"Scientists discover that atheists might not exist, and that’s not a joke"

Reblogged from http://the-end-time.blogspot.com

 

This is an interesting article. It expresses a truth that goes even deeper than the scientists know.

"Scientists discover that atheists might not exist, and that’s not a joke"
Metaphysical thought processes are more deeply wired than hitherto suspected...

WHILE MILITANT ATHEISTS like Richard Dawkins may be convinced God doesn’t exist, God, if he is around, may be amused to find that atheists might not exist. Cognitive scientists are becoming increasingly aware that a metaphysical outlook may be so deeply ingrained in human thought processes that it cannot be expunged.
While this idea may seem outlandish—after all, it seems easy to decide not to believe in God—evidence from several disciplines indicates that what you actually believe is not a decision you make for yourself. Your fundamental beliefs are decided by much deeper levels of consciousness, and some may well be more or less set in stone.
This line of thought has led to some scientists claiming that “atheism is psychologically impossible because of the way humans think,” says Graham Lawton, an avowed atheist himself, writing in the New Scientist. “They point to studies showing, for example, that even people who claim to be committed atheists tacitly hold religious beliefs, such as the existence of an immortal soul.”

We've heard what the heathens say. What does the bible say?

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,g in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. (Romans 1:18-20)

Gill's Exposition of Romans 1:19 explains how even the Heathens (as Gill terms them) can have knowledge of God-

there are some things which may be known of God, without a revelation. Adam had a perfect knowledge of him; and his sons, though fallen, even the very Heathens have some notion of him, as that there is a God; and by the light of nature it might be known that there is but one God, who is glorious, full of majesty, and possessed of all perfections, as that he is all powerful, wise, good and righteous:
and this is manifest in them, or "to them"; by the light that is given them: it is light by which that which may be known of God is manifest; and this is the light of nature, which every man has that comes into the world; and this is internal, it is in him, in his mind and conscience, and is communicated to him by God, and that by infusion or inspiration;

All men have knowledge of God. But they suppress it. How do they do this, then? The article demonstrates this very thing by what the author says next:

If a tendency to believe in the reality of an intangible network is so deeply wired into humanity, the implication is that it must have an evolutionary purpose. Social scientists have long believed that the emotional depth and complexity of the human mind means that mindful, self-aware people necessarily suffer from deep existential dread. Spiritual beliefs evolved over thousands of years as nature’s way to help us balance this out and go on functioning.

'If spirituality exists, it MUST have an evolutionary purpose'. See? Not, 'if spiritualism exists in all of us, there MUST be a God." Suppressed!

Since the heathens acknowledge the truth that there is a consciousness of God and they attribute that truth to evolution, not to God, they beg the question, which is, why does man, and only man, have a sentient, self-awareness of his own being? And included in this self-awareness is his position in the universe under some Higher Being. But they do not care to answer the problem of consciousness, and with it the knowledge of a spiritual element to our existence. They simply ignore that and go on to explaining that our evolution must have generated this spiritual element in man to aid our 'existential dread.'

This existential dread has existed in man since the Fall, when we see it rearing up in Cain.

Cain and Abel

Cain had just slain his brother Abel. God is cursing Cain and pronounced the verdict of Cain's punishment upon him: Cain was to be exiled, never more work the ground successfully, and be a fugitive and a wanderer. (Gen 4:12) Cain cried out that this was more than he could bear. To wander meant that his life would be taken. God assured him that vengeance would be upon anyone who would kill Cain, and then Cain went out.

Cain knew that to wander as a fugitive meant that he would be easy prey to the obviously greatly increased population. Why dread fellow man? Why fear that he would be killed? Cain knew man was to be feared. After all, hadn't Cain just slain Abel?

From Cain's line and many that came after Cain from other lines, they knew God but they acknowledged Him not.

Yet the deep need to express ourselves under a Higher Being, or a force, or a spiritual element in our lives still existed. So they took to idols.

