Beware of End-time Distractions

Satan well knows that all whom he can lead to neglect prayer and the searching of the Scriptures, will be overcome by his attacks. Therefore he invents every possible device to engross the mind. There has ever been a class professing godliness, who, instead of following on to know the truth, make it their religion to seek some fault of character or error of faith in those with whom they do not agree. Such are Satan’s right-hand helpers.... They will put a false coloring upon the words and acts of those who love and obey the truth. They will represent the most earnest, zealous, self-denying servants of Christ as deceived or deceivers. It is their work to misrepresent the motives of every true and noble deed, to circulate insinuations, and arouse suspicion in the minds of the inexperienced. In every conceivable manner they will seek to cause that which is pure and righteous to be regarded as foul and deceptive. But none need be deceived concerning them. It may be readily seen whose children they are, whose example they follow, and whose work they do. “Ye shall know them by their fruits.” Matthew 7:16. Their course resembles that of Satan, the envenomed slanderer, “the accuser of our brethren.” Revelation 12:10. The Great Controversy, 519-520

The errors of popular theology have driven many a soul to skepticism who might otherwise have been a believer in the Scriptures... Some at first criticize and reason on the wrong side, from a mere love of controversy. They do not realize that they are thus entangling themselves in the snare of the fowler. But having openly expressed unbelief, they feel that they must maintain their position. Thus they unite with the ungodly and close to themselves the gates of Paradise. The Great Controversy, 525-526

The doctrine of man's consciousness in death, especially the belief that spirits of the dead return to minister to the living, has prepared the way for modern spiritualism... The pretended visitants from the world of spirits sometimes utter cautions and warnings which prove to be correct. Then, as confidence is gained, they present doctrines that directly undermine faith in the Scriptures.
The Great Controversy, 551-552

It is true that spiritualism is now changing its form and, veiling some of its more objectionable features, is assuming a Christian guise...  While it formerly denounced Christ and the Bible, it now professes to accept both. But the Bible is interpreted in a manner that is pleasing to the unrenewed heart, while its solemn and vital truths are made of no effect. Love is dwelt upon as the chief attribute of God, but it is degraded to a weak sentimentalism, making little distinction between good and evil. God's justice, His denunciations of sin, the requirements of His holy law, are all kept out of sight. The people are taught to regard the Decalogue as a dead letter. Pleasing, bewitching fables captivate the senses and lead men to reject the Bible as the foundation of their faith. Christ is as verily denied as before; but Satan has so blinded the eyes of the people that the deception is not discerned.

There are few who have any just conception of the deceptive power of spiritualism and the danger of coming under its influence. Many tamper with it merely to gratify their curiosity. They have no real faith in it and would be filled with horror at the thought of yielding themselves to the spirits' control. But they venture upon the forbidden ground, and the mighty destroyer exercises his power upon them against their will. Let them once be induced to submit their minds to his direction, and he holds them captive. It is impossible, in their own strength, to break away from the bewitching, alluring spell. Nothing but the power of God, granted in answer to the earnest prayer of faith, can deliver these ensnared souls.

All who indulge sinful traits of character, or willfully cherish a known sin, are inviting the temptations of Satan. They separate themselves from God and from the watchcare of His angels; as the evil one presents his deceptions, they are without defense and fall an easy prey. Those who thus place themselves in his power little realize where their course will end. Having achieved their overthrow, the tempter will employ them as his agents to lure others to ruin. The Great Controversy, 558-560

God never forces the will or the conscience; but Satan’s constant resort—to gain control of those whom he cannot otherwise seduce—is compulsion by cruelty. Through fear or force he endeavors to rule the conscience, and to secure homage to himself. To accomplish this, he works through both religious and secular authorities, moving them to the enforcement of human laws in defiance of the law of God.  The Great Controversy, p. 591

As the storm approaches, a large class who have professed faith in the third angel’s message, but have not been sanctified through obedience to the truth, abandon their position, and join the ranks of the opposition. By uniting with the world and partaking of its spirit, they have come to view matters in nearly the same light; and when the test is brought, they are prepared to choose the easy, popular side. Men of talent and pleasing address, who once rejoiced in the truth, employ their powers to deceive and mislead souls. They become the most bitter enemies of their former brethren. When Sabbath-keepers are brought before the courts to answer for their faith, these apostates are the most efficient agents of Satan to misrepresent and accuse them, and by false reports and insinuations to stir up the rulers against them... As the opposition rises to a fiercer height, the servants of God are again perplexed; for it seems to them that they have brought the crisis. But conscience and the Word of God assure them that their course is right; and although the trials continue, they are strengthened to bear them.
The Great Controversy, p. 608-609

These are very sobering thoughts. Take this as a warning not to become like "the Accuser of our brethren".

As we live in the anti-typical day of atonement, 
let's remember these verses from Isaiah..

Isaiah 58:6-10
“Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
To loose the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the heavy burdens,
To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke?

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out;
When you see the naked, that you cover him,
And not hide yourself from your own flesh?

Then your light shall break forth like the morning,
Your healing shall spring forth speedily,
And your righteousness shall go before you;
The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’
“If you take away the yoke from your midst,
The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,

If you extend your soul to the hungry
And satisfy the afflicted soul,
Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,
And your darkness shall be as the noonday.

Safety not found in miracles

The angel who unites in the proclamation of the third angel's message is to lighten the whole earth with his glory... The great work of the gospel is not to close with less manifestation of the power of God than marked its opening. The prophecies which were fulfilled in the outpouring of the former rain at the opening of the gospel are again to be fulfilled in the latter rain at its close. Here are "the times of refreshing" to which the apostle Peter looked forward when he said: "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and He shall send Jesus." Acts 3:19, 20

Servants of God, with their faces lighted up and shining with holy consecration, will hasten from place to place to proclaim the message from heaven. By thousands of voices, all over the earth, the warning will be given. Miracles will be wrought, the sick will be healed, and signs and wonders will follow the believers. Satan also works, with lying wonders, even bringing down fire from heaven in the sight of men. Revelation 13:13. Thus the inhabitants of the earth will be brought to take their stand.
The Great Controversy 1888, p. 612

God’s people will not find their safety in working miracles, for Satan will counterfeit the miracles that will be wrought.
Last Day Events, p. 169

As spiritualism more closely imitates the nominal Christianity of the day, it has greater power to deceive and ensnare. Satan himself is converted, after the modern order of things. He will appear in the character of an angel of light. Through the agency of spiritualism, miracles will be wrought,the sick will be healed, and many undeniable wonders will be performed. And as the spirits will profess faith in the Bible, and manifest respect for the institutions of the church, their work will be accepted as a manifestation of divine power.... The line of distinction between professed Christians and the ungodly is now hardly distinguishable.   The Great Controversy, p. 588

If those through whom cures are performed are disposed, on account of these manifestations, to excuse their neglect of the law of God and continue in disobedience, though they have power to any and every extent, it does not follow that they have the great power of God. On the contrary, it is the miracle-working power of the great deceiver.—Selected Messages 2:50, 51 (1885).

The Bible will never be superseded by miraculous manifestations. The truth must be studied, it must be searched for as hidden treasure. Wonderful illuminations will not be given aside from the Word or to take the place of it. Cling to the Word, receive the engrafted Word which will make men wise unto salvation.
—Selected Messages 2:48 (1894).

The last great delusion is soon to open before us. Antichrist is to perform his marvelous works in our sight. So closely will the counterfeit resemble the true that it will be impossible to distinguish between them except by the Holy Scriptures. By their testimony every statement and every miracle must be tested.
—The Great Controversy, 593 (1911).

