JohnD

Never underestimate the religious fervor of humanity... even in the religion of atheism. Religion is often times a label hung around the neck of Christianity. And unjustly so. For at its core are the anti-religious efforts of Almighty God to have a real relationship with his people and not a religion. Religion is fraught with superstition, blind faith, fanaticism, and control freaks. Sadly, there are some of these foisted upon the moniker of the followers of Christ... and the Bible warned against this very thing from the struggles of the disciples to be the greatest to the itching ears of the laity in the last days who do not tolerate sound doctrine... But do not be surprised by the blind faith of those who hope to disprove God in bad theories and mafia-like strangleholds on science, education, and the media... they just don't want to be told that they are not God...

Good point.

I have long since learned to respond to "Happy Easter" with "Same to you..." because most are so bamboozled by the Holiday or unwilling to listen to the truth about the holiday that telling anyone what it is really about is like seeming to be some snot-nosed Liberal ready, willing, and able to protest against anything... But here... in these forums I feel comfortable discussing this. Thank you for the well wish, brother. I wish you well also. Easter is compromised holiday that was once the pagan springtime fertility feast of Astarte ("Star") from which the name Easter comes. It involved various sexual rituals and was symbolized by the prolific bunny rabbits and the eggs of fowl. The Roman Catholic Empire "Christianized" it somewhat but left enough of the old feast to appease conquered pagans who celebrated it. Like Christ-mass which Christianized the wintertime fertility feast of Saturnalia. The exchange of gifts was from the pagans btw and has all but commercialized the holiday entirely. And the yule log and the mistletoe hail back to the Nimrod religion (which curiously had a mother and son connection with a resurrection). That does not detract from the real events as some detractors to the faith try to foment on the world... This is the result of human tradition and human meddling. God instituted seven feasts all of which pointed to the Messiah. Minus the sacrifices since the once for all sacrifice has already taken place (which the lesser sacrifices all pointed to prophetically)... They still pointed to Christ. So why did Christendom dump these feasts? Once again... the Roman Catholic Empire... The Roman Empire was crumbling and to preserve it, it was made into a religion. Funny thing is, they had to keep certain truths in it to interest Christians and to keep them interested... it was a satanic subtlety assault rather than the frontal assaults leveled against Christians from the 1st Century CE through the 4th Century CE. So, despite the over all, one who believes in the genuine Jesus is saved... despite Roman Catholicism and I would even venture to say despite Protestantism as well. The Reformation in effect merely dethroned the Pope and brought the rest of the Roman religion along with them for the ride. Still gone are the Hebrew feasts and in their stead Roman holidays. The greater irony then that unbelieving Jews keep a Passover Seder to this day that points directly to Jesus is that most who do believe in Jesus have never seen or experienced or even read about a Passover Seder which is in keeping with his command to remember his death till he comes again. He did not say remember his birth. He did not even say remember his resurrection in the sense of a feast or holiday. Only his death. Think about it. It is his greatest among many sacrifices. He who knew no death and did not ever have to die died for us! Wow... and he wanted that to be remember above all the rest of the feasts holidays etc. How the devil must laugh at our ignorance and / or impudence... Happy Astarte, Happy Saturnalia...

As regard to faith... in answer to the deeper question "why faith?" Why not do all things in the sight of men and women so they can see for themselves the Lord is good and to be trusted with our very self... ??? Some go to the answer as to why man has choice (so that we are not organic automatons responding to divine stimulation). But it's a little broader than that. Yes this is true about choice. But it also involves the fact that God already did do all things in the direct face of the angelic host and still a third of them fell into sin and eternal condemnation. It is poignant that though the rich man wanted to save his family from hell and not even himself Abraham's reply was: Luke 16:27-31 (NASB95) 27

