Why do many of us find it difficult to relate to inked body parts?  At first, the whole idea was offensive because the only tattoos I had ever seen were on sailors, a Hell’s Angel or Popeye.  So, accepting a fad with nuances did take some getting used to.   As more and more of this “art” was produced, it became an interesting gallery to critique. 

What does all of this have to do with worldview?  Francis Schaeffer, in his book How Then Shall We Live, reveals that we learn about a culture’s worldview through the buildings, paintings, music and literary works of its time.  What we see outwardly stamped on relics often shouts to us what was important and why. 

A tattoo gives us a glimpse into the soul of another.  Its location, color and design are strategically chosen.  It is a painful, intentional statement of some sort.  For those of us who want a place to discuss ideas, it’s a great place to start.  Never pass up the opportunity to stroll past a walking easel and get right into the rich, meaningful conversation at hand . . . or wherever it may be.

From Ephesians 6:12:

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

1.      Where did I come from  (am I evolved from apes or am I created by God)

2.     Why do bad things happen to good people (what is the nature of evil)

3.     What can be done about the wrongs in this world (what is the solution to evil)

4.     Where will I go when I die (is there a heaven and how do I get there)

It is interesting that the earliest influences on children shape the way they address each of those four inquiries.  The pure naturalist father or mother may teach that their ancestors arose from the slime.  For many families who attend a church without Biblical literacy, evil may be identified as “bad choices,” without a concept of Satan being a real entity whose rebellion against God accounts for sin itself.  Young people raised in a home supported by a government check might assume that the remedy for poverty is subsidies from taxpayers.  A Muslim youngster likely trusts that good deeds are the qualifier for entry into the presence of Allah after life.

Every religious ideology has its conclusions.   So is there one that is True?  America’s public perspective of secular humanism (Foundational Presupposition Chart) has convinced the Mosaics and Busters (age 13 to 30) that there is really no such thing as Truth.  The standard of “tolerance” has won their affections.  Not its traditional meaning of disagreeing agreeably; but rather, accepting everything except the existence of universal law. 

It has been said that a worldview is caught like a cold.  You breathe it in as much as you are taught its tenets. So how does anyone raised with false instruction and who inhales the culture’s ideas ever come to a Biblical worldview?  As the phrase goes:  reality bites.  And this can often be the impetus for thinking hard about those four questions.

From Colossians 1:8:

"See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ."

According to the surveys of The Barna Group, the Mosaics and Busters (generally, ages late teen through thirty) have this understanding of “born again” Christians:

1.    91% believe we are anti-homosexual (hate gay people/as opposed to disapprove of homosexuality as immoral like other sexual sin)

2.     87% see Christians as judgmental

3.     85% think disciples of Jesus are hypocritical

4.     78% view us as old-fashioned

5.     75% say we are too political

6.     72% conclude we are out of touch with reality

7.     70% have the impression that we are insensitive to others

8.     68% rank Christians as boring

Wow, that is harsh!  Take a moment to think over this list, as I have.  Personally, my first response was defensive and self-justifying.  And then I realized that I could be all of those things.  If left to my own human nature, I am much worse than the attributes described by the “UnChristian.”   I so easily and quickly default to my human nature, my selfishness and pride.  I need what Christ has to give me:  His Spirit of Holiness and Righteousness.  The only difference between me and my critics is faith and hope.  I have faith that I have been changed by the grace-filled substitution of my sins for the Holy Spirit of my Savior.  My hope is that, as I believe the cold hard facts of Scripture, I will draw closer to the One who can readjust me and transform me.   

What I am able to testify to any generation is that what I am now is not what I once was.  That story next.

2 Corinthians 1:21 - 22

"Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ.  He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come."

The topic was laminins.  Rather than dismiss the new vocabulary word as unrelated to anything “normal” people care about, I stayed tuned in.  Wikipedia states: “Laminins are a family of proteins that are an integral part of the structural scaffolding of basement membranes in almost every animal tissue.”  Laminins are what hold us together.  Without them, we would fall apart.  Peering through the lens of the laboratory microscope, this anatomical glue can be seen clearly.  Each cell adhesion molecule is shaped like a cross.