Bishop Palmer Presses Forward

Apparently Tony Palmer, bishop and international ecumenical officer for the Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches was deadly serious about his mission to unite the Protestant world with Catholicism. He has issued another video message wherein he underscores his desire to see visible unity amongst Christians. In his carefully written rally call, he says that Protestant Christians have spiritual racism. He proclaims that in the Post-Protestant era we live in anything that causes division must go.

He clearly describes who Joseph is and who the lost brothers are in Pope Francis' iPhone message to Evangelicals. In unambiguous terms, Palmer says we (the Evangelical world) are hungry and we will find what we are looking for in the arms of the Pope. Is this famine for bread a famine caused by the watering down of the message for so many years? Does the Pope have the bread the Protestant world is looking for? Interestingly enough, the analogy of Joseph used by the Pope of himself, is of Joseph in Egypt. [For those who have not yet seen the iPhone message from the Pope and Copeland Conference, click here] In the Bible, Egypt represents sin. If the Pope styles himself as Joseph - then we find him certainly in a fitting place - Egypt. As the woman that rides the beast in Revelation and the beast itself in Bible prophecy, the Papacy certainly fits all that Egypt represents and more.

In his message, Palmer claims that the bread is secondary to brotherhood. It is a profound statement - for as bread signifies the Word of God - Jesus, the bread of life, then Palmer is stating exactly what the agenda has been all along - the world does believe that Jesus Christ is secondary to brotherhood. There has been a total onslaught on Jesus Christ to downgrade Him to a level that will be suitable for everyone. And most definitely the Word of God is being set aside in order to gain the brotherhood that they are looking for. The Word of God would reveal the disunity of their doctrines, and so it must be set aside.

Palmer goes on to say that "The first step to deal with spiritual racism is to abolish the law which empowers it." What law would that be?

But apparently, truth is out the window. Only brotherhood matters. According to Palmer, "This is what we have been waiting for. We must seize this moment. This is a new day for Christianity."

And those who do not "seize this moment" are "out of sync with reality".

According to Palmer it is this enforced unity, led by the babble of the gift of tongues through their "Spirit" that will get atheists to believe. When Protestants and Catholics are united, all the world will believe, he claims.

But the most interesting statement of all is Palmer's assurance that "no one is coming home". Doing away with all of the Protestant worries that they have to "submit" to the Pope and come "home" to the Mother church, Palmer assures all viewers that they need not humble themselves so far that they come all the way "home". No, no. "We are journeying towards each other and we will meet in the middle," he says. How assuring. Which point will the Papacy compromise on or is it as always nothing more than a game of words with them? Pope Francis makes it easy for anyone to lay down their weapons and come to the "middle" - only perhaps this middle is slightly off-centre.

Watch the video to the end for the full message from Tony Palmer, the Pope's right-hand man: HERE

Source

"Luther's Protest" is over?

Kenneth Copeland (KCM Ministries) is a Pentecostal, evangelical preacher who trained under Oral Roberts. Copeland, a tele-evangelist has been united with the Catholic Church in Sunday keeping. But it goes much beyond that. He has become a strong advocate of the ecumenical movement to unite Evangelical and Pentecostal churches with the Catholic Church.

At a recent Pentecostal ministers conference in Fort Worth, TX he invited Tony Palmer to the pulpit. Tony is an Anglican priest of the Celtic Anglican Tradition and is the communion’s international ecumenical officer. He is also an official member of the Roman Catholic Ecumenical Delegation for Christian Unity and Reconciliation.

Palmer, a protégé of Kenneth Copeland, took the charismatic work of KCM to South Africa. He was ordained a priest and later a bishop in the Anglican Communion, but sees himself as a Roman Catholic. Later he was invited by the Catholic Charismatic Renewal to join their work among Roman Catholics.

Tony lived and worked in Argentina for a few years. While there he became close personal friends with Jorge Mario Bergoglio who is now Pope Francis.

Tony told the Pentecostal ministers conference that he visited Rome as part of the official ecumenical delegation a few years ago. Pope Benedict XVI was still pope and said to the audience, “You Charismatics are the hope of the [Catholic] church.”

Palmer says he came to the Copeland organization “in the spirit of Elijah… to turn the hearts of the fathers to the sons, and the hearts of the sons to the fathers…” In the context of ecumenical unity, which is his message, the Protestants are the ‘sons’, and the Roman Catholic leadership would be the ‘fathers.’

Then Palmer talks about the agreement signed in 1999 by the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant Lutheran Church, and five years later by the Methodist church, and he concludes, “This [agreement] brought an end to the protest of Luther. Brothers and sisters, Luther’s protest is over. Is yours?” he said. Then he added, “so, the protest has been over for 15 years… If there is no more protest, how can there be a Protestant church?  Maybe now we’re all Catholics again!”

Palmer treats the Protestant Charismatics as the bridge between Protestant churches and the Roman Catholic Church. Palmer goes on to say that Catholics and Protestants are now preaching the same gospel. While it appears to many that the Catholic Church has adopted righteousness by faith alone, the Catholic Church still teaches all of its other doctrines as well. Its real purpose is to merge the two together.

Recently, Palmer visited Pope Francis in Rome. While there he and the pope prepared a special iPhone video message for these Pentecostal ministers. As you would expect, the pope speaks of the need for unity and brotherhood.

Pope Francis comes across as a warm, concerned father figure in the video. You would almost forget that he’s a member of “the most cruel, unscrupulous, and powerful of all the champions of popery.”  (See Great Controversy page 234). In fact, it is easy to see how difficult it will be to oppose global ecumenical unity with the truth of the three Angels’ messages of Revelation 14, once the ecumenical movement has reached its peak and all the world wonders after the beast.

The pope asks for the prayers of these Pentecostal ministers and for their blessing. Kenneth Copeland then responds by return video in front of the audience and leads the minister’s conference in shouting a blessing to the pope in return. “Heaven is thrilled over this,” he adds.

Pentecostals Wonder After… [yes, you know who]
(source)

Is the protest really over? Nope.
The following video commentary by Doug Batchelor will explain



What the catholic church teaches clearly contradicts the bible
Here's a list of some examples of contradictions:

The Bible teaches that we are not to bow down to statues (Exodus 20:4, 5).
The Roman Catholic Church says that we should bow down to statues, not ancient tradition, but medieval tradition.

The Bible teaches that all have sinned except Jesus (Romans 3:10-12, Hebrews 4:15).
The Roman Catholic Church teaches that Mary was sinless.

The Bible says that Jesus is the only mediator between man and God (1 Timothy 2:5).
The Roman Catholic Church says Mary is co-mediator with Christ.

The Bible teaches that Christ offered His sacrifice on the cross once and for all (Hebrews 7:27,28 10:10).
The Roman Catholic Church teaches that the priest sacrifices Christ on the altar at every mass.

The Bible teaches that all Christians are saints and priests (Ephesians 1:1 and 1 Peter 2:9).
The Roman Catholic Church says that saints and priests are special casts within the Christian community.

The Bible teaches that all Christians should know that they have eternal life (1 John 5:13).
The Roman Catholic Church teaches that all Christians cannot and should not know that they have eternal life.

The Bible teaches that we should call no religious leader “father” (Matthew 23:9).
The Roman Catholic Church teaches that we may call the priests and pope “father.”

The Bible teaches to not pray in vain repetition (Matthew 6:7).
The Roman Catholic Church says to pray the Lord’s prayer or Hail Mary’s in vain repetition.

The Bible teaches to confess your sins to God, for only God can forgive sin (Isaiah 43:25, Luke 5:24).
The Roman Catholic Church says you must confess your sins to the priest for forgiveness.

