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Question: Does this mean that our salvation or rightness with God is contingent on whether we confess our sin daily? Absolutely! To understand this truth we must first understand what the word confess means. Confession is not simply an oral admittance of our sin, the word in Greek literally means to "agree together with someone else". In this case, if we agree together with God that we are in sin as we are convinced and convicted of our sin by Him through the Holy Spirit... only then is the Covenant, or 'agreement' with Jesus Christ to remove our sin activated. If we deny our sin in light of the Holy Spirit's conviction and testimony against us of what we have done, our sin remains deliberate and unforgiven.

Yes. Confession of Jesus Christ as Lord is the first proof of repentance: "3Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit." It is not possible to confess Christ as Lord without first having repented.

International law is established so that foreigners in this country will get treated in as fair manner as we would expect to get treated in a foreign land. Bush's proposal to withdraw from ratified international agreements is a horrendous idea and only leaves American citizens abroad with less forms of legal protection.

Actually, the form you quoted is incorrect. Therefore, your argument using the definition for the variation "didaskein" is inapplicable. The correct word is "didasko": http://www.blueletterbible.org/tmp_dir/wor...587947-325.html , which is a the verb form meaning "to teach": http://www.blueletterbible.org/tmp_dir/c/1...99-1841.html#12 Obviously instead of chosing the most common form, which is typically the first definition in any dictionary, you chose to the less common form to make your case. The correct form is "didasko," which, according to the website that you quoted from means, "to teach (i. e. instruct) a person, or teach a thing." In fact, it is actually the root word that didaskien is formed from. Wrong conclusion. there is no evidence at all that suggests Paul was writing against excesses in authority. The fact that you have ignored here from the Biblical evidence is that Paul in the next two verses give 2 reasons for his word against women teaching in the church, and also confirms the man's authority over the woman: "For Adam was formed first, then Eve; And Adam was not deceived; but the woman having been quite deceived, has fallen into transgression." (vv. 13-14). The first reason for Paul's confirmation of the man's absolute authority (It should be pointed out here that the Greek word is actually used to emphasize the man's absolute authority over the woman, and not to indicate tyranical treatment) over the woman is that Adam was formed first. In the Jewish tradition the firstborn of any household gets the birthright. He gets a double portion of the inheritance of the house (Deut. 21:15-17) and enjoys the priveledge of having the same judicial authority as the father (2 Chron. 21:3). That Adam was the firstborn of the first creation indicates that he has the birthright of the first creation. Paul even uses Adam to show how Christ became the firstborn of the new creation according to His resurrection, and was given the highest name above all names because of it (Rom. 8:29; Heb. 1:6; Col. 1:18). Secondly, Paul points out that it was not Adam who was deceived, but Eve. And therefore, because of this deception it is presumed that the woman cannot have a place of authority over her husband or over other men. Now, the transgression of Adam was passed on to all men because of his authority over it. All of creation is said to have fallen because of Adam's transgression. However, Eve's transgression was mainly related to her having been deceived. And as such, a woman being the weaker vessel (1 Pet. 3:7) is much more prone to deception in general. So, the cult of Diana really has little to do with anything. Certainly the culture had to be dealt with. But Paul's teaching concerning women asserting authority over men stands alone. All you are attempting to do here is to discredit the Bible through various means. You have already confessed that you do not believe the Bible is the complete Word of God. You have written that you do not believe that the spiritual principals and doctrinal teachings in Paul's letters are applicable to the entire church, despite my indisputable evidence taken directly from Scripture that they are. And you have confessed that not only are we free to take away or add anything to the Scriptures that we please, but that we could potentially canonize new books and add them to what we already have! Finally, you have all but refused to address the veritable landslide of moral dilemmas and doctrinal "loopholes" that your views represent to the orthodox faith. If I were to adopt your view of the Bible, I might as well leave the Christian faith entirely. I may as well not believe anything that the Bible tells me concerning God - His nature and Person, Christ - His incarnation, death, and resurrection; the efficacy of Christ's shed blood; the importance of seeing Christ displayed in typology in the Old Testament, and just about every teaching that the epistles of the New Testament contain. Furthermore, we would be free to receive unrepentant homosexuals into the church, and into leading positions in the church. We would be free to allow a man to marry more than one woman, and even have relationships with little boys (After all, the Greeks and Romans both participated in homosexual pedophilia. Who's to say that Paul, a Roman by birth, did not do the same? Surely he had several young men accompany him on his journeys). Because after we are finished completely deconstructing everything in the Bible that we regard as uninspired and inapplicable to the modern church, and after we are finished adding whatever suits our particular tastes (But that we would say is "inspired" nevertheless), what are we left to? ....Well....here's a little hint: "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way;..." (Isa. 53:6a) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I only have time to address didaskein at the moment. In EVERY Greek text, the ONLY word that is used is DIDASKEIN: (Greek NT - Byz./Maj.) 1 Timothy 2:12 gunaiki de didaskein ouk epitrepw oude auqentein androV all einai en hsucia Greek NT - W-H ) 1 Timothy 2:12 didaskein de gunaiki ouk epitrepw oude auqentein androV all einai en hsucia (Greek NT - Textus Rec.) 1 Timothy 2:12 gunaiki de didaskein ouk epitrepw oude auqentein androV all einai en hsucia There is NO DOUBT that didaskein is ther correct and only verb form to be considered here. As far as the rest of your comments go, to ignore the cultural reality in which the female converts from the Dianic cult came to Christianity and to ignore the practices of the Dianic Cult against which paul spoke, and to again ignore the fact that the female Priscilla publically taught the male apostle Appollos in Ephesus seems to give your interpretation no place to stand.....

