Spritual Attack

For most of us, shit happens.
Your car breaks down on the way to work, the biro leaks in your shirt pocket, and the goon at work is giving you a hard time. Shit happens.
But if you're a fundie Christian it's all the fault of Satan and it's a spiritual attack, for the express purpose of making you lose your faith in God.

There are several ongoing threads at Rapture Ready on spritual attacks. because these bozos believe the end is nigh, they are also convinced that spritual attacks are on the increase as Satan, in his last gasp attempts to forestall the inevitable final triumph of jesus lashes out at the faithful. All the following quotes have come from the last three days.
(It needs mentioning that back in the day, I was a bozo too)

I am just completely exausted. I sometimes feel like one more day will be to much! I think of all that is going on in the world is just amazing...I am just so heartbroken that our country is being sold out. And it seems nobody has a clue about what is happening. Everybody is walking around as if it's business as usual. We are a matter of months to a year away from Iran getting nukes....I just dont know. People its time to wake up!

Yes, there's been weird things going on in my corner too. Mostly things happening to people close to me (alcoholic brother relapsing, etc.), things not working out much more so than usual, yet it seems God causes other doors to open. Usually I would be a bit more negatively affected, but I've just put these things in God's hands and I feel at peace. Praise God!
Lately I've been led to pray for God's supernatural hedge of protection around my family, friends, neighbors and brothers and sisters in Christ (around the world and of course here at RR). I really think that we are in a time where we will survive only through God's constant supernatural guidance.
All week last week I couldn't find my Sunday School material for teaching kindergartners at church. I was kind of stumped as to where in the world it went, I'm pretty good about making sure the material is in a safe spot in the house.

I, too have felt the 'heaviness' upon my heart in the past 2 weeks. I know I am getting closer to the Lord, yet I still have a long way to go. My heart is unsettled and I know it shouldn't be. I've made it a habit to take some quiet time daily and pray (I also talk to the Lord during the day) and I am reading my bible on a fairly daily basis. It does help me, but I am still struggling.

I have had attacks that lasted for years and I wanted to kill myself because of them. God provided me a way to stand against the hurricaine that had invaded my life. I seem to be in a resting period right now. All I can say is that nothing lasts forever in this life. Nothing good and nothing bad. Just think that we could be living in the millenium kingdom 10 years from now and forget everything about this time that we live in. It's very possible.

One of the most upsetting things that I've seen lately is the amount of attacks from other self-called "Christians." Has anybody else been experiencing this?
One of Satan's ploys, apparently, it to attack from directions that are almost unimaginable. It's expected to be hurt by non-believers. However, my family, recently, has been attacked by some who proclaim to be Christians. These attacks are more shocking because they are so unexpected. So many are being led down that wide path, and they don't even realize it.

I'm not sure what to think, I feel weird about the World every single day.
Just hang in there, things are heating up! This IS the Last Generation.
Can't be too long.

The same here also, the days go by and I feel well different, going throw the motion's of life, but at the same time feeling I guess a big sense of change coming are way.....I also feel the sense of urgency to leave tracts everywhere especially the last couple of days, one day it was late and I couldn't get it off my mind so I left and just went around leaving tracts everywhere... about 30 to 45 minutes later I came back feeling much better, the same thing yesterday.....but I also have the sense of peace that the Lord has it under control....and I really believe that there is a spirtural battle going on right now, the devil knows his time is really short....but pray and stay close to God......For Jesus is coming back!

Ye oŋe and oŋley wordde of God

A particular brand of wingnuttery I've come across lately is the belief that the King James version of the Bible is the one and only Word of God and all other translations are at least substandard, and at worst, works of the devil.
It is called the King James Only movement and is yet another source of schism amongst the myriad Christian sects.

Try this web page for example: Why Do We Only Support The King James Version Of The Holy Bible?

FABLE: The King James Bible was revised several times before 1800, so modern translations are just additional revisions of the original King James Bible of 1611.

FACT: The so-called "revisions" of the King James Bible prior to 1800 were to correct typographical errors, add notes, and omit the Apocrypha from between the Testaments. There were no changes in the actual TEXT of the King James Bible. The REAL changes (over 36,000 of them) didn't start until the modern revisionists came on the scene.

Well that's OK then. The whole thing was God inspired and controlled except for the typos. God can't proof read.

FABLE: The modern translations are more accurate because they have been translated from older and better manuscripts.