Moreover, the teachings of purgatory, limbo, and prayers for the dead are nowhere in Scripture, but clearly relics of paganism.

The words of Jesus to the Pharisees apply today; we must not nullify the Word of God with manmade traditions (Matthew 15:6).

An outline of final events

By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near.
Testimonies for the Church Volume 5, p. 451

The following is an outline of the last eight chapters of The Great Controversy
Liberty of Conscience Threatened
- the papists are taking a conciliatory course in order to gain influence
-  there is an increasing indifference concerning doctrines
- the papacy is using every means to "regain control of the world"
- the papacy is a dangerous foe to civil and religious liberty
The Impending Conflict
- Satan uses false doctrines to destroy faith in the bible
- The Two Great Errors: Inherent soul immortality and Sunday sacredness
- The Threefold Union: Papacy, Apostate Protestantism, and Spiritualism
- Through spiritualism, Satan appears as a benefactor
- But at the same time Satan works as a destroyer
[Notice: today Satan gets credit for so called "acts of God"]
- Sunday desacrators will be blamed for the world's problems
The Scriptures a Safeguard
- Study your bibles people!
The Final Warning
- The message of that other angel of Revelation 18 to be preached
- Sabbath-keeping will become a test of loyalty to God
- The sins of Babylon will be laid open
- People go to their former teachers with the eager inquiry, Are these things so?
- Like the Pharisees of old, religious authorities will become angry
- Sabbath keepers threatened with fines and inducements
- Sabbath keepers will also experience betrayal within their own ranks
- God still has agents in government defending religious liberty
- The winds of strife are being held until God's people are sealed with the latter rain
The Time of Trouble
-  Christ ceases intercession, the winds of human passion set lose
- Evil angels cause destruction and God's people are blamed
- Religious formalism will be led with a satanic zeal
- A Decree to be issued against Sabbath-keepers
- The Time of Jacob's Trouble
- The importance of exercising faith now
- Satan will impersonate as Christ
- God's people will not be misled
- God will send plagues on those who oppress God's people
- God's people won't be left to perish
God's People Delivered
- Christ returns, resurrects the dead saved
- God's people will be taken home!
Desolation to the Earth
- Satan bound for 1000 years
The Controversy Ended
- Jesus makes all things new
- Affliction will not rise up a second time

Pope wants Catholics and Protestants to unite!

source "Romanism is now regarded by Protestants with far greater favor than in former years. In those countries where Catholicism is not in the ascendancy, and the papists are taking a conciliatory course in order to gain influence, there is an increasing indifference concerning the doctrines that separate the reformed churches from the papal hierarchy; the opinion is gaining ground that, after all, we do not differ so widely upon vital points as has been supposed, and that a little concession on our part will bring us into a better understanding with Rome. The time was when Protestants placed a high value upon the liberty of conscience which had been so dearly purchased. They taught their children to abhor popery and held that to seek harmony with Rome would be disloyalty to God. But how widely different are the sentiments now expressed!" The Great Controversy, Chapter 35

Wealth Redistribution at the Highest Prophetic Level

If the United States and the Vatican see anything nearly eye to eye these days it would be the need to handle the gap between rich and poor. Both the White House and the Vatican believe that wealth must be taken from the rich and given to the poor. And now the two entities are going to reach their hands across the gulf to talk about it.

U.S. President Barack Obama will meet with Pope Francis on March 27 at the Vatican to emphasize the need for global wealth redistribution. This shared interest is perhaps the one thing that is drawing the Vatican and the United States together at the moment.

The pope has also made a strong emphasis during his short pontificate on “fighting poverty,” an impossible, but popular idea. “Fighting poverty” is often the excuse used for creating a welfare state. While President Obama emphasizes this for the United States, the pope on the other hand, is aiming for globalization of welfare.

The meeting between the president and the pope will give Obama the opportunity to align himself with the Holy See. The Bible calls it spiritual “fornication.” See Revelation 17:2 and 18:3. And since Roman Catholics are an important political constituency, especially for the Democratic Party, the president will try to find common ground with Catholics through the papal visit.

The president has showered the pope with compliments because of his remarks about helping the poor and criticizing church leaders for obsessing about abortion, contraception and homosexuality, saying that he was “hugely impressed.” He has also said that Pope Francis is “an extraordinarily thoughtful, and soulful, messenger of peace and justice.”

The pope’s comment on hot-button social issues has met with strong approval among American Catholics too, so it is strategically important for President Obama to take advantage of the opportunity to meet with Francis. Perhaps the pope’s remarks were targeted to attract approval from the American public and the president and set the stage for a meeting that will provide an opportunity for the Papacy to regain its footing in American politics. The church has been estranged from the U.S. president because of church teaching on those social issues and other issues.

In any case, the meeting will certainly strengthen ties between the U.S. and the Vatican. “The president looks forward to discussing with Pope Francis their shared commitment to fighting poverty and growing inequality,” said the White House. As usual with political dignitaries, the president will visit the Vatican as part of a trip that includes other stops in Europe, particularly in Belgium, where he will officially visit the European Council and the European Commission for the first time. He will also attend the Nuclear Security Summit in the Netherlands and meet with Italian leaders in Rome.

“The Protestants of the United States will be foremost in stretching their hands across the gulf to grasp the hand of spiritualism; they will reach over the abyss to clasp hands with the Roman power; and under the influence of this threefold union, this country will follow in the steps of Rome in trampling on the rights of conscience.” The Great Controversy, page 588

Source

-----------

"The U.S. Must Embrace the Holy See"

The United States must embrace the Vatican, wrote Francis Rooney, former U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See in a USA Today op ed. The “cordial but cooling relations” between the U.S. and the Vatican, he suggested, have not taken into account the Holy See’s diplomatic role in the world. He argued that the Catholic Church could be much more helpful to U.S. global diplomatic interests and challenges if the relationships would be warmer.

“No institution on earth has both the international stature and the global reach of the Holy See — the ‘soft power’ of moral influence and authority to promote religious freedom, human liberties, and related values that Americans and our allies uphold worldwide.”
Claiming that it is a lost opportunity, Rooney pointed out that U.S. President Barack Obama has only visited the Vatican but once in his nearly six years in office.

In 1984 President Ronald Reagan established full diplomatic relations, Rooney said, because “he realized that he could have no better partner than Pope John Paul II in the fight against communism.” That fight, through the collaboration of the U.S. and the Vatican, led to the downfall of European communism. George W. Bush expanded the U.S.-Vatican relationship.

“The United States and the Holy See remain two of the most significant institutions in world history, one a beacon of democracy and progress, the other a sanctum of faith and allegiance to timeless principles,” Rooney said. “They are natural partners.” He added that “America’s foreign policy is much more likely to succeed with the support of the Holy See. “No two sovereigns are more naturally aligned than the United States and the Holy See…”

“While the Obama administration has been in conflict with the Catholic Church on a range of issues from abortion to contraception,” he said, “it is clearly in America’s national interests to strengthen diplomatic ties with the Holy See to advance our interests around the world.”

Rooney also pointed out that the Church has powerful ways of persuading nations, including bilateral relationships that help find diplomatic solutions to “international predicaments…” The Vatican represents more than a billion people on the global stage, said Rooney. Its power and influence is often underestimated. It has no military and a negligible economy (though it owns vast resources), but it is the “soft power” of its moral influence, which gives it a greater reach and influence than almost any other nation on earth. And the nations acknowledge this power.

Rooney is promoting a closer alliance between the U.S. and the Holy See, a relationship described in scripture as fornication with a prostitute or whore. See Revelation 17:1, 2, 18:3, etc.

