Don’t miss Modesty Week at the Haemet blog

See The LMA/RdL Modesty Countdown: Six Days and Slutwalks at Haemet.  Long-time uber-commenter Roxanne is doing a series leading up to a radio show she’ll be doing about modest dress.  It is in response to this:

The latest anti-modesty modern folly: Slutwalks. Boston had one the other week, featuring a parade of half-naked young women who were empowered to fight the patriarchy by doing what all chauvinists wish they would do: take off more clothes.  Allegedly, the Slut Walks started because a Toronto police officer said that women should not dress like sluts in order to not be victimised.  I say “allegedly” because the police officer certainly said it, and it’s certainly a silly thing to say (although not nearly as offensive as these women think), but because this whole thing seems like an excuse to engage in the “I have sex, therefore, I’m an intellectual” mentality.  Or to protest.

Girls going around half naked to shame chauvinists?  Oh, yeah, chauvinists just hate that!  That’ll show ‘em.

Sean Hannity tackled this head-on by bringing Rebecca St. James into the studio to talk about modesty and Tamara Holder to talk about how women shouldn’t be ashamed of their bodies:

ST. JAMES: Tamara, I mean, what are women saying by dressing provocatively? I mean, I think they are saying I’m easy. I’m asking you to look at me as a sexual object rather than a woman worthy of respect. I think these women that are marching and saying I should be able to wear whatever I want –

HOLDER: There’s nothing wrong with looking like a sexual object.

ST. JAMES: OK, do they want to be treated like a sexual object all the time?

HOLDER: No, you can look attractive –

I heard Rebecca St. James just got married.  Did you ever hear her song, “Wait for me?”  Just heard it the other day and was thinking of what a great message it had.

The “women shouldn’t be ashamed of their bodies” argument seems like a false dichotomy.  You can be proud of your body without showing it to anyone and everyone.

Any guy who commits date-rape (or any kind of rape) is 100.00% responsible and should be punished to the full extent of the law.  But that doesn’t mean that certain behaviors won’t increase the odds of date-rape happening.  When you think of how many things people are cautioned to do (or not do)  in order to avoid being victims of all sorts of crimes, the previous statements should be self-evident and uncontroversial.

Remember that stimulus bill? It added 450,000 government jobs and destroyed 1,000,000 private sector jobs

You can see the whole study at Self Evident Truths: New Study: Stimulus Bill Destroyed One Million Private Sector Jobs.  Private jobs are what pay for government jobs, not vice verse.

A recent study by Timothy Conley from the University of Western Ontario, Canada Economics Department and Bill Dupor of Ohio State University Economics Department shows that the stimulus bill, passed in 2009 to “save” jobs and get the economy back on track, actually destroyed one million private sector jobs:

Our benchmark results suggest that the ARRA created/saved approximately 450 thousand state and local government jobs and destroyed/forestalled roughly one million private sector jobs. (Here’s the PDF of the study.)

What leftist doctrine doesn’t seem to grasp is that public sector jobs, while employing people, exist only if the private sector can generate wealth. This study shows what common sense should have provided when the Pelosi/Reid Congress was in charge – Keynesian economics is a bankrupt philosophy that has the capacity to bankrupt entire countries.

When will people realize that Liberals fail at basic economics?  Conservatives are better at protecting you, keeping you employed, keeping you from being destroyed in the womb, protecting your kindergarteners from learning how “normal” LGBTQ behavior is, and more.

Loving your enemies

Alternate title, read like a grumbling Homer Simpson: “Stupid John MacArthur sermons making me feel guilty about not loving my stupid enemies.”

Seriously, I just listened to a series by MacArthur about loving our enemies (I’m 4 months behind on Podcasts, for you MacArthur fans wondering if you missed something).  He made some powerful points about how loving the seemingly un-lovable and those hostile to us helps them see God, because that is exactly what God did for us.  We’re saved by his grace and not because we had anything to offer him or did anything for which He owes us.  We rebelled against him as enemies, yet He loved us and saved us.

