Tolerance - by Ronald Reagan

I saw this quote and thought I would share it with you. It is one of many great quotes from this one speech.

If all the children of our country studied together all of the many religions in our country, wouldn't they learn greater tolerance of each other's beliefs? If children prayed together, would they not understand what they have in common? And would this not, indeed, bring them closer? And is this not to be desired? So, I submit to you that those who claim to be fighting for tolerance on this issue may not be tolerant at all.

Ronald Reagan

Athiests, Antitheists and the Antichrist

Atheism. At it's core, it challenges the mere existence of God. It's definition is simply someone who is without God or any god. And, the Bible does support this idea with a well known verse, John 3:16. Believers are known as theists. And nonbelievers are called atheists.

Just because someone is an atheist, doesn't make them a good or bad person. But rather, it defines what happens to them after death. Most, atheists have good intentions. If you look around at many athesit's blogs, you will tend to believe that all atheists hate God. This can be misleading, as it only represents a portion of atheists.

They are antitheists. 

An antitheist is different from an atheist in that an atheist is simply without God and an antitheist is someone who is against religion, or anyone who believes. This is often seen as a hatred towards God.  Their reasons for being against God or religion may vary. Some may have been betrayed by a "Christian." Some may have been mocked by a "Christian." There could be hundreds of reasons for their drive against religion.

Some antithiests believe that religion should be erased from the world. They openly use slogans such as "Imagine No Religion" and often point to the human side of religion - people making bad choices who claim to believe. Their extremes may be known as militant atheists, or an atheist who would use force, or any means possible, to accomplish this goal. They will attend church and may even infiltrate their ranks.

Some may even lead a church.

An antitheist is very similar to the antichrist, just as a square is very similar to a rectangle. A square is a rectangle, but a rectangle isn't always a square.  The antichrist is an antitheist, but an antitheist isn't always the antichrist. But their spirit, or the things that they do and the reasons they do them, are the same. They both have the same desire to remove God from the world.

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit[a] of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

1 John 4:1-6

About Tim Tebow

Tim Tebow and crew have done what many (mainly the media) are call nothing short of miraculous.... He is known for last minute and unbelievable come backs. But, this recent overtime victory against the Steelers has people talking even more. Check out these statistics...

• Tebow had 316 yards passing 
• His throws (I guess not counting after the catch) averaged 31.6 yards per pass
• Denver's Time of Possesion is 31 minutes and 6 seconds

In college Tebow wore the words "John 3:16" below his eyes. And the media is selling that story and many Christians are running with it. Is it just a coincidence? Or is there something more?


People want to believe there is more.

Does God favor Tim Tebow over all other Christian athletes?

I am not trying to discredit Tim Tebow's ability or his character. I think he has had an amazing rookie year. I also think that he has a remarkable future in the NFL as a quarterback. But I think we should stop before we buy the media's hype about it. I think that the media is expecting a loss to keep the Broncos from winning many of the  big games, possibly the Super Bowl.

When I see things like this - the media connecting sports to religion -  I am reminded of a passage about loving your enemies. I think it especially applies because in a game, there are sides. And, during game time, battle lines are drawn. The enemy wears the other uniform.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

Matthew 5:43-45

No matter who the media paints as the saint or the enemy, the sun will rise on them the same. The rain will fall on them the same. God doesn't favor Tim Tebow by giving him wins or putting him in the spotlight. 

But is Tim Tebow in the spotlight for God's glory?

Tim Tebow has the world watching him. They see him as some sort of spokes person for God. And, they believe the hype that the media is feeding them. And, when the Broncos (as a team) falls short and loses a game, the world will be watching. 

The question is, will Tim Tebow give the credit to God?

It will be then that the God gets the real glory.

Religion is a Pillar of Strength in America

America is like a healthy body and its resistance is threefold: its patriotism, its morality, and its spiritual life. If we can undermine these three areas, America will collapse from within.

Josef Stalin

I thought this was an interesting quote. Stalin was a great communist leader. He recognized religion, or spiritual life as one of three pillars that are a vital part of American health. Yet, as an atheist, he thought of it as an "opiate" or a drug that the people craved. He was an atheist. And, as a result, he wished to remove religion from his country. "[His] government promoted atheism through special atheistic education in schools, massive amounts of anti-religious propaganda... discriminatory laws, and also a terror campaign against religious believers." (Wikipedia)

There is a book that echoes the ideals of Stalin. The Naked Communist was written by Cleon Skousen in 1958. It lists some measures to be taken to bring America under communist rule. I find some points of interest in that they are happening or already have happened.

16) Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.
25) Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.
26) Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy." Skousen claimed Communists sought to encourage the practice of masturbation.
27) Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with "social" religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a "religious crutch."
28) Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state."
40) Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity, masturbation and easy divorce.
41) Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.

Skousen was a devout Mormon. It is easy to jump to the conclusion that his views are biased. Yet, this book seems to echo the ideals of Communism and give us a glimpse into their tactics. It is important to consider how they seem to mirror the words, ideals and tactics of Stalin. Skousen's insight was the reason that Ronald Reagan asked him "to be a charter member of the conservative think tank the Council for National Policy." (Wikipedia)

Numbers 27 and 28 scream common goals with Atheists. Perhaps this is largely because Stalin was an Atheist.  But, it is important to not that not all atheist want communism to flourish.


But it makes me wonder:

"How many would settle with it if it means completely removing religion from the face of the earth?"

"How important is it that our First Amendment (not second or later) is about Religious Freedom?"

"Does anyone see the parallels with the ACLU's history? Or is it just me?"