“Through the two great errors, the immortality of the soul and Sunday sacredness, Satan will bring the people under his deceptions. While the former lays the foundation of spiritualism, the latter creates a bond of sympathy with Rome. The Protestants of the United States will be foremost in stretching their hands across the gulf to grasp the hand of spiritualism; they will reach over the abyss to clasp hands with the Roman power; and under the influence of this threefold union, this country will follow in the steps of Rome in trampling on the rights of conscience.” Great Controversy, page 588

The Vatican maintains diplomatic ties in a number of ways with the current Obama administration. They are generally not very public as they were with George W. Bush, and they are sometimes strained. But political winds change. The Vatican may have to bide its time until a more favorable political wind arises in the United States. A change will certainly come. In the mean time, it is hard to ignore the vast influence of the Catholic Church in global politics.

Source

Other related news: Sunday Assembly founds an atheist church

Be faithful in the little things

Luke 16:10 He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.

The following text is from 
The Great Controversy, pages 621-624

Had not Jacob previously repented of his sin in obtaining the birthright by fraud, God would not have heard his prayer and mercifully preserved his life. So, in the time of trouble, if the people of God had unconfessed sins to appear before them while tortured with fear and anguish, they would be overwhelmed; despair would cut off their faith, and they could not have confidence to plead with God for deliverance.

The importance of confession and genuine repentance
Satan leads many to believe that God will overlook their unfaithfulness in the minor affairs of life; but the Lord shows in His dealings with Jacob that He will in no wise sanction or tolerate evil. All who endeavor to excuse or conceal their sins, and permit them to remain upon the books of heaven, unconfessed and unforgiven, will be overcome by Satan. The more exalted their profession and the more honorable the position which they hold, the more grievous is their course in the sight of God and the more sure the triumph of their great adversary. Those who delay a preparation for the day of God cannot obtain it in the time of trouble or at any subsequent time. The case of all such is hopeless.

Those professed Christians who come up to that last fearful conflict unprepared will, in their despair, confess their sins in words of burning anguish, while the wicked exult over their distress. These confessions are of the same character as was that of Esau or of Judas. Those who make them, lament the result of transgression, but not its guilt. They feel no true contrition, no abhorrence of evil. They acknowledge their sin, through fear of punishment; but, like Pharaoh of old, they would return to their defiance of Heaven should the judgments be removed.

Jacob's history is also an assurance that God will not cast off those who have been deceived and tempted and betrayed into sin, but who have returned unto Him with true repentance. While Satan seeks to destroy this class, God will send His angels to comfort and protect them in the time of peril. The assaults of Satan are fierce and determined, his delusions are terrible; but the Lord's eye is upon His people, and His ear listens to their cries. Their affliction is great, the flames of the furnace seem about to consume them; but the Refiner will bring them forth as gold tried in the fire. God's love for His children during the period of their severest trial is as strong and tender as in the days of their sunniest prosperity; but it is needful for them to be placed in the furnace of fire; their earthliness must be consumed, that the image of Christ may be perfectly reflected.

The Importance of Exercising Faithfulness
The season of distress and anguish before us will require a faith that can endure weariness, delay, and hunger--a faith that will not faint though severely tried. The period of probation is granted to all to prepare for that time. Jacob prevailed because he was persevering and determined. His victory is an evidence of the power of importunate prayer. All who will lay hold of God's promises, as he did, and be as earnest and persevering as he was, will succeed as he succeeded. Those who are unwilling to deny self, to agonize before God, to pray long and earnestly for His blessing, will not obtain it. Wrestling with God--how few know what it is! How few have ever had their souls drawn out after God with intensity of desire until every power is on the stretch. When waves of despair which no language can express sweep over the suppliant, how few cling with unyielding faith to the promises of God.

Those who exercise but little faith now, are in the greatest danger of falling under the power of satanic delusions and the decree to compel the conscience. And even if they endure the test they will be plunged into deeper distress and anguish in the time of trouble, because they have never made it a habit to trust in God. The lessons of faith which they have neglected they will be forced to learn under a terrible pressure of discouragement.

We should now acquaint ourselves with God by proving His promises. Angels record every prayer that is earnest and sincere. We should rather dispense with selfish gratifications than neglect communion with God. The deepest poverty, the greatest self-denial, with His approval, is better than riches, honors, ease, and friendship without it. We must take time to pray. If we allow our minds to be absorbed by worldly interests, the Lord may give us time by removing from us our idols of gold, of houses, or of fertile lands.

The young would not be seduced into sin if they would refuse to enter any path save that upon which they could ask God's blessing. If the messengers who bear the last solemn warning to the world would pray for the blessing of God, not in a cold, listless, lazy manner, but fervently and in faith, as did Jacob, they would find many places where they could say: "I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved." Genesis 32:30. They would be accounted of heaven as princes, having power to prevail with God and with men.

The "time of trouble, such as never was," is soon to open upon us; and we shall need an experience which we do not now possess and which many are too indolent to obtain. It is often the case that trouble is greater in anticipation than in reality; but this is not true of the crisis before us. The most vivid presentation cannot reach the magnitude of the ordeal. In that time of trial, every soul must stand for himself before God. "Though Noah, Daniel, and Job" were in the land, "as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness." Ezekiel 14:20.

Now, while our great High Priest is making the atonement for us, we should seek to become perfect in Christ. Not even by a thought could our Saviour be brought to yield to the power of temptation. Satan finds in human hearts some point where he can gain a foothold; some sinful desire is cherished, by means of which his temptations assert their power. But Christ declared of Himself: "The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in Me." John 14:30. Satan could find nothing in the Son of God that would enable him to gain the victory. He had kept His Father's commandments, and there was no sin in Him that Satan could use to his advantage. This is the condition in which those must be found who shall stand in the time of trouble.

It is in this life that we are to separate sin from us, through faith in the atoning blood of Christ. Our precious Saviour invites us to join ourselves to Him, to unite our weakness to His strength, our ignorance to His wisdom, our unworthiness to His merits. God's providence is the school in which we are to learn the meekness and lowliness of Jesus. The Lord is ever setting before us, not the way we would choose, which seems easier and pleasanter to us, but the true aims of life. It rests with us to co-operate with the agencies which Heaven employs in the work of conforming our characters to the divine model. None can neglect or defer this work but at the most fearful peril to their souls.

The apostle John in vision heard a loud voice in heaven exclaiming: "Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time." Revelation 12:12. Fearful are the scenes which call forth this exclamation from the heavenly voice. The wrath of Satan increases as his time grows short, and his work of deceit and destruction will reach its culmination in the time of trouble.

Click here for more excerpts from The Great Controversy

Pope Francis Has a Few Words in Support of Leisure

On Tuesday, “Pope Francis: His Life in His Own Words,” a book of conversations with the man who was then Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, will be published in English (Putnam; $24.95). These interviews from 2010 with two journalists in Argentina yield cute facts about the new boss of the church — a favorite movie? “Babette’s Feast” — but not much interesting theology.

But one passage in the book, at first glance rather slight, ends up insinuating a radical note into the proceedings. On a close read, it seems that Pope Francis believes that we must — indeed, that God is calling us to — relax.

Responding to the question, “Do we need to rediscover the meaning of leisure?” Pope Francis replies: “Together with a culture of work, there must be a culture of leisure as gratification. To put it another way: people who work must take the time to relax, to be with their families, to enjoy themselves, read, listen to music, play a sport. But this is being destroyed, in large part, by the elimination of the Sabbath rest day. More and more people work on Sundays as a consequence of the competitiveness imposed by a consumer society.” In such cases, he concludes, “work ends up dehumanizing people.”

