, his son, reigned in his stead. In his days THE LAND WAS QUIET TEN YEARS." (II Chron. 14:1)

17. "For his (God's) ANGER ENDURETH BUT A MOMENT;..." (Ps. 30:5)
or
"...; for ye have kindled a fire in MINE (God's) ANGER, WHICH SHALL BURN FOREVER." (Jer. 17:4)

So, is it true that, "all scripture is given by inspiration of God?" If it is, why would God inspire men to write conflicting statements?
This concludes the O.T. conflicting statements, but is by no means all of them.
Bill Henness

Inside track ... Not

Sports teams pray and players bow their heads asking for the help of divine intervention ... I think I could not participate if I found myself in that situation ...

I recall that recently my son Aaron received an email from his boss at work declaring that the company prayer list included the salvation of staff like Aaron as well as financial blessing to grow the company ... well soon after that email the company had all orders canceled the morning after Chrysler went into bankruptcy ... so much for those prayers ... oh I know that one could say that the prayers were still answered and that a better future for that "godly" company is just over the horizon but ... yeah whatever ...

I guess I just find it amazing that the thought is prevalent among sports teams as well as business people that somehow they have a connection to supernatural powers that put them above the competition ...

I won't even get into the dilemma that would put the big guy in the sky if he were to choose the Orlando Magic over the LA Lakers ... which reportedly was what the center for the Magic told the media ... well that worked out like about as smoothly as me entering the US Open this weekend and beating Tiger Woods ... yeah right ... maybe it is just me and my cynical outlook these days ... but I really do get weary of seeing the players on a baseball team take a knee and pray and then during the game point to the sky and cross themselves if they hit a home run as if to say "hey god thanks for answering my prayers over the other teams prayers, I always knew our team and especially yours truly had an inside track with you" ... or something like that ...

Ya know the bible does say that the rain falls on the good the bad and the ugly all the same ... well that's my version of it anyway ... and then there is all the superstition found in baseball that makes me almost as sick ... it's just another idiotic way to get help from the baseball gods who do not exist ... well I have typed enough of my cranky thoughts for the morning ... hey maybe I should just cut off the TV and not look at the sports highlights and go take my morning walk ... yeah that would be better ... and no ya can't cast out calories like some charismatics still think they can ... ya just need to stop the intake and get your gluteus maximus moving and burn those calories like everyone else ...

PS I wonder if anyone at the poker table had prayed for good cards when Aaron took home about 600 bucks last night ... I know Aaron did not ... he just played good poker and whipped everybody's royal posteriors again ;) ... and I surely did not pray but still won 220 bucks on a 20 dollar investment as well as 87 bucks on a .25 investment this week at the Elks ... man it has been a good week to be a prayer-less Schoch ...

From Prison to the Pulpit

from Brian

See the Yahoo story:
“Prison seminary program gives inmates 2nd chance”

Wow, I found this story extremely interesting! On one hand, you have the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) that won’t take precautionary measures to help shield it’s churches from pedophiles; TIME ranks Southern Baptists' rejection of sex-offender database as a top "underreported" news story of 2008
and here they are training cons or ex-cons for future potential Christian ministry. Perhaps I should drink a few Long Island Ice Teas to get me in the dulled state of mind like the SBC to comprehend what exactly they are seeking to do?

It's plain to see what the SBC’s leadership has in mind! For one thing, are they seeking to fill future shortages of church workers with these ex-cons? If not, then they are being disingenuous with the prisoners!

Seems the SBC inserted a few words to Luke 14:23 that states “go into the highways and hedges” AND PRISONS and compel them to come in that my house may be filled.” This is pure evangelism rather than training ministers! First off, does the SBC need an ex-minister to remind them of the standards of men that are candidates for the ministry? Evidently so! These men wouldn’t be blameless as Titus 1: 5-9 requires them to be! Not just any man is qualified to become a minister; the Biblical entrance standards are very high!

What in the Hell is going on at SBC’s headquarters? From my vantage point, it doesn’t appear that they are THAT concerned with protecting it’s membership or with being faithful to the book that they say they so believe in! Hypocrites!

Just like the blog article I previously wrote concerning “Hookers for Jesus”, this is another case where I’m certain that a “placebo” does work sometimes. Both of these ministries dwell with folks that carry heavy loads of guilt. The odds of success for them are rather high! I for one am happy that prison's cultures are seeing positive results from the religion “placebo” pill. But let’s get something straight; evangelicals should be exposed for “cross dressing” when they try to sell these ministries as secular enterprises!

