choir loft

"I and the Father are ONE." - Jesus as quoted by John 10:30 Sh'ma Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad - Deuteronomy 6:4 English translation: Hear O Israel the Lord thy God, The Lord is ONE. The Hebrew word Echad is used here instead of the Hebrew word Yachid. Yachid means an absolute one - as in the number one, as in a single person being one person alone. Echad means one as in a unity. The most commonly used English term similar to this is the term used to describe the United States - E pluribus Unum, or One from Many, a union. Echad therefore implies a unity of divine personality. Jews don't extrapolate their oldest prayer into its meaning in Christ. Gentiles continue to think of God as separate deities as illustrated by attempts on these pages to explain it. Mostly they don't even know this ancient prayer exists or what it really means. Now, you do. "Before Abraham was, I AM" - Jesus as quoted by John 8:58 Jesus declared Himself to be HASHEM, meaning the Name of God. This statement created the greatest contention created between Jesus and the priests of ancient Israel. In these five words alone, Jesus told us He is God. He explains the mystery of who He really is. Jesus IS GOD. I have been with you all this time, and still you do not know Me? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words I say to you, I do not speak on My own. Instead, it is the Father dwelling in Me, performing His works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me—or at least believe on account of the works themselves. - Jesus as quoted by John 14:9 - 11 It was necessary for God to die upon the cross so that the requirement of the LAW be fulfilled. If Jesus wasn't God, then the LAW is not fulfilled and no one is saved from their sins. that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

Which event? The splitting of the veil or the resurrection of Christ from the grave? The gospels chronicle the events surrounding the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus. The LAW and Prophets tell us why these things were necessary. Protestants generally do not know the LAW and its requirements and are thus only partially educated in the meaning of what happened during observance of that particular Pesach when Jesus died and was resurrected. What is the meaning of Pesach? Do you know the mystery behind it? (Hint: Read the book of Exodus) If you know the mystery of Pesach, then you will understand the meaning of Jesus' death upon the cross. If you know the LAW, then you will understand the mystery of the splitting of the veil in the Holy Place. According to the historian Josephus, the veil of the temple was FOUR INCHES THICK. It was replaced annually. The tearing of the veil wasn't a rip in something tissue thin. It was a deliberate act of the hand of God. The gospels were not the only place where the death of Jesus was chronicled. The Jewish historian Josephus as well as several secular historians such as Tacitus, Sarapion, Suetonious, Pliny the younger, Thallus, Phlegon of Tralles, Philo and Celsus to name a few write of amazing events throughout the Roman empire. It is written, for example, that earthquakes and terrible atmospheric disturbances were observed as far west as the city of Rome itself. There are more detailed records of the life death and resurrection of Jesus Christ than of Julius Caesar. Nobody challenges the historic record of Caesar. If we didn't have the gospel accounts, the secular accounts would be more than sufficient to provide evidence of the hand of God in the small province of Judea two thousand years ago. The problem isn't evidence, it's the suppression of it. Consider yourself guided. that's me, hollering from the choir loft....

The word "begotten" doesn't refer to resurrection. According to the gospels, there were three specific individuals that Jesus brought back from the dead; Lazarus, Jairus' daughter and the young man. None of them were begotten. According to the gospels several hundred saints were resurrected in Jerusalem upon the occasion of Jesus' death on the cross. None of them were begotten either. The word "begotten" doesn't appear in all translations. Most of the time it appears in the old testament in reference to a child (Isaiah 45:10) or as something God has created directly (Job 38:28). All human children are begotten. It appears in the new testament as either a direct offspring of God (Hebrews 5:5, Acts 13:33), or as a disciple of Christ (Philemon 1:10). The meaning of the word is really quite simple, but priests like to confuse it so as to make themselves look important. The issue here isn't the word or its meaning. The word "begotten" is a theological onion that priests love to peel away one layer at a time. They do it to show off their knowledge of human rhetoric and Greek philosophy upon which most Christian doctrine is based (not the Bible, by the way). It has no meaning except for use in ceremonial prayers, the language of which is deliberately obfuscated so as to sound highly religious. I know because I attended an Episcopal seminary where we were taught these things. The poor folk in the pews are unaware they're being deliberately manipulated by the priests. JESUS IS GOD. Upon this fact is the fulfillment of the LAW based. Upon this fact is the crucifixion made powerful. Upon this fact does faith in Christ depend. No other. that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of [a]the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” - Joshua 24:15 I PRE-KNOW the price of things before I go out to buy them. Does that make me divine? Not at all. It means that I'm aware of what's going on. People who sit in the dark and contemplate magical solutions to things don't understand how things work. I PRE-KNOW how my local NFL team will perform on the gridiron on Sunday afternoon. Mostly the uniforms show up and the players stay in the locker room. They are losers and if I were a betting man I'd bet against them every time and make a bundle of cash. Does that make me omniscient? Not at all. A bit pessimistic, perhaps, but not all-knowing. I PRE-KNOW how some idiot on the road ahead of me will cut someone off and nearly cause an accident. This is experience and defensive driving, nothing to do with predestination. CONSIDER THE LAW, which most protestants are totally unaware of and reject out of hand. If it smells of Jewish LAW, they pitch it. Instead of God's honest LAW, which answers most questions of life, folks run to all sorts of unBiblical nonsensical explanations of things - like why does my NFL team lose all the time. This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live - Deuteronomy 30:19 We are discussing doctrine here. The Jewish problem is that they DO, they act out of tradition, but don't believe. The Christian problem is that most BELIEVE, they acknowledge ideas, but don't ACT on them. They talk the talk, but don't walk the walk. One of the best examples of this lackadaisical attitude is Calvinist predestination. Much agitated talk results from it, but in actual fact it justifies spiritual laziness and cowardice. Did the Master not tell us to go out and make disciples? Why bother to obey Jesus if certain men are doomed from the get-go and others are justified without ever hearing? Am I my brother's keeper Cain said to God in Genesis 4:9. He who holds predestination as an axiom for his life will echo those words to God when asked at the final judgment. What will God's answer to him be?????? "Then another servant came and said, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I have laid away in a piece of cloth. For I was afraid of you, because you are a harsh man. You withdraw what you did not deposit and reap what you did not sow.’ His master replied, ‘You wicked servant, I will judge you by your own words. So you knew that I am a harsh man, withdrawing what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? Why then did you not deposit my money in the bank, and upon my return I could have collected it with interest?’ Then he told those standing by, ‘Take the mina from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’ - Jesus as quoted by Luke 19:20-24 Beware O man, lest you be found to have buried your talent in the ground. What will you say then to He who KNOWS? that's me, hollering from the choir loft....

Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because its foundation was on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its collapse!” - Jesus as quoted by Matthew 7:24-27 What is at issue here is philosophy vs. law and liberty vs. manipulation. Philosophy vs. Law When Jesus uttered the words quoted by Matthew, He wasn't attempting to establish Roman Catholic apostolic succession. He was referring to rabbinical tradition as opposed to Biblical principle. To this day, both Judaism and Christianity are crippled by philosophy. Neither establish or appeal to Biblical principle. Jewish philosophy is expressed in tradition - in doing. No real belief is required. Christian philosophy is Greek philosophy based on abstract belief. No doing is required. Consequently there is no parallel or similarity between the two expressions of religion. Jews act, but don't believe. Christians believe, but don't act. Both disagree and both refuse Biblical principle, which advocates both acting and believing. Philosophy, be it rabbinic tradition or Greek philosophy, changes regularly. This is best illustrated by comparing efforts to transmit the gospel to a society that changes its moral perspective like the wind. Society changes its philosophy every ten to fifteen years. Church apologists, who feel a need to counter secular philosophy with religious philosophy, generally take five years or so to formulate a matching argument in opposition to social philosophy. This process is called, "making the gospel relevant". In point of fact, it is nothing more than a philosophical chess game. Some, like Ravi Zacharias, are quite good at it. Your typical pastor isn't. The opposite to philosophy is Biblical principle or what is commonly referred to as the LAW or God's honest truth. This is rarely if ever appealed to. Religious philosophy becomes obsolete in five to ten years and the whole process of "making it relevant" begins anew. When Jesus spoke of a house's foundation, He was talking about a personal dedication to truth as God has revealed it in the Bible. The shifting sands of philosophy, be it secular or religious, do not make for a solid bulwark against the trials and troubles of life. Only the solid rock of Biblical principle does so. Yet there are few who seek it, being satisfied as it were with cheap religious slogans and buzz words. Liberty vs. Manipulation Enter the modern art of propaganda. Propaganda is generally employed to goad the masses of people in a direction favorable to corporate profits, government policy, or religious manipulation. It is a form of enslavement, which many people gladly embrace. How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don't think. I use emotion for the many and reserve reason for the few. - Adolph Hitler Propaganda is the use of emotion to suspend disbelief. "The whole film genre is one of deceit. It is the suspension of disbelief. That's what all theater and all film is based on." - Rhys Ifans In church, the suspension of disbelief is used to manipulate the congregation. It's primary purpose is to obtain funding to maintain the show. It's minor purpose is to provide the hapless listeners with mindless and unBiblical buzz words and slogans. Music thus becomes humanistic - devoid of a true sense of worship. Church presentations become Vegas style production numbers - featuring repetitive lyrics, excessively loud music and a heavy reliance upon drums. Lyrics are repeated over and over until the listener or singers are lulled into a semi-hypnotic state of euphoria. APPEALS TO EMOTION serve to suspend disbelief and logical analysis as well as to encourage participation in an event that may or may not have anything to do with Biblical principle. LOGIC becomes subservient to EMOTION and the unwary congregation is thus led into any and every sort of action the leaders desire - including but not restricted to admiration of religious celebrities as though they were Christ on earth. Apologetics, if accomplished properly, both establishes a popular philosophy as well as emotional gratification. Neither are efficacious for salvation or an accurate understanding of Biblical principle. It hurts to think,(*) so people believe what they hear and see. When people are reduced to believing anything, they ultimately become incapable of believing in something. that's me, hollering from the choir loft... (*) A friend of mine is a middle school teacher. She has told me the reason kids give her for not studying is that, "it hurts to think". I suspect the same is true for many adults, some of which have never read a book from cover to cover.