FACT: It is truly amazing how so many Christians have bought into this lie without ever checking to see WHAT these manuscripts are, WHERE they came from, and WHO wrote them. Its also strange that no one seems to be asking the question, "Has God honored these 'older' and 'better' manuscripts throughout Church History?"

Older doesn't mean better. Unless it's the KJV in which case older is better.

FABLE: New translations are needed to correct the errors and contradictions in the King James Bible.

FACT: No one has ever proven that there are errors and contradictions in the KJV. Many "Christian" colleges and preachers have a nasty habit of pointing out APPARENT contradictions to their people, but these arguments have been disproven so many times that it is nothing less than disgusting to hear them still being used.

Well there's a few problems here, not least of which is that all the newer translations are full of contradictions too.

FABLE: New Translations are needed to bring the archaic Old English language up to date. People have trouble understanding the language of the King James Bible.

FACT: The King James language is NOT hard to understand. Most of the so-called "archaic" words are explained by the context of the passage or by comparing the passage with other passages in the Bible where the same word is used. Heady and high-minded people resent the King James language because it is plain and simple, and it isn't in tune with their high-minded vocabulary. In fact, the Grade Level Indicator of the Flesch-Kincaid research company says the King James language is EASIER to understand than the new versions.
We certainly agree that the language of the King James Bible is a unique language, but why shouldn't it be? It's the WORD OF GOD!

Can't argue with that. If English was good enough for Jesus, then it's good enough for me too.

FABLE: The King James Bible cannot be infallible because the translators were only men, and all men are sinners. The human element prevents the KJV from being infallible.

FACT: If this is true, then even the ORIGINAL AUTOGRAPHS in Hebrew and Greek were not infallible, because they too were penned by men!

Exactly. Do these people have no sense of irony?

FABLE: The King James translators added to the word of God, because the italicized words in the KJV were not in the originals.

FACT: The Italics in the KJV prove that the translators were HONEST in their work. They set the words in italics so we'd know they were not in the manuscripts they were using.
Besides, no one has a copy of the original manuscripts today, so no one knows for certain that the italicized words aren't in them. In fact, there are many cases where we know that the italicized words are justified. For example, notice in Deuteronomy 8:3 that the word "word" is in Italics. However, when Jesus quotes this verse in Matthew 4:4 he INCLUDES the italicized word! If the italicized word does not belong in the Bible, why did the Lord Jesus quote it?

Because the guys who wrote the gospels were making shit up?

FABLE: The original King James Bible included the Apocrypha in the Old Testament.

FACT: The King James translators knew the Apocrypha was not scripture, so they placed it BETWEEN the Old and New Testament as a HISTORICAL DOCUMENT, not as scripture.

Ohhh, OK. So why have the Apocrypha been dropped from the KJV again?

Here we have the crazy Faithful Word Baptist church burning the Satanic NIV. A bit of web research will show that the wife of pastor Steven L. Anderson, Zsuzsanna has a particularly hateful blog, and do yourself a big favour and watch the YouTube vid of pastor Anderson very upset after a border cop beat him up. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUzd7G875Hc They are also Quiverful crazies and antivaccine crazies

A French nutter

Sometimes my blogospheres overlap. As in this case, a tale of Christian wickedness from my adopted France. I'm surprised Mojoey hasn't got here first!

The daring prison break of Juliano Verbard, who was serving 15 years, and two other men 10 days ago was the stuff of TV drama as accomplices flew over the Reunion prison in a helicopter and hoisted them aboard.

Police said the fugitives were hiding in a house when arrested. Juliano Verbard and seven others were caught in a building in the island's capital, Saint-Denis. Police said 50 officers were involved in the operation, AFP news agency reported.

Here's the kicker: Verbard, the leader of the pseudo-religious cult, the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, was jailed in 2008 for rape and sex attacks on children, and the other two for their roles in a kidnap.

Bloody savages

Here's a story of mixed messages.

Ameneh Bahrami was terribly scarred and blinded in 2004 when a spurned suiter poured sulphuric acid over her.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/13/AR2008121302147.html

In the weird and barbaric world of Sharia law, the condemned man was originally sentenced to be blinded in one eye, because one man is worth two women, thus two female eyes equal one male.

Bahrami appealled and the sentence was changed so that the attacker will now be blinded in both eyes, under anaesthetic via 5 drops of sulphuric acid in each eye.

Bahrami feels that she has not asked for more than her due, given the suffering, pain, disfigurement and blindness she has endured.

Today, International Womens Day, it is good to know that female eyes have the same worth as mens' in Iran.