The churches or organizations shouldn’t be granted any “faith based initiative” money for evangelical purposes! They already get away with robbing the public via their tax-exempt status!

A Cup of Coffee with "Brother Greg"

from
"Brother Greg"

Emotional difficulties of leaving the ministry.

As someone who also left the ministry some 27 years ago, even after all
these years, I still am haunted by my experiences with it. When I look back
on how I first got wrapped up in a fundamentalist form of Christianity, it
began with a religious experience I had during a weekend Christian "retreat"
for high school students. I was asking myself whether there really is some
sort of God who exists and has any concern for me. I called out to this
unknown being, and suddenly felt waves of gentle energy passing through me.

The experience was powerful, wonderful, and bewildering and I needed some
time and space to reflect for myself on what I had experienced. But the
Christians around me were arrogantly self-assured about how I should
understand my private experience that it had to do with Jesus "entering my
life" and with his becoming my "lord and savior," and that in response to
my experience, I needed to start reading the Bible, attending worship
services, and cleaning up my lifestyle. It's easier, many years later,
to understand the emotional pressures an evangelizing crowd can create
to sweep a young student into the gnarly arms of a rather alien set
of beliefs and life choices.

I look back on it, and I see an organized religion that played on my fears
of mortality by offering a promise of eternal life. It kept me in line by
using that promise to pressure me into following the conventions of the
religion, which mostly served to reinforce the personal morality ideals of
American suburban life, including certain values about politics, marriage,
sexuality, careers, and material goods, etc. the things that make a
society feel more secure about itself.

Soon after I graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary, which followed
four years majoring in religious studies at Yale University, I decided to
stop the process of getting ordained. And later I decided to get away from
Christianity altogether. I don't think my decision to leave the faith was
so much an intellectual one as it was an emotional one. It was the result of
no longer asking "What's the truth about who is God?" or "What's the evidence
regarding whether God exists?" but of asking, "What is the motivation for
believing in God?" I felt that a lot of the motivation was fear of mortality, of having no purpose in life, and of loneliness. I could see that I was very fearful about these things, and knew I would no longer be able to hide under "faith" to push these fears away. The big tradeoff was a feeling of enormous liberation. I felt I could begin to really feel my interactions with people, not as I thought I "ought" to feel them, but as I really felt.

I had felt incredibly stifled by the heavy focus, especially from
fundamentalists and so-called "evangelical" Christians, on the personal
moral demands of being a Christian. It seemed like I could spend my whole
life worrying about doing "good" things like smiling at people, saying
nice things, and doing nice deeds while avoiding "bad" things like drinking,
getting angry, having sex outside of marriage (I was single), and enjoying
other sensual pleasures. Christianity had seemed harsh and overwhelmingly
restrictive, a way to keep me away from ever getting a full sense of what
it feels like to be human.

I think a big part of what had helped give me an ability to more
critically assess the Christian ethos I had entered was my love of songs. I
grew up at a time when a great deal of wonderful music and powerfully
poetic song lyrics flooded the airwaves. I taught myself to play guitar,
and then I taught myself to write songs. I believed I could become an
excellent songwriter, if I kept working at it. The problem I faced, as
a Christian, was feeling pressure to write "Christian" songs either hymns
or songs with some sort of proselytizing message. I resisted the pressure
to do this. I really wanted to write songs simply about people and real
feelings. I wanted to write about what I really felt rather than about what
I thought I "ought" to feel. I think this helped me really develop as a
songwriter, and it helped me question the imposition of restraining,
biblical language on my thoughts and feelings. It helped me a great deal,
in creating some distance from Christianity, to stick to my own convictions
about writing songs and story-songs that were true to experience. I continue
to value this area of deep creativity in my life. If you want, you can hear
some of my songs at:
Brother Greg Returns, or you can purchase "Brother Greg" songs through
Amazon.com, iTunes, and CDbaby.com.

I found that once I decided to abandon the ministry, it took awhile to
then abandon Christianity. For months, I kept on attending church services. I
still wanted some connection with it. But then, as I became emotionally
more confident about facing my fears of living in the world with no Christian
God, I found myself feeling increasingly liberated. For awhile, I found
myself doing all the things I felt were forbidden by my former faith,
including drinking, trying psychedelic drugs, having sex (I wasn't
married).

