Treasure Valley Christian News of Boise, Idaho -------->

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Christians Must Vote For Godly Values
By Allen Marsh, Nampa, Idaho (Submitted 10/30/07)

We are entering a new election year. In a democracy, Christians have the privilege and responsibility to God and country to elect leaders with godly values. We must learn the candidates’ values.

The foundation for much evil is the teaching of evolution—there is no God, no purpose, no ultimate value, and no absolute standards on which people will be judged. Creation teaches that man was created for a purpose and is accountable to God.

Belief in evolution has led to devaluing for human life. Man evolved by chance from slime (actually, from nothing) and has no more ultimate value than a maggot. Life can be terminated at the whim of society. Abortion, infanticide, and euthanasia are common evidences as is the push for using embryonic stem cells. And there were the legalized murders of Terry Schiavo and others. In addition we see inhumane treatment of people—everything from name-calling and harassment to gruesome torture and murder.

Without valuing truth, historical revisionists are free to rewrite America’s history, even totally ignoring our early Christian influence. I viewed a new high school American history text with no mention of Pilgrims, Puritans, or Christianity. Catherine Millard’s book The Rewriting of America’s History details the progress of this up to the 1970’s, and it has continued.

Without absolute values, those in power do what they want regardless of what the law says. Lawmakers pass laws opposing the will of the people given in initiatives, and Judges, who are supposed to apply law, have been making law, even overruling laws legitimately passed. Senators refuse to allow a vote on judicial nominees not favoring unrestricted abortion.

Having no absolutes led to sexual license including homosexual behavior and even same sex “marriage.” Those promoting passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and hate crimes laws would abrogate religious and speech rights of Christians. Passage of the “Fairness Doctrine” for media would be anything but fair to conservatives, especially Christians.

Then there are issues like immigration and national security that cannot be discussed here.

Issues like social security, taxes, and energy are important, but they are secondary to values of morality and freedom described above.

The Democrat party, with few individual exceptions, opposes Christian/ conservative values. Republicans generally favor conservative values, but there are many variations. Current leading Republican presidential candidates favor un-Christian positions or waffle on them. For example, check Fred Thompson’s view of abortion and gay marriage.

William Butler Yeats, in “The Second Coming,” describes much of our society: “The best lacked all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity.” Edmund Burke said, “The only thing necessary for evil to win is for good men to do nothing.”

Godly people must get passionate about their godly values, otherwise America’s Christian freedom will be lost and America will self-destruct.

Allen Marsh
412 Shoshone Avenue
Nampa, Idaho 83651
467-4902
allenmarsh@q.com

The Fourth Commandment In America Today
By Allen Marsh, Nampa (Submitted 08/22/07)

Nampa has (or had) a big conflict over whether the public library should open on Sunday. Many are pushing for it, but the city council is divided about it. As of this writing, the issue has not been resolved.

Founded as a Christian nation, Sunday was regarded as a holy day (the Lord’s Day) until the middle of the 20th century. The gradual advance of Secularism and erosion of Christian beliefs and principles has resulted in, among other things, a lack of Sunday observance.

In Muslim lands, Friday is holy. In Israel, Saturday is holy. In Christian lands, Sunday (the Lord’s Day) was holy. However, Secularism, which recognizes no holy day, has overcome Christianity. Not only have individual Christians conformed to the world in this, but nearly all churches, including conservative, evangelical churches, have succumbed to society’s pressure to participate in business and pleasure activities on Sunday. Like cooking the frog, the change has been gradual and not observed by the population.

Few Christians today see any problem with doing business or participating in other profane (common) activities on Sunday. In one case, a church board approved a youth public fundraising event on Sunday.

(1) No work (the Fourth Commandment--Exodus 20:9-10). This includes all family members, servants, strangers, and even animals.

b. Routine tasks that can be cared for in advance are included in Exodus 16:22-30 and Numbers 15:32-36.

The Bible contains three positive aspect aspects regarding Sabbath observance: rest, worship, and helping (ministering to) others. I have a list of 14 proper Sunday activities that space prohibits here.

The West is involved in WW III against “Muslim radicals.” What is the background, and what should be the Christian response?

America’s first conflict with Muslims occurred in the late 1700’s. The Muslims of Algiers, Morocco, Tripoli, and Tunis attacked our ships and sailors, forcing America to pay tribute annually.

