Correcting an Omission!

When I posted my comments about the Sabbath yesterday, I completely forgot to “tie them into” our discussion of the coming nuclear war. I suppose it was because it is so “natural” for me to talk about the beliefs shared by Judaism, Christianity and Islam. So, I forgot to mention how crucial to peace it is for enough “believers” to embrace all three religions in matters of real importance, especially God Himself!

Consequently, I now must try to “make up” for my lapse. If we’re going to “turn our hearts to each other” to avoid a nuclear war, as the Prophet Malachi said we must do (see my post "Choose For Yourself" on 10.29), we need to become acquainted with at least some of the teachings about God, revealed by the Prophets of the three religions. And for reasons not worth your time to read, I happened to begin with the Sabbath, observed by Jews, Christians and Muslims. I’ll speak more about those commonly held beliefs in the coming days.

On Being a Jew, a Christian and a Muslim

Years ago, a new acquaintance, while visiting my home, noticed numerous copies of the Hebrew Scriptures, the Christian Bible, and the Koran stacked near my desk. Knowing nothing of my writings, she asked, “What IS your religion?” I answered, “I am a Jew, a Christian and a Muslim.” She stared at me for a moment and then said, “My God, you are religious!” I enjoyed her response, since others have reacted to my religion’s “title” with a disgusted shrug — or worse! I told her, “Yes, I am religious, but not in a way Jews, Christians and Muslims would acknowledge!”

For instance, I celebrate the Sabbath on Saturday, not because I blindly favor Judaism, but because it is the seventh day of the seven day week that God established, and He decreed it a day of “rest” (Exodus 20:9-10;Deuteronomy 5:13-14). In truth, I’ve never understood how Christians and Muslims can take a different day of the week as the Sabbath —- especially when the "Messiah Jesus” also celebrated the Sabbath on the seventh day!

Of course, I realize that Christians and Muslims have simply listened to their clergies -- those “devout" authorities who "piously" wanted to separate their own “precious flock” from the “disgusting Jews." So, they took it upon themselves to negate God’s words and establish a different day as the Sabbath! Their arrogance is incredible! But I’m grateful that God gave us a Sabbath, and I’m grateful that I finally became smart enough to observe it, because I’ve found it a great help to put all thoughts of my “earthly labor” out of my mind one day a week. It’s wondrously refreshing.

Choose for Yourself!

FIVE PARAGRAPHS TO MAKE ALL "BELIEVERS" WISER -- OR MORE HATEFUL. CHOOSE FOR YOURSELF!

The Hebrew Scriptures introduced the world to the One and Only Lord God of Abraham. The Christian New Testament introduced the world to the promised Messiah. The Koran, while introducing uncountable heathens to the God worshipped by Jews and Christians, also delivered Muhammad’s corrections of the Hebrew and Christian clergies, whose erroneous interpretations have provoked ever-lasting hatred among believers in the same God.

Specifically, Muhammad denounced the Jews for denying “the Messiah, Jesus” (Women 4:171), whose arrival was first foretold in the Hebrew Scriptures (Isa. 11:1-10). But Muhammad also severely warned the Christians: “Do not say three…God is but one God…The Messiah Jesus does not disdain to be a servant of God” (Women 4:171-172).

Throughout their mutual history, the Jews and the Christians have scorned and hated each other, because of their opposing beliefs about the “One God” or a “Trinity.” But both “families” became enraged by an “illiterate camel driver” who dared to correct their beliefs about Jesus, derived from their clergies’ “official teachings.” Forever after, both the Jews and Christians, each for their own reasons, have imperiously dismissed Muhammad and his religion as “frauds.” And forever after, the Muslims have hated the Jews and the Christians.

And there we have the real basis of the coming war, which, if we let it happen, will ultimately end all wars! But the end will come with the horrific misery of a dark, cold “nuclear winter,” which Hebrew and Christian Prophets precisely described (Joel 2:30, Isaiah 60:2, Matthew 24:29). Yet, a Hebrew Prophet also told us that we could avoid “the darkness,” by turning our hearts to each other (Malachi 3:24/4:6).

Of course, that will not happen, as long as Jews and Christians remain determined to revere the erroneous interpretations made by their clergies! And as long as Muslims remain convinced, by their clergies, that they have utterly supplanted their erroneous predecessors, though that belief, in itself, bespeaks their own severe error, which Muhammad never taught — in spite of how some Muslim clerics interpret his words!

