Debunking God

A Welcome Note

2010-01-11T08:34:00.000-08:00

I received this note recently and decided to share it. I'm more accustomed to getting arguments than praise, so this was very welcome!

"Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now keep it up!"

Ongoing Arguments.

2009-02-18T10:25:00.000-08:00

The following is another answer to a letter I've received from visitors to this site and readers of my book. As usual, I believe my answer serves to reveal the contents of the original letter that prompted my reply.

As for your idea that I drew conclusions and then proceeded to research to find the proof, you truly have it reversed. When I began to study the Holy Books of all three religions, I was curious, especially about Islam, which I knew nothing about. It was only after I had studied the Koran that it finally dawned on me what Muhammad was actually saying. And, as I said to you before, I am NOT INTERESTED in which rules for daily life you or anyone follows, aside from the Ten Commandments, which all three religions try to embrace. Otherwise, I couldn't care less if anyone wants to sacrifice a cow on any day of the week. I am strictly concerned with what the Prophets revealed about God and the Promised Messiah.

Now, onto particulars! You advise me: “If you want to argue stuff, please do so with more knowledge and less hate.” I honestly cannot understand how you perceive “hate” in any sentence I’ve written, including my whole book: “Of
Promises and Previews.” And that is especially true of discussions of Muhammad, whose role as a God-sent Prophet commands my full and sincere respect. But I do NOT honor the CLERGIES of all three religions, and perhaps that is how you
think you see “hate” in my words. However, I certainly do NOT “hate” them—I am disgusted with them and their centuries-long efforts to prove their own religion the “Only Truth.”

In addition, “everything” is certainly not about Israel. Essentially “everything” is about the “gross darkness” that the Hebrew Prophets specifically described, which humans can now create through nuclear weapons. The “war” against modern Israel’s existence, on the land that God gave them, can
become the reason those weapons will be used. Thus, the darkest prophecies can readily be fulfilled, though the Prophets also told us we could avoid the “darkness” by turning our hearts to each other (Isaiah 60:2; Malachi 3:24/4:6). It is WISDOM for us to avoid the darkness--not because it will be the time of the Judgement--as you so glibly dismiss it--but because it will be a horrific nightmare that will not be relieved until the Messiah comes to rule the world from Jerusalem. You think the Judgement is at hand--but we have prophecies to see fulfilled before that happens--and I hope, for your sake and everyone's--that you and the billions like you have learned not to promote division before you are judged!

IF Jews, Christians and Muslims reconcile their concept of the One and Only Lord God, as Muhammad taught, they would lead the way for all mankind to “turn” their hearts to each other. And we could create a peaceful world that would
welcome the Person Muhammad described as “…the Messiah, Isa son of Marium…” who “… does not disdain to be a servant of God” (Women 4:171-172). In the course of writing my book, I have studied numerous English translations of the Koran and
some of them translate the Messiah’s name as “Jesus” and some call him “Isa.” But every one of them speaks of him as the “Messiah.” Muhammad was “simply” trying to explain to Christians (and Jews and Muslims) that the Messiah is NOT a
god, he is “the Messiah”—who “does not disdain to be a servant of God.” I’d sincerely like to hear why you, as a Muslim, ignore that elementary message that Muhammad spent his life delivering to mankind.

Aside from the Ten Commandments, which all three religions honor, I am NOT interested in what you and all believers eat and all the other various rules observed by the individual religions! My only concern is what ALL the Prophets
told us about God and the Messiah He promised to send us. On those subjects, the Prophets NEVER contradict each other. It is the individual CLERGIES that are so busy contradicting what other religions teach about Them and—sadly—it is the
clergies that you are so busy quoting.

Ignoring Muslims, Christians and Jews

2009-02-02T10:32:00.000-08:00

In the last few months, I’ve received numerous letters from readers of my book and visitors to this site, which have prompted me to answer them in detail. I’ve now decided to print some of those answers here for those who haven’t written but could be interested in the ideas expressed. I believe the content of the original letter from a visitor is self-evident in my reply.

Dear Commentator,

In truth, I have little respect for how Muslims, Christians and Jews interpret their Scriptures! I do not learn about their religions from THEM or THEIR CLERGY. Instead, I listen very closely to the Prophets of all three faiths. I wrote my book, “Of Promises and Previews,” in the hope that others would also learn from ALL the Prophets, who told a continuous story. In fact, the Prophets never contradict each other. It has been the clergies that have tried to prove their own religion the “only true faith." By so doing, they have spread the hatred that plagues the world and now threatens to start a nuclear war. But, the Prophets also tell us that we don’t have to suffer that war and the "gross darkness" (Isa. 60:2) they vividly describe. And that is my sole purpose for writing my book: the Prophets precisely described a nuclear winter, but they also told us how to avoid it. And therein lies my whole focus.

You, on the other hand, do not even mention those prophecies, but busy yourself with other matters that fail to capture my interest. For instance, I do not pretend to know the precise individuals God will condemn. In fact, I think it a grave error on your part--and all who join you--in your presumptuous proclamations about who will be saved and who will be condemned!

The God I worship and the Messiah He promised us will take care of judging us. I am solely trying to awaken people to Their Promises and the Previews of them. Some of those Promises can be fulfilled in our lifetime in the form of a nuclear war, the nuclear winter that follows the war and the eventual return of our Messiah to deliver us from our manmade horrors. But some of those Promises told us how we can avoid the prophesied destruction and experience the joyous return of our Messiah. In short, I'm simply not interested in the mysterious statements in the Book of Revelation that occupy you. I stay concerned with the realities of our world, which does not include conjecturing on the identify of "beasts." Nor do I think that mouthing phrases like "trying to live in peace with others” is worth a penny! People have been saying such things for thousands of years--it doesn't work! Nor does preaching "tolerance," and all other fine sounding sayings, mean anything in practical life.

We urgently need an improved and enlarged understanding of God and our promised Messiah, which we can gain by studying what ALL the Prophets told us. Without such understanding, the extremist Muslims will FULLFILL the most dreadful prophecies, which they believe it is their God-given duty to fulfill. And, sadly, they are probably right, since someone must fulfill them, if we refuse to grow wise enough to avoid them!

Elementary but Essential Information

2009-01-23T08:37:00.000-08:00

Recently, I received a letter from a Christian visitor to this site who has been reading the Koran. He's asked me a reasonable question that I suspect has occurred to others. He questioned why the Koran, when repeating some Biblical stories, clearly contradicts the Biblical accounts. He cited, as a glaring example, the story of Abraham sacrificing his son. In the Hebrew Scriptures, Abraham attempts to sacrifice Issac (Gen. 22:1-12), but in the Koran, he offers Ishmael (37:102-107). In reply, I provided an excerpt from
Chapter 21 of my book, "Of Promises and Previews." And now I've decided to include it here, in case others have asked the same question, without expressing it.

An excerpt from Chapter 21, entitled "A Promise Resounds Across Arabia."

During the next 22 years—the rest of Muhammad’s life—Gabriel occasionally visited him. With each visit,
Gabriel revealed more of the Koran, which means “the Recital.” In turn, Muhammad recited Gabriel’s
messages to persons he trusted. At first, his recitations were memorized and passed by word of mouth. As belief in Muhammad grew, literate believers recorded his words on any available material, including stones, scraps of leather, and palm leaves.

After Muhammad died, Islamic authorities spent years collecting the verses and determining their authenticity, before publishing an authorized version of the Koran. The original Text, however, was written in a script that contained no vowels or diacritical points, which left the meaning of some words in doubt. To this day, official readings of the Koran vary, but they are all considered of equal authority.

Muslims firmly believe that God is the Principal Speaker throughout the Koran, though they also believe
Gabriel and Muhammad speak in specific passages. Still, the need for the first Muslims to memorize Muhammad’s recitations, record them on any material at hand, and collect them years later, has aroused reasonable suspicions about the Text. Today, even some devout Muslims doubt that Muhammad delivered every word included in the Koran. Furthermore, Koranic versions of certain Bible stories unmistakably differ from their Old Testament counterparts. Jews and Christians have always cited those glaring differences as proof the Koran was invented by Muhammad and other illiterate, ignorant Arabs, who cunningly used religion to gain power over their even more ignorant kinsmen. In truth, most Arabs knew little or nothing about Biblical persons and their deeds. After hearing only brief references to the numerous Bible characters, they could have easily erred when repeating the stories (even as today’s schooled Jews and Christians, when speaking extemporaneously, sometimes confuse particulars). The Koran, however, never alters the essential teachings of the Testaments.

In fact, the Koran was never intended to merely repeat Bible stories in the Arabic language. The Sacred Book of Islam brings its own messages. And many of those messages severely chastise Jews and Christians for corrupting their Scriptures in far more serious ways than by confusing the words and deeds of a few people!

Prayers To Fit All Believers

2008-02-19T10:40:00.000-08:00

In 1962, the Catholic Good Friday Prayer included these thoughts: "…for the faithless Jews: that almighty God may remove the veil from their hearts ... (and) for the blindness of that people, that they may be delivered from their darkness." After Vatican II in 1970, the prayer was changed to: "Let us pray for the Jewish people, the first to hear the word of God, that they may continue to grow in the love of his name and in faithfulness to his covenant ... (and) may arrive at the fullness of redemption." This year, it’s reported that Pope Benedict has revised the prayer again to ask God to "enlighten" the hearts of the Jews so "…they may acknowledge Jesus Christ as the savior” of all mankind.

The next chapter in this “saga” finds conservative rabbis expressing “dismay” over the Catholic prayer asking God to help Jews “…acknowledge Jesus Christ as the savior.” But that prayer could help all believers, by serving as an example of other needed prayers.

While Catholics ask God to help Jews recognize Jesus as the world’s Savior, Muslims, following Muhammad’s teachings, could be praying for Christians to acknowledge Jesus as nothing less — nor more — than the Promised Savior, instead of the second member of a trinity of gods. And if Christians stopped calling Jesus “God,” Jews could become more able to recognize him as the world’s Savior.

While all this praying for others is going on, Jews could be praying for Muslims to obey Muhammad, who told them to believe all the Prophets who preceded him — and he especially mentioned Moses. But Moses told the world that someday God would restore Israel and return the Hebrews to their homeland. So, why are supposedly devout Muslims trying to destroy the fulfillment of that prophecy?

In short, if all Jews, Christians and Muslims engaged themselves in such prayers, we would have a world of people praying for each other instead of a blood soaked earth!

Then again, perhaps each religious family could try praying for their own enlightenment! So, Jews could ask to be enlightened about the Messiah’s identity. Christians could ask to be enlightened about the real identity of the One and Only Lord God. And Muslims could ask to be enlightened about their own role as the third monotheistic religion that came to correct — not eradicate — their fellow believers.

By helping themselves enlarge their own religious understanding, believers would be helping all of their fellowmen enjoy “peace on earth, goodwill toward men,” which is one thing God has always told all “peoples of the earth” to pursue!

The Story of Anti-Semitism

2008-01-27T10:28:00.000-08:00

The Sixth Commandment issued by Abraham’s God forbids us to murder our fellow human beings (Ex. 20:13). Yet, most of the blood that has drenched the earth has been spilled by “believers” in the God Who gave us that Commandment! Throughout their mutual existence, “believers” have openly hated each other. But few of the “religious haters” realize that the stage on which their hatred bloomed was not the crucifixion of Jesus. The “players” in the “game of hatred” — and the prophesied result of their hatred — first appeared in Noah’s time.

Noah, a man whose very existence is questioned by self-satisfied skeptics, was the forefather of today’s most troublesome “peoples!” The most prominent branch of Noah’s family began with his son, Shem, whose name has lived on to become part of our everyday vocabulary. From his name came the word, “Semite.” ALL of Shem’s descendants are “Semites.” Nowadays, however, anyone who practices “anti-Semitism” is actually against only one branch of Shem’s descendants: the Jews.

The word “Jew” is an abbreviation of Judah, one of the twelve Hebrew tribes. The word Hebrew stems from Shem’s great-grandson, Eber. Eber’s most prominent sons were Peleg and Joktan. The Hebrews descended from Peleg’s eldest son, while Joktan fathered the Semites known as “Arabs.”

Therefore, ALL the descendants of Noah’s son, Shem, are Semites. Some Semites became the world’s first monotheists known as Hebrews.
Because Shem’s descendants are Semites, and all Arabs and Jews are Semites, the way we use the word, “anti-Semitism,” is a gross distortion of its true meaning. What millions of people have actually practiced is pure and simple “hatred of Jews.” And, these days, that hatred is mounting around the world, largely because much of the world perceives the nation of Israel as a source of danger to everyone, everywhere. If Israel didn’t exist, the Semitic Arabs would live quietly in the Middle East — at least, that’s the “popular” anti-Jewish theory!

Do you believe that theory? If so, you are not “anti-Semitic.” You are a plain and simple “Jew hater.” And, while you might prefer to call yourself by a title that doesn’t explicitly label you a “hater,” that’s what you are. And your hatefulness is spurring the world toward the nuclear war that will fulfill the prophecy delivered in Noah’s time:

When the Flood ended, God made a covenant with Noah. He promised, “...never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth” (Gen. 9:11). Therefore, if, again, God cleanses the earth of violence, He will not wash away men and the tons of blood men have spilled. Next time, both Testaments warn, “...the earth and the works that are in it shall be burnt up” (II Peter 3:10). “For, behold, the day cometh, it burneth as a furnace, and all the proud, and all that work wickedness, shall be stubble...” (Mal. 3:19/4:1).

The Prophet Malachi told us that we must turn our hearts to each other (Mal 3:24/4:6), to avoid the “gross darkness” (Isa. 60:2) foretold by Isaiah, the “darkness” we can now recognize as a “nuclear winter.” If hateful Semites won’t even turn their hearts to their fellow Semites, what hope do we have that the hateful Christians will do it? Of course, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t even try! We could be magnificently surprised!!

A Difference Between Humans and Ants

2007-12-20T10:16:00.000-08:00

In time for the Christams season, I'm reposting an article that appeared here earlier this year--because I realize that some visitors to this site don't go back to read much earlier articles, and because I truly believe we could use this brief discussion of faith.

