Put a black man in the "White House" and watch America lose her freaking mind. Not only do you have what I would hope to be normally sane people latching on to any thread of a ridiculous lie they can to vilify Barack Obama (i.e. Birthers), but you have people supposedly of faith turning their back on Jesus in order to fulfill their carnal nature of blood, violence, fear and vengeance.
We're going to church today, folks.
Meet "Reverend" Wiley Drake, an Orange County religious sort who has his prayerful cross hairs trained right on our Commander in Chief with what is known as “Imprecatory Prayer". This is a prayer yanked from the Old Testament that basically says if you think your leader is evil you can pray for his death and God will answer you.
Forget that when Jesus came, he did so to be the last sacrifice needed or blood spilled for sin, and that with his pain and his torture (condoned and orchestrated by the religious leaders of his day, no less) all of us were set free of sin and death.
This vengeance hungry mentality that keeps the scriptures of violence and blood from the Old Testament is what is wrong with so many religions; it keeps their followers bound by two very ungodly emotions - namely HATE and FEAR.
Think I'm exaggerating? Here's a lil nugget from yet another perverted Pastor named Steven Anderson from Arizona: “I hate Barack Obama. You say, well, you just mean you don’t like what he stands for. No, I hate the person. Oh, you mean you just don’t like his policies. No, I hate him … I am not going to pray for his good. I am going to pray that he dies and goes to Hell.”
Hate, huh?
Let's see what the GOOD BOOK has to say about Hate...
1 John 3:14:
14We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.
Whoa.. so that means hating someone and wishing for their death actually results in your own death?
Heavy.
"But Ginger... they were talking about our Christian brothers and sisters - not our enemies."
Oh really?
Let's see what that Jesus fella had to say about that. Turn in your Bibles to Matthew 5.
43"You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.'
44"But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
45so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
46"For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
47"If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
48"Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
This is in the chapter with the Beatitudes... but my guess is these hate mongers don't have much use for verses that say stuff like the meek will inherit the earth, or blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.
It's just far too easy and too gratifying for the flesh to give in to these carnal desires for revenge and judgment - two things the Bible reserves for God ALONE.
And let's be very clear here... praying for someone to die for whatever you perceive their sins to be worthy of such condemnation is judgment.
But absolute power corrupts absolutely - and Jesus was no stranger to how the religious leaders perverted his most perfect purpose and the purposes of God. Tucked in Matthew Ch 5 is this lil gem:
19"Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20"For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus took the issue straight to the Pharisees themselves in the Seven Woes in one of the rare instances that he showed true anger in the scriptures.
Never once did he protest a sinner's home or pray for the death of any of these leaders, bring weapons to the temple or encourage others to fear or to hate. His anger was reserved only for those who perverted the message of the scriptures for their own selfish purpose.
This is why religions are so set up on the things we can't do, because doing what the Bible SAYS to do is so unpleasant for the lazy nature of man.
Guess what? We're *supposed* to submit to our authorities (and pay taxes!).
Romans 13
1Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.
2Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.
3For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same;
4for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.
5Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience' sake.
6For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing.
7 Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.
8Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.
Oops there's that loving the neighbor business again. That Jesus. Such a radical liberal... no wonder the Wingnuts want to change the Bible. People like these two, pitiful blind Pharisees, who are leading the blind and the foolish straight into the hell of their own creation.
But here's the kicker - though I am angered by their taking holy scripture and making it an assassin's creed, I do not pray for their death. Christ forgave them, and so should I.
This is never more important than when you pray.
Matthew 6
9"Pray, then, in this way:
'Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10' Your kingdom come
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
11'Give us this day our daily bread.
12'And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13'And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]'
(wait... it gets better!)
14"For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15"But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.
"But Ginger... aren't YOU being judgmental?"
No, I'm just going by the same Bible they use to fulfill their evil agenda.
Matthew 7
15"Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
16"You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?
17"So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.
18"A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.
19" Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20"So then, you will know them by their fruits.
21" Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
22" Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?'
23"And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'
Judging, as is declaring a judgment for their sin up to and including death, that's up to God, not me. I had no use for George W Bush but I never wished the man dead, even when I thought him one of the bad trees.
It is ridiculous to judge someone else's sin when I, myself, am not perfect. In Matthew 7 Jesus referred to this as being a hypocrite, and Jesus has some pretty strong words about that.
Matthew 15:7-9
7"You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you:
8'THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS,
BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME.
9'BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME,
TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.'"
10After Jesus called the crowd to Him, He said to them, "Hear and understand.
11" It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man."
12Then the disciples came and said to Him, "Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement?"
13But He answered and said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted.
14"Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit."
Not to mention if I wished him dead I was guilty in God's eyes of murdering him myself. (Matthew 5)
These so called leaders would do well to remember it. The Bible was never meant as a tool to control others - but to grow and develop within ones self and by that to lead others. My friend Tom pointed out the book of Ezekiel 34 to me, and if you read it you'll see it was set up to chastise these leaders who have turned from their holy purpose of leading their flocks, and toward their own selfish desires and controlling ways.
4"Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you sought for the lost; but with force and with severity you have dominated them.
Here's an interesting fact to note about the Bible. There are more scriptures denouncing hypocritical religious leadership than there are scriptures against homosexuality. Jesus spoke out - repeatedly - against one and not against the other at all...
Things that make you go hmmmm.
As Christians we need to worry more about doing the work of Jesus (acceptance, forgiveness, mercy, love, charity, healing) rather than try to call down the wrath of God. Only God knows the true heart of man - that's why vengeance should always - ALWAYS - be his alone.
Every religion who forsakes this doctrine for their own evil agendas is nothing more than a cult... and in this case spiritual terrorists.
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