One of my biggest fears, after leaving the ministry, was that I had no
real options to make a living, because all I was trained to do was to be a
minister. I can imagine that many ministers who would like to leave the
ministry are frightened by a lack of other career options. It took me a
year to figure this out, grateful for being able to hold down a relatively
simple and low-paying job, as I sorted through the options. I decided I liked
writing, and I decided to pursue a career in publishing by attending a
graduate school for journalism. Since then, I've become a medical writer
and editor. For awhile, I wrote for and then managed a couple of medical
magazines, and later I went freelance. I have found the field interesting,
and it has provided a good way to earn a living.

Another difficulty about leaving the ministry, of course, was having to
announce my decision to my family and to the various people who had known
me as a Christian headed for the ministry. My mother thought I was wasting
time looking to return to school to find another occupation. My father thought
I had shown some promise as a minister and should reconsider it. Even an
instructor at the seminary thought I was worrying too much about what I
believed in and should reconsider the ministry with reduced expectations
about the meaning of it. It was hard, sometimes, to remind myself that I
had to live my own life according to my own needs and beliefs.

I still wonder about the religious experience I had in high school I don't
deny the strong memory of it; I just admit that I don't really know just
what happened then. Admitting to uncertainty has been my most honest
response, and I can live with it. I have some private thoughts about it,
but I admit these are just speculations.

***A note from Brian***

Brother Greg got me thinking about "fringe" cases. Although technically
Greg never made it into the ministry but just the threshold of it. His
story nevertheless is compelling! I might also add that he was wiser
than I was!

So whenever there is a future "fringe" case, if the story is a good one I
will post it onto the blog with the introductory saying...
A Cup of Coffee with...

Eyes on - hands off - when in Rome!

from Paul Benedict

to read the Telegraph's "Sun, sand and a solitary cell" article!)

I have returned from a week's lecturing in Dubai and have read the Daily Telegraph story about two women and their partners facing the wrath of Shariah law because they were reportedly cohabiting outside of a legally sanctioned marriage and, in the case of one pair, they were "doing it" on the beach. Another couple had been reported to the police by a husband whose wife had left him for the arms of another.
It would appear that adultery is not allowed in Dubai - unless those involved are prepared to face the full force of religious law.
Hmmm ... one wonders whether Shariah law applies when the followers of Islam use 5 Star Hotels in the UK; studying at UK universities and colleges and just seeing the sights (oo-la-la!). One wonders whether the strict ban on alcohol applies when in the UK? One wonders ... just wonders - that is all!

Paul Benedict

Taking the Cake

from Brian

Espionage has played an important role down through history. Good spies are never caught; great ones don’t even draw suspicion! But the story of a local prison chaplain sure takes the cake!

Seems that the holy chaplain tried to get a cell phone to a prisoner by inserting it into a cake. Big mistake, because he never made it past the guards! I’ve often said that the ministry can be a cover for those with character issues, this was just another example!

Good to know that the halo effect is dissipating in society. People are getting wise to clerical manipulation. Case in point, one of the more popular pages upon the website is the Missionaries are Colonialists. I had learned this truth about 20 years ago. When I saw the article, I went after it because that was an excellent truth being told in the article.

Virginia, my friend from Hong Kong Atheist website also mentioned this in the interview we did together (you can see it on the website archives page or the blog archives). Plainly stated, the ministry can provide a respectability cover for naïve folks to overlook.

There are good and bad ministers, I can tell you that I will rarely give a minister the benefit of the doubt if they have been in the ministry for longer than say a 10 year period. Why? Because either they are trapped, not so bright or alert and should know or at least suspect that they are peddling something questionable! The ones I really love to talk with are the old timers that have grown accustomed to “getting a free clergy pass.” When you deny them their indulgences and they give you that look. When you are a former clergy THEY KNOW THAT YOU KNOW and from what I see it really bothers them to have the thought cross their minds that we have reached a moment of elevated consciousness. Pure conviction without a holy ghost!!! Trust me, the feeling is priceless!

Brian

Preaching Straight Through the Bible

Maybe I Shouldn't Have Preached Straight Through the Bible?
from Jim Schoch

Maybe the problem along the way to where I am today had something to do with preaching through the entire bible ... I got stuck on things that made no sense to me and were equally unbelievable to my father in law ...

