know this; our founding fathers gave us a Republic, not a democracy, i.e. we are a Republic as per our American Constitution, not a Democracy. They knew the difference; most Americans today do not. Those that are doing their utmost to turn our Constitutional Republic into a perverse form of democracy, manipulated by an elite, wealthy few, at the expense of the majority of Americans, are traitors to the American dream and the future of our children, great grandchildren and generations thereafter.
Americans no longer have an understanding of what it means to be free, we’ve become so accustomed to big brother’s hand that torture, spying without warrants, and engaging in illegal wars of aggression are to be expected. Many of the candidates running for president campaigned hard on these issues, insisting that we would “remain on offense” in the propaganda-ridden war on terror. What Americans need now is a miracle, we need a hero or group of heroes to stand up in our legislature and fight for them. We don’t need more government parenting and rules that cater to corporations and fear.
There over 30 sites now monitoring the untimely deaths and disappearances of those who crossed Clinton.
Press this door bell if you dare to venture in.
Don't believe it?
Hey, you Bill Clinton lovers -- Read this one by a top national journalist, Joe Farrah
So you like Hillary ? Well, take a look at these.
The re-emergence of Hillary Rodham Clinton
A Few of Hillary Clinton's Greatest Hits from Undernews
Yes, on this 9th day of April, 2000, there stands a vociferously ominous possibility that Hillary Clinton might be our next president (Heaven forbid, Mohammed forbid, Buddha and all the other Ggods forbid [take your pick of spelling].)
I'm not saying she will be. I am saying there is a high probability she will be. And that is scary.
Maybe with your help we can prevent this potential calamity.
Here's the reasoning:
Enough dirt on Gore is coming out to put him away - far away.
Enough dirt on Bill Clinton is surfacing to put him very far away.
The current dirt surfacing in Washington DC is far more serious than the first impeachment.
The Cuban boy in Florida is being used to Wag Another Dog to cover the press.
If Gore gets bumped out of the race, that leaves only two candidates registered for President:
*Bradley -- Not even the Democrats like him, so he is out.
*Hillary Clinton -- Yes, she is registered to run. Go see for yourself.
It can be assumed without question that Hillary wants to be president.
Remember "We are the President?"
Forest Glen Durland flatly states that Hillary Clinton would literally kill to be president.
About 43 % of die hard Democrats will vote Democrat no matter who is running.
That leaves only a small fraction of the voters to sway for a victory.
A vote for a third party will be a vote for a Democrat because it will split the Republican vote.
Now get this:
Hillary Clinton's philosophy will attract the votes of the non-family groups.
Hillary Clinton controls the mainstream media
and will have full support of about 90 % of the mainstream media.
Hillary Clinton is actually our President right now, at this time!
It's called Co-President and is very unconstitutional and illegal.
Therefore, Hillary has all the cards on her side of the table.
Hillary can get rid of Al Gore and Bill Clinton at the same time and move back into the White House.
And don't think for a moment she won't.
If Al and Bill are nice and cooperate,
she might even cut a deal with them and pardon them,
thus keeping the 1st and 2nd traitors out of jail.
Hillary will probably stay out of jail.
Independent Counsel Ray let her off Filegate (the FBI files).
Hillary will fix the rest of it. She is in power now.
And you thought Bill Clinton was bad? Looks who's behind him pushing.
Next guess is yours: Who will be Hillary's vice-president? Janet Reno?
Then we would have 1st and 2nd queer traitors to look up to.
Hillary is our Co-President
The Father of our Constitution, James Madison, and two other Founders wrote a series of papers explaining the new Constitution to the people. Collectively these papers are known as the Federalist Papers and are referred to often by the Supreme Court. In the Heads Up Index there are 4 entries on this subject. The documentation to the Federalist Papers is included. This essays are linked here as The Coup, Federalist Papers, No Co-Prez and More No Co-Prez.
Hillary is in control. There is no doubt. But it is a bit difficult to document while she is in control.
Take a peek at Heads Up in the Media List.
Forest Glen Durland ran up against a stone wall when trying to expose the CIA activity importing drugs. This story is well documented. Click on CIA and Dark Alliance for excellent reading demonstrating the control our federal government over the media. Death is included -- It's serious, Folks.
Hillary Clinton will attract the votes from those that do not put honorable family life first. Why don't you verify it? Find out first hand what Hillary is really like. Nothing is secret and nothing is sacred in Washington DC. All this stuff is common knowledge. So, call somebody you know and trust that works in Washington and ask them. They will need to be higher than the floor scrubbers. But don't ask any Democrats -- They are all in the muck to their ears with the Clintons. Senator Feinstein is one of the biggest crooks in our nation, deep in Chinagate scandal with C2G (Clinton, Clinton and Gore). Senator Boxer is a shirtail relative of Clinton. So don't ask them, unless you want lied to.
Find someone that has a little responsibility and ask them. Prepare for an earful. Washington is a cesspool.
Hillary Clinton was selected tops by the Homos in SF, Cal. Shows who supports her.
( This is the old 20th Century Impeachent stuff.
Click here for the 21st Century Impeachment )
Citizen's Impeachment Petition - Sign and send now!
Impeachment Central - on FreeRepublic
Impeachment Information - Congressman Barr of Georgia
Committee to Impeach the President - CIC is an authorized program of the Council of Volunteer Americans.
Petition For The Impeachment of President William Jefferson Clinton
Impeach Clinton Now
Janet Reno Violates Ethics In Government Act - Washington Weekly. By Wesley Phelan.
More treason is in the air (Media Bypass)
Libertarians Demand Impeachment! (Libertarian Party)
Facism invades America! Open your eyes. (Farah)
Lotts report to Clinton - July 14, 1998. Puts Clinton on notice. WnWeekly
This is just the beginning. Go to the Impeachment Page for more stuff.
Meantime, you might visit the scandals below.
The upshot of all this is most depressing. When Clinton walked free from impeachment, I realized that we people no longer have a Congress. Clinton has a Congress, but we do not. Make no mistake about it.
