The Jesus Don't Stop After Christmas

Quite a play on words there, but fully truthful. Many people assume Christmas is like any other American holiday; Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Veteran's Day; where that one day is set aside to honor a specific people and that's it. The rest of the year is left open to ignore them. This is certainly not a good thing to practice anytime for any reason, especially when it comes to Christmas. Many people will do their own thing the whole year but insist on going to Christmas Mass. This is about as effective as placing a used Band-Aid on a large surface 3rd degree burn. If people are going to insist on spinning their wheels I'd rather have them just not come to church. It's sad, but since they're not going to Heaven anyway they might as well stay away and not sully our Holy Water.

Christmas is not about that one day of the year, it is a lifestyle. It is a reminder to keep an attitude of righteousness. Christmas is not only a celebration of Jesus' birth, it is a reminder of His life. Even before He was born prophecy told us of His death. We are reminded of this through the gift of myrrh, which is a specific spice used in the burial process.

God works 24/7, we should be respectful and honorable of that. We can't give God just one day a year, we shouldn't celebrate Christmas just for the sake of it; neither we nor the world can afford to be mediocre Christians. Jesus didn't live halfway--He gave us His all, His everything, including His life. The least we can do is try our best to give it back.

Don't be the lizard.

Just a Thought

Christmas means nothing to the atheist and the wrong thing to the misguided Christian. Think about that one...

The True Meaning of Christmas, Pt. 3

Remembering the Truth

I am not going to bore you with heavy liturgical processes, mindful theology, or even Biblical banter. Rather, I will make an appeal to emotion. There are plenty of sites, books, causes, Facebook applications and et cetera which focus on the importance of Christmas, the wrongfulness of Christmas, the meaning of Christmas, the legends behind Christmas and so on. I'm not going to add to this discourse.

I honestly don't know what else to say, but I feel that now I have debunked certain myths, rituals, and traditions and I have sarcastically explained the American standard of celebrating Christmas, I must offer an alternative. Jesus. This is the alternative. Christmas has gone from a simple celebration in order to remember Christ and what He has done for us, to a free-for-all brawl in store aisles leaving bruised faces and egos.

It's so simple, but people make such a big deal out of it. STOP buying useless crap for people who aren't going to love you or hate you any more than they did pre-gifting, STOP creating images of Santa kneeling before the baby Jesus and offering Him gifts, and STOP thinking the more lights you have in and on your house the holier you are. If it is at all possible it would be amazing to make Christmas a secular holiday (since it technically is as of now) like Thanksgiving, completely removing Jesus from this time and celebrating His birth sometime else and making it a purely Christian holiday, like Easter (which is becoming bastardized by American Consumerism as well). I like Christmas, I like the air surrounding it, but I hate what people have made it.

Jesus was born so that we shall live, and because of His birth people like the employee in Wal-Mart die. This doesn't sound Biblical to me. If this is beginning to sound like a rant, it is because it is. There is no other way to deliver the fact that the Christmas holiday sucks but the reasons behind it are amazing. Celebrating Christmas without celebrating Jesus is like eating food that is tasteless and leaves you hungry.

Don't be the lizard, and Happy Holidays.

The True Meaning of Christmas, Pt. 2

Taking Santa out of Clausmas

Most people, while attempting to be assertive, have chosen to popularize the phrase 'putting Christ back in Christmas'. While I do not think this is wrong, I believe there is a better saying, which is the subtitle of this post. It is not that Christ has been taken out of Christmas; Capitalism, consumerism, Santa, advertising, December 26th sales, gift-giving, and wanton desires have clouded the true meaning of this beautiful holiday. My next, and probably final post on this topic will deal with all of this--as for now, here are some [sarcastic] explanations of some of our modern (and American) traditions and why we follow them.

-Did you know that the last few months leading up to Jesus' birth Joseph and Mary were out in the desert sprucing up the barn like there was no tomorrow? They decked it out with the fanciest lights imaginable, bordering the entire frame of the stable. They installed a giant mechanical waving snowman on the roof, put an inflatable Santa near the crib and gave Jesus a stuffed reindeer when He was born. Also, Jesus refused to acknowledge Joseph as His father until he ran out to the local Wal-Mart (it was called Wall's Market at the time) and fought his way through the crowds to buy Him an XBox 360 and a Cadillac power wheels truck.