Putting that into practice in the blog world is a challenge.  While my SuperFans (TM) are a regular fixture on my iPhone prayer list app, I don’t think that engaging them personally is productive.  I prefer to pray that while they are going through the Bible to abuse it to support their false teachings that God will open their eyes to the truth of his word.  True biblical love is having a person’s long-term best interests at heart.  Their ultimate good rests in being reconciled to the one true God.

As Jesus pointed out, it is easy to love those who are good to us.  It takes more effort to love those who can do nothing for us, but it isn’t nearly as hard to do as loving my enemies.  Once I focus on people in, say, prison ministry, I find it easy to love them.  Then again, I wasn’t their victim.  That is when things get tough: Loving those who seek the worst for you.

It is also hard with pro-legalized abortionists — especially those claiming the name of Christ — because it isn’t just their hatred of you that you are dealing with but your desire to protect the victims of their satanic ideology.

The same thing goes with pro-gay theologians, who claim the name of Christ while teaching falsehoods about him and advancing policies that will be very harmful to children.

I try to remember what one preacher said when asked why he didn’t lash out at some gay activists who burst into his church in protest and threw condoms at the pulpit: “I don’t get mad if a blind person steps on my foot.”

Our enemies are just doing what is in their job description.  I’ve been convicted and reminded that loving them — in the biblical sense — is in our job description.  Praying for them and not reacting in the same manner they use is a start.

Yes, it is hard to love our enemies, but I often think of a woman in Kenya who is one of the most amazing Christians I’ve ever met.  Her husband went nuts and hacked her with a machete, cutting off her hands and almost cutting off one of her legs.  He left her for dead, but she survived and was helped at the hospital we support there.  She instantly forgave him because Jesus said to.  If she can forgive something that severe . . .

The tactics of the race baiters

Race baiters are hypocritical and destructive.  They pretend to care for minorities but really just want to foster division and perpetuate racism.  It is a profit center for them.  See The New N-Word: ‘Food Stamps’ : The Other McCain.

Their new angle is claiming that mentions of the massive increase in food stamps under the administration of a half-black President is clear evidence of racism:

According to David Gregory of NBC News, it is “coded racially-tinged language” to mention the increased use of food stamps under President Obama’s economic agenda.

I am not a fan of Newt Gingrich, but he makes a valid point here:

You want to be a country that creates food stamps, in which case frankly Obama’s is an enormous success. The most successful food stamp president in American history. Or do you want to be a country that creates paychecks?

Here are some unpleasant facts for Liberals (my only quibble with the graph is that I prefer the Y-axis to start at zero):

As you would expect, false teachers like race-baiter Chuck “Jesus is not the only way” Currie jumped on the “food stamps = N-word” bandwagon.  See Newt Gingrich’s Racially Charged Campaign For President.  To make matters worse, check out Chuck’s bonus hypocrisy:

Gingrich might find some success among GOP primary voters and Tea Party activists by employing racist rethoric but I believe our country is a different place than it was a generation ago.

Right after claiming to be all about unity, he calls all Republicans racist.  Can’t you just feel the love from this serial, unrepentant liar?

Also remember that Chuck and the rest of these liberals are wildly pro-legalized abortion, which kills blacks at a rate 3x that of whites.  But that apparently isn’t high enough for them.  They want taxpayer-funded abortions, which they know will take that rate even higher.  So are the real racists?  Ask your self which is more racist:

A. Mentioning the indisputable fact that food stamps have increased dramatically under this administration.

B. Supporting and advancing policies that kill blacks at a rate 3x that of whites and will take that number even higher.  

Finally, isn’t it racist of the Liberals to assume that everyone on food stamps is black?

