[Vision2020] Hypocrisy, Lies, and Phonies {Continued}

[Latimer Tyndale]

Concerned Christians, especially those with reading comprehension ability
above the fourth grade:

Below are reprints of two recent opinion columns from newspapers.

The first column is one pressing upon you the views of the local Christ
Church, pretenders to being a Scottish village kirk.  It is written by Ed
Iverson, Librarian at the the Christ Church reproduction mill, New Saint
Andrews (another phony reference) and also the Church's press representative
who has be given rein to present the church's views bi-weekly at the Daily
News.

The second column is from a much more humble writer, Oliver "Buzz" Thomas.
This article appeared yesterday (Monday, September 18, 2006) in USAToday.

Here are some questions a thoughtful Christian might want to answer while
reading these articles.

In light of the words of Christ found in the four Holy Gospels, who is the
real Christian and who is the counterfeit?

You are gambling on whose views to follow to earn eternal salvation.  Whose
views do you think are most likely to lead you there?  Whose views are most
likely to lead you to eternal damnation?

If you are unable to answer these questions promptly and with assurance,
perhaps for your own and your family's eternal grace you need to read
carefully the four Holy Gospels by yourself without some self-important,
self-loving, self-serving, rapacious pretender to the credentials of an
ordained pastor telling what he devises them to mean for his own purposes.
After you have read unguided the Holy Gospels in God's very straightforward
words for yourself, the answers to the above questions will be crystal
clear.

You might also bear in mind God's stern admonition about following false
prophets.

Latimer Tyndale

********************************************************************************************************

 HIS VIEW: It's folly to listen to pleas for Mideast cease-fire

  By Ed Iverson
Daily News, Saturday, August, 12th, 2006 - Page Updated at 12:00:00 AM

 In the latest manifestation of the ancient rivalry between Jacob and Esau
the smart money is on Israel. This is my reading of the global outpouring of
sympathy and support for Hezbollah. Here is the truth: there would be no
outpouring of sympathy if the Israelis were getting the stuffing beat out of
them. There would be no anguished pleas for a cease-fire coming out of the
United Nations if Israel was taking a beating. What we do have is Western
Europe and the United Nations issuing distressed demands to stop the
violence. This is a good indication that Hezbollah is getting spanked.

Many observers of the conflict believe that Hezbollah is a cat's paw for
Iran. If that is true (and I have no reason to believe it is not), Iran is
playing an old game. Iran is probing for weakness while maintaining
deniability. Committed to the destruction of Israel, they provoke a shooting
war using Hezbollah as a proxy. They do this knowing full well that when
things begin to go badly, they can call on world opinion to demand a
cease-fire.

The Washington Times and Fox News are now reporting Hezbollah leader Sheik
Hassan Nasrallah is holed up in a bunker and cut off from communication with
others of his terrorist gang. Word is starting to leak out the Lebanese
people are beginning to see Hezbollah in a negative light. Reuters was
recently caught with its pants down, doctoring images from the front in an
effort to further the media campaign against Israel. Add it all up and it
should therefore come as no surprise that calls for a cease-fire have
intensified.

Certainly, Israel should immediately agree to a cease-fire. That would give
Iran time to resupply its puppet, Hezbollah. The Sheik could then come out
of hiding and, reconnecting with his junkyard dogs, plan the next cowardly
raid on civilian populations. Hamas can begin to plan a new round of attacks
upon school buses and pizza joints. Perhaps most importantly, those
determined to see Israel "driven into the sea" will have gained some
valuable insight about Israel's resolve.

The Oslo and the Camp David accords are but two instances in which a
brokered cease-fire soon deteriorated into renewed aggression. A cease-fire
is just the ticket for renewed conflict in the future. It is an absolute
guarantee that the struggle will go on.

Perhaps Israel should snap up the offer in an effort to ensure job security
for its armed forces? From everything I read in the liberal press, the big
fathead generals in the loathsome military are forever looking for an
opportunity to keep their men in fighting trim. No self-respecting general
wants his troops to get soft. Yes indeed, Israel should accept a cease-fire
with Hezbollah in anticipation of renewed war in the not-too-distant future.


Like, not. Until Leviathan is destroyed or utterly disarmed, it is folly to
listen to his plea for a cease-fire. There comes a point in the fight when
every bully-boy begins to whine about the unfairness of it all. "Let me go,
and I'll be nice," he whimpers. "I won't let you go," says Saint George to
the dragon, "I have heard your lies before." "But this time it is
different," says the dragon. "This time I will behave. And you are hurting
me ever-so-much. Let us call a truce and I'll be nice." Right.

Calls for cease-fire, appeals for a truce, and demands for "neutrality" are
effective weapons especially favored by thugs and bullies and others that
specialize in terror. They are hardly ever what they seem. Frantic calls for
a cease-fire are nearly always demands for a "timeout" while those who are
temporarily out of power reposition and plan the next offensive.

Ed Iverson is the head librarian at New Saint Andrews College in Moscow. He
earned a master's of library science at the University of Southern
Mississippi and studied theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British
Columbia. In 1990, he ran for the Idaho Senate as a Republican from Mullan.
He lives with his wife at Viola. They have two children and six
grandchildren.


***********************************************************************************************************
A Christian view of war What would Jesus do in Iraq? He'd offer compassion,
he'd feed the hungry, he'd even pray for the enemies. What he'd really do is
give American Christians — Republicans and Democrats alike — something to
think about.