-Since the Bible does tell us to be a light in the world, of course the more lights you install in your house and on the tree the holier you must be. I'm sure the passage is somewhere in the Bible.

-Speaking of which, since the Bible constantly refers to Christ's crucifixion as taking place "on a tree", it must have been a pine because that would have been the only one around during that time strong enough to hold a person. And since there were some Egyptian traditions still around, they decorated His place of death after the fact.

-Also, Jesus was actually born in an electronics store, so that would explain the pressure and excitement of people entering shops of this nature. All people want to do is honor Him by being in a similar place to that of His birth. Hopefully that clears some things up.

I believe Christ has always been in Xmas and it is not a matter of keeping Him in it. Rather, it is about taking secularism out of it. This is the second holiest time of the year, in my opinion, because Jesus didn't come to Earth to be born, He came to die for our sins. This would make Easter the holiest. However, people have completely bastardized the concepts behind this holy holiday and have allowed the Athiests/Agnostics/Mediocre Christians to steal this holiday back from the True Believers [since Christmas is based on Pagan things] and take the traditions with them. They can keep the traditions, but give us back our Jesus.

I do not discourage gift-giving entirely, because that is a sacrament which is also Biblical, but notice what the wise men brought Jesus. It was not a requirement as the American Corporate Marketing Campaign would have us believe, it is something we do out of love and our desire to honor Christ. Gifts should be simple and from the heart, not a contest to see who can spend the most money and get everyone the perfect gift. God gave us His perfect gift and only Son for our benefit, let us live like we believe it.

Don't be the lizard.

The True Meaning of Christmas, Pt. 1

Debunking the Myths
I hate to burst anyone's bubble--actually I thoroughly enjoy it--but if you read the Bible (both Matthew and Luke's accounts of Jesus) you will find the Savior's birth to be wrapped in false truths. Now, a false truth is not necessarily a lie, it is just a fact that does not apply to said situation. Between culture, songwriting, capitalism, and peoples' lack of literacy, the entire scene has been transformed from a miraculous adventure into some amateur stage play. Here is the bold truth:

• Jesus was not born on December 25th. In fact, He wasn't born anywhere near Winter. This is just a Pagan cover-up conspiracy constructed by Medieval Christians (like my alliteration?).
• There was no stable.
• There were no animals.
• A manger is a feeding trough for cows.
• Baby Jesus was only visited by the angel who sent them to Egypt, no one else came while He was in swaddling clothes.
• There were more than three wise men.
• The three particular wise men weren't kings, or even wise. They were, in fact, magi (technically astronomers) who were simply stargazers in actuality.
• The magi followed no star, for it wasn't a sign. The sign was Jesus Himself. They would know when they found Him.
• When these three men found Him, He wasn't a baby--He was a toddler (2 or 3 years old) and it was in a house, not the "stable" (which doesn't exist, either).
• Neither the little drummer boy, Santa, nor the Easter Bunny came to visit Jesus at anytime during His life.
• The three magi were sent by King Herod to slaughter Baby Jesus--He was considered a threat and all children under two years old were being killed in the area because of Herod's fears, but when the magi came into Jesus' presence, they were struck with awe.
• These "kings" did not come from the East (as the song says), they went East to meet with Herod, but the Bible doesn't say what direction they went or came from after that.
• Parts two and three of this series coming soon!
  

An Answer is Found

Holy Spirit Batman! I have received a revelation which answers one of the oldest questions posed by atheists: "If God is so loving, why does He send people to Hell?" Well the obvious answer is that He doesn't; people send themselves by not following God's plan for life. It is hard to find a direct answer straight from the Bible, but I believe I have found one in the form of Ezekiel chapter 18 (yes, it's even the Old Testament!). Selected verses from the New King James Version (read the whole thing if you like--here--I take nothing out of context).

