choir loft

There is far too much being attributed to demons and the actions of satan. Most of it is trash talk. The passage Luke 8:26-40 is the story of Jesus liberating a man from demonic oppression. There is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING suggesting implying or written concerning Enoch, the antiChrist, or giant spirits. It is a story of liberty granted to a man by the Son of Man. What does scripture say about the one who promotes a false gospel? "I am amazed how quickly you are deserting the One who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— which is not even a gospel. Evidently some people are troubling you and trying to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be under a curse! As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be under a curse! (Galatians 1:6-9) that's me, hollering from the choir loft... (Isaiah 6:9-10)

I AGREE that demonic influences can and do inhibit and inhabit believers. Deliverance ministries make a lot of money on this basis. Traditional church leaders like to tell their gullible flocks it can't happen to them, while at the same time refusing to preach REPENTANCE. Christians are not immune to demonic infestation. Deliverance ministries make a lot of money on the basis of spiritual possession of the saints. Christians are told that Christ can give us the victory over any and all of life's problems including bad habits, bad choices and spiritual dysfunction. Deliverance ministries make a lot of money on the basis of spiritual possession of the saints. The problem is that most don't care. They prefer to go about their business...to live their own lives ... that were once upon a time given to Christ. What happens then? According to the Bible, refusal to surrender to the will of God can result in PUNISHMENT of the aforementioned wandering Christian. If surrender continues to be refused Our Lord may go so far as to call that person home early...so as to save the spirit of that person rather than the flesh. We do not live lives part from Christ if we've surrendered to Him. REPENTANCE is the only solution. These are the days of judgment. It is time and past time to seek peace with God. Let us remember that God took on human form. Why did He do that? Have we forgotten in the mad rush to devote ourselves to rumors of demonic aberrations? REPENT NOW. This is especially important for those who know Christ....or who once knew Him, but have turned aside to wander in the desert of carnal desire. that's me, hollering from the choir loft.... (Isaiah 6:9-10)

Typical SPIN about Florida from someone who doesn't know the state at all. The "Villages" isn't one place....or even one 'village'. It's a real estate development franchise that spans tens of thousands of acres of central Florida as well as a number of incorporated Cities and towns. It's most definitely NOT AFFORDABLE. What IS affordable in the Villages are the STD testing clinics. Homeowner's insurance in Florida is almost unaffordable by anyone. They are driving people out of the state in record numbers. Property taxes are going up, with the proceeds now being diverted from public education to public works (to assist the developers of real estate 'villages'.) Did I write there were no churches? Village people worship God on the fairway...Golf Courses instead of church. Read the adverts. Tee time on Sunday morning is more important than worship time. "I can worship God in the great outdoors," they say. (Hebrews 10:25) It's known all across America what goes on in the Villages. People that live there deny it. Why wouldn't they? Is it something to be proud of? The incidence of STDs in the Villages is the highest of any group of communities in America. Churches seem to have NO effect upon sexual dysfunction and SIN in Central Florida. I've been to a few congregations in the area. Their Vegas style production numbers on Sunday morning are designed to entertain rather than to inspire worship. Sometimes people ask why I'm angry. Come down and waste a few years in these halls of pretentious prayer and you'll understand why...you'll SEE the hypocrisy for yourself. REPENTANCE is long overdue, but nobody wants to promote THAT attitude....it would potentially decrease paying customers in church. (A Methodist minister told me their church preaches the 'soft gospel' ... meaning no repentance is needed and no atonement is required....only membership in the church.) Do Florida churches now issue Get-Out-of-Hell free cards? Apparently they do...what a concept! Finally, I inform the reader that I personally know of healthcare professionals that work in the Villages near Leesburg. Some of the incidents cannot be posted here, even if polite editing was applied to the stories. Florida is littered with churches, very few of which serve the God of the Bible. Most of them serve corrupt inept pastors who have led their congregations into enormous debt (an average of 3 million per church according to national surveys) on a journey to whatever hellish fate awaits them. C'mon down and see for yourself. Bring lots of cash when you do. Church folks are few and far between, mostly the older generation, btw. (Does that give you a clue?) You will not see many working age folks in Florida churches. Church groups are too busy bickering with one another or gossiping with one another to be of use to the Kingdom of God...to actually DO ANYTHING AT ALL. They will smile and shake your hand in church, but later stab you in the back. (I know because its been done to me several times. There is no Koinonia love in these houses of pretentious prayer.) Snowbirds come and go (adding to dysfunctional assumptions that the church as a whole is growing when it isn't (*)). Tourists generally are too busy with the Parks to bother with cheap religious hypocrisy hereabouts. Florida in general and central Florida in particular is a spiritual desert...a wasteland of lost inspiration and bankrupt ideology. And well meaning folks who prefer to wear rose colored glasses will tell you all is right with America...when it's circling the toilet drain of history. that's me, hollering from the choir loft... (Isaiah 6:9-10) (*) NO CHURCH ever actually deletes members from its mailing list. These databases are normally administered by hired organizations outside the church and rarely delete members who've died or moved to another church. (I personally had to threaten a mega church in my city with litigation when they refused to remove my name from their mailing list when I changed my affiliation.) Typical of church members here are 'Snowbirds' who live in northern states during summer, but who move to Florida during the winter. Snowbirds typically 'join' churches in both communities - effectively doubling the number of members nationwide when the actual figure is half or less than half due to death, chronic disease or changes in religious affiliation. The same is true for western and southwestern states. The over all number of members in our churches is less than half of what we are being told.