Like most protestants, John Calvin was double-minded with regard to Jews. On the one hand, he wrote sympathetically of the ancient - Biblical - Hebrews. On the other hand, Calvin held contemporary Jews in an attitude of disdain. Calvin once wrote, "I have had much conversation with many Jews: I have never seen either a drop of piety or a grain of truth or ingenuousness – nay, I have never found common sense in any Jew." - Wikipedia Some might argue they never found any common sense in anything Calvin wrote either. A case of the pot calling the kettle black, as it were. Calvin's opinion reflects the current attitude of protestants in that God is incapable of saving a Jew unless he or she joins a church. Apparently none of them were or are aware that the first believers were all Jews and that all accounts of New Testament worship were held in synagogues. The synagogue is worse than a brothel…it is the den of scoundrels and the repair of wild beasts…the temple of demons devoted to idolatrous cults…the refuge of brigands and dabauchees, and the cavern of devils. It is a criminal assembly of Jews…a place of meeting for the assassins of Christ… a house worse than a drinking shop…a den of thieves, a house of ill fame, a dwelling of iniquity, the refuge of devils, a gulf and a abyss of perdition."…"I would say the same things about their souls… As for me, I hate the synagogue…I hate the Jews for the same reason." - John Calvin From "The Roots of Christian Anti-Semitism" by Malcolm Hay I can provide several other references, but doubt the reader will accept any of them - being indoctrinated so thoroughly in particular church ideology that they refuse documentation to the contrary. John Calvin, as well as many church 'fathers', were deeply anti-semitic as is protestantism to this day. Biblical teaching means nothing to most, not all, such persons. It should be understood that the writings and attitudes of persons such as John Calvin and Martin Luther provided the basis for 20th century German National Socialist (Nazi) propaganda as well as the justification for the national policy of eugenics (genocide) against the European population of Jews. Calvin and Luther were indirectly responsible for the holocaust. Good protestants in Europe and America looked the other way while crimes against humanity were conducted. As they do to this day.(*) If John Calvin was wrong about Jews, it also follows that his doctrine of predestination is also wrong - since it is not based upon God's LAW but upon the precepts of man (St. Augustine to be specific). that's me, hollering from the choir loft.. (*) The BDS movement, organized by Palestinians, is sanctioned and officially supported by the DNC as well as every protestant denomination except Baptists. This position does not take into account God's Royal mandate to give the land to Israel, as documented by the Torah and Qur'an, from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea to the Euphrates River - encompassing modern Syria, Jordan, Iraq and Kuwait. Instead the State of Israel is begrudgingly allowed a sliver of land less than ten miles wide (9.3) at its narrowest point.

The answer to the question may be found in THE LAW as given by God to Moses. John Calvin, who formulated the doctrine of predestination, had no regard for the LAW except his own. Calvin was an anti-semite who hated anything that smelled of Jew or Jew law. The same is true for most Protestants today. Apart from the LAW there can be no salvation or CHOICE to obtain life or death from God. Calvin would rob people of that choice by falsely claiming through devious means that only certain people would be saved and certain people would not. The logical flaw in this is your typical dead baby. No Calvinist would dare tell the grieving mother of a dead baby that her child is going to hell. There is no aspect of their logic that permits it. Instead there is a great deal of obfuscation, smoke and mirrors used to dazzle people into accepting their false thinking. In the end they don't have a satisfying answer for grieving parents. The LAW is quite certain and logical, however. No one can be condemned if they haven't broken the LAW. Please tell me which dead baby is guilty of stealing, taking the Lord's Name in vain, or murder or adultery? Which commandment does a dead baby break? The answer is none and therefore the child is justified as being righteous BY THE LAW. It has nothing to do with restrictions upon choice and everything to do with obedience to the LAW. This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live - Deuteronomy 30:19 Because Calvinists are essentially anti-semitic in their doctrine they ignored the LAW and endlessly debate points of theoretical logic - always in their favor by the way. They seem to have a problem with the Holy Spirit too, but that's another stressful issue on their part. The Holy Spirit always operates in the region of choice and generous revelation. It is time for You to act, O LORD, For they have regarded Your law as void. - Psalms 119:126 that's me, hollering from the choir loft.....