Luke 18:1-8 (KJV) 1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; 2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: 3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. 4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; 5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. 6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. 7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? 8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? Uncle Abee already posted this and is quite correct. Prayer is as much conditioning as petitioning. It conditions the one praying as well as petitioning the one being prayed to. It reaffirms the Lord is the source for everything. That he is in charge and it is his will not ours that is to be done and it done. It is aligning our will with his. James 5:16 (KJV) 16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. 1 John 5:14-15 (KJV) 14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: 15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. Which is another way of saying "in Jesus' name" according to Jesus will or according to what Jesus stands for... In Jesus' name is not a magical catch phrase to insure answered prayer... John 16:24 (NASB95) 24 “Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full. The Messianic office, purpose, and person were a mystery up to that point. While God is indeed the source of all things... he is not a genie to satisfy our every whim... but he does care about us he loves us and is concerned with our every matter or circumstance. But there is a bigger picture and bigger things going on in this ongoing mission to save sinners. And we must remember that. Yes, pray without ceasing. Inundate God with all your petitions. He may in fact grant them even if they are not directly involved with the bigger picture. But he may also be showing you to be careful what you ask for because you just may get it. Think of all the past puppy loves and infatuations we all had in growing up and how we prayed Lord give me this one thing... the love of this person or that person... then several years later you see them again after the torch you carried is long since burned out and you see them as they really are and you thank the Lord God of Heaven he did not give you them or them you!! God really does care. And he knows the future and what is best for us. A million dollars might solve a temporal situation here on earth but be part of one's downfall in eternity... as Jesus said... what profit is it really to gain the whole world and lose your very spirit in eternal damnation?

view later response.

As does the Apostle Paul Jew and Israel. Acts 21:39 (NIV) 39 Paul answered,

Daniel 12:11-12 (NASB95) 11 “From the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. 12 “How blessed is he who keeps waiting and attains to the 1,335 days! From the end of time counting back 1290 days to the time when the false messiah abates Jewish Temple sacrifices, there is still 105 days to go till the rapture on day 1335 of the 70th Week of Daniel. The 70th Week of Daniel is not one seven year tribulation but two three and a half year tribulations (the first for the saints the second for the doomed). Revelation 12 (NASB95) 1 A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; 2 and she was with child; and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth. 3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems. 4 And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child. 5 And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne. 6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that there she would be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days. 7 And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, 8 and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. 11 “And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death. 12 “For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.” 13 And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. 14 But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. 15 And the serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood. 16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon poured out of his mouth. 17 So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. Revelation 13:5-10 (NASB95) 5 There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him. 6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven. 7 It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him. 8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain. 9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear. 10 If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints. This is what 666 is all about... tracking down / forcing out of hiding the one people on earth who will not take the mark. Christians. Revelation 13:16-18 (NASB95) 16 And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, 17 and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six. The rapture will take place after the false messiah is on the scene and reveals his true colors when he defiles the temple and claims to be God and then renege on his covenant with Israel. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 (NASB95) 1 Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, 2 that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.

I'm not saying vote for Trump. Just saying we are in a mess.

I gotta say... I don't know what's worse this fraud or the people who just want to bury their heads in the sand and pretend he was born in America anyway.

Here's a blank one. Mickey Mouse could fill this in and run for office I s'pose.

Notice anything missing? Signatures. Feet prints. Notarization stamp. They must think we are all pretty stupid.

So, should I start calling you "Товарищ?" Yeah real nice one... Cutthroat Capitalism or Communism? Is that the extent of your reason? Fair market free enterprise... scares you?