Classic pro-life story

This is a classic story, but still valid at pointing out that the unborn are human beings worthy of protection.  I made some slight edits, but the key point is the same: Whether the killing is done inside or outside the womb, a human being is destroyed.  Hat tip: Marilyn from Facebook

A worried woman went to her gynecologist (who was also a female), and said, “Doctor, I have a serious problem and desperately need your help! My baby is not even 1 year old and I’m pregnant again. I don’t want kids so close together.”

So the doctor said, “‘OK,  and what do you want me to do?’

She said, “‘I want you to end my pregnancy, and I’m counting on your help with this.”

The doctor thought for a little, and after some silence she said, “‘I think I have a better solution for your problem. It’s less dangerous for you too.” She smiled, thinking that the doctor was going to accept her request. Then she continued, “You see, in order for you not to have to take care 2 babies at the same time, let’s kill the one in your arms. This way, you could rest some before the other one is born. If we’re going to kill one of them, it doesn’t matter which one it is. There would be no risk for your body if you chose the one in your arms.”

The lady was horrified and said, “No, doctor! How terrible! It’s a crime to kill a child!

“I agree,” the doctor replied. “But you seemed to be OK with it, so I thought maybe that was the best solution.” The doctor smiled, realizing that she had made her point. She convinced the mom that there is no difference in killing a child that’s already been born and one that’s still in the womb. The act is the same!

Always remember

It is a scientific fact that the unborn are unique, living human beings from conception.  Abortion kills those human beings and is therefore immoral except to save the life of the mother.

Abortion is a sin but forgiveness and healing can be found in Jesus.

A flight gone right

There are so many horror stories with airline problems that I wanted to share a positive one.  After a late night of ballroom dancing with my wife, I was up early Saturday to fly to meet my daughter and drive her home for the Summer.  I was not thrilled to be flying US Air and especially not excited about having a connecting flight (living in a town with a Continental hub spoils you with usually having direct flights).

Due to the US Air policy of overselling their flights, the flight was oversold.  But they offered one sweet deal: A direct flight on Continental that got in earlier than the scheduled flight.  I would have been thrilled with that, but they made it better by giving me a $450 voucher on a future flight!  That was some seriously good customer service.  Fortunately I was awake enough get to the counter and reluctantly accept the deal.

The only mystery was why Continental tried to gouge me when I originally booked my flights.  They wanted hundreds more than US Air for this one-way ticket, even though they ended up flying with a dozen empty seats.

The 2nd greatest hoax of our time

(The greatest is Darwinian evolution, and the 2nd greatest is Global Warming / Global Climate Change.  Both have a lot of similarities in how the hoaxes are perpetuated.)

See Former “alarmist” scientist says Anthropogenic Global Warming (AGW) based in false science.  Don’t miss the quote in bold below.  This hoax is costing us countless jobs and creating higher energy prices.  These things are quickly and easily fixable, but not with the current administration.  They are advancing an unprecedented and unlimited power grab over the economy, and doing great harm to the nation.

Read the whole article.  Follow the money.  Don’t let them fool you.

David Evans is a scientist. He has also worked in the heart of the AGW machine.  He consulted full-time for the Australian Greenhouse Office (now the Department of Climate Change) from 1999 to 2005, and part-time 2008 to 2010, modeling Australia’s carbon in plants, debris, mulch, soils, and forestry and agricultural products. He has six university degrees, including a PhD in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University. The other day he said:

“The debate about global warming has reached ridiculous proportions and is full of micro-thin half-truths and misunderstandings. I am a scientist who was on the carbon gravy train, understands the evidence, was once an alarmist, but am now a skeptic.”

And with that he begins a demolition of the theories, premises and methods by which the AGW scare has been foisted on the public.

The politics:

“The whole idea that carbon dioxide is the main cause of the recent global warming is based on a guess that was proved false by empirical evidence during the 1990s. But the gravy train was too big, with too many jobs, industries, trading profits, political careers, and the possibility of world government and total control riding on the outcome. So rather than admit they were wrong, the governments, and their tame climate scientists, now outrageously maintain the fiction that carbon dioxide is a dangerous pollutant.”