Things like murder by the hundreds and thousands by god's chosen people or directly by god himself ... ya know the stories as well as I do ... lets see ... ummm the killing of thousands upon thousands of first born sons when ole Mo man led the people out of Egypt ... holy %$#@!... innocent kids killed by this god ... and then all the soldiers that god drowned in the red sea ... were all the soldiers not just obeying orders? what about their wives and children now left fatherless by this act of god ... really made them want to worship that god eh? ...

And then there are all the nations that god told his chosen ones to go ahead and murder along the way to the promised land ... yeah right ... oh yes and this god is the same yesterday, today and forever and lest we think it is only the old testament god ya need to keep in mind the couple that dropped dead in church at the feet of good ole saint Pete ... yeah he (god) has not changed too much ...

Now Jesus seemed a bit unlike his father since he killed no person in his 33 years here but he said he was just like his father and to know him was to know his father ... yeah confusing stuff here folks ... it never quite made logical sense to this boy ... yeah that god in thee old testament was not only satisfied to kill those wicked women and children of evil nations he would just as quickly step up to the plate and send a killer plague to thin out the herd of his own sheep too ... hummm ...

It is not hard to see where people get confused about this loving god has your best future in mind ... maybe I have just been out of the ministry too long and have forgotten all the answers to these stories ... maybe someone could shed some light for this wayward soul ... perhaps ;)

Giving Thanks for Food

from Bill Henness

Most Christians and some non-Christians make a habit of thanking their tribal god of the Hebrews for their daily food. On the surface this sounds good, but, lets look at it a little deeper.

Believers in general, believe that their god, at the very least, makes it possible for them to have enough food. So, they thank him for doing so. Some go so far as to believe their god gives them each and every thing they have. So, what so bad about that?

Lets look at it with reason.
#1 If God makes it possible for some to have enough food, then he also makes it impossible for others to have any food.
Most believers would not admit that their god makes it impossible for some to have any food, and therefore starve. This, they say, would be out of character for God.
#2 So, if, according to this kind of reasoning, if god does not make it impossible for some to have food, then, he doesn't make it possible for others to have enough food.
#3 If God doesn't make it possible for some to have enough food, then, why thank him? If, on the other hand, God does make it possible for some to have food, then, he also, makes it impossible for others to have any. We can't have it only one way. It is either one way or the other.
The next time someone starts to give thanks for their food, don't dare bring up this question. But, you will probably think about it.

Bill Henness (1 Cor. 13:11)

Banana Republic Ahead for Latvia?

from Brian Worley,

(click "to read the Baltic Times story!”)

Is the writing on the wall for Latvia, or is it merely a label stuck upon some bananas? If you are not familiar with the term "Banana Republic” please see the Wikipedia definition . I love Latvia, but I do not like what I am seeing emerge here.

I had recently posted “Latvia: Giving Democracy a Bad Name” upon the website. The article tells of our personal story showing how corruption, disregard for human rights and protectionism of the market gives democracy a bad name!

Sure, “things happen” in the business world, but perhaps a subliminal message was being sent via bananas? You would think that a grocery store chain that most likely has many employees whom speak Russian would have noticed this PRIOR to displaying the bananas for sale; wouldn’t you? Why would any business want to “rub” the wounds within Latvia by displaying a hammer and sickle sticker upon anything? To those unfamiliar with the history here, Russia has had an intermittent history of occupying Latvia with the latest episode ending with Latvia’s regaining it’s sovereignty in 1991.

The Maxima grocery chain should be super sensitive to these matters, especially if it cares about the Latvian public. We choose to avoid businesses which we consider to have ethical “challenges,” this being another confirmation that we were originally correct when summarizing Maxima! Reading the insulting patronization of the third paragraph where Ivars Andins states “If it is not our merchandise, it is also not our doing …” is quite telling about Maxima's smug attitude within the Latvian marketplace.

Mr. Andins, those bananas were your merchandise that Maxima received and displayed! What your really saying is that your company doesn’t carefully monitor what you put upon your shelves! Furthermore, it would be nice if responsibility were taken and that the protectionism within this marketplace was lifted so that more responsible business enterprises could cut into your “protected” percentage of the marketplace.

Maxima, I find this incident most despicable! Mistakes happen to everyone but it seems that some just can’t avoid slipping upon “banana” peels!

The spider builds the web!

How about A FEW THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY?