Some pages later, he derides people who think of themselves as Catholic but don’t make time for their children. This is an example, according to Pope Francis, of living “with fraud.”

Catholic social teaching is known for promoting the idea that workers deserve dignity, which includes rest. But Pope Francis seems to be saying something more: that an authentically Christian life includes a proper dose of leisure and family time. That may sound unusual coming from a man whose tradition valorizes solitude and monasticism, and whose clergy members are not permitted to take spouses or beget children.

The idea of a Catholic exalting the Sabbath sounds particularly peculiar in the American context. In the United States, Catholics were never the great proponents of Sabbatarianism, observing Sunday as a special day, for worship or rest. That was a Protestant thing.

From the moment the Puritans arrived, they began enforcing laws to reserve Sunday for churchgoing. Over time, what came to be called “blue laws” covered different activities, and varied by state. Some laws forbade hunting on Sunday, others the sale of liquor, others any commercial activity. In religious towns, cultural norms made some recreation, like sports, taboo as well. As a child being raised in a Pentecostal family, John Ashcroft, the former attorney general, wasn’t allowed to ride a bicycle on Sundays.

Over time, the official justification for the laws had changed, but it was still Protestants who pushed for them. “In the 1820s, they would say this is a time to pause to reflect on our religious obligations to God,” said David Sehat, a historian at Georgia State University. But by the 1870s, “they started using Pope Francis’ justification: a time to spend time with family, for ‘the preservation of health and the promotion of good morals,’ ” to use one jurist’s language.

And the temperance movement, which of course supported laws against Sunday liquor sales, was Protestant in character. Activists often depicted Catholic immigrants as drunkards.

Today, the laws are disappearing, relics of a time when Protestant culture was more dominant. Connecticut, for example, finally decided to permit Sunday liquor sales last year. And in the United States, Sunday has lost its sacred character. Most Christians see little conflict in going to church in the morning, then watching a football game — maybe with the family, or maybe at a sports bar — in the afternoon.

The Sabbatarian tradition is upheld, in a serious way, by some small groups of religious Protestants and, of course, by observant Jews. And, it so happens, by those who think of themselves as both Christian and Jewish. “Messianic Jews,” who believe in the divinity of Jesus but pay special attention to the Jewish roots of Christianity, are often very attached to Sabbath observance.

Sarah Posner, a staff writer for the ReligionDispatches.org Web site, recalled a conference of messianic Jews she attended last year in Ellicott City, Md. “They weren’t selling their books, CDs and DVDs on Saturday, because they didn’t want to exchange money,” Ms. Posner said. “But they were using electricity” — which traditionally observant Jews would not.

Our religiously diverse country includes those who call their weekly day off from smartphones a “secular Sabbath.” Some groups may not even have a concept of Sabbatarianism. In Islam, for example, “there’s a deep theological objection to the idea that God rested on the seventh day,” according to Marion Holmes Katz, a scholar of Islam at New York University. “The idea of God resting seems to imply God being tired. So the whole idea that you refrain from work as some sort of ritualized recapitulation or symbolic nod to the process of creation — it’s not one that has any traction in Islam.”

But in Catholicism, as Pope Francis suggests, the Sabbath actually is supposed to matter — the whole day, not just Mass. For as the catechism teaches, in Paragraph 2185, “On Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithful are to refrain from engaging in work or activities that hinder the worship owed to God, the joy proper to the Lord’s Day, the performance of the works of mercy, and the appropriate relaxation of mind and body.”

The Catholic Church has been recovering this teaching at least since 1998, when Pope John Paul II published his apostolic letter “Dies Domini.” There, he writes that “even in those countries which give legal sanction to the festive character of Sunday, changes in socioeconomic conditions have often led to profound modifications of social behavior and hence of the character of Sunday.”

Last October, about 250 bishops met in Rome for a conference on the movement called the New Evangelization, which focuses on reawakening faith in those already baptized. One of their conclusions was, “Even though there is a tension between the Christian Sunday and the secular Sunday, Sunday needs to be recovered” — in keeping, they wrote, with John Paul’s “Dies Domini.”

Of course, those who preach a relaxing Sabbath, with friends and family, are often working hardest on the day they exalt. For clergy members, the Sabbath is the busiest workday of the week. One charm of the book “Pope Francis” is how much we learn about the new pope’s pastimes, like reading the German Romantic poet Friedrich Hölderlin and listening to Verdi’s operas. One imagines that now, more than ever, Sunday is not his day for leisure reading, nor a good time to catch a showing of “Babette’s Feast.”

\http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/27/us/pope-francis-has-a-few-words-in-support-of-leisure.html?_r=0

European Sunday Alliance Insists on Work-Free Sunday

On Sunday March 3, 2013, the European Sunday Alliance held its annual European day for a “Work-Free Sunday.” Using the theme “Stop Sunday Work Now!” the alliance called on members to take action by handing out flyers, holding meetings and calling on citizens to demand that the European Union establish a work-free Sunday throughout all of Europe.

“ Synchronization of working time which includes the work-free Sunday is crucial. Only if this happens can health, safety and dignity of all citizens be promoted. Only in this way will all citizens be able to reconcile their personal, family and professional life. Only by this is social cohesion guaranteed as it enables people to gather, employers and employees alike,” says the Alliance.

The European Sunday Alliance includes churches, unions, civic societies and employers as well as workers. It was founded in 2011 and is continuing to increase in membership.

The Alliance is seeking to elevate Sunday recognition from level one – Sunday closing laws – to level two – Sunday rest laws – and demand that all European citizens have free time on Sunday for the common good. These laws are foundational to eventually requiring a global worship described in Revelation 13.

Source

Historic Ecumenical Move

After seven years of talks, leaders of U.S. Roman Catholic and four Protestant churches have signed a historic agreement in which they will formally recognize each other’s liturgical rites of baptism. The five denominations include the Roman Catholic Church, the Presbyterian Church (USA), Christian Reformed Church in North America, Reformed Church in America and the United Church of Christ.

 The signing was part of the opening day activities of the national meeting of Christian Churches Together in the U.S.A.

 Prior to the agreement, the Catholic Church didn’t always accept the baptisms of the Reformed churches, while the Reformed churches normally accepted Catholic baptisms.

 The agreement says, “For our baptisms to be mutually recognized, water and the scriptural Trinitarian formula “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19-20) must be used in the baptismal rite.”

 The churches wanted to assure one another that they had the same liturgical practices and a common theology in order to recognize each other’s baptism.

 “It’s a historical moment.” said Ruben Armendariz, associate presbyter of the San Antonio-based presbytery of the Presbyterian Church.

 “This ecumenical effort, this mutual recognition of baptism, is part of our response to Jesus’ prayer that ‘we may all be one,’ said Bishop Joe Vásquez of the Catholic Diocese of Austin.”

 As the ecumenical movement marches forward, reformed churches continue to yield their faith and harmonize it with Roman Catholicism; they are paving the way to eventually enforce the image of the beast.

