Monthly Archives: May 2011

What the Bible Says About Apostates Like Me

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There is an irreconcilable conflict between Jesus and Paul and Peter when it comes to how to view apostates that were once followers of Jesus

Progressive, liberal, kind-hearted Christians stress the two great laws emphasized by Jesus in Mark 12:28-33:

And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.

Love God and love your fellow man. All the laws of the Bible are summed up in these two commands, Love God and love your fellow man. If Christians truly embraced these two commands I suspect I would have very little to write about on this blog.

Sadly most CHRISTians live in denial of the teachings of Christ. They are ensconced in the teaching of Paul and Peter, and they most often live lives in total denial of the teachings of the man they claim is their Lord and Savior.

This is clearly shown by their response to people like me. For some reason, an evangelical pastor turned atheist is such a threat to the Christian faith of some that I must be attacked and ridiculed at every opportunity. So sharp are their attacks that I had to implement comment moderation and limit abusive commenters to one comment. (my thinking is they get one chance to tell me what an awful man I am so they better make it count, kind of like an enema) 

Where does this need to attack and ridicule come from? Is it just a reflection of their lack of civility, maturity or a lack of character? I am sure this explains some of their behavior but I think they really do believe the Bible gives them  warrant to say the things they say.

What does the Bible say?

Peter writes in 2 Peter 2:1-22:

But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord. But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption; And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you; Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness of the prophet. These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

How does Peter describe people like me?

  • A false teacher who brings upon himself  swift destruction
  • A person who, with his words, manipulates people for material gain
  • A person who deserves the judgment and damnation of God
  • A person who is like the people God killed in the flood, the people God killed with fire and brimstone at Sodom and Gomorrah, and like the  rebellious angels God  cast out of heaven
  • Like a dog who eats its own vomit
  • Like a sow wallowing in the mud
  • Like Balaam

Let’s face it Peter describes people like me in such a way that many Christians conclude we are worthy of all the derision we receive.

Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3:1-10

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as their’s also was.

Paul paints a lurid picture of apostates like me. Paul says my “folly” will be made manifest to all men and many Christians feel they have the gift of manifestation.

Paul writes in Romans 1:16-32:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

People like me are described as those who hold the truth in unrighteousness. We worship the creation rather than the creator. We refuse to acknowledge God and we give him no worship or thanks. Our foolish hearts are darkened and we are vain in our imaginations. Result? God gives us over to a reprobate mind.

According to the Bible I am a reprobate, a person beyond the grace of God., a person who has already secured a berth in hell.

In Hebrews 6:4-6 and Hebrews 10:26-29 Paul makes it clear that people like me have no hope of God ever extending grace to us again:

For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, f they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?

These verses make it clear that apostates like me have no second chance. We have spit in the face of God, we have trampled under our feet the blood of Jesus, and we have spited the spirit of grace.  We are enemies of God.

According to the Bible, since I am a unregenerate, unsaved person I have a deceitful, wicked heart. I am incapable of doing good and I am unable to love in the truest sense of the word. (because true love comes from God)

I make no bones about my beliefs. I don’t believe there is a god. I don’t believe that Jesus was God nor do I believe he died on the cross for my sins and resurrected from the dead three days later. I totally reject the Christians concept of original sin. I also reject any notion that suggests the Bible is a divine book written by God, a book that every human being is obligated to obey. I am an atheist.

At one time I believed the Bible was the inspired, inerrant Word of God. I believed that there was one God  and that Jesus, the son of God, died on the cross for my sins and rose from the dead  three days later, thus vanquishing sin and death. I believed that Jesus was the way, truth, and life. As Paul said of himself, I at one time said of myself, I KNOW in whom I have believed…At one time, according to the book of 1 John, I had a know-so salvation.

Christian people who meet me, interact with me on Facebook, or trade emails with me are often faced with a dilemma. I am a nice guy who is kind and compassionate most of the time. I love my family and I love my neighbors. My “good” works stack up quite favorably with many of the super-saints that come to this blog to tell me what their God thinks of me.  Ask the people who know me about my life and character. I have no doubt the report will be favorable.  (I am not perfect to be sure but I am a better Christian than many of the Christians I know)

But, the Bible says……….. I know some Christians want to see me in a good light, but doing so puts them in direct conflict with the Bible. Paul and Peter are not ambiguous on the matter. What’s it going to be?