Manic Street Preacher #2

So, Tony "The Lawman" carries a handgun when he's out preaching on the streets.

How do we know this?

Because he blogged about it. He later deleted the blog entry, but thanks to the vigilance of SMRT Jill D the blog post was saved. Below is thiat blog post, followed by a revealing exchange between Tony "PhD" Miano and a young Christian.

The Story of how I earned my 'Ph.D"

(Picture of handgun)

Don't freak. There's a good reason why there is a picture of a gun on my blog. :-)

I closed my last post with the following:

"One of the highlights of the afternoon was when Ray conferred upon me my first Ph.D. That's right. It's now "Dr. Lawman," thank you very much. To be continued....."

So, please, extend grace and patience to me while I digress from the usual evangelistic post and share with you, my friends and readers (not always one in the same), how I earned my first Ph.D.

As most of you already know, I spent twenty years of my adult life serving as a deputy sheriff with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. When I joined the Living Waters team at the beginning of the year, we all agreed that my presence would provide some additional security at headquarters, during film shoots (no pun intended), and whenever the need may arise.

From time to time, Ray will playfully ask, "Tony, are you packin' heat?"

Sometimes I answer. And sometimes, with a twinkle in my eye, I just give Ray a smile.

Well, for my birthday this year, I decided to treat myself to a new gun. When I retired from the Sheriff's Department, I had to turn in the firearm I carried for twenty years. And the other weapons I have are neither practical enough or tactical enough for life as a retired deputy sheriff. I needed something I could discreetly carry on my person that met my needs. So, I purchased the weapon pictured above: a Smith & Wesson M&P 9mm Compact. Ain't she a beaut! (Okay. We law enforcement types get unusual birthday presents.)

Yesterday, as Ray, Mark, and I made our way to Hollywood Boulevard, Ray asked, "Tony, are you packin heat?"

"Yes, Ray." I answered with a smile.

"Does it have a name?"

"No, Ray, I don't name my guns. Some people do; but I just never thought of my guns that way."

"Well, we should come up with a code word, just in case we need it."

"Need what?"

"Your gun!"

"Ah, let's hope that never happens." I said. "Well you're always asking me if I'm packin' heat.

Why don't we use 'Paul Henry' -- 'P' for 'Paul,' and 'H' for 'Henry'. 'Packin' heat,' 'Paul Henry.'

How does that sound?

Ray thought for a moment. Ray is not only a master of analogies, but he is also a master of acronyms. "How about 'Ph.D.!'"

"Ph.D.?"

"Yeah. 'Ph.D.' 'Packin' Heat Dude!'"

We all laughed, and the acronym stuck. And that's how Ray Comfort conferred upon me my first (and likely only) Ph.D.

So, in the words of the radio legend, Paul Harvey, now you've heard the rest of the story. :-)

How weird is Ray Comfort?

This, the is an exchange of posts between Tony and a young believer.

Tony Miano,

I believe you misplaced this. No matter, that’s only part of why I’m emailing you. Rather, [and unfortunately] I find occasion to call account of a deed of your’s which I do not see as at all Biblical (quite the opposite, as I hope to convince you). Namely, your carrying of a gun.

First of all, please understand where I’m coming from. As something like a red-neck myself, I completely empathize with you for carrying a gun. I simply don’t believe you have the right. Did the Apostle Paul make any effort to defend himself? Or what of Steven? Or any of the other apostles? Yet their scenarios were far worse then your own, my friend. Rest assured you have the law on your side. Paul didn’t, but he by no means undertook to defend himself.

You talk enough about hell and judgment –you ought to be more practical about it. Could you honestly and deliberately take the life of an unbeliever, knowing very well where that person was going? Might I ask, whatever happened to turning the other cheek? Or is, perhaps, your ministry truly only about yourselves?

Provers 9:8 says “Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you. Rebuke a fool, and he will hate you.” I think you get the point.

Sincerly, your brother in Christ,
Jonathan Brennecke

The Lawman replies:

Jonathan,

You close your e-mail with “Sincerely, your brother in Christ.” Yet the tone of your e-mail, young man, is anything but brotherly or Christian. While you ask some legitimate questions, the manner in which you ask them smack of sarcasm. If you are looking for a rational and respectful conversation, then I welcome it. But I don’t abide the disrespect of my children (some who are older than you), so why would I accept it from you?