I think there are too many presumptions in your premise. First, 'brothers' can also refer to males and females in the same manner that 'men' can also refer to males and females. Second, the convention here was in part specifically designed to fill the abandoned apostolic post left by Judas and to fulfill the scripture than 'another should fill his post'. It is NOT a precedent setting action for the selection and installation for all or any other apostle as an examination of the calling and installation of Paul or any other as an apostle will clarify. The scripture also does not to my knowledge specify that the nominee had to me a 'male' but I do not have time to research it right now. Of interesting side note, some scholars who do support the fact that Junia was a female apostle suggest she was actaully Johanna who was said to have accompanied Jesus and was present with Mary Magdalene when se enetered the empty tomb. This might make a case that some fo the women there, were actually considered since they too, were with Jesus from the beginning.

[quote name='Bro David

[quote name='Bro David

The Dianic Cult in Ephesus This is a continuation of the "Women in Ministry" thread and deserves one of its own because it will shed historical and cultural light onto women's societal roles in Ephesus and how it relates to Paul's alleged ban on women in ministry. At issue is 1 Timothy 2:12 which says: "I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man. She must be quiet" In another thread, we already called into question the universal application of Paul's instruction to Timothy regarding women in ministry, because Paul commends female ministers in other of his letters including the deaconess Phoebe, the apostle Junia, and the teacher Priscilla who is noted specifically in Acts 18:26 instructing a man, Appollos, no less a man but a future and apostle and fellow servant with Paul. We will see by examination of the original Biblical language and by historic consideration of the influence of the Cult of Diana in Ephesus, that Paul's prohibition was directed not to women in general or to the Church at large, but was restricted to a particular problem or set of problems that unique to Ephesus at a particular point in time. Let us first consider 1 Timothy 2:12 in the original languages. LANGUAGE 1 Timothy 2:12 in the Greek reads: gunaiki de didaskein ouk epitrepw oude auqentein androV all einai en hsucia Of particular note, we will concentrate on the word for 'teach' which is didaskein, and the word 'authority' which is auqentein. DIDASKEIN---Although the word didaskein means 'to teach', it has a very specific and limited application in the Greek language. It literally means the way in which the Greek Dramatic Poets taught the actors in a play to say their lines and how to perform their bits of action: http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext...entry%3D%238291 The interesting point here, is that this word to teach is NOT the same form or word that is used when we think of someone as a teacher in a school or a professor in a college, or even in the preaching and teaching of the Gospel in the church where such teaching involves the free exchange of ideas and concepts that enables one to mature, become educated, and act independently by means of critical thinking. In fact, it means quite the opposite. Didaskein is not the reasoned explanation of evidence or the logical conclusions reached thereby. Didaskein means simply to indoctrinate one to a particular point of view without regard to any other. The playwright or director only wishes his actors and performers to mimic and produce his thoughts and words on the stage, not their own. The cast is limited to speaking and acting as the playwright directs, and the cast does not have the ability to change the script or the action. The goal of didaskein is to produce a rote, repetitive emoting without regard to thought. It should be noted as well, that the Greek stage was completely sexist. Women were not allowed to act. All roles were played by men, even those of female characters. This will prove of interest later. It should also be noted that our English word didactic comes from this Greek root and in part means to 'teach or moralize obsessively'. This too will be of interest later. AUQENTEIN--This Greek word translated as 'authority' above, actually has a more specific meaning and is more properly considered as: -to have full power or authority over -to impose one's will on another -to inundate or overpower -to govern in a manner that uses corrupt power for selfish interest http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/morph...eek&formentry=1 In Latin, the Vulgate used the word dominari which means: -to be Lord over -to dominate -to domineer -to act as a tyrant or despot with absolute power It becomes clear, then, that Paul to Timothy is instructing against excesses and specifics here, and not the generalized actions of women. We will see this even more clearly as we consider the culture that existed at Ephesus at the time Paul wrote to Timothy. THE CULT OF DIANA From Acts 18 and 19 and elsewhere we find that at the city of Ephesus was centered the Cult of Artemis, the Greek Goddess whom the Romans called Diana. Although the Dianic cult was present throughout the Roman Empire and present as a secondary religion in all cities, it was in Ephesus alone, that the Cult of Diana was the primary religion and her Temple was one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World. The Temple existed for nearly 8 centuries prior to the appearance of Christianity and so massive it took over 220 years to construct. At the center of the Temple stood here idol seen below on the left: http://www.ancientroute.com/pictures/01380.gif The Temple was believed to have been built by the Amazons of legend, a maternalistic society of women in