The Designer of the Universe has created all things to point to Him.  Before man was able to discover the intricacies of the body through medicine, the powerful Truth was written in Scripture for us.  Colossians 1:15-17:  “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For by Him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him.  He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”

At first plucking up a dandelion or thistle didn’t seem monumental. On the surface, every unwanted mess seemed a snap to clean up; but as I was wrestling with a stalk poking up through the beach, the more I pulled the tougher it got.  Beneath the clod of dead leaves I could see the pure crystals I wanted.  In order to sort through the layers, I had to dig down.  A complex entanglement of runners lay beneath everything on top.  They were so entwined that all of my strength could not budge them.  Bracing myself, sweating and struggling to win the tug-of-war did nothing.  Finally, I sat back and reflected.  Although it would be time consuming and irritating, I must cut, untangle and follow each woody anchor to its end. 

Sin is a lot like that.  Many times outwardly we are able to cope and compensate for things in our lives that are hidden wounds caused by our own rebellion or by another’s toward us.  Rather than deal with it, a web of  denial or deception is woven over it.  Sometimes in order to avoid admitting to sin we run away.  Avoiding the initial pain of confronting our problems causes us to miss God’s healing and forgiveness. We turn somewhere else to try to get significance, satisfaction and security.  We can look good on the outside, but underneath there is a complicated superficial root system substituting for the spiritual foundation we are meant to have.

Periodically, we need to work in the dirt.  The last thing we need in our lives is a bouquet of weeds.

From Matthew 13:24:

“Jesus told them another parable: “The Kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.  But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.  When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.”

 What did he mean by that?  Much has happened to America since those words were uttered.  How profound and prophetic was this Founder.  Having scrounged history diligently, those Fathers noticed that the failure of government to maintain freedom across time could be attributed to four things.

 The first enemy of a nation was obvious. (1) It is an attack externally.  Having an ocean on either side of the colonies seemed to buffer the fledgling union.  (2)The second threat was the corruption of "customs" or morals.  The world's hope for a lasting liberty depended on a people who understood that freedom is impossible without a common framework cooperating with men and women of character.  Self restraint had to house liberty, not dependence on enforcement of more and more law.  Without the united experience of working for a common good, as defined by Someone outside man, a tyrant would eventually rule. (3)It followed that the internal genius of separation of powers, as written in the Constitution, would have to provide the checks and balances necessary to stem the sinful nature of the powerful.  If the document became polluted, the beacon for a free people would become obscure.  (4)The fourth obstacle for liberty might be subversion.  From within, groups or individuals could step away from capitalism and veer to socialism or communism.  More likely than outward revolution was the possibility of a quiet nudging away from personal responsibility toward the notion of government being the caretaker of men.  God, in essence, would be expelled and replaced by the state. 

 Reviewing these concerns that Franklin and his compatriots had, the alarm bells go off.  There is much more at stake than political expediency.  The challenge to "keep" the republic is really a fight to protect the values and virtue that ultimately ensure spiritual, physical and intellectual prosperity.  We have the foundation that many were ready to die to defend, but do we have the nerve to reclaim it for this generation and the next?

"If we are not governed by God, then we will be ruled by tyrrants."

William Penn (1644 - 1718)

Essential to the understanding of the Old Testament is recognizing the three types of law which are outlined there:  (1)civil  (2)ceremonial  (3)moral.  The first two were uniquely applied to the Israelite people in that time period.  The last exists forever as the guideline for human behavior.  Being able to discern which is which requires some thoughtful study. 

When considering which (not if) religious perspective will be reflected in our public policy, it is critical that the Scriptures be interpreted with care. The New Testament indicates that the Ten Commandments, or the “law”, are distinct from “grace.”  It is the law itself that warrants the grace.  Corporate life requires that laws defend and protect the common good. The Sermon on the Mount, referred to by Senator Obama, is the instruction for followers of Christ as they personally interact; it was not a Constitution nor blue-print for national rule.   

