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Our Irrelevant A church in South Wales put posters outside its building. The first one said ‘Big Brother: Jesus won’t vote against you’. The church thought it was a great idea to base its poster on the popular, garbage-like TV programme called ‘Big Brother’, in which a number of people are crammed in to a house and kept there for several weeks. Cameras are in every room and the purpose is to watch and hear everything said and done, including (so I have been told) some rather sexual antics as well as tantrums. The inmates vote to get one member out of the programme every week (I think), until only the winner is left. This fly-on-the-wall programme, to me, is a concept that bores me silly and is so, ‘naff’! Yet, this is the type of approach used by a church to ‘attract people in’. Like all its similar buddies outside so many churches, this poster typifies the ‘brand’ mentality of the majority of churches today. It is an approach usually found in Pentecostal and charismatic circles, and makes the Christian faith seem so irrelevant! Then, I saw the first in the TV series on the Alpha course (Sundays, late). I must be very honest and say that the bits shown where Nicky Gumbel spoke were very good indeed. I expected this, because he used an approach found in his book ‘Questions of Life’ (see our extensive and detailed critique). I found the programme sad, because the presentation was ‘almost but not quite’ a true Gospel message. He uttered a prayer, for example, in which people were invited to tell God they were sorry for the wrongs they had done. But this was in the context of God sending Jesus to make us feel better and to escape the ‘hole’ found in our lives. It also had a backdrop of ‘God loves you’. Nothing wrong with that, except that it was not the Gospel preached by Peter on the Day of Pentecost. Plenty of references to people like the disgraceful and now dead ‘Queen’ singer, homosexual Freddie Mercury! But no reference to the facts about why God must send us to hell! It all centred around the empty feeling we have inside, and the love God has for everybody. Friends, this is not the Gospel! Our sin and its part in our spiritual death was not mentioned at all. At another point Nicky advised listeners (over 800 of them) to attend any church, it did not matter which one, and to ask for a course – any course, including Alpha – so that they could ‘explore Christianity’. The message was that God loves us all and He sent Jesus to free us and to fill the void in our hearts. Throughout, the presentation was ‘almost but not quite’ and was askew by just a degree or two. Only a minor fraction, but enough to make it a false Gospel – if an astronaut wants to reach earth and miscalculates his re-entry by just one degree, he may as well miss it by 100 degrees, for the result will be the same – he will completely miss his trajectory and propel himself into deep space, to die alone! The Gospel is very precise and allows no alteration. I will continue to watch this series, but I honestly do not expect it to match the true Gospel. As we read in the First epistle of John, God is light (pure and holy) and everything else is darkness (evil). It is not possible for God to have even the smallest amount of darkness in Him. Likewise, the Gospel is either the Gospel or it is not. It is not something we can give our own interpretation to. Which leads us on to Billy Graham: The Billy Graham House on Sand A web site named www.christianity.com has a very large section called ‘Thank you Billy Graham’. The title of the section appears alongside an evocative picture of Billy praying. The site invites people to send messages to Billy. I sent one of objection but though I trawled through the entire list of messages a week later, my message was not found! What a surprise! I concluded that only the letters of sycophants were wanted. With sickly-sweet sentiment everyone thanked Billy profusely. But why? Billy Graham is an heretic of the first order. He believes that any religious belief can lead people to heaven. He himself is not sure if he will enter heaven or hell – what assurance to give followers!. He favours cults and especially the RCC. His teaching on salvation is unbiblical. So, he is an heretic. The idea to have a thank-you-Billy-Graham site started with the singer Pat Boone (himself an ecumenist) who wrote a song for Billy because of his ill health. Pat’s friend, a rock musician, produced it. A number of singers contributed their voices to this huge lump of goo...a sugar house built upon a foundation of sand! The blurb on the front page of this silly site refers to Billy as a ‘truly humble giant and legendary American folk hero’! Those who wrote the song said that “Inspired by the emotional reaction of everyone who heard the song, Boone, Pack and Deane felt a higher power was at work; a song had been born that could unite the world