which the women were the warriors and the role of men was relegated to performing the household chores. Men who served in the Temple were castrated and kept subjugated. It is thought by some that the round objects on the idol of Diana in the photo above represented the testicles of these castrated men. Artemis, or Diana, was the daughter of Zeus, and pledged herself as a perpetual virgin. She was the goddess of "childbearing" and protectress of women in childbirth. She was also a fierce hunter and death at childbirth was considered to be from the receipt of one of Diana's arrows. Diana was fiercely independent and spirited and vowed not to be associated with or subjected to a man remaining free in the wilderness with her band of female cherubic attendants. Diana sought above all to protect her chastity and personal space. Any man who attempted to violate her virginity and subjugate her by child bearing was killed. The Cult of Diana consisted mainly of women particularly young girls who joined the cult at puberty. If they married they had to leave the cult. Although St John Chrysostom destroyed the Temple of Diana in 401AD, the Cult survived well into the 14th century even in Christian Europe and Wiccan cults continue in Dianic worship unto this day. The Church found this Goddess worship one of the most difficult to eliminate as this quote from an article in a Millersville University journal states: http://marauder.millersville.edu/~resound//court.html#fn_14 The Encroaching Christian Church It was into this matrifocal pagan continuum that the Christian church came. And for hundreds of years, Christ's greatest rival was the Great Goddess. At first, Constantine ordered the destruction of all goddess temples in the Roman Empire, and forbade the worship of the Goddess. Yet the devotion of the people (pagans) to the Great Mother endured. Diana's cult was so widespread in the pagan world that early Christians viewed her as a major rival, and later named her "Queen of Witches". The Gospels called for the destruction of all temples of Diana, and in Ephesus (a major Dianic pilgrimage center), the Dianic shrine was taken over in the 4th century A.D. and rededicated to the Virgin Mary. In 431 AD, one of the earliest churches dedicated to "Our Lady" was in Ephesus, but most believed the lady was Diana, not Mary. In 432, the Council of Ephesus tried to eliminate Diana worship, but the bishops were besieged by crowds demanding, "Give us Diana of the Ephesians!"12 And give them Diana, they did -- she was assimilated into Christian mythos as Mary's mother or elder self, the Grandmother of God, Anna (Hannah) or Di-anna (Dinah). The Gnostics named their Wisdom-goddess Sophia, the same Grandmother of God, and when the Ephesian Diana temple was demolished, its porphyry pillars were carried to Constantinople and built into the church of Holy Sophia. From the beginning, the exclusively masculine new Christian religion was resented and resisted by the its potential converts. Christian evangelists discovered, however, that the people would accept the Christ, if allowed to retain their goddess as Mary.13 The Christian church incorporated pagan holidays into its own sacred calendar, and acknowledged Mary as "Queen of Heaven" (originally the Roman title of Diana, the triple goddess) and Mother of God. Ironically, Christianity succeeded ultimately because it represented a return to the original goddess worship which devotion to the Roman gods had precluded.14 It was in this environment of pagan worship that Paul first began to spread the Gospel in Ephesus as Acts Chapter 18 and 19 illustrates in detail, and it is in Ephesus that we find Paul's fellow ministers. Aquila and Priscilla, a woman, instructing Appollos: Acts 18:24-28 "A Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, an eloquent speaker, arrived in Ephesus. He was an authority on the scriptures. 10 25 He had been instructed in the Way of the Lord and, with ardent spirit, spoke and taught accurately about Jesus, although he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue; but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the Way (of God) 11 more accurately. 27 And when he wanted to cross to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. After his arrival he gave great assistance to those who had come to believe through grace. 28 He vigorously refuted the Jews in public, establishing from the scriptures that the Messiah is Jesus. ' Acts 19:1 "1 While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior of the country and came (down) to Ephesus where he found some disciples. " We find that Paul initially stayed in Ephesus for 3 months then continued on for 2 more years with good results: Acts 19:8 "He entered the synagogue, and for three months debated boldly with persuasive arguments about the kingdom of God. " Acts 19:10 "This continued for two years with the result that all the inhabitants of the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord, Jews and Greeks alike." It was here that some Jews saw Paul casting out demons and tried to do the same but were turned back by the demons saying he knew Paul but not them...Many converts were former sorcerers both Jew and Greek alike who burned their spellbooks and incantations after conversion: Acts 19:18-19 "Many of those who had become believers came forward and openly acknowledged their former practices. Moreover, a large number of those who had practiced magic collected their books and burned them in public. They calculated their value and found it to be fifty thousand silver pieces. " However the depth and pervasion of commitment to this pagan Deity Diana is seen in a riot that breaks out when Demetrius a silversmith who made idols for this cult complained about the loss of money resulting from conversions from this cult: See Acts 19:23-41 below: http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/acts/acts19.htm It is now with this preliminary information behind us that we can now reconsider Paul's first letter to Timothy in Ephesus. 