In the suburbs of Orlando, Florida.....the home of Disney, Universal Studios and all manner of cheesy entertainment....there is a community of spiritualists. You can feel the eerie vibes from that place when you drive past the entrance at 65mph. You can also drive over to the area between Leesburg and Gainsville to a zone called THE VILLAGES. Google it. It's a series of retirement developments that has the highest level of STDs in the nation (maybe the world too). OH yea, Florida has got it all - including the largest collection of dead churches in America (outside Las Vegas, San Fran and LA). All the good church types envy the situation because they wish they had something like it to $ell to the community. They don't. People in Orlando are more interested in sports tournaments and music concerts and milking MONEY from suckers who come here from all over the country ... to worry about OuiJa board worshippers, or whatever they are. Nobody hereabouts pays the least bit of attention to churches and their particular form of cheesy entertainment. that's me, hollering from the choir loft... (Isaiah 6:9-10)

I wrote about the distinction earlier. Please reread those posts if you wish to understand my intent. I don't need to continually repeat myself for those who only want to argue. that's me, hollering from the choir loft... (Isaiah 6:9-10)

(1) Agreed. (2) Disagree, provisionally. Ceremonial laws were NOT abolished by the death of Messiah. They were fulfilled, which does not carry the same connotation. Additionally, the book of Hebrews writes the first covenant was "obsolete" and that the first covenant 'will soon disappear'. (NIV) This particular passage was written while Herod's temple still stood. As you remember it was torn down by the Romans in 70 AD. Thus many ceremonial requirement of the LAW, including animal sacrifice, were rendered impossible by the fact that the temple no longer existed. Animal sacrifices were TEMPORARY because animals, however pure they may have been, were mortal. This is why animal sacrifices had to be performed continually. When God died on the cross He did so to sacrifice an immortal life. Thus His was a PERMANENT sacrifice for all people for all time. Jesus' death fulfilled the requirement of the LAW. It did not abolish the LAW. His death does not need to be repeated because of the immortal nature of God's life. The PROBLEM with all this, according to the LAW, is that one is required by the LAW to accept God's mandated sacrifice (Jesus) in order to approach God. If one does not accept the sacrifice of God's own life then one cannot be accepted by God...one cannot be granted immortal life in exchange. In other words, the nature of man, which is to die, will not be altered if one does not accept God's sacrifice AS THE LAW REQUIRES. Those that argue against the LAW fail to realize that when their local pastor makes an alter call, he is doing so in accord with the LAW which requires all men to surrender to His will and apply His sacrifice accordingly. Rejection of God's LAW results in the Second Death, by the LAW. (3) Jewish tradition, as expressed in Mosaic LAW, remains. For example, a serious Jew won't eat bacon bits on his salad or buy a cheese burger from McDonalds' on Saturday (do not mix meat with dairy and don't hire someone to work for you on Shabbat). Ask yourself if you as a non-Jew are bound by Jewish tradition and you'll have your answer. According to apostolic epistles non-Jews are not bound by Jewish tradition. Even the Torah doesn't require it of them. NOBODY is saying Torah is abolished in any way. There are two major misunderstandings of non-Jews about the Biblical discussions of Jesus and the apostles about LAW and works. First is that they were referring to the Law of Works also called the Talmud. The Talmud was composed during the Babylonian captivity and is an invention of man/the Jewish Rabbinate. The Torah was given by God in an act of Grace to Moses. It is divinely inspired. Second, Jesus lived by Torah. He did NOT live by or was bound by Talmud. We read many instances in the gospels where Talmidim (disciples) of the Talmud were angry with Jesus for performing miracles on Shabbat. There is no restriction against such things in Torah, but there are restrictions in Talmud. There is a definite distinction between the two and Jesus made it many times. Finally it should be understood that the LAW/Torah nowhere claims to be able to save anybody. Talmud does! Therefore much of the writing of the apostles is an argument against the law of works (Talmud) vs. Grace (Torah). One has to be a Jew who is familiar with the distinction and the argument to understand what is being said and not said. Non-Jews, who are normally unaware of these differences are pretty confused about the whole argument. LAW (Torah) and Grace are pretty much the same thing - operating together for the justification and sanctification of men. Hope this helps. that's me, hollering from the choir loft... (Isaiah 6:9-10)