Hat tip: Matthew from Facebook

Important opinion poll: If you take your wife to Bible study, does it count as a date night?

A. Of course!  You leave the house together and spend quality time talking.

B. Yes, but only if there is food.

C. Nice try, Neil.

D. All of the above.

E. None of the above.

F. Some of the above.

Good tips for engaging Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons

As Christians we want to be more welcoming than that, of course!

See Greg Koukl responds to cultists knocking on his door « Wintery Knight for some good tips. These folks are notoriously hard to convert, but if they are going to come to you then you might as well be equipped to offer some brief challenges to them. You never know how God might use your efforts to save someone.

More importantly, you and your loved ones should know the basics of why these are cults. It is easier to play defense (keeping people out of false religions) than offense (converting them away from false religions).

My standard approach with Jehovah’s Witnesses is to focus like a friendly pit pull on a couple things: First, their Bible’s mistranslation of John 1:1 (“a God” instead of “God,” as all the ancient manuscripts say). They will try to change the subject but I keep bringing them back. (I need to add Koukl’s point about John 1:3, which demonstrates Jesus’ deity and role as creator even in their version of the Bible.)

Then I offer them literature, knowing they aren’t allowed to take it. I emphasize how my religion — Christianity — tells me to test everything and hold onto the good, and to test everything in light of scripture (1 Thessalonians 5:21, Acts 17:11) . Hopefully it plants a seed that they are in a cult that won’t let them examine alternative views.

With Mormons, I focus on Galatians 1:8-9. I ask if their Gospel is the same as Paul’s. If yes, then the rest of their works are redundant. If no, then I should immediately reject it.

But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

I’m pretty sure we’re now on the “do not call” list for both groups.

More stuff

Three great posts on the Mormon religion

Are Mormons really Christians? Are Christians really Christians?

A whole bunch of articles on Mormonism

Witnessing to the Witnesses

If you are going to read a book about Heaven, make it “In Light of Eternity”

A friend of mine and I will be teaching In Light of Eternity: Perspectives on Heaven by Randy Alcorn to the High School youth over the next few weeks as part of a study called “Heaven and Hell.  Mostly Heaven.”  I highly recommend this book.  It is very easy to read, chock-full of Bible verses (in context!) and it is likely to change your view of Heaven for the good — and towards a more accurate assessment of it.  He addresses myths that even some Christians hold, such as that Heaven will be boring.

In the mean time, read Randy’s article about some other books on Heaven that appear to be less accurate: “Heaven Is for Real”, “90 Minutes in Heaven”, and other books about visits to Heaven or Hell.

Everyone spends eternity somewhere.  If you are a Christian, you should spend time thinking about your eternal home.  If you aren’t a Christian, you should give this some serious thought.  What could be more important?

Pollyanna

Yes, Pollyanna.  The movie.  I watched it.  (Short version of why: An agnostic employee said he’d start reading the Bible if I watched it.  Let’s just say that the list of things I’d do to get someone to read the Bible is pretty long.)

It had some interesting religious themes.  I’m not sure if it was what the producers intended or not, but they did a good job of showing the importance of balancing grace and truth.  Karl Malden, the town preacher, originally gave exclusively hellfire-and-brimstone sermons, with only a passing reference to being born again.  They weren’t necessarily untrue, just out of balance.  There is nothing wrong with preaching the bad news — in fact, it is necessary.  But you need to get to the Good News.  In the same way, you can’t just teach about God’s love without people failing to realize that they need his grace.

It also showed the importance of reading the whole Bible.  Just picking your favorite verses is a bad idea.

More importantly, it mocked those who don’t really believe that the Bible has the power to transform lives.  The pastor and Pollyanna’s Aunt, the town leader, agreed on the harsh sermons because that was the best way to scare people in behaving for at least a couple days before the sermon wore off.  That isn’t the theme of the Bible at all.  It shows a distinct lack of faith in the power of God to transform people through his word.

