The following articles are compiled by:

Leo Wong

Leo@WatchmenWatching.com

 

 

Quench your thirst and soul with 'Holy' Water: Bottles blessed By Catholic and Anglican clergy

Source: NBC11.com

 

March 9, 2007 -- Water drinkers in California can now cleanse their souls while quenching their thirst with blessed bottled water.

 

The bottles contain normal, purified water. But they have all been blessed by members of the Catholic and Anglican clergy.

 

The company hopes to expand the blessing to other faiths as well.

 

The bottle also features a warning to sinners. "If you are a sinner or evil in nature, this product may cause burning, intense heat, sweating, skin irritations, rashes, itchiness, vomiting, bloodshot and watery eyes, pale skin color and oral irritations."

 

Comments:  The circus guru Barney Bailey once said, “There’s a sucker born every minute.”  Religious Jewish families willingly pay a premium to buy Kosher meat (the slaughter of the animal presided over by a rabbi) and Catholics and some Protestants purchase “holy” water just because some mortal priest/minister prayed over it.  Is there any rhyme or reason to people falling for the ploys of these shysters?   If there’s profit to be made, business people will market a product to appeal to mankind’s religious nature.  The next new thing might be the marketing and sales of “holy” oxygen.

 

Rebellious mankind refuses to acknowledge that only the God of Heaven can bless people and only Jesus saves sinners.  Mortal men and women are powerless to do either.  Even if they are conduits for God’s blessings, they are still mere human beings and fallible.  Go directly to the Source (God/Jesus) and bypass the middleman (who might be the Devil disguised as a man of the cloth).  The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.  A man seeking to have his sins removed and decides to drink this “holy” water is still a thirsty sinner who has been duped.  John 6:[35] And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.  Revelation 21:[6] And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

 

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U.S. Christian group asks 'What would Jesus drive?'  

Source: www.christianitytoday.com

 

March 9, 2007 -- The U.S.-based Evangelical Environmental Network has recently made available a bumper sticker that asks ‘What would Jesus drive?’.

 

The network, based in Washington DC, centers its fight against global warming on the Bible and is one of many religious groups trying to slow climate change by getting its followers to reduce the amount they pollute.

 

Comments:  The “Save the Earth” environmental movement is derived from Pantheism which is the philosophy that everything is God (pan="everything" theos="God") or that the universe and nature are divine as defined at: http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/PANTHEISM.html.  This website also says, “Pantheism has often been accused of atheism, and not just because it rejects the idea of a personal creator God. Strict  or naturalistic pantheism believes that the Universe either originated itself out of nothing, or has existed forever. Modern scientific pantheism is materialistic. It believes that design in the universe can be fully accounted for by principles of evolution and self-organization. It does not believe in separate spirits or survival of the soul after death. Pantheists concerned about personal immortality seek it in realistic ways - through children, deeds, works, and the memories of the living.

 

Because it shares these naturalistic beliefs with atheism, the arguments for pantheism are the same as the arguments for atheism. Pantheism puts forward exactly the same critiques of transcendental religions and supernatural beliefs as does atheism. It is a secular religion, firmly rooted in the real world of the senses and of science.”

 

What would Jesus drive?  That’s a loaded question because back then when Jesus walked this earth, gas powered cars didn’t even exist.  No, Jesus would not have polluted this planet like many of us are doing.  God did create this universe and this once lush pristine planet.  Environmentalists don’t prescribe to God’s creationalism.  They worship Gaia (Mother Earth) and refer to her actions as from Mother Nature.  They buy Fern Gully books and videos and they hug trees.  Because they’re earth dwellers, it’s vital that Earth be restored to a pollution free state.  It’s sacrilegious to them that any person would contribute to the raping of this planet, a planet that must provide for the present and future generations.  Their past, present and future lies on Earth.  “Heaven on Earth without God because we’re all little gods”, they say.  For Christians, our time here is only temporal; our final home is the New Jerusalem that will descend from Heaven and hover over a new (transformed) Earth.  Revelation 21:[1] And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

 

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Pastors encouraged to go high-tech 

Source: www.insidebayarea.com

 

March 10, 2007 -- A laptop in the pulpit can't replace a pastor, but it has become an indispensable preaching tool, says a producer who helps clergy get comfortable with technology.