So, if you are a Christian, then approach me the way a young Christian man would approach an older Christian man. Change your attitude and maybe we will have a conversation. “Do not sharply rebuke an older man, but rather appeal to him as a father” (1 Timothy 5:1a).

One of the reasons I removed the article you referenced is because I came to realize that it might be a cause of stumbling for some. You validated this by the tone and content of your e-mail.

Again, I welcome your questions, so long as you can behave in a respectful manner.

I am in the middle of a conference, at the moment. So, if you do decide to change the tone of your rhetoric, we may be able to continue the conversation in a few days.

So, the question not addressed, Just a slapdown for not showing enough respect.

Jonathan replies:

Tony Miano,

I’ll be the first to admit that my tone was rash –is rash– but love is rash. Love is audacious. Love is uncompromsing. If you must glean nothing more from my words than that, so be it.

I will tell you what love is not. Love is not patronizing, not derisive, not condemning.

I may be young enough to be your son, but I am not your son –don’t patronize me. The future belongs to the young, Tony. Get off your high horse already and recall that Jesus said to come to him like a child.

Jon,
Pesharim

Tony responds with:

I may answer your questions in a future blog post. But until your attitude changes, this will end our conversation.

In the first reply Miano said one of the reasons he removed the post was:

I came to realize that it might be a cause of stumbling for some.

and he accusses Jon of having done exactly that.
"Causing someone to stumble" is a Christian euphamism for "I can do this thing because I have rationalised it to myself, but if you try and do it, you are not sufficiently spiritually mature and it will lead you into sin".
They tend to use it with regard to things that are not explicitly forbidden in the Bible, like smoking, for example, or heavy metal, or big fat mustaches.

Manic Street Preacher #1

Over at the SMRT forums someone posted a link to this video of Tony "The Lawman" Miano.



Tony "The Lawman" Miano is a colleague of Ray "Bananaman Comfort" at Living Waters. When I watched this video I was appalled by the hypocricy and the cowardice.

The video is hosted on YouTube channel called "TheLawman104". It's a bit strange because it looks like it's his channel, it says "Tony" next to the name field, but in all the video descriptions he talks about himself in the third person. Very Odd. Ray Comfort's been known to speak of himself in the third person too. It must be some Living Waters delusion of grandeur thing.

He calls himself "The Lawman" because he's ex-cop, and he's big on preaching "The Law" of the Bible. He's also big on mustache, and reminds me of the cop from Village People. Or the leather man.

He also carries a gun.

That's right. Watch the video. Hear how he refers to the crowds as "rabid". He says "The most loving thing you can do for a homosexual . . . is to lovingly share the Law and the Gospel with them" I don't think Biblical law is filled with love for homosexuality. And if it's all done so lovingly, why carry a gun?

On the other hand, he also believes that homosexuals are an abomination to his god. That makes his gun even more worrying.

I will shortly publish the post he deleted from his blog, where he tells of why he carries the gun, and how Ray Comfort came up with the nick-name/codeword "PhD" for Tony's gun. I will also post the discussion between Tony and a young Christian who contacted him asking about the morality of an armed evangalist.

Witchcraft in the 21st cnetury

Here is a terrible story about child withches in Nigeria.

Fundie Chfristianity, merged with traditional beliefs has caused a plague of evangelical churches springing up who have wich hunt services. Children are accused and tortured until the confess. Then they are ostracised or killed.

In the midst of this horrifying tale, living proof of how religion ruins everything is this statement from Sam Itauma, a Nigerian who is helping these children, currently caring for 150 homeless outcasts.

"Christianity in the Niger Delta is seriously questionable, putting a traditional religion together with Christian religion - and it makes nonsense out of it,"

No, Sam, it is a nonsense already. I am fairly certain that everything these evil people do can be backed up by Bible verses.

Child Abuse?

This lady and I grew up in the same country, Zimbabwe. We both left that country to find better lives elsewhere. That's where the similarity ends. For she is a fundimental born again Christian. And she believes her 4 year old daughter is a wretched sinner.

Sometimes during the day or before bed, she always asks me if she has been good, and I always try to be as honest as I can with her, and I will tell her what she has done wrong if I can remember. If she has been better than usual I will praise her and tell her. I have never said to her she has been a perfect little girl who has done nothing wrong all day, If I say that to her then I am a liar and I will be doing her more harm than good. I do not believe in teaching children self esteem or that they should feel good about themselves, because they should not. My daughter is a normal 4 year old who loves to play with her dolls and dress up, but everyday she finds that she is doing things that are wrong like doing something to upset her baby brother or not doing what she is told by her mum. So we have a problem, and this is an everyday battle. The problem is sin. I never taught my daughter to sin. This is because she, and as well as the rest of the human race have inherited a sinful nature from Adam. From the moment we are conceived we are sinners, Pslam 57:5. We are born with a desire to sin. We are all born God hating and evil.