The veil didn't cover God either. The veil separated LAW & MERCY from the people and only allowed the High Priest access once per year. The ark of LAW and its lid, called the Mercy seat represented LAW AND GRACE. These are aspects of God, not God Himself. READ THE BIBLE. that's me, hollering from the choir loft....

The veil served to restrict access to God by the people. The veil served to restrict access to LAW and MERCY to the high priest only. The veil never covered the truth! This is an errant interpretation. Read Exodus and Leviticus. The Wilderness Tabernacle and the Temple that followed were based on the same design as given by God to Moses. A curtain separated the court of the tabernacle from the people. When the Temple was built a wall served the same purpose. Within confines of the tabernacle and temple, in the court, one encountered two pieces of furniture; the altar and the lav or bath. Entrance was by one gate only - on the east side. This signifies that God can only be approached from a single direction - the direction He specifies - from the East. (*) The people brought their sacrifices for sin into the court through the east gate and killed a goat upon the altar. Each person was required to bring his or her own sacrifice for sin. The sacrifice for sin was a goat. This signifies today that one must come to the savior individually and bring his or her sacrifice with them (the blood). The modern altar call serves the same function. One cannot send one's agent or relative in one's place. Each must come to the savior individually. Beyond the altar and the Lav was another tent or hard structure called the Holy Place. Inside the Holy Place was more furniture. Inside the Holy Place on the north side was placed the table of showbread. On the south or left side was placed a menorah. A heavy veil separated the Holy Place into two sections. Directly in front of the veil was the altar of incense and behind the veil was placed the ark of the covenant. Only the high priest was allowed through the veil and then only once per year. His duty at that time was to present a sacrifice to God on behalf of the people - the nation - in the form of the blood of a lamb. The Ark of the Covenant was composed of two pieces; the ark and the mercy seat. The Ark was essentially an open top box. Inside the ark was placed the tablets of the LAW given by God to Moses. (This is the second set of tablets, the first having been destroyed by Moses.) Additionally a jar containing manna and Aaron's rod that budded were placed in the Ark. The TOP of the box was called the Mercy Seat, upon which rested figures of two angels in beaten gold. The Ark thus symbolizes the LAW, because it contained the tablets. The Mercy Seat or top of the Ark, symbolized God's mercy that contained or covered the wrath of LAW.' When the priest sprinkled lamb's blood on the Ark, the act symbolized God's demand of death for SIN as being temporarily removed - until it was repeated a year later on the celebration of Yom Kippur. The purpose of the veil, therefore, was to restrict access to God. Only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies and then only once per year. When Jesus died on the cross the veil was torn in two. The implications of this tell us that everyone now has access to God's LAW and MERCY. The tearing of the veil tells us that restrictions upon direct access to God have been removed. From the time of the cross until now, access to God has been open to anyone who comes humbly and who brings their sacrifice with them. Protestants are generally unaware of this facet because they are not taught the LAW. Indeed, they hate every mention of it. They even falsely teach that the Law has been abolished. "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. - Jesus as quoted by Matthew 5:17 THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A LICENSE TO SIN. Everyone who lives in violation of the LAW shall be punished. We are saved by grace SO THAT we may live according to the LAW, thus pleasing the Lord of Hosts. It is time for You to act, O LORD, For they have regarded Your law as void. - Psalms 119:126 The LAW still stands. that's me, hollering from the choir loft..... (*) The pattern of approach from the east to the west is repeated often. When Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, He entered through the East Gate - from the east. One approaches God from the east. One is removed from God toward the west. The point of crucifixion was generally to the west of the temple - away from the residence of God on earth. When Jesus ascended into heaven He ascended from the town of Bethany, which was east of Jerusalem, east over the Kidron valley and east of the Mount of Olives. The angles told the crowd who witnessed the Lords' ascension into heaven that He, Jesus, would return in the same way - returning to Jerusalem from the east.

The Bible speaks of two distinct types of resurrection. One is temporary and the other is permanent. Both types serve the purpose of glorifying or honoring God - who can cause to live or cause to die according to His good pleasure. Only temporary resurrections are chronicled in the gospels. Matthew 27 as quoted above is one of them. The resurrection of Lazarus, Jairus' daughter and the young man resurrected directly by Jesus are other examples. In all cases the individuals involved died again. That they were raised from certain death is a demonstration of the power of God upon the earth and in the lives of people. The temporary resurrections demonstrated God's ultimate power over the ultimate human experience - death. The resurrections of Matthew 27 were meant to convey the power of the blood of Christ shed upon the cross and its implications for victory over the grave. The resurrections are directly linked to the cross, thus making an unmistakeable underlined link to Christ's fulfillment of the LAW with regard to sin and death. There remain two more resurrections. The first will be a permanent resurrection of the righteous, which will last forever. The second will be another temporary resurrection of SINNERS prior to final judgment, which will end in their permanent destruction and dissolution in the Lake of Fire - the Second Death. The resurrection of sinners is nowhere said to be permanent under any circumstances. It ultimately results in destruction of body mind and spirit of sinners for all time and without further consideration of sentence. that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