I fully understand why some Christians believe that I am a deadly enemy, an enemy they are commanded to wage war against. (Ephesians 6) Thousands of people read this blog and, in the minds of the warring faithful, I am an enemy of their eternal souls. They feel obligated to speak up for God, Jesus, the Bible, and the Christian faith. They feel they will be rewarded by God for standing up for the faith once delivered to the saints. Well done thou good and faith Servant. Enter in……

Some Christians attempt to navigate a third way when dealing with people like me. They think I was hurt by the Church and that my apostasy is an emotional response to the hateful, nasty, mean-spiritedness that is all too common in Evangelical Christianity. In their minds I am still a Christian, one that has been wounded by the Church.

I  readily admit there is an emotional component to my defection from Christianity. However, it is not the primary reason. The issue is, and remains so, that I do not believe the Bible is truth and I do not have the requisite faith to believe. I am the enemy of God.

I am quite happy when a liberal minded, progressive Christian sincerely attempts to  love me as their neighbor but I do understand WHY many Christians respond differently. The Bible is on their side. The liberal minded, progressive Christian has love, compassion, civility, and decency on their side. They are good people. But, if life is all about preparing to meet God, if it is allow about preparing for eternity, if it is all about keeping the commandments of God, then the Bible believers who eviscerate me and attempt to sodomize me with the words of the Bible clearly have God on their side.

Dear Christian, Your Jesus is Showing

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We may be angry…

We may be bitter….

We may be  disillusioned….

We may be all of these things and more. Of course, we know plenty of bitter, angry, disillusioned Christians. Evidently anger, bitterness, and disillusionment are common to all people and not just lonely, pathetic, loser atheists and agnostics.

Once you are done with your Freudian analysis of me and those who comment on this blog, the fact remains that the reason we are no longer Christians is because we no longer believe the Bible is truth. We have weighed Jehovah  and the Christian Bible in the balance and found  them wanting.

We have read and studied our way to where we are today. We are not ignorant of what Christianity teaches. We are not ignorant of what the Bible says. With full, and complete knowledge, we say, We will not have this God to rule over us.

What you seem to forget is that there are many people who read this blog that are still a Christian, but they are considering leaving the Christian faith. Every time you unload one of your Christian shit piles at my doorstep they are pushed closer and closer to the door. Forget the data. Forget the debates. All they see is YOU. Who would want to follow after a Jesus that acted like you do?

Just the other day a long time acquaintance of mine wrote to me on Facebook and tersely said that since I hated Christianity he wanted nothing more to do with me. First, I don’t hate Christianity. Second, he forgets my works of love, charity, and compassion on his behalf.  He forgets that I remained his friend even after he told me my daughter with Down Syndrome might go to hell if she was not one of the elect.  He forgets I drove 60 miles every Sunday to pick him up for Church. None of this matters. All  that matters is that I no longer believe in his deity.

Another Facebook zealot for Jesus took it upon himself to inform me that I was never a Christian. The reason? Once a person is a true-blue Christian they can never become a non-Christian. Once Jesus has he never lets go of us, even if we tell Jesus to take a hike. In this arrogant Christian’s world, a world shaped by Calvinism, all true Christians persevere to the end. Since I am now a professing atheists it is evident to him that I was never a real Christian.  In other words I spent over 40 years living a lie, never truly trusting his God.

This zealot said this to me:

Sorry if I offended you. The gospel is offensive for sure but I hope you understand that if you believe what I believe you love people regardless of whether they love you. 

What this Christian doesn’t realize is that Christianity, the gospel, God, Jesus, etc doesn’t offend me. Being offended by these things would be the same as if I became offended after reading a classic story about Zeus. Fictional characters, one and all. What offended me was this Christian’s arrogance and judgmental spirit. What offended me was his arrogance in confusing himself with his God. This man never wrote one word of the gospel to me. Not one. All he did is react to my answer to a question a Christian friend of his asked, Can you prove the resurrection of Jesus without using the Bible? I answered No and said why .

So Christian,

I hope you realize Christians, your Jesus is showing.  Every hateful, mean spirited, judgmental word you write is a reminder of what we left and why we would never return. If your objective is to win atheists and agnostics to Jesus you methods need to change. You need to become like the Jesus you say you serve. Jesus saved his harshest words for the religious, for the Pharisees. In other words, Jesus saved his harshest words for YOU.