When the Cox Report was withheld, I knew that we people would no longer know the truth for prosecution so long as Clinton remained in the White House. We are in very deep trouble, Folks.
Scandals
So you think you have problems. Read this assassination talk by former Secret Service Agents.
The Complete Clinton Calendar - Clinton Scandals Chronology - http://www.cafes.net/mo/ca1.htm
To get all the files, change ca1 to ca2, ca3, etc up to ca19. That's ca1 ... ca19.
Click here for the Home Page of Mo.
Assorted Corruption, mostly Clinton style.
Chinese ICBMs pointed our way.
Clinton EO #13083 chops our liberties May 14th! HU 87 exposes a really threat.
Clinton's EO #13083 on Federalism is blown wide open. Take a look.
Clinton's Rogues Gallery - scroll down to it
Cops Know Clinton Is a Phony. Great essay by Jon Dougherty.
Few of Hillary Clinton's Greatest Hits, A
Heads Up 78 exposes the NWO reaching for American throats.
Heads Up 79 lays out the players in the game
Here is another guy's Clinton Scandal Page.
New Australian blasts Clinton Administration, levels tough charges.
Read Clinton's first promise -- and smirk
State of the Union 1998 explains the power control.
I, for one, believe in the death penalty. As the person that last replied said, it is for punishment, not to deter the crime. This has nothing to do with belief in God. If someone is going to go out and murder someone, they might as well punish them by death rather than spending hundreds of thousands of dollars per year keeping them alive in prison. I only believe in the death penalty for very serious crimes such as premeditated or multiple murders or murdering kids. Things like that have no place in society and we are better off without people that want to behave like that.
RE: Something more
As the "Earth" person pretty much summed up in their post, your post was absolutely retarded and absurd. Are you honestly that diluted that you think every atheist is living life in the fast lane with drugs, booze and sex? If so, you're a bigger idiot than I thought. Many atheists like myself, my girlfriend, my sister, and hundreds of other people I know that reject gods, fairies, unicorns, and other mythical creatures are normal, every day people, going to work, paying the bills and taxes, keeping up with the housework, walking the dogs, etc. The only difference is that we accept modern facts of reality and reject bronze age myths that have absolutely no proof of being factual. You are a fool and your post really showed how out of touch with reality you really are.
RE: Norway
I really don't get what you were trying to accomplish with this post. You pretty much proved my point for me. Observe:
According to the most recent Eurobarometer Poll 2005, 32% of Norwegian citizens responded that "they believe there is a god," whereas 47% answered that "they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force" and 17% that "they do not believe there is any sort of spirit, god, or life force."[27]
So if only 32% of the people believe in God, then the rest must obviously believe in something different. This means that they do not believe in an omniscient man in the sky that is in control of everything and punishes or rewards people after death based on their belief in him. The fact is that it is hard to nail down the demographics of atheism because there are many people that reject the idea of God, but do not call themselves atheists. I am perfectly fine with 47% people believing in some kind of life force as I do not completely reject the idea as every animal has the drive to live. Couple that with 17% atheists and you have 64% of people that reject your God, and that is good enough for me. It also proves nothing that 84% of the population are members of the state church because THEY ARE REGISTERED AS MEMBERS AT BIRTH!
Basically, you proved nothing with that post. Since only 32% of their population believes in God, I wonder why their social statistics (employment rate, education rate, income, etc.) are the best in the world and rank higher than the United States in every category even though [roughly] 84% of US citizens believe in God. Either God is really good to the people that don't believe in him or are indifferent about his existence, or God is absolutely imaginary. It is also interesting that the citizens of Norway are trying to abolish the state church. Why would they want to do that if they were all Christian? Oh yeah, they aren't!
Do you know what the word opinion means? I am just asking because it is very clear to those of us with intelligence that what I posted wasn't opinion. They were what you could call logical exercises. There is no way you can read through those posts and not come to the conclusion that god is imaginary. As someone pointed out, there are 45 more at www.godisimaginary.com.
You need not "dumb down" the bible for me. I have read it many times and it is dumb enough on its own without you adding more stupidity. If you truly accept the fact that death is the consequence for sin, you have to believe in the whole Adam and Eve in the garden thing, which means you have to believe in the creation story that has been absolutely falsified by science with the fact of evolution. In other words, death is not the consequence for sin as the bible says. Sure, in 200 AD that probably made sense, but its now 2008 AD and we have a lot more concise answers for why there is death, and it is certainly not because of punishment for sin.
Also, since you said that you don't have to follow Old Testament laws, I wonder if YOU have actually read the bible. Maybe you skipped these verses when you were cherry picking what you want to follow:
Do not think that I [Jesus] have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke or a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. (Matthew 5:17-18)
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 'The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.' (Matthew 23:1-3)
Christians must follow the laws of the Old Testament that were not modified or replaced by newer ones in the New Testament. Otherwise, if we were to follow the NT alone, then we would have no life laws or directions to follow. This means a son can marry his father's former wife, or a brother can marry his sister, or an uncle can marry his niece, etc. since the NT never talked about these issues.
But the barbarism does not end there! It continues with verses like these from the New Testament that show very clearly how we should view women:
In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works. Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.
(1 Timothy 2:9 - 15)
Maybe you should take the time to read the entire bible and fully understand it before assuming that others haven't read it.
IN CONCLUSION...
It is often asked what the "alternative" is to belief in God. I really don't understand this. What is the alternative to living with a belief in a magic man and a diluted sense of reality about how things work? Uhhhh how about REALITY! I don't understand why you people reject reality. Is it really that sad that you are going to die some day? Its a long ways from now (unless you die by some catastrophic accident) so why even bother worrying about it? I don't understand the reasoning that if there was no God or afterlife, that you would spend your days raping and pillaging. For one, it would land you in jail. Second, no one would want to hang out with you and that would get pretty lonely. Why you would live that way is absurd to me.