After a poetic-style quip from God Himself about being righteous (helping the poor, turning from sin, etc.) He tells us that a father is not held accountable for his sons sins and vice versa. Then He goes on to tell us that living in sin will cause death, however “19 Yet you say, ‘Why should the son not bear the guilt of the father?’ Because the son has done what is lawful and right, and has kept all My statutes and observed them, he shall surely live. 20 The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself 21 But if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 22 None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him; because of the righteousness which he has done, he shall live. 23 Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?” says the Lord GOD, “and not that he should turn from his ways and live?...29 Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ O house of Israel, is it not My ways which are fair, and your ways which are not fair? 30 Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways,” says the Lord GOD. “Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. 31 Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord GOD. “Therefore turn and live!”

Therefore, TURN AND LIVE! Coming straight from the mouth of God: most of this chapter is in quotes, and not because Ezekiel said this. The focus here is verse 31 and 32, God does not want us to die without Him. Why are we letting so many people do so?

Don't be the lizard.

Cog in the System

Machines control our lives. They dominate our society and govern our very ways. If you think I am wrong, look around us. I was influenced to write this by, and this is going to sound ridiculous, my recent acquisition of an automatic soap dispenser. As I was using it, I thought to myself "usually I determine how much soap I would use to wash my hands, but now this device is telling me how much to use" and I have no choice. Sure I can run my hand under it more than once, but what if I want less than the one pump it automatically dispenses. This is the way everything works now.

Computers tell us how to compute, cars tell us how to drive, ATMs tell us how to spend our money. Guns shoot for us, pens write for us, bots bid at auctions for us, phone make calls for us, machines build other machines-- when does it end? One of our biggest fears throughout history was when robots take us over, and now fears are becoming reality. The only problem is that the robots aren't learning this behavior, we are teaching it to them.

A wise man once said that the devil may not have invented technology but he had a very big role in the creation of it. This statement is revealing itself as truth more by the day. Just be careful what you wish for or you may be pouring an android a drink one day.

Truth Be Told (Finally)!

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.

My confession :

I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year.. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu . If people want a crèche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham 's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Katrina ) Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'

In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem ( Dr Spock 's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said OK.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves..

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace. Are you laughing yet?

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.
Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.

Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not then just discard it. no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.

My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully,
Ben Stein

Don't be the lizard.

Trampled Under Foot

Unlike Led Zeppelin, I ain't talkin' bout love, so you probably know what this is about before I even begin; the events that transpired on the so aptly named Black Friday. Who would have thunk it? Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, they trample into mine. And a man dies.

This is not a matter to take lightly, but The Incredible Hulk was on sale for $9! I mean, seriously people, a Wal-Mart in New York? I thought people had better things to do, like avoiding getting shot. I'm sure a lot of people have a lot to say about a lot of things regarding this situation; Wal-Mart's lack of precaution, any racial slurs about the people involved, the stupidity of the masses, the utter degenerate class who did this, the society as a whole, the great sales at other stores who didn't cause anyone to die. This single and solitary act speaks volumes about our state of consumerism. However, this isn't the first time something like this has happened.

As I write this, Wal-Mart's website is (conveniently) out of service. But now it's back. On the front page, all the way at the bottom, there is a constantly rising number indicating "the amount of money Wal-Mart has saved American families since January 1, 2008". I will tell you one thing which will end this topic and give a summation of my rant: that number would be billions of dollars higher if people didn't shop there at all. Point.

We don't need more stuff to be happy, we need to be okay with what we got. That internal void you think a new toaster will fill, try the love of God first. Don't be the lizard.

America...

Selling the White House brick by brick to the highest bidder.

A Blown Fuse

This is a little off topic but I feel it must be addressed. I just found out about this television show Pants-Off Dance-Off which aired on the cable channel Fuse back in 2006-2007. It features, and I quote, "stripteasers of all shapes and sizes as they dance while disrobing down to their undergarments, and most of the time they strip completely naked." That's not the worst part. Guess what - it's rated TV-PG. PG! I don't care if it aired at 4 in the morning on a channel that could only be reached by reciting a special phrase which could only be learned in a strict bar after midnight, the FCC (who basically shut down television after the Janet Jackson fiasco) actually gave this program such a rating, let alone allowed it on the air to begin with. Then to make a mockery of the entire thing, the website for the damn show asks for your birthday because you have to be at least 18 to enter. Yeah, that's stopping the unattended middle schoolers from checking out the full frontal. Thank God at least it's still censored there.