A Detour From the Coming War to Speak of "Gay Marriage" in New Jersey

Innumerable rules have been attributed to the Lord God of Abraham, which were actually concocted by the official clergies of assorted organized religions, seeking to interpret God’s "intentions." But the rules of marriage, practiced throughout all predominantly monotheistic societies (which represent a huge portion of the world’s population) were delivered by Moses, who is recognized as the author of the first Book of the Hebrew Scriptures. Moses told us he derived his knowledge directly from Abraham’s Lord God. Yet, in reality, throughout history, some Christian and Muslim men, seeking multiple wives, have imposed their own interpretation on Moses’ explicit directive: "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh" (Gen. 2:24).

Frankly, when I was young and unaware of ancient history, I wondered why God, through Moses, bothered to spell out the "marriage rules" so explicitly. Nowadays it’s become obvious. Marriage, as God defined it, is not marriage as "modern society" sees it (which, I now realize, the omniscient Lord God foresaw)! Today, many people seek to make "marriage" a financial arrangement between any two persons who want to establish a legally recognized domestic relationship, while declaring their exclusive devotion to each other. For the present, that ‘devotion" still only concerns two people, but their sex is no longer a factor. In a few years, perhaps we’ll adopt another practice from our human history, by making "marriage" a legally recognized relationship among any number of people, as polygamists assert it should be. In fact, men could even adopt the ancient practice of keeping young boys for their sexual pleasure. And. to make ourselves truly "modern," women might also keep a few young boys around!

So, New Jersey’s officials seek to return us to the "good old pre-Mosaic days"— though, for the moment, they’ve refrained from naming their new law "marriage." They’ll leave that decision to the citizens of the state. But every single person who votes for it will be helping mankind return to our ancient "era of ignorance." In truth, they will be so ignorant, they’ll think that what they’re promoting is an excellent example of "modern thought!"

The Coming War, Part One.

An Introduction to the"End of the World," As We Have Known It

Before examining the "coming war," as I said I would in my last entry, I’ve spent the last week reading "numberless" sites that reveal the current religious thinking and behavior of monotheists around the world. Most of the "talk" boiled down to the same old stuff: Some Muslims devoutly believe it’s time to make the world Islamic, but others don’t; Christians are busy seeking their "personal salvation" and telling others how to do it; and the Jews, as usual, are trying to survive and waiting to see what God has planned next, for them and the world.

At the end of this entry, I’ll post some URLs of informative sites, so you can see for yourself what various people are saying these days. But, incredibly, all the sites — including the most "religious" — left me amazed by their absolute silence concerning the HEART of the three religions and the HEART of their disputes: The Lord God of Abraham and His most important promise.

Long ago, the omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent Lord God of Abraham foresaw mankind’s inevitable "need" and promised to send us a "Savior." The Prophets of Judaism, Christianity and Islam spoke of that promise. But the manmade interpretations of those "Messianic" messages incited the hatreds that have produced our long history of "Religious Wars" and have now brought us within "sight and sound" of a nuclear "showdown."

I suggest you visit these particularly informative sites, before I begin to discuss my challenging solution to our "urgent problem."

http://kashmiri-nomad.blogspot.com/
http://the-american-israeli-patriot.blogspot.com/index.html
http://thelamp.wordpress.com/

Ready, Willing and Able

Again, Sam asks interesting questions in his comment on my preceding post. To begin with, Sam (and everyone else who reads this), needs to understand that because "Moses said so," does not mean that ONLY the Jews need to embrace the messages he delivered about homosexuality and other human behavior! The tiny tribe of Hebrews delivered the most unique and significant message, which told mankind that there is only One Creator of the universe. That message eventually brought forth two other religions, Christianity and Islam, both dedicated to the same Lord God introduced by the Hebrews. Christianity and Islam’s huge populations have enabled knowledge of the Lord God and His messages to become known throughout the world.

Moses brought a message condemning homosexuality, but it was a brief directive among myriad others. I discussed the subject for a few days, only because it became a topic of national interest due to the alleged behavior of a U.S. congressman. But it’s time to move on, and Sam obviously shares that opinion, by asking what homosexuality has to do with Muslim extremists wanting to kill "us," and with Christians who are eagerly awaiting the "rapture."

Homosexuality has nothing to do with Muslim extremists who believe they must make the world "Islamic," and Christians who are inwardly rejoicing because they believe the Apocalypse is on the horizon, which will be their personal salvation. To be sure, the Muslim fanatics appear to be willing — though not yet able— to start a nuclear war, which would produce "apocalyptic" destruction. The Christians are sure they will be saved beforehand — because their clergy told them so. And the Muslims think they’re going to succeed in converting or killing all "unbelievers," because their clergy tells them it is their "God-given duty." But both religious "families" are ignoring the Hebrew Prophets who foretold a different story! So, if our daily news does not produce some other news to distract me, we’ll focus on "the coming war" in the days to come! I hope you’ll join us.