as a universal love letter to the Rev. Graham.” For goodness sake!! The blurb goes on to say that ‘millions consider him (to be) close to a living Apostle’. Time magazine called him one of the top five most important people of the 20th century. ‘And to all of this he simply says, “just call me Billy” ‘. Forgive me if I say I feel nauseous. Compare this sickening tribute to a mere man with, say, our own article listing many examples of Billy’s heretical preaching that is far from the teaching of the true Apostles. Also, see an article along the same lines by Dave McNamara (available from BTM on request) Very clearly, there are two very different and opposing views on Billy Graham! One thinks he is a modern apostle, the other says he is a heretic who deceives millions. Who is right? Without doubt, those of us who say he is an heretic. Read the critiques and you will see! We’ve Already Said it! An American church leader, Cal Thomas, recently said what we said some years ago: “Where teens are led, they will follow. The culture is leading them – through music, music videos, TV and films – toward sexual activity. It is always presented as fun but without consequences...the sex industry makes money off young minds and bodies...The industry would go broke if abstinence among youth were to become a trend.” Calvary Contender, July 15th The Truth about Homosexuality I am so fed up with the propaganda view that homosexuals are gentle, kind people! They are not! They will go to any lengths to protect their ‘right’ to enact sexual filth. That is why I am not surprised to learn that the ‘top five’ serial killers in the USA are all homosexual. Obviously, not all homosexuals (sodomites) will kill, let alone kill many. But, the propensity is there. Read all of Romans One and you will find it there, in black and white. All the sodomites I have come across are more than capable of entering in to violence and mayhem. Sodomites and lesbians constantly twist scripture to suit their own perverted lifestyle. They attend churches that deny the plain Biblical view of sodomy, etc., thus making it ‘acceptable’. As a result, 46% of American people asked, said that churches should allow church leaders to be ‘gay’. Let me repeat the facts – sodomy and lesbianism are both abhorrent to God. He says so in His word! Such were to be put to death in the OT...has that command been lifted? Not to my knowledge. Homosexuality is a deliberate personal choice to reject natural use of the body for the sake of perverted sex. Thus, homosexuality is merely a bad habit. Habits can be broken, but it is a truism that when we choose to have a habit, it is very hard to break again. Only an inner heart change can cause us to leave aside a habit. Also, homosexuality brings awful diseases in its wake. That is why, as a nurse, I have had to be injected against Hepatitis B. Sadly, I cannot be protected against picking up HIV from the blood or other fluids of homosexuals I have to care for. So – do not be fooled by the continuous lies and emotional pleas made by homosexuals. Their cause and lives are evil, against God and against society as a whole. Homosexuality is enjoying a fine time right now, and we must pray for its downfall in our day. The Real Mammon We often hear preachers speak of the ‘love of mammon’ and of the ‘love of lucre’. As a result most Christians seem to think money is evil. But, scripture’s injunctions are against ‘filthy money’. That is, money obtained by stealth and force...stolen or obtained by deception. TV evangelists are certainly in the category of money-launderers! As an aside (!) it is interesting that the EA is holding a conference, at which a ‘masterclass’ will cost £40 a day or £125 for the whole conference! Hm!! Writing on the Wall Those of us who are watchers of life knew a long time ago that the new freer abortion laws (starting in 1967) would lead eventually to euthanasia and the deaths of ‘ordinary’ babies, as well as adults, who were considered ‘surplus to requirements’. Now, French courts have upheld a ‘right not to be born’! (BBC Radio News, 13th July). They have opened the doors to parents who have had disabled children, to sue doctors who did not give them the opportunity to abort. Can you imagine how their children must feel? In the famous ‘Perruche case’ a mentally retarded boy (in other words, his unscrupulous mother!) was awarded damages in the year 2000, because he had not been aborted!! Groups fighting for the rights of the disabled are furious and say that this decision will lead to families with handicapped children being branded as ‘irresponsible’ for bringing a ‘less than perfect’ child in to the world. Doctors say that the decision will now encourage them to abort at the slightest hint of a problem, even if it is not well founded, just in case they might be sued. The three families who brought the case have children with relatively minor problems, such as one