Nearly 83% of Norwegians are members of the state Church of Norway, to which they are registered at birth. Many remain in the state church to be able to use services such as baptism, confirmation, marriage and burial, rites which have strong cultural standing in Norway. Up to 40% of the membership attends church or religious meetings during a year [26], with fewer attending regularly.
According to the most recent Eurobarometer Poll 2005, 32% of Norwegian citizens responded that "they believe there is a god," whereas 47% answered that "they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force" and 17% that "they do not believe there is any sort of spirit, god, or life force."[27]
Other Christian denominations total about 4.5% of the population. These include the Evangelical Lutheran Free Church, the Roman Catholic Church, Pentecostal congregations, the Methodist Church, Adventists, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Jehovah's Witnesses and others. Among non-Christian religions, Islam is the largest, representing about 1.5% of the population: It is practiced mainly by the Somalian, Arab, Albanian, Pakistani and Turkish communities. Other religions comprise less than 1% each, including Judaism (see Jews in Norway). Indian immigrants introduced Hinduism to Norway, but account for only 0.5% of the population. There are eleven Buddhist organizations, grouped under the Buddhistforbundet organisation, which make up 0.42% of the population. Around 1.5% of Norwegians adhere to the secular Norwegian Humanist Association. About 5% of the population is unaffiliated.[28]
"In May, China said its new state investment agency was taking a $3 billion stake in U.S. private equity firm the Blackstone Group (BG.UL: Quote, Profile, Research) , a sign Beijing was keen to get higher returns on its hoard of currency reserves." http://www.reuters.com/article/InvestmentOutlook07/idUSN1219064220070612 sure they (reuters) are a bunch of biased a holes but hey its close.
Heres what they bought 10% of
http://www.blackstone.com/private_equity/partners.html
any those look familiar?
Does the term private equity mean anything to you ? My hint, dump stock now! they will dulute to get a larger stock share at a lower price then go private as has chrysler alltell and so many others just google something like company going private.
pst.... Told you so: http://finance.yahoo.com/echarts?s=GM#symbol=GM>;range=2y<
(<--edit may 10 08)
That folks is just the tip of the lil ol iceberg so to speak.
Hey lets all run out to walmart today and send them some more money, I dont believe our government has given them enough of a tax break, with the economic(fuck american citizens)stimulas package to purchase everything just yet.
My only wish now..... I wasnt so empathetic, as not a one of you cares ,so why the hell does it still hurt me?
Union workers stand strong, I know youre wasting your time (reagan strike breaker laws) and probably being lied to by your all ready sold out leaders but fight the good fight, it was (you) that built this country, or freed us from slavery post 1900. I thank you.
It seems prayer still upsets some people. Please read.....
When Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate,
everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but this is
what they heard;
"Heavenly Father,
We come before you today
To ask your forgiveness and
To seek your direction and guidance.
We know Your Word says,
"Woe to those who call evil good"
But that is exactly what we have done.
We have lost our spiritual equilibrium
And reversed our values.
We have exploited the poor and
Called it the lottery.
We have rewarded laziness
And called it welfare.
We have killed our unborn
and called it choice.
We have shot abortionists
And called it justifiable.
We have neglected to discipline
Our children and called it
Building self esteem.
We have abused power
And called it politics.
We have coveted our neighbor's
Possessions and called it ambition.
We have polluted the air
With profanity and
Pornography and called it
Freedom of speech and expression.
We have ridiculed the time
Honored values of our
Fore fathers and called it enlightenment.
Search us, Oh, God,
And know our hearts today;
Cleanse us from every sin
And set us free. Amen!"
The response was immediate. A number of legislators walked Out during the prayer in protest.
In 6 short weeks, Central Christian Church, where Rev. Wright is pastor, logged
more than 5,000 phone calls with only 47 Of those calls
responding negatively. The church is now receiving
international requests for copies of this prayer from I ndia , Africa and Korea .
Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio Program, "The Rest of the Story," and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired.
With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over our Nation and wholeheartedly become our desire so that we again can be called "one nation under God."
You know your million man cancer prayer idea is a horrible idea. I believe that God can heal every disease, sickness, hurt, pain in this world that we (man) have created. The problem with your idea is that it's not about actually healing the sick, it's about testing God. Because of your poor intentions- it would never work.
Your obviously a good researcher, a intelligent man I assume. Don’t let logic get in the way of your path to God. Sometimes love isn’t logical- but doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.
At least then we know going in what we have and wont have to Waite for their controllers to throw them under the buss when done with them as the do now right.
Be too simple right ? When a government official wants to know what 12 year olds are getting drilled we know instantly its because he wants to drill some and wants an inside track on the lil tramps right?
Or when one tries pushing thru gay marriage or, civil unions for medical benefits we instantly know he has a aids infested cocksucker at home right.
Hell what do we have to loose anyway, other than the criminal deceit and lies coming out of washington now, hell we might get a guy with a "house boy" that needs a job so he actually would be interested in creating jobs.
We could streamline the judicial process to a point that it would make the death penaly an effective deterrent, but that would certainly lead to the execution of more innocent people.
Statement: "If you are an intelligent, rational human being, all of the examples mentioned above show you that the God of the Bible is imaginary."
Meaning: Since it is assumed that you are an intelligent, rational human being, you should be able to work through these logical explanations and rationalizations and come to the conclusion that God is imaginary. There is really no other way to explain the things brought up by those 5 posts.
HOWEVER, some people are still intelligent but refuse to accept these logical truths for one reason or another. It makes no statement that if you are intelligent you MUST realize that God is imaginary, it just states that you should. Like I have said, intelligent people that claim to believe in God often are just holding onto religion because it is A) how they were raised or B) for tradition's sake.
Second you state: Never have I ever said that. There are plenty of people far smarter than I am that, for some reason or another, believe in God. All I am saying is that if you think about it, it doesn't make any sense.
One of Kansas City’s fastest growing counties, Platte County, continues economic growth. Its infrastructure calls for planning. As county projects are moved forward, how will they get funded and which receives priority?