TV Guide called this show the "dumbest show on television". On top of it Tila Tequila hosted the first season. If Mr. Bean and Amelia Bedelia turned out to be siblings but went ahead and had a child anyway, and that child was dropped on its head during birth, and then given a lobotomy during childhood, this show would be dumber yet. This rating system is an outrage, call your congressman. God is crying.

Don't be the lizard.

Radical Honesty

There has never been a better time for a man of substance, character, and credence to be brought into the public eye to teach us a new way to live. Or rather, unteach us an old way to live. The man I am talking about is none other than Brad Blanton, author and creator of "Radical Honesty". He speaks the truth, and his truth is true no matter what you think you believe. He is bold, outspoken, what people consider "politically incorrect" (there will be more on this later...), and a fresh voice in the wilderness of stupidity.

Everyone lies, according to Blanton "we all lie like hell. It wears us out. It is the major source of all human stress. Lying kills people." Yet we do it like it is the source of life. I do not wish to rant about another man's rants, but I will let his quotes speak for themselves (himself?).

"The mind is a jail built out of bullshit...the way out is to get good at telling the truth."

There are much more out there, but I want you to explore this man's mind for yourself. I missed it, but he said two really great things on the second episode of This American Life. Maybe I will retrieve them one day. For now, I open the floor to you wonderful readers, leave comments with your favorite Brad Blanton quotes and visit his website RadicalHonesty.

Don't be the lizard.

20/200 Vision

As an aside from my last post, I would like to make one point very clear. Politics has taken up with great importance matters that really don't mean much to the state of humanity. Government systems are supposed to take care of its people at any cost. They are supposed to put citizens first and then the country. How did things get so messed up? Federal governments should be put in place for these few reasons:

1. Setting up and organizing Armed Forces (and whatever else comes along with that responsibility, such as war).
2. Providing health care, public services, and free information.
3. Regulating business, imports, taxes, the general economy.
4. Setting up an educational system and providing resources.
   

The federal, state, or even local governments should not be concerned with the issues of abortion, gay marriage, gun control, and any other of those minor inconveniences. To emphasize such trivial things in a presidential platform is ludicrous. These things should be worked out among families, service workers (police especially), clergy, and maybe even local governments. They are not important as far as the three branches are concerned. But they make it their problem. This is one of America's biggest mistakes. We should take the focus off legal morality and emphasize fixing things, changing things, and doing things.

There is too much government and too much legislation in this country. The more law, rhetoric, jurisdiction, and regulation there is in a society, the more dangerous it becomes. The perfect example of this is the famous quip: "The Lord's Prayer is 66 words, the Gettysburg Address is 286 words, there are 1,322 words in the Declaration of Independence, but government regulations on the sale of cabbage total 26,911 words." While it turns out that this is a hoax, it still greatly resonates this country's bureaucratic role.

What the government needs to do is stop trying to be so moral, religious, spiritual, or whatever else they front, grow some balls, and start on the things that really matter. Sometimes it is better to ignore what the people think they want since they never know what's best for them and give them what they need. I say elect a generic, serious, strong and faithful Christian President without all these crazy right-wing claims or evangelical doctrines and just do it. There should indeed be a separation of church and state, but never a separation of state and church. This country needs leaders who know who our true King is and live according to Truth.

Don't be the lizard.

What This Blog Is and Isn't

This Blog Is

• A way to reveal idiocracies, contradictions, mistakes, and wrongdoings in America, especially among the Christian community.
• A place to voice my opinion.
• Cynical in nature but speaking the truth in love.
• Open to debate and commentary. Share as you will.
  
• A link between the Christian world and the secular one.

This Blog Is Not

• A place to express hatred, prejudice, conviction, or unsupportable ideas.
• An open forum to discuss theology, atheism, creationism, evolution, science, politics, nature, or anything else that may become controversial and divert the point away from the topic at hand.
• About me.
• Yours.