arm or a malformed spine. Pity help all children who have even the slightest ‘imperfection’, for they are likely to be just another statistic if their ‘flaw’ is discovered in the womb! This is another example of the fast increasing godlessness of society and EU law...see next item! More on Asylum Seekers to the UK You might think we are going on a bit about asylum seekers, but we have been following the stories very closely and believe that we must not ignore the alarm bells. We agree that genuine people who seek asylum must be protected. But the question still hangs like a pall of smoke – if asylum seekers must stop at the first safe port of call, why is it that so many of them travel through many safe countries, even at great risk to their lives, to come to the UK? One of the smallest countries, the UK is being flooded by asylum seekers, some of whom are moving to get a better income out of our taxes and others who are criminals looking for easier pickings. And even if refugees are genuine, the UK cannot sustain this daily onslaught that costs tax-paying working men and women billions a year. We already had a problem because of the rise in numbers of elderly people...and fewer earners. Thus, fewer earners must be resigned to increasing taxation on their incomes to pay for non-earning pensioners, unemployed, and sick. This is acceptable. But, now, a flood of refugees, a large number of whom are not genuine, is adding to that enormous bill. Large numbers are being housed on the worst housing estates in Europe, where no-one wants to live anyway. On these estates yobs hold sway and have terrorised hapless refugees. In other areas, people are very angry when they see queues, some a mile long, outside social security offices, of refugees waiting to receive free handouts of cash. The onlookers are angry because the refugees get more privileges than UK born residents, many of whom have worked hard all their lives and may be sick or unemployed through no fault of their own. I am not being racist or in any way vindictive in my words. I am merely stating facts. The UK is poised on the brink of serious criminal violence and social disorder. Yet, it is being loyal to the demands of the EU to keep taking refugees. And it is not ending there... Many so-called ‘refugees’ complain to our government that they are not getting enough cash! Now, the same refugees who are ‘so grateful’ to the UK for saving their lives, are going to sue the UK government for keeping them in detention centres for up to 10 days! It looks as though the courts will, incredibly, uphold their claim – and so we, the taxpayers, must face yet another bill from the refugees, of up to £90million! Thus, after being in this country for just a few days, refugees will receive several thousands of pounds each, for nothing! (On top of the many millions it cost to refurbish the detention centres and the millions it costs to actually keep them...presently £1200 a week each). This madness has got to stop! It must stop before society is tired of the situation and literally ‘blows up’. At the root of this madness is, once again, the EU system and its recently initiated ‘Human Rights’ law. Already, homosexuals are gaining vast inroads in to society because of this absurd law. Now, refugees (whether genuine or not) are allowed to sue us for putting them in holding centres. Note that the government has been ‘massaging the figures’, so that we do not have the true picture – but it is known that the actual numbers of ‘refugees’ coming to the UK is very much higher than is shown in statistics. Basically, the UK is no longer Britain. It is a repository for all and sundry, most of whom demand that we change to suit them and their religion! And our government does it at a whim. It has reached the point where it is illegal to preach and teach Christian scripture, but it is okay for any other cult and false religion to say what they like. We have said it before – our freedoms are fast being removed, but no-one is bothering to speak out. Soon, it will be too late. And the EU, our friendly, remote, political thugs of rulers, are at the very heart of it all. We can still leave the EU and stop it forcing the ‘Euro’ system on us. But, who will fight? I already know the answer! Addendum, 30th August. The concerns about asylum seekers we have raised over the past few months, are now being raised by the UK and other governments! The problem has been heightened by the refusal by Australia to take in 200 ‘refugees’ from Afghanistan who were almost dumped on them by a Norwegian ship. Unlike our government, Australia is not pushed around by faceless EU policy dictators! ‘Now Europe calls for action to stem rising tide of migrants’ (Daily Express, August 30th). European leaders have at last discovered that so-called asylum seekers are ‘shopping around’ to find the softest option. The UK comes near the top of the list, as we have reported