A Difference Between Humans and Ants

“Is God Poison?” asks “Maclean’s,” a prominent Canadian magazine, on it’s April cover. I suspect that “clever” cover commanded the attention of believers, agnostics and atheists, alike — in other words, everyone that chanced to see it — while it prompted a bunch of sales!

It was a long article worth discussing. Today, however, I’m only going to talk about a statement in the article’s opening page, which quotes someone named Christopher Hitchens. His new book discusses "How Religion Poisons Everything.” Mr. Hitchens, while heartened by the world’s newfound interest in disputing God’s existence, tells us, “We atheists never thought religion would die out because it comes from fear of death….”

I agree, that’s one way to look at religion’s “origin and purpose.” But it certainly has never occurred to me, and I’ve been religious for ninety percent of my long life. If Mr. Hitchens seriously thinks that “fear of death” drove me to God, his reasoning is severely flawed from the “git-go.” I am one of the many people who go through life without giving death more than occasional thought, though I’ve had much to do with it in my family.

Of course, if Mr. Hitchens thinks that fear of death was what first prompted humans to conceive religious beliefs, that’s a plausible theory. But it is nothing more than an unproven, irrelevant theory, in company with numberless others.

As I see it, religion sets mankind apart from all living creatures on earth, as the only creatures on earth (as far as we know) who can seek to identify their Ultimate Creator and contemplate why they exist. In daily life, however, religion helps us live far more peacefully with ourselves and our fellowmen than we could live without it — even though, as nations and as individuals, our “peaceful” relations with others are endlessly and violently interrupted! And all those violent interruptions happen, while a huge portion of the world’s population embraces the Ten Commandments! Imagine how we’d behave if we’d never been told “Thou shall not murder” ? And why does “Mr. Hitchens & Co.“ think we needed to be told that? It certainly wasn’t because humans seldom killed each other!

For our ancestors to need to be Divinely commanded to abstain from killing their fellowmen tells us that murder was even more commonplace than it is today, throughout the world. Humans want to be rid of anyone who really “bothers” them. And it’s common for us to severely “bother” each other! Learning how to turn our hearts to each other, as the Prophet Malachi said we must do (Mal, 3:24/4:6) is now the urgently needed “uncommon” factor in human history.

Thousands of years ago, societies worshiped more than 2,000 gods who, according to the tales concocted about them, often warred with each other — a direct reflection of human life. Yet, Abraham’s God told us not to murder, unless we were executing a person who had intentionally killed someone, “…having hated him in time past” (Deut. 4:42). To be sure, “unbelievers” describe Abraham’s God, introduced in the Hebrew Scriptures, as a bloodthirsty deity, akin to most of the other “gods” people worshiped. But the Israelites, the first people to believe in Abraham’s God, were told to war with heathens only to claim the needed homeland God had promised them. In short, murdering their fellowmen for “personal reasons” was forbidden. And that was an UNCOMMON concept in human history, which Mr. Hitchens neglects to mention, while denouncing monotheism, in particular.

I, too, can conjecture about Hitchens as he does about me, a “believer.” So, perhaps Mr. Hitchens has suffered a fear of death since childhood and finds no solace in religion, which makes his unrelieved fear/dread/resentment of dying feed his argument against all the religious beliefs that have failed him. Or, he has convinced himself there is nothing to fear about death; our flesh decays and that’s the end of us, so he is trying to get multiple people to agree with him to convince himself he is “right.” Whatever his reasoning, he didn’t create our universe and he cannot destroy it, so he is “overpowered” by unknown forces beyond his control — and hating his helplessness. If true, that theory would simply prove that when we harbor “hatred,” we become destructive! But trying to destroy faith in God condemns Hitchens to fight a losing battle, which is a sad way to spend one’s life.

So, Christopher Hitchens, you appear to be a sad member of a species that is distinguished from all other creatures on earth by its ability to contemplate the Source of itself and all physical matter. You can “wait for science” to tell you how “the universe” happened, but the wait will exceed your lifetime. And that means you’ll go to your grave without ever “knowing faith” — a knowledge that appears to be exclusively “human.”

A World Forecast

2007-11-26T09:11:00.000-08:00

If Iran acquires nuclear weapons, they will use them to “wipe Israel off the map,” as the leader of Iran plainly declared.

If Israel is in real danger of being “nuked,” they will attack Iran.

If Iran is attacked, the Muslim “world” will retaliate and the Third World War will begin — which means, “darkness shall cover the earth” (Isa. 60:2).

That is the “world forecast,” if Iran is allowed to continue its “nuclear program.” And, as far as Americans are concerned, they will be allowed to continue, because many Americans have “had their fill of war,” with the Iraq debacle. So, now we’ll wait to see what Israel eventually does. In the meantime, you can always watch a TV “reality” show so you can forget about our true reality! Or, if you want a “diversion” from the TV nonsense, you could read the following articles, which are also based on reality!

If Muslims Believed Muhammad,

2007-10-02T10:41:00.000-07:00

They Could Transform the World

Through the Koran, Muhammad tells Muslims to "Say: We believe in God and what was revealed to Abraham and Ishmael, to Isaac and Jacob and the tribes, and what was given to Moses and Jesus and the prophets. We discriminate against none of them" (The Family of Imran 3:84). Another time, Muhammad warns Muslims against drawing “…a line between God and His apostles, saying: 'We believe in some but deny others....’" (Women 4:150).

About 3,400 years ago, before the Hebrews had even entered the "Promised Land," Moses warned his people of a future day, when they would be "…driven out [of the Land] to the farthest parts under heaven…" (Deut. 30:4). But Moses also assured the Israelites that God "...will have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where the Lord your God has scattered you" (Deut. 30:3).

If, today, Muslims truly believed Muhammad, they would believe "what was given to Moses." And they would rejoice in the resurrection of Israel as Moses foretold. Instead, countless Muslims, "believe in some [prophets] but deny others," while they prepare to "wipe Israel off the map.” In other words, if Muslims believed the Prophets who preceded Muhammad and drew no “line” between them, they would humbly admit to God and the world, "We have been wrong to fight against Israel." And an astonished world would behold Israel's deadly enemies evidencing incredible faith, unmatched by Jews and Christians throughout their bloody history!

If militant Muslims and their supporters renounced their ignorant rejection of Israel and transformed themselves into peaceful believers in Abraham’s God, astounded Jews and Christians would be hard-pressed to renounce their own ignorant dismissal of Muhammad as a “false prophet” and Islam as a “false religion.” Then, Jews and Christians, following the Muslims’ unique example, could finally abandon their own erroneous manmade teachings about “God the Son” and embrace Muhammad’s messages about “the Messiah, Jesus” (The Family of Imran 3:45), which Jews and Christians have always scorned — the very messages that could create peace among all “believers.”

If Muslims believed Muhammad…..

The Reality of “Our World”

2007-09-03T13:23:00.000-07:00

Separately, both science and religion have been trying to answer our questions about man’s role in the universe. But Albert Einstein, perhaps the most publicly quoted modern scientist, thought: “Science without religion is lame; religion without science is blind.” The “Still Small Voice” within us, which Mahatma Gandhi described as, “...the Voice of God, the Conscience, of Truth...,” whispers — to all who will listen — that Einstein was right: We need both disciplines to provide us with pieces of the “Truth.”

Einstein, to his never-ending sorrow, helped to create the atomic bomb. But, about 2,500 years ago — 500 years before Jesus’ birth —the Prophet Zechariah spoke of people whose “...flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their sockets, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth...” (Zechariah 14:12).

Believers used to think that surreal Bible prophecy could only become reality through an act of God. Today, we know that Zechariah precisely described the remains of some victims of atomic bombs.

Zechariah told us that he could foretell the future because “...the word of the Lord...” (Zech. 1:1) came unto him. Of course, you don’t have to believe a supernatural Being spoke to Zechariah. But his prophecy of man’s flesh “consuming away” isn’t a modern invention, for it appears in Scrolls that are 2,000 years old. That leaves two possibilities. Either Zechariah’s amazingly accurate description of atomic destruction was an amazingly accurate guess (which skeptics might dismiss as only another of life’s many “coincidences”), or he somehow foresaw what our generation has witnessed.

Long ago, a handful of men brought messages from Someone they identified as the One and Only “Almighty” God of the universe. Their teachings have sustained believers through all manner of natural and manmade disasters. Today, however, even some unbelievers are recalling the messages that tell of a world bathed in “...blood and fire and pillars of smoke...” (Joel 2:30); of a time when “...the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light...” (Matt. 24:29); when “...darkness shall cover the earth and gross darkness the peoples...” (Isaiah 60:2). In other words, the time of the nuclear winter that scientists tell us would follow a nuclear war.

Because most of us aren’t the persons who could start or prevent that war, you might see no point in thinking about a catastrophe that’s beyond your control, severely depressing, and might never happen, or at least not in your lifetime. Nor do you have to think about it; you can readily dispense with the whole subject. You only need to tell yourself that nations will never engage in a nuclear war: Reason will surely prevail. And you could sincerely believe it — except for those moments when a news report reminds you that “the unbelievable” could become reality, for you, or your children, or your children’s children.

If you’ve suffered those moments, you aren’t “being paranoid.” You’ve simply caught sight of what some professional analysts of world affairs are now publicly stating. For example, when speaking of world “hot spots,” they tell us a nuclear war could erupt in the passionately religious Middle East within the first decade of this new century.

You might have little respect for “expert opinions” on any subject. But many believers in God don’t need political or military experts to make them suspect that “...the great and terrible day of the Lord” (Mal. 3:23/4:5) is drawing near. And even some skeptics no longer scoff at the thought.

Still, it’s reasonable for us to think that nations with economic or political reasons to engage in war wouldn’t use nuclear weapons, if only because they’d fear the world’s wrath. Or, they wouldn’t want to obliterate the resources they covet. Nevertheless, when religious convictions drive men to war, they firmly believe God is on their side. And if they believe it to be “God’s Will,” they would use nuclear weapons against their enemies, offensively or defensively. While outsiders might think them irrational, they would not be restrained by world opinion, or by the fear of what a desperate world might do to try to stop them.

The above article is an excerpt from my book:
Of Promises and Previews: Urgent Old Messages for a New Millennium

Choosing Silence

2007-07-01T08:54:00.000-07:00

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In the Koran, Muhammad plainly tells his followers to believe the Prophets who preceded him and “…discriminate against none of them” (The Family of Imran 3:84). Moreover, Muhammad specifically mentioned Moses as a Prophet worthy of belief.

When Moses led the Hebrews to the “Promised Land,” before they had even entered the land, he told them of the future fall of their yet-to-be created nation and the exile of their disobedient descendants. But he also foretold their eventual return to the resurrected nation of Israel (Deut. 30:3-5).

So, how do Muslims reconcile their devotion to destroying today’s “resurrected” Israel with Muhammad’s instructions to believe Moses? To date, most of the Muslims who contact me through my website and blog tell me that the Hebrew Scriptures have been “corrupted.” Therefore, they can “righteously” seek to “drive Israel into the sea,” because its current existence is based on lies inserted in the ancient Texts by the exiled, desperate, homeless Jews.

Regardless of what some Muslims clerics tell their followers, the fact remains that there is not a single piece of evidence to prove that the Hebrew Scriptures we read today, which foretell Israel’s restoration, are not faithful renditions of the original Text. The most ancient Scriptures in the Hebrew language discovered to date were retrieved from caves near the Dead Sea. Dating methods cannot determine the exact age of the individual Scrolls, but authorities agree that most were written during the last three centuries before Jesus. That means, before the Jews were exiled, as Moses foretold, and many hundreds of years before Muslims existed to declare them “liars” who corrupted their own Scriptures, the Jews were warned of their future — the precise future they have actually endured.

To us, the Dead Sea Scrolls are of ancient origin. But we need to remember that those Scrolls were, themselves, copies of much older Writings, which have probably long since disintegrated. It’s believed the Hebrews in Biblical Israel ceremoniously buried their worn Scrolls, to prevent their desecration. Hence, there’s no way for us to know if the Dead Sea Scrolls are faithful renditions of previous copies, much less of the Prophets’ original teachings. Nor is there a shred of evidence to prove they are not recordings of the actual words spoken by men who lived long ago. That means, any claim that portions of the Hebrew Scriptures were significantly altered has nothing but man’s unlimited imagination to support it!

Still, that fact does not deter those Muslims who choose to believe the Hebrew prophecies of Israel’s “resurrection” were deceitfully placed in their Scriptures after the Jews’ exile from ancient Israel. When people choose to eliminate portions of the ancient Scriptures, they are accepting their “alterations” as facts. And, to persuade others of those “facts,” they must first convince themselves they know “the absolute truth.” Whether they are telling themselves deliberate “lies” or simply making “mistakes” might be open to debate. Yet, when Muslims tell themselves and others that God never promised to resurrect Israel, they are denying a promise delivered by the very Prophets that Muhammad told them to believe! Once they have chosen to deny that promise, they have embarked on the path of self-deception that offers no further choices on the matter until they choose to acknowledge their “lies” or “mistakes” or whatever you choose to call them.

The world desperately needs wise Muslims who choose to speak the truth about those prophecies to their fellow Muslims — but, so far, they’re choosing silence.

(The above contains edited excerpts from my book, “Of Promises and Previews”)

Voting for “Wisdom and Freedom”

2007-06-19T11:03:00.000-07:00

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Recently, my neighbor, while speaking in favor of homosexual and abortion “rights,” mentioned that conservative Republicans “want to take us back to 50 years ago.” As a political Independent, I focus on the individual candidates, not their political parties, but, in keeping with her train of thought, I replied: “And liberal Democrats want to take us back 3,600 years.” She looked a little startled, so I seized the opportunity to keep talking!