Every once in awhile a Christian will stop by and honestly and thoughtfully engage me and the readers of this blog. Such Christians are rare and I am always grateful for them being a reminder that not every Christian is a mean-spirited ass**le.

I have come to several conclusions in recent days.

First, I am on Facebook because I enjoy keeping in touch with family and friends. I am not on Facebook to debate the merits of Christianity or atheism. I consider Facebook a disabled man’s corner bar. I want to hoist a digital beer with my family and friends and share with them the common bond we have with one another.

I will no longer accept Facebook friend requests from people who are Christians.The only exception to this will be friend requests from people who are already Facebook friends with the few Christian friends I have. Yes, I am going to judge you by who you hang out with. 

Second, comment moderation is working wonders for the Fallen From Grace blog. It seems, if there is a risk of moderation, that the Christian evangelists who use this blog as a means to make themselves feel-good, aren’t interested in commenting. (some Christians find great satisfaction out of attacking atheists and other nonbelievers. Better than orgasm, so I have heard)

I want to take this one step further. Comments by Christians that are hateful, mean-spirited, judgmental, off subject, or an attempt to educate all us poor, deluded atheists, will be approved but I will not approve any other comments by that person. Simply put they get one shot and that is it.

Comments from Christians that are respectful and display a sincere interest in interacting with what I have written will continue to be approved. In fact I encourage their interaction. My focus will continue to be on people who are considering leaving Christianity and those who have already left Christianity.

Dear Christian, Your Blog Comments Say Volumes About Your God

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Recently Stephen Hawking said:

“I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years. I’m not afraid of death, but I’m in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first,” he said.

“I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark,”

Roofer on Fire has compiled some of the comments Christians hurled Hawking’s way:

AS A SPACE FREAK MYSELF,I RESPECT MR. HAWKING AS A PHYSICIST.BUT HE’S IN NO POSITION TO SAY THERE’S NO GOD.HE WILL KNOW THERE’S A GOD WHEN HIS LIFE SUPPORT FAILS HIM,AND STEPHEN WINDS UP BURNING IN HELL FOR ETERNITY.BUT I LOVE HAWKING’S VIEWS ON SPACE AND THE COSMOS.BUT IT’S TERRIBLE THAT HE BAD-MOUTHS JESUS AND TRIES TO GET OTHERS LOST.

I am so sorry for you Stephen Hawking! At least I don’t need science to be there where I’m going when I die! The earth, cosmos and every living thing did not originate out of thin air with one atom and even you the genius can’t see that it… takes a genius to achieve simplicity (quote Bob Seger). Unfortunately, you don’t have that quality of genius! We are not computers, we are human and our brains are 100′s of times more complicated than a computer. Of course being the intellect that you are, go ahead and quantum leap anywhere you want but you’ll never achieve the leap to Heaven like me and others who are not just believers, but testifiers of a truth that your science will never begin to understand.

Well Stephen Hawking, even if you could prove there was no Heaven, I would think you were just failing a test From God himself. I’m sad with all God has given you, that you don’t know who to thank. Its not a matter of belief. God WAS, IS, and ALWAYS WILL BE.

If you chose not to believe in God, oh YOU WILL REGRET IT WHEN YOU ARE DEAD!!!

This dear person Stephen Hawking is in pain the kind only GOD can take away.as I send up this Prayer please comfort my friend Stephen.And in your own unique way let him know you are there. Me and Facebook will do our part too by Praying showing him that GOD care’s. Stephen I like you and I think you are a very smart man may GOD Bless you your Pow for life O-dee

Dear Mr Hawking: You can continue to talk through your little computer and sound like a robot. Enjoy the rest of your life, talking crap while everyone feels sorry for you. I’ll only feel sorry for you when you find out there IS an afterlife….a good one and a bad one. And since you don’t believe in either, have fun in the bad one :)

Mr. Hawking I don’t know if you even view this page, But I am here to tell you there is a God! And no matter how smart you think you are there is one that holds the key to Death and Hell. He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords he is Jesus Christ. He is real! Act 2:38..If you would have Faith and Believe with me he can Heal you. He can make you whole. Sometimes he is waiting on us to make the first step. Some never will come to know Christ because they have so much hate lives. You can come to know him by – Repenting of your sins . Ask God to forgive you of your sins everyday. Even if we think we haven’t done anything wrong. Be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ . And he will give you the gift of the others the holy spirit. The evidence is that you will speak in other tongues . Don’t be afraid let it happen. That is God dwelling inside of you. You telling others there is no God you will have to answer to God for the lost souls you help send to Hell.