The ability to determine what is right and wrong, the absolute minimum requirement for maintaining justice,  comes from an instructed conscience and an acknowledgment that the Law-giver is the God of the Bible.  In a free country, it is imperative that its leaders maintain the character necessary to see how law and grace interact.  Actually reading that Bible in-depth and thinking about its meaning and purpose should precede disqualifying it as instructive in the private or public sphere of society. 

The Words of Jesus from Matthew 5:18:

"I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished."

Recently a study came out proclaiming that children of sperm donors struggle in ways that weren’t predicted.  “On average, young adults conceived through sperm donation are hurting more, are more confused, and feel more isolated from their families.  They fare worse than their peers raised by biological parents on important outcomes like depression, delinquency and substance abuse.” 

 Before I was a Christian, I knew there was such a thing as a sperm bank.  Even then the idea was repulsive, and I thought the selling of human seed was the antithesis of what seemed right.   Although it didn’t matter that co-eds were having sex with casual sex partners, this impersonal, mechanical method of impregnating seemed worse.  I had inhaled the air at college.

It is often said that a worldview is breathed in, much like a cold.  We “catch it” unintentionally.  We grow up with ideas guided by our parents, friends and community.  Our laws and public places instruct us with messages that give us behavioral boundaries.  Often, our construct of morality is changed when we wander from the acceptable ethics, and we try to justify ourselves.  Before long, the basis for right and wrong is determined by putting personal preference in the center of how we judge ourselves and the decisions of others.  It is rightly noted that even prisoners have a code of ethics.

With or without studies to indicate how children “turn out”, we can predict outcomes fairly accurately.  The intention of a loving God is for marriage, as defined by Him as husband and wife, to produce off spring.  The reserving oneself for one sexual partner in this union reflects something profound, not profane.  It stands to reason that we need to culturally encourage the guarding of family jewels, as well as a Biblical worldview.

From Ephesians 5:31-32

"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.  This is a profound mystery--but I am talking about Christ and the church."

Why has there been an attempt to kick aside the Biblical God of our Founding Fathers in the public domain?  The “separation of church and state” argument is one reason. This is a well-used phrase which is not in our Constitution.  It was extracted from Jefferson’s personal letters (from the Danbury Baptist Association in Danbury, Connecticut, 1801.)  It was a discussion concerning whether or not one particular denomination would be the federal faith.  Within the correspondence was the term “wall of separation between church and state.”   Christians, in a desire to not impose their beliefs on others, have fallen for the idea that there is a religious “neutral”; that the “church” refers to those who hold a Biblical worldview.  They have likely not understood that taking God out of a perspective does not leave a vacancy.  Another religious worldview slips in:  Secular Humanism. (Foundational Presupposition Chart) It then becomes the “church” that should be, if logic follows, also “separated” from the state.  The question, then, becomes which religious construct will we submit to?

There has been a shift in the religious worldview of this nation.  The turf at the top has been captured; the Biblical worldview has been toppled.  We have not properly defended the territory given to us.  But the battle is not over, and we need to brush off our weapons and move forward.  After all, we know the King of the Mountain. 

From 2 Corinthians 10:4-5

“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.  On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.  We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

One recent case in point revolved around what kind of candidates should run for President.  The main concern of most Americans right now is the economy.  At first glance, it seems we need someone with the ability to run a business and be a CEO type.  On the surface, this appears to be a good qualifier.  However, there is a bit more to it than that.

One of the wealthiest, and most respected, men in America is Warren Buffett.  He is a prime example of someone starting with nothing and becoming a successful investor-businessman.  Taking his advise on financial matters seems reasonable.  Or does it?  That depends on whether the bottom line is the measure that matters most.

Mr. Buffet is a self-proclaimed agnostic.  He says he cannot know if God exists.  From that one presumption, other ideas fall out like bread crumbs on a trail. (Foundational Presupposition Chart) One of them has to do with abortion.  He, along with Bill Gates, have invested themselves in much more than the stock market.  The Buffett Foundation’s tax records reveal that much of its spending is allocated to abortion and contraception advocacy.  It has given tens of millions to Planned Parenthood and other pro-abortion groups like Catholics for Choice.  Buffett has pledged to give away 99 percent of his estimated $47 billion in assets, most of it going to the Gates Foundation, which is infamous for its avowed emphasis on population control.