Christianity thrives on the phrase, "Thus says the Lord" and this mind-boggling statement derives from the Bible, that is declared to be the word of God (the Christian god).
My book, EVANGELICALISM, ANOTHER HALLUCINOGENIC (Chapters 6 and 7) the history, compilation and unreliablity of the Bible is noted. The book is available on Amazon.com.
The Bible is not guarded and supported by logic, proven concepts and relevancy but my aeons of sentimentality.
The Bible can be likened to the spider that builds a sticky doctrinal web. The latter then entraps the uninformed into a veritable jungle of confusing and contradictory statements - each of which emphasises, "Thus says the Lord" (sic). Its many arrogant claims are not only unproveable but also illogical.
Christianity comprises not only the delusional web of doctrinal chaos but supremely the avaricious appetite of the spider.
When we clean house we often remove the spider webs but unless the spider is despatched the problem remains.
Get rid of the spider and voila - Christianity with its web of deceit and confusion will be no more!

Paul Benedict

Thoughts on Hookers For Jesus

From Brian Worley

click the title above for the Hookers for Jesus Home Page

First let me congratulate Annie Lobert 'Hooker For Jesus' and Oz Fox upon their marriage! Hang with me here if you can tolerate a secularist that would avoid the satire of some low hanging fruit that would be easy pickings if one were so wanting to take some jabs at what some would see as Christian exploitation. I took a “shot” the other day upon the blog about the Kentucky pastor, but I think that this one should be given a satirical reprieve. Why? The big picture here is humanity and the lack thereof.

Please note chosen selections from the Hookers for Jesus (H4J) website “About Us” page below where I have copied and highlighted (in the bold-faced print) sections where they discuss the what, when, where and why of their ministry!

Excepts from the Hookers For Jesus Website


Hookers for Jesus is an international, faith-based organization that addresses the realities of human sex trafficking, sexual violence, and exploitation linked to pornography and the sex industry. While we are committed to abolishing human sex trafficking on a global scale, our urban ministry outreach, community awareness, and transitional programs are based out of Las Vegas, Nevada.

We are a grassroots organization founded in January of 2005, birthed from the heart of Annie Lobért. She is the founder of the ministry and the force behind the concept of reaching out to the sex industry that ensures the success of the organization.

Our vision includes promoting spiritual, emotional, and physical wellness in the lives of those who have been affected by sexual trauma and related forms of abuse in the adult entertainment industry. Our mission focuses on abolishing international and domestic human sex trafficking. To that end, we network with like-minded organizations on a local, national, and global scale.

Our efforts include loving and accepting everybody, REGARDLESS of their past or current lifestyle and encouraging them to achieve their FULL potential! There will be no judgment. It is our heart’s desire that our friends that are working as sex workers would be released from their past and healed through a personal love relationship with Jesus Christ. To that end, we are committed to going wherever God leads us in order to bring freedom to those that remain in this lifestyle. Whether it be in the casinos, the street, the escort services, the strip clubs, the night clubs … we are willing to go where no one has gone before to let them know that God loves them no matter what ... and that they can come to church to establish a true relationship with God, regardless of what current lifestyle they are living.

End of the H4J website selection


Secular Attitudes Towards People Whom Take Different Routes to Solve Social Issues of the Day

Let me be the first secularist to publicly state that I wish them well and hope to see them be successful in their endeavours! Now, I just know that at least a dozen atheists and sceptics just about croaked upon hearing me deliver my last line!!!

Why should anyone object to seeing someone venture back into a community where they once dwelt when they stand a decent chance of succeeding? What is worse in your eyes? Seeing another new Christian convert or another person still trapped within the sex industry?

Sure, I already know that you will ask would they be willing to go without Jesus? To me, it doesn’t matter as long as they go and lines between church and state separation are not crossed!

There are many doors into the sexual underground. When you live in a poor country like Latvia that has plenty of thin beautiful women that are naïve enough to believe an advertisement for “modelling or foreign jobs, etc.”, they take the plunge and get sucked into the world. Sure, they were naïve and often pay a price for their lack of good judgement.

Getting the women, children and men out in the best way possible becomes a “beach ball” battered back and forth between the priests, philosophers, police, politicians about rescuing modern day slaves. Sure we all know that this is a great problem needing a remedy, but what is the best prescription?

I think that pragmatism should color our thinking more so than personal preferences in this matter! I see the saints offering their “Jesus pill” and many secularists rightfully question the prescription! In my opinion as a secularist, all that religion can truly offer is merely a placebo! In my rational mind, placebos shouldn’t work but sometimes they do! But in my humanist mind, if their ministry does indeed get some out of the mess that they are in (and it probably has) then they should be saluted for their efforts and accomplishments! It shouldn’t matter if we agree with their route of extraction!