I either informed or reminded her (I don’t know her religious knowledge) that, about 3,500 years ago, Moses brought us a long list of the people whose “nakedness” men must not “uncover.” The list included their mothers, sisters, aunts, daughters, in-laws, stepchildren, and on and on. The same chapter includes a plainly worded sentence forbidding men “…to lie with mankind as with womankind” (Lev. 18:22). Moreover, we’re told that all those sexual practices were common in Egypt and Canaan, but followers of Abraham’s God would need to restrain themselves from such “abominations.”

Of course, the Commandment forbidding murder ruled out infanticide, which had always been a commonly practiced way to get rid of unwanted offspring, especially females, not only in ancient times but in modern nations that have not embraced monotheism.

Today, however, a growing number of people in the traditionally Judeo-Christian United States are voting to achieve “true freedom,” when no law would condemn men for “lying down” with men and no law would condemn women for eliminating the unwanted babies that grow in their wombs. Besides, “enlightened doctors” now enable women to safely get rid of those “things” — which are no longer called “babies” — without letting them grow for nine long months.

In this article, I am not arguing for or against those “freedoms,” but I am urging us to refrain from calling such thinking “modern.” To exhibit wisdom, we should try to give credit where credit is due! There’s nothing “modern” about people indulging their sexual appetite for members of their own sex, even as there’s nothing “modern” about killing the unwanted results of their more conventional “mating.” Perhaps, as a writer, I am overly concerned with choosing the right words, but sloppy phrasing can dangerously mislead us into believing we are growing “wiser,” when all we’re really doing is aping our ancestors! And if we don’t soon “get smarter” about our Creator, a few nuclear bombs exploding will have us aping the cave dwellers.

Reality and Pure Fancy

2007-06-10T10:26:00.000-07:00

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Biological and chemical weapons that can wipe out whole populations, along with nuclear weapons, which have the ability to destroy life on earth, are an ever-present threat to all the peoples of the earth. And not all of those weapons or the material to make them are under the strict supervision of peace-loving, prosperous nations that would never consider selling their wares to the highest bidder.

To offset that unnerving reality, I ask you to indulge in a momentary flight of pure fancy. Let us imagine that, tomorrow, all Christians and Muslims suddenly believed the Hebrew Prophets and bowed down to the Jews, in wholehearted recognition of the honored role we’ve been told they will play in the Messianic Age. If that happened, the stunned “fathers” of monotheism would stop in their tracks, praise God with all their heart, soul, and strength — and turn their hearts to the “children” of the faith. Or if, tomorrow, all Jews were to suddenly believe Muhammad, look up to Heaven and say, “Our Messiah, Jesus, we await you,” stunned Christians and Muslims would stop in their tracks, praise God with all their heart, soul, and strength — and turn their hearts to the fathers. And if, tomorrow, believers made real peace with each other, then God’s other children — the heathens and skeptics who prefer their own beliefs to believing in a God Whose devotees hate each other — would finally have a tangible reason to rethink their own beliefs.

Most Christians and Muslims, however, do not believe the Jews will become “a name and a praise” in the Messianic Age, as the Prophet Zephaniah foretold (Zeph. 3:20). And the Jews have never believed that Jesus and Muhammad were true Messengers from God. Hence, in the absence of immediate Divine intervention, the three families that call themselves “believers” are not going to make peace tomorrow; their unbelief prevents it. So, tomorrow, they’ll do as they’ve always done: Instead of embracing beliefs that would turn their hearts to each other, they’ll call each other liars! And “gross darkness” with “utter destruction” shall envelop the earth, as the Prophets Isaiah and Malachi precisely described (Isa. 60:2; Mal. 3:24/4:6).

The above is an edited excerpt from my book, “Of Promises and Previews”

Gallup And God

2007-06-03T12:20:00.000-07:00

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A Gallup Poll on religious belief reports that as of May 10-13, 2007, 86% of United States residents profess to believe in God. Still, 55% of the persons polled — more than half of them — say that religion is losing its influence on American life. And it’s not hard to believe that statistic!

It’s become commonplace to hear “superior” people proclaim how religious beliefs are “superstitious nonsense.” And if we doubt how popular such thinking has become, we only need to listen to our local news reporting “today’s crimes.” Many large cities are experiencing a reduction in all crime — except murders and assaults, which are on the rise! The U.S. has a good economy going right now, so burglars and robbers aren’t “in fashion.” But, for a growing number of people, physically attacking anyone who “disrespects” them or interferes with their personal life is the “in” thing to do! Which is not surprising. That’s the way people lived, before they’d heard from a God that forbids murder. So, religion might be “old fashioned,” but murder is older! While agnostics and atheists might like to imagine their “modern thinking” is wiser, that’s only because they haven’t bothered to realize that there’s nothing new about their ignorance of ancient history — and nothing modern about humans killing humans — though our modern weapons are “something new under the sun!”

“Utter Destruction”: a “Do-it-Yourself” Project

2007-05-25T09:30:00.000-07:00

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Through the Hebrew Scriptures, the “Lord of hosts” (Isa. 9:6) tells us that someday: “…I shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers; Lest I come and smite the land with utter destruction” (Mal. 3:24/4:6). The “fathers” of monotheism are the Hebrews; the “children” are the Christians and Muslims — along with all of “God’s children,” regardless of their beliefs.

The “fathers,” through the Hebrew Scriptures, were the first to speak of the promised Messiah, who will serve as the “…ruler in Israel…” and he shall be “…great unto the ends of the earth” (Mic. 5:3). Under the Messiah’s rule, the Israelites, who had become “a curse” among the nations, will then become “a name and a praise,” and there will be “...peace without end...The zeal of the Lord of hosts shall accomplish this” (Isa. 9:6/7).

In other words, Judaism identifies the Messiah by his deeds, which he will successfully execute through “the zeal of the Lord of hosts.” Obviously, when Jesus lived in Israel, he did not perform the prescribed deeds, since there is no “peace without end,” and the Jews are still cursed the world over. Therefore, regardless of the “children’s” beliefs, the “fathers” have stood firm in their denial of “the Messiah, Jesus,” as Muhammad identified Jesus (Women 4:171). In daily life, it has been that denial that has kept the Jews “a curse and a reproach” (Jer. 44:12)

For 2,000 years, “the children” have cursed and killed “the fathers” whenever they’ve felt “inspired” to cleanse their neighborhood, city, or nation of Jews. These days, however, all nations have become so accessible and modern weaponry so powerful, some Muslims have become convinced they can finally make “God’s religion reign supreme” (The Cow 2:193). To supplant Judaism and Christianity with the “ultimate truth” expressed through Islam, those Muslims believe they could righteously use the weapons of mass destruction that would annihilate “God’s enemies” (including “the great Satan,” as they speak of the United States).

It’s tempting for outsiders to think of those Muslims as only “a fringe group of fanatics,” over which the world will surely gain control before they do any “real damage.” But, in the populous Muslim community, the persons who believe it their sacred duty to “drive Israel into the sea” constitute a sizable “fringe group.” To be sure, all Muslim nations do not openly clamor for Israel’s demise. Still, the rest of the world has no reason to expect Muslims to war against Muslims, merely to prevent a biological or chemical attack against “the Zionists,” their most immediate and mutual enemy. That attack, alone, would launch a nuclear war.

If we truly seek to avoid that war, Jews, Christians, Muslims — and all of God’s children — urgently need to enlarge our understanding of the God revealed by all the Prophets, from Abraham through Muhammad. Only through our improved understanding can we begin to turn our hearts to each other — and distance ourselves from the “utter destruction” we now know how to create as a “do-it-yourself” project!

(Some of the above is excerpted from my book: “Of Promises and Previews.”)

The Essence of Islam

2007-05-16T08:58:00.000-07:00

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Muhammad told the world that God is God and the Messiah is nothing more nor less than God’s servant. But Muhammad unequivocally identified Jesus as the Messiah. Thus, Muhammad contradicted Judaism in its absolute rejection of the "Messiah, Jesus" (Women 4:171). And he contradicted Christianity, which, by Muhammad’s time, had officially identified Jesus as the Second and coequal Member of a Holy Trinity of Gods.

Nowadays, however, Muhammad’s confirmation of Jesus as the Messiah isn’t an Islamic teaching Muslims religiously convey to the world. In fact, the most publicly heard Muslims don’t even mention it! Evidently, they consider it an insignificant subject compared to the Koran’s directive to reward evil “…with like evil” (Counsel 42:40) — the teaching they practice with such devotion, outsiders could perceive it to be the primary message of Islam!

Answering "Anonymous"

2007-05-11T12:19:00.000-07:00

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For today's post, I've decided to publish my answer to an "Anonymous" comment made on the article below: "A Difference Between Humans and Ants." I'm printing this as its own entry simply because I think it's a good way to call attention to the article and to the comment!

First, though, thank you, Anonymous, for pointing out the gross error I made by misprinting Hitchens’ name in the article. I’ve corrected it, which means future readers will not see the error you mention, but that doesn’t matter, compared to the need to correct it.

Of course, as you suggest, Anonymous, all of our beliefs about God can be seen as "manmade." (BTW, “manmade” is a dictionary approved word, though you think it must be two words.) But, to countless believers, there IS a difference between the beliefs derived from the Prophets — who tell us God instructed them — and the beliefs taught by religious clerics who INTERPRET the Prophets’ messages. To be sure, you may not believe that God sent messages to the Prophets, so, to your mind, their teachings are as "manmade" as any other religious beliefs decreed by the organized religions, but billions of "believers" have accepted at least one of the Sacred Books as “God’s Word.” I am urging people to learn about God and the promised Messiah from all three Sacred Books. Those teachings can settle the arguments about Jesus that have caused "believers" to hate and kill each other for thousands of years. And I contend that the only way we can avoid the Religious War that has already begun and could end with a nuclear winter is by learning from ALL the Prophets of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. If you are interested in hearing my arguments in more detail, so you can agree with or dispute them, I suggest you visit my website: www.ofpromisesandpreviews.com

A Difference Between Humans and Ants

2007-04-23T11:16:00.000-07:00

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“Is God Poison?” asks “Maclean’s,” a prominent Canadian magazine, on it’s April cover. I suspect that “clever” cover commanded the attention of believers, agnostics and atheists, alike — in other words, everyone that chanced to see it — while prompting a bunch of sales!

It was a long article worth discussing. Today, however, I’m only going to talk about a statement in the article’s opening page, which quotes someone named Christopher Hitchens. His new book discusses “…How Religion Poisons Everything.” Mr. Hitchens, while heartened by the world’s newfound interest in disputing God’s existence, tells us, “We atheists never thought religion would die out because it comes from fear of death….”

I agree, that’s one way to look at religion’s “origin and purpose.” But it certainly has never occurred to me, and I’ve been religious for ninety percent of my long life. If Mr. Hitchens seriously thinks that “fear of death” drove me to God, his reasoning is severely flawed from the “git-go.” I am one of the many people who go through life without giving death more than occasional thought, though I’ve had much to do with it in my family.

Of course, if Mr. Hitchens thinks that fear of death was what first prompted humans to conceive religious beliefs, that’s a plausible theory. But it is nothing more than an unproven, irrelevant theory, in company with numberless others.

As I see it, religion sets mankind apart from all living creatures on earth, as the only beings on earth (as far as we know) who can seek to identify their Ultimate Creator and contemplate why they exist. In daily life, however, religion helps us live far more peacefully with ourselves and our fellowmen than we could live without it — even though, as nations and as individuals, our “peaceful” relations with others are endlessly and violently interrupted! And all those violent interruptions happen, while a huge portion of the world’s population embraces the Ten Commandments! Imagine how we’d behave if we’d never been told “Thou shall not murder” ? And why does “Mr. Hitchens & Co.“ think we needed to be told that? It certainly wasn’t because humans seldom killed each other.

For our ancestors to need to be Divinely ordered to abstain from killing their fellowmen tells us that murder was even more commonplace than it is today, throughout the world. Humans want to be rid of anyone who really “bothers” them. And it’s common for us to severely “bother” each other! Learning how to turn our hearts to each other, as the Prophet Malachi said we must do (Mal, 3:24/4:6) is now the urgently needed “uncommon” factor in human history.

Thousands of years ago, societies worshiped more than 2,000 gods who, according to the tales concocted about them, often warred with each other — a direct reflection of human life. Yet, Abraham’s God told us not to murder, unless we were executing a person who had intentionally killed someone, “…having hated him in time past” (Deut. 4:42). To be sure, “unbelievers” describe Abraham’s God, introduced in the Hebrew Scriptures, as a bloodthirsty deity, akin to most of the other “gods” people worshiped. But the Israelites, the first people to believe in Abraham’s God, were told to war with heathens, only to claim the needed homeland God promised them; murdering their fellowmen for “personal reasons” was forbidden. And that was an UNCOMMON concept in human history, which Mr. Hitchens neglects to mention, while denouncing monotheism, in particular.

I, too, can conjecture about Hitchens as he does about me, a “believer.” So, perhaps Mr. Hitchens has suffered a fear of death since childhood and finds no solace in religion, which makes his unrelieved fear/dread/resentment of dying feed his argument against all the religious beliefs that have failed him. Or, he has convinced himself there is nothing to fear about death; our flesh decays and that’s the end of us, so he is trying to get multiple people to agree with him to convince himself he is “right.” Whatever his reasoning, he didn’t create our universe and he cannot destroy it, so he is “overpowered” by unknown forces beyond his control — and hating his helplessness. If true, that theory would simply prove that when we harbor “hatred,” we become destructive! But trying to destroy faith in God condemns Hitchens to fight a losing battle, which is a sad way to spend one’s life.

So, Christopher Hitchens, you appear to be a sad member of a species that is distinguished from all other creatures on earth by its ability to contemplate the Source of itself and all physical matter. You can “wait for science” to tell you how “the universe” happened, but the wait will exceed your lifetime. And that means you’ll go to your grave without ever “knowing faith” — a knowledge that appears to be exclusively “human.”

An Identical Role for “Believers” and “Unbelievers”

2007-04-09T11:07:00.000-07:00

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What would it actually take to persuade you to “alter” your religious beliefs? I’m inclined to think we’ll have to be sitting in the darkness of a “nuclear winter” before people seriously question their religious thinking! And when I say “people,” I do not only mean what the Muslims, Christians and Jews think! To be sure, the “self-satisfied” atheists and the “removed-from-it-all” agnostics and the “beyond-it-all” believers in “heathen” religions are doing absolutely nothing to help the world avoid the Religious War that will hurtle everyone into the prophesied “gross darkness” of a manmade “nuclear winter!”