So what does this have to do with politics?  Everything, especially with the new “health care” agenda.   According to a recent New York Times article, Buffet has been backing a campaign to combat the decrease in doctors who are training as abortionists and to bring abortion into mainstream medicine.  This makes sense, since federal resources for pro-abortion institutes and practices have been limited so far by the Hyde Amendment.  The advancement of the so-called pro-choice movement depends on removing this road block.  Gaining control of the legislative body or seating someone at the top who is able to trump them is critical.

As we each contend for those our country needs in leadership this fall, do it better than I do.  Make your case gently and with grace, remembering there surely must be more to the process than looking into someone’s wallet.  We need to follow the money, and it usually leads us to a person’s worldview. 

From Psalm 14:1

"The fool says in his heart, 'there is no God.'  They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good."

It is all about the rudder.  We have gone off-course because we have not understood that without a North, we so easily drift.  Over time those at the helm have steered clear of the map that our Founding Fathers provided in our Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.  We have lost our way. 

Those who designed our unique government did so because they held a Biblical worldview.  They had a distinct understanding of three specific arenas:  the family, the church and the government. Using these categories, we can compare (not exhaustively) the Biblical worldview to the Secular Humanist worldview  which is presently used in public policy.  It is important to realize both are religious perspectives.

The United States has found its way through rough waters in the past. It has, however, never veered so far away from its original destination. It will require a strong will to reset the compass and come about in the gale of opposition. As an old salt rightly shouts “all hands on deck”, so it must be for the proud vessel “America.”

Psalm 33: 12
“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance.”

One of the concepts that a “progressive” or “liberal” in America adheres to is:  The Escalator Myth.  It was discussed, although not named, on the Glenn Beck show last week.  As a trained Colson Centurion, I am very familiar with this idea that man can become better and better.  It was surprising, and encouraging to hear all about it on television!

The Escalator Myth is really a denial of a central Biblical truth: human beings are sinful.  They always drift toward selfishness and prideful behavior.  Without laws or an informed conscience, man falls away from God and His commandments.  This core understanding was central to the Founding Fathers’ writing of our Constitution.  The checks and balances imbedded there are a direct result of recognizing that those governing must have limited power. 

Political operatives who want our Constitution to “live” and “breathe” and change over time really want its demise!  To them the document is a hindrance, not a necessary boundary, for this nation.  They believe, much like those of the Enlightenment era, that man is the ultimate arbitrator of wisdom; and the “old faith” represents a barrier to the proper evolution of mankind.  Any reference to a Creator and Sustainer of our nation is to be scoffed at, denied and certainly overlooked. 

The misunderstanding of “separation of church and state” is almost universal in America.  We have swept God out of public discourse and institutions, something that would be totally absurd to those who fought for our liberty  years ago.  In His place, is a growing federal government that has pledged to do anything and everything that once required dependence on our Maker, our church and family. 

So how does this “new god” do in its role as the sanctifier of souls and community?  Are we able to witness betterment on our behalf?  The moving steps keep going up and up, and the view back behind us is unsettling.  Individual freedom and personal responsibility distance themselves; and unless there is a reverse switch found shortly, we will be beyond the stretch of the Hand that can rescue us.   

 1 John 1:8

"If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us."

The Supreme Court’s decision about handguns attracted most of the press this week.  However, another ruling may be just as important.  The issue at hand is whether a Christian organization is allowed to follow Biblical convictions, or if the homosexual agenda trumps that right.  The summary follows below.

The ACLJ (American Center for Law and Justice) filed an amicus brief with the high court in the case of Christian Legal Society v. Martinez representing numerous Christian campus organizations.

"This is an extremely disappointing decision that significantly damages the constitutional rights of religious organizations," said Jay Sekulow, Chief Counsel of the ACLJ.  "The majority of the Supreme Court missed the mark in understanding that it is fundamental to religious freedom that religious groups are free to define their own mission, select their own leaders and determine their own membership criteria.  By permitting a discriminatory decision by the federal appeals court to stand, the Supreme Court decision represents, as Justice Alito correctly concluded in the dissent, 'a serious setback for freedom of expression in this country.'  And, we, like Justice Alito, hope this decision will be an aberration and not a shift in First Amendment jurisprudence."

