Advent Study #3 -December 3

Today we look at Hezron, Ram, and Amminadab. If you thought you'd never catch up with all the reading today is the day for you. Rather obscure, in a manner of speaking they present a challenge in regards to the last of our daily questions, do they not?

who are they?- where are they from?- what place do they have-
in the Biblical text,
in the story of salvation and
in relation to Jesus specifically.

#2 is here

#1 is here here..notes and thoughts on #1 are here

the intro to the study is here


Hezron

The older of the two sons of Pharez (Perez) (Gen. 46:12).


Ram

The son of Hezron, and one of the ancestors of the royal line of King David and Jesus Christ (Ruth 4:19). The marginal notes for 1 Chr. 2:9, Matt. 1:3,4 and Luke 3:33 call him "Aram."


Amminadab

Father-in-law of Aaron, his daughter Elisheba was married to Aaron (Ex. 6:23). He was the father ofNahshon, who was chief of the tribe of Judah (Num. 1:7; 2:3; 7:12, 17; 10:14). He was in the lineage of Ruth (Ruth 4:18-20; 1 Chr. 2:10; Matt. 1:4; Luke 3:33).


Aquinas gives us some info on the first two in a tropological (or moral) sense:

“And Perez begot Hezron.” The name Hezron means either “arrow” or “wide entry.” If the first, it represents the sharpness of the preaching of the Kingdom of God, which penetrates into the hearts of those being converted from the idolatry of this world (Ps 44 [45]:6). If the second, it represents the breadth of Christian charity, by which Jesus loved even his enemies (Rom 5:10; Isa 53:12; Lk 23:34), and by which his followers are called upon to do the same. “And Hezron begot Ram.” The name Ram means “on high,” and it prefigures the name of Jesus, which is above “every name that is named, not only in this world but also in the one that is to come” (Eph 1:21), as well as all holy persons: “He who walks justly and speaks the truth … shall dwell on high, (and) the rocky fastnesses shall be his stronghold” (Isaiah 33:15-16). “But our citizenship is in Heaven” (Phil 3:20). (section 207 from RTF)

For an introduction of Aquinas' reading of scripture (spritual, moral etc) you can go here.
A shorter explantion can be found in this book review at MereComments:

Patristic and early medieval Christianity originally adhered to a primarily analogical (allegorical) and symbolical method of reading texts and viewing objects, in which words initially refer to objects, and the objects in turn are signs that refer to and have essential, intrinsic relations with other objects. This process establishes a unitary, interconnected network of multi-layered references, significations, and cross-referential meanings. The entire universe is thus not just a set of autonomous objects, but a spiritually, morally, and teleologically oriented system of mystical relations. Origen initially developed a three-fold system of biblical interpretation, with literal, moral, and allegorical levels of meaning, which Augustine modified into the fourfold method of literal/historical, moral/tropological, allegorical/analogical, and etiological/anagogical exegesis adopted and elaborated by the medieval Scholastics.

Advent Study - December 2- Updated with notes on Perez and Tamar

The next three folks in our list and a little less popular, so not as much reading..whew...
the first part of the study is here and the second part is here..
who are they?- where are they from?- what place they have-in the Biblical text, in the story of salvationand in relation to Jesus specifically.

Juda the patriarch- (from New Advent)
The son of Jacob by Lia, whose exclamation on the occasion of his birth: "Now will I praise the Lord" is given as the etymological reason for the name "Juda", which is derived from the Hebrew verb "to praise" (Genesis 29:35). It was Juda who interceded with his brethren to save the life of Joseph, proposing that he be sold to the Ismaelites (Genesis 37:26, 27). Though not the eldest son of Jacob, he is represented as assuming an important and predominating rôle in the family affairs. It is he who, on the occasion of the second journey to Egypt, persuades the afflicted Jacob to consent to the departure of Benjamin (Genesis 43:3-10), for whom he pleads most touchingly before Joseph after the incident of the cup, offering himself to be retained as a slave in his stead (Genesis 44:18 sqq.). This earnest plea determines Joseph to disclose his identity to his brethren (Genesis 45:1 sqq.). Juda is the one chosen by Jacob to precede him into Egypt and announce his coming (Genesis 46:28), and his prestige is further emphasized in the famous prophecy enunciated by Jacob (Genesis 49:8-12). To Juda were born five sons, viz., Her, Onan, and Sela by the daughter of Sue, and Phares and Zara by Thamar (Genesis 38). It is through Phares, according to the First Gospel, that the Messianic lineage is traced (Matthew 1:3).
for information on the Tribe of Judah, go here..

Perez (from Christiananswers)

Meaning: breakthrough; breach; bursting forth
He was a father, and the elder of twin sons of Judah (Neh. 11:4). His mother was Judah's daughter-in-law,Tamar.
He was conceived as part of a revengeful deception. (Gen. 38:29; 46:12)
From him the royal line of David sprang (Ruth 4:12, 18-22). He is in the genealogy of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:3; Luke 3:33).
"The chief of all the captains of the host" was of the children of Perez (1 Chr. 27:3; Matt. 1:3).
Four hundred and sixty-eight of his "sons" came back from captivity with Zerubbabel, who himself was one of them (1 Chr. 9:4; Neh. 11:6).

Tamar (christian answers)

The daughter-in-law of Judah, to whose eldest son, Er, she was married (Gen. 38:6). After her husband's death, she was married to Onan, his brother, and on his death, Judah promised to her that his third son, Shelah, would become her husband. This promise was not fulfilled, and hence Tamar's revenge and Judah's great guilt (38:12-30). She eventually bore twins (Pharez and Zerah (Zarah), with Judah as the father. From Pharez, the royal line of King David sprang.