continuing with my summary of the Federal Reserve... Church pretty much wrapped his series in the mid 1980's with his personal speculations. So I'll add my observations. Nixon was pushed out of office because he knew about a break in after the fact. This was the newly established Liberal American media flexing its muscles. Nixon was not any more or less dirty than most politicians. I know this startles most folks because the media did such an effective smear campaign on him. Go to his library in Yorba Linda, California and at least listen to another side of the man. Ford pretty much was done this favor (filling in for Spiro Agnew and then Nixon) for his part in the Warren Commission. The oil crisis was in full bloom during his administration. I think everybody's collective breath was held hoping he wouldn't screw something up. Carter came in rather naive as to the overtures of the money types in DC politics. I believe he was a sincere man who was a big fish in a small pond but unlike the Clintons was unable to transition to the big time because IMHO he was not as into dirty politics. The high interest rates (upwards of 20% in home loans and auto loans) was strictly the banking system telling him who was running the show. The Iranian hostage crisis was a big elephant in his living room, so out of desperation to preserve his legacy he did two historic things that were pretty dumb when you think of it. 1. He twisted the arm of Israel to give back the Sinai Peninsula to the Egyptians (who lost it in a war they started). 2. He saw that the Panama Canal zone had not been returned to the Panamanians. So he signed the bill to return it to them in the 1990's. Lessons learned... 1. you don't give away world gates like the Suez and Panama Canals... 2. land for peace began a slaughter campaign in the Middle East encouraging the Palestinians in the 30 year old jihad. Then along came Reagan. This is where most capitalists bow and kiss the ground. Sadly, many Christians do too. Reagan had some good ideas and some really bad ones. He was right about how to combat Communism. But he did it with capitalist warfare. America had an about face when his voodoo economics took hold. GHW Bush called it that until he was offered the VP. He was right. It is a system of economics based on credit lines and indebtedness which eventually became a stock market commodity and in its third decade revival (the 2000's) became the stock market itself. This house of cards would have collapsed much sooner had the money types not been so sly about reinventing indebtedness time after time. I used to chauffeur for these types in Southern California. Right up until the end (December 2008). GHW Bush and the Clintons stayed pretty much out of the globalists way as did W who actually stayed out of Cheney's way as he did the Fed's and globalist's bidding from his office. While these administrations stood vigil, America's backbone was systematically removed. It's workforce and ability to manufacture and produce and to provide services and food stuffs was outsourced to slave labor wage nations to import back here at top dollar out of sheer greed and treasonous legislation. And now that the middle class has been gotten out of the greedy people's way, it suddenly occurs to them that there is no one left but them to pay the taxes... NOW it's about Government spending too much... When it was making them deals and bailing them out well cost was no object... Another very simple tax suggestion on the "rich" is simply 50% taxes on those making over 50 k a year who are not making jobs and paying benefits to employees, and prison time for those who try to pass their tax costs onto the consumer. Want tax cuts? Give something back to the country... create jobs. Pay your employees a decent wage, chip in on pension plans affordable insurance... oh and police the medical profession for heaven sakes. The foxes have been guarding the hen houses long enough in that profession. It's real simple if you can't be bought off by votes, compromises, or money and simply stick to the plan because it's the only solution. And it just happens to be right.

Oh yeah! I'll GLADLY take this test! They are creating a record number of jobs every year in China, Mexico, Taiwan etc. Their tax cuts have not benefited American workers. All they have done is load more debt on us. We need to have them pay their fair share of taxes in the U.S. We also should make them pay a tariff for any goods they produce overseas at such a level that making their goods here is more profitable. In conjunction with this we should not pay high prices for low quality goods produced overseas. If we stop buying it, they will stop charging so much for it. We have brought all this on ourselves by giving the Corps everything they want (including paying little or no taxes) while not taking care of our own people. The reasons they are in those other countries is because of the high taxes and the burden of union entitlements here. May I ask you a few questions? How much is their "fair share" of taxes in your opinion? Flat tax 10% to 15% across the board no write offs. Flat tax is the same to the trillionaire as it is the $5 a year poor. Only when it deprives others of their ability to earn a living or when gained by fraud. And you will find that most wealthy people fall under one or both of these. The only thing I give O man credit for is putting the brakes on the free fall... which may only be temporary... all else he failed at IMHO. I am so GLAD you asked. Two things the McCarthy era produced: witch hunts and polarization. The social make up includes more than two opposing ideals. In fact it is a social pendulum with the happy medium being Free Enterprise (which is a delicate balance of of the extremes). The two extremes (communism and capitalism) we were told under the McCarthy era are the only two social philosophies... both of them are extreme both cater to a small privileged class both are fascist. I am a Fair Market Free Enterpriser.