before. Now, they want to ‘pull down the shutters’.Three quarters of a million applied for asylum in the UK last year alone! Of those, well over one third were successful. The numbers applying are rising dramatically and official figures have been ‘massaged’ so as not to alarm the public. But, some of the public are already alarmed and the increasing attacks on refugees cannot just be dismissed as ‘racism’. When poor people in the UK see refugees get far more support than they get, there is bound to be animosity. (I am only observing, not condoning violence). Italy only lets 6% of migrant applicants into the country. Nearly all EU countries let in dramatically fewer people than the UK! Portugal, for example, only had 202 applicants in the whole of last year and will not release figures for the successful ones. Even if they accepted all 202, the figure is but a drop in the ocean compared to UK figures! The UK gets the second largest number of applicants, after Germany, whose living standards are legendary. Why is the UK top of the list? For the same reasons we put forward some months ago...we are a soft touch, who gives support and cash at the drop of a hat, to anyone who calls himself an ‘asylum seeker’! Basically, we cannot sustain paying people who are not born here, have no jobs and cannot even speak English. Even worse, is when these same ‘grateful’ refugees sue us for being kept for a mere 10 days in a holding centre!! These same ungrateful folk will soon demand recognition for their religions. And they’ll get it. Incredibly, all ‘asylum seekers’ have legal rights to appeal against refusal of their application. Yet, if a UK man appeals to his own department of social services because his incapacity benefits have been cut, leaving him in dire straits, he is very unlikely to be successful! Global warming is on every country’s lips right now, even though just a few years ago no-one cared a jot. Now that the matter is on the agenda, the USA has refused to take part in talks and has been castigated for its gross negligence. But, there seems to be more to the matter than that, suggesting a big cover-up for a secret agenda by world leaders. (Wall Street Journal, July 24th).The Kyoto Protocol aims to cut industrial emissions in all countries, but the USA refused to accept the protocol and has been branded the worst culprits of global warming. During the Clinton administration the USA agreed to cutting emissions by 5.2%. Then, it started to back out. President George Bush has stated that the Kyoto Agreement is ‘fatally flawed’ and refuses to budge. So, what is the truth? The first claim, one that will shock many people, is that global warming does not exist! It is a fraud. Therefore, there is no need to agree to the Kyoto Protocol. Respected scientists have openly said there is no evidence to support the idea of global warming, or that industrial emissions affect it. One of the world’s leading meteorologists, Prof. Dr Lindzen, stakes his name on this fact and calls the global warming notion nothing but a ‘hoax’! The second claim is that there is no way the Protocol can police the agreement! Therefore, to keep countries in line, there must be an even higher ‘authority’ backed by military might...a greatly expanded United Nations with teeth! This makes the expansion plans of the EU of even greater interest. As we showed readers not so long ago, the EU is already well on the way to forming an EU army of massive proportion. The agreement reinforces the idea that the whole world is in the grip of a mythical crisis, and so only a one world, one government, one army, state will cope. Hence the rapid build up of power in the EU. Now, here’s the rub – Bush actually wants the Kyoto agreement to be implemented. But, he states publicly that he is against it, because once it operates it will send the USA in to a deep recession. Interestingly, witches who belong to the secret organisation, the Illuminati, said that once a USA president signs the agreement, the USA economy would collapse. The fact appears to be that the whole disaster theme has been coordinated and initiated by powerful groups who wish the one-world idea to flourish. As I watch the breathtaking speed of change for the worse, commanded by the EU, I can well believe it. The New World Order – those who desire a one world, one religion, one economy world – say that the first step to grabbing this power is to instill fear and panic in to the people and governments. Then, in the midst of panic will come the ‘saviour’ of the world, in the form of one world government. (Claimed in ‘Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion’).Part of this scheme is to have schools teach the verity of global warming, and so legitimise the idea, making parents accept it as true. Apparently, there is a ‘six step plan’ to alter attitudes. If this plan exists, it is similar to my own belief about how attitudes are