The case involved a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit siding with the Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco. Hastings denied official recognition to a student group – the Christian Legal Society (CLS) – after CLS said it could not abide by the school’s non-discrimination policy. That policy forbids student groups from discriminating on the basis of, among other things, "religion." CLS says its religious beliefs prevent non-Christians from exercising control over the group by becoming voting members or serving in leadership positions.  By a one vote margin, the Supreme Court today upheld the 9th Circuit decision and rejected CLS's position.

In a dissent written by Justice Samuel Alito, and joined by Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Scalia and Thomas, Justice Alito concluded that the majority decision "is a serious setback for freedom of expression in this country."

From Justice Alito's dissent:  "Our First Amendment reflects a 'profound national commitment to the principle that debate on public issues should be uninhibited, robust, and wide-open.' New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, 376 U. S. 254, 270 (1964). Even if the United States is the only Nation that shares this commitment to the same extent, I would not change our law to conform to the international norm. I fear that the Court’s decision marks a turn in that direction. Even those who find CLS’s views objectionable should be concerned about the way the group has been treated - by Hastings, the Court of Appeals, and now this Court. I can only hope that this decision will turn out to be an aberration."

In its amicus brief filed at the high court, the ACLJ contended that religious groups are constitutionally protected in following their religious beliefs.

"Religious groups by their nature embrace religious principles and, as a matter of organizational identity and coherence, will normally require adherence to such principles as a criterion for membership and certainly for leadership," the brief asserted.  "This is not 'discrimination' but rather part and parcel of what defines them as religious groups.  Wooden application of religious 'non-discrimination' policies therefore forces religious groups to choose between their religious identity and access to the forum.  That 'choice' is an unconstitutional one between yielding to government intermeddling and no access at all.  Far from a permissible condition on benefits, this is a choice that the government, under the Religion Clauses, has no business imposing on religious groups."

In public culture worldviews matter. Adherence to a perspective that promotes homosexuality is not neutral.  It is derived from presuppositions that are religious in nature.  ( Foundational Presupposition Chart )  In the Christian Legal Society v Martinez Supreme Court case, one religion has been preferred over another.

From 2 Kings 1:33

They worshipped the Lord, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought.  

The obvious question is how could this happen? The Bible teaches sex involves a mysterious magnetism between male and female meant for marriage.  The Scriptures also reveal how often we fail to direct our flesh, desires, mind, emotions and passions properly.

There is something more, much deeper, that is seldom explored when men like Tiger Woods, John Edwards or those near to us are caught in their infidelity.  It has to do with the God-shaped hole within us, the  longing in our core being for the closeness of our Creator, the One who loves us most.  That loneliness and yearning for someone or something else cannot be satisfied by the pursuit of career, pleasure, money or the “perfect” mate.  These chasings are a signal of a restless soul.  We are created to be filled with the Holy Spirit and no substitute will do.

Many in this life settle for an existence that reflects the good rules and manners of a Biblical worldview. There is no doubt that life goes better within these boundaries.    Others continue to run hard and fast after worldly fillers.   For some, their worst behavior leads to repentance and the saturation of a thirst they never could quench before. 

We, who have received that drink of Living Water, need to keep our eyes on the underlying reason for a desert experience among our circle of friends.  We need to help them see through the mirage on the surface and get them to the oasis of Truth.  

From John 4:13-15:

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.  Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

How very trivial that would be compared to the actual truth of what goes on every year across America in the abortion clinics like Planned Parenthood.  Inside Cleveland’s county alone there were actually six thousand nine hundred eighty-six unborn put to death last year.  Not maybe, not hardly, but really.  Why is this not devastating, horrific, terrible news? 

We need to do some serious thinking about that.  The answer is both simple and complicated.  The simple part is that our culture has lost the Biblical worldview that once informed its laws and character.  Extracted from almost every aspect of public life is the cord to the Creator God that was once the tether to decision making and good government. 