I believe I've already written my position about that. Please scroll up and read it again. CL

Spelling of the Hebrew representation of the Name of the Son of Man varies depending upon who uses it and where it appears. The Hebrew pronunciation remains the same as you have demonstrated. Spelling varies from the example you've posted as well as Y'shuah to Yshuah to Yeshuah, etc. In the Messianic Shabbat Siddur (Messanic Sabbath prayer book), the Name (Hashem) is spelled YESHUA. A lot of people who are new to our congregations get the spelling really mixed up. I can't pretend to list all the variations they come up with. Most of us know what they mean, though. They are sincere about trying to get it right and that's all that matters to us. I'm not here to say you're wrong about spelling, but you're not exactly right either. The Name (hashem) is holy and I believe that's what really matters. Don't you agree? A lot of Jews don't even use the word Adonai as is spoken in the Shema. They don't usually say "God" either. Instead they say Hashem, which literally means THE NAME. I should point out a few tips to ANYBODY who is interested in witnessing to a Jew about the Son of Man (use this term rather than Son of God. 'Son of Man' refers to Daniel 7. I have no idea why they choke on Son of God, but not Son of Man other than its a tradition thing.). Do NOT refer to a difference between Old Testament and New Testament. Instead use the term New Covenant or, better still, direct references to the gospels or epistles. They know what you mean, but separating the Bible into component parts irritates them. DO remind them that all the Bible Christians use was written by Jews for Jews (except the gospel of Luke and book of Acts). The Bible isn't a relic of space aliens. DO NOT tell them they are "Christ killers." It was Roman soldiers who actually executed the King of the Jews. Everybody in town had a part in killing God that day, Jew and non-Jew alike. DO remind them they ought to read Isaiah 53, which is the most graphic representation of the crucifixion anywhere in the Bible. Oddly, the regular reading of scripture in every synagogue does NOT have any passage from Isaiah 53. They 'skip over it'. If they won't read the gospels they should read Isaiah 53. Most of them haven't. DO remind them that Y'shuah (the Hebrew name of the Son of Man...USE IT) survived his own public execution and walked out of His own tomb a few days later. Only God could do that....and it is documented in many secular records as well as the four gospels...some of those accounts are rather shocking, btw. There are other hints too, but that's all I need to share today. Thanks for reading... that's me, hollering from the choir loft.... (Isaiah 6:9-10)

All I read here is a lengthy wordy defense of SIN.......godless licentious SIN. That's all anyone seems to be able to come up with. Either one is in obedience to God's LAW or one is in rebellion against it. It's just that simple....no apology in defense or 'spin' of SIN will stand against the LAW. that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

Once again the LAW is being subjected to the criticism of illiterate dogma. What do you know of the LAW? Little, if all you can do is argue about dietary restrictions and what does or doesn't dangle between....... Little, if the purpose of your entire discourse is to defend SIN itself. The books of the LAW, the PROPHETS and the WRITINGS comprise the books of the Tanakh, what is generally referred to as the Old Covenant by church types. The nomenclature has been adopted by people who today DENY any covenant between God and His people. This is why I wrote apart from the LAW no one can be saved. Matthew 5:17 quotes Jesus saying, "I did not come to abolish the LAW. I came to fulfill it." Is Jesus Christ a liar? If He is, then this entire discussion is moot. If He isn't, then there is something else going on that the church cannot fathom because THE CHURCH IS IN LOVE WITH ITS OWN SIN. The church today exalts a godless gospel of hyper grace that doesn't exist and never did exist. The LAW and GRACE work together. One is saved by grace according to the LAW so that they may live lives of holiness, apart from the world, according to the LAW. Having been saved is one justified in killing one's neighbor, raping his wife, stealing his worldly goods and burning his neighbor's house to the ground after which he can walk away justified in himself? Sounds more like a middle eastern philosophy than anything promoted in the Bible. YET it is exactly this that our churches now promote. For instance, the Gay Alliance has a greater voice in the assembly of faux saints today than the rigors of the gospel and its call to REPENTANCE for SIN. Do you deny this hypocrisy? (1 Corinthians 6:9) Shall I go on to mention leadership abuse of minors, of the rape of little boys, of ministers of the gospel who have sexual affairs with women who aren't their wives, of church employees who regularly embezzle money from the common purse, of church youth programs that promote horizontal entertainment for teens rather than Bible study? Shall I continue about violations of the laws of man and god to certify what I here declare? The church is riddled with the cancer of SIN and WILL NOT let go of it. For this offense against both God and man the church shall die as an institution. Let us depart from meaningless bickering about diet and traditions of personal hygiene (that are medically sound, btw). The church, like the pharisees in Jesus' time has rejected God's LAW and traditions and adopted pagan substitutes instead. The church today is as religiously hypocritical as the pharisees, yet it's hubris justifies any wicked thing it chooses to put its hand upon. Continue to reject the necessity and vitality of God's LAW and you will see the institutional church crumble into the dust of history before your eyes...not understanding at all why it is happening. THE LAW STILL STANDS. Take a long hard look at Jesus' words and my poor attempt to explain them. Take a long hard look at the corruption of the church and its withering existence in the world. Take a long hard look at the LAW and you will see the beauty of it as well as the condemnation our church justly deserves. For it is the Grace of God that gave us His LAW, not to be abolished but to be lived as He gives us purpose to do so. The FIRST thing the LAW requires of anyone is REPENTANCE. The church has denied that too. that's me, hollering from the choir loft....

