Journalism, Opinion, Propaganda And Pastor Holick

I receive several comments every time I use the word “homosexual” in a blog.  But one individual kinda hurt my feelings by commenting that my writings were not journalism but propaganda.

If you desire journalism, read Chipper1’s Weblog.  If you seek opinion, read Montague County Moments.  If it is propaganda you want, read Al Gore.

In August of 2007, Mr Gore spoke at a forum on global warming in Singapore (must have traveled by rowboat since he wants to cut back on emissions) where he said, “This is one of the strongest scientific consensus views in the history of science.  We live in a world where what used to be called propaganda now has a major role to play in shaping public opinion.”

What?  Did I miss something?  Propaganda is “effort directed systematically toward the gaining of public support for an opinion or course of action.”

Hmmm, global warming comes to mind!  Step outside Al — its cold…brrrr!

By the way, concerning my blog of January 22nd, and the comments, the trespassing count against Pastor Holick was dismissed at the city’s request after officials watched a videotape that revealed the pastor was conducting himself peacefully on a public sidewalk.

Homosexuals Denied Expression Of Faith

Mark Holick, Pastor of Spirit One Christian Center located in Wichita, Kansas, was arrested last summer when a homo-fest was being held in a public park in Wichita.

Pastor Holick was fulfilling his Christian obligation of sharing his faith with a group of homosexuals who were assembled on public property celebrating whatever homosexuals celebrate.  It took just a little over three minutes for the police to slap the cuffs on the Christian minister and charge him with trespassing (evidently the Wichita police do not know the true meaning of “trespass”).

I have never read anything in the Constitution that states that the exercise of ones First Amendment rights is a criminal act.  It also seemed strange to me that the elite force of peacekeepers arrested a Christian when there was a homo-sex-fest taking place on public property…(Am I missing something in this First Amendment issue?)

Pastor Mark was only attempting to express his faith — that’s all.  As a mater of fact, he had contacted the police department a full week before the festival and asked about expressing his views.  The flip-flop officers of the peace told the good minister there would be no problem as long as he stayed on the sidewalk.  But when the pastor arrived for the event he was confronted by police, asked to move to another location, then arrested [all in less than four minutes].

The arrest for trespass has been dropped by the city of Wichita – but the damage is done.  The proclamation of Scripture and prayer was silenced.  I would not want to be the one who has to stand before the judgement bar of God and confess that I was responsible for for suppressing His Word.  Pastor Mark Holick only wanted to communicate the Gospel message to a group of homosexuals whom he believes are bound for hell because they deviate from the normal lifestyle…[For those who will have negative and hostile comments, if you have to ask, "What is normal?," I'm afraid you'll never know.]

No Angel On My Tree

Mrs. Arnold, a resident at Plant City Living Center in Florida, was told that federal law prohibits her from displaying any religious words or symbols associated with Christmas in the common area of her apartment building.

According to HUD, “any religious symbols or religious words associated with Christmas” are banned.  Under the guidelines issued by HUD, the 85 year-old grandmother cannot place a small Christmas tree outside her door if it displays an angel.

If the residents want to have a Christmas party in their community room, they cannot use the word “Christmas.”  Government directive demands that they use the word “Holiday.”

Every year a Sunday School class from a church located near Mrs. Arnold’s apartment hosts a hanging of the greens and a Christmas party for the elderly residents.  She said the highlight of their Christmas party comes at the end of the hanging of the greens and the Christmas party for all the residents when someone places an angel on top of their Christmas tree.

The federal government is so afraid of the ACLU that it is banning Christianity from Christmas.  Not only that, atheists have so much influence that the National Park Service ordered the removal of the words “Laus Deo” (Latin for “Praise be to God) from a replica of the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., and the VA (Veterans Administration) banned the script of the flag-folding ceremony mentioning “Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” and the “Father, Son, and Holy Ghost” at over 100 national cemeteries.

I just wonder, has anyone in congress read the first amendment which clearly states that government shall not prohibit the free exercise of religion?

Sheriff Of The People

I couldn’t find a picture of Joe Arpaio, so I thought I would include a picture of my favorite female democratic candidate.

Sheriff Arpaio has long been a man who has been one of my hero’s, and has my deepest respect and admiration.

For those of you not familiar with Joe Arpaio, let me give you some background.

Joe is the sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona, and has won reelection after reelection because he is a no-tolerance sheriff.

He created a “tent city” where meals only cost $.40 per serving and the inmates have to pay for them.

There is no smoking and the only movies allowed are “G” rated.