Idols are specifically mentioned in the bible first when Rachel took her father's household gods. (Genesis 31:9). But actually the Tower of Babel was man's first attempt to worship falsely. Cain worshiped incorrectly (by offering what he knew to be a wrong sacrifice) but not falsely. The Tower of Babel was about man trying to worship unfaithfully. (Genesis 11:4)

How soon men forget the most tremendous judgments, and go back to their former crimes! Though the desolations of the deluge were before their eyes, though they sprang from the stock of righteous Noah, yet even during his life-time, wickedness increases exceedingly. Nothing but the sanctifying grace of the Holy Spirit can remove the sinful lusts of the human will, and the depravity of the human heart. God's purpose was, that mankind should form many nations, and people all lands. In contempt of the Divine will, and against the counsel of Noah, the bulk of mankind united to build a city and a tower to prevent their separating. Idolatry was begun, and Babel became one of its chief seats. (Matthew Henry's Commentary)

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

How will we each respond to the eternity that is set in our heart? We cannot fathom the unfathomable, as Job acknowledged. (Job 42:3) But we can know what God intended us to know about Him, in the specific revelation of His word. We can also see His glory expressed through His general revelation to all men through His creation.

Idolatry is the ultimate unfaithfulness to God. We all have knowledge of Him in us. The question is, will we rightly attribute that knowledge to His planting of it, or to an impersonal universe evolving in us a mere chemical soup? The answer of course is that greatest glory is to see Him as God, Highest and Mighty. He is El Olam- The Everlasting God!

And Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the everlasting God. (Genesis 21:33)

Public Domain

Coulrophobia on the Rise in France, an S.T. Lloyd commentary

Reblogged from http://servehiminthewaiting.com

By STLloyd October 28, 2014

Photo Wiki

I know that some Christians have an annoying tendency to see demons “behind every rock”, but I just have to say on this one, clowns already hold a major “creepy-factor” for a lot of people (not me, I used to collect clown figurines, and my first job was as a clown!) but to take something that is meant to be fun, and make it pure evil in this way, seems particularly depraved. 

I think that between the epidemic of pedophilia, and murder of babies in the womb, to this type of “celebration of all things evil” there can be no question that society as a whole has reached a depth of wickedness that God will not let go on indefinitely.

Clowns date all the way back to Egypt’s 5th Dynasty, according to Wikipedia, and the first clowns were played by priests.  Go figure!  No wonder kids are scared of them!  Everyone is familiar with the court jester of yore.  A.K.A. the fool.  The gravediggers in Hamlet were clowns, and the Harlequin, though French, is believed to have spun off of “Alchino” of Dante’s Inferno, and who can forget the confessions of the late Robin Williams, and the “spirit” that gave him his comedy, and the Joker from Batman, whose character was played by the late Heath Ledger, and Jack Nicholson’s famous quote “I warned him about playing that character”.

I don’t think it is just humans who come up with this idea of using  an icon of merriment and joy, to taint with evil.  I think devils have a sick and disturbing appetite for the most innocent, and those humans who develop that appetite, do so when their own sinful nature rejects God and becomes wide open to demonic influence.  This is a sign of the times we live in, that has largely been ignored in the news.  I thought it was telling, more so than the endless speculation about Ebola, and the purely artificially sustained “protests” in Ferguson.  Not that those things don’t matter, but they are intentional distractions. 

The fact that this spree in France involves youth, demonstrates the cynicism of the up-coming soon-to-be-adult generations, and although dressing as a clown and terrorizing people is certainly not conducive to addressing any problems, I think it is safe to say that kids are angry these days, after all, the adults have really screwed this world up that they are inheriting.  God help the generation whose movies are the Hunger Games and Divergent, which portray kids in  “every-man-for-himself, last one standing inherits the world scenarios”.  It’s a far cry from Andy Griffith and Leave it to Beaver, and only 40 years between the two!

A wave of panic sparked by evil clowns stalking French towns has spread to the south of France where police have arrested 14 teenagers dressed as the pranksters, carrying pistols, knives and baseball bats.

A police source said the group of teens were arrested in the parking lot of a high school in the port town of Agde, as several other complaints poured in over “armed clowns” in the region over the weekend.

In the Mediterranean city of Montpellier a man disguised as a clown was arrested after beating up a pedestrian with an iron bar, while three motorists in different towns complained about “scary clowns” threatening them.
The phenomenon of dressing up as an evil clown and terrifying passers-by – a trend which has also been seen in the United States and Britain – cropped up in the north of France in early October.

Read More: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11348740

Conversation/interview - Joel Richardson and Adna Oktar

Mr. Adnan Oktar's Conversation with Mr. Joel Richardson (June 14th, 2013; A9TV) Video

One New Man - Qs and As

Reblogged from: http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bible-teacher/one-new-man/
Saturday, October 25th, 2014

 

Q.  I am of the understanding that when we become a Christian we are baptized into Jesus Christ, yet there is a ‘Messianic’ Jewish teacher on television who teaches that when we accept Jesus Christ we are grafted in and become that “one new man”as a Jew.  I think he says ‘a spiritual Jew’.  