Thomas Jefferson opposed paying tribute. He obtained a Koran to understand the Muslims and then attacked them. That conflict was immortalized in the Marine Corps Hymn.

In the Muslim nation, overlapping many countries, any non-Muslim is subject to persecution and even death. Anyone who converts from Islam is automatically under the death penalty. Christians in Muslim areas are often subject to severe persecution.

Europe is experiencing severe problems with Muslims rioting and demanding their own culture and laws (their nation). Muslims demonstrated in London with signs like “Behead those who insult Islam.” Many European cities now have “no-go zones” for ethnic Europeans, including armed police.1 Even in America groups of Muslims have rejoiced at our calamities.2

I have record of twelve attacks on Americans by Muslim Americans or legal immigrants, the last in Salt Lake City. In June 1990, Hamas ran a basic terrorist training course for 25 Palestinians outside Chicago.3 Muslims must avoid assimilation, grouping geographically while working to bring the non-Muslim world into conformity with them.4

The Islamic worldview opposes America’s Judeo-Christian worldview. Islam seeks to conquer by force, Christianity by loving persuasion.

Those we call “radical Muslims” will use anything from deceit to terrorism to actual war to conquer us.

Christian response in this war should be both spiritual and physical. We need to pray for Muslim conversion and work to accomplish that. God is working in the Muslim world including visions, miraculous healings, etc., and more Muslims are accepting Jesus than at any previous time. We must share Christ’s love with them as we have opportunity.

Only dependence on God and our own vigilance will keep American a land of the free.

1 James R. Edwards, Jr., Keeping Extremists Out p. 1
2 Tony Blankley, The West’s Best Chance, pp. 170-171
3 James R. Edwards, Jr., Keeping Extremists Out, Center for Immigration Studies. P. 17
4 “The New Roman Lions,” Weekly Standard, 3/29/06;
“The Islamization of Europe,” Banner of Truth, 2003
Tom Blankley, “Islamist Threat In France,” Washington Times, 11/9/05;
Tony Blankley, The West’s Last Chance: Will We win the Clash of Civilizations? Regency 2005

I would like to express a philosophical idea. Most of us have heard of natural law. You may call this, the law of cause and effect.

If a person has multiple sex partners, that person is more likely to get an STD. If you are a monogamist, your chances of getting an STD are reduced by a large percentage.

Another example is, homosexuals have increased risk of AIDS, hepatitis, and other STD's. Both moral conservatives and honest liberals can agree on this.

Speaking as a Christian, I believe natural law is evidence of God's law. The Ten Commandments cannot be ignored. There is a natural consequence for breaking these laws. As a nation, when we ignore God's law, we suffer. More crime, more health risks, and more incurable STD's are results of ignoring natural law.

The murder of pre-born children, abortion, causes sterility in many women, a greater risk of breast cancer, and a higher suicide rate. The result of our society murdering one-third of our unborn children: a negative population growth in US citizens. Also, the abortion mentality has lead to the devaluation of all life (i.e. Terri Schiavo).

We all have a conscience that tells us right from wrong. As a Christian I believe conscience is the light of Christ. No matter what your philosophy, the majority agree, when we ignore our conscience, we suffer emotionally, physically and spiritually.

I view this from a Christian point of view. We have turned away from God's law as a society.

Humanism and socialism are counterfeits, a way of rationalizing the betrayal of God's law. Karl Marx in the Communist Manifesto has as 'Point Ten' of his summary, "free education for all children in public schools." Public schools undermine God's law and natural law. Public schools are financed by collective theft.

The answer to our failing society can only be found in returning to the Ten Commandments.

Kirsten Faith Richardson
Box 5
Letha, Idaho 83636
208- 365- 4262

From Allen Marsh
Nampa, Idaho

Have you wondered why America is involved with so many social battles? Abortion, homosexuality, marriage, and judicial nominations are examples, but every area of life is involved. The conflict is based on diametrically opposed worldviews.

Every religion has a worldview. The primary worldviews in America, Christianity and atheism, are battling for dominance. Islam is increasing in influence but has not yet become a major force in America.

America was founded on the Judeo-Christian worldview with the Bible being the ultimate authority. God created the world in six days (Genesis 1-2). He created humans with purpose in this life and accountability in the next. God has absolute standards of behavior. This view generally prevailed in America into the 20th century.