The mention of Tamar is unusual for she (along with Rahab and Ruth) were Gentiles or sinners, which indicates God's graciousness. This passage underscores the role of women in the history of salvation and anticipates the crucial role of Mary. (Orthodox Study Bible)

207. The tropological sense of Matt 1:3. “And Judah begot Perez and Zerah from Tamar.” The name Perez means “division” or “separation.” From the confession of sins comes separation from vice and from the spirit of this world. Zerah means “rising of light,” and represents the light of spiritual understanding that comes from the separation from vices and entrance into the light of faith. Tamar means “bitterness.” It suggests the bitterness of repentance of one’s sins, and it signifies also that conversion to righteousness which comes only through the sharing of the Cross of Christ. ..(from RTF)

Notes and thoughts on Advent Study- Day 1

Notes and thoughts on the Advent Study on December 1:

Abraham-

I cannot read the story of Abrham being asked to sacrifice his son without thinking of my good and wise friend who asked me, shortly after my fist child's birth, if God asked me to sacrifice my son would I do it? "Before you answer", he said, "think about this- it's not a question of whether you will sacrifice your son, it's just a question of which god you will sacrifice him to." But of course that doesn't have anything to do with our study does it? Or does it?


Isaac

"at once a counterpart of his father in simple devoutness and purity of life, and a contrast in his passive weakness of character, which in part, at least, may have sprung from his relations to his mother and wife. After the expulsion of Ishmael and Hagar, Isaac had no competitor, and grew up in the shade of Sarah's tent, moulded into feminine softness by habitual submission to her strong, loving will."
His life was so quiet and uneventful that it was spent…
"within the circle of a few miles;so guileless that he let Jacob overreach him rather than disbelieve his assurance;so tender that his mother's death was the poignant sorrow of years;so patient and gentle that peace with his neighbors was dearer than even such a coveted possession as a well of living water dug by his own men;so grandly obedient that he put his life at his father's disposal;so firm in his reliance on God that his greatest concern through life was to honor the divine promise given to his race." (Geikie's Hours, etc.)
http://www.christiananswers.net/dictionary/isaac.html

As delineated in Genesis, the figure of Isaac is much less striking than that of Abraham, his father. Yet, by his manner of life, always quiet, gentle, guileless, faithful to God's guidance, he ever was the worthy heir and transmitter of the glorious promises made to Abraham. He was pre-eminently a man of peace, the fitting type of the Prince of Peace, whose great sacrifice on Mount Calvary was foreshadowed by Isaac's obedience unto death on Mount Moria.
The New Testament contains few, but significant references to Isaac (cf. Matthew 8:11; Luke 12:28; 20:37; Romans 9:7; Galatians 4:28; Hebrews 11:17 sqq.; James 2:21). http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08175a.htm

Jacob

Despite the various difficulties met with in the examination of the Biblical narrative and dealt with in detail by commentators, it is quite certain that the history of Jacob is that of a real person whose actual deeds are recorded with substantial accuracy. Jacob's character is a mixture of good and evil, gradually chastened by the experience of a long life, and upon the whole not unworthy of being used by God for the purpose of His mercy towards the chosen people. The Talmudic legends concerning Jacob are the acme of fancy. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08261a.htm


Abraham, Jacob, Isaac

From Thomas Aquinas:
205. The allegorical sense of Matt 1:2. “Abraham begot Isaac, and Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers.” The allegory of names. In the division of the spiritual sense into the allegorical, the tropological (or moral), and the anagogical (or final), the first of this order is the Christological sense, that is, the allegory of Christ and of his Church. Matthew, in presenting a carnal genealogy descending from Abraham to Joseph, illustrates the self-humiliation of the Messiah, while Luke, in presenting an adoptive genealogy ascending from Jesus to Abraham and to God, illustrates the priestly dignity of the Messiah, through whom mankind was reconciled to God and we were made his adoptive children. St. Thomas takes up the allegory of names in the genealogy of Matthew. Abraham begot Isaac. The name Abraham means “the father of many peoples,” and it prefigures Jesus, who “brought many children into glory” (Heb 2:10). As Abraham by order of God went out from his native land (Gen 12:4), so did the Divine Word go out (in a certain way) from his heavenly dwelling to become incarnate as Jesus. “I have forsaken my house, I have left my inheritance, I have given the beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies” (Jer 12:7). When Abraham heard that Sarah would conceive a child, he laughed, saying “I a hundred and Sarah ninety?” (Gen 17:17). And Sarah laughed too, saying “God has made a laughter for me” (Gen 18:10). The name Isaac means “he laughs,” and this name prefigures the conception and birth of Jesus, because Mary rejoiced at her conception of the Savior (Lk 1:47), and the whole world of the elect has rejoiced at the news of the birth of Jesus (Lk 2:10), in the rejoicing that is the spiritual expression of worldly laughter. And Isaac begot Jacob. The name Jacob means “wrestler” (“he grabs the heel”), and we are reminded of how a wrestler overthrows his opponent by grabbing his heel. This name pertains to Jesus, because Jesus overthrew the Devil and his minions (Matt 12:28). "But if I by the Spirit of God cast out devils, then is the Kingdom of God come upon you” (Matt 12:28). And Jacob begot Judah and his brothers. The name Judah means “con­fession” or “profession,” and it pertains allegorically to Jesus, who said: “I confess to You Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth” (Matt 11:25).7
206. The tropological (moral) sense of Matt 1:2. St. Thomas undertakes to illustrate how a pattern of moral allegory may underlie the genealogy in Matthew. It is not that moral allegory or any kind of allegory needs to underlie these names, but the search for biblical allegory can be spiritually rewarding. St. Thomas assumes the framework of the theological and moral virtues. He suggests, to begin with, that the names Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as situated in the genealogy, represent the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity. Abraham, “the father of many nations,” is “the father of the circumcision” (Rom 4:12) and “the father of those who believe” (Rom 4:11). He is our father in faith. Isaac represents the virtue of hope, which is born of faith (Rom 12:12). Jacob represents the dynamism of Christian charity, as “the wrestler” and as having taken two wives: Leah (“laboring”), represen­ting the active life, and Rachel (“ewe”), representing the contemplative life. The name “Jacob” also implies “supplanter” (Gen 25:23-25; 27:36), and it signifies Christ: “You have cast down beneath Me those who rose against Me” (Ps 18 [19]:43)). http://www.rtforum.org/study/lesson27.html

After Mumbai: Could It Happen Here?