If non-Jews aren't required to live by the LAW, then none of them could be saved. It is the LAW that tells us we need salvation. It is the LAW that tells us we need to approach God for atonement. It is the LAW that prescribes the method by which God has established our justification. None other. There is no other way a man can be saved. None. The LAW is not dead...has not been abolished. (Matt 5:17) Jesus said so. Did He lie about it? How then ought we to live? If non-Jews aren't required to live by the LAW, then its perfectly ok for me to kill you, rape your wife, steal your goods, burn your house to the ground and blame you for the whole affair. Sounds more like a middle east theocracy to me than the LAW of God operating in the minds and hearts of those He has redeemed by His blood - by the LAW. Are we saved by the LAW so that we can put our hands on any filthy thing we desire? THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A LICENSE TO SIN. The Ruach ha-Kodesh (Holy Spirit) puts God's LAW into our hearts so that we can live by it, not so we can play religious games with it. Nowhere does the Bible say those for whom Christ died are allowed to SIN without restriction. Everywhere does it say we are to live by the LAW as He has given us GRACE to do so. Fifty days after Easter/passover, Pentacost demonstrated God's Gracious gift of the Holy Spirit - His gift of grace to live in His will. Fifty days after Pesach/passover, the feast of Shavout celebrates God's Gracious gift of the LAW to Moses - His gift of grace for atonement. BOTH observances fall on the SAME HEBREW CALENDAR DAY. Is this a coincidence or is God saying something very important about LAW & GRACE? They are the same thing! We are called to live in accordance with the LAW as God gives us GRACE to do so. Are non-Jews required to emasculate themselves, to restrict their diet and to observe Jewish holidays? They are not required to do so because they aren't CHOSEN of God to keep them, but they ARE required to live by that which justifies them before God - THE LAW OF MOSES. The Post-modern church has betrayed the gospel....that gospel once delivered to non-Jews BY JEWS, but a church that thinks it can live in hypocrisy and replace God's LAW with its own ordinances and with its own traditions .... THE SAME error that the pharisees of Jesus' time presumed they could do as well. So go out and tell yourself you are justified in your SIN, that you can break God's LAW applicable to all men....and see what happens. The first thing that will happen is that your church will close its doors permanently. And that's exactly what's happening today. Don't you get it? I hope so. The post-modern church and all its disciples are too busy wallowing in SIN and justifying itself in false grace to understand God's will or TO DO IT. They shall have their reward in the lake of fire. Hopefully, you will not follow them in their error. that's me, hollering from the choir loft... (Isaiah 6:9-10)

Glad you mentioned false doctrine in what is generally perceived as the Messianic community. Not all Messanic Jews are messianic....nor are they Christian or Jew. If the reader has any predisposition to explore the Messianic Jewish movement, which is currently experiencing a Ruach ha-kodesh (Holy Spirit) global revival much like the Jesus movement in America during the 1970's, one would be well advised to understand that there are wolves in sheep's clothing among us. MOST of the false doctrine you mention is gnostic in nature and is manifest in what is known among us as THE HEBREW ROOTS MOVEMENT. (google it) We like to say these misdirected people "play Jewish dress-up" because they are more like department store mannequins than religious devotees - empty of any substance but giving an outward appearance of religion. Originating with the Pentacostal tradition, the HEBREW ROOTS MOVEMENT IS a tossed salad of pagan and religious notions that have no foundation either in the Bible, in secular society or in anything approaching religious or moral discipline. Ergo: gnostic. It begins with an almost absolute rejection of Mosaic LAW (*), which is the foundation of most Jewish disciplines and in the 1st century at least was at the heart of Christianity. It continues with a not-so-subtle rejection of the gospel definition of "being saved" or of being "born again". Even Jesus said one must be born again (John 3:7), but these promoters of false religion deny both the words of Christ and the LAW of God which has not been abolished (Matt 5:17). Messianic Jews DO have a lock on salvation. Why? Because we are directed by the LAW of Moses, which says it's possible during one's lifetime, and by Jesus the Son of God who defined the human duty before God, by the LAW of God. It's not rocket science, but wayward Pentacostal doctrine, which has manifested in the HEBREW ROOTS MOVEMENT denies it all. To them some secret knowledge is all that matters....knowledge that is not present either in the Tanakh (OT), gospels or epistles. Actual Biblical doctrine has as its root the LAW of Moses and it hasn't been outlawed except by those who even deny salvation itself. You referred to "actual Biblical doctrine." If the LAW isn't at the heart of it - its false doctrine. Jesus NEVER did or said ANYTHING opposing the LAW. Neither did any apostle...all of whom were Jews, by the way. All of them attended Shul (worship meetings) in synagogue. Much is said of the 1st century church, of 1st century disciples (Talmidim) of Jesus (Y'shuah), but much is also denied that WE were Messianic Jews. We still are. Beware the lies of the Hebrew Roots Movement and of those antisemites who hate Jews no matter where they may be found. Jesus IS a Jew, by the way. I follow Him, by the LAW given Grace to live it. I am a Messianic Jew. WE are the future. that's me, hollering from the choir loft.... (Isaiah 6:9-10) (*) It's interesting to note the religious hypocrisy in Pentacostal and Hebrew Roots Movement devotees. On one hand they claim the LAW is abolished. It isn't, but they insist it's been replaced by Grace, which is mostly the same thing. Their opinion is that grace is a form of religious licentiousness - one is allowed in their discipline to put one's hand on any filthy thing one desires and be justified in their own eyes. Having claimed the LAW is abolished they then insist one owes a 10% tithe to the church - based upon the LAW. Which is it? They have no idea. They just want your money.