* By Oliver "Buzz" Thomas  USAToday, 09/18/07
*

"Pray for our troops."

Millions of signs and bumper stickers carry the message, and part of me
likes it. But part of me keeps waiting for another bumper sticker — the one
I still haven't seen. Whether Jesus would drive an SUV, I'm still not sure.
Truth is he'd probably ride the bus. Or the subway. But if he had money for
a car and didn't give it all away to the hookers and the homeless before he
got to the used-car lot, I'm pretty sure that his bumper sticker would say
"pray for our enemies."

*(Illustration by Adrienne Lewis, USA TODAY)*

Before you write me off as a left-wing crackpot, consider what we know.
During his famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said three things relevant to
the subject of war:

   - Blessed are the peacemakers.
   - Turn the other cheek.
   - Pray for your enemies.

Here's something else we know. Three-quarters of the U.S. population
consider themselves Christian. That translates into about 224 million
Americans.

So why are so few of us taking the teachings of Jesus seriously when it
comes to this latest war? Out here in the heartland, only a handful of
churches are even talking about it.

*Christian obligations*

The most plausible explanation is that we're scared. Some things, it seems,
may trump religion. Fear is one of them. If Christians are afraid (and who
could blame them after 9/11?), it's not surprising that they're listening to
other voices besides Jesus' when it comes to the war in Iraq. So what should
the three-fourths of Americans who identify themselves as "Christian" make
of the Iraq war?

We could spend a lot of time debating whether St. Augustine's "Just War
Theory" can be stretched to accommodate our invasion of Iraq, but at this
late date it really doesn't matter. We invaded. And, if the Just War Theory
means anything, it means that we shouldn't leave Iraq in a bigger mess than
we found it. Americans of faith, it would seem, are obligated to do at least
the following:

   - Express concern for all suffering, including that of our enemies.
   That means more than paying lip service. As James, the brother of Jesus,
   said, it does not suffice to tell a hungry man "God bless you!" or "We will
   pray for you!" We must address his hunger. The same can be said for the
   additional food, health care, police and countless other things the Iraqi
   people need. And, though an immediate withdrawal would be precipitous, we
   must work diligently to respond to the Iraqis' desire that our troops leave
   as quickly as possible.
   - Recommit ourselves to the fundamental principles of justice and
   human rights that have been a hallmark of our faith, as well as of our
   nation. That means no more secret prisons, no more secret trials and no more
   torture. America cannot resort to the worst practices of the
Gulag<http://www.osa.ceu.hu/gulag/txt1.htm>(where citizens were
declared "enemies of the state" and whisked away to
   Siberian work camps without the benefit of a fair trial or the assistance of
   counsel) and expect to be an accepted member of the world community, much
   less a leader of it.
   - Repudiate the statements of any religious or political leader who
   suggests that America has a special claim on God. He may have a special
   claim on us, but we do not have a special claim on him. Our beloved nation
   is a civil state, not a religious one. There are no references to God in our
   Constitution<http://www.house.gov/house/Constitution/Constitution.html>.
   The only reference to religion — other than in the First Amendment — is
   found in Article VI, which proclaims that there will be no religious test
   for public office in the USA. The Founding Fathers gave us a secular state
   in which all religions are free to flourish or flounder on their own
   initiative without interference by the government. Those running around
   claiming we are "in the army of
God"<http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20040820-125028-3534r.htm>or
slapping up copies of the Ten Commandments on government buildings
   threaten to turn us into the very sort of society we are fighting against in
   this new war.
   - Force our elected officials to address the conditions that have
   given rise to global terrorism in the first place. Terrorism exists for a
   reason. One of those reasons is that our society has been far too
   unconcerned about the plight of Muslim people around the world. Why, for
   example, have we not instituted a mini-Marshall Plan for the millions of
   Palestinians who have often gone without adequate land, roads, hospitals and
   schools since the 1967 war with Israel? Corruption among Palestinian leaders
   has squandered billions in the past, but responsible
partners<http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/2003-07-28-our-view_x.htm>on
the ground can and must be found. Private foundations with a long
history
   of engagement might be a good place to start.

*Tackling terrorism's roots*

We need not and should not repudiate our long-standing alliance with Israel
to accomplish this. It's simply that our religious traditions teach us that
to whom much is given, much is required. The irony, of course, is that it's
in our best interest to relieve Palestinian suffering. True, some terrorist
leaders come from affluent families and cite Western worldliness and
decadence as their motivation for jihad, but the economic factor cannot be
ignored. There is no better recruiting ground for the troops of terror than
the maddening monotony and grinding poverty of a refugee camp.

In ancient times, particular gods were associated with particular nations.
"Tribal deities," we call them. Today we know better. God is not the mascot
of Republicans, Democrats or, for that matter, Americans. God transcends all
national and political affiliations. His precinct is the universe.

America is in the deep woods. Never have we been less popular in the eyes of
the world. Never have we faced so unsettling an enemy. But before we circle
the wagons, Christians should get serious about following the teachings of
the one by whose name we are called. He might just know the way out.

*Oliver "Buzz" Thomas is a minister in Tennessee and author of an upcoming
book, *10 Things Your Minister Wants to Tell You (But Can't Because He Needs
the Job).
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