While reading Romans 2:29 it says “He is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter;  whose praise is not of men, but of God.”  I understand the circumcision of the heart part, but I am not understanding the connection between the Jew inwardly.   As Christians we don’t keep the law, so I don’t understand how this applies.

A.  I believe this teaching is intended to be a rebuttal to another false teaching called replacement theology.  For generations now some Christians have been teaching that Jews can only find spiritual fulfillment through the Church.  Now some Messianic teachers, especially those who relate to the Hebrew Roots movement, are saying Gentiles can only find  spiritual fulfillment through Israel.  Neither position is correct.

If you read Ephesians 2:11-22 carefully you can see that in his “one new man” teaching Paul was saying that God has taken some who were formerly called Jews and some who were formerly called Gentiles and made them into a new group called the Church.  It was an expansion of Paul’s comment in Galatians 3:28. If God had taken some who were Jews and some who were Gentiles and made them all into Jews He wouldn’t have one new man. He would simply have more Jews and fewer Gentiles.

As for Romans 2:28-29, Paul was saying that people would no longer be considered Jewish in God’s eyes simply because they had been circumcised in the flesh. His phrase “circumcision of the heart” is another way of saying “born again”.  The point is that whether they are circumcised in the flesh or not, Jews who are not born again are considered to be unbelievers just like Gentiles who are not born again.

Mike Hoggard Private Interpretations

    
Note from this blog´s author: You might be interested in more posts on the New Age deception, discernment and the way to resist being sucked in and seduced by the wisdom of Satan. His modus operandi is always the same, it worked with Adam and Eve who knew their Creator, were taught by him, had a father child relationship with him and still disobeyed and were banished from their pristine home and garden. What then makes us think that we are smarter than them ?  Below you will find a few essays and studies I have written on false teachings as it becomes increasingly difficult to find solid, biblically based, sound teaching among some popular online pastors and teachers whose doctrines and teachings deviate from the Word of God, adding their own interpretations and wild extrapolations that are leading people astray especially young believers who are not yet really established and grounded in the Scriptures.  

• To What, to Whom, and How do we listen?
• Beware - Who is writing on the book of your life?
• Of Sheep and Goats 
•  Preach the Gospel and by all means use the Word
•  The New Age movement - Beginning in the Garden of Eden
• Rightly dividing the word of truth  By Jack Kelley

Reflection on the rainbow

Written and posted by Jean-Louis.
 
The idea to write this post came to me when a few days ago, I saw a picture of a rainbow cake on Facebook.

I had previously read several articles in the past few years about Christian businessmen and women who refused to cater to homosexual couples weddings with their services such as baking the wedding cake with a gay theme, providing the photographers or  for a pastor to perform a same sex wedding. 

To read about the baker´s struggle click Two lies our culture has embraced and Christian couple standing firm

They did that not out of hate or lack of love because true Christians do not hate anybody but on the contrary love homosexuals with the love of the Lord Jesus who died for the whole world regardless of what kind of sins they commit. They refused to bend the knee to the Political Correctness relentless pressure of Cesar out of integrity of conscience and their desire to not offend the Holy God that they love and worship.

And for that righteous and courageous stance, they were threatened with heavy fines and even with jail time until they complied with the unjust laws. Some of them ended up losing their family business altogether because of the hardship of hiring lawyers to defend them in court.

After all, why would anyone find a wedding cake offensive when it is a symbol of celebration and of the participation of the guests, family and friends in the deep love and life commitment of two people who chose to unite their life in the bond of matrimony? 

Usually, I stay out of controversial disputes and arguments. I am a peace maker and try to follow Paul´s admonition to be ambassadors for Christ and bring reconciliation between God and man and between men themselves by proclaiming the good news of the Gospel of Grace and teaching the Bible.

So, as you will see further on in this study is concerned with the rainbow and its significance in the lives of men. 
                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The rainbow is one of the magnificent signs the Lord God Almighty has placed in the heavens for all of mankind to admire and to worship Him.
Characteristic and interesting properties can be deduced from observing this marvelous heavenly phenomenon.

First, a certain amount of clouds, rain and sunlight has to be present in order for us to witness the glorious appearance.

Secondly, it takes place in the atmosphere which is the sphere of Satan´s spiritual influence and operations.  It helps us understand the reason why God provides signs that are visible to all mankind and the lessons we can learn for watching the heavens especially in these precarious and perilous times in which we live.

