Free Republic

Proverbs 18:5-6 It is not good to accept the person of the wicked, to overthrow the righteous in judgment. A fool’s lips enter into contention, and his mouth calleth for strokes. Sam’s Wholesale Club, a division of Wal-Mart, is doing the Lord’s work by removing a blasphemous book from its shelves, and sadly many reactionary Christians are responding with foolish lips calling for a boycott, not of the book, but of Sam’s Club! The atheist at the center of the controversy, Brendan Smith, must be laughing all the way to the bank for duping conservatives into opposing a decision...

If I had to single out one thing that played the greatest role in initially convincing me of the Bible's authenticity and the truth of Christianity, I'd choose the Old Testament prophecies, especially those concerning the Messiah. The specificity of some of the individual prophecies is powerfully probative, but the odds against so many of them being fulfilled in the person of Christ by coincidence are utterly breathtaking. In about 700 B.C., the Prophet Isaiah specifically named the king (Cyrus) who would rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem, some 114 years before Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar destroyed it and some 150 years...

The YMCA has decided to change it's name and it's company logo. It will no longer be known as the YMCA as evidenced in the statement released July 12, 2010. Here is an excerpt from that statement for you to read, then you can vote on whether you think the name and logo change is a good idea ... Switching the name to "The Y", even though it is easier (same number of letters but two less syllables) and already in common use as street slang for the YMCA, provokes the question: What does it stand for? "The Young"? Or...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he relaxes every Saturday by reading the Bible with his 15-year-old son -- who recently won a national Israeli Bible competition and came in third in the international quizzing contest. Netanyahu revealed this fascinating piece of information near the end of CNN's 'Larry King Live' show in answer to Larry King's question on whether, as Israeli PM, Netanyahu ever gets time to relax. ...

RAN - (ANS)- The Farsi Christian News Network (www.fcnn.com) is reporting that Iranian Government Security Forces have burned hundreds of Bibles. A spokesperson for FCNN told the ASSIST News Service (ANS), "This action [of burning the Bibles], which has been confirmed by informed sources, was aired on a site belonging to the Pasdaran paramilitary organization, is nothing less than shameful and the persons responsible must be identified and exposed to the whole world." The report said that on Saturday, May 29, 2010, Ati News, a site belonging to Morteza Talaee, the previous head of the security forces and the current...

Yeung Wing-Cheung, from the Noah's Ark Ministries International research team that made the discovery on Mount Ararat in Eastern Turkey, said: "It's not 100 percent that it is Noah's Ark, but we think it is 99.9 percent that this is it." According to Genesis 8:4, once the flood waters receded Noah’s Ark “came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.” That is where the team of Chinese and Turkish Evangelical Christians found what they believe to be the famed Ark. The group says that carbon dating proves the relics found are 4,800 year old which correlates to the time-frame given...

Over the last year a fascination with vampires has reached a fevered pitch as books, movies, and TV shows about them have inundated our culture and invaded our schools and homes. Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series is perhaps the best known example. This is a series of four books (two of which have already been made into movies) that tell the story of 18-year-old Isabella “Bella” Swan and her relationship with Edward Cullen, a 104-year-old vampire whose “eternal age” is 17.

The Conservative movement of today basically consists of individuals with various personal beliefs (both religious and ideological), but conservatism in general sadly rejects outright the absolute authority of the Bible, the Holy Word of Almighty God. It is a “bestselling” book widely reverenced, but too many Conservatives reject its Divine authority and preeminence. These “Subjective Conservatives” cannot see out of this box called time, and thus they are oblivious to the realities of Holy Scripture truth. This includes the coming establishment of the literal Kingdom of Almighty God on earth, as well as their own eternity destiny (John 3:3-5; Romans...

The holiday season can be filled with warm happy families and smiling couples. Yet even during the holiday season domestic violence does not take a break. According to the National Institute of Justice "financial strain and unemployment" can impact rates and severity of intimate partner violence. In addition, escalation of alcohol consumption can create the perfect tsunami for increased stress and unrestrained domestic abuse. Yet as we attend these festive celebrations we many times turn our heads away simply wishing the discomfort of hearing or seeing violent physical outbursts and abuse away. The violence does not slip away nor is...

In him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the promised holy Spirit, which is the first installment of our inheritance toward redemption as God's possession, to the praise of his glory. (1:13-14) For a moment, paint the picture in your mind of Golgotha's hill. Our Blessed Lord and the two criminals hung for hours on their respective crosses, ravaged by thirst, and mocked by the mob. And for hours, the two watched the One in the middle. Nothing escaped their notice. They heard His...

"That He (Jesus) died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures." (1 Corinthians 15:3- 4) "And Jesus said, Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” (John 5:39) "Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded...

The first four books of the Bible’s New Testament record the same event from four different perspectives. We’re continuing to thoroughly walk through each account and synchronize them into one report. In this installment, we will cover what is commonly thought of as the “Christmas story”, the perfection of God’s justice VS the perfection of God’s love, the establishment of the balance transfer system, Zachariah & Mary’s encounter with the angel Gabriel, the nature and capabilities of angels, why it had to be a virgin birth, what it really means to be filled with the Holy Spirit, the birth of...