*Disclaimer: I was born and raised traditionally Jewish. I had a Bar mitzvah, attended Sunday school growing up and went to a lot of temple. If I make any references to the Hebrew people, religion, or tradition I do so out of love and respect. I am not trying to pigeonhole, criticize, condemn, or insult anyone on a personal level. If I do so forgive me and please let me know in a nice way. I thank you for your time and devotion.

Law Abiding Citizens and Counter-Intuitive Enforcement

Senators and Governors and Presidents! Oh, my! Why do we even bother? The right wing camp has us believing morality lies within the law. The school of thought for a long time is if you take a bunch of Christians and put them in positions of high authority, everyone will leap to their feet in rapturous joy and begin praising God. If only it were that easy. No amount of laws in any society or culture will ever create a moral majority.

Appeals are being made everyday to change American law to align more to how God wants us to live. Ban abortion, no indoor smoking, minimize pornography. Hollywood tried doing this in the early days of film, and look where we are now. Hell, even God tried doing this throughout history and yet we consistently fail. It all started with Adam and Eve. They had one rule. ONE! Do not eat this "apple" or you will die. That sounds pretty straightforward. Yet, Original Sin entered the world because of a question (that is a theology to be discussed somewhere else). So for hundreds of years people lived with the knowledge of God but not the ability. Then Leviticus and Deuteronomy were written. God's people now had laws.

Of these over 600 laws, maybe only a handful were successfully followed. God gave these strict guidelines so the Jews could one, be holy as God is Holy and two, stay alive while traveling through the desert. Almost every single law between the two books has a scientific and theological reason behind it. However, the Hebrew people continually fell short of God's glory, even with all the law and no distractions (Exodus). So, God made a deal with the people. He brought Moses up to a mountain and basically said "Ok, fine. I understand it is hard to follow this many laws, so here are 10." That's it? Ten laws? Seems easy enough. Until golden calves and prostitutes start appearing. So now what? People are clearly not even good enough to follow ten basic principles. God sends His son Jesus to show us how to live.

Jesus clearly stated that even the Mosaic laws are no longer requirements of God. To sum it up, love God first and foremost and then love your neighbor. Do these two things and all else will fall into place. Yet, YET, people fail to even do these two simple tasks. If this is not the perfect example of the human condition, I need to stop thinking. So how will laws make any of us holy or righteous or even just morally straight? They won't. God admits it throughout the Bible. He's basically saying 'look, just follow Christ and do what you think I would want you to do'. Love Him and you will know how to live for Him. No amount of American law will get us to do that, what it takes is a strong faith, an even stronger will, and a belief in God. Christ died for our sins and we need to live for Him. Creating American laws is not a way to evangelize and it will not make Christians out of Pagans, Atheists, and Gentiles.

We need to stop putting any form of emphasis on creating "Christian laws". We need to simply stop doing the things that the laws would have us stop doing anyway. Because, either the laws will be followed by people already doing or not doing what the laws establish, or they will be broken regardless. This is an epitome act of spinning our wheels. We need to share the love of Christ, not the law of God.

Don't be the lizard.

Welcome!

For the longest time I've been cynical and apprehensive of blogging. I felt like it was a pretentious, self-serving vehicle for people to spew. While I still doubt anything noteworthy, poignant, or substantial. No one can change the world through a blog. Yet, my counter-culture days are coming to a close. I am buckling down, sucking it up, and admitting defeat. My thoughts will go unheard for as long as I fail to embrace our brave new world. So here it goes: my first public blog.

My name is Matthew Binder (penname Alexander Carbon) and I am a few weeks away from graduating FIU with a BA in English. I plan to attend vocational school for music production. I am a recent Christian, being saved sometime around August 2007. My testimony is on Youtube, just search for my name. But this blog is not about me. It is about you, it is about us. It is about the utter chaos, confusion, and corruption in the media, the country, and the church. I am setting for myself one goal and one rule: this is uninhibited, unadulterated, uncensored commentary on the state of the nation and I will bring it to you hard, fast, and strong. There are no periodicals or deadlines. I write when I feel and publish when I write.

So welcome me as I welcome you. It is going to be a long and arduous journey through the very fibers of our souls.