changed. That is, an ‘expert’ makes a public claim about something previously thought to be taboo. (see how all this happened in the legalisation of homosexuality). Though outraged, the public begin not to throw out the new claims but instead start to debate how to modify the claims. That is the start of the downfall! The real answer is to cast out the whole debate in the first place and not to give the taboo even a moment’s thought. In this way the most terrible of ideas can be brought in to the open and made possible by merely talking about amendments to it. Once we do that, the terrible thing in hand becomes part of our life. Such manipulation is taking place regularly and speedily in the West today, and we are all witnesses to it. Concerning global warming, leaders are pushing up the pressure on people’s fears about being either fried alive or frozen. Then, suddenly, a ‘solution’ to this invented warming will be so urgent, advocates will force the people to accept their claims and answers, including a one world government, etc. Now, I am not one who likes to dwell on conspiracy theories. But, this is an actual scenario and those who sign the Kyoto Protocol agree to pool all resources and allow a single authority to act on their behalf, with the power to force countries to obey. So, think as you will about this issue...but be aware. Hitler’s Salads Did you know that when Hitler first mobilised his troops in war, he forced them all to be vegetarians? This inordinate demand was the result of his deep occultism and fascination with witchcraft/New Ageism. When the troops later massed against Russia, just before the famous withdrawal in the frozen winter, Hitler rescinded his order, following a combined letter from his generals on the Eastern Front. They reported that the men lacked stamina because of the lack of meat in their diet. It is interesting to learn that almost all occultists believe in vegetarianism. Some do so because they also believe in reincarnation and are afraid that their steak might be their deceased uncle Fred! This is based on a belief in evolution - a belief hosted today by many New Age folk and becoming part of governmental ideas. That is, if we are all animals, why should the ‘higher’ animals (us) kill and eat ‘lower’ animals, when we are really all the same? According to scripture this kind of idea is bunkum. We are not evolving, and God gave us animals to kill and eat. Deep down I admit that I find vegetarianism hard to understand. It is my personal view that it is indicative of a wrong notion of nature and food. Of course, I might be wrong, but I don’t think so. Apparently, the ‘power-brokers’ of this world are said to want to control the environment, including the food chain, because those who have this power can dictate to millions. This concern has been expressed over the Kyoto Protocol (see above) and also by observers of the foot-and-mouth crisis in the UK, where up to a million or more animals have been, or face, extinction, though less than 200 animals have actually had the disease (yes, you read that correctly). This has so far left the UK with a massive £4 billion deficit! It seems that foot-and-mouth does not affect humans, who can healthily eat meat of animals affected by the disease, and that only a small percentage of affected animals do not recover. Many of us wonder why the government is being so insistent in its culling of animals that need not die, when other countries inject their animals against the disease and eat the meat (some of it reaching UK shores) anyway! Thus, some wonder if all this over-reaction is a part of the coming final kingdom of antichrist, which will ride in on the back of widespread panic and fear. Is this true? I don’t know. Does it make sense? Maybe. Even if it is true, Christians must not be scared. God is still in control and He will look after His own. Meanwhile, do not run away with the idea that a government will not work against its own people. It has happened throughout history and goes on today! Gospel Plus? We receive complaints from some (charismatics, by the way!) who think that by insisting on belief in predestination we are somehow adding to the Gospel, calling on people to believe in it before they can be saved. This is nonsense, but for their sakes let me explain the position... The Gospel is the good news of God, about how He saves us from the penalty of our sins and gives us a new heart, enabling us to live holy lives. Predestination is the prerequisite to being saved – if a man is not predestined to be saved, then the Gospel will have no effect on his heart and life. So, the two matters - predestination and the Gospel, can be treated separately. However, it is up to the preacher to tell his hearers the truth. This means telling them that God chooses who will be saved and that if a hearer is compelled by the Holy Spirit to respond, then the cause is entirely God, and not the man’s