The first four books of the Bible’s New Testament record the same event from four different perspectives. It has always been a desire of mine to thoroughly walk through each account and synchronize them into one report. In this first installment, we will cover the background and overview of what are commonly known as the Gospels, the physics of how a hyper-dimensional being became a three dimensional man, the genealogy of Jesus Christ and the supernatural structure of the text.

The CPAC Convention was held these last few days, firing up the Conservative base in light of our nation’s current socialistic and entitlement mentality (i.e., the “narcissistic crisis”). A variety of conservative speakers were on tap, and the commencing address was given by none other than the true leader of the Conservative movement, The Doctor of Democracy and America’s Real Anchorman: Rush Limbaugh.

Watching the “Reverend” Jeremiah Wright gesticulate like a horny peacock and spew out ignorance, hatred, and bitterness towards America truly inspired my religious faith. Once Wright pointed out that he was “still in Bible country,” I began to “love the hell out of” rich, white people just as much as Wright does. How could so many people not understand that white people have caused all the world’s problems? As Wright pointed out to his congregation, the Bible says it’s so. I’m not sure what verse actually says that, but I’m now betting that rich, white people are responsible for my...

FORT WORTH, Texas, Jan 3. -- Just before New Year's Eve, a Fort Worth mother was kicked off the public bus for reading the Bible aloud to her children on the way to church. "What kind of person pulls over public transportation and kicks out a mother and her children for reading their Bible on the way to church?" said Kelly Shackelford, Chief Counsel for Liberty Legal Institute, the legal organization representing Christine Lutz. "Freedom of religion exists on public transportation just like anywhere else." Christine Lutz was reading the Bible to her children while on the way to church...

In the rooms of Manhattan's trendy Soho Grand Hotel guests can enjoy an eclectic selection of underground music, iPod docking stations, flat-screen TVs and even the living company of a complimentary goldfish. But, alas, the word of God is nowhere to be found. Unlike traditional hotels, the 10-year-old boutique has never put Bibles in its guest rooms, because "society evolves," says hotel spokeswoman Lori DeBlois. Providing Bibles would mean the hotel "would have to take care of every guest's belief." What might be surprising to many Americans is that the Bible-free room isn't a development just in hip New York...

The United States is committed to the security of Israel and the safety of the Israeli people. The historical, familial and cultural ties of our peoples are the basis of this commitment. It is strengthened by the shared values and shared interests of our nations. Our mutual goal is an economically and militarily strong Israel at peace with its neighbors. We must exercise our traditional leadership role in the region and continue our longstanding support to Israel to achieve this vision. Key Issues Security Cooperation. Security assistance to Israel is a key pillar of U.S. foreign policy and provides a...

The Creation Museum has met and exceeded its inaugural year attendance goal, less than six months after it opened its doors. Officials at Answers in Genesis, the apologetics ministry that opened the museum in May, anticipated 250,000 visitors the first year. However, the northern Kentucky-based museum met that goal last week. Melany Ethridge, a spokesperson for the museum, says the big crowds indicate that many are interested in the biblical explanation of creation. "The museum is drawing not only Christians who already believe in the biblical view of Creation, but it's drawing those who are just more curious to learn...

The Giuliani candidacy has polarized politically conservative Christians and Jews — perhaps less over Rudy’s position on abortion than, more subtly, over a question of emphasis. Who’s right? The Jewish “neoconservatives,” who make up more than half of Giuliani’s star foreign-policy advisory team (Norman Podhoretz, Daniel Pipes, Michael Rubin, Martin Kramer, and David Frum)? Or Christians, like Family Research Council president Tony Perkins, who would not rule out supporting a third party candidate if Giuliani gets the nomination? To adjudicate the dispute, I propose an appeal to the part of the Bible on whose authority Jews (like myself) and Christians...

If you want to predict on which side an American will line up in the Culture War wracking America, virtually all you have to do is get an answer to this question: Does the person believe in the divinity and authority of the Five Books of Moses, the first five books of the Bible, known as the Torah? ("Divinity" does not necessarily mean "literalism.") I do not ask this about "the Bible" as a whole because the one book that is regarded as having divine authority by believing Jews, Catholics, Protestants and Mormons, among others, is not the entire Bible,...

Just when you thought the Anti-Defamation League couldn't conceivably get any worse, comes the news that the ADL has effectively joined the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) to bash Dennis Prager, a popular Jewish author, speaker and talk show host. In a November 29th column, posted at Townhall.com, Prager criticized Keith Ellison, D-Minn., the first Muslim elected to Congress, for declaring he'll bring the Koran with him to his swearing-in ceremony. Prager's calls this "the narcissism of multiculturalism." The author of several best-selling books on Judaism and a member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, Prager notes that...

