Holy Spirits, Batman!

A major question yet a minor concern in modern Christianity is if we are allowed to drink alcohol? This, being an area grayer than an elephant, has resulted in answers ranging from "hells yeah!" to "ye shall be smote if a drop of fermented sugar ever toucheth your lips!". The truth is, nearly every answer given is correct. The concern is not so much as what answer given but rather how the answer is found. Weaving through a bunch of archaic Old Testament laws does nobody any good for we have freedom in Christ. Galatians 5:1 says "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage". This is repealed a little later by Paul saying "For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another" (Gal 5:13). Pretty clear, right? Not quite.

A mirror reference for this would be in Romans 14. The whole chapter. In summation, Paul tells us we are free to do anything we please according to the Spirit, as long as it isn't in direct violation of rules laid down by Jesus himself. However, one must exercise caution around new believers, believers who are easily tempted, and people we are proselytizing to. I could give you a laundry list of passages either condemning or condoning the use of alcohol as a Christian but that would be self-defeating. The key rule here is: all in moderation.

Paul instructed Timothy to drink a little wine for an upset stomach, Jesus drank wine at parties, and He was even called a winebibber (drunkard). The thing one must consider is there being a time and place for everything. Breaking society's laws is sin. Therefore, drinking and driving, giving alcohol to a minor, carrying an open container, all dangers in this world. However, there are those rare times when having a couple drinks with a stranger or a friend is necessary for ministry.

We are certainly not banned from celebration, and we are not disallowed to celebrate in any way we please. A lot of references will only mention wine, that Christians can drink wine. Yet, they fail to realize wine was really the only alcohol around at the time. It was used for religious feasts and festivals, and it was also safer than water. In Jesus' day there was no Jagermeister, Johnnie Walker, Hypnotiq, Disarrono, Champagne, or any other celebratory spirit. Henceforth, these are equal to wine, as long as drunk in moderation.

When it all comes down to it, if not explicitly mentioned in the Bible, the basic rule is 'do as Jesus did'. He allowed alcohol to enter his system, however He never overindulged. He never spoke out against being drunk, yet we know the dangers and Paul's passages warning us against it. In a small group of friends who understand the gospel or would be unaffected by the situation, go ahead, get a little tipsy. Just don't drive or get completely uninhibited. And don't be the lizard.

America the Ugly

I believe we as Americans have too much freedom. Yes, I said it - too much freedom. And yes, it is possible. Yes, we have plenty of social structure but there isn't much of a sense of morality anymore. We have too much bureaucracy, too much free enterprise, but not enough religion. Take this example, the "Royal Wedding" was witnessed by millions of Americans. If, let's say, Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber got married, there are countries where people would get stoned to death just for mentioning it. We seem to care too much about peoples' social state and not enough about their eternal one.

In a country where Catholicism, Santeria, and Mormonism exist alongside twelve different denominations of Judaism, strong and weak Muslims, and both branches of Protestantism, I would say we have too much freedom here. Happy Independence Day. Don't be the lizard.

In Recent News

Just a thought. I was listening to the local Christian radio station recently, remaining unnamed, and they were discussing the dreaded Black Friday. Not only were they supporting it, they were asking listeners to call in and offer suggestions on how to get everything on the shopping list. This seems almost anti-Biblical. A Christian radio station promoting Black Friday is like an abstinence committee handing out free condoms. Don't be the lizard.

...and On This Day We Remember Nothing

Ah, it's that time of year again. Chestnuts roasting, fires crackling, children screaming. Was Jesus born on this day? Could He be considering it was the middle of the desert in the middle of winter? Of course since God can do anything, but no because He would never defy the laws of physics just to prove a point or make it more convenient for modern worshippers. Then again, where are the modern worshippers? I hate to restate old points, but why is it that Christmas now seems to be a holiday more for the nonbelievers, or dare I say the weak Christians? We have fallen into a state beyond commercialism, beyond materialism. Even in this kind of economy the malls are crowded, the pockets are emptied and debts are enlarged.

How has it come to this? People feel that just because it's Christmas they need to get each other meaningless gifts and forget about the most important Gift of all. God's Son to us wretched humans. The sad thing is, many Christians even fall into this. On the Christian radio station I frequent (I won't mention names) they discussed presents more often than they did Jesus. It almost seems like they were trying to appeal to the masses. Then why market yourself as a not-for-profit Christian station at the bottom of the dial if you want to be more secular? It was really surprising and rather disappointing.