 “When the leading churches of the United States, uniting upon such points of doctrine as are held by them in common, shall influence the state to enforce their decrees and to sustain their institutions, then Protestant America will have formed an image of the Roman hierarchy, and the infliction of civil penalties upon dissenters will inevitably result.” Great Controversy, page 445

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NDAA Removes Guarantee of Trial by Jury

On January 2, 2013, U.S. President Barack Obama signed the Fiscal Year 2013 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This renewed his unconstitutional power to detain U.S. citizens indefinitely without trial and deprive them of their right of due process. Attempts were made by some lawmakers to amend the unconstitutional provisions of the bill, but these were stripped out of the bill during the reconciliation process between the House of Representatives version and the Senate version. Senator Rand Paul opposed the final bill, and complained in a statement that “The decision by the NDAA conference committee, led by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) to strip the National Defense Authorization Act of the amendment that protects American citizens against indefinite detention now renders the entire NDAA unconstitutional… Removing those protections now takes us back to square one and does as much violence to the Constitution as last year’s NDAA. When the government can arrest suspects without a warrant, hold them without trial, deny them access to counsel or admission of bail, we have shorn the Bill of Rights of its sanctity. “Our Bill of Rights is not something that can be cherry-picked at legislators’ convenience,” said Mr. Paul. “When I entered the United States Senate, I took an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution. It is for this reason that I will strongly oppose passage of the McCain conference report that strips the guarantee to a trial by jury.”

 One hundred years ago it was predicted that every principle of the U.S. Constitution will eventually be repudiated. See Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 5, and page 451.

Source

"We're all Catholic now"

EU Lenders Demand Saturday Work in Greece

The Eurozone is demanding that Greece change its work rules to include a six-day workweek as part of the strong austerity measures required for the next round of financial relief. The requirement means that Greek citizens would have to work on God’s Sabbath day by law to help relieve the economic crisis. Whether concessions for Jews and other Sabbath keepers will be made, which would likely be very unpopular, is unclear.

The “troika” of creditors involving the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund sent a letter to Greece’s finance and labour ministries ordering a bevy of radical labour market reforms, which include the nationwide six-day workweek.

The letter said the Greek government was to “increase the number of maximum workdays to six days per week for all sectors…”

Other intrusive measures have to do with work schedule flexibility, minimum wage, minimum daily rest, leave rules, overtime, etc. The leaked letter also calls for the labour inspectorate to be put under European supervision.

Though Antonis Samaras’ government is “pleading for more time – four years rather than two – to fulfill debt reduction targets and spending cuts,” which would require more assistance from Greek lenders, there is little appetite for more financial rescues.

Greece is an Orthodox and Roman Catholic country, and its law already forbids working on Sunday. “Employees are entitled to a minimum continuous period of rest of at least 24 hours per week, including Sunday as a rule, depending on the labor law provisions in force for each category of employees.” Because of this law, which isn’t likely to be changed, the extra day of work would be on Saturday. Workers who refuse to work on Saturday would be in violation of the law if concessions are not made for personal beliefs.

While the Greek government may seek to negotiate a way around the Saturday work requirement, or it may exit the eurozone, it is clear that the underlying thinking of the eurozone is to impose Saturday work.

The Catholic Church, along with some protestant churches, trade unions and other civic organizations have been trying to get EU-level laws passed that would require Sunday rest. This would also put pressure on employers and employees to work on Saturday.

It is not difficult to see that the EU views a six-day workweek as part of the solution to the economic crisis. We can now see that laws are likely to be made requiring Saturday work and Sunday rest, making it difficult for Sabbath keepers to make a living, earn a wage or a salary, or conduct business.

Sunday rest laws are the foundation of Sunday worship laws. The Bible clearly portrays the idea that Sunday worship will become the mark of the beast and that a Sunday worship law will eventually be imposed on the whole world.

While the EU “troika” did not insist on Sunday worship laws in its letter to the Greek government, it is essentially insisting that Saturday work should be part of the measures required for the next Greek bailout.

It may be that anti-Sabbath laws, such as laws requiring Saturday work could precede Sunday worship laws if the economic crisis gets bad enough.

Speaking of the coming Sunday worship laws the Apostle John says: “And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” Revelation 13:15-17

The foundation for the Sunday law crisis may well be in the making.
Source

The Pope says Sundays must be a day of rest dedicated to God and family

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The demands of work can't bully people out of needed time off, Pope Benedict XVI said.

Sunday must be a day of rest for everyone, so people can be free to be with their families and with God, the pope said.

"By defending Sunday, one defends human freedom," he said during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square June 6.

In his catechesis, the pope told an estimated 15,000 pilgrims and visitors about his trip June 1-3 to Milan for the seventh World Meeting of Families.

He thanked everyone who made the "unforgettable and wonderful event" possible and praised the willingness he witnessed of people striving to live a "Gospel of the family."

"Humanity has no future without the family," he said. Young people need to be born and raised in "that community of life and love that God himself wanted," that is, a family based on marriage between a man and woman, he said.

He reminded young people that they, too, have a responsibility to contribute to the well-being of the family, such as by saying "yes" to God's will, working hard in their studies, being generous to others, being active in the community and using their talents to better the world.

The pope said when he met government representatives in Milan, he reminded them of the importance of policies and laws that protect the family. The most essential is the right to life, "whose its deliberate suppression can never be allowed." The identity of the family, based on marriage between a man and a woman, needs recognition, too, the pope said.

During an evening vigil of testimonies, the pope answered the questions of five families from different countries because "I wanted to show the open dialogue that exists between families and the church, between the world and the church," he said.

He said he was quite taken by people's testimonies, which dealt with "hot-button issues" such as the difficulties families experience because of separation, divorce, the economic crisis and long hours on the job.

The pope said he wanted to come to the defense of free time, which is "threatened by a kind 'bullying' by the demands of work."

"Sunday is the day of the Lord and of man, a day which everyone must be able to be free -- free for the family and free for God."

Family, work, rest and celebration are gifts from God and important aspects of human life that must find a "harmonious balance" in order to build a more humane world, he said.

He said the World Meeting of Families was a way to send a message to the whole world that "it is possible and joyful, even if it takes work, to live love faithfully forever and be open to life" and that it's also possible for the whole family to take part in the mission of the church and help create a better world.

Source

Let's make Sunday a day of rest, for God’s sake

Spiritual disciplines are the habits we keep that connect us to God. They come from the Jewish conviction that action shapes and reveals what we ultimately believe. Our faith might come and go, but our actions should never waiver. This can be true for people of all faith claims.

We dance in rhythm with God when we keep the Sabbath. The reason we are called to take a day of rest is simple. Humans tend to forget that we did not make the world and thus, that the world does not depend upon us.
Barbara Brown Taylor tells a story about a friend, David, growing up in Atlanta and what he taught her about fidelity to God:

When I was a junior in high school, my boyfriend Herb played on the varsity basketball team. He was not the star player however. The star player was a boy named David, who scored so many points during his four-year career that the coach retired his jersey when he graduated. This would have been remarkable under any circumstances, but it was doubly so since David did not play on Friday nights.

On Friday nights, David observed the Sabbath with the rest of his family, who generously withdrew when David’s gentile friends arrived, sweaty and defeated, after Friday night home games.

Following each Friday night game, David’s friends came to his house to describe the game in great detail. “Blow by blow” the gentiles were allowed to speak and create worlds in David’s living room. Someone in the room asked if it bothered him to sit at home while his team “was getting slaughtered in the high school gymnasium.”
“No one makes me do this,” he said. “I’m a Jew, and Jews observe the Sabbath.” Six days a week, he said, he loved nothing more than playing basketball and he gladly gave all he had to the game. On the seventh day, he loved being Jewish more than he loved playing basketball, and he just as gladly gave all he had to the Sabbath. Sure, he felt a tug, but that was the whole point. Sabbath was his chance to remember what was really real. Once three stars were visible in the Friday night sky, his identity as a Jew was more real to him than his identity as the star of our basketball team."

It is essential for Christians to create regular, intentional spaces of time in which we do not work, e-mail, fax, clean, or do laundry.