From the Heritage...
Is the U.S. at Risk?
On the one hand, there is no question that the United States is a much "harder" target for transnational terrorism than it was before 9/11. Likewise, federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies have paid much more attention to the threat of "homegrown" terrorism. Since the September 11 attacks, government agencies have thwarted over 19 conspiracies aimed at killing Americans on U.S. soil.
Nevertheless, it is unrealistic to believe that all homeland security efforts will deny every attack every time. In particular, armed assaults and vehicle-borne explosive attacks are tactics that are not beyond the reach of any modestly funded and committed terrorist group. ...
More and a list of what to do and what not to do can be found here

Abortion Now Number One Cause of Death in Spain

New report reveals immense toll taken by abortion in formerly Catholic country
By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman
SPAIN, November 28, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Abortion is now the number one cause of death in Spain, and represents the most common type of violence against women in the formerly Catholic country, according to a new report by the international Institute for Family Policy (IPF).
The report, which was issued on the International Day of Violence Against Women, notes that Spain has one of the most liberal abortion laws in Europe, allowing women to kill their unborn child for "psychological" reasons at any time during their pregnancy.
Under Spain's practically nonexistent restrictions, abortions have more than doubled since the mid 1990s, climbing from 51,006 in 1996 to over 120,000 in 2007. The abortion rate is now approaching one in five pregnancies (18.3%), according to the report.
Although purely elective abortions are not technically legal under Spanish law, the vast majority (97%) were undertaken due to a purported psychological or physical risk to the mother.
Undercover investigations by Spanish media in late 2007 showed that abortion clinics in Spain maintain financial ties with psychologists who automatically issue assessments to abortion clinic customers stating that the woman is psychologically at risk from her pregnancy (see LifeSiteNews coverage at http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/nov/07112913.html).
(more)

Advent Study- 1 December

Continuing with our look at the genealogy narrative in Matthew 1:1-17.
Previous entries can be found here. My apologies for the late posting. I'll try to do better.
As a reminder we are focusing on the following questions though we may only allude to answers to them along the way until we complete the list:

- who are they?
- where are they from?
- what place they have-
in the Biblical text,
in the story of salvation
and in relation to Jesus specifically.

Today we look at the big three, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Abraham-

"the father of the believers of the Old Covenant" (Orthodox Study Bible)
This was the name of the son of Terah, named (Gen. 11:27) before his older brothersNahor and Haran, because he was the heir of the promises of God. He was originally named, Abram. His wife Sarai would later become Sarah.

For many years, Abram lived among his relatives in his native country of Chaldea in present day Iraq (Genesis 11:31). Then, with his father, family and household, he leftthe city of Ur, where he lived. He traveled 300 miles north to Haran and lived there for fifteen years. The cause of his migration was a call from God (Acts 7:2-4).

Abram received a second and more definite call after his father's death. This call was accompanied by a promise from God (Gen. 12:1,2). As a result, he left at the age of 75 (Gen. 12:4), taking his nephewLot with him, not knowing where he was going (Hebrews 11:8). He trusted God implicitly.

After moving about for a couple of years he returned to his home at Mamre. Sarai was impatient for God's promises to come about (she was now seventy-five years old) so she persuaded Abram to take Hagar, her Egyptian maid, as a concubine, intending any resulting children would be counted as her own.
Ishmael was born and regarded as the heir of these promises (Gen. 16). When Ishmael was thirteen years old, God again revealed yet more explicitly and fully his gracious purpose; and in token of the sure fulfillment of that purpose, the patriarch's name was now changed from Abram to Abraham (Gen. 17:4,5), and the rite of circumcision was instituted as a sign of the covenant.
It was then affirmed that the heir to these covenant promises would be the sonof Sarai, though she was now ninety years old. God directed that his name should be Isaac. At the same time, in commemoration of the promises, Sarai's name was changed to Sarah.

Abraham was later commanded to offer up Isaac, the heir of all the promises, as a sacrifice on one of the mountains of Moriah. His faith stood the test (Hebrews 11:17-19). He proceeded in a spirit of unhesitating obedience to carry out the command; and when about to kill his son, whom he had laid on the altar, his uplifted hand was stopped by an angel of God. A ram (male goat) was revealed, entangled in nearby bushes. This was offered instead of Isaac.
This place was therefore named Jehovah-jireh, i.e., "The Lord will provide."
The promises made to Abraham were again confirmed (and this was the last recorded word of God to the patriarch). He descended the mountain with his son, and returned to his home at Beer-sheba (Gen. 22:19), where he lived for some years. (more here and here) (notes and thoughts)

Isaac

The son of Abraham and Sara. The incidents of his life are told in Genesis 15-35. According to Genesis 17:17; 18:12; 21:6, his name means: "he laughs". Proclaimed sole legal ancestor of the chosen people. His early years were spent in Bersabee, whence he was taken by his father to Mount Moria to be offered up in sacrifice, and whither he returned after his life had been miraculously spared (21:33; 22:19).He married Rebecca, and they were married in "the south country", where Isaac then lived, and continued to live after he had buried Abraham. Many years elapsed before Isaac's longing entreaty toGod for children was actually heard. Of the twins to whom she then gave birth, Esau was beloved by Isaac, while Jacob was Rebecca's favourite (25:21-28).

Because of afamine (Gen. 26:1), Isaac went to Gerar, where he lied about his relation to Rebekah, imitating the conduct of his father in Egypt (12:12-20) and in Gerar (20:2).

During the last years of Isaac's career, there occurred the well-known incident of his conferring upon Jacob the Divine blessing, which he had always intended for Esau (27), followed by Isaac's concern to protect Jacob from his brother's resentment and to secure for him a wife from his mother's kindred in Mesopotamia (28:1-5).

The New Testament contains few, but significant references to Isaac (cf. Matthew 8:11; Luke 12:28; 20:37; Romans 9:7; Galatians 4:28; Hebrews 11:17 sqq.; James 2:21).

more here and here (notes and thoughts)

Jacob

The son of Isaac andRebecca, third great patriarch of the chosen people, and the immediate ancestor of the twelve tribes of Israel. The incidents of his life are given in parts of Genesis 25:21-50:13. His early years were marked by various efforts to get the birthright from his brother Esau. His struggle for it began before he was born (xxv, 22-5). Later, he took advantage of Esau's thoughtlessness and despair to buy it from him for a pottage of lentils (xxv, 29-33). In virtue of this purchase, and through a ruse, he finally got it by securing the blessing which Isaac intended for Esau (xxvii, 1-37), Then it was that, to escapehis brother's avenging wrath, and apparently also to obtain a wife from his parents' stock, he fled to Haran where he met Rachael who would become his wife. Tricked by his maternal uncle, Laban, who lived in Haran, Jacob marries Leah before he eventually marries Rachel. Twice (going and coming) he stopped at Bethel where he had a vision of the angels of God ascending and descending on the ladder whose top reached unto heaven (28:10, 19); and "where God talked with him" (35:1-15), and there he "built an altar, and called the place El-beth-el" (q.v.). This second occasion of God's speaking with Jacob at Bethel, is referenced in Hosea (12:4,5).