There is no lying around during the day watching Ellen DeGenerate or Oompah, inmates are placed on chain gangs and work on city or county projects.

 He also has a chain gang for women…just in case someone wanted to sue for discrimination.

The only television channels allowed in the facility are the Weather Channel and the Disney Channel.

The men wear pink socks, pink boxer shorts, and dry off with pink towels.

By the way, he was just reelected as sheriff once again.

Now, for a synopsis of the article…

Maricopa County was spending approximately $18 million dollars a year on stray animals until Sheriff Joe offered to take the department over.  The animal shelters are now staffed and operated by prisoners.  They provide food and care for the stray cats and dogs and walk them twice daily.

The best part is that his budget for the entire department is now under $3 million [if my math is right, that is a saving of $15 million per year for Maricopa County]

The prisoners are paid twenty-eight cents an hour…so most of the costs go toward utilities, maintenance and so forth.

He also owns a “hog farm” where inmates work, and a Christmas tree nursery where prisoners work, providing fresh meat and vegetables for the community and provide Christmas trees at the cost of approximately $7.50 each.

Well, as Gomer would say, “Surprise, surprise!!!”

The ACLU has its sights set on on the sheriff who has just been reelected with 83% of the vote.

This poor misguided sheriff had a special hotline telephone number painted on the side of the prison cars and buses .  The purpose — to report any suspected illegal aliens.

Muslims Believe In Jesus

A gentleman who read yesterday’s blog informed me that Muslims believe in Jesus because his wife saw an Islamic lady on Oprah who answered, “Yes!”, when the talk-show hostess asked, “So, Muslims believe in Jesus?”  Well, that depends on what the definition of “believe” is.

Many people think that belief and faith are synonymous — but such is not the case.  I can say, “I believe I will go to town tomorrow,” but that doesn’t mean I will definitely go to town.

John the Baptist and Jesus (‘Isa’ in the Quran) are seen as members of the righteous family of ‘Imran, among the Children of Israel.  Jesus holds a place unique among the prophets of Islam.  He is born of a virgin “purified above all women,” he is the promised Messiah, “The Word of God and a Spirit from Him,” an almost superhuman figure who spoke from the cradle and worked great wonders by the power of God.  He was a miracle worker and one of the greatest prophets.

But the Quran depicts Him as expressly disclaiming deity and emphatically denies that He ever died on the cross.  There was no atonement and no resurrection, instead when the Jews sought to crucify Him, God caught Him up to heaven and threw His likeness on Judas who was crucified, by mistake, in His place.

Christians are held to have deliberately falsified the Scripture He brought, and worship the Messiah blasphemously.

Now you know why Christians are considered infidels by our Muslim friends.

Diplomacy Not Theology

Last week, President Bush said in an interview with Al Arabiya television that he believes all the world prays to the same God — promoting the doctrine of universalism.

“I believe there is a universal God.  I believe the God that the Muslim prays to is the same God that I pray to.  After all we all came from Abraham.  I believe in that universality.”

Wrong!  There is a God of the universe but not a universal God.  There are many religions that do not recognize, much less worship, the One true God…Animism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Shinto to name a few.  So what about the President’s belief that Christians and Muslims all worship the same God.

Let us compare Islam with Christianity as recorded in the “Apologetics Study Bible” — Holman Bible Publishers 2007 edition.

Doctrine of God

Islam:  No God but Allah; a unitarian monotheistic faith which sees Allah as determining every specific event that happens in the world.  Allah is virtually co-terminous with his world, part of which is found in the Koran.

Christian:  Monotheistic, trinitarian belief; Father, Son and Spirit are equal and eternal and sovereign over all; God is love and is also holy; He is both transcendent and immanent, but is never dependant upon the world; His true nature is most easily seen in the Person of His incarnate Son, Jesus.

Human Predicament

Islam:  Humans are finite in contrast to the infinite sovereignty of Allah;  they are foolish and need instruction, which comes from the Koran; they are also sinners, such sin being especially seen in violations of Muslim taboos or prohibited behavior and failure to do the will of Allah perfectly.

Christian:  In their natural condition, humans are dead in trespasses and sins; they require a specific work of the Holy Spirit to rescue them; they cannot be saved by their own goodness and efforts.

Way of Deliverance

Islam:  Embrace the Five Pillars (daily recitation of creed, prayer, giving alms, pilgrimage to Mecca, fasting during Ramadan); complete and utter devotion to Allah; final salvation is reserved only for the most diligent of Muslims.

