John 1:11-12
11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
It is a remarkable journey when God reaches down to us mercifully and gives us a new life from above (born again). I was an atheist slash buddist when Jesus broke through the fabric of this reality to open my understanding of the truth of the bible and His deity. In an instant I was radically changed inside and out, in so many ways, bad habbits I have had for decades disappeared, my soul ached for God, His will for my life, and my heart was completely changed. I hurt over my sins and how I was an enemy of God who gave me everything including the breath in my lungs. Hope appeared for the first time, my life had a purpose, before then I knew something was horrible wrong but was lost on what exactly that was. Before God changed me I didn't know what I was missing, like describing a sunset to someone who has never seen before. The video below is a profound testimony of a fellow brother in Christ who was born again from above does an excellent job of explaining many misconceptions about Christianity.
Why I'm a Christian and no longer a Muslim - 1nemind
What your yoga / meditation teacher won't tell you.
The meaning of yoga is to "yoke" and who are you yoking with or becoming one with??? A false deity named Brahman who is not the God of the bible. Yoga and meditation puts you in a state in which you are vulnerable to spiritual attacks. The spirit world is very real and if you are not dealing with God then you are dealing with a demon or demons. Demons are more intelligent and deceptive than a human will ever be. I used to practice daily yoga and meditation before I was saved and born again. I had instances of violent attack by spirits (demons) and I convulsed and was filled with confusion and terror. I would scream uncontrollably as waves of searing pain raced through my entire body. My wife and my neighbors were witnesses to the screaming. I contacted my "guru" at the time and he didn't answer back. Am I the only one the rare case? Watch this amazing video of another who almost lost her life because of yoga.
First off, are you sure you are "Pro Choice" first watch this video to make sure...
The following are 19 facts about abortion in America that should make you very sick…. #1 There have been more than 53 million abortions performed in the United States since Roe v. Wade was decided back in 1973.
#2 When you total up all forms of abortion, including those caused by the abortion drug RU 486, the grand total comes to more than a million abortions performed in the United States every single year.
#3 The number of American babies killed by abortion each yearis roughly equal to the number of U.S. military deaths that have occurred in all of the wars that the United States has ever been involved in combined.
#4 Approximately 3,000 Americans lost their lives as a result of the destruction of the World Trade Center towers on 9/11. Every single day, more than 3,000 American babies are killed by abortion.
#5 It has been reported that a staggering 41 percent of all New York City pregnancies end in abortion.
#6 According to Pastor Clenard Childress, approximately 52 percent of all African-American pregnancies now end in abortion.
#7 One very shocking study found that 86 percent of all abortions are done for the sake of convenience.
#8 According to the Guttmacher Institute, the average cost of a first trimester abortion at the ten week mark is $451.
#9 The average cost of a vaginal birth with no complications in the United States is now over $9,000.
#10 A Department of Homeland Security report that was released in January 2012 says that if you are “anti-abortion”, you are a potential terrorist. Unfortunately, there have also been other government reports that have also identified “anti-abortion” protesters as potential threats.
#11 A while back one Philadelphia abortionist was charged with killing seven babies that were born alive, but witnesses claim
that he actually slaughtered hundreds “of living, breathing newborn
children by severing their spinal cords or slitting their necks.”
#12 Some abortion clinics have been caught selling aborted baby parts to medical researchers.
#13 Planned Parenthood Founder Margaret Sanger once said the following….
“The most merciful thing that a family does to one of its infant members is to kill it.”
#14 In a 1922 book entitled “Woman, Morality, and Birth Control”, Planned Parenthood Founder Margaret Sanger wrote the following….
“Birth control must lead ultimately to a cleaner race.”
#16 Planned Parenthood specifically targets the poor. A staggering 72 percent of Planned Parenthood’s “customers” have incomes that are either equal to or beneath 150 percent of the federal poverty level.
#17 There are 30 Planned Parenthood executives that make more than $200,000 a year. A few of them make more than $300,000 a year.
#18 Planned Parenthood received more than 487 million dollars from the federal government during 2010.
1) Guided by ultrasound, the abortionist grabs the baby’s legs with forceps. 2) The baby’s leg is pulled out into the birth canal. 3) The abortionist delivers the baby’s entire body, except for the head. 4) The abortionist jams scissors into the baby’s skull. The scissors are then opened to enlarge the skull. 5) The scissors are removed and a suction catheter is inserted.
The child’s brains are sucked out, causing the skull to collapse. The
dead baby is then removed.
How can we murder our own children?
Unfortunately, there are organizations out there such as Planned
Parenthood that spend millions upon millions of dollars trying to
convince the American people that abortion is okay. Just check out the jaw dropping propaganda video (from Planned Parenthoods website)
And every single year, politicians from both political parties
continue to vote to give hundreds of millions of our tax dollars to
Planned Parenthood.
