The following articles are compiled by:

Leo Wong

Leo@WatchmenWatching.com

 

 

Atheist offers to send letters post-Rapture

Source: USA Today

 

May 10, 2007 -- Neither snow, nor rain, nor fire and brimstone will keep Joshua Witter from the swift completion of his appointed rounds come the end of the world.

 

Witter, a 24-year-old self-described atheist living in Orlando, is the creator of the Post-Rapture Post, which bills itself as "the postal service of the saved."

 

For as little as $4.99, Witter offers to deliver your letters to friends and loved ones left behind after the Rapture, when some Christians believe they will be whisked up to heaven while everyone else — the "Left Behind" of the popular book series — suffers a series of tribulations.

 

As Witter sees it, it will fall to the unsaved to serve as the postmen of the Apocalypse.

 

Comments:  I’ve always said that it’s easier to reach an atheist with the Gospel than a self-righteous “religious” person who thinks he’s OK with God because he came from a Christian family, he has never killed anybody, and he does the best he can for this fellow mankind.  An atheist is an out and out Christ rejecter.  He doesn’t purport to believe in a higher being other than himself.

 

Ironically, Joshua Witter, an avowed atheist whose first name means “Jesus”, plans to accommodate those who expect to be translated into Heaven when Christ gives His shout.  The Left Behind letters will be delivered to the addressees who will know the reason why millions of people worldwide have suddenly disappeared into thin air.  The evacuees had placed their soul saving faith and trust in the Saviour Jesus Christ while all those Left Behind didn’t.  For those who believe in a second chance, they’ve prayed that these letters will be used by the Holy Spirit to impart spiritual enlightenment on the earth dwellers.  There are instructions on why one must not accept the mark of the beast and how to elude the Antichrist’s police and military forces for 7 years until Jesus’ physical return to Earth.  The $4.99 might be well spent if a relative and/or a close friend got saved during the Tribulation Period.

 

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MK Gilad Erdan: Let's boost Evangelical ties with Israel

Source: Jerusalem Post

 

May 10, 2007 -- The State of Israel is not doing enough to utilize the growing Evangelical support for Israel at a time when a Christian-Jewish alliance is vital in the battle against Islamic extremism, according to Likud MK Gilad Erdan.

 

"The strengthening and development of our relations with the Evangelical world is a national interest which must be furthered," said Erdan, the deputy head of the Knesset's Christian Allies Caucus, in an interview with The Jerusalem Post.

 

"There is no clear-cut policy of the government of Israel that says we need to cooperate on all levels with Christian supporters of Israel," he said, faulting the Foreign Ministry for a continuing failure to appreciate the potential such a partnership offers in the battle for public opinion.

 

Erdan, 36, a rising figure in the Likud, has been active in the cross-party parliamentary caucus, which works with Christian friends of Israel around the world, since its establishment three and a half years ago.

 

The lobby's formation was seen as a watershed after decades when Israel shied away from contacts with the Christian world due to concerns over proselytizing.

 

The increasingly influential parliamentary lobby, which is made up of 12 Knesset members from seven political parties across the political spectrum, has come to epitomize Israel's newfound interest in garnering the support of the Christian world, especially the largely pro-Israel Evangelicals.

 

Erdan said an alliance between Jews and Christians was absolutely critical in the war against Islamic extremism.

 

"If there is a chance to overcome the forces of Islamic extremism, it is by making them see that they have no chance of success, through an increasingly flourishing relationship between Christians and Jews," he said.