The Prophets of Judaism, Christianity and Islam brought messages about the Lord God of all creation that never contradicted each other, as they introduced the world to the One Thinking Source of all the energy in existence. Their teachings have persuaded a huge portion of the world’s population to embrace one of those three “related” monotheistic religions. Yet, amazingly, many Jews and Christians actually believe that “Allah,” the Name used by Muslims for Abraham’s God, is not the same God that Abraham worshiped. That is how “elementary” their ignorance is! Worse yet, each religious “family” embraces their clergy’s interpretations of their own Holy Book. And each “family” is so certain their clergy’s teachings are “right,” they won’t even consider reconsidering their beliefs. So, will the unbelievers learn and save us?

They could, but chances are, they won’t! Even as you won’t, no matter your current beliefs. But, tell yourself the truth! Are you really so satisfied with what you believe — whatever that is — that you are more willing to suffer a nuclear war than to try to improve your understanding? Even if you’re a “non-believer” in Abraham’s God, if enough of you finally came to appreciate what ALL the Prophets taught, the “believers” of the world would finally have a compelling reason to pay attention to you! And you would finally awaken them — which is what you’ve wanted to do all along, but you lacked the “right” message! So, no matter your “religious philosophy,” you could diminish the Religious War that is closing in on every single human being, by learning from ALL the Prophets and speaking of them to others. (You could learn from the individual Sacred Books, or discover the essence of their teachings from my book. The point is, SEEK and you CAN find!)

Creative Chimpanzees And Humans

2007-03-30T08:55:00.000-07:00

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In February 2007, the Los Angeles Times printed an article about chimpanzees making spears. The author of the article identified the chimps’ creativity as “…the first routine production of deadly weapons observed in animals other than humans.”

Since I was a child, I’ve heard that the creation and use of tools sets humans apart from most animals, but links us with others. Now, researchers have discovered that some animals even make deadly tools! That discovery further diminishes our “difference” from monkeys — if we accept tool-making as the “tool” of measurement! As I grew older, however, I embraced a far more accurate way to distinguish us from our “fellow animals.”

In so far as we can determine, we are the only creatures on earth who seek the Original Source of our existence — and honor and even worship that Source, if we choose. Of course, because the Source remains “invisible” to human eyes, we can’t scientifically “prove” the Source we identify actually exists; we can only presume Its Existence through the existence of our awesomely complicated yet “miraculously” organized physical universe, which inevitably bespeaks a Thinking Creator.

In short, the one thing that distinguishes us from all living creatures obviously isn’t our tool-making, but our ability to conceive of our Creator. Yet, if, like a growing number of people these days, you don’t bother to think about your Source — because, after all, science can’t prove what “it” is — there is nothing that actually distinguishes you from a tool-making chimpanzee.

Think about it — and perhaps you’ll decide to examine the revelations about our Creator, delivered by ALL the Prophets, from Abraham through Muhammad. They never contradict each other, as our clergies do! (I’ve made it easy for you to hear what they said in one book — see the sidebar About Me.)

Deliver Us from Religious Clergies!

2007-03-15T10:19:00.000-07:00

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To answer some comments on my previous post, I’m absolutely NOT subtly or openly urging people to become Muslims. Even as I’m not suggesting we should all become Jews or Christians. But if “enough people” (whatever that number must be) embraced the three religions’ COMBINED revelations about God and the Messiah He promised to send us, they could end the Religious War that is currently emerging throughout the world, in which militant Muslims seek to cleanse the earth of "infidels" (another name for “unbelievers”). Still, there remains the sad thought that no one with the slightest knowledge of religious history can reasonably expect “believers” to bring peace on earth!

To make “real peace” among themselves, members of all three religions would each have to alter some portion of their own manmade beliefs. But, in a typical example of “religious unity,” Muslims, Christians and Jews, alike, have always been unwilling to alter any part of their own beliefs! So, each embraces their own clergy’s interpretations of their own Sacred Book — interpretations that have provoked hatreds and wars throughout their shared religious history. And those are the same interpretations that are now driving us into a “shared” nuclear war.

Of course, so many self-centered Christians are so convinced they will be “whisked away” before violence consumes the rest of the world that they have no incentive to alter their own understanding. And stubborn Jews are so accustomed to being persecuted and ostracized, they have long since closed their ears and their minds to the beliefs of “outsiders.” And self-satisfied Muslims believe, so thoroughly, that the whole world will someday be “Islamic”— in whatever way they define “Islam” — they can scarcely bring themselves to denounce the violence their “extremist” members are wreaking. After all, what the “fanatics” are doing could be “God’s Will.”

So, here we are with each religious family too convinced their understanding is too right to be altered. Each convinced the others should change. Each “deep-down” resigned to enduring whatever happens or gladly anticipating their own “deliverance.” And each convinced that all they can do is urge their fellowmen to “convert” or urge them to practice “tolerance” — as though “believers” have ever proven truly tolerant of other beliefs for more than an occasional public minute!

All the while, Jews need to recognize the world’s Messiah, rejected by their presumptuous clergy, because Jesus did not do what they expected the Messiah to do for them -- as though the Messiah had to perform his propheised acts on their schedule! And Christians need to recognize Abraham’s One and Only unseen God, revealed throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, which introduced Him to the world. Instead, Christians are taught by their brazen clergy to say "God" but mean "Jesus," instead of revering the God to Whom Jesus prayed! And Muslims need to recognize that they have not become God’s “chosen people,” whose “Holy Land” has been usurped by Jewish “infidels” supported by Christian “infidels,” as their egotistical clergy declares!

Speaking Up for Muhammad

2007-03-07T11:07:00.001-08:00

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Muhammad did not live to simply repeat the teachings of the Prophets who preceded him. Muhammad came to awaken the “unbelievers,” who had rejected organized Christianity and Judaism, by teaching them about their Maker in terms related to their own experiences. But the Christian clergy has always claimed that Christian teachings are all that can “save our souls” — thereby glibly denigrating the billions of people who have embraced Abraham’s God without becoming Christians.

Through his recitations that became the Koran, Muhammad told all Arabs to believe “…what was revealed to Abraham and Ishmael, to Isaac and Jacob and the tribes, and what was given to Moses and Jesus and the prophets.” Muslims are to “…discriminate against none of them” (The Family of Imran 3:84). In actual practice, however, Muslims have done exactly what Jews and Christians have always done, with arrogant certainty. They “...draw a line between God and His apostles, saying: ‘We believe in some but deny others’....” The Koran warns everyone who draws such lines of “...a shameful punishment” (Women 4:150–151).

For a certainty, the miseries that have come from drawing those “lines” have proven to be an endless “punishment” for all human beings, everywhere, who have been persecuted and maimed in hateful religious arguments and wars.

Among non-Muslims, misunderstanding Muhammad is commonplace. And even today’s “extremist Muslims” misunderstand him, which, in itself, is nothing new! If people really understood the Prophets, we wouldn’t have the bloody miseries that monotheistic religions have incited throughout history.

Muhammad came to acquaint Arabs with Abraham’s “Lord God.” But, while doing so, he also corrected the severe errors made by the Hebrew and Christian clergies — errors that started the wars which now threaten to culminate in nuclear explosions.

First, he assured the Jews, the descendants of the Hebrews, that Jesus is the promised Messiah, though their clergy had officially denied it. Second, he denounced the Christian clergy’s proclamation of the Trinity, which identified Jesus as “God the Son.” Thus, Muhammad became the instant enemy of the Jewish and Christian clergies, who promptly pronounced him and his religion “frauds.” Through all the following centuries, Jews and Christians still embrace that ignorant summation of what has become the 2nd largest religion in the world and could soon overtake Christianity’s leading role.

All the while, Muhammad continues to tell us to believe in ALL the Prophets, whose revelations about God and the Ten Commandments, which He sent to guide all mankind, never contradict each other! It is the CLERGIES of the three religions who argue against each other, not the God-sent Prophets whose words are preserved in the Hebrew Scriptures, the Christian New Testament, and the Koran. We urgently need to listen to them, to gain their “combined” knowledge of God that could shake the terrorists’ conviction that they are the only “true believers” — a prideful concept they share with the “humble” Christians.

More for Ken and All Who Agree or Disagree With Him

2007-02-28T14:02:00.000-08:00

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Muhammad made plain that he was speaking of Abraham's God. Of course anyone can say he wasn't, but Muhammad clearly identified the Subject of his "discourse." And I repeat, he did not come to repeat what the Prophets had already said. He came, not only to awaken huge numbers of people to God, but to correct the errors of the Christian and Jewish clergies. Those still "uncorrected" errors have produced endless bloodshed for 2,000 years and are now preparing to fulfill the
prophecies of "gross darkness," which Malachi told us we
could only avoid if the "fathers and the children" turn
their hearts to each other (Mal. 3:24/4:6).

The "fathers" of monotheism are the Hebrews and their
descendants, the Jews. The "children" of monotheism are the
Christians and Muslims. But sadly, Ken, you epitomize the disdain
that the "children" have for each other and for
the "fathers,"--who, in turn, disdain the "childrens'" teachings.

BTW, when I quoted Jesus, I was not speaking of you
paying attention to Muhammad!!! I was clearly talking about
believing Malachi, as one of the Prophets, which Jesus called us foolishly “slow of heart” to believe.

As for your definition of a true prophet, I disagree. The
man who introduced God to millions of people who had rejected the Christian missionaries--the same man who founded the 2nd largest religion in the world, which could soon become the largest—fits my definition of a Prophet. You deny him; I don't; it’s as simple as that.

Your reference to Muhammad thinking his faith would
become "universal" is, as I see it, an expression of his
faith that someday everyone in the world will believe in
Abraham's Lord God and in "the Messiah Jesus." I do not doubt that will happen and I’d be surprised to hear that you doubt it. Sadly, the "fanatic Muslims" are now twisting Muhammad's "prediction" and using it as their reason to kill all "unbelievers," and to identify
those "unbelievers" as anyone who does not practice Islam
exactly as they do--which includes many of their fellow Muslims. To my mind, those fanatics are simply the "tools" that will fulfill the prophecies of darkness--which--I repeat again, we could avoid if we were wise enough to learn about God from ALL the Prophets, and thereby, turn our hearts to each other. Of course, it won't happen--the darkness will come--and Jesus will come--but only after indescribable misery on earth--because the "fathers" and the "children" would not
enlarge their understanding!

Although I certainly know people who fit your
description of those who have turned away from God, I also
know many people who have actually turned away from God
because they cannot accept Christianity's teachings that God
became "flesh." Unfortunately, Christian teachings are
all they know and care to know about religion!!! Or, they
simply cannot believe that a Divine Power would
allow the miseries we have always suffered. Of course, they
completely "miss" our need to learn through experience,
instead of being "robots," as they somewhat suggest
God should have made us, to spare us pain while we are
learning!

Now, getting back to specifics--where in the Scriptures
does a Prophet actually say that God is a Trinity??? If that
were true, it would not have taken the Church hundreds of
years to officially declare it! But I am curious about where
you have "read that into" our New Testament.

And, as a brief point, surely, having read some of the
Koran, you've read the "Mary" chapter, and therefore you know
that Muhammad honored her as a Virgin, the Mother of
the "Messiah Jesus," who "…does not disdain to be a servant of God" (Women 4:172).

There remains a real problem with all of our
Scriptures. It's impossible to know what was actually said
by the identified "authors" and what was added. All the
declarations in the world by "believers" that every word in
their own Scriptures is "true," does not prove it so! And,
the Koran is perhaps the most suspect of all--since it's
written form was based on so very many "notes" preserved in
all kinds of ways. But, again I repeat, I am not concerned
with the myriad "rules" for daily behavior declared by the
different religions ,or their "side stories," which--
especially in the Koran--breed hatred of others--stuff I
cannot believe Muhammad said because he honestly expected the Jews and Christians to embrace his "corrections" of their
clergies and join him. Instead of joining him--look what we have! Each
religion declaring that it alone is right and the others are
wrong--and the very real prospect of the manmade "gross darkness" that shall "cover the peoples" (Isa. 60:2), because all
the "right" religions will not even consider that there is
more they could learn from each other!

An Answer to Ken and other Catholics:

2007-02-27T13:21:00.000-08:00

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Because Blogspot does not permit me to copy the answer I posted on Ken's site (www.timeimmortal.net) onto mine, I'm making my reply it's own post. To "catch-up" with our on-going disscussion, I urge you to read the preceding post and it's comments, and then come back to this one.

Ken,
I am not inclined to answer your comments line by line, as you do mine, so I will simply comment on a few of your thoughts that “jumped out at me.”

First, Muhammad has introduced billions of people, who rejected Judaism and Christianity, to Abraham’s God. For you, and other Christians, to dismiss him and his religion as “frauds” has always astounded me! Evidently, pronouncing—and believing--yourselves right is far more important to you than the billions of people who learned about God without your help! Muhammad perceived Jesus as the Messiah, but not as “God incarnate,” and for you to belittle him because he disagrees with you and your church bespeaks the very “self-satisfaction” that repulses so many people and has actually turned them away from God. Granted, you are so content with your own knowledge that you don’t care about who rejects you, but your “deep down” contempt for others, in itself, brings your understanding into doubt! And while you glibly and arrogantly dismiss Malachi, who offered mankind a way to avoid the “darkness,” I remind you that Jesus cut to the quick of your problem in one sentence: “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!” (Luke 24:25).

Second, evidently you haven’t read the Koran carefully—since Muhammad spent more time than any Prophet that preceded him, discussing our omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent God. Muhammad did not come to simply repeat the teachings of Jesus or the Hebrew Prophets. He spoke to his desert-hardened people about their God in terms they could understand, and he succeeded in greatly enlarging monotheism’s ranks, without contradicting any of the Prophets! When you glibly dismiss him as “unnecessary,” you are exposing your ignorance of your God that loves all of His images and wants them to know Him!