The problem with pseudo-Christian music of any type is the publishers, the record labels. Christian music has become humanistic and secularized. Genre is not a factor. In many cases the Name of the Lord isn't mentioned at all. This is due to commercial issues and the corporate organization of record companies. Several decades ago, record labels were more or less independent. A new group could and often did get air time for their tunes by impressing local radio stations to play their compositions. The tunes got air time and the general population got the opportunity to approve or disapprove. This is not the case today. Today the giant conglomerates own the air waves, the internet sites and record companies. Licensing is strictly enforced. The arrangement encourages record companies to influence proven groups to produce more music and discourages new groups from marketing their creations. Large companies do NOT like risk. Therefore they regurgitate stuff that is known to $ell. Additionally, the mention of the Name of Jesus is seen to be divisive and has been restricted. Religious messages are likewise attenuated due to possible public reaction against lyrics that encourage repentance and devotion to the Cross of Christ and/or moral themes. It's capitalism as only America can make it. I personally dislike heavy metal, but what I like or dislike isn't the issue. The issue is money - and the big producers want all of it they can get. that's me, hollering from the choir loft.....

"King of the north" is a reference to a series of passages in the book of Daniel chapter 11. It would really be nice if people gave scriptural references when they post stuff from YouTube or Facebook, but they don't. Seems that the Bible has taken a back seat to social media these days. Scholarly views of the Bible are often attacked and ridiculed by those who prefer electronic interpretations by their favorite religious celebrities. The words of Luke in the books of Acts is normally ignored. He is quoted in the 17th chapter as saying the Berean Jews were noble because they studied scripture diligently to see if the things they'd heard were true. That being said, the reference to the King of the North is generally thought to represent European powers in general and the papacy in particular. Daniel describes a series of power struggles between the king of the north and the king of the south. Kings of the south are generally interpreted these days as representing Muslim coalitions that fight against the west/the church. Kings of the north are generally interpreted to represent a European coalition against Islam. Therefore the common interpretation of Daniel's prophecy suggests a prediction that in the End Times a Muslim coalition will push against the king of the north. Daniel describes the king of the north responding with deadly intent and pushing back against the king of the south. The interpretation is rather loose and doesn't take into consideration the factors that inspire present day issues. In point of fact, it more accurately describes the events of the Crusades/Middle Ages than it does those of the present day. The Crusades began as a Muslim 'push' into Europe in the region of Spain and Austria. The Papacy, the king of the north, responded by calling for armed defense of Europe and eventually succeeded in ejecting Muslim powers from Spain and Eastern Europe. It didn't end there, however. Encouraged by success on the battlefield, the papacy called for armed invasion of the Middle East with the goal of liberating Jerusalem from Islamic authority. It succeeded on the first attempt, called the first Crusade. Unfortunately due to lack of support the Christians were ejected from Jerusalem during what is known as the 2nd crusade. Battles raged back and forth, mostly backward, with Christians being ultimately defeated by Caliph Mehmet II when the city of Constantinople was taken in battle. This series of battles more clearly fulfills Daniels description of the wars between the king of the north and the king of the south. or maybe it doesn't....... anyway, what I'm suggesting is that the current battles in the middle east may not be the only interpretation of Daniel 11.... or maybe both are valid.....kind of like Daniel's references to the abomination of desolation - which happened twice in history; once at the hands of the Greeks and once at the hands of Rome. What I'm saying is that Biblical prophecies sometimes have the strange ability to act more than once. The coming of Christ is a primary example. Messiah comes more than once. btw, the historic period of the middle ages is generally thought to span the time between the fall of ROME in 476 AD and the fall of Constantinople in 1453. Hope this helps. that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

HOLLYWOOD apologetics in full operation and influence - that's what we see here and in the nation as a whole. It is blatant lies meant to mask commercial violence for profit. Hollywood argues freedom of speech, expression and license to create any kind of sewage that will $ell. Hollywood clearly broadcasts the opinion that violence in movies, TV, video games and any other platform commonly sold and used by the public doesn't have an effect upon social violence. This is patently false and illogical, yet gullible people who've been persuaded that Hollywood mayhem is good will support it. "Advertising is the greatest magic ever invented. It can convince you to buy things you don't need and pay for it with money you don't have." - Mark Twain Nobody and I do mean nobody will argue against the efficacy of advertising to sway the purchases of consumers. Our magazines and airwaves are full of it morning noon and night. If it wasn't a PROVEN method of affecting behavior it wouldn't be done. Hollywood violence is exactly the same, yet we are expected to believe that the bombardment of advertising will affect behavior and a bombardment of Hollywood violence won't. How stupid does a person have to be to believe this lie? In nations where depictions of violence are restricted, the level of violent crime is low. Do you not know O reader that the United States has the largest prison population in the world (over 2 million incarcerated)? This is greater than all totalitarian regimes combined! It's not guns and knives that kill people, it's HOLLYWOOD. From their callous hearts comes iniquity; their evil imaginations have no limits. - Psalm 73:7 The BIBLE says violence and wickedness comes from the heart. As we all know, the TARGET for commercial messages, as well as imagined violence, is the heart. It is the heart that impresses a person to buy an item one does not need, the heart that inspires the purchase of theater tickets and it is the heart that causes one to commit violence. Take it to heart and learn, pilgrim. that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