Summary of the series done by J.R. Church, the globalists of today had their beginnings in the days of Napoleon and the battle of Waterloo. The British market was duped by Rothschild who saw Napoleon was losing but he dumped stock like Napoleon was winning. The market was a flurry of investors selling and Rothschild secretly bought up the fast devalued stock at pennies on the dollar. This eventually branched out into the Bilderbergers. JP Morgan, Chase (banking), Brown Brothers Harriman (railroad), Bechtel etc. but culminated in the Central Bank of London. Church states that Cornwallace surrendered to Washington only under the agreement that the United States would continually renew the charter of the New York Central Bank (which was only an affiliate of the London Central Bank). That the war of 1812 was over the President at that time not wanting to renew the charter. This reared its ugly head for the next two centuries with the various depressions and recessions all levied by the Central Bank of London. It is suggested that both Lincoln and Kennedy were assassinated for having rejected the Central Bank to fund American ventures in the Civil War and the Cold War in the beginnings of Detente. It is a fact Lincoln issued the "green backs" rather than renew the Central Bank charter. It is also a fact that Kennedy had printed millions of tow dollar bills with the inscription "United States Note" (look above President's head on both): As opposed to "Federal Reserve Note" Yeah, yeah, conspiracy theory... The Fed was created in 1913. It is not a branch of the government but is controlled exclusively by the Central Bank of London and an exclusive banking families of Europe and the US. It was instrumental in the declared ratification of the 16th amendment (taxation by Congress) in 1913. Soon afterward came the outlawing of gold in America (while trainloads of it were being sent in sealed cars through Nazi Germany to fund the Bolshevik revolution... US dollars were printed as promissory notes for payment on demand in gold. Since the Great Depression, America's course was to inflate the cost of living so that the Gold Standard could no longer be possible. It is debatable as to when this actually took place, but it is a matter of record that President Nixon took America officially off of the Gold Standard and onto the Petrodollar Standard. Oil was cheap. Oil pumping nations were relatively poor. But they soon realized they had the industrialized world by the small hairs. This brought about the oil embargo of the 1970's. continued...

Do you think it stops at just getting married and having kids, or does the "as in the days of Noah" carry out to the rest of the things that were going on just before the flood??? My guess is that most here are quite young. By my standards, anyway. There was a time when people could not cuss on the air. When prayer and Bible reading were allowed in public schools. When banks were not allowed to be in business across State lines. When tariffs were levied on imports across our borders. When corporations were criminally prosecuted for treason and disloyalty to the nation in which they did business (let alone made their billions). Yes there were social ills. Prejudice being the worst. Repression of women. And sadly the Church was too busy playing Church to take the leadership against these things. Which is why perversion headed up the women's movement and the likes of Jessie Jackson who Clarence Mason Weaver calls a plantation foreman headed up the civil rights movement. "This review is from: It's OK to Leave the Plantation : The New Underground Railroad (Paperback) This book is an inspiration to people of all races. I happen to be a melanin challenged male. I found great inspiration because this book can help anyone overcome dysfunctional thinking if they have the guts to believe the truth. It also shows that the real sellouts, and Uncle Toms are not Mr. Weaver, Dr. Keyes, Walter Williams, Thomas Sowell and Star Parker. The real sellouts are Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Maxine Waters and Sheila Jackson Lee. They're the ones who want to "keep the slaves on the plantation". Why else would they be so vitriolic against the aforementioned people as well as Clarence Thomas and J. C. Watts? For the few scraps of meat the white massas of the Democratic party throw them Waters, Lee and the rest are willing to sell out their brehtren just so they can keep themselves in power. This is a great book and it shows people of all cultures and walks of life that they can make the American Dream work for them. And, when you do make it, you'll know because the let's pretend spoiled brats of the lewd left will be screaming the loudest. Way to go Mason." So, you youngsters who wouldn't know how to use a phonograph, don't have a memory of how the world was a different place... a responsible place... a working place... a place where bully individualism was not hindered with the scarcity of employment and the out of control cost of living and credit indebtedness... where people tried a bit harder to make a marriage work (and for the sake of the children was good enough reason)... I saw it. I was there. It existed. And then came the transition of the next 40 years to today. If you can get hold of an old out of print series the Reverend JR Church did based on Eustace Mullins Secrets of the Federal Reserve... you will be in for an eye opener. If you can forgive Church for predicting rainbow money by 1989 and the tendency for Mullins to blame the Jews for the ills of the world (sure Jews are involved in the greed and the globalist agenda... so is most every other race)... which can easily be used to obfuscate the good and factual points both put on the table... then you will have insight as to what is going on and why.

