"Religion"

First From Julie's Keyboard:




As I sit down to write these posts, my first idea is usually a subject. Imagine that! Today it seemed that subject should be "availability." Often I don't seem to know which direction we will go when the writing starts. Normally some thinking time goes into what is penned. Good idea, huh? At any rate, today after posting my subject, my husband came into the room and read a passage from a Christian publication that we receive. Of all subjects that it would be dealing with, being an available servant would be the one! I suppose that was a nice confirmation for the day. So, here we go!

This week we were blessed with some of those precious "vacation" days. In the course of the week, we left out for another area to take in some sights. We seemed to be called to a place not very far from us in order to visit a ministry that we appreciate very much. Upon our arrival there, we were blessed to meet a nationally known minister, to our surprise. We were ushered in and given a tour of this ministry facility which left us stricken in awesome gratitude.

The message that seemed to come to the forefront as we progressed through this blessing was that of being an available Christian servant. Ministries are in abundance across this land, yet so few do you find of such a focus for the spreading of the Gospel as this. The decor of this facility was totally given to the work at hand. There was no debt being carried to establish a plush atmosphere and show out with materialism. The main furnishings of this establishment were necessary tools for the ministry's function. This characterized a place that one could sow help into and know that the ground was healthy and fertile. One might say that this was a work in progress.

Isn't this much like the Christian life? We are works in progress. We have charted a course in Him. He has purposed a work for each of us to do that can be done by no other. We may feel inadequate at times for this work, but all that is really needed is our "availability." He will do the rest. We have to remember that it is His life within us anyway. We traded our life to be filled with His Spirit. He is never inadequate. Are we available today?

As we shook hands with this precious minister and thanked him for his service to the Gospel, we were reminded of what is key to the success of our walk in the Lord.
One must simply be available to obey the leading of His Spirit each day. He will lead us into all truth and the accomplishment of His purpose for us.

It doesn't have to be fancy or on some super scale of living as some would deem to be prosperity in God. We are prosperous in Him, when we walk with Him.
If we feel we just don't know what God would have us do in this life, simply obey His Word and follow His teaching. He will lead us step by step. We must simply be "available."

Have a super blessed week,

Julie

Scripture References:

II Timothy 2:3-4 "Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier."

Romans 12:1-2 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

I Timothy 6:6 "But godliness with contentment is great gain."

I Timothy 6:12 "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses."
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"Religion"



re·li·gion / Show Spelled Pronunciation [ri-lij-uhn]
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–noun 1. a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.
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This modern definition of religion is quit different from the Webster’s 1828 definition. It tells us that our view of religion over the years have change in our culture. It is our current view that is governing our thoughts now, so we will us the above definition.
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We are told today by powerful influences in society of this founding principle of separation of Church and State. Even though this phase appears nowhere in any founding document we as the American people have been somehow convinced of it’s authenticity. Many Americans even think it is a Constitutional principle, it’s amazing what untruth will steal from a society.

President Thomas Jefferson once said, “No nation has ever existed or been governed without religion. Nor can be. The Christian religion is the best religion that has been given to man and I, as Chief Magistrate of this nation, am bound to give it the sanction of my example.” - - - - Thomas Jefferson. (Hutson, Religion, p. 96, quoting from a handwritten history in possession of the Library of Congress, “Washington Parish, Washington City,” by Rev. Ethan Allen.

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To those who would try and point out history where a non-religious entity governed, I would point back to the definition above (1. a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe . . .) Even an atheist has a set of beliefs that would be captured by this definition.

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Now to the point at hand, we cannot talk about God in our schools, Christian prays and the Bible are banned. The Ten Commandments removed. I’ll not go down the list, we all know the assault that is being made on our Christian heritage in this nation.

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We call ourselves Americans, yet, the founding principles and ideas of our founders are foreign to us! Our own Thomas Jefferson, principle author of the Declaration of Independence and Third President of the United States declared that no nation has ever existed or been governed without religion, nor can be; yet we have set out to do just that all the while invoking the so called principles of our Founders.

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President Jefferson said the Christian religion was the best religion given to man, but we ban it’s influence in our schools of leaning and public affairs declaring that to be the intent of our Founders. Our heritage is being stolen from us right before our eyes and our ignorance is blinding us.

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President Jefferson saw his duty as the Chief Magistrate of the United States to call him to give sanction to the Christian religion by the honor of his example in public and private worship. But for a current President to publicly acknowledge his faith, especially if he indicates that it may influence his decisions, is taboo!

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President Obama has indicated whatever we once were, we are no longer.
There are foundational principles that define what America is, without those principles we will be something else. My concern is what that will be!

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May God bless each of you,
David

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My reply to Doug's comment was to long to post in the comment section, so I posted it below.

Doug, I appreciate you taking the time to read the blog and comment. It is amazing how two people can look at the same evidence and see a different prospective. Some of this has to do with information, some of it their worldview as well as other factors to lengthy to list here. I suspect mostly though it lies in our own predigest ideologies.

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I also understand how one could come to a disrespectful view of religion, you mentioned President Jefferson. I am aware of his un-orthodox views which he held. They were quite orthodox except it seems he had a little trouble with Jesus divinity. Other than that he did much to promote the Gospel personally and through his office.