supposed free will. The man chosen must respond, because God does not make a mistake. Thus, predestination is a vital factor in salvation. Without it there can be no salvation! We are not, then, introducing some kind of cult belief, but telling the whole truth concerning salvation and the Gospel. Predestination is an integral part of the Gospel so it is absurd for many to say we should not mention it when preaching! If we do not, we are left with the age-old heresy of Arminianism, encouraging people to believe they may choose their own destiny. Ah, it is argued – but mention predestination and some will be frightened off from the Gospel and from God, and may not be saved. Then, that is evidence that either they are not to be saved anyway, or the preacher is not called to preach, for when God calls a man to salvation that man must respond with repentance, and he will be saved! We don’t win souls by carefully sifting-out bits we think they ought not to hear! Unjust Criticism in Churches A lot of my ministry is concerned with a critical analysis of sinful movements, heresies, and bad teaching, within churches. As some already know, true criticism is always ‘constructive’ even when we don’t like what we hear. That is, when truth is applied to situations. I read a good article by Spencer Cunnah of Swansea, UK, in the EMW magazine (‘Quench not the Spirit’, Feb/March). Speaking of ways we can pour cold water on many situations prompted of God, he pointed to the way a critical nature can ruin a local church. “A church can quench the Spirit by its members harbouring unjust criticisms of the pastor, the elders and deacons, or fellow Christians. One of the most harmful tendencies of our day is towards an individualism that is unwilling to bear the burdens of others, but, rather, insists on its own way. By a spirit of unjust criticism Satan has blasted the unity of many evangelical churches to smithereens.” I would like to add some notes to those wise words, hopefully without altering the sense of them (so any errors of meaning are my own, not Spencer’s!). In a normal church setting there are bound to be differences of opinion. This is fine, so long as differences of opinion are not thought to be equal to differences of doctrine. But, either way, when such differences arise, fellow members ought to talk to each other about them, and not allow them to fester in to long-standing rows or, worse, insidious and underground murmurs against each other. (A common problem). As a pastor I can testify to the lonely nature of pastorship, and how draining it is to know that some are back-stabbing you. It affects the way you talk and act, because you are never sure who is going against you, or why. This ought not to be. And members who find others constantly talking about them behind their back will naturally be guarded, appearing to be aloof, thus fuelling more rumours and in-fights. I was in such a position for many, many years before I finally had to leave the churches I attended, such was the unjust nature of the attacks. (I say ‘churches’ in the plural because the rumours spread quickly from one church to another – as the saying goes, mud sticks!). It does not matter if the rumours are based on fact or truth, because those who spread them are either intent on doing harm, or they feel important in helping others to know what is supposedly happening. The net result is unhappiness and falsity amongst the members. As one who endured many years of unjust criticism, I can honestly say that not once did I hit back or join the army of critics. I felt that to seek peace was a greater and more holy path. There comes a time when one has to criticise, but the unjust criticism so evident in our churches must be eradicated if we are to avoid ruin. How do we do this? Well, just to mention a few examples...remember that your pastor (if godly and called) has a lonely task. Few members realise just how much of a burden he carries. Like any man he can make mistakes, so hold him up before God in prayer and support him. Do not be quick to criticise him. Ask him why he said or did certain things and be humble enough to listen. Remember that you are probably making many mistakes yourself! The deacons have their own tasks and if they are open about them, support them in what they do. I must say that though I have a very different view of many church functions, I would not dream of decrying those with ‘traditional’ views of their office. (I can only point out what scripture says...I never defame them). And members ought always to be respectful (the real basis of agape) towards each other, always seeking their best rather than your own ends. If this were to happen, I guarantee few cases of grudges would ever arise or be sustained! Talk to each other. Don’t let matters get out of control, or travel along the road of bitterness. A quick word when something arises is better than a drawn-out series of