I often like to talk about things that many don’t want to discuss! This is a golden opportunity to ask those that do not believe in the supernatural a question. Although most of us share a disdain for religious remedies. “Do you think that the world would be a better place if “Hooker’s For Jesus Ministries” wasn’t around?

I for one don’t!

An Explanation of Salvation

from Bill Henness

I realize there will be many zealots who will rise up in righteous indignation and disagree with me, however, if you have any tolerance for opposing views, please hear me out.

To begin with, almost everyone, at some time in their lives, have heard phrases like, "god in heaven," "get to heaven," "Jesus Christ," "hell," "get saved," "get religion," "Christian," etc.. the masses of people don't know any theology or the doctrines of the Bible, but they have heard bits and pieces of religious talk. Virtually everyone grows up just being themselves, which includes their faults, weaknesses, and ignorance.

Now I'll try to show a cross section of humanity, and their encounter with, "God."

Take Fred as an example of an ordinary guy, who cusses, drinks some beer, drives an old truck with country music on the radio, goes out with whatever girls he can, and is one of the "good ole boys."

In the back of Fred's mind he knows he does wrong, and some right, like church people. Fred has his share of troubles in life also. Let's say he has a near fatal accident, which causes him to do some serious thinking about the values of life.

Someone invites him to come to church with them, and he does. Every thing Fred holds as positive and good and true, is in the Church service. He hears the gospel and understands it. He hears about the dynamic power of God that is available to anyone who trusts Jesus as their savior. Sounds OK so far, huh? Fred walks the isle and is later baptized.

Let me explain what went on in Fred's mind.When he accepted the Bible as his rule book, he believes it is what he was told, God's Word. He is taught that Christ (the Holy Spirit) has come into his heart. He is taught all his sins have been forgiven. He is taught he now has a new nature. All these things he must be taught.

Now here is the crux. All of this positive reinforcement that he now has, gives him a very strong positive attitude now.

Fred now has the inner strength to stop drinking beer and smoking and cussing. Nothing has changed physically, but he now believes there is strength within him (in the Lord.)

Whenever he is tempted to his old ways, all he has to do is reinforce himself again with what he was taught and which he believes implicitly to be the infinite power of God. Actually, he now has all of his own inner strengths at work which were triggered by his "conversion" to God.

Another example is that of a good moral person like Joan. Joan was brought up in a moral home, taken to church on occasion, and has a nice personality. She has a couple of secret habits that she cannot brake, but apart from that, she's a nice girl. She has tried to brake her bad habits often, but cannot do it for any length of time.

Joan hears the old time gospel preached in a dogmatic manner one Sunday morning when she went with a friend to her church.

Joan has heard all her life that there is a God, that bad people do not go to heaven, that Christ was the savior, etc.. She believed Christianity as the real, right, ultimate way to live, so, that morning, being under conviction because of her life being compared to everything pure, she did what she was told and went forward. She admitted to all the preacher said to her. He showed her in the bible, if she would confess and pray, God would save her and the power of God would come into her life. She does.

Now the same thing that happened in Fred, now happens in Joan. Because of what she is taught and what she has always believed about God and the Bible, she now believes she has the ultimate power of god in her. She now has the motivation to brake her secret habits. She is so overjoyed with this new motivation, she now wants to show her appreciation to God by teaching a Sunday School class of kids. Her pleasant personality helps her to look like a real good Christian.

Joan already was a pretty good person, except for her bad habits. But now, because she believes she has God in her heart, she can overcome these also. And besides, if you can't overcome a couple of bad habits with God helping and enabling you -- but she can because she believes she can.

To suggest to her that she had the inner strength all the while, she would never accept, but now that she has the motivation (Christ in her) she can.

I guess what ever it takes to turn on your inner positive powers will do for you, what you, without it could never do.

This is how it may work, when a person turns to God. He is the ultimate power, so we all believe. You must have the power over sins now that you have God and all His power. Besides, if you still can't overcome some fault, it's a bad reflection on God, and Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.

In reality, I think, a person simply needs something to motivate them, like anything they believe is power and strength. the strength to do all of this comes, I think, from within themselves. They just need some positive belief to trigger their own inner powers.