Isaiah 59:2 (NASB95) 2 But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear. Matthew 27:51 (NASB95) 51 And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split. Hebrews 10:19-20 (NASB95) 19 Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, Until his death upon which the Testator initiated the New Testament: Hebrews 9:15-17 (NASB95) 15 For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. 16 For where a covenant is, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it. 17 For a covenant is valid only when men are dead, for it is never in force while the one who made it lives. Until then the faithful dead went in spirit to the side of sheol that was of the promise, comfort, called Abraham's Bosom in Luke 16:19-31, but in the three hours between the Lord's death and sunset: 1 Peter 3:18-19 (NASB95) 18 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; 19 in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, Ephesians 4:8-10 (NASB95) 8 Therefore it says,

Hello television watching friends... (right out of the 1960's) LOL

One thing I learned a long time ago... listen to God and not mere men. Even if it's pastor Aloysius Gump from Clearview Bapticostal Missionary Church and barbershop... God's say so trumps all. Acts 17:11 (NIV) 11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. How much less credible is an unsaved mere mortal source. Jesus made a very very poignant statement I fear most have overlooked. Matthew 16:13-23 (NIV) 13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” 14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was *NOT* revealed to you by man, *BUT* by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ. 21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. 22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” 23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do *NOT* have in mind the things of God, *BUT* the things of men.” In other words the mind of man is the mind of satan. How poignant is that!

I often wondered how the end would come, what it would be like. Hollywood dresses up such scenarios with soaring musical scores of intensity and earthquakes in every city and one detrimental event at one instant... The Bible paints another scenario, one of increasingly devolving circumstances over time and below the threshold of human desensitization... think not? How else could a German Chancellor woo a population into believing it is so superior that it could conscientiously function normally while it committed genocide to other races? Jesus said as in the times of Noah people will be marrying and being given in marriage up to the very hour... Today we would say something like, people will be ignorant of how desperate their conditions actually are, planning for a future that will not come, occupying themselves with the daily routine, celebrating every victory whether in marriage, divorce, child custody, legislative freedoms for perversions, the building up of greed in business and sports and the hero worship of the same and those who throw widows and orphans out in the snow... all dressed up on news shows and video magazines hosted by impudent males and over exposed females with faces painted like Jezebel in defiance of a holy God... I used to wonder how Wormwood would come and go... Chernobyl (Wormwood in Russian)... and now Fukushima (island of good fortune).

Phooey. Heard it all before. Each time they used this fear tactic to push through legislation or "treaties" like NAFTA and GATT or to take free speech out of schools (in the form of prayer or Bible reading or speaking of anything Christian publicly). It's just another round of population mind control. Get the cattle to board the trailers bound for the slaughter house kind of stuff. A tactic as old as the hills. Now that the greedy class has figured out their wiping out of the middle class (the bearer of the brunt of the tax burden) puts the tax burden on them... well, now it's time to be concerned about runaway spending (which suited them well in the 80's, 90's, and in the recent bail out)... now that we have a nation of unemployed / under employed citizens and an economy that desperately needs a jump start... Threats of bankruptcy and worse are just ploys to get us to climb into the nice trailer provided for our excursion to... One thing I have learned having been in the "conservative" movement in the Church for thirty (plus) years is that the Church is quite often the puppet of the greedy class. I am not begrudging or demonizing wealth, but rather wealth by fraud or at the expense of others to simply be able to make a living. It is usually at this point (over the past thirty years) that I am written off as just a conspiracy theory anarchist... but, people, look around you... look at how America and nations that followed suit have been ravaged (I would say raped) of it's moral underpinnings, of its health and prosperity to the general populace, and of its ability to educate, manufacture and produce , and compete in the world marketplace. America is like the beached whale to be fed on by the scavengers. And we in the Church who were so easily duped by those cutthroat purveyors of greed; wolves in sheeps clothing, who draped themselves in the American flag and the Christian banner... who got us to vote against the welfare of our own selves, family, and nation... fooling clergy and laity alike... Making us wonder if Mystery Babylon who prostituted herself with these merchants who made vast profits (Revelation 19:9-19) and hoarded wealth in the last days: James 5:1-6 (NIV) 1 Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. 2 Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. 4 Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. 5 You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you. And now they dare cry foul...

More than likely the temple refurbishment project under Herod gave the old temple doorposts and lintels to be used for other purposes... like crucifixion...