And third, you have the arrogance to say that “Christians already know, or should already know, everything we need to know about what it means to be subject to God.” That one sentence, in itself, bespeaks such self-satisfaction that it is hard to imagine how on earth you explain the endless bigotry and persecution that so many “Christians” have engaged in, throughout history. I really feel that you—and all who agree with you--have lost touch with reality, in your surety that you and yours are right enough for everyone to embrace your understanding, alone. Thank God He has sent us wiser people than you and your ilk to speak of Him and the Messiah He promised to send us. You would be wise to listen to them, and enlarge your understanding. But then again, as you say, you already “know everything.” I wish you would become wise enough to learn more.

The Certainty of Fanatic Muslims

2007-02-23T10:27:00.000-08:00

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One of the numberless surveys conducted these days reports that 52% of the people in the western world (not just the U.S.) think the issue with Muslims is political and can be resolved peacefully; 29% think it is a religious problem.

I am part of the minority because diplomacy, whether conducted by Democrats or Republicans, can never settle the religious differences that are driving us toward disaster. If nothing changes, we’re going to have a nuclear war simply because:

1) The “fanatic Muslims” won’t care whether Republicans or Democrats run the United States! When they are ready, they WILL use nuclear weapons against “Islam’s enemies,” which they perceive as “God’s enemies.”

2) The “fanatic Muslims” will use those weapons because they devoutly believe they will be doing “God’s Will,” by cleansing the earth of “unbelievers.”

The dark, cold “nuclear winter” that will follow a “nuclear war” will fulfill the Biblical descriptions of a time when “…the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light” (Matt. 24:29); when “…darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the peoples” (Isa. 60:2).

If, however, you don’t believe in Prophets and prophecies, you certainly don’t have to think about them — until the darkness happens. Then, if you’ve survived, you’ll have plenty of time to think. Until then, go ahead and blame Republicans, Democrats, Muslims, Jews, Israel, Iran, Syria, or anyone else that strikes your fancy — except yourself! After all, what could you have done to prevent the war? Obviously, the “fanatic Muslims” have no right to expect you to alter your religious beliefs or unbelief. Besides, you have no reason to reconsider, much less discuss, your personal beliefs with anyone. You’re not forcing others to agree with you and you don’t want others to force you. You just want to live and let live, and you’re sure everyone should do the same.

Because, today, “everyone” doesn’t believe in “live and let live,” I’ll suggest what you could have done, so you can think about it in the darkness. You could have learned how to turn your heart to others, as the Prophet Malachi plainly said we must do, to avoid the darkness (Mal. 3:24/4:6). But, to honestly “turn your heart” to the “crazy Muslims,” you will first need to turn your heart to the One God revealed by ALL the Prophets of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. You’ll be desperately praying to Someone in the “gross darkness” — why not try learning about the God Who foretold it? If enough of us enlarged our understanding of Him, we wouldn’t have to suffer the darkness!

So, whether you’re a Democrat, Republican, or someone in another nation “rooting for” a particular political party to win control over the “dangerously aggressive” United States, it’s time to carefully question whatever you believe and disbelieve. Then, you could finally do what you’ve never done before: Learn from ALL the Prophets sent to enlighten and warn you. Their COMBINED teachings would greatly enlarge your understanding of the God Who, long ago, precisely told us what our stubborn ignorance would bring upon us! An enlarged understanding of Him would deprive the “fanatic Muslims” of their crucially-needed certainty that you are an “unbeliever.”

A Fulfilled Prophecy!

2007-02-15T10:23:00.000-08:00

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While visitors to this site are fruitlessly debating God’s “Name,” I think it’s a good time to turn our attention to the Power behind the Name, as the Prophets revealed Him.

Although Muhammad spoke of God as “Allah,” he never refuted any Prophets’ revelations about the One and Only “Lord God.” But, unlike his prophetic predecessors, Muhammad frequently discussed the omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence of the Creator. Most believers have yet to truly contemplate what it means in our daily lives to be subject to Someone possessing those awesome, almost unimaginable, powers.

For example, an “omniscient” God means that the God worshiped by Jews, Christians, and Muslims knew, from the start, that the Hebrews would end up disobeying Him, until they were driven out of their land. In fact, before the Hebrews had even entered the Promised Land, Moses, inspired by God, spoke of a time when they would be “...driven out to the farthest parts under heaven...” (Deut. 30:4). But Moses also revealed what would happen to them after they became “…an oath and an astonishment and a curse and a reproach” (Jer. 44:12) — a prophecy that human history unmistakably proves has been fulfilled! Moses assured them that God “...will have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where the Lord your God has scattered you” (Deut. 30:3). Then, they will become “…a name and a praise among all the peoples of the earth” (Zeph. 3:20).

Throughout history, uncountable people have reproached, cursed and killed Jews, even while they claimed to believe in the “Lord God,” “our Father,” “Allah the King.” Therefore, it would be wisdom for “believers” to stop arguing about God’s Name and start repairing the damage they’ve done to the persecuted people who will yet become “a name and a praise” among us, as the OMNISCIENT God foretold.

Granted, the clergies of Christianity and Islam have perverted the prophecies related to the Jews’ “resurrection,” to make their own religion foremost and their own members “a name and a praise.” But the OMNIPOTENT Creator has spoken, and nothing said or done by Christians and Muslims can alter His decree. So, no matter the Name we use to address Him, it is long past time for us to acknowledge His Powers, which apply to all of God's "children" and could better guide all of us than the manmade concepts that have ceaselessly bred hatreds in His Name--whatever you think that Name is!

A Name for God

2007-02-13T10:39:00.000-08:00

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Through the months, I’ve received occasional emails arguing, with surprising intensity, for or against the different “Names” assigned to God by Jews, Christians and Muslims. It finally dawned on me that some believers are missing an elementary point.

Through the Prophets of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, we are warned against praying in the name of any of the more than 2,000 “gods,” worshiped by mankind in ancient times. Each manmade idol was given its own name by the people who concocted it! So, every monotheistic Prophet, beginning with Abraham, has advised us to pray to the unseen, omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent “Lord God.” And all Jews, Christians and Muslims pray to Him, regardless of the precise Name their language assigns Him.

Granted, Jesus gave us permission to pray in his name, not because he was representing himself as God incarnate, but because he was sent by the Father as mankind’s Messiah. History proves that most human beings need a “human form” to envision and pray to — an invisible God is just too hard for many to mentally and emotionally embrace. So “the Messiah Jesus,” as Muhammad always identified him, helps all who need a human manifestation of Divine Power.

Of course, the Christians also began to pray to saints, but that’s part of their “mix-up” over God’s Identity. We can know the Lord God understands human weaknesses and confusion, since even humans can usually come to understand what causes their “mistakes!” But the intense persecution and suffering that Christians and Muslims have deliberately inflicted on persons who worship the same God, but differ in their religious practices -- beginning with as simple a subject as His Name -- is another story! Our merciful God might not wholly excuse hateful actions committed in any one of His Names!

Comments Prove My Point!

2007-02-06T10:30:00.000-08:00

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The title of my Monday post reads: Only Muslims Believe It! And the first line of the post begins: The Koran tells Muslims that someday the whole world will be Islamic….

So, of course, only Muslims believe it. But that doesn’t mean it’s wisdom on the world’s part to disbelieve it! Muhammad’s remark can simply mean that someday everyone will know his “Maker” and his “Messiah.”

But the readers’ Comments expressed on the post denote a dangerously narrow-minded view of Islam, the world’s second largest—and most rapidly growing—religion. The ugly remarks about Muslims reflect the very ignorance that I urge my readers to address and correct, by learning what ALL the Prophets revealed. If we will not learn now, we are, in effect, inviting a nuclear war, which will change the world as we have known it—the world we COULD peacefully change, simply by enlarging our understanding. If we need proof of our need to learn, the Comments provide it!

Only Muslims Believe It!

2007-02-05T09:55:00.000-08:00

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The Koran tells Muslims that someday the whole world will be Islamic, which can simply mean that someday everyone will know the Lord God of Abraham and “the Messiah Jesus” (as Muhammad identified mankind’s Messiah).

But Muhammad made clear that Jesus is NOT God; he is a “servant of God.” So, from the start, the Jews, obeying their clergy, scorned Muhammad for identifying Jesus as the Messiah. And the Christians, obeying their clergy, scorned Muhammad for denying that Jesus is “God the Son.”

The Religious War to establish Islam as the world’s only religion has already begun — but it often appears that only Muslims (and me) recognize it as a Religious War! Apparently, the rest of the world prefers to believe that some desperately poor people, recruited by evil-minded would-be “world rulers,” are perpetrating terrorist acts for material gain. Of course some individual terrorists are “out for what they can get.” But earthly riches are not the goal of the terrorists. And most Muslims know it, though, to be sure, not all Muslims support the terrorists. Still, all Muslims believe the world will someday be Islamic, so the vast majority are not willing to actively fight terrorism, since they cannot be certain it is not “God’s Will.”

While, today, only Muslims believe that Islam will someday be the world’s only religion, their belief does not automatically mean they are wrong! But it does mean that if enough people will enlarge their understanding of Abraham’s God, we could avoid the nuclear war that Muslim “extremists” are willing to start.

But now I urge you to take a moment to tell yourself the truth: No matter what you currently believe and disbelieve, after reading this, you’re not going to pursue an enlarged understanding of God, are you? Instead, you’re going to do what you’ve always done — browse other web sites until it’s time to work or feed the kids or shop or go to bed! That’s “living” in a reasonably peaceful society — until it stops being peaceful! Yet, I suspect you think you’ll have time to think about it, if your peace is actually disrupted! And I agree — by then you’ll have more time to think than you want — because you wouldn’t take the time to think about it now. In short, most people — including the extremist Muslims — are so set in their religious beliefs, I’m fighting a “lost cause,” when urging us to learn from ALL the Prophets. I wonder when I’ll believe it!

How We’ll Get to Setting the World on Fire

2007-01-22T11:23:00.000-08:00

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Today, in response to emails from visitors to my website and this blog, I’m providing some background for the on-going, never-ending religious arguments that are now threatening to set the world on fire.

Excerpt from Chapter 18 (“Of Promises and Previews”):

The Old Testament often speaks of the restoration of the Davidic kingdom in Israel, during the Messianic Age. At that time, God has promised to “...save My flock, and they shall no more be a prey...and I will set up one shepherd over them....” Then, “The nations also will know that I, the Lord, sanctify Israel...” (Ezek. 34:22–23, 37:28).

The Hebrew Prophets often spoke of that promised glorious kingdom, but they had little to say about the “one shepherd” of the kingdom. Evidently, they knew almost nothing about him, beyond the fact that out of Bethlehem “...shall one come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days....” “And he shall stand, and shall feed his flock...in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God...for then shall he be great unto the ends of the earth...” (Micah 5:1,3).

Thus, from early times, Judaism focused on the kingdom that will flourish in the Messianic Age, while Christianity and Islam focused on the “one shepherd” of that kingdom — of whom the Jews knew practically nothing. The trouble that came from those two related but separate subjects quickly surfaced.

The Jews, convinced that Christians and Muslims followed false prophets, paid no attention to their teachings about the coming “one shepherd”: “the Messiah, Jesus,” as Muhammad identified him. And the younger monotheistic families, each convinced it had supplanted the fathers of their faith, paid little or no attention to the promised sanctification of Israel in the Messianic Age. In fact, aside from acknowledging “the Messiah, Jesus,” the Koran doesn’t speak of that Age; its future concern is with “the Last Day,” the Judgment Day of mankind (The Family of Imran 3:114).

As it was in those early years, so it is today. Believers revere their own family’s messages, as their clerics interpret them, and they dismiss, as false or obsolete, all teachings that do not conform to their own. As long as each family’s shepherds aggrandize their own understanding of their own teachings and besmirch the others, they cannot “...turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers...,” as Malachi warned must happen, if the world is to be spared “utter destruction” (Mal. 3:24/4:6). Nor can bitterly divided and self-aggrandizing believers inspire unbelievers to turn to the God Who has promised to bless “all the families of the earth” through Abraham (Gen. 12:2–3).

A Note to Sara

2007-01-17T10:49:00.000-08:00

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Dear Sara and all who agree with her comments on my previous post "To Iran & Co."
I've decided to reply to Sara with a new post, because her comments are worthy of special attention.

I’m really glad you (Sara) “stumbled on” my blog and wrote me. Your comments are particularly thoughtful. My reference to “nuclear armed Muslims” is certainly not well phrased! And, to be sure, the same expression—-poor as it is-—could be applied to others as well. I could have better expressed myself had I used common
phrases such as “militant” or “extremist” Muslims.

I am actually speaking of those Muslims who sincerely believe it is now their “God-given duty” to cleanse the earth of infidels (unbelievers). They identify “infidels” as everyone who does not worship God as they do—-which includes many of their fellow Muslims. So, of course they don’t represent all Muslims. But they are deeply sincere in their beliefs and willing to use WMDs in their “holy mission.” That, in itself, differentiates them from other “nuclear armed” nations, at least for the present! So far, those nations are reserving nuclear arms for their own defense.

As for the President of Iran’s remark, which you believe is a “mistranslation”—-to the Jews in Israel and to a vast number of people elsewhere, “wiping Zionism off the map” means to destroy Israel. Again, it depends largely on what people “see” in words. You do not equate “Zionism” with “Israel,” but historically, many people always have.

In the same vein, I need to make clear that I am not stressing “a commonality in the message of peace between all three monotheistic religions.” I am urging people to listen to the teachings about God and the promised Messiah, as they were delivered by all the Prophets, from Abraham through Muhammad. Their messages reveal the omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent Creator of everything, far better than the individual religions do. If we are to avoid the nuclear war, which will descend upon us if we continue to pursue this very real Religious War that we’re only beginning to recognize, we need an enlarged understanding of the God that all three religions embrace. The clergies have turned believers against each other, in their effort to prove their own religion superior to all others; a better understanding of the God they all worship can turn their hearts to each other. The only way to gain that understanding is through the teachings of ALL the Prophets.