I've written a few books myself. Is it now appropriate to advertise one's literature on these pages so as to garner a profit from gullible types who believe anything they read? People who tred upon the desire of others for some sort of spiritual circus act or to obtain the approval of other men are not the sort of people from whom one can learn truth. Instead of learning spiritual magic to impress one's friends at the next fellowship meeting, it might be more spiritually efficacious to learn what pleases God instead. Or is pleasing God now something that's not important to anyone? Are we all so fervent to obtain gifts of the spirit from God that we cannot embrace the subtle rewards of pleasing God and giving to Him (by faith) instead? The post-modern church today has so corrupted itself that pleasing the congregation rather than God is the primary focus of ministry. that's me, hollering from the choir loft.... (Isaiah 6:9-10)

I disagree with your opinion about the line Mark 8:33. Y'shuah's rebuke of Peter utilizes the Greek word Savourest, which also appears in Mt 4:10. The meaning of this word refers to the set of the mind or the direction of thought. In other words, its similar to Y'shuah's temptation in the desert. This is evidence that Peter's mind was running contrary to the purposes of Adonai. The rebuke was a Jewish way of saying 'begone' or 'get out of my face.' That's it and that's all. It doesn't require a lengthy dogmatic church statement that imagines satan under every bed or inside every dark closet. that's me, hollering from the choir loft... (Isaiah 6:9-10)

Nice philosophy about reading scriptures as they were meant to be read........UNFORTUNATELY most church types DON'T read scriptures. Instead they resort to parroting lines of scripture like religious slogans that ONLY THEY understand. Ergo, most people have no idea what they're babbling about. Again, most church types don't read scripture to learn what's in God's Word. They employ a loose form of eisegesis ... READING INTO an interpretation of the Bible with their dogma ... rather than learning FROM it, which is called exegesis. How do you know I'm off base? You've made a quick assessment according to your doctrine and not relying upon global context of the Bible as a whole. What church do you attend? Pentacostal perhaps? that's me, hollering from the choir loft... (Isaiah 6:9-10)

What is truth? CL

Machine gunning scripture and containing it with a very thin approximation of its meaning doesn't do any good for anybody. It only promotes hypocritical religion. Tell all that to your wayward pastors, of which there are very many. Try again using shorter sentences and perhaps a clearer understanding of scripture quotes. Quoting scripture means nothing to most people, mostly because the devil tried to use it on Jesus. It didn't work on Christ and believe it or not parroting scripture doesn't work on most people either. that's me, hollering from the choir loft... (Isaiah 6:9-10)

According to the Bible, satan ALREADY possesses humans. What is being suggested here is a sort of Hollywood boogey man psychological madness. The gospels speak of occasional human possession by demons and unclean spirits, but that is not generally the case today. Today people, including Church types, WILLINGLY submit themselves to demonic control of their bodies and minds. That being said, some dogmatic types will insist that a Christian can't be possessed. This argument flies in the face of DELIVERANCE MINISTRIES such as that of Derrick Prince and company. In truth a lot of faux deliverance ministers trek back and forth across the land hosting church meetings during which those who come forward can be 'delivered' from various maladies, unclean spirits, demons and religious madness. The real truth is that church in America is a sort of religious circus act in which emotional and pseudo-spiritual assemblies experience all manner of wild expression; demon possession, snake worship, magic cookies and faux wine to save themselves. This even includes financial rescue from personal mismanagement (a practice not generally exercised by church elders). The major cause for all this foolishness is an almost total LACK of understanding of Hebrew LAW. The LAW has been rejected by virtually all churches. As a result we suffer TV evangelists who make all manner of claims from the ability to control demons to explanations of 911 and so on. No one really knows the mind of God because no one bothers to study the LAW. Hence all manner of false doctrine is promulgated among those who claim to be faithful, but who actually are present to get a religious thrill. Can a person be possessed by the devil? The Bible says yes. Should we focus our hearts and minds upon this manifestation? The Bible says no. At issue is that nobody gives a damn what the Bible says. We all want to be excited by cheap entertainment. In the end, that's all it really is. that's me, hollering from the choir loft... (Isaiah 6:9-10)