Helping Us Be Human!

Sam asks what my discussion of homosexuals has to do with debunking God and learning from each other’s religions.

Moses was the first to bring us God’s "rules and regulations." Among the myriad rules Moses delivered was the warning that men should not "…lie with a male as with a woman." Such acts, we’re told, are an "abomination" in God’s sight (Lev. 18:22). That means, as our dictionaries tell us, God "detests" homosexual acts. Animals do it; but humans, we’re told, were made in God’s image, and we’re supposed to image Him. not "ape" animals.

The condemnation of homosexuality is not a questionable rule concocted by clergymen. It is a God-given, plain and simple directive for all humans. So, if we're tempted to act like animals, we must call upon our human ability to control ourselves--and our God-given knowledge of what we need to control!

Gays and Taxes!

The blog I recently visited, http://blog.myspace.com/liberalmedialiesuncovered , proved to be a very unique experience, since, to my surprise, I could wholly agree with its very explicit description of political "liberals," (in Part One of its two part series). But, I have to add, there is plenty of fault to be found with conservatives, as well!

In fact, I’m so tired of Republicans and Democrats blaming practically everything bad that happens in the world on the opposite party. Such self-centered concentration, in a world suffering from enormous religious conflict, can be downright scary!

Fortunately for me, I don’t scare easily, as my friends can testify. For instance, they frequently hear me speak very "matter-of-factly" about the nuclear war that’s coming (if we don’t enlarge our religious understanding, which I don’t expect enough people to do). The very mention of a nuclear war scares them. But, time after time, they "open the door" to the subject, by commenting on how Republicans are "escalating terrorism" by keeping our troops in Iraq, or how Democrats will pull us out of Iraq, which will embolden the terrorists to attack us "where we live." And both political parties are now playing the "blame game" about the North Koreans’ nuclear test.

After such remarks, the next thing my friends hear is me, talking about a nuclear winter, again! I know they wish I wouldn’t, but I don’t choose to resist the "invitation."

As it’s been throughout our political history, candidates from both parties are talking about what they’ll do to help our personal income and similar domestic subjects. But, these days, the more we concentrate on ourselves, the better it works for the "Muslim extremists," who prefer that we think about which candidates will raise our taxes, or work against legalizing abortions, or fight to legalize "gay marriage." That way, we’ll have less time to think about which nominees don’t care if Israel is demolished.

We won’t be thinking about gays and taxes after the terrorists escalate their "holy war" to "cleanse the earth of unbelievers" — which they will eventually escalate, because too many people will not enlarge their own religious beliefs enough to inspire the "fanatics" to enlarge theirs!

As always, I urge you to read: "Of Promises and Previews: Urgent Old Messages for a New Millennium."

More About Our Old Ways

In a comment on a previous post, Sam objects to what he saw as my inference that homosexuals "recruit" people to their lifestyle and they are "more likely" to be pedophiles.

I don’t think "recruit" is the right word. Homosexuals, like all males and females, try to "seduce" persons to whom they’re attracted. So, like their "straight" counterparts, they often pursue a person who has "caught their eye," in whatever ways fit their own personality, in the hope they can lure the person into a relationship.

For an example of casual sexual attraction,when I was a weekly patron of a hairdressing salon, it became monotonously commonplace to hear my male homosexual hairdresser say of someone who came into the shop, "He’s gay, but he won’t admit it." According to my lifelong observations, many homosexuals like to believe that someone they find attractive is "one of them." And when someone attracts them, they would like to "awaken" that person, if necessary, to his/her "real" sexual identity! So, in the long run, they will try to seduce people into joining their lifestyle, and since they see nothing wrong with their lifestyle, why wouldn’t they? But for those of us who believe Moses, we see them encouraging others to commit an abominable act—and we don’t think it’s wise for people to commit "abominations."

And yes, I am suggesting that homosexuals could become pedophiles more readily than "straight" adults, simply because a suspension of "self-control" in one vital area makes us more prone to forego self-control in other circumstances. For instance, if we steal something we want without being caught and without feeling regret, we're not only more prone to steal again when tempted, but we become more likely to yield to other temptations to "cross the line" of "moral" behavior. That doesn’t mean that every homosexual is a potential pedophile. But "self-control" is a habit that every person must develop to live peacefully among his fellowmen. When it comes to sex, however, we’re especially prone to suspend our self-control and, if we’re inclined, embrace the ancient sexual practise that Moses warned against, when he gave us rules that distinguished humans from all other animals!