More here and here and notes and thoughts

Advent Study- 30 November- Updated

Day 1 can be found here.

As threatened, er, I mean, promised, today begins our Advent Study on Matthew 1:1-17.
First, an introduction to Matthew and the reading itself and then every day we will look at the individuals in Matthew's genealogy and focus on the following questions:

1. - who are they?
2. - where are they from?
3. - what place they have-

• in the Biblical text,
• in the story of salvation
• and in relation to Jesus specifically.

Each day we will look at three of the individuals in the genealogy. I will take information from Eastern Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant sources. You are welcome to join us with your discussion and thoughts. Hopefully you will find something that is of interest along the way. You might also enjoy this link highlighted from the folks at MereComments on the subject of Advent.

Background Information

Matthew (meaning “gift of God”) is identified as a tax collector (9:9, 10:3) In other accounts of his meeting with Jesus he is called Levi. This double naming has lead some to believe there were two different persons. Also, because Matthew was written in Greek and because there are certain references that point to a date of writing between 80-90 C.E. some believe the book was written by an unknown Greek-Speaking Jewish Christian. (Harper Collins Study Bible) Still, many point to the Jewish tradition of “double naming” (e.g. Simon/Peter, Saul/Paul) and when Jesus called Matthew in 9:9 he renounced his old profession a(tax collector) and became a disciple. (Orthodox Study Bible) Also the dates do not exclude the writing of this Gospel by Matthew himself as tradition holds. (Harper Collins) None of this is particularly important to our study but is presented for the sake of informational purposes only.

Introduction

Matthew divides the genealogy lit. “origin” (Greek- Genesis) into three sections:

a. Abraham to David
b. David to the Babylonian captivity
c. Babylonian captivity to Jesus

Abraham, David and the Babylonian captivity are key figures/points in Jewish history. The coming of Messiah is another very important event.

"The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham."

Three purposes of Matthew are reflected in this opening line:

1. Jesus is the authentic and legitimate king of God’s people.

a. Genealogies were especially important to the Jewish people. Israel’s king had to be a Jew, and not a foreigner (Deuteronomy 17:15). Later on it was revealed that he must be a descendant of David (2 Samuel 7:14). When the Jews returned from the Babylonian captivity, it was important for these returned exiles to show that their roots were Jewish and could be traced through the genealogies. No one could serve as priest whose name could not be found in the genealogical records (Ezra 2:62). Bruner writes that the famous rabbi Hillel was proud that he could trace his genealogy all the way back to King David. He further indicates that Josephus began his autobiography with his own pedigree. Then there was Herod the Great, who was half-Jew and half-Edomite. Obviously his name was not in the official genealogies, and thus he ordered that the records be destroyed. If he couldn’t be found there, he did not want to be upstaged by anyone else.
b. Divides ancestors into three groups of fourteen to symbolically denote the Royal descent from King David
Wordplay – The Hebrew letter “D” stands for the letter 4, the “V” represents the number “6” thus DaViD has the numerical value of 14 (4+6+4) (Douglas R.A. Hare – Interpretation)

2. Jesus was a Jew-
a. Son of David but also Son of Abraham. The “ultimate Jew” in whom Israels deepest hopes would find fulfillment.
Abraham was the ancestor of the Jews but also “a multitude of nations.” i.e Gentiles
b. Inclusion of Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba. Two were obviously non-Jewish and two were regarded so in Jewish tradition- Gentiles and/or sinners

3. New Genesis-
Matthew begins, “This is the record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1). The expression, “the record of the genealogy” in the Greek text reads, somewhat literally, “the book of the genesis of Jesus Christ.” It is nearly identical with the Greek translations of Genesis 2:4 and 5:1:
This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created—when the Lord God made the earth and heavens (Genesis 2:4).
(More literally from the Greek: “This is the book of the genesis of the heavens and the earth … .”)
This is the record of the family line of Adam. When God created mankind, he made them in the likeness of God (Genesis 5:1).
(More literally from the Greek: “This is the book of the genesis/generations of mankind/Adam … .”)This seems very similar to John’s introduction to his Gospel in the first verse of chapter 1: “In the beginning was the Word… .” Surely John is linking the beginning of his Gospel (and, more importantly, our Lord) with Genesis 1 and the creation. Here in our text, Matthew’s words appear to point us to the first genealogy in the Bible which is recorded in Genesis 5. In Genesis 5, Adam has just sinned. God warned Adam that if he (they) ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil he (they) would die (Genesis 2:17). One purpose of the first genealogy, then, is to dramatically underscore the truthfulness of God’s Word. Everyone in Adam’s genealogy died, just as God said. Now, in almost identical words, Matthew introduces his Gospel with the first genealogy of the New Testament. Not only are we reminded that all in this genealogy died; Matthew’s words seem to hint that in Jesus there begins a whole new race of people who will never die. Genealogies almost always contain the record of those who have died. Our Lord’s genealogy is that, but it begins a new line, the line of all who are “in Christ” by faith, who thereby possess the gift of eternal life. (more)

Defending blacks from homosexuals

Really good stuff from WND:

...Columnist Anna Quindlen posits a scurrilous argument when she compares the rejection of same-sex marriage to anti-interracial marriage laws of the past. Her argument is without merit because she conveniently omits the most important point. Anti-interracial marriage laws, while appallingly egregious, were laws forbidding marriage between a man and a woman, color notwithstanding. Anti same-sex marriage bans are in opposition to man-man, woman-woman marriages – which no society in the history of mankind can point to as a successful component in the sustentation of that society. Same-sex marriage is in no way comparable to persons of different skin color entering into a heterosexual union.
Homosexual activist Wayne Besen goes so far as to vent his frustration and anger out on blacks who oppose same-sex marriage, saying their actions were "particularly galling and repugnant" because blacks themselves had suffered discrimination.
As I have written before:
Civil rights and homosexual rights are not synonymous. Civil rights focus on the right to vote, the guaranteed access to public accommodations, and the desegregation of public facilities and schools. They have never been, nor should they ever be, about attempting to have the federal government mandate acceptance of a [chosen] lifestyle.
Homosexuals and cross-dressers may in fact be a lot of things, but an oppressed minority they are not. And I, for one, resent their temerity in suggesting that a rejection of their chosen lifestyle is in any way equivalent to what truly oppressed peoples in this country went through for the right to vote, sit at a lunch counter and/or stay in the hotel of their choice.
Homosexuals are not immutable – there is a difference between refusing to change one's behavior and being unable to change the color of one's skin. They are no more economically deprived than others, and they certainly do not have a history of political and historical powerlessness. Ergo, sexual orientation is not a civil right. Homosexual activists represent one of the most powerful lobbies per capita in the country. ("Homosexuality is not a civil right"; Sept. 25, 2007)
There were homosexuals and Klansmen chairing committees in Congress long before there was a black president. They latch onto the civil rights movement because their movement cannot stand on its own. They are only interested in using said movement to further their own condemnable agenda. ...(more)

What Is the Separation of Church and State?

From TownHall:

...In the First Amendment we see the balance between the federal government’s role in protecting religious practice and not coercing it. The First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States, which guarantees all Americans the freedom of speech, religion, press, petition and assembly, has this to say about religious practice: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”
The federal government cannot mandate a religious practice, nor can they prohibit religious practice. Unfortunately, in the last few decades we have seen many judicial rulings that demonstrate a desire to uphold the establishment clause of the First Amendment at the expense of the free exercise clause. This is completely contrary to the purpose of the First Amendment and a violation of it as well.
The first major case that undermined the balance between the establishment clause and the free exercise clause occurred in 1947. In Everson vs. Board of Education the Supreme Court, led by Justice Hugo Black, an FDR appointee and member of the Ku Klux Klan, reinterpreted the meaning of the First Amendment of the Constitution. This decision set in motion an unconstitutional chain of events that has undermined our First Amendment liberties ever since.
Just what did Justice Black and the other FDR appointees to the Supreme Court do? They hijacked a phrase used by President Thomas Jefferson, “separation of church and state,” found in a letter he wrote to the Danville Baptist Association in Virginia (1802). Jefferson’s letter was actually used by the court to limit religious freedom.
By taking completely out of context the phrase used by Jefferson in his letter, "separation of church and state," the Supreme Court ruled that the freedom of religious expression in the public square was a violation of the “separation of church and state” found in the Constitution. This is an astounding ruling, as the phrase “separation of church and state” is not even found in the Constitution. ...(more)

Possible Geopolitical Consequences of the Mumbai Attacks

From StratFor:
...the Indian government has two choices. First, it can simply say that the perpetrators are a domestic group. In that case, it will be held accountable for a failure of enormous proportions in security and law enforcement. It will be charged with being unable to protect the public. On the other hand, it can link the attack to an outside power: Pakistan. In that case it can hold a nation-state responsible for the attack, and can use the crisis atmosphere to strengthen the government’s internal position by invoking nationalism. Politically this is a much preferable outcome for the Indian government, and so it is the most likely course of action. This is not to say that there are no outside powers involved — simply that, regardless of the ground truth, the Indian government will claim there were.
That, in turn, will plunge India and Pakistan into the worst crisis they have had since 2002. If the Pakistanis are understood to be responsible for the attack, then the Indians must hold them responsible, and that means they will have to take action in retaliation — otherwise, the Indian government’s domestic credibility will plunge. The shape of the crisis, then, will consist of demands that the Pakistanis take immediate steps to suppress Islamist radicals across the board, but particularly in Kashmir. New Delhi will demand that this action be immediate and public. This demand will come parallel to U.S. demands for the same actions, and threats by incoming U.S. President Barack Obama to force greater cooperation from Pakistan.
If that happens, Pakistan will find itself in a nutcracker. On the one side, the Indians will be threatening action — deliberately vague but menacing — along with the Americans. This will be even more intense if it turns out, as currently seems likely, that Americans and Europeans were being held hostage (or worse) in the two hotels that were attacked.... (more)

The Indignity of Giving Thanks

"..Show me a person whose life is characterized by gratitude, and I will show you a person whose soul is poised to worship God. "
A Thanksgiving devotional from RZIM:
The spirit of thanksgiving runs against the temptation we face as human beings to assert our self-sufficiency. Few of us enjoy the feeling of indebtedness; a fact easily demonstrated by our oft-unsolicited readiness to return a favor once someone has expressed kindness to us. I owe you one, I will return the favor, and I am in your debt are some of the ways in which we express this attitude. Such responses, together with the more modest one, please let me know what I can do for you, allow us to express gratitude without acknowledging the chronic shadow of dependence that so rudely dogs our entire threescore and ten. Not only does this inability to express gratitude without our own autonomy stealing the show sometimes rob of us of the joy of affirming the contribution of others to our wellbeing, it also shrivels up our desire to worship God. An unexamined sense of self-sufficiency instills in us a subtle but false attitude of entitlement, thus making it difficult for us to accept the sense of vulnerability that is part of true gratitude. Ever since the tempter said to Adam and Eve in the Garden, “You will be like God,” human beings have never given up the temptation to either elevate ourselves to the level of God or pull God down to our level, so we can deal with Him as equals. We are always looking for a chance to say to God, “I can take it from here.” ...
(more)

Food to Laugh At -

Just what we need to get through the day- a warped sense of humor via Creative Minority Report

India Under Attack

A break from the Thanksgiving festivities fro a couple of articles (both from the Economist) on the terror attacks in India. A reminder, that as we give thanks for our blessings there are those who seek our destruction and those who fight for our protection.