The strangest thing I find is secular Christmas songs. Isn't that an oxymoron? Christmas being a purely religious holiday has spawned such classics as "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas", "We Wish You a Merry Christmas", and in fact "Carol of the Bells" was originally a Pagan tune. There are easily three times as many secular Christmas songs than there are religious ones (traditionally speaking). Of course there are a lot of original CCM Christmas songs but most of those are not played on mainstream radio or in malls. I just don't understand the concept. There are no secular Passover songs, there are no secular Easter songs, and don't try to convince me it is because Christmas was never a religious holiday. Of course it is. It is the celebration of the day our Lord and Saviour came down from Heaven, born in human form, and established the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth.

What I don't understand is non-religious people getting excited over Christmas. Like my boss. I know plenty of Christians who don't get half as excited as her, and she isn't even a follower. She believes, but she does nothing to prove it. That is like me getting excited over Ramadan. It's not my holiday. Christmas is not the Pagan's holiday. Leave Santa out of it, he does not belong where Jesus lay. Don't be the lizard.

The Danger of Doubt

Being a Christian isn't easy. Neither is being a Hebrew. We live from day to day enjoying the pleasures of life and everything the world has to offer, yet it is so hard to admit we are doing it all for God. In a religious or spiritual setting, it is fairly easy to do so; to worship and praise, to think and speak properly, to help out without being asked. Yet, in the real world all those things Jesus worked so hard to establish seem to be defenestrated.

One of the biggest challenges facing any God-fearing individual is doubt. Faith and works is infinitely harder than doing whatever you want and not worrying about the consequences. It is so much easier to not believe in God and get on with your life. However, not only is this wrong, it is dangerous. Even just doubting God's existence every now and then could lead to some very brutal consequences.

Beginning with a doubt, one can begin to backslide faster than a greased pig on a slip-n-slide. All it takes is that one moment to think "God couldn't possibly exist, what with all the (insert reason here)", and you're off to do whatever it is that God doesn't want you to do. I'll admit, it's hard to believe. It's hard to do what Jesus did. But it's worth every effort. Doubt is a natural way of Spiritual Life, everyone does it and everyone feels it. It's what you do with that doubt that matters.

Do you harp on it? Do you let it eat at you until you feel you need to do something to prove God's existence, or does it stop with the thought? I hope it is the latter. If you already know God exists, there is no reason to begin to doubt. No matter the circumstance, no matter the cause. If irrational thoughts do pop in your head, just think about the opposite. Think about the reasons God does exist, think about what He has done for you. Think about your friends and family who are doing the same thing you are. A few hundred million people can't be wrong about something that feels so right.

So next time you begin to doubt, just work that thought from your mind in a healthy way. The enemy is always out to draw people back to his world, we cannot let him win. When you do get a sense of doubt, ask yourself what would Jesus do? Then read your Bible; a good story would be Jesus' 40 days in the desert. Or some Psalms.

And, don't be the lizard.

Separation of Church and State

We all know the Biblical quip "Let there be no division among the church". I plan on writing a post on that too. However, we see nothing in the Bible condemning civil religion. How did we get so far from the original Constitution?

When this great(?) nation was first developed, it absolutely was a religious state. We are reminded of things like the Salem Witch Trials. As terrible as they were, there is a lesson to be learned from these activities. More people than not participated to some degree. Clearly most, if not all, townsfolk were God-fearing people. While this occurred way before the Constitution was even conceived, it's very telling how church and state mingled; the public court handled religious cases. Yet this is only the tip of the iceberg.

The first appearance of this distinction was in Thomas Jefferson's letter to Danbury Baptists. All he talked about was how the First Amendment caused a "wall of separation". Fair enough. Government can no longer force the church to do anything, nor have a hand in any of its affairs. This was all it was meant to do. Early American schoolhouses all had a period during the school day set aside for Bible study. Harmless, right? Apparently not.

Over the next hundred years, after lawsuits and debates, religion is completely stripped from public schools. The Ten Commandments is no longer even allowed. I can cut the hypocrisy with a knife, being as most schools still state the Golden Rule, which was set by Jesus Christ. Maybe it's the fact that it's the Old Testament, but New Testament doctrine is okay.