The Republican Pachyderm Club meeting, June 5th brings Platte County’s Presiding Commissioner, Betty Knight, to the Pachyderm Club forum. Ms Knight’s focus will be a " Profile of Platte County ", which is the county's strategic plan for the future. Her information includes planning and growth. Of broad public interest are parks, public safety, transportation and other issues important to the future of all Platte County citizens
First Thursday meeting, June 5th, will begin at 5:30 P.M. with this important program starting at 6:15 P.M. The cost for O’Dowd’s hors ‘d oeuvres and one drink is: $10 for members and $12.50 for non-members.
06/05/’08: Join the Platte County Republican Pachyderms each First Thursday of each month at O’Dowd’s in Zona Rosa Shopping Center. Gathering begins at 5:30 PM in the Guinness Room, 8600 NW Prairie View Rd. Kansas City, MO.
And all the other oddball religions and artifacts found, I cant help but wonder whats to replace it all? The book of revelations speaks of a "anti" christ rising from the church of philadelphia (USA), and obama sure fits the bill weather by divine intervention or manly design as einstein once noted.
With world debt growing, and the "end of man" upon us whats next ? I believe it may well be the 5th reich (the 4th is nazi (socialist) USA for those that slept), and man back to the mines such as in genisis. With bush now wanting all your dna to make his own dopplegangers (clones) with, http://infowars.net/articles/may2008/020507DNA.htm
and the world prominently displaying the 5 pointed star all about, and you cant see it. (the last had 6 points) Whats to become of us ?
We all can google reich right?
Since Hitler was a Catholic, does that somehow invalidate God or Jesus? Of course not. Science, reason, and logic are able to do that without using Hitler. The fact is that Hitler was a crazy man that did a despicable thing, regardless of what he was influenced by. If you truly want to relate things to Hitler and claim that they are bad, he and the Nazi army are surely more closely connected to religion than evolution.
These verses feel like utter nonsense, don't they? We can find thousands of verses like these in the Bible.
So we are forced to ask a question: Why doesn't a book written by God leave you with a sense of wonder and amazement? If you are reading a book written by the all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving creator of the universe, wouldn't you expect to be stunned by the brilliance, the clarity and the wisdom of the author? Would you not expect each new page to intoxicate you with its incredible prose and its spectacular insight?
Instead, opening the Bible inevitably creates a feeling of dumbfoundment. Have you ever noticed that? Instead of brilliance, much of the Bible contains nonsense. Several of the topics of the previous proofs, for example where we discussed the Bible's advocacy of slavery, are excellent examples. But they are just the tip of the iceberg. You can open the Bible to almost any page and find nonsense instead of wisdom.
Why, in other words, is the Bible so useless? Why does the author of the Bible, who is supposed to be God, who is supposed to be all-knowing, know so little? Why is the knowledge of the author limited to the knowledge of the primitive men who wrote the book? If you think about what you are reading in the Bible in the context of an all-knowing God who supposedly wrote it, none of it makes any sense. But if you think about the Bible as being a book written by primitive men like you would find in the remote regions of Afghanistan today, it makes complete sense.
Now consider this: Why don't the ministers and deacons of the church gather together every Sunday morning and pray to Jesus for the money they need? Why doesn't Jesus answer their prayers? Why do churches have to beg for money from mere mortals when there is an immortal, all-powerful God who should provide anything they ask for? Here is what "God" is saying:
Pray to me for anything and I will hear and answer your prayers. I say it in dozens of places in the Bible, but I like the way I say it in Mark 11:24 the best: "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." Anything you need -- money, love, happiness, you name it -- I am here to provide it for you.
Now, there is just one thing I need in return. I need your money. I need lots of your money. The Bible specifies that you tithe ten percent of your income to me, but think of that as a starting point. Feel free to give more!
Because even though I created the universe and everything in it, and even though I will give you everything you ask for in prayer, I can't give a cent to any church, ever. When they pass the offering plate at church, be sure to give generously!
Me: It is a manual for living a better life. It is also a guide to creating a better society for ourselves and our children. It has changed my life!
You: That sounds like an important book. Who wrote it?
Me: The author is supposed to be the smartest person in the universe.
You: That's amazing -- if the author is the smartest person in the universe, the book must be absolutely brilliant. I can't wait to see it. Do you have a copy with you?
Me: Absolutely! I carry it with me everywhere I go! Here, have a look for yourself...
You open the book to a random page, and you find this:
Any of the people of Israel, or of the aliens who reside in Israel, who give any of their offspring to Molech shall be put to death; the people of the land shall stone them to death. I myself will set my face against them, and will cut them off from the people, because they have given of their offspring to Molech, defiling my sanctuary and profaning my holy name. And if the people of the land should ever close their eyes to them, when they give of their offspring to Molech, and do not put them to death, I myself will set my face against them and against their family, and will cut them off from among their people, them and all who follow them in prostituting themselves to Molech.
If any turn to mediums and wizards, prostituting themselves to them, I will set my face against them, and will cut them off from the people. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I am the Lord your God. Keep my statutes, and observe them; I am the Lord; I sanctify you. All who curse father or mother shall be put to death; having cursed father or mother, their blood is upon them.
If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbour, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall be put to death. The man who lies with his father’s wife has uncovered his father’s nakedness; both of them shall be put to death; their blood is upon them. If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall be put to death; they have committed perversion; their blood is upon them. If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall be put to death; their blood is upon them. [Leviticus, chapter 20]
You are not quite sure what to say. You look at me for a moment.
You: I thought you said that this is written by the most intelligent person in the universe. If we are going to follow what this author says, we have to kill half the people in America. We are supposed to kill everyone who has cursed his father or mother, everyone who has committed adultery, and every homosexual.
Me: Well, that's in the old testament, you see. The book is really two books, and the "old" part of the book doesn't really apply.
You: Are you saying that the smartest person in the universe once wanted us to kill every adulterer and homosexual, but then changed his mind? That somehow makes it better? If the "old part" no longer applies, then why did you hand it to me when I asked to see the book?