The term “Pollyanna” is typically used to describe someone with an irrational optimism, but I thought the behavior of the character (an orphan of missionaries) was biblically grounded.  She seemed to live out the meaning of turning the other cheek and of Philippians 4:12-13:

Philippians 4:12-13 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

UPDATE — Detroit: The petri dish of Liberal politics, education and unions

UPDATE: As you probably read recently, Detroit has a 47% illiteracy rate.  Forty-seven percent!

Ideas have consequences.  Please watch Steven Crowder’s analysis of Detroit and how the policies that ruined it are spreading to the rest of the country.  Democrats have had a virtual monopoly on inner city politics, education and unions for over 50 years and today’s Detroit is the result.  I think that all Liberal members of Congress should have to live there for a year — with the same un-Constitutional gun control laws they want to force on others.

Does Planned Parenthood have 911 on speed dial?

See Ambulance at Planned Parenthood—911 Call Audio « Pro-Life Hotline for the audio of a call from PP to 911.  Seems pretty casual to me.  I thought those abortions were safe?

This happens a lot, BTW.

Hat tip: Jill Stanek

More about Herman Cain

Since Herman Cain is all black, will his Democratic critics automatically be considered racist for not wanting him to be President?  Can they only handle someone who is half-black?

I couldn’t care less about the skin color of Cain or Obama.  I just know that Cain would be a vastly superior leader.  Obama is destroying this country.

Watch the video.

“Stupid people are ruining America.”

Hat tip: Hillbuzz

Run, don’t walk, from the Presbyterian Church USA

Another denomination goes apostate, mocking the word of God and loving the world.  Via Stand to Reason Blog: What the Bible Teaches about Homosexuality:

The Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) has voted to ordain practicing homosexuals.Before the amendment, the constitution required clergy to live “in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman, or chastity in singleness.” The amendment instead requires ministers to “submit joyfully to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in all aspects of life.”This is sad news indeed. Somehow the PCUSA has decided that homosexual conduct is consistent with submission “to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in all aspects of life.” Even though the Bible unambiguously prohibits homosexual behavior, the PCUSA is now claiming to submit to Christ’s Lordship while setting aside Christ’s teaching as revealed in scripture (Rom 1:26–27; 1 Cor 6:9; 1 Tim 1:10). This shows that the real issue here is biblical authority—something thatwas set aside a long time ago in many churches of the PCUSA.

Some friendly reminders:

• 100% of the verses addressing homosexual behavior denounce it as sin in the clearest and strongest possible terms.
• 100% of the verses referring to God’s ideal for marriage involve one man and one woman.
• 100% of the verses referencing parenting involve moms and dads with unique roles (or at least a set of male and female parents guiding the children).
• 0% of 31,173 Bible verses refer to homosexual behavior in a positive or even benign way or even hint at the acceptability of homosexual unions.

Waterboarding = really, really bad. Shooting unarmed man in the face = really, really good.

At least that’s what Liberal-speak would have you believe.

To make matters worse, the only reason they were able to find the unarmed man to shoot him in the face was because of waterboarding.  They don’t seem bothered by that ethical dilemma, nor do they seem inclined to give credit to President Bush, whose policies were what led to this.

If you Ever Wondered How The Taking Out Of Osama Would Have Been Viewed By The Self Appointed American “Conscious” If Bush Were In Office?, then click the link and wonder no more. 

P.S. I don’t object to the shooting, given the circumstances.  I just don’t see why President Obama is running around like he was the SEAL who did the hard work.  And I really don’t understand the hypocrisy of his fans.

P.S.S. Aside from his “gutsy call,” why on earth did the administration divulge that they had found information on Bin Laden’s computers?  That disclosure had to be one of the most childish, bone-headed moves ever.  It may have made them look good for a day, but the information would have been much more valuable if we had kept it a secret.