It seems to me, everything about salvation, Christianity, etc., is mystical. It's all in your mind. If it's not in your mind, it's not there.

Did you ever see God answer prayer, apart from human help? I mean completely without any person's help. Like, a miracle from God? No?

It seems to me that everything that happens in life, that is not physical, is in the mind.

Show & Tell in Kentucky...bring a gun!

from Brian Worley

Hey everybody, go to Ken Pagano’s church on the Fourth of July in Kentucky for an adult version of the second grade game/event we used to love as kids…called show and tell! See the Yahoo story. Fat chance that you would get to meet God the Father or Jesus the Son but in an Assemblies of God church there is a good chance that you might get a visit from the Holy Ghost! Your chances of meeting Smith & Wesson are excellent though!

Talk about shameless promotions, I will give the guy credit for originality! What, will he next have a naked couple performing sex to illustrate creation? That would draw a crowd as well!

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a lover of the second amendment but is this what one is supposed to be going to church for? It is too bad that the good people of Kentucky already have to bear the brunt of a good many jokes about a segment of their population. Now this gets added to the mix in a state that contains a creation museum.

Although I have visited Kentucky, and enjoyed Louisville & Churchill Downs, the reverend’s church and the creation museum hold no attraction for me! I wonder what the museum can bring to the game of show and tell? Who amongst us was at the Christian version of creation some 6,000 years ago? The museum's website says “Welcome and Prepare to Believe”. Or would that be more accurately be stated, "Welcome and prepare to be deceived?" Sad to see some besmirch the good name of Kentucky with these gimmicks!

I’d rather think of Kentucky in light of their bourbon, blue grass, horses & race track and the KFC recipe of Colonel Harland Sanders’ chicken. The Christian claim of earth’s creation some 6,000 years ago would be like claiming that the KFC restaurant chain opened it’s first store within the state of Kentucky; neither are based upon facts! Pete Harmon opened the first KFC in Salt Lake City, Utah and science tells us that the earth has been around for about 4.5 billion years. Perhaps those Kentuckians have been tipping the spirits a little too much…of the bourbon variety!

Tribal god of the Hebrews & Jesus of Nazareth

from William Henness



I don't believe that Jehovah (Yahweh), the tribal god of the Hebrews is God. If there is a God, and I don't know with any certainty that there is, it surely isn't the tribal god of the Hebrews. Their god was a male, who went by several names, such as; Adonai, Jehovah, Yahweh, etc..

Jesus was supposed to be the express image of Yahweh. (Heb. 1:2,3) (2 Cor. 4:4) (Col. 1:15) (John 14:9). Jesus also said he and Yahweh were one. (John 10:30) So, if they are both the same or one, then Jesus would approve of all things listed below of Yahweh.

The following are only 25 reasons I do not believe the Hebrew's tribal god, is the God.

1. A tribal god who would drown all little children because their parents were bad. (Gen. 7)
2 A tribal god who would have a contest with a lesser god (Satan) at the expense of a good man. (Job 1 & 2)
3. A tribal god who would order the stoning death of a man for the offense of gathering fire wood on a rest day. (Num. 15)
4. A tribal god who commanded so-called witches to be killed. (Ex. 22:18)
5. A tribal god who killed everyone in two cities because the MEN were wicked. (Gen. 19)
6. A tribal god who would discriminate against a bastard, or someone who had his genitals damaged. (Deut. 23:1,2)
7. A tribal god who was, supposedly, all knowing, yet commanded a man to offer (kill) one of his sons as a sacrifice, to test him. (Gen. 22)
8. A tribal god who would order the stoning death of a bride because she did not bleed on her wedding night. (Deut. 22:13 - 21)
9. A tribal god who commanded that, if a virgin was raped, she must marry her rapier, and must always remain married to him. (Deut. 22:28,29)
10. A tribal god who created evil. (Isa. 45:7; Amos 3:6)
11. A tribal god who would give a man's wife to another man. (11 Sam. 12:11)
12. A tribal god who commanded the genocide of another tribe of people, for what their ancestors did 450 years before. (1 Sam. 15)
13. A tribal god who deceived his own prophet. (Jer. 20;7)
14. A tribal god who would kill the infant son of someone who had committed adultery, as punishment to the man. (11 Sam. 11)
15. A tribal god who, toying with his people, when asked what tribe should go into battle first, said "Judah," knowing they would lose 22,000 men. They again asked council and were told to go again, which, losing again this time 18,000 men. The third time, after their god was through toying with them, they won. (Judges 20)
16. A tribal god who commanded the death of his tribe's enemies. Total extermination; men, old men, women, old women,. children, infants, all, except the young virgins, who they may divide up among themselves as a spoil of war. (Num. 31)
17. A tribal god who commanded one of his own prophets to go naked for three years. (Isa. 20)
18. A tribal god who cursed a man's grand-son because the man's son looked at his naked body. (Gen. 9:20-29)
19. A tribal god who commanded the stoning death of a man and his entire family, including livestock, for the man's offense. (Josh. 7)
20. A tribal god who killed 70,000 men because their King took a census. (11 Sam. 24)
21. A tribal god, who supposedly had all knowledge, came down to two cities to see for himself how wicked they were, and said, "if not, I will know." (Gen. 18:20,21)
22. A tribal god who would kill 50,070 people simply because, out of curiosity, they looked to see what was inside a box. (1 Sam. 6:19)
23. A tribal god who commanded men who had a nocturnal emission, and menstruates women, and giving birth, as unclean. (Deut. 23:10,11; Lev. 15:19-33; Lev. 12)
24. A tribal god who considered a woman unclean twice as long, after giving birth to a girl as that of a boy. (Lev. 12)
25. A tribal god who ordered a man servant, who got married and had children, when he received his freedom, to leave his wife and children. (Ex. 21:1-6)