You go on about churches you know. I know something quite different, however. Been there and done that and came away with nothing to show for it except testimony to people who bury their heads in the sands of false dogma and tradition. Did I write one ought not give? I did not. I wrote with hope....that someone who hasn't been manipulated into divesting themselves of their hard earned cash might consider future donation$ in activities that actually WORK to honor God's purposes - not those of man. AGAIN I state that churches, which falsely state the LAW of Moses has been abolished - demand a 10% portion of income from their parishioners according to the LAW. This is hypocrisy in action. If you like that sort of thing, if you can't or won't see it, then by all means continue in it, but please don't ascribe holiness to it because it's false teaching from beginning to end. I wrote that each must give according to the dictates of his or her own conscience. Do you need a further explanation of the meaning of these words? Apparently you do because you've deliberately misconstrued every syllable of my post....all of it. I have been grievously betrayed by two major institutions in my life: my country and my church. Both are no longer uppermost in my respect. I've seen what misplaced tithing can do....and what justified murder and destruction can do, which is nothing of value in the kingdom of God or those of mankind. Did I say one ought not tithe? I DID NOT. Tithing, as it is taught in our misguided congregations, is hypocrisy of the meanest sort. If the reader wishes to follow the spirit of the pharisees into this profitless habit one is free to do so. Just don't ask me to follow you into your erroneous habits. Don't ask anyone who actually employs critical thinking to do so. They'll prove church finance is foolishness every time. You wrote that there is great need on one's own neighborhood. Most churches do NOT attend to that need either in establishing a food bank or in promoting the gospel in active personal ways. Read that again, please. Most churches do NOT. They have become self-centered social groups that are not interested in God, the Bible or in spiritual edification. I've been there, friend. I've seen what has become of churches that were once grand promoters of what you claim to be Biblically based generosity. It's gone, my friend. It's dead and gone. If you still attend a church that actually promotes the gospel to your city, that still has real Bible studies (not diluted courses in middle school level motivational language), that actually USES donations for the good of the kingdom (that's the REAL return on investment, the real return in saved souls) and that promotes spiritual edification for members of the congregation (not politically correct group activities), THEN and only then ought you to understand that you sit among a group that is UNIQUE in America. Because everywhere else the church is dying. It's been dying since 1968. It's not the miser's creed. It's truth spoken to empty hearted people who refuse good teaching, hard facts and the way God leads us all to go these days. I try to follow His lead. Sad to say few do so among the churchy types. So ... continue to give to your church or your political party or to whatever charity you please. I DO NOT PRETEND TO TELL YOU WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR MONEY. WHY ARE YOU INSISTING TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO WITH WHAT IS MY OWN? <---- this is the tradition of the pharisees......walk in it if you like. I refuse to do so. that's me, hollering from the choir loft.. (Isaiah 6:9-10)

I like your reference to Mr. Prince. At one time I read his stuff. He seemed to be rather well educated in the subject of deliverance ministries....except that he left out the part where congregations are sheered of their money like sheep. It's all about the money, Mr. Prince. That's all it ever was..... Some fallen angels are being restricted. The Bible uses terms like 'imprisoned' or 'chained'. These are typically ones that are extremely destructive. They will be allowed to do their dirty work for a time....in time.... Other, less powerful, fallen angels still wander the earth in search of human detritus to devour. (see the book of Job and the gospels) Their purpose is rather like vultures that dine on road kill. These spirits devour humans who have deliberately or accidentally become trapped in passions, perversions or enamored of their own lusts and appetites. Some passages in the gospels refer to them as 'unclean spirits'....spirits that make a person feel soiled when these spirits are present. The terms 'demon' and 'unclean spirit' are interchangeable. This 'eating' applies to church types too. Most deny it's possible even when they leave Sunday services and return to lives that are in denial of God's Holy LAW. Visit ANY deliverance ministry service and you'll see dozens of 'church types' who admit to being subject to devouring demons of one sort or another. Church types who are living in rebellion against God have no spiritual protection. NONE. Mr. Prince believed that some spirits were disembodied human spirits. I disagree because there's no such thing as a disembodied human spirit. There are no such things as space aliens. There ARE manifestations of objects and oddities that have no explanation either scientific or religious. The default label that many church types fall back upon is 'demon'. Unfortunately such a simplistic explanation is too thin to satisfy one's curiosity. Something REAL is happening on the earth and it isn't human. I've followed the phenomena since the 1950's and have arrived at the conclusion that ... for better or worse....these things are indigenous to planet Earth. The three major questions that nobody EVER seems able to answer are these: who are they, where are they from and what do they want of us? After nearly seventy years of reading and watching I believe I know the answers. The problem is that nobody wants to know the answers. Everybody wants to pretend ET wants what we want and that just isn't so. (John 3:19) that's me, hollering from the choir loft... (Isaiah 6:9-10)