Thirdly, I notice that like the wind that you cannot take in your hand, you cannot grab it and say that you possess it, so it is with the rainbow, it belongs to God and he uses it as he pleases as a demonstration of his glory and a communication of his faithfulness and his ever present watchfulness over the earth and the lives of its inhabitants. 

Fourthly, it appears only as a half a circle as it takes a very precise angle combination of light, water vapor and the location of the observer according to the position and rotation of the earth. Anyone can observe and marvel at a rainbow without an extensive knowledge of astronomy or the detailed physical, optical properties of light, water earthly position of an object 

It becomes even more interesting when I am on the lookout for some verses about the interaction of the different planes and spheres of influence between the visible on the earth our physical domain and the invisible or spiritual domain as a subject for encouragement, exhortation or discernment.

The first rainbow
The Scriptures interface between these two domains so that we are reminded by our Lord Jesus to consider earthly things as the fields of wheat, the clouds in the sky, the splendor of the lilies and the seasons, and draw spiritual lessons from them that can help us in understanding the spiritual side of life and grow in understanding and depth of knowledge and wisdom.

“Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls? ²⁵ And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?²⁶ If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?²⁷ Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.²⁸ If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and tomorrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?" Luke 12.

He also warned the  people  especially the hypocrites, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law with severe  tongue lashings:
⁵⁴ And he said also to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is.
⁵⁵ And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass.
⁵⁶ Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time?" Luke 12.

In Matthew 24:32, the Lord Jesus was answering questions by the apostles  about the signs of his coming and of the end of the age. The parable of the fig tree is one of the best and most important prophetic illustrations of the end times signs given to believers because everybody on planet earth is aware the rapidly succeeding events started by the Jewish people being back in  their land of Israel as a nation in 1948.

I believe as it is written that the rainbow although only in the half shape is one of those signs that the Lord put in the sky for encouragement since the time he gave it to Noah as a sign of the covenant between him and Noah and his posterity.
 ¹² And God said, This is the token (symbol) of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: ¹³ I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token (symbol) of a covenant between me and the earth. ¹⁴ And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: ¹⁵ and I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. ¹⁶ And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. ¹⁷ And God said unto Noah, This is the token (symbol) of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.
Genesis 9:12-17.

Now we have to see the chronological order of the two means of destruction the Lord uses in his punishment of the rebellious and disobedient people on the earth:  first comes the water or the flood, then follows the fire for judgment and cleansing.

These two judgments of God punctuate two events, the first one with Noah when he set his rainbow as a sign of grace, hope and encouragement that he will not destroy the earth completely and the second with Abraham with the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah showing the merciful requests of Abraham and the justice of God even after acceding to the requests of the patriarch for the salvation of the cities.

In I Cor 15: 46, 47 the chapter on the resurrection of the body of the believer, we find Paul very important key argument for what I believe will happen soon, “ The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven”. 

These verses tie in with the words of warning of Jesus to watch the heavens, be alert, vigilant, in prayer so we will not be deceived and be led astray. The first sign, the magnificent rainbow following the destruction by water is present in the sky to remind us of the general grace and mercy of God who sends the rain and the sunshine to provide all his creatures with all that they need to live and prosper.

God has kept his promise until now but according to the Bible, the second judgment is close to happening, the judgment by fire just as the one happened to Sodom and Gomorrah.
Now comes the encouraging part that gives me hope and helps me not to get into the trap of discouragement when reading the news of the tide of evil engulfing the nations of the earth and our lives. 

Satan, knowing that his time is short uses the beautiful things of God as weapons against us to try to keep us discouraged and defeated and to keep us apart by dividing us and keeping  us busy and distracted from the main things.

The rainbow, emblem of the LGBT
Have you ever wondered why the rainbow has become the banner emblem of the LGBT?

At first I thought nothing of it, but in the last 10 or more years, its growing popularity worldwide had me thinking more about what it represents and witnessing the growing ensuing ravages in the families and societies all over the world, I concluded that it´s Satan´s stratagem to counterfeit and try stealing the very glory of God,  the reminder of this glorious promises to us.

So instead of being discouraged and giving into the trap of the deceiver, the father of lies, I choose to use the mind that is protected by the helmet of salvation and reject the notion that the adversary has won the battle first and foremost because he cannot steal what does not belong to him. Try as he may, he will not be able to make the beautiful rainbow of promise from the heavens that God has given us a permanent symbol for his cause and his evil schemes. 