These are only 25 reasons I reject the tribal god of the Hebrews, who is only one of many tribal gods, as being the one God.
"When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child,
I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away
childish things." (1 Cor. 13:11)
Bill Henness

A Cave and Some Sand

(click the above title for the BBC article)

Christianity received another blow with the Chinese discovery of pottery that dated between 17,500 and 18,300 years old in a cave in southern China. How so you may ask? If you are a Christian that has a reference or study Bible, simply look at the notes of when the dates of those 66 protestant bible books were written. It is a very simple math equation to add our 2009 to the approximate date of the creation that the “5 books of Moses” purports to tell. The Christian scholar Bishop Ussher was precise in his views that creation took place in 4004 BC.

The Christian view is that the earth is approximately 6,000 years old. This has to be an embarrassment to sincere Christian people that desire respect in the intellectual department. There is no stretching here, just look up what Bishop James Ussher wrote wrote and do the math yourself. Surely you don't believe that your God of the Bible created that cave with a human piece of pottery within it do you??? If not, then that pottery piece was placed there by a human being within the given timeframe. It is another piece of crushing evidence showing that the Bible and it's Christianity isn't worthy of anyone's patronage and that the belief that the earth is 6,000 years old is absurd.

Dear Christian, you are smarter than this and we secularists ask you to come and join the rest of us in building our world on something other than old literature like the Bible! Hopefully, the discovery of the cave will help believers get their heads “out of the sand!”

Brian

News...May was quite a month!

The month of May was a very good one for the website & blog. Personally, for my family it was tough!

The website was HACKED on May 19th. I had 8 days where NO SEARCH engine gave any referrals to the website. For example, I had 45 yesterday. Obvious, somebody in cyberland doesn't want anybody new to find and read the website! It was just confirmation from my foes that the website's message is effective! Also shows how frustrated that they are! But I do question the extent of their damage, for example I am not sure if they were able to tamper with the email system. So, if you email me and are legitimately expecting a response but you haven't gotten one in a reasonable time period, please re-send it!

Despite that cowardly act, Ex-minister.org had it's best month ever!!!
I'm excited about the launching of the new format of the blog! Would you help spread the invitation to any former or liberal clergy that you might know? Former clergy are a bit timid, you would understand this better after reading the "Is Leaving the Ministry Like..." post!

I should soon be posting a very hard hitting article entitled "Latvia: Giving Democracy a Bad Name". I will share from experience what it is like living in the "break away republic." You think that you've got problems? I catch plenty of xenophobic flack, discrimination from locals, organized criminals here and the situation needs to get some international urgent attention!

It should shock you to the point where you say "Are there still places in the world that live like that?" I won't be writing for sympathy or exploitation either! You will probably better understand why it is that I have gotten so interested in human & civil rights.

I will be asking world human rights organizations to intervene into the situation and inviting world-wide exposure in hope of accomplishing positive changes. Well, hopefully you will read the article and consider ways in which you might be able to help us accomplish something positive!

Brian