While you refer to this “war” as a political struggle, it is actually a Religious War, which could result in the fulfillment of precisely described ancient prophecies. If too many people deceive themselves into thinking this is all about “politics,” we will not even begin to enlarge our thinking about God—-which I suspect is what will really happen! But, I have to keep trying to awaken us to the real teachings of the Prophets, as long as I have the strength. If you, Sara, or others, don’t agree with what I’ve said, I certainly hope you express your thoughts—or any other thoughts you have on the subject.

Some Urgent “Talk” to Iran & Co. — In Less Than 500 Words

2007-01-15T11:37:00.000-08:00

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This message is primarily directed to all “peoples of the earth” who are preparing to arm themselves with weapons of mass destruction, so they can force everyone to worship God exactly as they do.

Through the Hebrew Prophet, Isaiah, the Almighty Lord God warned the world: “…behold, darkness shall cover the earth and gross darkness the peoples…(Isa. 60:2).

Much later, Jesus spoke of a time when: “…the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light…” (Matt. 24:29). And “...unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved.” But he immediately promised, “…those days will be shortened” (Matt. 24:22).

Today, we can strongly suspect that those prophesied days of “gross darkness” could be the aftermath of a full-scale nuclear war, when mushrooming smoke would deprive the earth of sunlight and moonlight, and a “nuclear winter” would envelop the world.

Yet, the Hebrew Scriptures also tell us that we do not have to endure “those days.” According to the Prophet Malachi, the Lord God has promised: “Behold I will send you Elijah the Prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. And he will turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers; lest I come and smite the land with utter destruction” (Mal. 3:24/4:6).

The “fathers” of monotheism were the Hebrews and their descendants, the Jews. The “children” of monotheism are the Christians and Muslims. Moreover, we’re told that all human beings, regardless of their religious beliefs or unbelief, are the “children” of the Lord God revealed by the Prophets. And unless something happens that will “turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers,” nuclear armed Muslims could soon act to fulfill the worst of all prophecies. Or, as the leader of Iran recently described their intentions: they will “wipe Israel (the land of the fathers) off the map.” And, ultimately, “darkness shall cover the earth.”

To be sure, the “something” that could “happen,” to spare us a nuclear winter, would be Elijah’s arrival. But, in this worldwide age of religious cynicism and “know it all intellectualism,” too many people might easily fail to recognize him and heed his teachings. So, it could immeasurably help us, if we prepare to better understand Elijah by enlarging our knowledge of the Prophets’ teachings.

To enlarge our knowledge, we only need to listen to the COMBINED teachings of ALL the Prophets, from Abraham through Muhammad. TOGETHER, they revealed the Lord God and the Messiah He promised to send us, without once contradicting each other! But that means, we must listen to the PROPHETS instead of the CLERGIES of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, who have never ceased contradicting each other, in their arrogant crusade to declare their own understanding “right” and all others “false or obsolete!”

I'm right!

2007-01-07T10:52:00.000-08:00

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My somewhat sarcastic review of our “human situation,” which I posted on New Year’s Day, elicited some comments about how "right" I am! So, I think I need to express some “kindness and gentleness”— which are as much a part of my “philosophy” as my sarcastic complaints.

For instance, there’s practically nothing that we human beings can actually do to change a world overflowing with contempt for other people’s religious beliefs, or their skin color, or their nationality, or whatever else people like to scorn. They are all very, very ancient “hatreds” that nothing I say will substantially lessen. We are, for the moment, here together on earth, and we argue with each other over any opinion that differs from our own — or we abstain from forming opinions — or we abstain from voicing them — or we only seek the company of people who agree with us. And my pleading with people to enlarge their religious understanding, before we engage in a nuclear war, will go “nowhere.” But the truth is, even while I labored for a decade to write a book combining the teachings of all the Prophets, I never thought my effort would make any difference — and sadly — I’m right!

Plain and Simple Ignorance for the New Year

2007-01-01T11:19:00.000-08:00

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This message was inspired by those persons who are currently "blaming" today’s terrorism on the “poor” who are simply “protesting their poverty!”

In actual fact, we are experiencing the opening battles of a Religious War, conducted by devout Muslims who sincerely believe it is their “God-given duty” to cleanse the earth of “unbelievers” or “infidels.” They define “infidels” as everyone who does not join in their practice of Islam — a definition that even includes some of their fellow Muslims. So, today’s terrorism has nothing do with the material possessions of anyone, anywhere!

What is “good” about today’s Religious War rests in the fact that it will probably be the last Religious War humankind will have to endure. What’s “bad” about it is it will probably be the last Religious War, because it will be fought with weapons of mass destruction. But it will be a “democratic” war, because it will include everyone in the world, regardless of their beliefs. To explain:

If you are an agnostic or an atheist, you’ll suffer the horrendous effects of a nuclear war, which, in your ignorance, you were utterly incapable of stopping.

If you are a believer in gods other than the Lord God of Abraham, you’ll be as useless as the agnostics and atheists.

But if you are a Jew, Christian, or Muslim, you’ll play a major role, even if you say and do nothing besides cling to your own beliefs, because you know they are “the truth as best man can know it.” As a “true believer,” you will not even consider enlarging your understanding of the God you worship, by learning from ALL the Prophets of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Instead, you’ll cling to the “truth,” as your clergy declares it, while the war escalates, until the whole world is enveloped in the “gross darkness” foretold in the Hebrew Scriptures (Isaiah 60:2).

As a Jew, Christian or Muslim, how “devout” you will be, for making the worst of all prophecies come true! Of course, as a Christian or Muslim, you can also believe that the God of all humankind only loves you and your kind. (At least the Jews you scorn have never displayed that arrogance!) So, as a Christian, you might think that being a “devout hypocrite” is going to entitle you to be “whisked away” and spared the misery you’ve caused others. Or, as a Muslim, you can think your concept of a narrow-minded god, who only loves you and yours, will get you straight into heaven. But, as the Prophets made clear, you’ll have plenty of time to contemplate your ignorance in the "gross darkness" of a nuclear winter.

All the while, this could be our last chance to learn more about God, while the sun still shines. Or, in your plain and simple ignorance, you can refuse to listen to Messengers that aren’t “your own,” or to Messengers that you know “never really existed,” or to the written teachings you “know” have been “changed,” though you haven’t a single piece of proof. By rejecting at least some of the Prophets, you will help the world get to suffer the prophesied nuclear winter — which is one way to learn that the Prophets told us the truth!

Another Year of Nothingness

2006-12-31T12:28:00.000-08:00

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I suppose another year of people killing each other in God’s Name was not actual “nothingness,” but it was not “something worthy,” which means 2006 could be seen as another “nothing” year.

Of course, I’m wishing for an enlargement of our religious understanding in the coming year. But, if I don’t sound enthusiastic about it, I suspect the reason is obvious. I’d have to be an absolute dreamer to anticipate our religious “makeover,” and while I’ve “dreamed” through all these years that perhaps, someday, people will “catch on,” I’ve never been convinced it will happen! Still, if the Lord God does not inspire us to improve our understanding, then He must be willing to let us envelop the earth in the “gross darkness” (Isaiah 60:2) of a nuclear winter, and I must accept that. It’s just that I have to keep trying to awaken us, in the hope that just maybe………………….

In the meantime, I do want to call attention to the web site: www.bismikaallahuma.org. I’ve been talking to some pleasantly argumentative Muslims there, on a post titled: The Soul of Hajj. Originally, I posted my comment there about Muslims transforming the world if they believed Muhammad, and I’ve received some interesting responses. Not that anyone has encouraged my ideas!! But they have been courteous and informative and that is refreshing. So, I suggest you try the site and I wish the world a wiser New Year.

Christians and Muslims: Two Peas in a Pod

2006-12-22T13:10:00.000-08:00

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During one of Muhammad’s personal conversations, preserved by his Companions, he revealed his accurate perception of the future. Muhammad warned his people that they would follow the same degenerate path tread by Christians and Jews: “Ye will follow them that were before you span by span and cubit by cubit until if they went down the hole of a poisonous reptile ye would follow them down.” (“Muhammad, his life based on the earliest sources”, Martin Lings.)

In keeping with Muhammad’s prediction, Christians and Muslims share a history of poisonous pride and deadly arrogance. For example, they’ve each proclaimed themselves “the only true believers” on earth; they’ve repeatedly engaged in Religious Wars to destroy each other; they’ve persecuted “outsiders” who resist their Christian or Muslim “saviors”; and most certainly, they each anticipate their own exclusivity in Heaven! (The list could include far more historical parallels, and if you’d like to mention them, please do.)

Actually, the Hebrews, as the first monotheists, were the first to behave in ways that bore no resemblance to their Prophets’ teachings. For instance, more than a few Hebrew kings openly practiced idolatry, and many Israelites welcomed those kings. Under their reign, people were free to worship the gods of Syria, which were known to enjoy watching humans mate on hilltops! Such “heathen” practices eventually got the Jews expelled from their promised Holy Land. Ever since, the Jews have worshiped God, Alone, firmly believing, as Moses said, that He will forgive them and fulfill His promises to them. Among the unfulfilled promises is the seldom mentioned prophecy that someday the Jews will become “…a name and praise among all the peoples of the earth” (Zeph. 3:20), the same “peoples” who have arrogantly scorned the exiled Jews!

Shortly after the Jews’ exile, Christians began to argue about their own religious leaders and rules. But, when Christians strongly disagreed, they divided into sects that killed each other — as some were still doing in recent history, even as Muslim sects are still killing each other. Moreover, from early in their mutual history, Christians and Muslims engaged in crusades to conquer the Holy Land, which they each arrogantly proclaimed was theirs, alone!

In more recent history, uncountable Christians were supporters of the Nazi Holocaust, to eradicate Jews and other “inferior people” — a most “unChristian” endeavor, strongly supported by uncountable Muslims. And today, “militant Muslims” are determined to “drive the Jews into the sea,” or “wipe Israel off the map,” as the current ruler of Iran likes to describe his goal.

Through the Koran, Muhammad tells Muslims who are wise enough to listen: “...men have divided themselves into factions, each rejoicing in its own doctrines. Leave them in their error…” (The Believers 23:53–54), and wait for God to “…judge their disputes on the day of resurrection” (The Cow 2:113). Moreover, Muhammad reminds believers “…to endure with fortitude and to forgive is a duty incumbent on all” (Counsel 42:43).

Obviously, countless Muslims haven’t followed Muhammad’s teachings, any more than countless Christians have “turned the other cheek” to their “evil” enemies (Matt. 5:39). But, ironically, the Jews have constantly “turned the other cheek” to their persecutors and some have even expressed forgiveness of them, while they’ve silently refrained from arguing with Christians and Muslims and have never been known to kill their fellow Jews whose religious practices differ from their own. So, it can be said that the Jews practice Christianity and Islam, while Christians and Muslims appear to be two peas in a pod!

If Muslims Believed Muhammad,They Could Transform the World

2006-12-14T09:51:00.000-08:00

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Through the Koran, Muhammad tells Muslims to "Say: We believe in God and what was revealed to Abraham and Ishmael, to Isaac and Jacob and the tribes, and what was given to Moses and Jesus and the prophets. We discriminate against none of them" (The Family of Imran 3:84).

Another time, Muhammad warns Muslims against drawing “…a line between God and His apostles, saying: 'We believe in some but deny others....’" (Women 4:150).

About 3,400 years ago, before the Hebrews had even entered the "Promised Land," Moses warned his people of a future day, when they would be "…driven out [of the Land] to the farthest parts under heaven…" (Deut. 30:4). But Moses also assured the Israelites that God "...will have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where the Lord your God has scattered you" (Deut. 30:3).

If, today, Muslims truly believed Muhammad, they would believe "what was given to Moses." And they would rejoice in the resurrection of Israel as Moses foretold. Instead, countless Muslims, "believe in some [prophets] but deny others," while they prepare to "wipe Israel off the map.”

In other words, if Muslims believed the Prophets who preceded Muhammad and drew no “line” between them, they would humbly admit to God and the world, "We have been wrong to fight against Israel." And an astonished world would behold Israel's deadly enemies evidencing incredible faith, unmatched by Jews and Christians throughout their bloody history!

If militant Muslims and their supporters renounced their ignorant rejection of Israel and transformed themselves into peaceful believers in Abraham’s God, astounded Jews and Christians would be hard-pressed to renounce their own ignorant dismissal of Muhammad as a “false prophet” and Islam as a “false religion.”

Then, Jews and Christians, following the Muslims’ unique example, could finally abandon their own erroneous manmade teachings about “the Messiah Jesus” (Women 4:171) and embrace Muhammad’s messages about him, which Jews and Christians have always scorned — the very messages that could create peace among all “believers.”

If Muslims believed Muhammad….

The Colors of Hate

2006-12-07T10:11:00.000-08:00

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We’re told that Iran is now preparing to enlarge the Nazis’ “dress code for Jews,” by ordering Jews to wear a yellow stripe on the front of their clothes while Christians wear a red badge and Zoroastrians display a blue cloth. That is one colorful prelude for a nuclear war that will envelop the world in “gross darkness” (Isa. 60:2).

I suppose some Muslims agree with the Iranian government’s desire to identify and thereby “protect” Muslims from interacting with “infidels,” through a rainbow of colors on their streets. But I’m sure not all Muslims approve, which means the rest of us have yet another way to differentiate between “friendly” Muslims and “hateful” ones — an impossible task that will cause even more personal misery to all involved.

Still, while the United States is trying to eliminate its own “white, black, brown, yellow and red” skin prejudices, Iran is ready to bring us an enlarged and colorful display of superiority, based on religious beliefs. What a preoccupation with color hatreds embrace! But when the prophesied “darkness” envelops the world, because too many people refused to enlarge their own understanding of God, no one will be able to see skin colors or cloth badges, to identify who is inferior! And I suspect that all who survive will be grateful for the sound of any human voices, without thought of anyone’s “color.”