 

Comments:  An alliance between evangelical Christians and Israel makes a whole lot of sense.  Although God doesn’t need anyone’s (including Christians) help in defending Israel for He can do that all by Himself, He has asked us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.  That being said, evangelical Christians must preach the Gospel of God to the Jews.  They must pray fervently for their salvation and physical protection.  Going over to Israel and fight alongside Israel’s military would boost the morale of the Jewish population for sure.  On the flipside of the coin, we don’t agree with Pastor John Hagee and the Rev. Billy Graham who both believed it is useless to evangelize the Jews.  It could be that they’ve rationalized their non-action by subscribing to Dual Covenant Theology which says Jews don’t have to come to Jesus to be saved; they just have to trust and place their faith in the God of their fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  Of course, we all subscribe to the truth, i.e. Jesus died for Jews and Gentiles alike.  Every person must come to Jesus.  The soul is more important that the physical body.  Getting the Jews saved is Job No. 1.  Faith is believing God’s promise that He will never again allow His people to be destroyed and the survivors dispersed once again.  Acts 20:[21] Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. 

 

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Gay bishop plans civil union with partner of 18 years

Source: Reuters.com

 

May 10, 2007-- The openly gay Episcopal bishop at the center of the Anglican Church's global battle over homosexuality said Thursday he hopes to enter into a civil union with his partner next year.

 

But New Hampshire Bishop Gene Robinson added that he wants to hold separate religious and legal ceremonies to set a precedent for how marriages and civil unions are performed in the United States.

 

Next week, New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch is expected to sign a bill that allows civil unions for same-sex couples, making his state the fourth in the nation to do so. The law would go into effect on January 1.

 

"We need to separate the civil rights from the religious rites," said Robinson, whose ordination in 2003 enraged conservative Anglicans and threatened to break up the church.

 

He and his partner of more than 18 years, Mark Andrews, aim to hold two ceremonies around the middle of next year: A non-religious one where they become legal partners followed by a church service to give blessings to God for their relationship.

 

"Religious people and religious organizations who are not yet ready to offer the church's or the synagogue's blessings on such unions might be supportive of full civil rights for this country's gay and lesbian citizens," he told Reuters in an interview.

 

Comments:  Don’t you just want to throw up after reading this article?  This so called “man of the cloth” ought to have stepped down from the ministry years ago after declaring that he was a homosexual, but instead, he flaunts his detestable “alternative” lifestyle and has the audacity to hold an open civil marriage thus encouraging other closeted gay and lesbian couples to do the same.  “Monkeys see and monkeys do” will be the result.  This is the by‑product of liberalism and denial of the literalness of Scriptures that are prevalent in the mainline Protestant denominations these days.  Not taking God’s Bible at His Word, the ordained ministers seek their own interpretation in order to justify their sinful behaviour.

 

No, God won’t bless this union from Hell and Gene Robinson ought to bless the Devil and not God.  God won’t have any part of this public travesty!  Like Gomer Pyle, USMC, used to say “Shame, shame, shame!”  1 Timothy 4:[6] If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.

 

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Jehovah's Witnesses settle child abuse cases

Source: Associated Press

 

May 10, 2007 -- A victims' rights group released documents Thursday that showed the Jehovah's Witnesses recently settled civil suits with 16 people who claimed they were sexually abused by church elders or that church officials failed to act on abuse allegations.

 

The group, called silentlambs, held a news conference in Nashville to demand that the denomination change its policy for responding to sex abuse reports.

 

Settlements were reached in late February and early March, according to court records obtained by silentlambs and posted to the group's Web site. Fourteen of the cases were filed in California; the other two were in Oregon and Texas.

 

Details about the settlement terms could not be disclosed under confidentiality agreements negotiated between the parties, said Stephen Owens, a plaintiffs' attorney involved in the California cases. Other cases are still pending, according to silentlambs, which couldn't say how many.

 

The Jehovah's Witnesses, whose headquarters are in Brooklyn, N.Y., said Thursday that they were pleased to see the lawsuits resolved, declining further comment.

 

"Our loving heavenly Father makes it clear in his Word, the Bible, that he abhors child abuse," a statement from the denomination said.

 

"As an organization, we will continually strive to educate families and congregations with sound Scriptural teachings that they can use to protect their children from child molesters. And we will continue to do our utmost to protect children from this horrible crime and sin."

 

William Bowen, silentlambs' founder, was a Jehovah's Witnesses elder from Kentucky who quit the denomination after he said it took no action against a molester. Bowen said the settlements were bittersweet.