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But as to religion as it stands by itself, is usually a hard thing, most difficult to work with. Usually it takes a war and much innocent blood to satisfy it. That is not what this nation was founded upon, I am speaking of Christianity, not a set of rules, but a way of life. Something that changes a man from the inside not the outside.

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Of course I can judge you do not understand this since your view is just another religious superstition. I don’t expect to win you over with any argument, that will take a journey of your own heart to resolve that matter.

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Still, I need to address some of your comments for the benefit of those who might read them with no rebuttal.

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Your statement concerning the faith of our Founders just does not have a historical foundation. The majority of them were Christians, I could list documented statements of their professions if it were necessary.

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There were a couple that could be deemed un-orthodox, a few like Paine who went astray with the age of reason, but received a sharp rebuttal from the other Founders. One was a Muslim who later converted to Christianity. But out of the hundreds that played a key role in the founding principles of this nation, only a hand full would fall in the category you allude to.

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I accepted views such as yours for many years, but once I began to study not what someone said they believed, but studied what they actually said themselves it settled it once and for all for me.
You see when I am faced with a view such as you have and statements such as John Adams, I simply believe John Adams.

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SIGNER OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE; JUDGE; DIPLOMAT; ONE OF TWO SIGNERS OF THE BILL OF RIGHTS; SECOND PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

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“The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity. I will avow that I then believed, and now believe, that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God.” - - - - Thomas Jefferson, The Writings of Thomas Jefferson (Washington D. C.: The Thomas Jefferson Memorial Association, 1904), Vol. XIII, p. 292-294. In a letter from John Adams to Thomas Jefferson on June 28, 1813

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You stated “In any event, they drafted a document plainly founding a secular government on the power of the people (not a deity). It seems that a signer of the Declaration of Independence who also signed the Bill of Rights would disagree with you. Since he was there and your were not, I think I will go with his view.

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You are very close on your last statement concerning the First Amendment, you just fail to acknowledge the intended influence of our faith upon that government. The principles of Christianity are the underlying foundation of who and what we are.

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Many seem to think people like me would like to force everyone else to be confined to my way of life, nothing could be further from the truth. As I said before, that will have to be a journey of one’s own heart. I would hope I could help guide someone on that journey, but they must want to go. I simply desire for us to be able to acknowledge the pureness of the principles that rest in our documents of freedom and the source from which they came.

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I would assume you also agree with many who have a problem calling this nation a Christian nation. But that does not change the fact it is. A Christian nation is not one in which all citizens are Christians, or the laws require everyone to adhere to Christian theology, or all leaders are Christians, or any other such superficial measurement. As Supreme Court Justice David Brewer (1837-1910) explained:

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[I]n what sense can [America] be called a Christian nation? Not in the sense that Christianity is the established religion or that the people are in any manner compelled to support it. On the contrary, the Constitution specifically provides that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Neither is it Christian in the sense that all its citizens are either in fact or name Christians.

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On the contrary, all religions have free scope within our borders. Numbers of our people profess other religions, and many reject all. Nor is it Christian in the sense that a profession of Christianity is a condition of holding office or otherwise engaging in public service, or essential to recognition either politically or socially. In fact, the government as a legal organization is independent of all religions. Nevertheless, we constantly speak of this republic as a Christian nation – in fact, as the leading Christian nation of the world.

Also Constitutional law professor Edward Mansfield (1801-1880) similarly acknowledged:

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In every country, the morals of a people – whatever they may be – take their form and spirit from their religion. For example, the marriage of brothers and sisters was permitted among the Egyptians because such had been the precedent set by their gods, Isis and Osiris. So, too, the classic nations celebrated the drunken rites of Bacchus. Thus, too, the Turk has become lazy and inert because dependent upon Fate, as taught by the Koran. And when in recent times there arose a nation [i.e., France] whose philosophers [e.g. Voltaire, Rousseau, Diderot, Helvetius, etc.] discovered there was no God and no religion, the nation was thrown into that dismal case in which there was no law and no morals. . . . In the United States, Christianity is the original, spontaneous, and national religion.

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Well Doug, I’ll not be linger the moment, our rebuttals back and forth accomplish little, but a diligence search of our own hearts many times leads us to truth. Had I read the writings of our founders and found they agreed with today’s contemporary views of our history I would never have changed my mind. But a search for truth gave me my answers.

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Now if the people want to change that, and continue to remove all religious influence, they have that right and ability though legislation and amendments. But lets do it that way and not just deny our history.

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There are many primary sources available if you have the desire, one source for our political views would be a book by David Barton “Original Intent” you can find that at www.wallbuilders.com

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If you really think that Christianity and Bible are just another superstition among the religions of the world, and your really are studying them, a good source would be “Cosmic Codes” by Chuck Misler. You can find it a khouse.org

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Again Doug, thanks for your time and comments,
I truly wish you well,
David

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Chambers:

Unless in the first waking moment of the day you learn to fling the door wide back and let God in, you will work on the wrong level all day, but swing the door wide open and pray to your Father in secret, and every public thing will be stamped with the presence of God." - - - - Oswald Cambers: Written between the years 1911 & 1917. My Utmost for His Highest.