These fine folks represent the God who said in his divine book, called the Bible:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. (Ephesians 5:22,23)

Please no comments suggesting these Christians don’t represent you or that they are not “real” Christians. They are in your family, deal with it.  This kind of behavior is all too common. I have experienced it on this blog, and I have experienced it in letters to the editor written about me, emails, and letters mailed to my home.

Christianity is best served when Christians shut up and live according to the precepts of the Bible.  For some reason atheists bring out the worst in Christians. I wonder why that is?

Come as You Are

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Have you  ever been invited to Church by a Christian who told you, come as you are? What does this “come as you are” really mean?

David Hayward writes:

  1. You are invited to come as you are.
  2. At first as you are is accepted.
  3. But at some point as you are means stubborn refusal to change.
  4. So you try to change your as you are into as you should be.
  5. After a while you realize you aren’t as you are, but conforming.
  6. You find some courage to be as you are.
  7. You are informed, overtly or covertly, that you may go as you are.
  8. So you leave as you are.
  9. Now as you are is unacceptable to them.
  10. You decide to blossom as you are where you are.

All I can say, is keep on preaching Bro. David.

It Doesn’t Always Happen to Someone Else

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As a Christian I believed that if I prayed God would take care of me and he would make sure calamity didn’t show up at my doorstep. In those rare instances when it seemed that God wasn’t answering my prayer and I was facing disaster I  thought that God was either testing me or chastising me for disobedience.

I was relatively healthy until 1989. I played basketball in the winter and softball in the summer. In the fall I cut wood, spending hours cutting felled trees into woodstove sized pieces. I  hunted in the fall/winter, walking for miles in the Appalachian foothills. I was, by every measure, a healthy, increasingly overweight man.

I am still amazed by how quickly the circumstances of my life can change. It seems that life is being sucked out of me ever so slowly. Gone are the days of strenuous physical activity. Now I am happy if I can do things of  physical nature a few days out of the month. Our home is littered with projects in various stages of completion. I will get to these projects soon, I tell myself.  The pile of unread magazines on the table by my recliner continues to grow. I refuse to cancel the subscriptions because I know I am going to catch up on magazine reading one of these days. The same could be said for the unread books that line the shelves in the living room.

One of the biggest of issues that dominate my every other week sessions with Dr. D is my unwillingness to embrace life as it is. Even my family doctor has talked to me about the fine line between giving up and embracing the reality of how my life is. There will be no more days of playing basketball or softball. There will be no more days of feeling the the sweat run down my face and back as cut wood on a crisp fall day. No more days of trudging through the woods playing a game of hide and seek with a cottontail rabbit or a fox squirrel. No matter how much I want it to be differently, I will never be able to read like I once did. While the voracious appetite for the printed page is still there the ability to process it is long gone. I am living a life of decline and there is not one damn thing I can do about it.

I am not angry, most days anyway, about how my life is. I know that modern medicine has no cure for me. I know I must embrace my life as it is, and if I don’t, the yearning for the physical abilities of the past will only take more of what life I have left.

As a Christian I believed that my physical afflictions were God making me more like Jesus. I believed the way to heaven was paved with suffering. I can confidently say that God never answered one prayer of mine when I cried out to him for physical relief or deliverance. I came to see that I was like the Apostle Paul who prayed for deliverance and God told him no.

These days I now realize that the diseases that are taking life from me ever so slowly are the result of a combination of genetics, environment, and lifestyle choices with a topping of “who the hell knows.” When I whine and complain about my lot in life and say “why me” the universe shouts back, “why not you.”

Bad things don’t always happen to other people. It is not always someone else’s children that get cancer or are killed in a car accident. It is not always someone else that gets cancer, goes through a divorce or loses their job. It is not always someone else that loses everything in a fire, tornado, hurricane, or a flood.

The truth is, life is a big crap-shoot. Good luck. Bad luck. At the right place, at the wrong place. Good genetics. Bad genetics. Growing up on the right side of the tracks, growing up on the wrong side of  the tracks. Marrying the right person, marrying the wrong person.  The list is endless.