Terror in Mumbai

TERRORISTS who struck in Mumbai, the commercial capital of India, causing the deaths of at least 100 people and wounding some 250 others, were said to be hunting in particular for Western targets. Reports on the evening of Wednesday November 26th suggested that a series of attacks had been co-ordinated in a variety of locations in the wealthy south of the city. Gunmen burst into train stations, restaurants, luxury hotels and even hospitals; at least one bomb exploded, destroying a taxi.
According to eye-witness accounts from people who escaped the attacks, hostages had been taken in two five-star hotels, with Westerners—in particular Britons and Americans—singled out for capture. Café Leopold, a well-known restaurant that is frequented by tourists and other foreign visitors, was attacked by gunmen. A witness at the Taj hotel described how two young men with guns and bombs were demanding foreigners, in particular anyone with British or American passports. (more)

A terrorist attack in Mumbai kills at least 100 people

THE sheer scale and audacity of the assault were staggering. Gangs of well-armed youths attacked two luxury hotels, a restaurant, a railway station and at least one hospital. Gunfire and explosions rang through Mumbai overnight on November 26th-27th and through the next morning. By Thursday November 27th more than 100 people were reported to have been killed, and the toll seemed likely to rise. Several foreigners, including some from America, Japan and Britain, were among the dead. So were over a dozen policemen, including Mumbai’s chief counter-terrorism officer. Up to 100 hostages, including selected American and British guests, were alleged to be held hostage inside a hotel.
Even in a city—and country—with a grim record of terrorist violence, these were extraordinary scenes. The attacks started at around 10.30pm on Wednesday, when gunmen started shooting and throwing grenades at Mumbai’s main Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station. Television footage showed two men shooting at random as they drove through nearby streets in a stolen police jeep. (more)

First U.S. Thanksgiving Proclamation

Happy Thanksgiving.

From STR:
Henry Laurens as President of the Continental Congress issued the country's first Thanksgiving Day proclamation on Dec. 18, 1777.

That at one Time and with one Voice, the good People may express the grateful Feelings of their Hearts, and consecrate themselves to the Service of their Divine Benefactor; and that, together with their sincere Acknowledgments and Offerings, they may join the penitent Confession of their manifold Sins, whereby they had forfeited every Favor; and their humble and earnest Supplication that it may please GOD through the Merits of JESUS CHRIST, mercifully to forgive and blot them out of Remembrance; That it may please him ­graciously to afford his Blessing on the Governments of these States respectively, and prosper the public Council of the whole.

1777 was about a year and a half into the Revolutionary War, when the outcome was still far from known. In fact, the U.S. army under the command of General Washington had experienced significant losses that year. This was the winter George Washington and his men billeted at Valley Forge. (read the rest here)

18 Women From Iraq Suicide Bombing Network Surrender to U.S. Forces

Something else to be thankful for...
From FoxNews:
BAGHDAD — Eighteen young women purportedly belonging to a suicide bombing network in northern Iraq surrendered to U.S. forces on Wednesday, a top U.S. commander said.
Maj. Gen. Mark Hertling, who leads U.S. forces in northern Iraq, said the women turned themselves in after a local cleric and their families persuaded them that suicide attacks violated the tenets of Islam....More
God bless that cleric and those families. 18 young women are alive.

Gratitude

Giving thanks in times of trouble.
A good article from NRO- Happy Thanksgiving
...I’m grateful for people who, although they voted for the other guy, and are depressed and even angered by how the presidential election turned out this year, pray and wish the president-elect well, for the sake of the country. I’m grateful for all of you who have practical skills, especially medical skills. I am grateful for those who opt for low-salaried positions in religious schools because they know it takes good teachers — at home and at school — to raise a child with a moral conscience who will serve his fellow humans well. I’m grateful for those who fight for and err on the side of life. In Massachusetts, a teenage girl named Haleigh Poutre was allegedly beaten to near-death by her stepfather and determined to be a lost cause. Because someone bothered to fight for her right to stay on life support, she’s alive and doing well today....(read it all here)

Kindergartners given homosexual 'pledge cards'

From OneNewsNow:

...The pledge cards were produced by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, or GLSEN, and featured oaths that students would not use "anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender language or slurs," that students would intervene on behalf of homosexual students when possible, and that they would actively support safer schools efforts. Tara Miller is a kindergarten teacher at Faith Ringgold School of Arts and Science in Hayward, California. She passed out the pledge cards to her students, which she then asked them to sign....

The Preposterous Premise for Gay Marriage

What I've said for some time but of course this guy says it so much better.
From TownHall and Frank Turek:
...We’re all playing by the same rules—we all have the same right to marry any non-related adult of the opposite sex. Those rules do not deny anyone “equal protection of the laws” because the qualifications to enter a marriage apply equally to everyone—every adult person has the same right to marry.
Homosexuals want the court to believe that because of their sexual desires they are a special class of persons that is being discriminated against. In other words, they think that sexual desires guarantee people special legal rights.
That’s a preposterous premise! It would mean that men born with a desire for many women (i.e. most men) are having their rights violated because marriage laws provide no means for polygamy. Likewise, it would mean that people desiring to marry their close relatives don’t have “equal rights” because our marriage laws have no provision for incest. And bisexuals could object because existing marriage laws don’t allow them to marry a man and a woman!
If desires alone guarantee someone special rights, why no special rights for pedophiles and gay bashers? The answer is obvious—because desires, even if you were “born” with them, do not justify behavior, do not make anyone a special class, and should have no impact on our laws (see Born Gay or a Gay Basher: No Excuse). ... (read it all here)

Feds Warn of Possible NY City Subway Attack by Al-Qaeda

H/T DoctorBulldog:
NewsMax
Federal authorities are warning law enforcement personnel of a possible terror plot against the New York City subway system during the holiday season.
An internal memo obtained by The Associated Press says the FBI has received a “plausible but unsubstantiated” report that al-Qaida terrorists in late September may have discussed attacking the subway system.
The report indicates that al-Qaida terrorists “in late September may have discussed targeting transit systems in and around New York City. These discussions reportedly involved the use of suicide bombers or explosives placed on subway/passenger rail systems,” according to the document....(more)

Islamo fascist news

20.000 Muslims Attack a Church in Cairo :
AINA, CA November 26 2008
One thousand Christians were today trapped inside the Coptic Orthodox Church of the Virgin Mary in West Ain Shams,Cairo, after more than twenty thousand Muslims attacked them with stones and butane gas cylinders. ...
...The mob were chanting Jihad verses as well as slogans saying "we will demolish the church" and "We sacrifice our blood and souls, we sacrifice ourselves for you, Islam", while the entrapped Christians chanted "Lord have mercy".
The incident started on the occasion of the inauguration of the Church today, when the Muslims hastily established a Mosque in the early hours of this morning, by taking over the first floor of a newly-built building facing the Church and started praying there...