1 Timothy 2 1 Timothy 2:9-10 "Similarly, (too,) women should adorn themselves with proper conduct, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hairstyles and gold ornaments, or pearls, or expensive clothes, but rather, as befits women who profess reverence for God, with good deeds." Was Paul making a universal rule here that women should not wear pearls, braid their hair, wear expensive clothes or otherwise decorate themselves? Few would think so. In fact, upon closer inspection Paul was addressing behaviors specific to practices common to worship in the Cult of Diana alone: http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/2287.htm "In the temple, worshippers would lay fine clothing, jewellery, and costly gifts on the statue of Artemis. They would ask for blessing upon their crops, livestock, and family. In particular, women would pray for help through conception, pregnancy, delivery, and menstrual problems." 1 Timothy 2:11 "A woman must receive instruction silently and under complete control." Recall, in the Cult of Diana, women dominated men and subjugated men. The cult was sexist not teaching equality of access to God, but rather special privilege by women to receive instruction from the Goddess. It was from this type of 'sexist' teaching and behavior that converts from the Cult of Diana were to refrain and unlike in the Dianic Cult, women were to learn in submission and in all quietness JUST AS THE MEN WERE TO DO THE SAME. 1 Timothy 2:12 " I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man. 4 She must be quiet." Recall that the word 'teach' in the Greek means an indoctrination and that the word was only used in the Greek theater. Recall as well, that the Greek theater was also sexist permitting only men to act and perform. Recall, too that didaskein referred to unquestioning indoctrination and not faith in Christ based on reason, or a reasonable faith. Recall also, that 'authority' auqentein means tyranny, or to enslave or to impose one's will on and over another. It does NOT mean to share in equally. Paul is offering no command here that a woman cannot teach or be in authority over a man or is prohibited from speaking publically or serving in ministry... Paul is condemning very specific certain practices of the adherants of the Dianic cult in which one sex has mastery over the other for selfish interest and reinforcing his teaching that in Christ all men and women are set free and are equal before God. Unlike with Diana, where the female Goddess was to be worshipped, Paul reminds these sexist pagans that Eve, the woman, sinned first and foremost and dragged Adam (who followed willingly) into sin and death. 1 Timothy 2:13-14 " For Adam was formed first, then Eve. Further, Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and transgressed. " This does not make Eve inferior to Adam, but co-equal as Paul reminds us elsewhere and that submission by the sexes is MUTUAL in Jesus Christ. "Contrary to the teachings of the Artemis cult, Paul insists that women do not have special insight into divine revelation through the goddess. They do not have spiritual authority over men simply by virtue of gender. Paul reminds his readers that, in fact, a woman was deceived first, not a man (1 Tim 2.13-14). By making this observation, he is countering the teaching of the Artemis cult. In effect, he is lowering the status of women to the same level as men. Because they have been led astray, he stops women from teaching. For now, they are to submit themselves to learning the Christian faith in silence (1 Tim 2.11-12). This does not prevent women from resuming a teaching role once they have come to a proper perspective. "---from the following link: http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/2287.htm Finally, Paul notes to these Diana worshippers who were misled into thinking that Diana could help them with their childbirthing and that favor from the Goddess could be achieved in female problems by sacrifices to this cult, that it is through Jesus Christ that their salvation will come and by Whom their wombs shall be blessed. 1 Timothy 2:15 "But she will be saved through motherhood, provided women persevere in faith and love and holiness, with self-control." "With pastoral concern, Paul ends with a word of assurance for the Christian woman in Ephesus (1 Tim 2.15). She will be kept safe through childbirth not by turning to Artemis but by turning to Christ. She does not need to come before Artemis with finery, she only needs to come to Christ in unadorned faith. "---from the following link: http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/2287.htm The bottom line is, that Paul is not indicating from 1 Timothy 2:12 that women cannot be teachers and cannot teach men. Paul is consistent with his other epistles where he praises women in ministry and lauds their contributions to the Gospel of Christ. Pauls commands and comments are local commands meant for followers of Diana in Ephesus. But Paul's universal truth can be applied to the Church Universal: God is no respector of person's or sexes and minstry as well as the Gospel is open to everyone and that men need to submit to women in the same manner that they submit to men. HELPFUL LINKS http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/2287.htm http://www.factmonster.com/ce6/ent/A0803619.html http://www.websters-dictionary-online.org/...h/Di/Diana.html http://www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~clit387/DianaWorship.html http://www.ephesusguide.com/temple_of_artemis.html http://filebox.vt.edu/users/gevans/art4384/influence.html http://ce.eng.usf.edu/pharos/wonders/artemis.html http://marauder.millersville.edu/~resound//court.html