 

"On one hand, we're glad a few victims are finally getting some financial help," he said. "On the other hand, we're sad and worried because they've essentially been forced to give up their right to protect others by speaking out about their abuse to the public."

 

Bowen's group has criticized the Jehovah's Witnesses' policy that if an accused abuser denies the charge, two credible witnesses are required to establish guilt - due to literal application of such Bible verses as Deuteronomy 19:15 ("only on the evidence of two witnesses, or of three witnesses, shall a charge be sustained").

 

If two witnesses are lacking, the accused is deemed innocent, charges remain confidential and - silentlambs says - parents who warn others are subject to disfellowshipping for slander.

 

Disfellowshipping is an extreme penalty that means a total cutoff of relationships by family members, friends and business associates who are Witnesses.

 

There are about 1 million Jehovah's Witnesses in the United States, and followers are known for distributing Awake! and Watchtower magazines door-to-door.

 

Bowen also said Jehovah's Witnesses have a long-standing policy of not reporting molesters to police. He claims that the denomination has a secret database of accused abusers that they have not shared with law enforcement officials.

 

"They keep putting innocent kids and unsuspecting families at risk of horrible crimes because they value their secrecy and reputations more than they value children's safety," Bowen said.

 

Since establishing silentlambs in 2001, Bowen says about 7,000 people who claim they were abused have contacted his group.

 

Comments:  Like many problematic issues in life, money is the solution or so we think.  The Jehovah's Witnesses are a cult, make no doubt about it.  They’re not Christian.  Their religion is a religion of fear as their followers put in long arduous hours at street corners hocking their hellish magazines and couples go from house to house trying to push their satanic doctrines down unsuspecting people’s throats.  Don’t let them into your house because once inside, you better have a cell phone handy to call the cops to throw them out.  They’ll stick to your living‑room like gum to the bottom of your runners.

 

Child abuse is a horrendous sin yet it’s prevalent inside the Jehovah's Witnesses’ circles.  Michael Jackson (a former Jehovah's Witnesses) was accused of such crime when a boy whom he slept with in Jackson’s mansion came forth with such a charge.  Due to Jackson’s highly paid attorney and Jackson’s celebrity status, the jurors declared him not guilty, but God knows the truth.  Matthew 18:[6] But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

 

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Pope Benedict: Youths must avoid 'snares of evil'

Source: Associated Press

 

May 10, 2007 -- Pope Benedict XVI addressed sexual morality in a speech to tens of thousands of young Catholics, instructing them to avoid premarital sex, remain faithful once they are married and to promote life from "its beginning to natural end."

 

The latter was - at least in part - a reference to abortion, the issue that has dominated Benedict's first visit to Latin America since he succeeded John Paul II two years ago.

 

In one of the main events of his trip, some 1 million people were expected to attend an open-air Mass Friday canonizing an 18th-century Franciscan monk, Brazil's first native-born saint.

 

Comments:  You have to give credit to the pontiff for being a moral agent.  His message to the youths of Brazil (and around the world) to abstain from evil is commendable.  However, a person who’s not born again cannot live a life that’s pleasing to God.  In fact, such a person doesn’t have the power of the Holy Spirit to resist lust and other forms of sin.  The very fact that the Roman Catholic Church needs to canonize this Franciscan monk is proof that the vast majority of Catholics are not saved, not even Pope Benedict.  His predecessor, John Paul II, died without an assurance of salvation.  Don’t you find that incredible?  The leader of 1.2 billion Catholics may not even be saved, but may end up in the Lake of Fire one day.  The past popes didn’t preach the real Gospel of God, which if they did, would cause their church to be declared false and everything would topple like dominos.  Quit emphasizing how one ought to live.  Tell the faithfuls how to get saved and then live through the power of the Holy Spirit Who alone can keep us from the snares of the Devil.  Romans 8:[8] So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.  Matthew 7:[21] Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.  1 John 2:[17] And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

 

 

 

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Keep watching (Matt 24:42)!

 

Until next time,

Shalom!

 

 

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