All posts filed under: z15

Chick-Fil-A, Gay Marriage, and Trolls

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[by Sandy McIntosh] The people who manage Chick-Fil-A, an American fast food chain have been severely criticized for their opinions about traditional male-female marriage. Because of their beliefs, they do not support the institution of Gay marriage, and they have expressed their opinions publicly. Their stance is pro marriage, but they are commonly described negatively, as Gay haters (watch this YouTube clip). Be warned, the video clip includes statements that you may find disturbing, like “They focus on hating other people, just like Jesus.” Many comments on the video article are negative:

Christian Heroes II — William Wilberforce

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[by Earl Blacklock] The slave trade was a lucrative part of the British economy. British ships moved slaves from Africa to the West Indies to be bought and sold, then brought sugar and other goods produced with that labor back to Britain. William Wilberforce was a young man, born to privilege, who was a close personal friend of Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger. In 1780, while still a 21 year old student at Cambridge, he was elected the Member of Parliament for Kingston upon Hull, sitting as an independent. At 25, he was elected the Member of Parliament for Yorkshire. Shortly after, partly due to the influence of his aunt, he went through a conversion experience, becoming an ardent Christian. He fought for social reforms such as the improvement of British factory conditions, and against  child labor and animal cruelty.

Yet another flood account uncovered — and they entered an ark two by two

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[by Dean Smith] Irvin Finkel works at the British Museum based in London. He is also an expert on the ancient scripts used by the Babylonians, Sumerians and Assyrians. While exploring the cuneiform texts of the Ancient Sumerians, he came across one that describes a great flood. In some significant ways it is very similar to the Biblical flood account, but in other ways different. The account holds to the same basic theme. God destroyed the world with a massive flood, but a handful of humans and a representative of all the animals were saved by an ark that rode out the flood. According to the Finkel the text is old dating to about 1750 BC.

The long-term effects of divorce on children

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[by Dean Smith] A 25-year study by sociologist Judith Wallerstein from the University of Berkley discovered the problems children encounter when their parents’ divorce often don’t show up until later — when the children are between 20 and 30 years of age. In her study entitled, The unexpected legacy of divorce: A 25 year landmark study, Wallerstein followed 100 children over a 25-years period commencing in 1971 when California liberalized its divorce legislation. Wallerstein stated the results surprised her. It was clear the delayed, negative impact of divorce on children was more far-reaching than first anticipated.

A Biblical approach to welfare?

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[by Dean Smith] TOMS Shoes as its name suggests is a shoe manufacturer with a unique approach to business. I have probably only bought two pairs of shoes in the last 25 years. It’s sad, but my wife doesn’t trust me to buy my own clothes. Some who knew me as a bachelor would say for good reason. As soon as I mentioned the brand name, my daughter’s interest was instantly piqued. “I love TOMS,” she said. Whenever TOMS sells a pair of shoes through a retail outlet, it provides a free pair of shoes to a child in a developing country. It does the same with its high-end sun glasses, but provides corrective glasses for children with seeing impairments, instead of the much cooler shades.

Is the March 20, 2015 solar eclipse connected to an ominous solar eclipse of 1492?

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[by Dean Smith] I didn’t realize this, but solar eclipses are connected with other historical eclipses. NASA refers to these groups as a Saros cycle. Blood moons run in similar cycles as well. A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the earth and the sun. A Saros cycle refers to groups of eclipses where the moon has the same geometry, the same distance from the earth and occurs at the same time of the year as earlier eclipses. These cycles occur at intervals of 18 years, 11 days and 8 hours. Essentially the solar eclipse occurring on March 20, 2015 is repeating an eclipse that occurred 18 years, 11 days prior and that one is connected to an eclipse that happened 18 years 11 days before it.

Unusual end-times event? Solar eclipse and Blood moon happening close together

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[by Dean Smith] For those with an eye towards the end times, next week could prove interesting. On Friday, March 20, 2015, there will be a total eclipse of the sun. The total eclipse will happen over the North Pole and is expected to last 2 minutes. The eclipse will be so strong, particularly in Europe, that some in England are concerned it may cause power outages in that country because of its growing dependence on solar energy. In fact, England’s Daily Mail referred to it as a “Great Eclipse” as some parts of England will experience 97% darkness. In England the eclipse will start at 8 AM, peak around 9:30 and will finish by 11 AM. However, the timing of the eclipse is as unusual as the eclipse itself. It will fall on the Spring Equinox, an event that would only occur once every 100,000 years. A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the earth and sun.

Was a Pharaoh’s violent death curiously connected to Joseph?

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Archaeologists have discovered the remains of a little known pharaoh who may have had a connection to Joseph. According to what was written on the tomb’s wall, his name was Senebkay. He had looted a nearby tomb of Pharaoh Sobekhotep I, stealing a cedar chest, suggesting Senebkay was not financially well off. The tomb found in Abydos had been ransacked by grave robbers. They even ripped apart Senebkay’s coffin, including his mummy, which was buried under a pile of debris. His body was found in January 2014.

What kind of loser are you?

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[by Sandy McIntosh] World leaders seem paralyzed by the Islamic State. The most recent news is that IS is bulldozing ancient ruins. Apparently they are destroying the historical heritage of the entire human race, with the attitude, we don’t need a past, we just need their future. Future generations have lost part of their heritage forever. The problem is us, not them. The world has no solution to this horrible problem. I believe the failure comes from our western bias, we believe in our own success but we are confronted by a victorious enemy. World news is grim. The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria continues to shock the world and no-one can stop them. Thousands of Russian soldiers are in another country, Ukraine and they won’t leave. Iran seems close to building a nuclear bomb, and Saudi Arabia has responded by planning to build its own.

Jihad versus the Crusades

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I know it’s the politically correct thing to do — blame all the Muslim’s woes and outrage on the crusades that happened 11 centuries ago.  Even on the video when ISIS brutally beheaded 21 Coptic Christians on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, its spokesman indirectly referenced the Crusades. And in that spirit, President Obama did exactly the same thing at the National Prayer Breakfast held in Washington D.C. on the morning of Thursday, February 5, 2015. During his address to a largely Christian crowd, President Obama talked about the brutality of ISIS and then in almost the same breath spoke of the terrible brutality of the Crusades, “justified in the name of Christ.”