No children were shot on those programs. None were tortured and few were subjected to brutal acts on the part of adults. Until recently, Hollywood's policy regarding children was hands off. If anything along those lines was suggested it was generally done off-camera. The 'stuff' you speak of didn't 'go on'. Oh by the way, the actor John Wayne had a personal policy that his character would never shoot a man in the back. Most of his violence involved fist fights. Guns and knives were not often used. There were reasonable and consistently applied principles of performance 'back in the day' that have been abandoned for profit and grotesque reality. And in case its not been noticed, virtually all of the movies today have an occult orientation, display extreme violence, glorify social dysfunction and magnify the horror of war as though it was something to be admired. It isn't. There will never be peace for America until we learn the idea that true heroes are those who heal, who build, who behave morally toward others, who educate, who put out fires and those who work for peace everywhere. Peace has become a four-letter word - alien and foreign and relegated to a time in the distant past. War and terror and hatred and bullying and destruction are our idols today. A generation has arisen that knows not God and cares less about His power and glory. We shall pay a heavy price for abandoning the principles that built our civilization - and for forgetting God. that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

For some time I've been struggling with the attempt to understand Jewish thinking in terms of Christian doctrine. Turns out it's like comparing apples and oranges. The philosophical systems are totally different. Christian thinking is based upon Greek philosophy. Always has been. As such Christians put emphasis on doctrine. Christians believe this or that and compose list of beliefs to be memorized. Christians don’t necessarily follow many of them in fact. Many of the doctrines don’t require specific action on the part of individuals at all. The twin doctrines of the Rapture and Tribulation, for example, essentially mean nothing in terms of actionable performance of religion. They are merely bullet points of divisive nature for endless argument and pointless conjecture. Such minor arguments are not efficacious in terms of the need of salvation nor of defining and explaining the process of redemption. They are beliefs only. They may be justified by numerous references to scripture quotations, but in the end they are only statements of philosophical supposition. Christian communion is a good example of the marriage of doctrine and tradition. Some congregations offer unleavened bread and wine during the celebration. Others offer unleavened bread and grape juice. Some participate by intinction using leavened bread with juice, while others substitute water for wine or juice. Some offer communion daily while others only once a month. Few Christians can fully explain the differences or are concerned with the underlying history or doctrine involved in the ceremony. Is communion necessary for salvation? Some say yes and others say it's just an observance. In reality the ceremony, based on the Jewish seder, lies in the twilight zone between belief and tradition. Jewish thinking is based upon tradition. Tradition dictates active performance and appearance of one's religious life - what one does or how one looks to others. Phylacteries, for example, are the little boxes Jews might wear on the forehead or straps across the arms and chest to remind them of the Mosaic command to keep the law on one’s mind, heart and hand. Yeshuah had problems with phylacteries because they tended to display one’s righteousness rather than actually keep it. The comparison of Jewish tradition in terms of DOING one's religion as opposed to Christian doctrines of THINKING allows a clearer understanding of the differences between the two religions. If one wishes to assign a label to these differences; Jewish traditional approaches are generally referred to as Rabbinic, while Christian approaches to understanding are generally referred to as Biblical. The truth, as always, seems to live somewhere between the two. I think making these distinctions goes a long way to understanding the differences in philosophy. that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

It is common in adventure movies for people to be violently thrown across a room against a wall or other hardened object. The character often dusts himself off and stands up to immediately rejoin the battle. In reality, such a hit would kill cripple or seriously injure any person who suffered such a blow. We tend to accept this sort of on-screen treatment as normal. In ST3 and I believe episode 6 7 & 8 (The Battle of Starcourt Mall) the characters are repeatedly thrown against walls, a car and the interior walls of a shopping mall. Is this treatment of children appropriate? In an earlier episode (6 I believe) the High School students are captured by Russian soldiers who tie them down and begin to execute torture treatments. (No CIA approved water-boarding, so I guess that's ok). This sort of violence has become so common its accepted out of hand. I don't believe its appropriate to even consider torturing and brutalizing children as entertainment or as any other form of treatment. What will be acceptable next time - outright murder? that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

