All posts filed under: z335

How are we to pray for our leaders? Pray counterintuitively

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When we look at what is happening with Russia and Ukraine, and the events taking place in Canada and the US, we need to take a closer look at the Apostle Paul’s encouragement to pray for our leaders. Because in this passage, he also explains how we are to pray for them: I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. (1 Timothy 2:1-3) Remembering that Nero was the Roman emperor when Paul encouraged believers to: Pray that God will help our leaders; Intercede on their behalf (pray for them, not against them); Thank God for them; and Pray for their salvation. In other words, we are not to pray God’s judgment on them when …

Follow the science: Does religion interfere with progress?

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Does religion get in the way? Is progress mostly from people with no religion? Should we just follow the science? Here is a quiz. See how many of these expressions you can understand without looking in a dictionary: Devotions Mark of the beast Spirit filled Back slider Born again Pentecost Charismatic Sanctified Resurrection New testament How did you do? Your score out of ten can show how religious you are, in traditional religion. If you scored eight or more, you are probably a regular and long-time church-goer. A low score probably means you are modern; people don’t know much about old-time religion these days. So, are we losing our religion? Is God disappearing from this world? Are we following science more, and superstition less? Yes, maybe, and no. Researchers looked at Americans and their religion, and they found a division. We are not all travelling together anymore. What we all think is not a question now. Religious people have hardly changed, and they would probably score high on the quiz. People who are not religious …

Environmental extremists violently attack Canadian natural gas pipeline station

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As Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, orders the arrest of peaceful protestors in Ottawa, he got a graphic example of what real violence looks like. On the other side of the country, approximately 20 environmental extremists, some wielding axes, attacked people working at a natural gas pipeline station in British Columbia.

Chinese Communist Party rewrites Bible declares Jesus a sinner

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According to The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM), the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has published a major rewrite of the Bible, that includes Jesus declaring Himself a sinner. Charismanews reports that the CCP announced its plan for a new officially sanctioned version of the Bible in 2019, which would include incorporating socialist values into the text or removing any that conflict with communism. The CCP officially released its communist-sanctioned version of the Bible in 2020. One of the stories that saw a significant change involved the woman caught in adultery. In the original story, the Pharisees dragged a woman caught in adultery before Christ, asking what should be done to her. Jesus told the crowd that anyone who was without sin could cast the first stone. As the Pharisees slunk away, Jesus asked the woman who was condemning her. When she replied no one, Jesus said neither do I condemn you and then told her to go and sin no more However, in the CCP’s version, the text is changed and Jesus declares Himself to …

What? There is no unity in Unity … (Saskatchewan)?

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What is the world coming to? There is a town in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, named Unity. I was there once. I remember a nice hotel, and we stayed overnight. There is a local salt mine, and I also learned, in a previous career, that the mine is used to store small amounts of radioactive waste. When we visited, it seemed like a nice place, and the name “Unity” does not usually get mentioned in the news. Now there is a news story about Unity. According to some people, Unity is divided. There is no unity in Unity. The problem seems to be stress about COVID restrictions and vaccines. One angry statement was posted online about the unvaccinated in Unity; they should “go out there and get sick and die.” So, a group of residents has asked the town council to pass a bylaw against discrimination, including prejudice because of personal medical decisions. That usually means a person is not vaccinated against COVID. Some people in Unity want the discrimination and harassment to stop: …