The Script for World War III

2006-12-01T10:25:00.000-08:00

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Some people are already speaking of the current "war against terrorism" as our “third World War.” But those who lived through the Second World War know that combating today’s armed terrorists, scattered throughout the world, drastically differs from fighting national armies. Yet, dead is dead, in large or small battles, and the script for a “more traditional” World War has finally been unveiled by Iran.

We’ve now been told that when the Iranian armed forces are ready and able, they will attack Israel with the intention of utterly destroying it. That attack will serve as the opening salvo of an unmistakable “Third World War,” which will undoubtedly include the use of weapons of mass destruction. A “nuclear war” would ultimately deprive the world of sunlight and moonlight, and “darkness shall cover the earth,” as the Prophet Isaiah foretold (Isa. 60:2).

So, Iran has given us the script for the fulfillment of prophecies, though, until it happens, the opening cast and the opening acts could change. But that doesn’t mean the War won’t happen! It must erupt, as long as there are believers in the One and Only Lord God who “draw lines” between the Prophets, believing some and rejecting others, exactly as Muhammad warned Muslims, and all believers, NOT to do (Women 4:150)!

For example, many Muslims and even some Christian sects do not believe the Prophets who foretold the resurrection of Israel by the Jews, the descendants of the Biblical Hebrews. So, some people, somewhere, are going to start the war that ends in “gross darkness,” simply because Jews, Christians, and Muslims are each absolutely convinced that their “family,” alone, knows the absolute truth about an omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent Power. Moreover, each “family” knows that everyone who does not believe as they do is just plain wrong! That’s a “fitting philosophy” for a nuclear war, since it gets right down to the “nucleus” of religious belief and behavior: “I’m right; you’re wrong. Believe it or I’ll kill you.”

And while skeptics and heathens might finally be recognizing that their existence is severely threatened by “believers,” they won’t even try to enlarge their own understanding and thereby influence the beliefs that are preparing to end the world as we have known it! Why should they, when they “know” they’re more right than any monotheist? So, a whole world of “right” people are going to set the world on fire — and prove the Prophets right, which is not, in itself, wrong for them to do. But all that horror just isn’t necessary — as the Prophet Malachi explained (Mal. 3;24/4:6), if we had the intelligence to turn our ears and our hearts to ALL the Prophets!

The Resurrection of Palestine

2006-11-23T09:28:00.000-08:00

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The Columbia Encyclopedia tells us that the word, “Palestine,” comes from the word “Philistine.” When the Philistines moved to the land of Canaan, they settled along the Mediterranean coast, in the area we now call the “Gaza Strip.” The Philistines were an exceptionally united people. They built five major cities, including Gaza, and created a powerful federation. As testimony to their strength, the whole region became known as “Palestine.”

More than 3,000 years ago, a people known as “Hebrew Israelites” conquered Canaan/Palestine, and renamed the land “Israel.” As a tiny nation that worshiped One invisible God, the Hebrew society's values and customs differed from its neighbor nations that worshiped more than 2,000 visible gods. Still, for all its uniquness,Israel survived for over 1,000 years.

Through the Hebrews, the world received the Ten Commandments, which tell men to love God and to “...love your neighbor as yourself...” (Deut. 6:5; Lev. 19:18). If, tomorrow, every human being suddenly began to “love” his neighbors the world over — and, therefore, refrain from doing to anyone what he would not want done to himself —the world as we have made it would instantly change. Yet, it’s hard for us to even imagine that loving world, much less imagine it materializing tomorrow! Nevertheless, if you are among the persons who say, “People will never change” or “The world will always be the same,” you’re forgetting that we can now wreak the prophesied “utter destruction” (Mal. 3:24/4:6) on our world! You’re also totally dismissing the Messiah who, we’re promised, will reign over a world thoroughly cleansed of man’s hateful doings.

Before the Hebrews had even entered Canaan/Palestine, Moses spoke of a time when God would grow weary of their continual disobedience, and they would be “...driven out [of the land] to the farthest parts under heaven...” (Deut. 30:4). Then, they would become “…an oath and an astonishment and a curse and a reproach” (Jer. 44:12), a prophecy we’ve definitely seen fulfilled! But Moses also assured the Hebrews that eventually God “...will have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where the Lord your God has scattered you” (Deut. 30:3). After that, they will become “…a name and a praise among all the peoples of the earth” (Zeph. 3:20) — a prophecy we have yet to witness!

Atheists who, with arrogant certainty, dismiss the Prophets as liars or dupes can deeply offend believers. But people who call themselves “believers,” while arrogantly annulling God’s unwelcome messages about Israel's restoration, could be even more offensive to God. For, as Muhammad told us, “...who is more wicked than he who gives no heed to the revelations of his Lord when reminded of them?” (Adoration 32:22).

The Prophet, Isaiah, warned, “Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!” (Isa. 5:21). Muhammad explained, “They draw a line between God and His apostles, saying, ‘We believe in some but deny others.’” And Jesus cut to the quick of our problem in one sentence: “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!” (Luke 24:25).

The Hebrew Scriptures foretold ancient Israel’s eviction, and the same Scriptures promised that someday Israel would be resurrected. No where on earth does a single line of any religion’s Scripture foretell the resurrection of a nation called Palestine!

A “Catch Up” Session

2006-11-17T10:03:00.000-08:00

Today, to help new visitors quickly understand what I’m “getting at,” I’ll summarize some previous posts, beginning with my first entry:

“Let’s Hear It From the Koran”
When Islam emerged as the third monotheistic religion, Muslims, obeying Muhammad, became dedicated to reducing the number of “unbelievers” in the world, by peacefully introducing Islam to idolaters — or by killing them if they broke their peace treaties. Today, “extremist” Muslims devoutly believe it is time to cleanse the earth of all unbelievers. And they now identify “unbelievers,” or “infidels,” as everyone who does not strictly adhere to their particular “version” of Islam, an identification that includes all Jews, Christians, heathens, skeptics and even some of their fellow Muslims.
***
To Begin With, We Must Choose our Weapons
During the war in Afghanistan, some Muslim extremists left a message for everyone, everywhere, on a blackboard in a school where they had trained. They warned us: “We will continue our jihad until the end of the world.”

Because the extremists sincerely believe that God is “with them” in their jihad,their "struggle", to convert or destroy all infidels, they will use whatever weapons they must to accomplish their goal. Therefore, they WILL use nuclear weapons, if needed and when they are able, even if those weapons will ultimately destroy the world as we have known it. After all, they perceive the destruction of today’s “degenerate” world to be their “holy duty,” which they must accomplish one way or another. So, the rest of the world’s population must now “choose their weapons.”

We could try to eradicate an ever-growing coalition of religious fanatics, scattered anonymously throughout the world, by using the conventional tactics and weapons of war. But, to succeed, we’d have to identify and destroy all of them before some of them acquire the nuclear weapons they are willing to use! That method doesn’t look promising.

Or, we can use nuclear weapons against nations that support the extremists, while desperately hoping we won’t destroy the world in our frantic effort to keep them from doing it!

OR, in this time of unprecedented danger, the world can answer the religious fanatics with an unprecedented understanding of religious teachings!
***
What Am I Doing?
In effect, I am telling the clerics of Judaism, Christianity and Islam that their divisive interpretations of their own Holy Scriptures have incited every Religious War throughout monotheism’s history, including today’s “Holy War.” All the while, the teachings of the Prophets, themselves, provide a unified knowledge.

The Prophets of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, whose messages are preserved in the Hebrew Scriptures, the Christian Bible and the Koran, provided knowledge of the Lord God of Abraham and the Messiah He promised to send us. The combined teachings of all three Books could greatly enlarge our understanding of our omnisicient, omnipotent, omnipresent Creator. But the clerics of each religion have never combined those teachings. Instead, they’ve each interpreted their own Prophets’ messages and declared their interpretations, alone, to be “the truth, as best man can know it.” The “truth,” however, as the clerics see it, has only managed to persuade Jews, who traditionally believe in a coming Messiah, to reject Jesus as the Messiah, which makes Christians hate Jews, which convinces Muslims that Islam has supplanted both religions, which incites Jews and Christians to hate Muslims!
***
The Coming War, Part II
Ironically, the essence of monotheism’s never-ending argument is concisely expressed in two of Muhammad’s teachings. First, Muhammad denounced the Jews for denying “the Messiah, Jesus.” Second, Muhammad 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).

Jews and Christians have not only argued over the Messiah’s identity, they have despised 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. Forever after, both the Jews and the Christians, each for their own reasons, have imperiously dismissed Muhammad and his religion as “frauds.” And forever after, the Muslims have hated Jews and Christians.
***
Of Course I’m Dreaming
The Prophets described a world bathed in “...blood and fire and pillars of smoke...” (Joel 2:30); a time when “...the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light...” (Matt. 24:29); when “...darkness shall cover the earth and gross darkness the peoples...” (Isa. 60:2). In other words, a time we can now recognize as the “nuclear winter” that scientists tell us would follow a nuclear war.

But the Prophet Malachi offered a “way out.” He told us that if “the fathers” and “the children” turn their hearts to each other, God will not “…smite the land with utter destruction” (Mal. 3:23-24/4:5-6.) The “fathers” of monotheism are the Hebrews and their descendants, the Jews. The “children” of monotheism are the Christians and Muslims.

Yet, deliverance from a nuclear holocaust does not have to depend solely on the proud, self-satisfied “fathers” and “children” of monotheism. If enough skeptics and heathens would acknowledge the looming fulfillment of monotheism’s most horrifying prophecies, they would reconsider their total rejection of the Prophets. If, then, they embraced the God Who precisely foretold what could now befall us, their “conversion” would severely shake the self-satisfaction of the “know-it-all” believers of all three religions — including the “fanatic” Muslims!

Muslim extremists are not ignorant, unthinking people! They sincerely believe it is time for the world, as we have made it, to end. And they could be right.

The Prophets spoke of an “end of days,” but we have no reason to believe the world will physically end, since there are also glorious prophecies of God’s “kingdom” on earth. So, we can reasonably anticipate the end of the hate-filled “days” we have known throughout human history. And it now appears it could be the “hateful Muslim fanatics” attacking the “hateful Christians and Jews” who will bring on “the end!” Yet, we’re also told we can end these days without horrific destruction — and I dream of that happening, though my common sense tells me it won’t! Still, I’d rather dream of awakening us than sit idly and watch it happen.

To the 12 Students Who Are “Willing”:

2006-11-12T12:04:00.000-08:00

A commentator on my last post, speaking for “12 students” of Christianity, didn’t leave a name. But I’m hoping those students epitomize many students of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, in their willingness to listen to what all the Prophets tell us about God!

To be sure, I realize that those “12” are probably more unique than typical of “believers.” But I’m sort of hoping the students are young! Lately, I find myself “wishing” for youth to hear me, because, too often when I speak of a nuclear war and its winter aftermath to “older people,” especially my fellow “seniors,” they don’t want to even think of the war that could be coming. Youth must be more realistic — and even the “middle-aged,” since they know it could really happen to them. We “seniors” like to believe we won’t be here to endure it!

In truth, every single one of us urgently needs an understanding of the Muslim “fanatics” and the “Holy War” they believe they must wage against we “infidels,” as the extremists describe everyone who does not embrace their faith. But the word, "Islam," means “submission to God,” and in one way or another, billions of people try to lovingly ”submit” to Him, regardless of the Name they use for Him and their particular religion. So, I’ll keep on dreaming that the young, the “in between,” and even the old will not be afraid to learn about God from all the Prophets. We have nothing to lose by trying to improve our understanding, except a little of our time, which, after all, isn’t ours to keep anyway!

Of Course I’m Dreaming!

2006-11-10T09:30:00.000-08:00

In a comment on my last post, a fellow blogger, Daniel Morgan, (see my Links) said that if I really think I can make people “…be more inclusive in their religious views…you're dreaming.”

Yes, for years I’ve “dreamed” that enough people will enlarge their understanding of God and His messages, by believing all the Prophets of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. By so doing, we could avoid the fulfillment of the most dreaded prophecies.

For example, the Prophets foretold a world bathed in “...blood and fire and pillars of smoke...” (Joel 2:30); of a time when “...the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light...” (Matt. 24:29); when “...darkness shall cover the earth and gross darkness the peoples...” (Isa. 60:2). In other words, the time of the “nuclear winter” that scientists tell us would follow a nuclear war.

But the Prophet Malachi offered us a “way out.” He told us that if “the fathers” and “the children” turn their hearts to each other, God will not “…smite the land with utter destruction” (Mal.3:23-24/4:5-6.) The “fathers” of monotheism are the Hebrews and their descendants, the Jews. The “children” of monotheism are the Christians and Muslims.

Although some clerical interpretations of the Hebrew, Christian and Muslim Scriptures have divided believers and driven them to kill each other, the Prophets’ combined messages can inspire our urgently needed “change of heart.” Some Prophets, however, each in his own way, appear to say that the world will definitely suffer a “...great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matt. 24:21). That ominous prophecy implies that too many believers will ignore Malachi’s advice and refuse to turn their hearts to the persons they “know” should be hated!

But it isn’t only current “believers” that could help. If enough skeptics and heathens would acknowledge the pending fulfillment of monotheism’s most horrifying prophecies, they could reconsider their total rejection of the Prophets. If, then, they embraced the God Who precisely foretold what could now befall us, their “conversion” would shake the self-satisfaction of the “know-it-all” believers of all three religions — including the “fanatic” Muslims!

Muslim extremists are not ignorant, unthinking people, blindly obeying their clerics! They sincerely believe it is time for them to cleanse the earth of “unbelievers,” and thereby end the world as we have made it. Therefore, they consider it their God-given duty to do whatever is needed to make the world “Islamic,” which includes the use of nuclear weapons. And, in a sense, they could be right!

Certainly, the Prophets spoke of an “end of days,” (Dan. 10:14; Isa.2:2), which does not mean the world will end, but we will be done with the hate-filled “days” we have known throughout human history. It now appears that it could be the Muslim fanatics who will bring it on! But we can end these days without horrific destruction — and I dream of that happening, though my common sense tells me it won’t. Still, I’d rather “dream” of awakening us than sit idly and watch it happen.