A time when we allow our hearts to settle and the voices to hush. Sabbath is a time when we remember that God made the world and rested; that He calls us to rest with him, to hear his voice, to be aware of his presence.
And it is a time to remember, according to the Hebrew Testament teaching on Sabbath and Jubilee, that there will be a day when all peoples of the world will rest—not just the ones who can financially afford to take a day off.
Sabbath-keeping reminds us that we are pilgrims in a foreign land, awaiting the world to become what the world was meant to be.

We remember vividly that, although God made the world, the world is not the way God made it.
When we keep Sabbath, we proclaim to the rest of the world that God is about the business of making things new. God needs a way of reminding us that we are no longer in Egypt, stacking bricks for the Empire. If busyness and idolatry plague our collective life, Sabbath is a means by which we can become more like the person God created us to be.

For the last few years, I’ve rigorously worked to keep a full Sabbath day in my weekly schedule.
It hasn’t always been easy.

Deaths, births, tragedies, miracles, and mundane duties of life show little regard for my personal desire to rest.
Slowly, over time, when those things occur on Sabbath, I’m tempted to jump in and fix everything. Sometimes, when the circumstances demand, I have to get involved. Most of the time, however, keeping Sabbath convicts me that the world can run just fine without me. I see a clear role for myself in the divine story. I am important in this narrative, but I’m not the main point or the main character. Sabbath teaches me this.
Whole. Rested. Listening. Attentive. Cleansed.

This is what Sabbath is about. It creates the space in our lives for us to remember who we are. To remember that we are players in a different story.

Americans work hard. Maybe too hard.

This is an invitation to Jews, Hindus, Muslims, Atheists, Agnostics, Buddhists, and Christians.

One day a week. Rest. For God’s sake.

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Trade Unions in “Holy Alliance” with Catholic Church

Calling it a “holy alliance” the Catholic Church and all three of Italy’s main trade unions joined together to campaign against the liberalization of work rules that protects Sunday for families. The March 4, 2012 protests across Italy were part of a Europe-wide push to support Sunday rest. Union members picketed outside a shopping centre in Rome while street parties were held in Florence, Milan and Pisa. Sunday shop opening, said the unions in a statement, would lead to “worse economic conditions.”

 “Liberalising businesses by opening them seven days a week does not increase consumption but it has an impact on the material conditions of workers with ever harsher shifts and increased demands on flexibility,” said Susanna Camusso, the leader of Italy’s biggest trade union, CGIL.

 “Workers are stressed out by unworkable shifts and the unimaginable difficulties of spending time with their families and taking Sundays not just as a day of rest but of personal reflection,” said an editorial in the bishop’s journal Avvenire. The great time of trouble in the last days includes religious laws as well as violence and chaos. As they unite with the Roman Catholic Church to promote her projects, trade unions will become more aggressive and fierce. “

…The trade unions will be one of the agencies that will bring upon this earth a time of trouble such as has not been since the world began.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 4, page 88

 A “holy alliance” with the Catholic Church does not bode well for God’s people.

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Santorum and Romney: Opposites on Separation

Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney, two Republican Presidential contenders, have completely different positions on separation of church and state. Santorum, whose views settle well with evangelical Protestants but not so well with Catholics, says that the churches and religion should have a say in government, suggesting that Santorum, who is Catholic would permit his church leaders to influence his thinking in policy decision-making.

Mitt Romney, on the other hand, when confronted with questions about how much his Mormon faith would influence his decisions as President, recently said ““Let me assure you that no authorities of my church, or of any other church for that matter, will ever exert influence on presidential decisions.” This is similar to what John F. Kennedy, the first and only Catholic to serve as President of the United States, said on his presidential campaign tour in 1960. “Their authority is theirs,” said Romney “within the province of church affairs, and it ends where the affairs of the nation begin.”

Santorum has caused concern because of his rather puerile statements of revulsion of Kennedy’s speech. He said that reading it makes him “want to throw up [vomit].” Such an extreme expression suggests that Santorum’s policy-making decisions would be heavily influenced by his Catholic faith and probably church leaders, and would open the door to even more encroachment by the bishops on U.S. policy than already exists. It also suggests that Santorum is not measured and well-considered in his attitude toward religion, and could be easily reigned up to undermine the separation of church and state even more than it already has been.

Santorum went on to say that the current efforts by the state to place restrictions on religion amount to war. “Rather than promoting freedom of religion by limiting its entanglements with politics, Santorum says the intent was to banish religion from the public square.”

Government in the United States is already far too influenced by religion and religious leaders. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, in particular, has by far the most influence. And while government leaders have been far more influenced by religion in recent years, strong secular elements supporting a range of irreligious or secular causes have enflamed the debate over their role of religion in politics. Though at times separation of church and state have been taken to extremes by judges, particularly, though not exclusively by liberal judges, the balance has always been difficult to achieve.

Romney’s statement, though not as eloquent as Kennedy’s, nevertheless supports the U.S. constitutional principle enshrined in the first amendment. While that doesn’t mean that he will uphold it, he is nevertheless more in line with its principles.

Presidents have the right to choose their faith just like anyone else in the United States, but the danger in the present polemic environment is that they will not keep the balance of separation of church and state.

History testifies of her [the Papacy’s] artful and persistent efforts to insinuate herself into the affairs of nations; and having gained a foothold, to further her own aims, even at the ruin of princes and people… And let it be remembered, it is the boast of Rome that she never changes… While they are bent upon the accomplishment of their purpose, Rome is aiming to re-establish her power, to recover her lost supremacy. Let the principle once be established in the United States that the church may employ or control the power of the state; that religious observances may be enforced by secular laws; in short, that the authority of church and state is to dominate the conscience, and the triumph of Rome in this country is assured. Great Controversy, page 580 and 581

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Note from blogger: I know I haven't been making new posts for the past two months, I was working on other blogs and busy with school.

With Reservations, Obama Signs Act to Allow Detention of Citizens

In his last official act of business in 2011, President Barack Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act from his vacation rental in Kailua, Hawaii. In a statement, the president said he did so with reservations about key provisions in the law — including a controversial component that would allow the military to indefinitely detain terror suspects, including American citizens arrested in the United States, without charge.

The legislation has drawn severe criticism from civil liberties groups, many Democrats, along with Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul, who called it “a slip into tyranny.” Recently two retired four-star Marine generals called on the president to veto the bill in a New York Times op-ed, deeming it “misguided and unnecessary.”

“Due process would be a thing of the past,” wrote Gens Charles C. Krulak and Joseph P. Hoar. “Current law empowers the military to detain people caught on the battlefield, but this provision would expand the battlefield to include the United States – and hand Osama bin Laden an unearned victory long after his well-earned demise.”

The president defended his action, writing that he signed the act, “chiefly because it authorizes funding for the defense of the United States and its interests abroad, crucial services for service members and their families, and vital national security programs that must be renewed.”

Senior administration officials, who asked not to be named, told ABC News, “The president strongly believes that to detain American citizens in military custody infinitely without trial, would be a break with our traditions and values as a nation, and wants to make sure that any type of authorization coming from congress, complies with our Constitution, our rules of war and any applicable laws.”

One official explained that President Obama does believe, however, that American citizens can be temporarily detained, and that the military has the right to capture and hold any citizen who is engaged in conflict against the United States. If various provisions in the law prove unworkable, the president could go back to Congress to ask for changes.

“The president is going to adhere to the policies that he has held over the last three years, making sure that none of these congressional provisions impede the ability of the counterterrorism and military professional from keeping the country safe,” the official said.