As I peruse the ways of humankind it is clear that very few people live to be old without facing  trial and adversity. It is just how life is. If there is a God I might find some pleasure and satisfaction in saying DAMN you God but since there is no God I am left to shout at a universe that yawns at my death-defying struggle. If the universe could speak it surely would say, this movie always ends the same way. Dead. Next.

It is futile to see life other than as it is. Wishing for days that are long since gone only results in depression and despair. We must embrace life as it is and go kicking and fighting into the night. We have two choices in life……..fight or roll over and die. Yes, life is unfair and bad things happen to good people. Shit happens and it doesn’t always happen to someone else.

With God On Our Side

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Happy 70th Birthday Bob  Dylan. (May 24)

This song was released by Bob Dylan in 1964. Since its release the United States has fought no less than six wars, and is currently involved in three armed conflicts. As always, God is on our Side, God bless the USA.

Oh my name it is nothin’
My age it means less
The country I come from
Is called the Midwest
I’s taught and brought up there
The laws to abide
And that land that I live in
Has God on its side.

Oh the history books tell it
They tell it so well
The cavalries charged
The Indians fell
The cavalries charged
The Indians died
Oh the country was young
With God on its side.

Oh the Spanish-American
War had its day
And the Civil War too
Was soon laid away
And the names of the heroes
I’s made to memorize
With guns in their hands
And God on their side.

Oh the First World War, boys
It closed out its fate
The reason for fighting
I never got straight
But I learned to accept it
Accept it with pride
For you don’t count the dead
When God’s on your side.

When the Second World War
Came to an end
We forgave the Germans
And we were friends
Though they murdered six million
In the ovens they fried
The Germans now too
Have God on their side.

I’ve learned to hate Russians
All through my whole life
If another war starts
It’s them we must fight
To hate them and fear them
To run and to hide
And accept it all bravely
With God on my side.

But now we got weapons
Of the chemical dust
If fire them we’re forced to
Then fire them we must
One push of the button
And a shot the world wide
And you never ask questions
When God’s on your side.

In a many dark hour
I’ve been thinkin’ about this
That Jesus Christ
Was betrayed by a kiss
But I can’t think for you
You’ll have to decide
Whether Judas Iscariot
Had God on his side.

So now as I’m leavin’
I’m weary as Hell
The confusion I’m feelin’
Ain’t no tongue can tell
The words fill my head
And fall to the floor
If God’s on our side
He’ll stop the next war.

Bible Gymnastics

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Every Christians starts his journey with a Bible. Up until the late1970’s most Christians started out their journey with a 1769 update of the King James Bible. New Christians starting out today are confronted with numerous Bible translations. NIV. ESV. NRSV. Good News. NKJV. KJV. And that’s just for starters.

Most often a new Christian will begin his journey with whatever Bible his pastor, family or friends recommend. Little does he realize that Christians fight incessantly over which translation is the best translation. Some groups go far as to state that their translation is directly inspired by God and is without error.

Once the new Christian has the “right” Bible he thinks, OK I am good to go now.

Silly boy, wait a minute.

You need a Bible Dictionary.

You need a Strong’s Exhaustive concordance.

You need a study Bible, approved by the Christians who are “in the know” about such matters

Above all you need  a fancy Bible cover made of cloth or leather and a highlighter. (stick on books of the bible tabs are optional.) Go with leather if you have the real big Real Men Love Jesus belt buckle.

Over time the new Christian learns that he needs more and more books to understand the Bible. His pastor and fellow Christians recommends this or that book written by this or that author.

Soon the man had to make some decisions. What should he believe about:

  • Calvinist, Arminian, Calminian or Baptist 1 point Calvinism.
  • Calvinism=the gospel. Calvinism=Christianity. Arminianism=false gospel
  • Faith precedes regeneration or regeneration precedes faith.
  • Salvation by grace through faith or salvation by faith through grace plus good works.
  • Baptism by immersion, sprinkling, pouring, or not required in the present dispensation.
  • Communion.  Memorial,consubstantiation, transubstantiation or not required in the present dispensation.
  • Amillennial, premillennial, or post millennial.
  • Pretrib, midtrib, or post trib.
  • Young earth creationism, old earth creationism, theistic evolution or Darwinian, God of the gaps, evolution.
  • Jesus knew the date of the Second Coming or Jesus didn’t know the date of the Second Coming.
  • Jesus turned the water into wine or Jesus turned the water into Welch’s grape juice.
  • Catholics are Christians or Catholics are not Christians.
  • Hell, purgatory, annihilation. Where will atheists spend eternity?
  • Jesus died for everyone or Jesus died for the elect.
  • The Old and New Testament are applicable for today or only the New Testament is applicable for today.
  • Ten commandments. Nine commandments. No commandments.
  • Tithing or no tithing.
  • Jews are part of the elect or Jews are not part of the elect.
  • Speaking in tongues is for today or speaking in tongues is not for today.
  • Cessationist or noncessationist.
  • Egalitarian or complementarian.
  • Hymns only. No instruments. Praise and Worship. Psalms only. Let it rip rock and roll.
  • Women pastors or no women pastors.
  • Women speak in church or women are silent in church.
  • Altar calls or no altar calls.
  • Homosexuality is a sin or homosexuality is not a sin.
  • Countless moral and ethical standards that no two Christians agree on.
  • Sanctification. Once or progressive.
  • Christian can not fall from grace or a Christian can fall from grace.
  • People are born a sinner or they become a sinner.
  • Just war or pacifism.

And these are just off the top of my head.

The new Christian, over time, realizes he must play the Bible gymnastic game if he wants to be considered a true-blue “real” Christian. Failure to play will result in other Christians questioning his spiritual maturity. Someone might even suggest that he is really not saved.

Is it any wonder that Ecclesiastes says:

he words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd. And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

Imagine what the writer of Ecclesiastes would write today, us with all our Bibles, books, and computer study aids. Have a plethora of bibles, books, and study aids improved the church? Have they made the church  more focused on what Jesus commands them to do?

What condition is the church in? Why is this?  Why does it seem to me that, as an atheist, I take the Bible and Christianity more seriously than many Christians?

Can I Have Your Furniture?

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From the Toledo Craigslist:

Hello to all the enlightened ones! I will be left behind when your savior comes to rapture you on May 21, 2011. My husband and I don’t share the same views as you so subsequently we will be left here while you go to heaven. We need furniture and other items, we just moved here from California and don’t have much. We see the rapture as a golden opportunity for you to help others. Think of it as us watching your stuff while you ascend into heaven to live and eternity with your lord and savior. You don’t need it, and we do, so help out a less fortunate couple that happens to sin every now and again. It was just brought to my attention that you wont need your car up there and we are in desperate need of a car. We will keep it in great condition, heck we will even keep the radio station programmed to Family radio so just in case you get sent back then you don’t have to fiddle with the confusing world of radio station programming.

Thanks a lot

Katherine & Daniel
P.S. Have fun in heaven!!!

Am I Who I Say I am?

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An old blog post The Independent Baptist Rulebook was posted to a  religious discussion forum. One of the forum participants (cheezit01) had this to say about me:

So in your never ending quest to dig up all manner of dirt against everything not Catholic, you stumbled upon the website of some character who *claims* to have been a Baptist preacher and who now *claims* to be an atheist.  This idiot puts together a list, most of which is silly nonsense, and is at best, a real stretch, and you believe every word. 

So let’s see…….I am an idiot who is not who he claims to be. He gives no evidence for his assertion so I guess everyone just has to take his word for it. I am who I am and it is easily provable. I don’t hide behind a screen name. I use my legal name. I don’t hide where I live. I am right here in the open. People can easily email me if they have a question, concern, or desire to tell me I am a sevenfold child of the devil. They cane even find me on Facebook and Twitter. The real issue is they don’t LIKE the real me so I must not BE the real me.

People like this genius used to upset me but somewhere along the journey I finally decided that getting upset gives the critic exactly what they want.  I am not playing that game anymore.

As to the forum participant’s claim that The Independent Baptist Rulebook is silly nonsense and a real stretch only shows he has never spent much time in an Independent Baptist church. If he had…….he never would have put his fingers to the keys to write such an uniformed statement.

Is This What a Christian Is?

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Roland Martin, in a column for CNN, writes:

Any Christian will tell you: If a person verbally professes Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, that person is considered saved. No ifs, ands or buts. That’s when the conversation should end.

This certainly describes American Christianity. I doubt it is the Christianity of Jesus. This kind of Christianity allows for the person to profess faith with their lips but deny that same faith with their works. It may be American Christianity but it is a bankrupt Christianity that denies virtually everything Jesus did and taught. If you follow Jesus………follow Him. If not, quit pretending and join up with the atheists and agnostics who are every bit as Christian as most Americans.