2006-11-08T10:39:00.000-08:00

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I'm taking a moment to digress from my "theme," to suggest that visitors to this site take a peek at the sites I've listed as Links. The Links represent a very diverse group of "bloggers," presenting all manner of opinions very opposite mine! I believe if you'll thoughtfully read them, you could find that I am approaching our very real and urgent world crisis with ideas that are extremely unique--which is what we must have in this unique time in human history!

Never before have humans been threatened by a worldwide "nuclear war," and all the chaos it will produce. We need to "get smarter" about the God Who explicitly warned us of this time, through the Hebrew Prophets, who also told us how to avoid the destruction. You have nothing to lose by contemplating the subject except a little of your time--which, after all, isn't yours to keep anyway! And which, after all, may not last much longer if we won't learn enough to persuade the "Muslim fanatics" to rethink their own beliefs.

Monotheism in a Small Nutshell

2006-11-06T11:57:00.000-08:00

To counter the extremist beliefs of today’s “religious terrorists,” we need the wisdom and courage to improve our own religious understanding. To accomplish that, we first need to recall some elementary historical facts.

The Hebrew Prophets delivered messages to their tribesmen, which they tell us came from the One and Only unseen but omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent “Lord God,” introduced by a man named Abraham. But the Hebrews were never instructed to seek converts to their faith among their heathen neighbors, who avidly worshipped more than 2,000 “visible” gods. So, Abraham’s unseen God was scarcely noticed by anyone outside the tiny Hebrew nation of Israel.

Around 1400 years after Moses delivered the laws that still govern the Hebrews, the Christians emerged from among Israel’s small population. Unlike the Hebrews, the Christians were distinctly told to “spread the word,” and, ever since, they have never ceased to reveal God to an attentive worldwide audience. The early Christians not only succeeded in converting uncountable heathens to a belief in One God, they also introduced mankind’s Messiah, a “visible Being,” to whom the heathens, accustomed to worshiping visible gods, could readily relate.

About six hundred years later, Muhammad did for his tribesmen in Arabia, what the Christian missionaries could not accomplish there. He persuaded numberless heathens, who had completely rejected Christianity’s messages, to believe in Abraham’s “Lord God.” But, while delivering the messages that became the Koran, Muhammad chastised both the Jews and the Christians for their erroneous interpretations of their own Sacred Writings. In short, he unequivocally refuted the divisive teachings that still incite Jews and Christians to scorn and hate each other.

Specifically, Muhammad’s messages established the absolute validity of the “Messiah Jesus.” And he clearly rebuked Judaism’s clergy for rejecting Jesus as the fulfillment of the Hebrew’s traditional belief in a coming Messiah. But, Muhammad also rebuked Christianity’s clergy, which, by Muhammad’s time, had long since officially identified Jesus as the Second Member of a Holy Trinity,“God, the Son.” That “title” still disgusts Jews and Muslims, who remain solely dedicated to the One and Only, invisible “Lord God” of Abraham. In reality, throughout Christianity’s history onto today, some people who identify themselves as “Christians” reject the concept of Jesus as “God Incarnate” and acknowledge him solely as the world’s promised Messiah, recognized by the first Christians, before their clergy “enlarged” his identity, centuries later.

In those few paragraphs, we have the most essential messages of the three religions. So, everyone who believes in Abraham’s Lord God, and believes that Jesus is mankind’s Messiah, and believes that “the Messiah does not disdain to be a servant of God” (Women 4:172), as Muhammad described Jesus, is essentially a Jew, Christian and Muslim, though they might not acknowledge it! But, their religions “practices” can differentiate them from their fellow believers, if that’s important to them! We’ll discuss some of those religious practices next time.

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To Begin With, We Must Choose our Weapons

2006-11-02T11:37:00.000-08:00

In the beginning, there was the World Trade Center horror. Then came the war in Afghanistan. During that war, some Muslim “fanatics” left a message for everyone, everywhere, on a blackboard in a school where they had trained. They warned us: “We will continue our jihad until the end of the world.”

If you are wise, you will believe they mean what they said! Phrases in the Koran tell us that someday everyone in the world will be a “Muslim.” The word “Muslim” means “one who submits” to God’s Will. Therefore, Muhammad’s words in the Koran can simply mean that someday everyone in the world will believe in and submit to the Lord God of Abraham. But, to the “fanatical” sect of Muslims, it means that everyone in the world will worship God exactly as they do. Today, that rapidly growing sect honestly believes it is their God-given duty to establish an “Islamic world.” To do so, they must cleanse the earth of infidels. They define “infidels” as everyone who does not worship God as they do, which includes Jews, Christians, and even some of their fellow Muslims.

Because the fanatics sincerely believe that God is “with them” in their “Holy War” to convert or destroy His “enemies,” they will use whatever weapons are needed to accomplish their goal. Therefore, they WILL use nuclear weapons, when they are ready and able, even if those weapons would ultimately destroy the world as we have known it. After all, destruction of today’s world, one way or another, is their “sacred goal.”

So, the rest of the world’s population now has to “choose their weapons!” We can try to kill an ever-increasing horde of religious fanatics, scattered throughout the world, by using the conventional tactics and weapons of war, in the hope we can destroy enough of them to end their threat BEFORE they acquire the nuclear weapons they are willing to use. But, killing fanatics who are sincerely eager to die in “God’s cause” will definitely breed more fanatics seeking to become martyrs.

Or, we can fight them with nuclear weapons, wherever we can find them, before they can retaliate in kind, while hoping we don’t destroy the world in our frantic effort to keep them from doing it.

OR, the world can answer their thinking with new, improved ideas!
In my next post, we’ll begin to examine the “new, improved” thinking that could actually persuade the fanatics to rethink their own beliefs!

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Correcting an Omission!

2006-10-31T11:09:00.000-08:00

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

2006-10-30T12:41:00.000-08:00

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!

2006-10-29T11:10:00.000-08:00

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

2006-10-27T09:01:00.000-07:00

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.

2006-10-25T12:08:00.000-07:00

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

2006-10-17T10:51:00.000-07:00

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!

2006-10-15T11:16:00.000-07:00

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!

2006-10-12T12:21:00.000-07:00

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

2006-10-10T11:16:00.000-07:00

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!

2006-10-08T13:25:00.000-07:00

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

2006-10-06T13:42:00.000-07:00

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?

2006-10-04T11:10:00.000-07:00

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

2006-10-01T12:03:00.000-07:00

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!

2006-09-29T11:27:00.000-07:00

Inspirations and Creative Thoughts: Debunking Pope Benedict's speech on Islam and Prophet Muhammad

2006-09-29T10:14:00.000-07:00

Answers!

Even while prominent people are telling the world that we must fight the "Muslim extremists" with new "ideas," not military weapons, we hear nothing new being discussed! For instance, I ended the previous entry with two questions, but I haven’t received any answers. The questions were: After all these centuries, are we ready to learn from ALL the Prophets? Or are we only ready to kill each other on a large enough scale to wipe out our past?

I suspect that most people, whether they are Muslims, Christians, Jews, members of heathen religions, agnostics or atheists, won’t even consider enlarging their own beliefs, much less altering their negative opinions of other beliefs! And that reaction to the "new idea" of "learning from all the Prophets" makes the answer to the 2nd question an emphatic YES, whether people would actually express it aloud or not. In short, if we won’t enlarge the beliefs that have always made people hate and kill each other, sooner or later, the narrow beliefs we cherish are going to erupt in a nuclear war.

It amazes me to hear people in the United States casually talking about how nuclear weapons are bound to be used "over there, one of these days." They speak as though "over there" has nothing to do with them. But clouds of smoke from a nuclear attack in the Middle East won’t stay "over there!" And nuclear "fallout" will encompass the earth. I don’t know if such thoughts are also being voiced in other nations, but the way people speak of it here — as though it won’t really touch them — is horrifyingly unrealistic. Where oh where are the people who are willing to pursue new ideas, to try to avoid a full-fledged 21st century "Holy War?"

2006-09-27T12:26:00.000-07:00

Don’t Convert. Expand!

"Mark" asks how he can get started "dealing with the crazies" in a "different way," without giving up his religion and without having to "kill anyone."

It certainly seems that life would be much simpler if we could just kill all the so-called "crazies" and go on with the endless verbal fights and hatreds we had, before the "fanatics" began to tell the world to "convert or die." The truth is, Muslims have been using that "battle-call" on individual groups throughout their history. But now they can speak to the whole world via television, so everyone is finally hearing them!

I will answer Mark and the people he calls "crazies" with the same advice—because it holds true for both sides of this explosive argument! I urge you to EXPAND your understanding of God by listening to ALL the Prophets. (The quickest way to do it is to read my book, "Of Promises and Previews: Urgent Old Messages for a New Millennium.")

If you will become acquainted with all the Prophets, you’ll learn:

The Prophets of Judaism introduced the world to the One and Only Creator of everything, the Single Source of all the energy in the universe.

Jesus and his disciples introduced the world to the promised Messiah, who will, eventually, rule the world with wisdom and justice, which humans are finally beginning to realize we simply aren’t able to do for ourselves!

Muhammad introduced billions of idolaters to the Lord God (which Christian "missionaries" could not persuade). But, he also corrected the erroneous interpretations of the Jewish and Christian clergies. The Jewish clergy had refused to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, and the Christian clergy was calling Jesus "God." Of course, those "corrections" only made Jews and Christians hate Muhammad and call him and his religion "frauds."

The question is, after all these centuries, are we ready to learn from ALL the Prophets. Or are we only ready to kill each other on a large enough scale to wipe out our past!

2006-09-26T10:53:00.000-07:00

Comments on my previous posts ask, in effect, why I think that everyone, especially believers in Abraham’s God, need to improve their religious understanding, when, in reality, it’s the "crazies" who lack understanding and need to be "eliminated." But how can nations "eliminate" a widely dispersed, unidentifiable, rapidly-growing "army" of "fanatic Muslims," who believe it is now their "holy duty" to convert the world to their beliefs and destroy the "unconverted?"

Before this "nuclear age," the idea that some people could actually destroy "all unbelievers" would have been too ridiculous to seriously contemplate. Today, "the crazies," armed with enough weapons of mass destruction — AND THEIR WILLINGNESS TO USE THEM — could destroy the world as we have known it. Although many "righteous Muslims" would also die in nuclear attacks, if they are "true believers" they are going directly to Heaven, so their deaths cannot deter the attackers!

The only way to effectively combat such beliefs is with "improved beliefs." If enough people the world over embraced the enlarged understanding provided for us by ALL the Prophets, from Abraham through Muhammad, the Muslim "extremists" would hear them! Although you might think that idea is "beyond reasonable expectation," nothing else the world can do will persuade the "fanatics" to reconsider their "mission." Of course there’s no guarantee that even an improved understanding of God will do the job! But thinking we can kill all of them before they set the world on fire is fatally self-deceiving.

2006-09-24T10:40:00.000-07:00

Bin Laden—Is He Dead or Alive?
What difference does it make? As I sit here on this Sunday morning, it honestly makes no difference to me whether he is dead or alive, and I’m not understanding why people are so focused on news about him. Terrorism is so much "vaster" than that one man, why should we assign a large number of soldiers and "intelligence people" to pursuing him? If anybody thinks they can explain it, I’d be glad to hear from you.

2006-09-22T13:57:00.000-07:00

A Comment on a Comment
In a posted comment on Muslim fanatics, by a man named Eric, I was asked: "So how do we reason with them so they will stop trying to kill us."

To successfully "reason" with others requires others to "listen to reason." In the case of today’s religious terrorists, they can hear nothing "reasonable" in arguments for "tolerance" of other religious beliefs. That means, no matter the reasoning offered, the Muslim extremists will not suddenly decide "to live and let live." Nor will killing them in large numbers discourage others from joining their "cause," because devout fanatics are truly not afraid to die, while performing their "God-given duty" to cleanse the earth of "unbelievers."

In short, the "reasonable" idea of promoting tolerance of all religions has never even begun to produce worldwide tolerance! So, it isn’t tolerance we must strive for! What we urgently need is a greatly improved knowledge of the God that Jews, Christians and Muslims have been fighting about throughout their mutual history. That "improved understanding" is the only reasoning that could "move" the terrorists—but it would also have to move YOU. Are you ready for that, or do you think that only the terrorists should improve their beliefs?

2006-09-20T08:57:00.000-07:00

Let’s Hear It From the Koran
In my first post, I’m "jumping into" the current troubles surrounding the Pope’s speech, in which he addressed the Muslims’ long history of violence while pursuing their "convert to Islam or die" doctrine. To understand that doctrine, I believe "outsiders" need to hear some instructions that Muslims receive from the Koran.
For example, the Koran unconditionally denounces idolatry. Muslims are told, "Idolatry is more grievous than bloodshed." Therefore, Muslims should "Fight for the sake of God those [idolaters] that fight against you...Slay them wherever you find them...." "Fight against them until idolatry is no more and God’s religion reigns supreme." But, the Koran adds, "...do not attack them first. God does not love the aggressors" (The Cow 2:190,191,193).
Furthermore, Muslims are explicitly forbidden to attack "...those idolaters who have honoured their treaties with you...." "So long as they keep faith with you, keep faith with them. God loves the righteous" (Repentance 9:4,7).
Muslims are also told: "When you meet the unbelievers in the battlefield strike off their heads and, when you have laid them low, bind your captives firmly...Had God willed, He could Himself have punished them; but He has ordained it thus that He might test you..." (Muhammad 47:4).
Hence, from the start, the Muslims became dedicated to reducing the number of unbelievers in the world, by peacefully introducing them to Islam or by killing them if they broke their treaties. Today, the "fanatic" Muslims devoutly believe it is time for them to cleanse the earth of all unbelievers. They define "unbelievers," or "infidels," as everyone who does not adhere to their particular "version" of Islam, an identification that even includes some of their fellow Muslims and certainly all Christians and Jews. How do you think the world should address this very real "problem?"