To understate the case, my last column, "America, Not Keith Ellison, Decides What Book a Congressman Takes His Oath on," seems to have touched a national nerve. It has caused a national discussion -- actually, more hate-filled attacks on me than civil discussion -- and has been covered by just about all major American news media. To their credit, CNN and Fox News both gave me ample time (in television terms anyway) to express my views on two of each network's major shows: "Paula Zahn Now" and Headline News on CNN, and "Hannity & Colmes" and "Your World with Neil...

Keith Ellison, D-Minn., the first Muslim elected to the United States Congress, has announced that he will not take his oath of office on The Bible, but on the bible of Islam, the Koran. He should not be allowed to do so -- not because of any American hostility to the Koran, but because the act undermines American civilization. First, it is an act of hubris that perfectly exemplifies multiculturalist activism -- my culture trumps America's culture. What Ellison and his Muslim and leftist supporters are saying is that it is of no consequence what America holds as its holiest...

Without question, after the Latin Vulgate, no vernacular translation of the Bible has had more impact on Christian life and culture in general than the King James Version. What is seldom noted with the King James Version is busy being praised to the skies for its various qualities, is that it was a translation that owed an enormous amount of its diction and memorable phrasing to its English predecessor versions, especially the partial OT and the entire NT that William Tyndale finished, and at the other end of the discussion the KJV went through various revised editions. But the story...

LANCASTER The school board's adoption of a new philosophy encouraging students to question evolution has been met with criticism from some who say the move is a way of sneaking creationism or intelligent design into the classroom.

DENVER, March 28 - In a sharply divided ruling, Colorado's highest court on Monday upheld a lower court's decision throwing out the sentence of a man who was given the death penalty after jurors consulted the Bible in reaching a verdict. The Bible, the court said, constituted an improper outside influence and a reliance on what the court called a "higher authority." "The judicial system works very hard to emphasize the rarified, solemn and sequestered nature of jury deliberations," the majority said in a 3-to-2 decision by a panel of the Colorado Supreme Court. "Jurors must deliberate in that atmosphere...

Chapter One The proverbs of solomon son of David, king of Israel: for learning what wisdom and discipline are, for understanding words of deep meaning, for acquiring an enlighted attitude of mind --virtue, justice and fair-dealing; for teaching sound judgement to the ignorant, and knowledge and sense to the young; for perceiving the meanings of proverbs and obscure sayings, the sayings of the sages and their riddles. Let the wise listen and he will learn yet more, and the man of discernment will acquire the art of guidance. The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of knowledge; fools spurn wisdom...

<p>Marshaling his troops like one of the wounded warriors he has played in Hollywood blockbusters, Mel Gibson is drawing on allies from Mike Ilitch Jr. to Pope John Paul II to boost his upcoming film about Jesus' death.</p> <p>As the Feb. 25, Ash Wednesday, debut of "The Passion of the Christ" looms, Gibson is using his star power to forge an unlikely alliance of evangelical Protestants and conservative Catholics. Drawing on every technique from state-of-the-art Internet appeals to invitation-only previews that freeze out critics, Gibson's zealous supporters are undercutting the early criticism of his R-rated film.</p>

It was Martin Luther who said, "There are three conversions a person needs to experience: The conversion of the head. The conversion of the heart. The conversion of the pocketbook." It is worth noting that money is such an important topic in the Bible that it is the main subject of nearly half of the parables Jesus told. In addition, one in every seven verses in the New Testament deals with this topic. The Bible offers 500 verses on prayer, fewer than 500 verses on faith, and more than 2,000 verses on money. In fact, 15 percent of everything Jesus...

A study of 1,259 teenagers from 12 countries by two Boston University communication professors found that the more access the teens had to Hollywood movies, television programs and pop music, the higher their negative attitudes toward Americans tended to be. Most of the teenagers in the study considered Americans to be violent, prone to criminal activity and sexually immoral, but only 12 percent had actually visited the U.S. “These results suggest that pop culture, rather than foreign policy, is the true culprit of anti-Americanism,” said Boston U. Professor Melvin DeFleur, who authored the study with Professor Margaret DeFleur. “Our popular...

QUESTION: Where do Bible manuscripts come from? ANSWER: Most existing manuscripts of the Bible are divided into two "families." These two families are represented by the cities of Alexandria, Egypt and Antioch, Syria.

" In latter times some shall depart from the faith , giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons , speaking lies in hyposcrisy ,forbidding marriage and commanding abstaining from meaats which God gave to be given with thanks to them that believe ." - from the New Testament , 1 Timothy 4:1-5

THE AUTHORITY OF THE WORDby Ray C. Stedman In these last few weeks I have learned of five cases of Christians, some of whom were rather prominent Christian leaders, who have suffered total moral collapse, having made shipwrecks of their lives and marriages. In each case the first sign of impending disaster, the first outward mark of inward deterioration, was a shift in their view of the authority of the Word of God. There is a very definite link between moral decline and the authority of Scripture, and I would like to begin this message with a passage which underscores...