Christian:  Receive the gift of God’s grace by trusting in Jesus Christ alone for salvation, which He purchased with His shed blood; this initial experience of justification is followed by a life of fellowship with other Christians and faithfulness to the Lord.

Ultimate Goal

Islam:  Future resurrection of the righteous unto eternal bliss in a heavenly Paradise; all of the physical pleasures that one may not have access to in this life will be available in Paradise; infidels spend eternity in a most torturous hell.

Christian:  Immediate entering into the spiritual presence of God at death for believers; future resurrection of the body at the Second Advent of Christ; new heavens and new earth in an eternal realm of peace and righteousness for believers; eternal punishment in hell for the finally impenitent

Not only do Muslims not believe Jesus is the Son of God, they don’t believe atonement for sin is necessary.

Freemasonry

Many people have a false impression that Freemasonry is some form of the occult because they do not understand some important precepts of Masonry. A Freemason should, or I should say, must apply these precepts to his daily living if he is to be exemplary of the tenets of our profession.  If we are to be an encouragement to those we encounter during our travels — if we are to be of consideration to our community.  If we truly believe the biblical teaching, “By their fruits ye shall know them” then we must believe that the secrets of Freemasonry really do help make a good man better.

Freemasonry is a fraternity developed from lodges of operative or stone masons.  The Masonry of today is distinguished from the stone masonry of old by being referred to as “Speculative Masonry.”  Speculative, or Freemasonry, does not work with stone but instead works on the lives of men.  Its teachings take the imagery of carpentry and architecture and use that imagery to teach, by symbols, about building good character.

There is an abundance of biblical imagery used in the rituals of the degrees.  The central biblical image used in Masonic ritual is that of the building of King Solomon’s Temple, as meticulously described for us in the Old Testament books of 1st and 2nd Chronicles.

Whenever a Masonic lodge is in session, the Holy Bible is open upon the lodge’s alter.

In a speech before the Republican State Convention of Springfield, Illinois on June 16, 1858 Abraham Lincoln used Mark 3:25 — he said, “If a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand” to expound his conviction that “the government could not endure, half slave and half free.”

So it is with Freemasonry.  We are an enormous and diverse group with certain values and beliefs that we hold in common.  We are not a clique, social club, nor a religion.  All of us can define the views and truths that separate us from those who are not Masons.

Emphasizing and building on those elements we share will be our source of strength, and the basis for shaping the role we must play now and in the future.  Freemasonry is one form of dedication to God and service to humanity — I believe the Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons is a bright light in an otherwise bleak moral landscape.

The influence of Masonry is like the influence of the home and the influence of the church…it does not produce perfect human beings.

Despite the best efforts of the home there has never been a perfect child.  Despite the best efforts of the church there has never been a perfect Christian.  Despite the best efforts of Masonry there has never been a perfect Mason.  Nevertheless, there is a place for all of these in our society.

Man’s basic nature is such that he needs every good influence he can get.  He needs the powerful influence of a good home.  He needs the powerful influence of a dedicated church made up of dedicated believers.  He needs the influence of dedicated teachers in public schools.  And he needs the influence of dedicated men who square their actions by the square of virtue, and adhere to the tenets of brotherly love, relief, and truth.

Each lesson learned from Freemasonry can and should be applied to our daily lives.

One such lesson is the manner in which we should use each day.  A Mason is taught to divide his day into three parts, not equal parts, but a portion of each day should include a time of service to God, his brethren, and their widows and orphans.

A portion of each day is to be spent in honest labor for a livelihood unless he is physically unable to do so.

And of equal importance, he should set aside a portion to rest and refresh his body.

Masonry is a way of life, and good men are taught to live better lives by the lessons it teaches.

Masonry is a way of life that admonishes us to walk uprightly in our several stations before God and man.

It is a system of morality which teaches moral lessons while encouraging its members to practice ethical conduct toward each other.

It is a brotherhood of equality whereby no station in life is above another.

And, yes, Freemasonry is a system of men of good will who seek to make themselves better than they are — not better than others.

Freemasonry is all this and much more.  It has existed since time immemorial because it is based upon the indestructible foundation of the Fatherhood of God, the brotherhood of man, and the immortality of the soul.

There are approximately two-and-one-half-million Masons in the United States and nearly six million in the world, and many of he world’s most respected and most admired men have been, or are Masons.  To name a few…Sixteen of the presidents of the United States, the majority of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, Twenty-two of the men who signed the Texas Declaration of Independence, Sam Houston, Jim Bowie, Davy Crockett, Wolfgang Mozart, Henry Ford, Winston Churchill, Douglas MacArthur, Will Rogers, Red Skelton, Tex Ritter, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, John Wayne, Norman Vincent Peale, George W. Truitt…and the list of those who brought us inspiration, freedom and joy goes on and on.