Atheism has evolution as its basis. Everything came from nothing and developed over billions. Humans evolved by chance with no purpose and no future accountability. While individual atheists have always existed in America, it was not until the 20th century that they began to gain the ascendancy as a direct result of Darwin’s book On The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or The Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life.

In 1921 Margaret Sanger, who followed Darwin, sought to eliminate or reduce the “negative gene pool” of others (non-white) by establishing, in 1921, the National Birth Control League that later became Planned Parenthood of America. She also advocated free sex because we are only animals.

In the 1925 Scopes (Monkey) Trial, Clarence Darrow argued that it was wrong to allow the teaching of only one view of origins—the creation view. Although he lost the case, the result was that evolution began to be taught, and now it is only that view which is allowed.

After a generation (1947) the Court prohibited classroom Bible teaching in public schools. After another generation (1963 and 1964) the Court banned Bible reading and prayer. In 1973 the Court allowed abortion.

These Court decisions overrode the laws in every state. Since then “men in black” have imposed the atheistic view on people regarding many issues including Ten Commandment monuments, homosexuality, prayer in the military, Christmas celebration and displays, and many more.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, it seemed that science had established evolution. Many Christians tried to adapt the Bible and ended with theistic evolution. Now science has provided abundant evidence that the universe is thousands, not billions of years old. Many evidences point to a maximum of 10,000 years. There is no reason to reject the Bible account except the will to reject it.

Every fundamental Christian doctrine is based on a literal Genesis 1-3. The account of the flood (Genesis 6-8) explains much of geology.

If we want to combat non-Christian ideas from abortion to homosexual marriage, we must destroy atheism’s erroneous foundation of evolution. We must become familiar with scientific facts supporting a young earth—creation—and present these to the world. We must show that the Bible is trustworthy.

Allen Marsh
412 Shoshone Avenue
Nampa, Idaho 83651
208-467-4902
allenmarsh@earthlink.net

What a missed opportunity. Your response to the DaVinci code clearly exhibits your lack of respect for the pursuit of the truth. Your comment "His 'meticulous research' misses on several counts here." would have gained more credibility should you have phrased where you differ with the research from the book rather than over generalizing against the whole book.

The essence of the books presents an opportunity for a fair dialogue which may attract thousands of new Christians, if done properly. So, your myopic view only serves to undermine the concept of Christianity. Who's side are you on? Clearly, not Christ's.

The bottom line is that the DaVinci code opens up moral issues about the equal rights of women in the church and in Jesus' life which are not acceptable to ultra conservatives. Get a new view, its 2006.

I read Janice S.'s letter to the editor about the DaVinci Code, and though I have no connection to the article she mentioned I felt I had to respond. It seems to me she's attacking the article (and the TVCNews) on at least half a dozen points.

First, she suggests that the TVCN isn't interested in pursuing the truth, and that the article's author generalized. Actually, the writer gave at least 14 examples where Brown's self-described "meticulous research" was faulty. Even worse, Brown's key points (the church's "vote" on the divinity of Christ; the Canon of scripture; Leonardo's stylized "messages") are each founded on falsehoods. Sometimes pursuing the truth means refuting error, and your article did that.

Janice S. also suggests you should have used the book to begin dialogue with non-believers and declares your view "myopic" as opposed to some unspecified "concept of Christianity". Perhaps she could have suggested a better way than standing up against fiction claiming to be fact, or defined for us what she believes Christianity to be. The Bible says Jesus was crucified for our sins, resurrected on the third day, and reigns as Lord and Savior. Either that's true, or it's not. Those who were present for those events say it is. If a person believes in historical facts that's not myopia; that's clarity. Showing how Brown was in error could be a starting point in opening minds to those most important truths in the Bible's "concept of Christianity".

Janice S. closes with a proposition, an ad hominum attack, and an exhortation. Should we discuss equal rights for women in the church and in Jesus' life? Definitely! I suggest we do it based on what the scriptures say, not on philosophical or political preferences, and certainly not on some ill-researched novel.

She next implies you are an "ultra-conservative". Although I studied political science I really don't know who she's equating you with (John Paul II? George W. Bush? Adolph Hitler?) or what (fascism? racism? sexism? species-ism?) she means. It's a meaningless term intended to stir up emotion.

Finally, she exhorts the author to "get a new view; it's 2006." I would gently suggest she get an old view, one where Christ is exalted as Lord, where the Bible is evaluated fairly, and where truth matters. Those things still count, even in the new millenium.