He is not a creator, but a poor imitator at best. His followers most of them unaware of what they are doing and of the spiritual of the rainbow will try to rally after a pied piper who is leading them with a false banner that can be burned to ashes just as any man made flag would.

The symbol of the goodness and promise of God has been turned into a travesty, an idol,  if you will, standing for debauchery, immorality and human depravity parading in the streets of the world cities.

God must be laughing, besides being angry when he sees his indestructible rainbow and how beautiful and perfect it is as a reminder of his goodness and tender loving kindness toward the people of the earth that think they can appropriate for themselves a symbol that belongs to God only. Instead they should be humbling themselves and ask for pardon for their sins of pride, haughtiness, self-sufficiency and rebellion, offending a Holy God and rejecting the only way that we can be made acceptable to and be reconciled with him, namely His Son Jesus-Christ.

We can choose to not be intimidated by the hordes of people following the devil and not giving in to hate, to vengeance or using the carnal weapons of the world, political scheming and illegitimate alliances that the Lord has forbidden.  Thinking that we can appease the enemy and redress and rule the world in our own strength joining forces with anybody  and preaching peace and unity between light and darkness, good and evil at whatever cost and consequences while ignoring and neglecting the whole counsel of his eternal, immutable, powerful and pure word is counterproductive and doomed to failure. Sadly, this is what a  majority of churches are choosing to do in their desire to adjust with the changing times and the ways of the world.

The world´s armies might have their banner, and fight for their countries, their beliefs as we now see the black banners of Islamic States unfurl in the wind of conquest in the name of Allah. 


The cross of Jesus-Christ, our banner
We believers in and followers of Jesus-Christ have only one, namely the cross of Jesus-Christ on which the Savior of the world hung between two common criminals.
This is our banner of his love, a banner that leads us to be overcomers, more than conquerors because our Lord and King Jesus has won the battle against the devil, the world and the grave, giving us peace in this life and the hope of being with him when he comes back to take us to be with him forever. The Lord Jesus said in John 12:32:
"And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself." 

And to us the Church his bride, the Scripture states what I think is prophetic, the celebration of our wedding feast in heaven: “ He has brought me to his banquet hall,
And his banner over me is love." Song of Solomon 2:4.

Have you ever read a book starting with the end because you were anxious to know the denouement (the ending)?

The last rainbow
We have such a preview at the end of the Bible, Revelation chapter 4: 3, John the revelator describes the scene around the throne of God:
^3 “And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne.”

What an incredible heavenly spectacle!
What a privilege to witness the glory and majesty of our God on his throne and the complete rainbow, perfect circle shining without the earthly incomplete, diminished earthly vision of the atmospheric rainbow depending on the sunshine, the rain and our local position.
This ought to stir our heart us up into faith, action and obedience to Christ as we see the time of the end approaching. 

To conclude, listen to Peter praising God for the living hope that we, as Christians experience as we patiently wait for our returning Savior.
I Peter 1:3-9:  ^3 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶ In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. ⁷ These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. ⁸ Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, ⁹ for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

If you do not know Jesus-Christ as your Lord and Savior, go to him in prayer and ask him to save you, he promised that anyone who asks will be answered. 
He said: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28. 

John the Apostle writes: "Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." John 1:12.

If you want to receive salvation and the Spirit of Jesus the living God, humble yourself and ask for his forgiveness. You need him to show to you who you really are, as he sees you, not as what you or other people think of you, because he loves you, died for you on the cross and took the penalty for your sins so you would not have to suffer an eternity in hell separated from God.It really is a matter of eternal life or eternal death.
Romans 10:9 states: ^9 [a]that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;

Maranatha, come Lord Jesus.

If you want to become born again of the Spirit of God and know Jesus-Christ, click on the following link for a simple explanation of what it means to be saved or born again. Keep it simple

US Ordering 34 Million Green Cards for Illegal Plan

US Ordering 34 Million Green Cards for Illegal Plan

Religious Wars Hit Brazil's Ballot Box

Reblogged from: www.bloombergview.com  

There are still some believers left in Brazil. Photographer: 

Nelson Almeida/AFP/Getty Images

5 Oct 20, 2014 5:22 PM EDT

By Mac Margolis 

 

When Marina Silva was knocked out of the Brazilian presidential race this month, evangelical Protestants lost their best shot at clout in the world's most Catholic country. But what voters taketh, they also giveth back.

Silva won 22 million votes in the Oct. 5 elections, finishing third behind two powerful machine politicians, President Dilma Rousseff (43 million votes), of the Workers Party, and runner-up Aecio Neves (35 million), of the Social Democracy Party. 