Me: Well, parts of it do apply.
You: Didn't you just tell me that it doesn't apply?
You open the book to another random page and you find this:
When you buy a male Hebrew slave, he shall serve for six years, but in the seventh he shall go out a free person, without debt. If he comes in single, he shall go out single; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him. If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s and he shall go out alone. But if the slave declares, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out a free person’, then his master shall bring him before God. He shall be brought to the door or the doorpost; and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him for life.
When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do. If she does not please her master, who designated her for himself, then he shall let her be redeemed; he shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has dealt unfairly with her. If he designates her for his son, he shall deal with her as with a daughter. If he takes another wife to himself, he shall not diminish the food, clothing, or marital rights of the first wife. And if he does not do these three things for her, she shall go out without debt, without payment of money.
Whoever strikes a person mortally shall be put to death. If it was not premeditated, but came about by an act of God, then I will appoint for you a place to which the killer may flee. But if someone wilfully attacks and kills another by treachery, you shall take the killer from my altar for execution.
Whoever strikes father or mother shall be put to death.
Whoever kidnaps a person, whether that person has been sold or is still held in possession, shall be put to death. Whoever curses father or mother shall be put to death.
When individuals quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or fist so that the injured party, though not dead, is confined to bed, but recovers and walks around outside with the help of a staff, then the assailant shall be free of liability, except to pay for the loss of time, and to arrange for full recovery.
When a slave-owner strikes a male or female slave with a rod and the slave dies immediately, the owner shall be punished. But if the slave survives for a day or two, there is no punishment; for the slave is the owner’s property. [Exodus, chapter 21]
Again, you are dumfounded. Here the author of the book is advocating slavery, the branding of slaves, and the wholesale beating of slaves. You are not quite sure what to say. You look at me for a moment.
You: You have to be kidding me. Here the "smartest person in the universe" is telling us that slavery is OK and that we are free to beat our slaves.
You open the book to another random page and you find this:
I desire, then, that in every place the men should pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or argument; also that the women should dress themselves modestly and decently in suitable clothing, not with their hair braided, or with gold, pearls, or expensive clothes, but with good works, as is proper for women who profess reverence for God. Let a woman learn in silence with full submission. I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she is to keep silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. Yet she will be saved through childbearing, provided they continue in faith and love and holiness, with modesty. [1 Timothy, chapter 2]
You are nearly speechless. But you manage to find your voice.
You: Is this some kind of joke? "I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over a man." That is totally sexist! In America, there are millions of female teachers and we have women throughout our corporate and govenment hierarchies. No intelligent person believes that women should be silenced.
As you page through the book further you find that it is totally sexist from beginning to end.
You keep opening the book to random pages, and nearly everything you find is utter nonsense. Either it is meaningless, completely irrelevant, disgusting or downright wrong.
If you are a scientist it is even worse, and it starts with the very first line:
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth...
That's not true. In the beginning a natural event created the universe as we know it, and the earth did not form until billions of years later. The creation story in Genesis is completely wrong. Simply read Genesis and you can see it. For example, the Bible says that light and darkness are created after the water but before the sun. Everyone knows that the sun came first, then the planet and its rotation (which is what causes light and darkness to occur on a daily basis) and then the water, and this all happened over million of years. There are many other problems with the Bible:
* Man did not come from a handful of dust through some mythological being. Man evolved from other species like every other living thing has for hundreds of millions of years.
* The Bible talks about a world-wide flood that covered earth in 5.5 miles of water and killed everything, yet we know it never happened. That is clear from the archeolgical record.
* There was no tower of Babel where God confounded the languages of mankind.
The list goes on and on. The Bible is nonsense in a thousand different scientific ways.
Ask yourself this simple question: Why, when you read the Bible, are you not left in awe? Why doesn't a book written by an omniscient being leave you with a sense of wonder and amazement? If you are reading a book written by the all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving creator of the universe, wouldn't you expect to be stunned by the brilliance, the clarity and the wisdom of the author? Would you not expect each new page to intoxicate you with its incredible prose and its spectacular insight? Wouldn't you expect the author to tell us things that scientists have not been able to discover yet?
Yet, when we open the Bible and actually read it, we find it is nothing like that at all. Instead of leaving us in awe, it leaves us dumbfounded by all of the nonsense and backwardness that it contains. If you read what the Bible actually says, you find that the Bible is ridiculous. The examples shown above barely scratch the surface of the Bible's numerous problems. If we are honest with ourselves, it is obvious that an "all-knowing" God had absolutely nothing to do with this book.
More recently we know that tens of millions of Romans worshiped Jupiter and his friends, and to them they built magnificent temples. The ruins of these temples are popular tourist attractions even today. Yet we know with complete certainty that these gods were imaginary because no one worships Zeus any more.
Much more recently, we know that the Aztec civilization believed in their gods so intensely that they constructed huge temples and pyramids. In addition, Aztecs were so zealous that they were sacrificing hundreds of human beings to their gods as recently as the 16th century. Despite the intensity, however, we know today that these gods were completely imaginary. The Aztecs were insane to be murdering people for their gods. Killing a person has no effect on rainfall or anything else. We all know that. If the Aztec gods were real, we would still be offering sacrifices to them.
Today's "God" is just as imaginary as were these historical gods. The fact that millions of people worship a god is meaningless.
The "God" and the "Jesus" that Christians worship today are actually amalgams formed out of ancient pagan gods. The idea of a "virgin birth", "burial in a rock tomb", "resurrection after 3 days" and "eating of body and drinking of blood" had nothing to do with Jesus. All of the rituals in Christianity are completely man-made. Christianity is a snow ball that rolled over a dozen pagan religions. As the snowball grew, it freely attached pagan rituals in order to be more palatable to converts. You can find accounts like these in popular literature:
* "The vestiges of pagan religion in Christian symbology are undeniable. Egyptian sun disks became the halos of Catholic saints. Pictograms of Isis nursing her miraculously conceived son Horus became the blueprint for our modern images of the Virgin Mary nursing Baby Jesus. And virtually all the elements of the Catholic ritual - the miter, the altar, the doxology, and communion, the act of "God-eating" - were taken directly from earlier pagan mystery religions."