Stewart Heller brings conservative pastors who know their way around new media into classes at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. Evangelical Christians long ago tapped technology, and liberal congregations must do the same, said Heller, an executive producer of four Emmy Awards shows.

 

His message is simple: Pixels or perish.

 

Comments:  It’s not technology that has gotten some pastors into hot water with plagiarism in the past, but the temptation of purchasing a sermon or two online to save a few hours of prayers before God about what message to deliver to the congregation next Sunday.  For many pastors with too many tasks and responsibilities and not enough hours in the day, cutting corners is one solution.  But, will the church members be blessed by sermons that aren’t the pastor’s work?  How about the sample speeches being sold by Rick Warren and others?  I have always contended that nothing replaces the leading of the Holy Spirit.  I also assert that past sermons can be referred to as a reference, but shouldn’t be recycled.  That’s like watching a rerun; you know what’s coming.

 

In this hectic materialistic plastic society, people (including the clergy) aren’t reading their Bibles on a regular basis.  Online resources can assist a harried pastor in composing and printing out his next sermon.  The dangers are information overload and the intentional or unwitting use of someone else’s material as your own.  When the congregants know that’s what is being done, there’s this gnawing feeling that they’re getting spiritual fast food which isn’t as nutritious as good home cooked meals.  Jeremiah 6:[16] Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.

 

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Followers mark Osama bin Laden's 50th birthday

Source: Associated Press

 

March 10, 2007 -- Followers of Osama bin Laden flooded Islamic Web sites with pledges of allegiance, videos and pictures Saturday to mark the al-Qaida leader's 50th birthday, reflecting his importance as a militant symbol even though he has not shown his face for years.

 

One user, going by the name Abu Yacoub, posted an old picture of bin Laden wearing a helmet and khaki military uniform while carrying a two-way radio in a deserted area, possibly from his fight in Afghanistan against the Soviet Union two decades ago.

 

"Osama bin Laden turns 50. God protect our leader, our Sheik Osama bin Laden. God reward him for his words and actions," Abu Yacoub wrote on a Web site commonly used by insurgents.

 

Another message titled the "Manhattan invasion" featured old footage of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States and the wills of the men who hijacked the planes. Another follower posted a poem of dedication to bin Laden.

 

A spokesman for U.S. troops in Afghanistan expressed disgust over the celebrations.

 

"Instead of focusing on the anniversary of his birth, people around the world - and particularly the people here in Afghanistan - should take a moment to remember the innocent people who have been killed or injured by terrorist extremists like Osama bin Laden," said Maj. William Mitchell.

 

Comments:  The Birthday Boy is a fugitive on the run.  Just like TV’s Dr. Richard Kimble who was tried and found guilty of murdering his wife (although Kimble asserted that it was a one arm man who bludgeoned his wife to death) and spent years running from Lt. Philip Gerard, bin Laden has been tried in the court of public opinion and he’s the prey of numerous bounty hunters tracking his whereabouts.  He’s wanted, dead or alive.  He’s somewhere inside a mountain in Pakistan or back in Afghanistan.  You would think the U.S. with all its sophisticated satellite technology would have tracked this wanted killer by now, but like Saddam Hussein, it’s only a matter of time he will be accosted and brought to justice.

 

There are conspiracy cynics who think President Bush is allowing bin Laden to remain free so as to prolong his war against terrorism until which time Mr. Bush deemed to have accomplished what he set out to do.  If bin Laden were captured, then that war would be forced to come to a sudden end for much of the world would have no more stomach to endure the deaths and miseries of Iraq and Afghanistan.  Even Israel would want bin Laden to be a free man for terrorism is Israel’s greatest scourge and it’s the unifying force that has kept the Israel military and population focused on national preservation.  In the meantime, bin Laden will eat his birthday cake and then mount his horse to go to the next hiding hole.  There’s no rest for the wicked, it seems.

