CULTURE AFFECTS CHRISTIANS!

Recently I've been brooding over a conviction: a deep desire to "change the culture of a nation, from one that tolerates sin to one that tolerates righteousness."

Why should we care about changing the culture? We Christians are separated from the world! -- aren't we? We live apart from the world! -- don't we?

We're not affected by the world, or its culture, now are we?

Don't be too sure. The scriptures show us that culture can indeed ensnare Christians and lead us off the path of righteousness.

Scriptures describe the city of Sodom as wicked and sinful -- it was so bad there could not be found ten righteous people there. But a righteous man lived nearby named Lot. Genesis 19 speaks of a time when angels came to the city to pronounce judgment upon it. The men of Sodom were so sexually deviant that they wanted to rape the heavenly visitors.

Astonishingly, Lot proffered his virgin daughters to appease the crowd. What?

Can you see how the sexually permissive culture negatively affected his own judgment and morality so that he offered his own daughters to be molested? And he thought nothing of it! Various New Testament translations say that Lot was "vexed, oppressed, distressed" by the conduct in Sodom (2 Peter 2:7). Young's Literal Translation says that Lot was "worn down" by what was going on around him, day in day out.

His convictions were seriously seared by his culture.

The same today: one's perspective of issues can change with the constant bombardment of negative influences on TV, from classroom teachers, from devious politicians.

Prayerfully, Christians can "come out" from the ways of the world. Our allegiances and behavior are not those of the world (-- or so we would hope!).

Thankfully, the Holy Spirit, once empowered within an individual, can help us discern both good and evil as mature Christians (Heb 5:14).

But ponder the landscape of Christendom throughout the world. Pick a social dilemma in the world and see if there is unanimous Christian consensus on it. Don't you think there should be?!

Let's go down the list:

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION
Do we side with law and order; or do we side with the poor?

ABORTION
Do we side with the life of the child; or the rights of the mother?

GOVERNMENT
Do we want government to punish the rich to give to the poor in equal distribution; or do we want free enterprise that doesn't limit our potential?

POLITICAL PARTIES
Do we want liberal/socialistic candidates; or do we want those with traditional, more conservative values? Do we vote for someone according to ethnicity; as opposed to righteous behavior?

Unfortunately, Christian perspectives vary. And, quite often it's due to culture.

This is why I say that we need to change the culture from one that tolerates sin to one that tolerates righteousness. Today you can say the most outlandish, disrespectful, sinful thing and you get a pat on the back.

Talk about righteousness and you get a sneer.

Yes, it's time to do all we can to change the culture.

RABBI QUESTIONS HIS LIBERAL BELIEFS

This story is really intriguing. The New York Jewish Rabbi, who took the footage of Helen Thomas' hateful anti-Semitic response last week, is now conflicted about his party: Liberal Democrats.

As a voting block, American Jews have been very liberal and have voted Democrat for years. I've always wondered why. Conservatives have always been more supportive of the state of Israel, than liberal democrats.

But now Rabbi David Nesenoff is conflicted. Ever since the release of the Thomas video, he has been blasted by liberal democrats with hate mail and the left-leaning media with bias reporting.

He confesses that he has been "blindly" following liberalism -- but now he's had an awakening.

May many more American liberal Jews understand that conservatism is where they belong.

Musical PRO-LIFE Message: Andrea Bocelli

Andrea Bocelli, that great tenor, presents an ear-ringing affirmation for life; which may not break glass, but it's sure to break hearts.

FOR THE RECORD: Does the Koran Teach Violence?

Keep this handy for those who will insist that Islam does not promote violence against non-Muslims.

Qur'an 9:29:
Fight those who believe not in God nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by God and His Apostle, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.

Qur'an 9:5:
But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them, an seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war); but if they repent, and establish regular prayers and practise regular charity, then open the way for them: for God is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.

Bukhari 1.2.24:
Allah's Apostle said: "I have been ordered (by Allah) to fight against the people until they testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad is Allah's Apostle..."