Still, the religious wave Silva personifies -- she's a devout follower of the conservative Assembly of God -- is just starting to swell. Driven by fervent Pentecostal voters, candidates calling themselves "Crentes" -- "Believers," in Portuguese -- scored big across Brazil.
The Evangelical Parliamentary Front, a faith-based congressional caucus, saw its members rise from 71 to 80 legislators. Evangelicos, as Brazilians call them, were some of the biggest winners in rich southeastern states like Espirito Santo and Parana, and Alagoas and Piaui in the poor northeast.

Few fared better than Marco Feliciano, a popular Sao Paulo pastor, known for his anti-gay litanies, who was reelected to Congress with 400,000 votes, almost double his haul of four years ago.

Fellow Sao Paulo lawmaker Celso Russomano, a former television host, is Roman Catholic, but his Brazilian Republican Party is controlled by the rollicking Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, that helped reap him 1.5 million votes, more than any other legislator.
Evangelical politics has risen on a sectarian earthquake rumbling this continent of cathedrals. In 1995, eight in 10 Brazilians still called themselves Roman Catholics, according to a poll by Latinobarometro. Now less than two-thirds go to mass, and even they are losing their ardor. 

Padres are falling behind pastors, who beckon believers to brightly-lit mega churches and services throbbing with gospel rock, speaking in tongues and faith healing.
Their firepower was evident in the first round of voting when Assembly of God leader Silas Malafaia, with 814,000 followers on Twitter, lashed out at Silva after her Socialist Party backed same-sex marriage. In 24 hours, Silva backtracked.

The Oct. 26 runoff between incumbent Rousseff and Neves could be seen as a proxy battle between two competing evangelical orders, argues Andrew Chesnut, a religious studies scholar at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Though both Rousseff and Neves are Catholics and soi disant social liberals, they know when to kneel. Rousseff attended the inauguration of the IURD's new $300 million megachurch, Solomon's Temple, while Neves welcomed the endorsement by alpha "Crentes" like Malafaia and Feliciano.

The Protestant wave plus the declining clout of trade unions and social movements are conspiring to push Brazilian politics to the right. The new national Congress may be the most conservative since 1964, when the armed forces took power with the blessings of the Catholic hierarchy, according to Diap, a union-funded think tank in Sao Paulo. That means socially liberal banners such as allowing gay marriage, or decriminalizing marijuana and abortion, are sure to lose traction in Brasilia. 

Don't look for a Brazilian Tea Party, though. Evangelicos may share some values with gringo Bible belters, but they are -- like Brazilian society itself -- far more eclectic and less organized. Scattered among Brazil's 28 political parties, Evangelicos tend to flock defensively, to thwart moves to "corrupt" family values. 

And when pork and perks are on the line, they bow to more earthly authority. "Political parties have a poor national image, but they rule in Congress," says political scientist Carlos Pereira, of the Getulio Vargas Foundation in Rio de Janeiro. "On roll call votes, legislators obey party bosses, not religion or ideology."

No matter the mega-churches they flock to on Sunday, for now, at least, Brazil's multiplying Protestants still spend the rest of the week rendering unto Caesar.

To contact the author of this article: Mac Margolis at macmargolis@terra.com.br.

Keeping it Simple

 

Saturday, October 18th, 2014

A Bible Study by Jack Kelley

Mankind has a propensity for taking simple things and making them complex, often confusing himself in the process.  Some say this began with the serpent’s question to Eve,  “Did God really say…?”(Genesis 3:1).  Lets look at some of the simple things of the Bible that man has tried to complicate and ask ourselves if we’re better off with man’s opinion or would it make more sense to keep it simple and stick with what the Bible says.

Creation

God said His work of creation required six days and He rested on the seventh day (Genesis 2:1-2).  There was no one around who could dispute His claim but that hasn’t stopped man from proposing alternatives.

The best man has come up with is that we’re really the product of random chance. The Big Bang theory and Evolution are called  laws of nature by some, but in fact, they violate natural law. Things in nature don’t naturally evolve from randomness, or chaos, into order. In fact they go the other way. The evidence is all around us. Your house, your car,  your body, and everything else that’s been created or made or manufactured confirms that absent some kind of preventive maintenance, the natural way is devolution, from order into chaos. Everything breaks down, wears out, rusts, rots, or dies. There’s no way around it.