* "Nothing in Christianity is original. The pre-Christian God Mithras - called the Son of God and the Light of the World - was born on December 25, died, was buried in a rock tomb, and then resurrected in three days. By the way, December 25 is also the birthday or Osiris, Adonis, and Dionysus. The newborn Krishna was presented with gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Even Christianity's weekly holy day was stolen from the pagans."
It is extremely hard for a Christian believer to process this data, but nonetheless it is true. All of the "sacred rituals" of Christianity, and all of Christianity's core beliefs (virgin birth, resurrection, etc.) come straight from pagan religions that were popular around the time of Jesus. Articles like this and this can help you learn more. Once you understand the fundamental truth of Christianity's origins, the silliness of this whole thing becomes apparent.
We pray sincerely, knowing that when God answers this completely heartfelt, unselfish, non-materialistic prayer, it will glorify God and help millions of people in remarkable ways.
Will anything happen? No. Of course not.
This is very odd. Jesus makes specific promises in the Bible about how prayer is supposed to work. Jesus says in many different places that he and God will answer your prayers. And Christians believe Jesus -- according to this recent article, "54% of American adults believe the Bible is literally true." In some areas of the country the number goes as high as 75%.
If the Bible is literally true, then something is seriously amiss. Simply look at the facts. In Matthew 7:7 Jesus says:
Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
If "every one who asks receives", then if we ask for cancer to be cured, it should be cured. Right? If "our Father who is in heaven gives good things to those who ask him", then if we ask him to cure cancer, he should cure it. Right? And yet nothing happens.
In Matthew 17:20 Jesus says:
For truly, I say to you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.
If "nothing will be impossible to you", then if we ask to cure cancer tonight, cancer should disappear. Right? Yet nothing happens. Note that if we take the Bible less-than-literally here, the statement "nothing will be impossible to you" becomes "lots of things will be impossible to you," and that would mean that Jesus is lying.
In Matthew 21:21:
I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.
If "you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer", then if we ask to cure cancer tonight, cancer should dissappear. Right? Yet nothing happens. Note again that there is not a non-literal way to interpret "you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer", unless you replace "whatever" with "nothing" or "little."
The message is reiterated Mark 11:24:
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
If God says, "believe that you have received it, and it will be yours," and if we believe in God and his power, then what should happen if we pray to cure cancer tonight? It should be cured. Either that, or God is lying.
In John chapter 14, verses 12 through 14, Jesus tells all of us just how easy prayer can be:
"I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." [ref]
Look at how direct this statement is: "You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." This is the "Son of God" speaking. Have we taken him "too literally?" No. This is a simple, unambiguous statement. Have we taken his statement "out of context?" No - Jesus uses the word anyone. Yet Jesus' statement is obviously false. Because when we ask God to cure cancer tonight, nothing happens.
We see the same thing over and over again...
In Matthew 18:19 Jesus says:
Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
In James 5:15-16 the Bible says:
And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
In Mark 9:23:
All things are possible to him who believes.
In Luke 1:37:
For with God nothing will be impossible.
Nothing could be simpler or clearer than Jesus' promises about prayer in the Bible. Yet, when we pray to eliminate cancer, nothing happens.
And keep in mind that this is Jesus talking here. These are not the words of human beings. These are not the words of "inspired" human beings. These are supposedly the words of God himself, incarnated in a human body. Jesus is supposed to be a perfect, sinless being. And yet, it is obvious that Jesus is lying. What Jesus says is clearly incorrect.
Jesus is supposed to be God. God is supposed to be perfect.
When Jesus speaks, he should speak the truth.
Yet when we look at what Jesus says about prayer,
he is clearly lying.
If you would like additional proof, gather a million faithful believers together into a giant prayer circle. Have them all pray together in Jesus' name that God cures every case of cancer on the planet tomorrow. Pray sincerely, knowing that when God answers this completely heartfelt, unselfish, non-materialistic prayer, it will glorify God and help millions of people in remarkable ways. Now, we certainly have two or more people gathered together, and they have asked in Jesus' name, and we have not one but a million faithful believers who, by definition, have faith and believe. We have fulfilled every one of Jesus' requirements.
Will Jesus answer the prayer now? Of course not. Your prayer will go unanswered, in direct defiance to Jesus' promises in the Bible. In fact, if you pray for anything that is impossible, your prayer will always go unanswered.
There is a great deal of evidence within the Bible that demonstrates that it is not just the work of men. In spite of its great antiquity, the Bible is easy to understand. Genesis 1, for example, was written around 1500 BC. It is easy to understand and clear in its meaning. Works like the Iliad by Homer are not that clear or easy to understand even though they were written hundreds of years after Genesis. In the same way, we find that many religious works like the Vedas are extremely difficult to understand and lack clarity. The Bible also radiates authority. “Never a man spake like this man,” was the comment of those of Jesus’ day. There was no appeal for belief or credibility. Jesus spoke differently than any man has before or since. C.S. Lewis says:
A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic--on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg--or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.
One of the most interesting demonstrations of the uniqueness of the Bible is its brevity. All one has to do is to listen to a politician or a preacher to realize that men are never brief. Biographical materials abound with trivia totally unneeded for an understanding of the person being described. In the chart below are some of the major events in the life of Christ and the number of verses which tell us about these events. John even comments, “The world itself could not contain the books that should be written" (John 21:25).
Jesus lived about 12,000 days
His ministry 1,200 days
Total days accounted for in Bible 34 days
Christ’s baptism 4 verses
His transfiguration 5 verses
When we read other religious books, we do not see this brevity. We can read how many times a day Mohammed brushed his teeth, for example, and learn of his family problems. The Bible is different.