The Good Old Days!

Homosexuality, for all the relatively new "public" talk about it, is "nothing new" in the world! It was commonplace everywhere before Moses brought the message that condemned it. If anyone reading this—whether you are homosexual or "straight"—is willing to take the world back to those "pre-Mosaic" days, I’ll say this for you: You are definitely making progress! But whether you'll like the world you recreate is something you really need to think about!

The "Trouble" With Homosexuality

The "Trouble" With Homosexuality

Because a man named Foley has made this subject a "front-page" story (www.latimes.com), I’d like to put in my "2 cents."

Homosexuality is "immoral" in Judeo-Christian-Muslim societies, which, like it or not, represent at least half of the world’s huge population. And it’s "immoral" simply because Moses, quoting God, said it was. In fact, he told us God calls it an "abomination." To be sure, not everyone agrees with God on this subject, even if they consider themselves "believers." But the indisputable truth is that homosexuality is a "dead end" for human existence, since homosexuals cannot procreate. And our existence depends on procreation!

So, there we have it—when a man "lays down" with a man, or a woman with a woman, what they’re seeking is sexual satisfaction (and if they’re "lucky," they get it). But, in reality, we don’t need to be sexually satisfied to accomplish things that help our loved ones or ourselves live "happily" (though it can certainly help an individual’s personality).

In addition, homosexuality is sort of "contagious," in the sense that someone can try it, like it, and eventually encourage others to join the party! In other words, if we forego self-control, we’re liable to learn that members of our own sex know more about "satisfying" us than the opposite sex knows, and if we perceive "great sex" as a vital component of our personal life, we’re hooked!

Once we’ve tossed out our own "self-control" in sexual matters, an easy way to find a "homosexual mate" is to pursue the young, who usually are still learning "self-control," and not very good at it! But do humans really need self-control in all situations? Why shouldn’t we just let ourselves "follow our natural instincts?" I’d enjoy hearing your thoughts on this, before I go on with my own.

What Am I Doing?

In a comment, Nick asks (somewhat rudely) what I think I’m doing!

I am telling the clerics of Judaism, Christianity and Islam that their INTERPRETATIONS of their own Holy Scriptures have caused every Religious War throughout monotheism’s history, including today’s "holy war" waged by extremist Muslims, which now promises to end with nuclear explosions! Those "official" interpretations set the three religions against each other from the start of their mutual history. The Prophets, whose messages are recorded in three Holy Books, revealed the Lord God of Abraham and the Messiah He promised to send us. The clergies’ interpretations of those revelations made Jews reject Jesus, which made Christians hate Jews, which convinced Muslims that Islam had supplanted both religions, which made Jews and Christians hate Muslims.

What has all that accomplished? The chances are that the more "religious" you are, the more you believe some clerics’ interpretations! But, together, those clerics have provoked the "holy war" that we read about in today’s news.

What can we do about it? We can begin by listening to the actual teachings preserved in the Hebrew Scriptures, the New Testament, and the Koran. Together, they reveal our Creator. But, singly, they leave much unsaid—while encouraging deadly self-satisfaction!

The Day of Atonement

Although I identify myself as a "Jew, Christian and Muslim," I am primarily speaking of my acceptance of the teachings about the Lord God, as the Prophets of the three religions revealed Him. That means I’m not concerned with the myriad "rules" for social conduct, which differ from religion to religion. What people should not eat and similar "directions" for daily life pertained to the particular society to which the Prophets originally spoke (though the Ten Commandments are upheld by all three religions). So, I don’t observe every Holy Day the individual religions recognize. But, to honor the religion my parents taught me, I do observe the Holy Days of Judaism — and tomorrow is a big day in the Jewish calendar.

Yom Kippur is the day when Jews are told, by their clergy, to abstain from food and water, so they can better concentrate on their spiritual life. I used to fast, but these days the doctor told me I’ve gotten too old to do without nourishment, which is okay with me! That, however, has made me more conscious of the fact that fasting was never mentioned by Moses, when he conveyed God’s message about atoning for our past transgressions. Moses simply told the people to "…afflict your souls…" (Lev. 23:27). The clergies decided that one way for the rich and the poor, alike, to afflict their souls was to refrain from bodily nourishment. I see the point, but, as a manmade rule, I don’t consider it mandatory. Regretting our sins by asking forgiveness from God and our fellowmen, and truly believing that God forgives us for our acknowledged mistakes, only requires absolute sincerity! Which is not as easy as it sounds. Remembering our errors takes tremendous mental effort—and ACTUALLY believing that God forgives us is an awesome experience!