attacks when it is too late! Only when someone consistently and continuously allows their sin to proliferate should anyone be critical. And, even then, such criticism must be scriptural, couched in real love (not affected love that has to be imagined or psychologically constructed). Don’t harbour unjust criticism. Otherwise you will be like a dog who messes up his own basket. The only person to have a vested interest in ruining a local church is Satan, so don’t let him get away with it. Once you recognise the unjust spirit in your midst, pray that it is removed, and act lovingly toward each other. And if criticism is deserved and needed, let the criticised person accept it gracefully and humbly...and let the critic not take that as a sign of personal triumph, but as the activity of a loving God. Remember – the person you now unjustly criticise may one day be criticising you! Blair – Untrustworthy as Ever Some think we unjustly criticise Tony Blair. But, as the saying goes - watch this space, for Blair’s underhanded way of duping the public knows no end. Another ploy has been uncovered – that Blair intends to legalise euthanasia come what may, and planned this move well before the voters voted him back in to office. Labour wanted to keep it quiet until after the election, so avoiding anything that might undermine his popularity and power (of all sources, see The Catholic Herald, 6th April, 2000!!).The Labour government, more so than any other, totally ignores public opinion and has its own socialist agenda, believing that the ‘public’ must be ‘educated’ and forced along official paths. As we have said before, this is nothing less than communism in action, where an elite have total power and the rest must follow, or else. The ‘Adults With Incapacity’ (Scotland) Act already allows termination of life (murder!) and this act is now set to be enacted in the UK as a whole. (re reports by ALERT – an anti-euthanasia group – and the World Federation of Doctors Who Respect Human Life). The Act allows a ‘carer’ the right to refuse food and drink to someone mentally incapacitated. So – goodbye to your mother or father with Alzheimers! How can we ever be sure whether Mum or Dad died of natural causes or of legally-approved neglect, or deliberate sudden killing?As a nurse, I have argued against euthanasia for over 30 years. I have watched many people die and understand the emotional stress suffered by those who have to wait and stand by. I understand the feelings of relatives who do not wish their loved ones to suffer. I also understand, to a certain degree, the mixed feelings of sick folk who no longer want to live. But I cannot, in any way, condone euthanasia! Death is in the hands of Almighty God. To interfere and to decide when a child, man, or woman, may die, is unscriptural and ungodly. (This applies to the sick and feeble – there are exceptions, such as armies killing during a ‘just war’ and death required by the judgement of a court against a murderer). Euthanasia will, of course, be a guarded ‘privilege’ only available after proper consideration by a court. But, this is how abortion laws started! They quickly became a free-for-all, in which women could abort on demand, sometimes many times. It is a fallacy to claim that no woman aborts without a serious reason, when the vast majority abort for ‘social reasons’! Euthanasia will be used to get rid of society’s ‘drains’ on the economy, such as the elderly, the deformed, the long-term sick, and the young disabled...anyone not thought to be ‘perfect’. It is a form of official population control and must be stopped in its tracks. Otherwise you, or your loved one, might one day be another mortuary statistic. We Can Still Enjoy On Wednesday, 29th August my wife and I went to visit two of our fellow church members. After showing me their lovely big garden with countless outhouses, we all travelled in my car to Newquay, at the farthest end of Cardiganshire, Wales, where the land looks very similar to middle Cornwall, not quite sparse and not altogether lush, but nevertheless breathtaking. The day was quite hot, with feathery clouds scudding delicately across the bright blue sky. I had not been to this area for well over 20 years and much had changed. The sleepiness of the village had been taken over by cafes, ice-cream parlours and souvenir shops. Even so, we strolled leisurely down to the sea wall and gazed at the clean, clear water below. We then sauntered up to the grassy front and sat for a short while, after getting our ice cream cones with melon flavouring and a bit of chocolate in the middle! You don’t need money to enjoy God’s day! And nothing beats the gentle familiarity one gets by being with real friends. Bible Theology Ministries © September 2000 PO Box 415, SWANSEA SA5 8YH Wales United Kingdom Make a Donation to support the work of Bible Theology Ministries |
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