The Bible is also free of whitewash. It is objective. When we read about Abraham, we read about a man who was so weak that on two different occasions he was willing to let his wife become a part of another man’s harem. We read about David’s terrible sin with Bathsheba and his murder of her husband. Unlike the work of men that delete the negative things, the Bible tells it all.
Checkability
The Bible is unique in the fact that it makes statements which can be checked to see if they are true or not. In science, history, psychology, medicine, literature, and a myriad of other fields there are statements which can be investigated to see if they are true and if they could have been known by the Bible writers in the day they were written. In science, there are hundreds of examples of knowledge totally beyond the Bible authors’ knowledge that are nevertheless in the Bible. The ability to check this data provides strong evidence that the Bible is from God.
Beliefs as to what supports the world
Hindu
turtle with four elephants
Buddhist
catfish
Greek
man named Atlas
Babylonian
in a lake inside a plastic-like hemisphere with a beetle pushing the sun across the sky
Egyptian
in a river with the sun god Ra driving a chariot across the sky
In the picture above we see the Hindu concept of how the earth is held “up” in space. The explanation is logical, clear, and reasonable. Elephants are very strong. The reason that objects in the sky move very slowly is that turtles are slow. While logical, the view is incorrect. The chart below the picture shows other concepts of the suspension of the earth as seen in ancient records and traditions. Nowhere in the Bible is there an indication that the Earth is physically supported. The only references we do find are poetic passages like Job 26:7 and even these passages are accurate. At the end of this lesson is a partial list of other passages in the Bible which demonstrate similar accuracy. Similar charts could be drawn up in all disciplines known to man. When alleged conflicts do appear, a close examination shows that either assumptions made about the passage are causing the conflict or language difficulties exist.
In addition to the freedom from error and knowledge beyond the date of its writing, the Bible has cause-and-effect promises which can be checked out. As an example:
Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over... (Luke 6:38).
Try it in all aspects of your life and you’ll see that it works.
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Again, try it and you’ll find the power to live successfully. There is checkability in the Bible in all kinds of ways. Let us carry this last theme on:
System Design
The system taught in the Bible works. In all areas, it shows logic and practicality. Consider the chart below and notice that the Bible contains wisdom far beyond the human alternatives offered by man-made systems.
Bible Principle and Alternative
1. God seeks man (Revelation 3:20; John 10:14-18); Man seeks God
2. Church is people (Matthew 18:20; 1 Corinthians 3:16); Shrines, temples, cathedrals
3. Heaven (Revelation 21:4; 1 Corinthians 15:51-57, Luke 19:12-26); Reincarnation or nothing
4. Use and management of creation (Genesis 1:28; 2:15; Acts 11:8-9); Pantheism, exploitation, food restrictions
5. Home (Mark 10:4-12; Genesis 2:24); Polygamy, polyandry, none
6. Dealing with others (Matthew 5-6, Luke 10:30-37, Acts 10:34-35, John 4:3-24); Selfishness, prejudice, bigotry, anarchy
7. Self (Matthew 5-6, 1 Corinthians 10:13); Overt control, no responsibility
8. Pain and suffering (Romans 8:28, John 9:1-3); Nothing, suicide, punishment for wrong doing
Notice that in every single case the Bible position is superior to the alternative. The more we study each of the choices, the more wisdom and logic we see in what the Bible teaches. It is hoped that the student will do some study and thinking on these concepts. Jesus made the statement that “by their fruits ye shall know them.” When the Bible principle has been followed the results have inevitably been good, positive, uplifting results, but the alternatives have spelled disaster for many. Think of the starvation and agony that has resulted from pantheism--the belief that nature is God and should not be used or controlled for man’s benefit. Surely the wisdom of “Subdue the earth. Have dominion over the beast of the earth, the fowl of the air and everything that swims in the sea” is obvious. This does not mean that man is to exploit, mismanage and pollute earth; to the contrary, he is told to take care of the garden to dress it and keep it. But the wisdom in carefully and intelligently managing all things on the earth is obvious. The wisdom of monogamy as opposed to polygamy or polyandry is also obvious to the thinking person. Many have never comprehended what a beautiful and special thing the joining of a man and a woman into “one flesh” is, and a multiple mate system does not allow the beauty and joy to be known. It would take many pages to discuss each of the areas listed in the chart, but each of them shows wisdom and design that did not come from man and which is strikingly different than is offered by all other religious systems on this Earth.
The Changing of Lives
What is it about the Christian system that motivates its adherents to do the things that they do in reference to their fellowman? Even when partially followed, the Christian system brings incredible benefits into the lives of men and women. All over the world, one can see hospitals built by various “Christian” groups as devices to serve the needs of man--totally motivated by the philosophy and teachings of Jesus Christ. Alcoholic treatment centers, drug rehabilitation programs, educational institutions, jail ministries, programs for the poor, and a myriad of other totally unselfish and serving type of organizations have been built by people expressing their faith in the teachings of Jesus Christ. These groups do not agree on all points of doctrine, and some of their theology is not consistent with the Bible; but even when partially followed, the biblical system brings great fruit of a beautiful and indisputable nature.
How many Muslim, Buddhist, Bahai, Hindu, or any other religious service facilities do you find any place in the world? Even when there are such centers they are usually situations where they took over a program initiated by followers of Christ, as is the case in nearly all Muslim countries today. There is something different about Christianity. The biblical message produces different fruit. We do need to point out that when a “Christian” group does something bad, it is always totally in opposition to what Jesus taught. The Crusades were exactly the opposite of the concept of “turning the other cheek,” “loving your enemy,” “living peaceably with all men,” “going the second mile,” and so forth. The Jim Jones massacre in Guyana cannot be attributed to the biblical system. On the other hand, we do see Muhammad advocating force and killing as a means of spreading his doctrine. There is a difference.