Actually, your example of the Florida State Police trying to seize Terri Schiavo against Judicial order and and in circumvention of the courts and the fact that the Legislative and Executive Branches overstepped their bounds illustrates how much MORE we have to fear from the Tryanny of executives and representatives run amok than Judges and the courts that protect our rights. Our Founding Fathers foresaw this tryanny of the majority by establishing the very checks and balances the Judiciary was established to prevent Our Constituiton and the Judges who serve it and protect have been the only protection we citizens have had against government intrusion when government has no business interfering at all. The state police effort is just more evidence of the Bush brother's and Republican's disdain for law and order and the very Constitution(s) they are sworn to uphold.

If you want concrete proof either way, you can always hire a private investigator. Just be sure you really want to know the results of that investigation, whatever the results...

But for those folks down the road who have lived in their home for years, don't forget, they have no mortgage, own all the equity in their home at its current value, and are capable of getting a 'reverse mortgage' to pay for their taxes, living expenses. meds and then some. No callousness on my part. Just reality. According to US Census reports, less than half of all US households own their own home, so if you do, count yourself fortunate and be willing to pay for that priveleged status...

. Amen brother We have a 42 foot long by 7 foot wide deck on the front of our home...it goes the length of the house...imagine our surprise when we got out taxes the following year and there was 294 sq foot ADDED to our taxable footage I can't live on my deck....I shouldn't be taxed on it as square footage of living space. By the way Michigan is one of the worst states in the US for property taxes....they are outrageous I tell you. This years "tax sales" properties were up alot. Our property taxes cost us over 150.00 dollars a month. That is why people are losing their homes....on top of a mortgage I can't imagine how the poor can do it. Just my rant though.... Love and Blessings, Angel <{POST_SNAPBACK}> You can afford a $5000 deck but cannot afford to pay $1800 a year in property taxes? $1800 a year in property taxes is extremely CHEAP (about half) compared to where I live....

If the "poor" can afford to add on to their property they can afford to pay taxes on it too. Building without permits also means building without inspections and building homes that are dangerous, of substandard quality, and perhaps not even fit for human habitation. Christ said to render to Ceaesar what is Caesar's. Avoiding paying for building permits and taxes is not only illegal, it is sinful.