Bukhari 1.8.387:
Allah's Apostle said, "I have been ordered to fight the people till they say: 'None has the right to be worshipped but Allah.'

Bukhari 4.53.392:
While we were in the Mosque, the Prophet came out and said, "Let us go to the Jews" We went out till we reached Bait-ul-Midras. He said to them, "If you embrace Islam, you will be safe. You should know that the earth belongs to Allah and His Apostle, and I want to expel you from this land...

Bukhari 9.92.388:
"...Allah's Apostle said, I have been ordered to fight the people till they say 'None has the right to be worshipped but Allah'... "

Muslim 1.33:
It has been narrated on the authority of Abdullah b. 'Umar that the Messenger of Allah said: I have been commanded to fight against people till they testify that there is no god but Allah, that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah...

Muslim 14.4294:
Invite them to (accept) Islam; if they respond to you, accept it from them and desist from fighting against them... If they refuse to accept Islam, demand from them the Jizya. If they agree to pay, accept it from them and hold off your hands. If they refuse to pay the tax, seek Allah's help and fight them...

Muslim 14.4366:
It has been narrated by 'Umar b. al-Khattib that he heard the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) say: I will expel the Jews and Christians from the Arabian Peninsula and will not leave any but Muslim.

America, Open Your Eyes! More on the Ground Zero Mosque

The New York City Skyline.

A skyline of mosques.

This is what is foreseen by those who would build the Ground Zero mega-mosque. The following YouTube video, from AnsweringMuslims website, explains the plans precisely.





SEND AN EMAIL TO MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG HERE:

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District 1 - Council Member - Democrat:
chin@council.nyc.gov

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District 3 - Council Member - Democrat:
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To Write To The Governor of New York:
David A. Paterson
State Capitol
Albany, NY 12224

518-474-8390

To e-mail the Governor of New York:
http://www.state.ny.us/governor/contact/GovernorContactForm.php

To Contact City Councilman Eric Ulirch:
(718) 738-1083


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Mailing Information
Albany Office:
815 Legislative Office Building
Albany, NY 12247
(518) 455-2322
Fax - (518) 426-6875

District Office:
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Howard Beach, NY 11414
(718) 738-1111
Fax - (718) 322-5760

Satellite Office:
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Middle Village, NY 11379
(718) 497-1630
Fax - (718) 497-1761

Ground Zero Mosque Imam Behind Gaza Flotilla

Are we beginning to see a pattern? Are we able to discern the truth yet?

We have been reporting that the Imam who is behind the proposed Ground Zero mosque has pro-terrorist views and has ulterior, malicious motives intending to bring about a symbolic conquest over and social destabilization of America.

We now learn that Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf is also behind the infamous Gaza flotilla incident, intended to bring about the global public condemnation of Israel.

See report here.

Powerful Backlash Against the Ground Zero Mosque

Well, despite the non-presence of the mainstream media, a major protest was conducted in the area near the proposed Ground Zero Mosque in New York City -- symbolically, perhaps, it was at the corners of Trinity, Church and Liberty.

Below are two clips from the rally with Pamela Geller, of Stop Islamization of America, and Robert Spencer, of Jihad Watch, and a jointly written review below:









Despite weather forecasts of thunderstorms and rain, the skies were clear and beautiful -- but not as beautiful as this patriotic crowd of great Americans and Europeans. It was a real cross section of humanity .......... ever race, creed, color and religion were out in all their glory.

Robert and I were expecting 500; imagine our wonder when close to 5,000 showed up. This is just the beginning. We are going to sue to designate the Burlington building a war memorial. There is a large piece of an airplane in that building. That is a war memorial. Instead of a mega mosque at ground zero, let's build a 911 war memorial to the victims. The current plan for a 911 museum is several floors underground, like a dungeon. And the mosque plan calls for the mosque to be on the top floor, looking down triumphantly on the burial ground of Ground Zero.