A subject we will touch on only briefly as we end this lesson is the fact that there is a power in Christianity that is not found any where on the earth in any other system and that is a power to overcome problems and temptations in our lives that we cannot do alone. This is hard to convey to a person who has never tried it; but when a person who is committed and serving God tries to overcome something in their lives that is lacking or negative, they see incredible things happen. Alcoholics whip their addiction to their recreational drug. Addicts on other drugs are able to clean up their lives. Prostitutes are able to escape useless lives of exploitation. People with moral problems are able to overcome them. There is always a solution to every problem that we can be confronted with in life. What is the source of that power? Why is it that Christianity changes lives when no other system on earth seems to have that ability? At the end of this course, your author would like to share with you some of his own experiences in this regard. I would submit that the uniqueness of Christianity to accomplish renovation in shattered, meaningless lives is another testimony to the fact that there is one true and living God--the God of the Bible.
Checkable Biblical Accuracy
Fact as Stated in the Bible Biblical Reference and Common Belief of Day in Which Author Lived
1. Blood is essential to Life Leviticus17:11-14; Disease and spirits reside in blood. To cure disease, bleed patient.
2. Both male & female possess “seed of life.” Genesis 3:15, 22:18; Male has baby in him. Woman is the incubator.
3. Eating blood of animals forbidden. Leviticus 17:12,14; Raw blood used as beverage.
4. Do not eat animals that died naturally. Leviticus 17:15; No restrictions on manner of death.
5. Quarantine of certain diseases. Leviticus 13-15; No isolation of diseased.
6. Do not eat pork or scavengers (In Moses’ day). Leviticus 11; No food restrictions.
7. Principles of avoiding bacterial contamination--one person to another. Leviticus 15:19-33; No rules of hygiene or isolation.
8. Human waste products to be buried. Deuteronomy 23:12-14; Human waste left on ground.
9. Human body can be opened for surgery. Genesis 2:21; First operations done secretly because populace threatened doctors.
10. Burning clothes, washing self after contact with deceased man or animal. Numbers 19:5-22; No recognition of contagion problem.
11. Earth is round, day and night taking place simultaneously. Isaiah 40:22; Proverbs 8:27; Luke 17:34; Earth is flat.
12. Earth is not physically supported. None mentioned and Job 26:7; Earth held up by four elephants or Atlas (a man), etc.
13. The North is empty (our North Pole points out of our galaxy). Job 26:7; Seeing a few stars to the North refuted this idea until 1932.
14. Space and stars are too large to be measured or counted. Genesis 15:5, Jeremiah 33:22; Attempts to number the astronomical bodies went on until 1932.
15. The creation sequence--plants, water creatures, birds, mammals, man, in that order. Genesis 1:11-28; Most had man first. All varied from correct concept.
16. The age of everything in the creation is the same. Genesis 1:1; Different times for different objects
17. The continents have “floated” away from a singular original land mass. Genesis 1:9, 10:25; Each continent was autonomous (until 1970).
Hubert Spencer’s scientific principles. Genesis 1 No scientific system of statements.
18. Lightning is produced naturally. Jeremiah 10:13, 51:16; The gods throw lightning bolts.
19. All men are blood relatives. Acts 17:26; Men have different origins.
20. The water cycle. Ecclesiastes 1:7; Job 36:27,28; The gods pour new water on land continuously.
21. Use of genetics in livestock. Genesis 30:30-43; No recognition of inherited physical properties.
22. Snow and ice seen as valuable. Job 38:22; Snow and ice seen as a scourge and waste.
23. Seaworthy ration for ship construction--30x5x3. Genesis 6:15; Ships ratio not considered, only the beauty.
24. Concepts of id and ego. Romans 7; Explanations of behavior induced by gods.
One of the great problems and one of the great mysteries of life is the problem of human suffering and the problem of death. I suppose there is more pain and suffering today than there ever has been on the face of the earth-if for no other reason than the fact that there are more people than ever before. Not only is there more physical pain, but there is also more emotional and mental pain than there has ever been. Almost every time that I am involved in a lectureship on a college campus or a similar place I have people--young people usually--who will come to me and say, "Well all right, you've shown us that there is some evidence for God's existence, but if there is a God and if he is a loving and merciful God, how do you explain the problems of suffering and death and all the tragedies that happen to people?" Why is it that these things occur? I believe any question that man can ask has a reasonable answer-at least an answer that is as consistent with God's existence as it is in opposition to God's existence. And so, in the problem of human suffering and the problem of death and tragedies-things that happen to all of us--there are answers. It is not going to be possible in this booklet to give an answer to every conceivable situation that one might conjecture could occur or has occurred. But there are some things that can be said and some points that can be made that are useful and helpful in better understanding the problem of human suffering and in demonstrating that these things are not inconsistent with a loving and merciful God, such as the God we read of in the Bible.
There are some things that are obvious enough and that are simple enough to understand, that there is no need to go into great detail. So, I just want to mention them very briefly.
For instance, there are those who say there is no such thing as pain. There is a school of thought that says that pain does not really exist, that it is all in your mind, that if you experience pain, it is because you are weak or because you are psychologically not properly oriented or because you are not spiritual enough or whatever it might be--that pain is an illusion. But I doubt very sincerely if too many of us take this point of view seriously. Medically we know that the brain makes responses to a pin prick in the finger. There are very few of us that when we stick ourselves with a pin or cut ourselves do not thoroughly and completely believe that pain is real, and so I do not intend to go into this in great detail.
Although there are many things that could be said, I do not think it is necessary for us to get involved in long and protracted discussions about the things that we experience as far as pain and suffering go as a result of our own deliberate sin. In short, if you jump off a bridge you should not get too upset with God when you hit the bottom. We have examples of this in the Bible: Saul, David, Cain, Adam and Eve--individuals who suffered because of their transgressions of what God has said to do and what not to do. Certainly, in today's world we see this. The people who drink alcoholic beverages can expect to have problems getting their brains to function properly in old age. They are people who can expect to have problems with liver cirrhosis and things of this kind. They can expect to have difficulties that are a result of having taken this material, this poisonous intoxicant material, into their bodies. People who smoke can expect to have problems with their lungs (emphysema, lung cancer, things of this type). The person who commits adultery can expect the consequences of that--the psyc