The complicated part is that the shift away from morality and an understanding of Truth has become normal.  There is a numb response to promiscuity, premarital sex, divorce and homosexuality.  The basic relationship foundations of family have been cast aside without much ado.  The side-effects of breaking down the beneficial boundaries of sexual behavior are obvious and negative.  Rather than return to a cultural consensus of virtuous living, many other so-called remedies must be embraced.  Abortion is one of them.

If the cameras were on the procedure of pulling the pre-born from the womb as often as it shows the oily duck eggs off the Gulf of Mexico, there would be outrage.  Downy feathers unable to flap are nothing compared to the breath of a baby unable to gasp.  Let the clean-up begin.

 From Romans 12:1:

Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.

Many churches who consider themselves "Christian" refuse to acknowledge what the Bible says is the Truth.  Most teach that man is good: with a bit of reform, training and diligence each of us can become better people, pleasing to God.  The Scriptures teach something else.  It says that we come into the world spiritually dead, separated from the One who is our Creator.  Unless we recognize our need of becoming spiritually alive (by the Holy Spirit's action,) we remain aloof from our Heavenly Father and cannot be in His Family.  We cannot inherit salvation or earn it.  It is by Grace that we are reunited to God.  He does all the work:  drawing, convicting and breathing His Life into us.  Being transformed means the Holy Spirit in us changes our desires and beliefs.

 Francis A. Schaeffer, in his book The God Who is There, presents the deep philosophic roots of ordinary cultural ideas such as "man is fundamentally good":

 Christianity is realistic because it says that if there is no truth, there is also no hope; and there can be no truth if there is no adequate base.  It is prepared to face the consequences of being proved false and say with Paul:  If you find the body of Christ, the discussion is finished, let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die.  It leaves absolutely no room for a romantic answer.  For example, in the realm of morals, Christianity does not look over this tired and burdened world and say that it is slightly flawed, a little chipped, but easily mended.  Christianity is realistic and says the world is marked with evil and man is truly guilty all along the line.  Christianity refuses to say that you can be hopeful for the future if you are basing your hope on evidence of change for the better in mankind,  The Christian agrees with the man in real despair, that the world must be looked at realistically, whether in the area of Being or in morals.

 Christianity is the only religion in the world that is not based on working one's way to salvation.  Admitting we are sinners in a deep sense, not just in the "doing wrong" but in the "being wrong" way, is horrifying without a way out.  The options are to rely on human effort to make things better or on the One Who says we need His nature.

All parents look at their newborn and find it hard to believe they are intrinsically selfish, disobedient and wanting to be served.  Grandparents too.  But, if we observe long enough, listen and pay attention --  one thing is for sure:  they have inherited a gene no one wants to pass on.  It is the one that carries sin.  And good grief; it was handed down through Gammy. 

From 1 Peter 1:23:

"For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God."

(The following is a summary of Mormonism, taken from How to Respond to the Latter-day Saints by Edgar P. Kaiser.)

The Book of Mormon was published in 1830.  Joseph Smith claimed it was a series of revelations given to him by the angel Moroni.  The golden plates, on which the information was given, were the last word from God to end the religious confusion of the day.  That is unlikely. 

Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery claimed they received the Aaronic priesthood from John the Baptist.  Later they said that Peter, James and John visited them and gave them the Melchizedek priesthood.  The official power of the Church rests on these two offices (which are taken out of the Old Testament Biblical record.)

The most widely known practices of Mormons are polygamy and racism (both ultimately denounced as “false teaching”.)  These, however, are not the only beliefs that should lift the eyebrows of a traditional Christian.  Here is more of their theology:

1. The Trinity:  the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are each a god (not one God.)

2.  God was once a man. (The highest of the three gods is God.  He evolved.)

3.   Man progresses to become a god (doctrine of “eternal progression”.)

4.   All people exist first as spirits in the spirit world.  In that existence, spirit children of the heavenly Father and Mother wait to be born into human bodies.  It is necessary to get through an earthly probation to reach the celestial kingdom (heaven.) (Biblical Christianity does not describe a Mother mating with the Father to achieve spirits.)