The separation of church and state was not meant to secularize government, it was meant to unlegalize the church. I believe any government cannot effectively function without enacting Christianity. The reason: government is designed to do what's best for the people; no person would be able to do what's best for others without the fear of God and love of Jesus in them. We see what happens without it as corruption charges pop up left and right out of Washington.

As Atheism, Darwinism, secularism, and the trend of following alternative religions began to rise in America, the First Amendment was constantly under attack; as well as Christianity. People became less and less interested in their children learning about Jesus in the same place they should be learning how to read, write, and mathemetize. It's funny how people use things to their advantage althought that same thing was never intended to be used in the way they are using it. It makes perfect sense for government to keep out of religion, but it makes no sense vice versa.

We know what happens when children are raised with Biblical values. We witness the continuing degredation of society with each new generation. Even if one never becomes a Christian, learning about God at an early age results in a healthier moral foundation. Basically, even bad people are better with the knowledge of God. Societies are better as a whole with this knowledge. England seems to be doing okay.

Obviously a Christian state isn't the best either; this is how the Crusades began. Yet, a man such as Constantine is the perfect example. He never forced anybody to become a Christian, but simply by being a Christian ruler he singlehandely spread the Gospel throughout all of Europe with a single bound. This may not be as effective in America, but it is definitely better than the alternative. I say we return to the Colonists' America. The religious America. Whoever denies America being a Christian country is lying to themselves. Yes, it was settled to practice religious freedom, but that was a Christian religion. It's the same old "politically correct" debate. We can't force anybody to be Christian, certainly not a government. If you remember, the Bible is not politically correct. It does not say Jesus is for some, or most. It says He is for all. It does not tell us to possibly try to spread the gospel if we have the chance. It tells us to do everything in our power (by way of love) to teach people about Jesus.

No one should be forced to become a Christian, but everyone should be offered the chance. Just like every other part of life, sometimes the only place a person can learn this is in school. We don't need to eradicate teaching evolution, but certainly teach both that and creation as theories. Nothing more, nothing less. Keep the Ten Commandments - it has been reported classrooms are better behaved when they are posted in plainview. And most importantly,

don't be the lizard.

A Pagan Religion, Pt. 2

We celebrate Easter with Pagan symbols. This seems wrong, yet it continues nearly two thousand years later. In the spirit of Christmas, Easter also falls on and attempts to cover up a Pagan holiday ritual. This time, it is the feast of Ester. Eostre, in Old English, is a Pagan goddess associated with the month of April. It is a known tradition of the 2nd Century Church to replace Pagan holidays for those of a Christian element. Much in the same way God planned all things to parallel Pagan beliefs, these practices were put forth in order to make it easier for Pagans to become Christian. Quite a noble attempt, but the original disciples were never witnessed celebrating any holiday of the kind.

I understand and accept these attempts to ease Pagans into Christianity as righteous and worthy acts, but I also feel that America has taken it too far. Easter has become synonymous with bunnies and eggs. These are symbols of Easter, symbols of fertility, and Eostre is as well. What we use as tools to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus were originally symbols of a very Pagan nature. It seems silly to continue this practice. And people wonder why the American church seems to have no power.

I have learned that certain Christian denominations celebrate an authentic Hebrew Passover, but with a more gospel-related message. Some don't even celebrate Easter at all. Kudos to them. The enemy uses every way and mean he can to seperate us from God, and if this silly secular-laden holiday has succumed to his wrath, I would rather have no part in it. I'm not saying Easter is a satanic holiday by any means, but considering what it is based upon, it does tread upon dangerous shores.

We as Christians must be careful what we allow ourselves to get into. Christian-covered Pagan traditions are one of them. Of course it is completely acceptable, completely religious, and in some cases necessary to celebrate Easter. Just be careful what you use to celebrate. Remember, the things of God belong to God and things that are not do not belong to Him. The symbols of Eostre certainly are not the things of God. Therefore, be careful how you celebrate the death and rebirth of the Savior.

I propose the church stops using the term Easter. There are too many non-Christian beliefs and traditions associated with this name. Rather, we shall call it what it really is: Resurrection Day. This is the secondary name used for this joyous holiday, some American churches and other countries use this name, I say we adopt it world- and church-wide. If you are reading this, suggest it to all your friends, family, and clergy. We must break Christianity free from the Pagan traditions if we want to be taken more seriously.

Don't be the lizard.