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Churches, Unions Say No To Sunday Workday

The Dominica Association of Evangelical Churches has added its voice to the growing opposition against moves by the main private sector organisation for Sunday to be declared a normal working day.
The Dominica Association of Industry and Commerce (DAIC) has been pushing the initiative, but trade unions, the Roman Catholic Church and other groups have criticised the move. But the DAIC says it will intensify that campaign in the New Year.

DAEC president Bill Daniel said his organisation recognised that in any society there were workers within establishments which, by the nature of the services they provide, must work on Sundays. However, he noted that Sunday "is recognised by most Dominicans as their day of worship, which is a biblical requirement.

"Families and especially single parents are under tremendous challenges seeking to balance work, home and personal life. In their attempt to maintain this balance, the lack of time spent with family is minimal and as a result children and young people remain unsupervised which leads to a new set of challenges.

"Sunday is the day chosen and set aside by most Dominicans for worship and praise to God and should not be interfered with," he said, adding, "rest and worship is ordained by God and all concerned are advised to be guided accordingly".

Daniel said the proposal to make Sunday a normal working day would undermine the family structure, the church and the society at large.

Source

Also see this similar German news

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National Defense Authorization Act sent to W.H.

The Senate on Thursday sent a defense policy bill to President Barack Obama, who has said he would reluctantly sign it after months of fighting over the handling of suspected terrorists, especially those who are U.S. citizens.

The vote was 86-13. The House passed the bill 283-136 on Wednesday after weeks of negotiation on provisions governing the detention of suspected terrorists under a White House veto threat. The White House lifted the veto threat just hours before the House vote as it became clear that the compromise package in the final bill had broad bipartisan support.

Likewise, House Republicans, who had sought tougher measures, did not carry out their threat to block the legislation when it became clear that a majority of senators would not accept them.

“Those who say that we have written into law a new authority to detain American citizens until the end of hostilities are wrong. Neither the Senate bill nor the conference report establishes new authority to detain American citizens – or anybody else,” said Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich), one of the key negotiators on the issue, who at times expressed frustration with the administration and opponents of the provisions over what he called “misstatements” about what they contained.

The bill would create a legal basis for the detention of suspected Al Qaeda terrorists and their allies and require military custody for foreign terrorists who attack the United States. It also favors military trials for suspected terrorists, subject to a presidential waiver, and extends for one year the ban on moving detainees from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to the United States.

In order to satisfy the administration and other opponents’ concerns, the final legislation states that nothing in it may be “construed to affect existing law or authorities relating to the detention of United States citizens, lawful resident aliens of the United States, or any other persons who are captured or arrested in the United States.” The Supreme Court has said U.S. citizens can be held by the military as enemy combatants, but the law is unclear on whether that includes those captured inside the United States and the issue is hotly disputed.

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Germany Masters Europe

Check out these quotes from various news sources concerning Germany’s undisputed rise to geopolitical dominance over the nations of Europe. 

“Germany is the unquestioned leader of Europe,” said Charles Grant, director of the Center for European Reform. “France is definitely subordinate to Germany, and Britain has less influence than at any time I can recall.”

Britain Suffers as a Bystander to the Euro’s Crisis
 
“As European leaders prepare for crucial meetings this week in Brussels, what may have seemed like timid or even bumbling leadership is looking more like a consistent strategy of brinkmanship aimed at remaking the euro zone in Germany’s likeness.”

Angela Merkel, Germany’s Chancellor is walking a tightrope by resisting “appeals to appease the financial markets by lowering borrowing costs,” and wielding “the pain of soaring interest rates as a cudgel to extract painful changes…”

“German dominance of the euro zone,” says the British press, “with Mrs. Merkel as the unofficial but unchallenged leader of Europe — has in fact already arrived.”

Forced leadership changes in Greece and Italy have become omens of German hegemony in Europe. 

Merkel’s Path: Brinkmanship for Debt Crisis
 
Romano Prodi, former Prime Minister of Italy, and ex-president head of the European Commission said “Let’s take the German-French summit. By now it is a German-German summit. You cannot say it loudly, but it is true: Chancellor Merkel, in the end, is obliged to dictate the rules…”

“Rationality will assert itself. Germany cannot give up its fantastic economic situation in the world.”

‘Germany Must Make a Decision or the Game Is Over’
 
“During a televised interview back in early November, Sarkozy uttered almost unimaginable words for a French president: ‘All my efforts are directed towards adapting France to a system that works. The German system.’”

“Suddenly, Germany is being held up as a shining example for everyone else. It is almost the only country in the Eurozone that the markets still trust. It is almost the only one that has a history of carrying out far-reaching structural reforms. Almost overnight, Germany has become the de facto center of Europe.”

“It is becoming clear that Angela Merkel isn’t the only person who wants to reshape Europe in Germany’s image. The chancellor has become less inhibited about expressing her determination to revamp Europe — but many countries have already decided for themselves that Europe must follow Germany’s example if the common currency is to be saved.”

“Europe’s Germanization can be seen all over the continent.” In Italy, Prime Minister, Mario Monti’s fellow countrymen call him “‘more German than the Germans.’ Even the Italian media… has taken to listing everything the Germans do better: Their waste-recycling systems, their competitiveness and their education system.”

In Spain, the new premier, Mariano Rajoy, “has already pledged to bring the country’s national debt down to 4.4 percent of GDP in 2012, exactly as Merkel has demanded.”

In France, “day after day, the newspapers almost obsessively compare the two countries. ‘The German Europe’ was the headline of a recent article in a business magazine…”

“Georgios Trangas, one of Greece’s best-known journalists, said his country had become ‘a German protectorate of the Fourth Reich in southern Europe.’”

Europe Shudders at Germany’s New-Found Power
 
“Volker Kauder, parliamentary floor leader for Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrats, was not entirely wrong. ‘Now, Europe is speaking German,’ he said.”

Germans Remain Unflappable During Euro Crisis
 
So, what’s happening in Europe anyway? Keep the Faith has been predicting for quite some time that Germany would become the dominant ruler, even dictator of Europe. That is now obvious to most observers. Keep the Faith has also documented how Angela Merkel, the daughter of a Lutheran pastor, is working hand in hand with the Vatican to resurrect a Christian (meaning Catholic) Europe united under Roman Catholic principles. Now with Germany controlling the economy of Europe, she is nearly in a position to economically enforce the resurrection of the Holy Roman Empire. Even if two Europe’s arise, one governed by the Eurozone and the central authorities in Brussels, and one the periphery whose nations do not use the euro, Germany’s role will still impact them all in a powerful way. Even the non-eurozone nations will have to reckon with German hegemony and geopolitical influence because it will continue to loom over them.


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Only 3 Percent of EU Citizens to Have a Left-Wing Government

The new conservative Spanish government will hold its first cabinet meeting December 23, a party official announced last week. Once the new government is in office, only 3 percent of the EU’s population will be under a left-leaning government.

Mariano Rajoy, leader of the Popular Party, is expected to take his oath of office on December 22.

Rajoy’s party beat the incumbent Socialist Party 11 million votes to 7 million—or 186 seats to 110.

As British member of the European Parliament Daniel Hannan points out, this makes Austria, Denmark, Cyprus and Slovenia the only nations with left-led governments—that’s 3 percent of the EU’s population.

The Trumpet has long forecast the rise of a Catholic-dominated, authoritarian power in Europe. While this power will have some socialist aspects, it will be more similar to the political right.

In several countries, including Spain, the right-wing parties are already aligned with the Catholic Church. The Vatican has long opposed Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero’s Socialist Workers’ Party because of its policies on abortion and sex education, among other things.

The shift to the right in Europe is setting the scene for the rise of this authoritarian Catholic power. •

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Related Article from The Trumpet:
Extreme Right-Wing Crosses the Atlantic
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