One must live according to the ordinances of conscience. I do not intend to belittle so much as a penny of your personal dedication to religious or social organizations. What one does with one's money is one's own business...affair. THAT is the problem with the dogma of tithing. Does one's money belong at home or does it belong to an organization like a church that does absolutely nothing in return? If you put your money in a bank account you expect a return from it...you expect interest. If you invest in a money market account you expect a return on your investment. If you give your money to a real estate deal you expect a profit. BUT if you give your money to a church you get NOTHING in return....absolutely nothing. The argument is that the church uses it for God's purpose, but churches don't do that any more. It all disappears in church ministries that do nothing to spread the gospel....nothing at all....which is why churches are dying today. The hypocrisy of it reaches into the wallets of everyone who donates to them. As I wrote earlier, I donate ..... but not all of it to my congregation....certainly not 10%. My donations are not EVER intended to pass as some sort of sacrifice for private sins against God and my failure to suffer fools. When I was a boy...a very long time ago...the church actually performed a few minor things to assist my mother, who was an only parent because my dad died from cancer. Today, the pastor won't even come to the house to visit. If one has a question to ask or a statement to make one has to suffer a screening process to enjoy the presence of the pastor.....and then only when he is flanked by bodyguards. It's a different world today....one I am not happy to associate with. I give as I am called to give ... and its nobody's business to dictate how much or when. HYPOCRISY of the church is insidious. On the one hand the church will declare it isn't bound by God's LAW, but on the other hand it will quote God's LAW by saying the congregation owes 10% tithe, by the LAW. Which is it boys and girls? Shall we follow God's LAW or shall we not? Picking and choosing what we like and don't like is hypocrisy ... and nobody respects a hypocrite ... certainly not God. Funny how money skews everything....even religion. that's me, hollering from the choir loft... (Isaiah 6:9-10)

If you admit that your hypothetical question shouldn't be asked WHY DID YOU ASK ANYWAY? If you've encountered someone who is abusing your generosity, then separate yourself from that person immediately. If the person in question is doing something illegal, then call the police and have him arrested, fined and imprisoned. If the person in question is attempting to legally bind you in some way, then hire an attorney and prosecute that man to the fullest extent of the law. People are SINNERS who ought to obey the laws of God and man. When they don't they MUST be restricted and punished. On the other hand, if you want to be a martyr then please don't hang your dirty laundry for others to read about. It doesn't make you a saint and it doesn't retard wrong behavior WHICH YOU ARE ENABLING. that's me, hollering from the choir loft..... (Isaiah 6:9-10)

HYPOCRISY of the church is cancerous...especially when it comes to the subject of tithing. Everyone is told that salvation in Jesus' name is free, BUT WHEN one joins a church after being saved one is told they owe a religious TAX for the rest of their natural life....a tithe of between 10% and 20% depending upon the insistence of the particular mob of con artists one joins. It is a sad fact of church life that the LAW of Moses, given to us BY GOD, has been denied by the church and REPLACED with its own traditions, rules and obligations....NONE OF WHICH ARE BIBLICAL. The church today is in THE SAME POSITION as the pharisees of Jesus' time. The Jewish rabbinate contrived to establish its own rules and traditions that had little to do with God's LAW, despite their hypocritical statements otherwise. In the same way, the church has also abandoned God's Holy LAW and established its own pagan traditions and rules to replace the LAW. It is falsely claimed that Jesus abolished the LAW when the words of Christ denied it (Matt 5:17). What we have here is a blatant con job forced upon unknowing people to abide by that which God did not intend. What does the LAW say about tithing? There are specifications and exceptions, but generally speaking one was to set aside 10% of the first fruits of one's labor. At the end of a preset time one was allowed TO SPEND IT ON WHATEVER ONE'S HEART DESIRED including but not limited to strong drink, personal items of clothing or a trip to another city to visit relatives and friends. Only after 7 years have elapsed is one to give one's tithe to the temple. The form of the tithe was established also. One didn't generally give cash, but did give livestock and grain. I invite the interested reader to engage in a study of Exodus and Leviticus regarding the divine ordinance of tithing AND IGNORE THE CHURCHY INSISTENCE THAT WE OWE THE PASTOR A LIVING. If he's that worried about his income he can GO OUT AND GET A REAL JOB. St. Paul did it, why shouldn't a pastor...who in many cases lives better than most of the members of his congregation anyway. In case you haven't guessed, I reject the insistence that 10% of my income be donated to the church. I do give some money for the maintenance of the venue, but also give elsewhere. What the total amounts to isn't anyone's business but my own....certainly not that of some religious leader who doesn't work for it or deserve it. that's me, hollering from the choir loft.... (Isaiah 6:9-10)