It's been my experience that when a heart is hardened in life there is rarely a change in attitude even on one's death bed. I have witnessed such things happen, but they are indeed rare. I've tried to tell of things Christ did for me and those in my unit that saved lives in serious danger. When God acts in such ways I believe they are more spectacular than the danger itself. Unfortunately even Christians are very jaded these days. Attempts to share stories of deliverance often fall on ears that are plugged with disbelief - even in the church. When a man has no personal experience with a thing, such as a civilian who has never gone in harm's way, they tend to doubt one's word as being overly boastful - even when I've forgotten a lot of the details. The wonderful thing is that Christ is there to save "in every way a man can be saved" as the line from TITANIC goes. There is little faith in such stories these days because there is little faith. that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

It has been said that in every legend there is a seed of truth. Movies and popular books have been based on those seeds, however radical or strange they may seem to be. MK Ultra, or whatever its official designation might have been was real enough. The fact that civilians have heard the rumor of it is significant. The intelligence community was and remains capable of terrible inhuman designs and acts. Civilians generally disbelieve even the idea it might be true because they are so far beyond the normal flow of everyday life. I once met a CIA field agent during my time in the military. He actually had a 'flavor' or 'aroma of personality' I had never encountered. He put the lives of every man in my unit at risk and except for the grace of God none of us would have survived. Yet if I tell the story very few non-veterans would believe such things went on in the world - by our own government. I later heard a description of that sort of personality and 'aura' if you will believe it. They are not called spooks for nothing. They literally smell of it. They do spookish things that reduce human lives to zero value. I know this to be true because I lived it. Most Americans have no idea what this means. Even the worst of us cannot imagine the depths of their depravity. Tales of the illuminati are likewise based on real groups of real people with real addresses and phone numbers and families. The closest most descriptive rendering of who and what these people are and how they operate have been described in a few extremely important books; THE POWER ELITE by C. Wright Mills was published in the 1950's and was widely read even among world leaders. It describes the rise of separate social classes in America from colonial times to the mid-20th century and how power has gradually settled into the hands of non-elected groups and how those groups grew in power. This book uses sociological language and can be a bit dry at times. THE DEEP STATE by Mike Lofgren takes the situation into the twenty-first century and picks up where the Mills book left off. It is chilling and its message and definitions have been deliberately confused by those who do not want Americans to understand the basic structure of that which is redefining America. Social groups in the United States congealed into three vast power groups; the military-industrial complex mentioned by President Eisenhower in his last message to the American people, the intelligence community later described in detail by David Talbot in THE DEVIL'S CHESSBOARD, and the financial cartel partially described by Greg Palast in THE BEST DEMOCRACY MONEY CAN BUY. The three basic forms of our government, POTUS Congress and SCOTUS are all subservient to the Deep State. POTUS is no longer the most powerful office in the land - it is a mid-level management position. It doesn't matter who sits at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office. He or she will do what they are told by the higher powers of the Deep State. The last President to try to subvert this status was John F. Kennedy and he got his head blown off for the effort. A story is told of a congressman who encountered an agent of the intelligence community in the halls of government. The congressman objected to some of the actions of the intelligence community and said he'd work to stop it. The agent told him that they, the intelligence community, were in charge long before the congressman arrived and would be there long after he left. The agent smiled and walked away. The congressman had no retort. Americans are not as well informed about our own society as our enemies are. Neither do Americans seize the opportunity to study and consider how these changes in our society affect our religious faith - as indeed they do to a terrible extent today. Consequently we shall lose much of what we thought was once good as indeed much of it is already a thing of the past. The seed that has been sown to the wind shall return to us in the whirlwind. Watch and learn, pilgrim. that's me, hollering from the choir loft....

I assume you are referring to CIA mind control experiments rather than the Bay Area band of the '90s. I hadn't made the connection between STRANGER THINGS episodes and MK Ultra. Very interesting perspective. What things? that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

I suppose the fact that we survived those experiences many times as a result of divine providence is somewhat of a foreign experience to those who never found themselves at risk. The riskiest thing most folks do in civilian life is to drive back and forth to work. Once, back in the day, I attempted to describe another scenario before a crowd of civilian church folk, my words were generally disapproved. I was personally rejected. No one approached afterward to thank me or introduce themselves. They all, with one exception, turned their backs upon me. That experience permanently colored my opinion of Christians. I never really got it straight in my mind about why they reacted as they did. Bear in mind that in those days military people were generally treated like second class citizens. I know I was. It wasn't like today where there is a modicum of respect and gratitude. There was none of that at all in those days - even in church. I got more respect from Communists in their own country than I got from Americans on my own soil. That's another strange story - also a major deliverance by divine providence too. As you can imagine, that story also flies over the heads of those non-vets I tell it too. There is also the lingering suspicion of doubt among those that hear my testimony - simply because it is so foreign to common everyday experience. I often wonder at my own memories. Did they really happen like that after all? Unfortunately they did. I am not lying, but people still act as though I am. I have given up trying to persuade and excuse what happened especially where the Lord was involved to deliver me and those who were with me. Far from home, the fellow next to me was more important than those idiots back in the states anyway. I don't think they understand that either. that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