Our politicians talk about how we need to spread our values to the
rest of the world, but what kind of “values” do we really have when we
have such little respect for human life?
There is no hope for America as long as this mass slaughter of
innocent children continues to go on all across the United States.
Please share this list of facts about abortion in America with as
many people as you can. We need to wake the American people up. Most
Americans spend their days in an entertainment-induced haze and take
very little time to think about the issues that really matter.
And if you think that the issue of abortion does not matter, then you are dead wrong.
The mass murder of more than 50 million American babies is something that cannot be ignored.
Their blood is crying out to us from the ground where it has been spilled.
Yes, this article is going to make a lot of people uncomfortable, but it is the truth.
Isn’t it time that someone started telling the truth in America?
by Michael T. Snyder
At the time of this writing, approximately ten percent of the world's
population is atheistic, that is, they don't belive in the existence of a
Supreme Being. Depending on where you live, the odds of your running
into an atheist might be greater or less that that, and the chances that
you will know that quality about him will probably be even smaller.
Atheism, like conservatism or liberalism, is a private decision, and
unless he has a reason to let you know his position on the subject, he's
perfectly within his rights to keep the matter to himself. Or he might
be among those who feel the need to openly express their atheism,
whether it be for the purpose of constructively sharing ideas or trying
to convince you to change your own beliefs.
Over the past five years, I've spent a considerable portion of my free
time discussing and debating politics and religion on Internet message
boards. During such exchanges, I have learned that atheists tend to
gravitate toward a collection of basic arguments, both offensive and
defensive, that they feel best supports their conclusion that there is
no God. On the surface, some of these arguments appear quite good and
even potentially convincing. But on closer examination, they each fall
apart, usually of their own weight.
Below is a short list of arguments that atheists often use when either
defending their own belief system or criticising those of Christians.
Each is followed by my own counter-argument, explaining why their
reasoning-and ultimately their conclusion about God-is flawed.
1. "Atheism isn't a belief, but the lack of a belief."
This is what I call the "single definition" of atheism. It is the
cornerstone of most atheistic defenses. Atheists like to use this definition
because they feel that it protects them from certain criticisms from
Christians and other theists. For example, if atheism is a lack of a belief,
then atheists can't be criticized for believing anything. This simple idea
is a powerful weapon for atheists on message boards. It is, however, wrong.
Since there is (currently) no scientifically verifiable evidence to support
either side of the God question, both theism and atheism have to be
called beliefs. Just as theism is a belief that there is a God, atheism
is the
belief that there isn't. Atheism, therefore, is not immune to the criticisms
that other belief systems might draw.
2. "Atheism is not a-or has no-philosophy."
This is not true. Atheists believe that there is no God. Therefore, they
believe that all decisions made by the individual, the family and the
government should be made without regard to religious dogma. That is a
philosophy. This is true regardless of anecdotal incidents when atheists,
for ulterior motives, say that it's okay for certain people to believe in
God, e.g., "I'm in favor of the citizens of such-and-such country believing
in God if it will keep them from slaughtering each other." These are
actually exceptions that prove the rule, since they are always under
unusual circumstances. The basic atheistic philosophy remains intact.
Even when an atheist says, "I don't care if other people believe in God
or not," he's merely expressing an isolationist viewpoint toward a
philosophy that he still applies to himself. Otherwise, he wouldn't be
an atheist, for no atheist will follow any religious dogma.
3. "Atheism is supported by science."
Again, this is not true. Because no scientifically verifiable evidence
exists on either side of the God question, science can't even address the
issue, let alone reach any conclusion.
4. "Atheism is supported by logic." Not only is this wrong, just
the opposite is true. In logic, it's impossible to prove a negative,
that is, prove that a God Who Can Do Anything doesn't exist. When
someone claims he is an atheist, he is in effect claiming to have proven
a negative (at least to himself)-which is a logical impossibility. In
terms of pure logic, the only viable alternative to theism is actually
agnosticism, which is the belief that the existence of God cannot be
known. But atheism runs counter to logic.
5. "The burden of proof is on theists."
No, it isn't. While the burden of proof might vary depending on whether
you're talking about science or law, in almost all instances, the burden of
proof lies with the deviation from the norm. A man who claims he can run
a mile in one minute-while the world's best atheletes can't break the
three-minute mark-has the burden of proving that he can do it. Right
now, about 90% of the world's population believes there is a Supreme
Being. Plus, throughout known history-even back to the days of the
caveman-humans have believed in some sort of God. These points are
enough to clearly establish theism as the normal state. It is therefore
up to atheists to make their case for the deviation.
6. "There is no evidence to support a belief in God."
Yes, there is. Testimonial evidence abounds. Millions claim that God has
touched their hearts, cured their illnesses and improved their lives.