So, what is a Mason?

A Mason is a man who has decided that he likes to feel good about himself and about others.

A Mason is a man who cares about the future as well as the past, and he does what he can to make the future better for everyone.

Many men over many generations have tried to answer the question, “What is a Mason?”  Some answers are eloquent, some elementary, and some have said you cannot completely define Freemasonry.  But one of the most complete and eloquent answers was given by the Rev. Joseph Fort Newton……

“When is a man a Mason?

When he can look out over the rivers, the hills, and the far horizon with a profound sense of his own littleness in the vast scheme of things, and yet have faith, hope, and courage — which is the root of every virtue.

When he knows that down in his heart every man is as noble. as vile, as divine, as diabolic, and as lonely as himself, and seeks to know, to forgive, and to love his fellowman..

When he knows how to sympathize with men in their sorrows, yea, even in their sins — knowing that each man fights a hard fight against many odds.

When he has learned how to make friends and to keep them, and above all how to keep friends with himself.

When he loves flowers, and feels the thrill of an old forgotten joy when he hears the laugh of a little child.

When he can be happy and high-minded amid the drudgeries of life.

When star-crowned trees and the glint of sunlight on flowing waters subdue him like the thought of one much loved and long dead.

When no voice of distress reaches his ears in vain, and no hand seeks his aid without response.

When he feels good in every faith that helps man to lay hold of divine things and sees the majestic meaning of life.

When he can look into a wayside puddle and see something beyond the mud, and into the face of the most forlorn fellow mortal and see something beyond sin.

When he knows how to pray, how to love and how to hope.

When he has kept faith with himself, with his fellowman, and with his God; in his hand a sword against evil, in his heart a bit of a song — glad to live, but not afraid to die.

Such a man has found the only real secret of Masonry, and the one which it is trying to give to all the world.”

Up With The Good…Down With The Bad

Friday, upon returning home from the Bible Class, I made the mistake of entering my home by stepping up on the porch with the leg which has the bad knee (knowing I should step up with the good knee).  Needless to say, I was in desperate need of pain killers which I immediately began to self-administer.  Possibly, I took a few to many because around 3:00 p.m. I decided to go to the Dollar Store and as I exited my home I stepped down with the leg which has the good knee.  More pain — more pain killers…before long I was staggering around the house like Foster Brooks at a Dean Martin Roast.

I usually receive two or three calls per month, but as you might know, the phone rang at 6:50 p.m. — it was Shortfellow with a question about a radio-preacher.  I’m sure he must have thought I had just returned from Daddy Sam’s, but such was not the case.

I don’t believe I want any more pain medication.  Not only do they make a person kinda goofy, now I’m sore from bumping into walls and kicking the bedpost with my little toe.

Now, there is a sign posted by my backdoor — Up with the good / down with the bad.

A Cowboy Ain’t Always Right

Yesterday, while watching an episode of Dick Powell’s Zane Grey Theatre, I heard a cowboy say the strangest thing….” Women ain’t built to know what they want.  That’s the reason they need a man.”

Evidently, that cowboy never met any of the women in my life.  Not only do they know what they want — they know what I want even when I don’t want it.

Indoctrination

A Massachusetts father was handcuffed and jailed after he objected to Lexington’s Estabrook Elementary School teaching his 5-year-old son about homosexuality.

David Parker, his wife, and another family are fighting what is described as a court order for segregation, after U.S. District Judge Mark Wolf ruled if they didn’t agree with the school’s advocacy for homosexuality, they could take their children out of school and send them elsewhere or home school them.

Here is some of what the honorable judge had to say…

“The rights of religious freedom and parental control over the upbringing of children would undermine teaching and learning…”

“As it is difficult to change attitudes after they have developed, it is reasonable for public schools to attempt to teach understanding and respect for gays and lesbians…”

Wolf concluded that Christians who attend schools in the state of Massachusetts need such teachings to be engaged and productive citizens.

What Judge Wolf is saying is that public schools have a right and obligation to indoctrinate young children into an unholy lifestyle.

I have a few words for Judge Mark Wolf…

Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived:  Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.  1st Corinthians 6:9  NIV

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious:  sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery.  I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.  Galatians 5:19, 21b  NIV

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be know about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.  For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities — His eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.  For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools…Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.  They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator — who is forever praised.  Amen.  Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts.  Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones.  In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another.  Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.  Romans 1:18-22, 24-27  NIV