And the best preventive maintenance can only retard the devolution process. It can never reverse it, let alone turn something into something else. Order into chaos, order into chaos. That’s nature’s way.  Some folks want you to ignore this simple fact and believe that where you’re concerned, natural law was spontaneously reversed for no reason at all so that the amoeba that became the fish that became the monkey could become you.  If we can’t believe the very first thing God said to us, how can we be sure about anything else He said?
The simple thing is to believe God.

Salvation

God said we’re saved by grace through faith, not by works. (Ephesians 2:8-9) He doesn’t want anyone bragging that he earned his own way into the kingdom, and knows that we can’t do it anyway. He gave man a set of laws that were impossible to keep but which defined the standard He required of us. Then He sent His Son to keep those laws for us and give His life to purchase an unconditional pardon that releases us from the penalty of breaking them (Colossians 2:13-14). He said this is the only way we can be saved (John 14:6, Acts 4:12).  All we have to do is believe in the one He sent (John 6:28-29) admit we’re sinners, ask for His pardon, and accept it in faith (Romans 10:13).

But right from the beginning, man has tried to earn his own way into God’s Kingdom. Some have multiplied God’s laws by adding many others, while others have ignored His laws, substituting their own instead.  Either way man has made his existence here on earth miserable as he labors to prove that he doesn’t need God’s free pardon, living a life of guilt and fear in a vain attempt to earn something that has been offered to Him for free.
The simple thing is to believe God.

Agency

God said that anyone who wants to can choose this pardon and have eternal life.  It’s free for the asking irrespective of merit or worthiness (Matt. 7:7-8).  It doesn’t matter if you’re a Jew or Gentile, free or slave, male or female, civilized or barbarian (Galatians 3:26-29). If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you’ll be saved (Romans 10:9). You have your entire lifetime to make your choice. However when you die His offer of pardon expires (Hebrews 9:27).

Some men have  imposed conditions without number to this unconditional promise. They say you must have been chosen in advance by God, or belong to a certain denomination, or behave in a certain way, give a certain amount, maintain certain standards, avoid certain food or drink, etc, etc. Others say you don’t have to accept God’s terms at all.  Just try to do the best you can and treat others nicely. You’ll have a chance after you die to sit down and work it all out with God.  Still others say it doesn’t matter who your god is.   As long as you’re sincere in your belief, you’ll find your way to eternal life.  Jesus said all these ways lead to destruction (Matt. 7:13-14).
The simple thing is to believe God.

Security

God says that when you’re saved He sends His Holy Spirit to dwell within you, sealed there as a deposit guaranteeing your inheritance (Ephesians 1:13-14).  It’s the down payment on His promise never to leave you or forsake you.  God Himself will make you stand firm (2 Cor. 1:21-22), and there’s no one who can take you out of His hand (John 10:27-30).  His Spirit will also guide you and advise you on behavior that’s pleasing to Him, not to earn His favor but as a way to express your gratitude for already having received it. Your behavior is still your own choice and when you sin, as we all do, the Holy Spirit will prompt you to confess so you can be forgiven and preserve your intimate relationship with God (1 John 1:9).

Man says something different.  Some say the Holy Spirit doesn’t come all at once. You get a little bit when you’re saved and more when you’re worthy. You’ll know you’re worthy when you receive a certain Spiritual gift that tells you and others that you’ve made it. They also say the Holy Spirit isn’t permanently sealed within you. He’ll leave you if you don’t behave right or if you decide you don’t want Him any more. And once He’s gone you can never get Him back. Scary.
The simple thing is to believe God.

Abundant Life

God says that you shouldn’t worry about how your life will work out, that He’ll take care of it.  Since He takes care of little birds and flowers, that aren’t worth anywhere near what you are to Him, He’ll certainly watch out for you. “Seek first God’s Kingdom and His righteousness,” He says, “And I’ll take care of everything (Matt. 6:31-33). After all, I came to Earth so that you could have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).  So don’t conform any longer to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2).

Man says you have to figure out what you want and then strive to get it. Work hard and sacrifice much, and you’ll be rewarded. The stress you feel from the job, and the difficulty you have staying connected at home are just part of the deal. And when you become successful, if it wasn’t all you hoped it would be, well everybody feels that way. The more you have, the better you’ll feel. Stay with it.
The simple thing is to believe God.

Forgiveness

God says to forgive as you’ve been forgiven, that nothing someone does to you can ever approximate what you’ve done to God. (Matt. 18:32-33) And since He’s forgiven you unconditionally, you should do the same. Don’t let the sun go down on your anger. Don’t give the devil a foothold. “Vengeance is mine,” says the Lord. “It’s mine to repay.”

Man says some folks don’t deserve to be forgiven. Make them prove that they’ve earned it before you let them off the hook. Besides, maybe it’s you. Maybe you’re just too weak, too naive. As you become more skeptical, less trusting, you’ll find people won’t take advantage so often. Don’t get mad, get even.
The simple thing is to believe God.

Giving

Jesus said don’t store up treasure on earth, where it can be stolen or destroyed.  Instead, store up treasure in heaven where nothing can happen to it (Matt. 6:19-21).   He said, “Give and it will be given to you, for with the measure you use it will be measured to you” (Luke 6:38).  Paul confirmed this.  He said if we sow sparingly we’ll reap sparingly, but if we sow generously we’ll also reap generously.  He said we should decide in our own heart what to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, because God loves a cheerful giver  (2 Cor. 9:6-7).  He said our generosity will be rewarded with blessing and we’ll be made rich in every way so we can be generous on every occasion (2 Cor. 9:10-11).

Some pastors say you owe a debt to God and if you don’t pay it back to the church you’ll be cursed. Others say you worked hard for your money and it’s yours to do with as you please. Why give any of it to a bunch of do-gooders who’ll just waste it on people who don’t deserve it. Give enough to keep them off your back, if you must, but not so much as to cramp your lifestyle.
The simple thing is to believe God.

Prophecy

God said he would never do anything without first revealing it through His servants the prophets. (Amos 3:7) For over 6,000 years now He’s had a perfect record of first saying what He’ll do and then doing it.  But many scholars call predictive prophecy a sham and go to great lengths to try and disprove its reliability. For example, when history documented that Daniel 11:1-35 contained 135 fulfilled prophecies, scholars tried to say it was written after the fact.

As a result the Book of Daniel became the most thoroughly validated Book in the entire Bible. And yet some still deny its authenticity, in spite of the fact that Daniel also predicted the rise of Alexander the Great (Daniel 7:6, 8:5-8, 8:21-22), named the exact day that Jesus would ride into Jerusalem as Israel’s Messiah,  and foretold His Crucifixion, as well as the city’s subsequent destruction as (Daniel 9:26).

Zechariah prophesied that the Messiah would ride into Jerusalem on a donkey (Zech. 9:9), then be betrayed for thirty pieces of silver with the money being thrown into the Temple for the purchase of a potter’s field (Zech 11:12-13). Micah prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2).  Isaiah that He would be the Son of God (Isaiah 9:6), born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14), pierced for our transgressions (Isaiah 53:5), though innocent would offer no defense (Isaiah 53:7), be buried in a rich man’s grave (Isaiah 53:9), and come back from the dead (Isaiah 53:11).  Amos said the sun would go down at noon on the day He was crucified (Amos 8:9-10). There well are over a hundred more that pertain to the first coming but you get the idea.

In spite of this, some of the very men and women who make a career out of studying the Word of God resort to extreme measures in their attempts to convince us that God is unreliable at best and at worst a liar.  And to what end? If they were diplomats and worked this hard at undermining the principles on which our country is founded, they’d be charged with treason. If they were managers who were committed to destroying the public’s perception of their company’s product, they’d be fired.  But since they claim to be Christians we call them scholars. “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,” Paul wrote, “And the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate” (1 Cor. 1:19)  He was quoting from Isaiah 29:14.
The simple thing is to believe God.

Conclusion

These are harsh and perilous times and now, more than ever, we need someone we can rely on who is utterly dependable. When the hurricane’s threatening to blow you down, and the flood waters are rising fast, you don’t want to be worrying whether the One you’re praying to is committed to your well being.

If you’re from Israel and your neighbors are publicly planning your destruction, and take every olive branch you hand them then turn it into another excuse to attack, you need to know that the One who gave you the land you’re standing on will keep His promise that it’s yours forever.

When your eternal destiny hangs in the balance, you need to be certain that the One Who says He surrendered His life to redeem yours really did.

The End of the Age is upon us. It’s time to stop debating and start believing the simple truth of the Bible. God is Who He says He is and He did what He said He would do. And in the 6000 years of man’s relationship with Him, not one of the 14 billion of us who’ve walked this earth has ever been able to successfully refute this. Conversely, proof of His existence is so far beyond the limits of mere probability that it’s no longer debatable.  Therefore belief in Him is a choice we make. It’s time to choose and be done with it. Like my favorite bumper sticker says, “God said it. I believe it. That settles it.” It’s the simple thing to do. Selah 10-18-14.