5.    In order to be worthy to get to the celestial kingdom one must walk as a Mormon.  One good work as a Mormon is to provide bodies for the bodiless spirits.  This is why no birth control, no abortion and polygamy (many children give more bodies) have been a part of Mormonism. (The Biblical Christian sees children as a gift from God; there is sense that each of us was “known from the foundation of the world”, but each unique spirit does not wait for an earthly sponsor.)

6.    The obedience to commands earns salvation for the Mormon:  (a)belief in God (b)repentance (c)baptism (d)accepting the Holy Ghost (e)being moral, loyal, tithing etc.  All of this is done by works or striving.  (Orthodox Christianity presumes that Christ has bought the believer with His blood.  It is by grace, not by works, that one is brought into a right relationship with God.)

7.    Heaven has three levels:  the celestial, the terrestrial and the telestial.  (The idea of damnation is not part of God’s plan.)

8.    One’s eternal destiny is not gained immediately.  Each soul goes into an intermediary place in the spirit world. (The Christian Bible states that the deceased passes immediately into the presence of Jesus.)

9.    The “church” or organization of Mormonism is complicated.  It has hierarchy and ritual that mark its authority. (This is unlike the concept that Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church and the simplicity of His ordaining each Believer as a member of His Body.)

10. The actual Book of Mormon, the basis for the sect, has no historical basis.  The cities alluded to, the artifacts, inscriptions and gold plates have never been verified. The translation of its revelation was witnessed by Emma Smith, Joseph’s wife.  (Biblical Christianity has an abundance of witnesses, provable references and, as Josh McDowell puts it, Evidence that Demands a Verdict.

11.  In addition to several resources, Doctrine and Covenants, The Pearl of Great Price, King James Bible, Mormons accept the idea of continuing revelation.  (This accounts for contradiction of older revelations.)

12.  Baptism of the Dead is a practice that has lead to extensive genealogical searches.  Praying the dead out of the intermediary “spirit world” is customary.  (Traditional Christianity rejects the notion that someone else’s work on your behalf, other than Christ, may procure salvation.)

13.  Marriages in the temple are eternal.  (This is in contrast to the words of Jesus when he proclaims that in heaven there will be no one married, since the Believer is like the Bride of Christ.)

14. The notion that the preferred race is white originates from God choosing the Jewish line.  (The New Testament announces that once the Jewish nation rejected Christ, the Gentiles were grafted in:  regardless of skin color.)

Glenn Beck’s Mormonism sprung from an alcohol addiction.  He has found comfort in its drug-free mandate and family orientation.  The mission trips of young people tug at a desire to serve others and God.  We applaud and appreciate the lawful, patriotic citizens that Mormons are.  This is not, however, the basis for a much more important decision we each eventually make.  That is: whether or not the Jesus of Hebrew and Greek Scripture is the authentic Savior.   How we determine the answer to that will raise alot more than eyebrows!

 From Ephesians 2: 4 - 5:

"But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved."

Doctors were the first to fall under the spell of Hitler’s regime.  The Holocaust museums relate the history of incremental advances toward the eugenics movement.  It began with a nod from scientific experimenters who agreed to abort the babies of “unfit” parents and to use the sick, the retarded and handicapped as “lab rats.”   The cause of “bettering mankind” and ridding society of those “less able” was originally sold to the mentally advanced elite:  physicians.  This work, on behalf of all humankind, appealed to their sense of superiority and desire to be meaningful.  So, the hands trained to heal became weapons of mass destruction.

Swirling around the heated discussion of dosing capital punishment is a whiff of something else.  It is the stench of unborn fetuses stacked up.  They remind the medical profession that they have already succumbed to the enchantment of feeling good about performing activities that harm, for the sake of our culture’s assessment of beneficial practice. 

As our federal government takes over control of health “care”, we need to remember the past.   Hitler assumed more and more power, and those who refused the superior-race theme were removed from their posts or worse.  Christians who objected sat inside their churches, able to view the smoke stacks that told the horrible story of disposable flesh.  They were afraid to resist.

The mix in the caldron is fuming; inside roils a concoction of poison. 

From Jeremiah 2:19:

"Consider then and realize how evil and bitter it is for you when you forsake the Lord your God and have no awe of me, declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty."