All posts filed under: z313

Was Jesus born in a cave?

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Many might be surprised by the notion that Jesus was born in a cave, but essentially that is the claim being made by the Church of the Nativity, located in Bethlehem, that is built over the site of where it believes Mary gave birth to Jesus. The Lord’s actual birthplace was in a cave located below the church’s main altar, that can be accessed by two staircases on either side. In fact, the grotto where it claims Jesus was born is part of a larger network of caves that can be accessed from neighbouring buildings, but is now blocked by gates. But not everyone agrees that Christ was born in a cave. One common argument against it, is that Luke, who provided the most extensive narrative of the events surrounding Christ’s birth (Luke 2:1-21), does not mention a cave. Why didn’t he do this? It’s argued that Luke would have mentioned the cave if it was unusual. What was unusual to Luke, is that because there was no room in the inn, Joseph and Mary …

Only 51% of Evangelicals believe the Jews are God’s chosen people

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I have to admit, I was a bit shocked by a recent poll conducted by Infinity Concepts and Grey Matter Research that discovered only 51% of Americans believe that the Jews are God’s chosen people. On the nay side, 29% said they did not believe the Jews were God’s chosen people and 19% said they were uncertain. Christian Headlines adds that of those who did not believe the Jews were God’s Chosen had varying reasons for holding this view: 17% believe the Jews have been replaced by the church, 10% believe the Jews were never God’s chosen people, and 2% checked the ‘other’ box, which I have no idea what that means. But this opinion about the Jews is slipping because a Lifeway poll in 2014 revealed that seven years ago, 66% of Evangelicals believed that the Jews are God’s chosen people. The Bible is very clear, that the Jews are God’s chosen people (Deuteronomy 7:7-9; Deuteronomy 32:9) It was also a bit shocking to see that nearly 20% believe that the church has replaced …

Wikipedia’s editors want to delete page: ‘Mass Killings under communist regimes’

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Fox News reports that Wikipedia is considering deleting its page that outlines the countless millions killed by Communist regimes around the world, by such mass murderers as Josef Stalin, Mao Zedong and Pol Pot. READ before it’s deleted: Mass killings under communist regimes Apparently, some editors for the online encyclopedia are concerned the page is being used by people who are opposed to the world’s glorious communist revolutions. One editor complained that the pages leaves the impression that communism is ‘inherently violent.’ Of course, that reminds me of the words written by the founder of communism, Karl Marx, in his poem entitled The Player: “The hellish vapours rise and fill the brain, till I go mad and my heart is utterly changedSee this sword, the prince of Darkness sold it to me. Fortunately, some editors are pushing back. One described the potential deletion as ‘Orwellian’, adding, “it’s very nomination for deletion is a political act attempting to whitewash Communism.” Others have noted that these same Wikipedia editors demanding it be deleted are not calling for …

Forgiveness vs the ‘eye for eye’ law

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Atheists and agnostics like to point to inconsistencies in the Bible as a way of discrediting Christianity. One that surfaces from time to time is the difference between the Old Testament law that spoke of an eye for eye justice (Exodus 21:24), and how it starkly contrasts Jesus’ statements in the New Testament that we are to love and forgive our enemies (Matthew 5:38-39). While Moses demanded a harsh form of justice, Jesus demanded forgiveness. These two ideas seem irreconcilable. Well, there is a simple explanation for this, and we see it playing out in a recent court case involving the death of a Minnesota pastor, Verlyn Strenge, 69, who was killed by a drunk driver in Nov. 2020. Strenge was pastoring the First Baptist church in Clearbrook, when he was rear-ended by David Nelson, who had a blood alcohol level of .267 and was travelling at nearly 70 mph when he smashed in to the back of the pastor’s car. The speed limit was 30 mph. The collision killed Pastor Strenge and critically injured …