I don't think so. The Burlington building must be a war memorial, an historic landmark. We will sue to make that happen. We will protest again in September and stage sit-ins in front of the mosque should they try to break ground. Three thousand good and decent Americans did not die in vain.

The crowd was so huge that it filled the police pens and Zuccotti Park, and overflowed to the other side of the street. American Sheepdogs with an SIOA banner were down the block, across the street, right outside Charley's.

There was little big media there, which indicates how biased they are against the Ame rican people. NY News actually ran four segments repeatedly of the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgendered parade since I got home. And Fox is running ....get this -- Greta Van Susteren's years old interview with Natalee Holloway's murderer.

But there were loads of bloggers like El Marco, Pamela Hall, etc. I will update with their extraordinary work and photojournalism. If you missed El Marco's stunning coverage of the mosque yesterday, please go here.

Robert's reportage is here:
They started showing up long before the rally began at noon today. They came from Washington state, California, Texas, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine, South Carolina, Florida, and elsewhere. They were Christians, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, atheists, Muslims of conscience. They were lovers of freedom.

An hour before the rally began, they numbered 1,000. Zuccotti Park's owners sided with the Islamic supremacists and withdrew their permit to allow us to gather there, and so the police repeatedly requested that people leave the park and move into the pens that the police had set up at Church and Liberty streets. Before noon, however, the pens were full -- and so, with free citizens having every legal right to be in the park, the park became a site for the rally despite the best efforts of its clueless dhimmi owners.

By the time the rally was in full swing, the crowd filled the pens, the park, and the other side of the street. Police estimated that 5,000 people were there, and other estimates ranged as high as 10,000. The crowd carried signs expressing their love for freedom, their contempt for Sharia, and their anger at Islamic supremacism and insult to the memories of those murdered on 9/11 that this mosque represents.

And we had a full spectrum of top quality speakers. There were 9/11 family members, including C. Lee Hanson, who lost his son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter on 9/11. There were people who experienced the oppression of Sharia firsthand, such as the Egyptian ex-Muslim Nonie Darwish, the Sudanese ex-slave Simon Deng, and the Hindu human rights activist Babu Suseelan. There was Dennis McKenna, who worked recovering remains from the ruins of the World Trade Center; Alan T. DeVona, the patrol sergeant on duty on September 11, 2001; and Keith LeBow, an ironworker who was one of the first responders on the scene on September 11. There was Herb London of the Hudson Institute and Beverly Carlson of the Band of Mothers -- and a host of other speakers, all lovers of America and lovers of freedom.

The theme among all the speakers was common: the mosque is an insult to the Americans who were murdered there. It is a manifestation of a radically intolerant belief system that is incompatible with the freedoms guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. And even with all the political elites against us, and the mainstream media indifferent or compromised (5,000 to 10,000 people at the rally, and no mainstream media coverage!), we will prevail. All we have on our side is the truth.

Pamela Geller did interviews with Al-Jazeera, AP, Chilean television, Italian television and many others; I was interviewed by Italian television and TV Asia. ABC? NBC? CBS? CNN? Even FOX? AWOL.

And the truth is powerful. The forecast had called for rain, but it didn't start raining in New York until after the rally had broken up. Many took it as a sign that we represented the cause of right and justice. And even with all the indifference of the politicians and the media, we sent a signal today: we will not let this injustice stand. We will be rallying again in September, and again when construction begins on the mega-mosque. We will be filing suit against the Federal Government, asking that the Burlington Coat Factory site where the mega-mosque is going to be built be designated a war memorial, a la Pearl Harbor, Gettysburg, etc., because of the part of one of the 9/11 airplanes that crashed into the roof there, and that is in the makeshift mosque that Muslims are using there now.

And above all: we will never give up.

[By the way, this is the best example of my previous blog about why average citizens are becoming the new media. No mainstream media outlet covered this story!]