Insightful reply. You've been doing your homework. I do not see or hear such insight very much. Thank you. Most that attempt to answer that question come up with convoluted arguments that are inconsistent with scripture, specifically Genesis 3. Unfortunately when God gave autonomous authority to Adam and Eve, they in turn gave it to the tempter. We shall never see autonomous human authority again - thanks be to God. It shall not be returned to humanity. Redemption in the name and authority of Christ, in the form of the second birth, provides for conditional authority to be returned to the race of Adam. In this conditional authority, the Holy Spirit works together with the redeemed to do or not do that which is pleasing to God. that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

I'm not sure where to post this item, but am sure some moderator will take a hand if it displeases him. The Netflix series STRANGER THINGS was initially released a few years ago and was well received by the public. The kid actors were very good and the plot was interesting as well as mildly creative. The series was so successful that Netflix commissioned a second season. The second season was a little predictable, but by then the viewers were familiar with the kids and adult characters and watched intently. Season 3 began with the same cast, albeit a bit older as most of them are now High School age. I watched as a fan and concluded the series this time mostly because I wanted to see how it came out. I was NOT, however, pleased with the treatment of the characters - the kids. STRANGER THINGS 3 is replete with severe violence. In some scenes this included torture of the children. In other scenes it displayed extreme physical assaults against the children. I suppose it's my fault for watching, but by the time the violence was shown (episode 6 of 8 I think) I was already into the plot development. If someone had warned me before watching it, I wouldn't have begun the third season. I recommend NOT watching STRANGER THINGS 3 even if you're a fan of the first two seasons. If you want to watch the show, watch the first two seasons again. If word of mouth can serve to curtail a show, than let this be a start. that's me, hollering from the choir loft... PS Netflix has said a season 4 is in the works.

I was in the Navy in those days. We deployed to the Middle East twice, GITMO once and to South America once. While deployed along the coast of Africa heading back and forth to the Persian Gulf and Red Sea, we were issued the same orange pills you mentioned. We also had to eat large salt tablets because of the oppressive desert heat. When we had shore leave in parts of the Middle East we were told to avoid areas outside of certain cities that were occupied by Beduin folk. They didn't care much for us 'unbelievers'. I was enlisted in the Navy and found myself in the desert of Saudi Arabia doing guard duty with a member of the Saudi military. Meanwhile a friend of mine enlisted in the Army and was assigned river boat duty in the Mekong Delta in Viet Nam. Life is strange. The Lord saved us from getting wacked by two, count 'em two, hurricanes while sailing home down the east coast of Africa toward the Cape of Good Hope. As we sailed south, seas around us were mostly calm. Everywhere else, both north and south of our track, was devastating storm and terrible seas. It was so miraculous that our Captain, a declared atheist, admitted during an address to the crew that it nearly made him a believer in God. I later learned that the man wasn't a career Navy man at all. He was a CIA agent embedded in our command structure. During our deployment to the Persian Gulf and western Indian Ocean he directed our ship and one other in an attempt to create an incident with the Russian Navy off the coast of Dijouti near the Horn of Africa. This was attempted twice with both attempts failing. I later learned the entire operation was being observed in a War Room in Japan. I am very glad the Lord directed me to pray throughout the deployment for our safety. To this day, I believe the operation failed because of Divine Providence. Many good men would have died if it had succeeded as the waters at that time were infested with sharks and poisonous jelly fish so numerous you could almost walk to shore by stepping on their jelly-ish backs. I am alive today along with many men because of the mercy and grace and direct intervention of God - in spite of the errant efforts of our own government to kill us all. Praise God for His mercy. that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

Don't understand exactly what you're trying to say. Evil has its place on earth. The righteous, or the Just, have their place with Christ in Paradise. Therefore it says; Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy." - Revelation 22:11 The time for evil to enjoy its labor is that which is granted upon the earth. The evil and the righteous endure together until in due time both are harvested - the evil unto destruction and the righteous unto the Lord's good keeping. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.'" - Jesus as quoted by Matthew 13:30 Again, I'm not sure if you are in agreement with this or if you are promoting another idea. that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

the word of God says otherwise thereby rejecting the whole need for repentance. That's NOT a Christian according to the word of God which I've shown over and over and over again, and totally rejected by so many on this forum. Can't agree more.... nothing to add or change with what you've written. very sad. Aware of the links you've provided. I've often wondered if the Catholic church is the Mother of Harlots mentioned in Revelation. It seems to match the description. Leadership is more concerned with maintaining influence over folks than transmitting Biblical principles. Then again, as you say, a lot of people simply don't care about Biblical truth. They embrace that which tickles their ears and doesn't require much from them in return. Truth can be rough and even the moderators seem to reject it at times. very sad indeed. that's me, hollering from the choir loft...