Atheists refuse to acknowledge this evidence, because they accept only
scientifically verifiable evidence. This is a restriction that they have
chosen to place upon themselves, yet they demand that others do the same
thing, which is ridiculous. Atheists say that human testimony can't be
trusted because human senses can't be trusted. The fact that this
twisted logic effectively discounts all life experiences doesn't seem to
phase atheists in the least. It's yet another example of how atheism
shuts down the mind.
7. "Theists should believe in the Invisible Pink Unicorn."
This is in reference to something called the Invisible Pink Unicorn
Argument, an amusing little ditty that atheists enjoy bringing up from time
to time. The argument says that, since theists have no evidence that God
exists, then they can't discount the existence of other "fictitious"
Gods,
such as-you guessed it-the Invisible Pink Unicorn. On closer examination,
this argument actually goes against atheists. As I mentioned above,
theists accept the testimony of others as valid evidence for the
existence of God. Literally millions of people believe in God, pray to
Him, worship Him, and claim that He has cured their illnesses and
changed their lives. This can't be said of the Invisible Pink Unicorn,
so theists don't believe in it. On the other hand, since atheists reject
testimonial evidence, it is they-and
not theists-who can't distinguish between the Unicorn and God.
8. "Religion is the major cause of war."
This is historically incorrect. When it comes to the causes of war,
religion comes after politics, economics, territory, natural resources and
greed. World leaders who want war have often tried to rally support from
their people by tying the effort to their religious beliefs, but that has
nothing to do with the real reasons for their wanting to go to war.
9. "The crusades and the inquisition show that Christianity is evil."
In any organization, there is the potential for corruption. Those events
took place at a time when the Bible was kept under lock and key within
the walls of the church. The public was not allowed to read it and had
to depend on their priests to do all Biblical interpretations. This was a
system that bred corruption. Dishonest priests would pander to
dishonest rulers, and the result was sometimes anything but religious. I
agree with historians who say that, had the Bible been available to the
public, those events would've never been allowed to happen.
10. "The majority of prisoners/criminals are theists."
This is a bogus argument for two reasons:
(1) Since 90% of the population is theistic, it's not statistically
surprising that the majority of people in any given institution would be
theists.
(2) The relevant surveys, taken within prison walls, are unreliable since
prisoners are known to give answers that they feel will put them in the
best light in the eyes of prison officials in particular and the public
in general. They know it's not going to help their chances for parole if
they
claim to reject God, so they say they are theists.
11. "Christians have a higher divorce rate than do atheists."
Atheists who use this argument think that it illustrates how hypocritical
Christians are. But in reality, it shows just the opposite. Atheists
believe that morality is relative, that is, there is no absolute good"
or "bad" behavior. Atheists therefore get to make up their own morals to
fit whatever lifestyle they desire. For example, if an atheistic
husband
finds out his wife has been cheating on him, he has the option of deciding
that cheating is okay. The two of them might even decide to have an
"open marriage," in which both parties can freely enjoy extramarital
affairs. With a morality that can be changed to suit any set of
circumstances, atheists have fewer reasons to seek a divorce.
Christians, on the other hand, receive their morality from God via the
Bible. Those morals can't be augmented to suit the whims of the moment.
Infidelity and other such offenses are taken very seriously. After doing
what he can to save a marriage, sometimes a Christian literally has to
choose between following God or sticking with a spouse who wants to
pursue an ungodly lifestyle. Sometimes divorce is the only answer.
So, it is because of high Christian values-and not hypocrisy-that the
divorce rate is higher among Christians, while atheists have fewer divorces
because of their changeable standards of morality.
12. "Atheists do good deeds because it's the right thing to do, while Christians do them because they want to get to heaven."
Both sides of this statement are wrong. Atheists believe in the
evolutionary theory that everything a person does can be linked to
either the drive to survive or the drive to reproduce. And they do mean
everything. They believe that a child loves his mother because the
mother is needed for survival; a man loves a woman because she can help
him reproduce; people do good deeds because it keeps them from being
killed by those who might otherwise dislike them; etc. Christians, on
the other hand, do good deeds through the compassion that is taught in
the Bible. Going to heaven is simply the icing on the cake.
13. "Can your all-powerful God create a rock that is too heavy for Him to move?"
If you answer, "No," then the atheist will reply, "Then your God can't
create such a rock and therefore isn't all-powerful."
If you answer, "Yes," then the atheist will reply, "Then your God won't
be able to move the rock and therefore isn't all-powerful."
I've read a few long and complicated "answers" to this apparent dilemma,
but the fact is, the question itself is problematic, much like the
question, "Can God run and walk at the same time?" or even the
often-quoted statement, "Everything I say is a lie." (If everything I
say is a lie, then that statement itself is a lie, so I must therefore
be telling the truth. But if I'm telling the truth, then everything I
say must be a lie, and we're back to square one.) All three examples
illustrate the limitations of the human mind and its logic. The "rock"
question doesn't say anything about the nature of God nor His power, but
our own inability to comprehend something that is beyond our
understanding.