Aerial photography has been used for decades in my county to update tax roles by comparing previous photos and building permit applications. Its a good and proper way to find law breakers and tax cheats. Failing to build with a permit is a 3rd class felony in my state.

Thanks. I have contacted my Senators and Congressmen to urge them to have nothing to do with this unconsititutional piece of legislation. The irresponsibility of the Florida legislature is quite astounding in this second attempt to thwart the law and the courts and the will of Terri Schiavo and her spouse....

The fact that Michael Schiavo has turned down this bribe along with the bribes of his in-laws, and has steadfastly stood for his wife's wishes to not be kept alive by artificial means for all the years is commendable and illustrates the sincereity of his commitment to her. What is entirely shameful is that a millionaire could think he could buy off Schiavo or any other spouse and so interefer in the sanctity of another's marriage. The act of bribery is reprehensible and that anyone could support such immoral tactics unconscionable. The California business man is indeed a rotten little worm.

Male 49 here. Don't comprehend why you would think you shouldn't have to get what you need from your brothers and sisters. That is what the Body of Christ is all about: Getting what you need from the other members... <{POST_SNAPBACK}> What I'm saying is I don't think I should have to go to a chat room to get it when I have been an associate in the same church for 10 years. They say you tend to be the most critical in the areas you are gifted in and my gift is to encourage the discouraged. I wonder where in my church after all this time is the listening ear when I get discouraged. Just venting my brother, just venting, but please, respond. It's always good to meet brothers and sisters even if it's online. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Your expectations of where your 'ear' should come from seems amiss. What I mean by that is it is rare for anyone to find personal support systems at work, and this church is your 'work'. What's worse, you are one of the 'bosses' and shouldn't expect the 'workers' to be all that sympathetic to your personal needs. Just as one normally needs to develop his support systems outside his place of employment in family, friends, and other social groups, so too yours need to come from similar outside sources. Some are fortunate to make a friend or two with whom they can develop a mutually supporting relationship at work, but it just doesn't happen all that often. Be glad to be an on line 'friend' but it seems to me you need to start looking outside your church for the kind of up close and personal support you need, in your family, friends, clubs, a gym, college, bowling or dart league....even another church group for other areas of interest. The church in which you work cannot be and should not be the sole source of your social support nor personal affirmation network.

By an almost identical margin, this same group also did not wish to see displays of the Koran on public property. So the REAL issue is that there is a cultural bias FOR Judaism/Christianity in this country and a disregard among the masses for real religious equality before and under the law.

Male 49 here. Don't comprehend why you would think you shouldn't have to get what you need from your brothers and sisters. That is what the Body of Christ is all about: Getting what you need from the other members...

The wires services have reported that BTK was a devout Church going Christian and once President of his Lutheran Church...

"In 1990, Terri Schiavo collapsed and suffered brain damage under unexplained circumstances. Having no durable power of attorney for health care, her husband, Michael Schiavo, became her guardian. He filed a malpractice lawsuit against the doctors who attended her and was awarded $1.3 million." Terri Schiavo's collapse has been anything but unexplained. Schiavo was an overweight high school girl who resorted to severe dieting to lose weight. When she found that her weight loss attracted boys, and her eventual husband, Terri's dieting progressed into Bulimia and Anoerxia in order to keep her weight at unrealistic levels. Terri collapsed as the result of heart failure brought about by electrolyte deprivation caused by her starvation of herself. The irony here, is that Terri is being kept alive by artifical feeding machines, a fate she did express to her husband verbally that she never wanted. The courts have routinely found in Terri and her husband's favor that the disconnection of the life support machines is legal and in Terri's best interest. Outside influences who have no legal standing in the matter (Terri's parents) have chroncially attempted to overturn the Court rulings and Terri and her husband's wishes by preventing what is both their legal and moral wills. If anything should come of this matter, it is that one should have a specific durable power of attorney for healthcare or Living Will or other legal instrument drawn up now while they are healthy and still coherant so that the same horrible legal fate cannot be afflicted upon them should they ever be in a similar circumstance as Terri. The withholding of nutrition and water from her would not mean that pain medication and sedatives would be also. Her passing will be swift and painless given the opportunity. I've got my final instructions all set to go and they include no machines of any type, icnluding feeding machines and my wife and heirs have specific instruction not to force me to live against my and My Lord's will should that day arrive. Postponing the inevitable is nothing tantamount to torture when it is against one's will. The do-gooders wishing to prolong Terri Schiavo's 'life' do her no favors by theiur misquided efforts.