How old are you? If you're old enough to question your personal motivations then you're old enough to provide your own answers. For those that are confused....here is my two cents. If you were gay, you'd have known it from an early age......mostly....maybe.....kind of.... I don't know what you mean by referring to photos of feminine boys, but if your imagination is being fired up by people who look like girls then you aren't exactly being attracted by boys despite what does or doesn't hang between their legs. There are men who are attractive to other men without coming close to anything gay-ish. For instance, a successful talented professional athlete may attract a great deal of respect and admiration and even kinship from other men. Other less talented men aspire to greatness, but because of their inability they project themselves into the powerful successful character they'd like to be. President John F. Kennedy was such a man. I admit to great personal admiration and affection for him. The same is true and even more so in the military. The prowess and courage under extreme conditions will often lead other men to respect a leader so much they'd be willing to follow that man to the death. I've had the privilege of working with two such men. They are a rare breed....very rare. On the other hand, I served with a man that other men wanted to frag. As events turned out it wasn't necessary, because the man in question actually heard about it, took the hint and behaved himself thereafter. A lot of people including church types, who deserve no respect at all for the label they wear, are eager these days to accuse someone of being gay. My wife and I once attended a church that hosted programs for married couples. One of these activities was a scavenger hunt. Teams of men and teams of women were given items to find or purchase in the community. The team that finished first was declared the winner. I was teamed with another fellow to find inexpensive items. One such item was found in a grocery store. We entered the store together in a hurry to find and buy the item and go to the next thing on the list. When we entered the store the guy with me worried that other patrons of the store would think we were gay because we were grocery shopping together. I have no patience with brain dead nonsense like that and told him so. I wasn't romantically attracted to the guy and after that remark I didn't even like him....and told him so. That was the end of that particular foolishness and any pretense for friendship. Are you gay? Maybe it's between you and God and NOBODY ELSE. Being gay is a SIN because it creates and enables war between the individual and God. One cannot be gay and know God. (1 Corinthians 6:9) Gay society is enamored of as much hubris as flesh and therefore refuses and rejects persuasive remarks to repent of their lifestyle. You have heard or read of their oft-repeated retort that Jesus said they shouldn't be judged (judge not...etc). The conversation in question was a teaching of Christ that the JUSTIFIED man cannot judge a SINNER...is not given authority to do so. Why? Because the SINNER has already judged THEMSELVES unworthy of grace to be saved. (Acts 13:46) The JUSTIFIED man doesn't need to judge a SINNER when the SINNER does the deed to himself/herself. Finally it should be understood that LOVE is nothing more than hormonal secretions and social conditioning. If a young boy is persuaded that he should engage in sexual acts with other boys he may do so. The same is true for girls. One's sexual orientation is a matter of choice and habit, not a birthright. There is such a thing as brotherly love as demonstrated in war and in troubled times. Women are allowed sisterly love apart from sexual encounters all the time. Men aren't. What's wrong with this picture? What's wrong is the social definition of acceptable Biblical love. King David loved Johnathan more than any woman, but didn't SIN. American society today is so screwed up we don't know if we're coming and going. Which is why our country is circling the drain of history. Which is why the judgment of a righteous God is against us. If the reader is convicted of SIN, then the appropriate response is to REPENT. that's me, hollering from the choir loft... (Isaiah 6:9-10)

The post is little more than repetitive popular science fiction .... of the sort found on YouTube and episodic tales of space wars. Demons and angels cannot procreate. Neither can they eat. Demons try to do so...try to get men and women confused and obsessed with sex so that they may be allowed to destroy the human, but they cannot have sex. Nowhere does the Bible say this happens. What is the obsession with demons? People who claim to be followers of Christ seem to be more interested in apologizing for SIN and wandering in the paths of demons than in the ways of Christ. Why? Until and unless the church turns its back upon such things it will not grow in knowledge and power of Christ. It will only wallow in its own spiritual deception and filth. Cloning is a human activity, not a spiritual one. Reading any scientific or medical journal will end that particular fantasy. There is no such thing as a space alien. Nobody has EVER proved that aerial appearances and strange creatures walking the earth are from another planet. Indeed, every proof available suggests they are indigenous to planet earth. The Bible says satan and his kingdom fell to earth. That means there are no extraterrestrial visitations.....only earthly creatures that have been here a lot longer than we have. that's me, hollering from the choir loft.... (Isaiah 6:9-10)