 

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UN chief announces trip to Israel and Palestinian Authority

Source: www.haaretz.com

 

March 11, 2007 -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Friday he will visit Israel and the Palestinian territories later this month in an effort to help revive the peace process between the two sides.

 

Ban said he would make the trip, which will include a stop in Lebanon, on his way to the Arab League summit in Saudi Arabia on March 28-29.

 

He singled out the Israel-Palestinian conflict as one of the most pressing in the region, saying resolving it would create a conducive political atmosphere for the resolution of other issues in the Middle East.

 

"I'm looking forward to, first of all, a meeting with leaders in the region and making myself available for any consultation and to make contribution to (the) peace process," he said.

 

Ban has been involved in U.S.-backed efforts to restart the Israel-Palestinian peace effort after a six-year freeze. He said he would participate in two months in another round of talks among the so-called Quartet of Mideast peacemakers - the UN, the U.S., the European Union and Russia.

 

Comments:  Ban Ki-moon has noble intentions, but what makes him think he can succeed when his predecessor, (the charismatic by comparison) Kofi Annan, failed miserably in his Middle East peace efforts.  Ban Ki-moon, was, after all, chosen for his administrative “nose to the grindstone” acumen rather that his “you put down your guns, Israel, and you Palestinians, do the same also” negotiation skills.  This dude is a relative green horn having no experience with the rudiments of war.  Ban Ki-moon is like a non-swimmer flaying in the water knowing that it’s just a matter of minutes he’ll go under for good.  Sure, he has to make the rounds after becoming UN chief, but field engineering is a whole kettle of fish than being an office manager.  You have to deal with nasty people who hate each other with a passion as compared to the pettiness of office politics and its paper cuts.

 

If the Quartet hasn’t been able to forge peace between Israel and the Palestinians, then no new UN chief (a toothless bureaucrat with no real power) will be able to produce a miracle either.  Christian author Gerald Reagan doesn’t think there will be a Palestinian State.  He didn’t elaborate as to why he believed so.  Perhaps, Jordan will absorb all the Palestinians and grant them a portion of Jordan as their new country.

 

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China wants hotel Bibles for 2008 Beijing Olympic Games  

Source: Reuters

 

March 11, 2007 -- Bibles should be put in hotel rooms during the 2008 Beijing Olympics to clear up foreigners' misconceptions about religion in China, Chinese media quoted a political adviser as saying.

 

"A large number of foreign athletes and tourists will swarm into Beijing for the Games, a majority of whom have religious belief, and providing Bibles at hotels will meet their religious needs," Liu Banyan, vice-president of the China Patriotic Catholic Association, told Xingu news agency.

 

"The Bible is a must at hotel rooms in foreign countries, especially European countries," Liu was quoted as saying on the sidelines of the annual session of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country's top political advisory body.

 

Comments:  Thanks be to God for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and the possibility of Bibles being placed in every hotel room.  The exposure to God’s Word will mean many more souls coming to Jesus to be saved.  China is an atheistic Communist nation that doesn’t believe in God.  It’s also materialistic, profit oriented, and public image conscious.  The opportunity to benefit financially and to boast about its superior athletes from holding the Games means China will bend over backwards to make Westerners feel at home.  If “Gideon” New Testaments are traditional for hotel/motel suites, then China will do the same for the “Christian” world.  It will even go to great lengths to show the free world that Chinese Christians can worship when and where as they please. Yes, it’s against its atheistic principles, but when it comes to making money, sociopolitical principles are jettisoned out of the window.

 

The coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is very near and the Good News must be spread throughout the world.  The dark world of Communism needs to have the Light of the World shine on it.  God is making that happen.  Next year’s Games may burst the black hole of atheism and replace it with God’s enlightening Word that gives life to the lost and perishing. 2 Peter 1:[19] We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts.

 

 

 

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Keep watching (Matt 24:42)!

 

Until next time,

Shalom!

 

 

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