The poor wee mite then told her mother that although she tries to be good, she can't and that she knew that only Jesus could help her to be good.
Jean thinks that she has left no imprint on this child and so it must be the Holy Spirit that has revealed this to the poor tortured girl.

This is bordering on child abuse, and I told her that in the comments.

I don't know if she will delete it, probably not because she is not scared of confrontation on her blog. She took a lot of flak for a previous post on her support for slavery.

Oh Jean, I am disappointed.

That is only a step away from child abuse.

4 years old and wracked with guilt daily.

"I do not believe in teaching children self esteem"

Oh dear. Oh dear, oh dear.

"So we have a problem, and this is an everyday battle"

Oh my word.

"She is a wretched little girl, who knows she is a wretched sinner who needs only a good saviour to help her."

Jean, that is terrible. Terrible. It amazes me that you and I who have some things in common can be so polarised, so far apart.

This post is one of the most shocking things I have ever read. And to think that you are pleased about it and want to share it, and to think that other people have written to say they admire you for it. Your poor little girl. If I was the praying kind I'd be praying for her right now.

A man is only a man if he pisses standing up

1 Kings 14:10 "Therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel, and will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as a man taketh away dung, till it be all gone."

Atheists often challenge fundie christians that they don't take the Bible literally because it's full of crazy stuff like stoning your children for disrespect.

Well some people DO take the Bible literally.

Pastor Steven Anderson of Faithful Word Baptist Church believes that ONLY the King James version of the Bible is divine, and that Jesus is the Bible, they are the same thing, and that men must piss standing up.*

This man is the brother of Raani Starnes, the lady I blogged abou in the previous post.
No, I'm not stalking the family! She has him as a guest blogger on her blog, in place of the post she had about bombing gay friendly schools.
Madder than a box of fish that family.

Here is a christian blogger criticisng his style of preaching and his theology.

Hate Speech

With any luck, some radical will blow up the gay school. No, I'm not condoning vigilantism--I'm merely saying that it would be poetic justice.

Such are the thoughts of Raani Starnes on her blog about homeschooling.

She also says:

Yes, I've seen the previews for Will and Grace where they're lying next to each other in bed platonically. Isn't that cute? The homosexual agenda wants people to think that homosexual men are safe for women to hang around and even be alone with. Nothing could be further from the truth. The stories about Sodomites in the Bible teach us that they do violate women as well as men. I've also known of people personally over the years who were known as gay yet "experimented" with the opposite sex. The term bisexual is an unnecessary distinction, because a faggot wants to defile anyone or anything he can get his hands on.

This lady is the mother of five children who she schools at home. I presume she teaches them this hate too.

from the comments to the blog post she states that

I believe that a homosexual can no longer get saved. They weren't born gay and God wanted them to get saved at some point. The reason they are that way is that they have pushed God too far and he has given up on them.

and

When someone seems questionable in that area, I would be polite in a group setting if necessary, but never leave my kids alone with that person for safety reasons. The person I am referring to has also abused children. When someone is a known pedophile or homosexual they should be completely cut off.

If you are as appalled by this woman's hatred as I am, can I suggest you go to her blog and use the "flag blog" option at the top of the google screento alert google. With a bit of luck they'll pull the plug.

Book Burning

From the Shreveport Times

About 30 people gathered for a regional revival Friday night that included a book burning as a statement to reach out to local residents.

"It is allowed for Harry Potter to be taught in our schools, but not the Bible," International House of Prayer pastor James Crawford said during the Shreveport Regional Unity of Faith Revival.

James Crawford is the crazy on the right doing the arm thing.
He is very pleased with himself.
He has posted in the comments section of the news story:

I am James Crawford the director of this prayer movement.
We are going to see the city established in the word of the Lord.
We will not tolerate this perversion anymore. We are the watchmen of the Lord and He is the only Lord worthy to reign in this city. Why, because he said so and He is God!!!

He would like other "watchmen" to call him on his cell phone: (318) 218-9836
or mail him at james@ihop-shreveport.com

Perhaps we can drop him a line too. Something along the lines of the arm-thing he's doing in the picture and some other famous book burners in the 1930's and 40's.