Are Israeli Children Legitimate Military Targets?
excerpts from a TV debate featuring Dr. Kamal Al-Hilbawi, introduced on the program as director of the LondonCenterfor the Study of Terrorism, and political analyst Dr. Nabil Yassin. Dr. Hilbawi is also former spokesman of the international Muslim Brotherhood in the West. [1] The debate aired on BBC Arabic TV on October 17,

Police protecting church from Bosnian Wahabis
Two Bosnian Muslim men have been arrested after attempting to break into Sarajevo’s Catholic church on a late evening demanding to silence the church bell which was disturbing them....

Beheading videos found in Wahabi laptops
Digital videos of beheadings have been found on the laptop seized by the Serbian authorities from the arrested Wahabis charged for plotting attacks in Serbia, including an attack on the US Embassy in Belgrade....15 Wahabis have been arrested earlier this year by the Serbian police. Their camp was found on a top of the mountain containing weapons, explosives and outdoor training facility for terror. Maps and photos of potential targets, including the US Embassy in Belgrade were also seized.

Sharia law should be introduced into legal system, says leading barrister

Apparently the Brits have their share of loony lefties as well...
From the Telegraph:
Stephen Hockman QC, a former chairman of the Bar Council, reportedly suggested that a group of MPs and legal figures should be convened to plan how elements of the Muslim religious-legal code could be introduced.
After speaking at an event organised by the website Islam4UK at the National Liberal Club, Whitehall, Mr Hockman reportedly told The Daily Express: “Given our substantial Muslim population, it is vital that we look at ways to integrate Muslim culture into our traditions. Otherwise we will find that there is a significant section of our society which is increasingly alienated, with very dangerous results. ...(more here)

Hello!? alienation comes from failure to assimilate and incorporation of Sharia would simply aggravate that. This idea is not about integrating Muslim culture into our (British) traditions but rather integrating British culture into Muslim traditions.

Obama Names Bill Clinton to Presidential Post

WASHINGTON DC - Ending weeks of speculation and rumors, President-Elect Barack Obama today named Bill Clinton to join his incoming administration as President of the United States, where he will head the federal government's executive branch.
Funny stuff from iowahawk..more here..

Health News- Vitamins, Cancer and Living Longer

No they really aren't related and maybe not even too interesting but here they are anyway-a smattering of health news:
From Well:
News Keeps Getting Worse for Vitamins

The best efforts of the scientific community to prove the health benefits of vitamins keep falling short.
Consumers don’t want to give up their vitamins. (Tony Cenicola/The New York Times)
This week, researchers reported the disappointing results from a large clinical trial of almost 15,000 male doctors taking vitamins E and C for a decade. The study showed no meaningful effect on cancer rates.
Another recent study found no benefit of vitamins E and C for heart disease.
In October, a major trial studying whether vitamin E and selenium could lower a man’s risk for prostate cancer ended amidst worries that the treatments may do more harm than good.
And recently, doctors at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York warned that vitamin C seems to protect not just healthy cells but cancer cells, too. (more)

That Vitamin C could give aid and comfort to cancer cells is scary but I thought E and C were for colds not heart disease...oh well

Well, here's some good news from the NYTimes:

Study Suggests Some Cancers May Go Away

But then it turns out that maybe they do or maybe they don't but probably not...:

Cancer researchers have known for years that it was possible in rare cases for some cancers to go away on their own. There were occasional instances of melanomas and kidney cancers that just vanished. And neuroblastoma, a very rare childhood tumor, can go away without treatment.

But these were mostly seen as oddities — an unusual pediatric cancer that might not bear on common cancers of adults, a smattering of case reports of spontaneous cures. And since almost every cancer that is detected is treated, it seemed impossible even to ask what would happen if cancers were left alone.
Now, though, researchers say they have found a situation in Norway that has let them ask that question about breast cancer. And their new study, to be published Tuesday in The Archives of Internal Medicine, suggests that even invasive cancers may sometimes go away without treatment and in larger numbers than anyone ever believed.
At the moment, the finding has no practical applications because no one knows whether a detected cancer will disappear or continue to spread or kill.
And some experts remain unconvinced.

But there is good news after all:

Attend Religious Services, Live Longer

From WebMD

Nov. 25, 2008 -- Going to church -- or any kind of religious service -- may prolong your life.
A new study shows that older women who regularly attend religious services reduce their risk of death by 20%. The study was published in Psychology and Health.
Researchers from Yeshiva University's Albert Einstein College of Medicine grouped all religions together, looking only at whether the women attended services regularly and whether those services brought them comfort.
Organized religion creates a social network with regular routines, which is known to enhance well-being. However, even when researchers adjusted for that factor, the women going to services were still less likely to die.
"Interestingly, the protection against mortality provided by religion cannot be entirely explained by expected factors that include enhanced social support of friends or family, lifestyle choices, and reduced smoking and alcohol consumption," lead author and clinical assistant professor of psychology Eliezer Schnall says in a news release. "There is something here that we don't quite understand. It is always possible that some unknown or unmeasured factors confounded these results."

ah yes, those unknown or unmeasured factors. But some of us know, don't we. And we'd love to share..

Coercion Culture Begins

Remember the post The Coming Culture of Coercion?
Well, it's here...
Inquiry Set on Mormon Aid for California Marriage Vote

SAN FRANCISCO — California officials will investigate accusations that the Mormon Church neglected to report a battery of nonmonetary contributions — including phone banks, a Web site and commercials — on behalf of a ballot measure to ban same-sex marriage. (more)

And of course the eHarmony Fiasco reported over at BeetleBabee:

Gay Rights Advocates Breaking out the Bully Tactics Against American Business

Foxnews reported on eHarmony’s capitulation to demands that they provide dating services to the gay community even though eHarmony’s formulas are based on years of research into traditional relationships between a man and a woman…not homosexual relationships. Not only is eHarmony building a brand new business from the ground up, complete with new research and methods aimed at matching homosexual couples, but the agreement includes cash incentives and free memberships for the plaintiffs as well as mandating that eHarmony increase “gay awareness” in the workplace.

“Gender Mainstreaming”: A Silent Revolution Dismantling Civilzation

From LifeSite:
November 25, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) – “Gender mainstreaming,” an ideology that proposes to erase the foundational unit of western society, the natural family, is being infiltrated into laws and institutions around the world under the rubric of “equality” legislation and guidelines, says author Gabrielle Kuby...

...“Behind the facade” of equality, “lurks the general attack on the moral standards to which we owe the Western culture. Without it, neither the family nor Christianity can survive.”
In her article, “Gender Mainstreaming – The Secret Revolution,” to be published in German in this month’s edition of Vatican magazine, Kuby warns that the new ideology is being carefully inculcated into international law and particularly into the materials made available to educators to create school curricula. Kuby writes, “This view of freedom and sexuality, according to the will of the UN, EU and most European governments is to be imprinted onto the minds of children from the nursery onwards.”..(more)
(To read the complete article by Gabriell Kuby, see: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008_docs/GenderMainstreamin...)

Marine Makes Insurgents Pay the Price

Marine News from Military.com:
...“The biggest thing to take from that day is what Marines can accomplish when they’re given the opportunity to fight,” the sniper said. “A small group of Marines met a numerically superior force and embarrassed them in their own backyard. The insurgents told the townspeople that they were stronger than the Americans, and that day we showed them they were wrong.”
During the battle, the designated marksman single handedly thwarted a company-sized enemy RPG and machinegun ambush by reportedly killing 20 enemy fighters with his devastatingly accurate precision fire. He selflessly exposed himself time and again to intense enemy fire during a critical point in the eight-hour battle for Shewan in order to kill any enemy combatants who attempted to engage or maneuver on the Marines in the kill zone. What made his actions even more impressive was the fact that he didn’t miss any shots, despite the enemies’ rounds impacting within a foot of his fighting position....

Disillusioned by Islam

The Story of M A GabrielThe former professor of Islamic history at Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
From Arab Bible:
Fifteen years ago I was the imam of a mosque in the city of Giza, Egypt, which is where the famous Egyptian pyramids are located. (Imam of a mosque is a position similar to pastor of a Christian church.) I preached the message of the week on Fridays from 12 to 1 in the afternoon, as well as performed other duties....
...However, I knew that what I was teaching at the mosque and at Al-Azhar was not what I’d seen in the Quran, which I had memorized in its entirety by the age of twelve. What confused me the most was that I was told to preach about an Islam of love, kindness and forgiveness. At the same time, Muslim fundamentalists—the ones who were supposed to be practicing true Islam—were bombing churches and killing Christians....
...I had been raised in a family that was well established in Islam, and I had studied Islamic history. I was not involved in any radical groups. But one of my Muslim friends was a member of an Islamic group that was actively slaughtering Christians. Ironically, he was a chemistry student and had only recently become serious about his faith. Nevertheless, he was active in jihad. One day I asked him, “Why are you killing our neighbors and countrymen whom we grew up with?”He was angry and astonished at my challenge. “Out of all Muslims you should know. The Christians did not accept the call of Islam, and they are not willing to pay us the jizyah (tax) to have the right to practice their beliefs. Therefore, the only option they have is the sword of Islamic law.”...(read his entire amazing testimony here)

Good companion articles can be found at Culture Watch:
Jesus, Muhammad and Violence

...Here I want to look more closely at the two founders of these religions: Jesus and Muhammad. It goes without saying that they are both central figures in their respective religions, and the life, teaching and example of each become crucial for their followers.
Jesus of course never killed anyone, never ordered the killing of anyone, and never shed anyone’s blood. Neither did any of his New Testament disciples. One will look in vain throughout all 27 books of the NT to find even a hint of killing, bloodshed or religiously-motivated violence conducted by Jesus and his followers.
The story about Muhammad of course is quite different. However, before I proceed any further, let me mention a few words about Muhammad’s place in Islam. Jesus is regarded by Christians as God, as divine, and as the object of their worship. Muhammad does not occupy such a place in Islam.
Muhammad is not considered to be God or the son of God. He is not declared to be sinless, nor is he to be worshipped. He is simply the final and fullest revelation and prophet of Allah. But he is nonetheless held up as “the ideal man”, and as the example and role model for every Muslim to follow....(more)

and the honest answer over at Islam Q&A as to the punishment of the one who leaves Islaam:

The punishment for apostasy (riddah) is well-known in Islaamic Sharee’ah. The one who leaves Islaam will be asked to repent by the Sharee’ah judge in an Islaamic country; if he does not repent and come back to the true religion, he will be killed as a kaafir and apostate, because of the command of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): "Whoever changes his religion, kill him."

Black leaders: De-fund 'racist' Planned Parenthood

Let's hope this catches on...
From WND:
A Republican congressman joined black pastors and pro-life activists in a demonstration at Planned Parenthood offices in the nation's capital today to protest an alleged pattern of racist practices by the abortion provider.
"African-Americans are having abortions at a hugely disproportionate rate according to their population, and Planned Parenthood has no shame whatsoever in accepting money that specifically targets our community," said Day Gardner, president of the National Black Pro-Life Union...
...The leaders presented documentation of an undercover investigation, reported by WND, in which a pro-life student magazine at UCLA found Planned Parenthood staffers in seven states were willing to accept a financial donation targeting the destruction of an unborn black baby.
The letter says the conversations with the Planned Parenthood workers "are haunting and chilling, sounding more like 1958 than 2008."
Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson at Planned Parenthood protest in Washington, D.C., offices (Courtesy Students for Life)
"Planned Parenthood's questionable, and possibly criminal, business practices are having a profound effect on African-American communities all across this nation," the leaders write....
(more)
Meanwhile...
College threatens pro-life students with arrest

Santa's a Jerk -

A Ho, Ho, Ho, from Creative Minority Report:

Believing in ghosts and little green men from outer space easier than faith in God

England Proves Chesterton Right...Again - From CMR: "When people stop believing in God, they don't believe in nothing- they believe in anything.'"