Conspiracy Theories, what does the bible have to say about it?

Who killed JFK? What is the Illuminati? Was there equipment on the space shuttle that caused earthquakes? If God reveals the answer to any of these speculations, we should be thankful He has brought light to our mysteries. If not, we should leave well enough alone—especially if dwelling on those mysteries brings fear.

On one level, conspiracy theories are entertaining. Trying to connect the dots through disparate historical events brings a sense of order to chaos. Speculating about mysteries incites a titillating anxiety of the future that relieves boredom and distracts from more pressing dilemmas.

Speaking up and uncovering the truth is certainly biblical. The prophet Nathan uncovered David’s conspiracy to cover up his sin of murder (2 Samuel 12). Paul’s nephew uncovered a plot to assassinate Paul, and his knowledge foiled the attempt (Acts 23). Wickedness likes to hide.John 3:20says, “Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.” We should always seek the truth. “Love truth and peace” (Zechariah 8:19).

Two warnings concerning conspiracy theories: first, we should never get ahead of what God wishes to reveal to us.Godreveals the truth in mystery (Daniel 2:30;Genesis 40:8). He will tell us what we need to know in His time, and there are things we do not need to know (Mark 13:32;Revelation 10:4). We should not indulge in useless speculation that takes time and effort away from our work for Christ (1 Timothy 1:4).

Second, we should not fear. “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). Many conspiracy theories feed fear and prey on ignorance and gullibility. God has called us to something better.

One problem with conspiracy theories is that they place too much emphasis on worldly matters. It’s good for political intrigue to come to light, but that is not a necessary condition for the Christian life (2 Timothy 3:12). It is right for corruption to be brought to justice (Isaiah 1:17), but it is still possible to live a godly life, even if justice never happens. In our search for truth,Romans 8:31should always be in mind: “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?”

Exposing the truth is good. Obsessing over rumor and hearsay and half-proven theories is harmful.Ephesians 5:11-14is an excellent guideline. Verse 11 says to expose “the fruitless deeds of darkness.” But verse 12 says not to mention them. How do we expose them? Not by conjecture or worry or fear or never-ending deliberation, but by waiting on the words of verses 13 and 14: “Everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible.” Speak the truth and wait for God’s timing.

Endless speculation about conspiracy theories is, at best, a waste of time. At worst, the obsession induces paralyzing fear as our attention is drawn away from Christ. Avoid the mysteries God hasn’t chosen to reveal yet. Let Him work according to His timing. Rest in His plan, which can never be thwarted (Job 42:2).

Above all, do not fear. “The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the LORD and against His Anointed.” But “He who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord scoffs at them” (Psalm 2:2,4).

Muslim Brotherhood Influence Reaches White House

CBN News…WASHINGTON — The Muslim Brotherhood appears on the ropes in Egypt following a military crackdown on the radical movement. Here in the United States, however, one American-Islamic group linked to the Brotherhood continues to thrive.

The Islamic Society of North America, or ISNA, will hold its 50th annual convention over Labor Day weekend this year.

And ISNA even has the ear of the White House.

A Grand Jihad

Before President Barack Obama departed for Israel earlier this year, he took time to consult with Mohamed Magid.

Magid has reportedly become a trusted administration advisor on issues ranging from immigration to counterterrorism policy.

White House officials have praised Magid’s organization, ISNA, as a pillar of the American-Muslim community.

But according to analyst Ryan Mauro of the Clarion Project, an organization dedicated to exposing radical Islam, ISNA’s agenda is anything but mainstream.

“We know from the Muslim Brotherhood’s own documents that [ISNA] is a Muslim Brotherhood front — they say that explicitly in one of their 1991 secret memos,” Mauro told CBN News.

Mauro said that internal Muslim Brotherhood documents, captured by the FBI, name ISNA as one of 29 American-Muslim organizations with ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.

The Brotherhood gave birth to both al Qaeda and Hamas.

“It’s also easy to know what the Brotherhood’s agenda is because they told us in their own documents,” Mauro said. “They said their work in America is ‘a kind of grand jihad, in eliminating and destroying Western civilization from within.'”

“And most importantly, they say they want to do it at the hands not just of the believers- – the Muslim Brotherhood supporters — but at the hands of the unbelievers — us,” he said.

Reaching the White House

ISNA began in 1982 in Plainfield, Ind. A founding member, Sami al Arian, was convicted in a U.S. federal court of conspiring to support the terror group, Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Adurahman Alamoudi also worked closely with ISNA for years. He’s currently serving a federal prison sentence for funding al Qaeda.

Despite its radical roots, ISNA has expanded from its heartland base to the power corridors of Washington, D.C.

“The remarkable thing is, many of these founders, who’ve been implicated in terrorism cases, named as unindicted co-conspirators in terrorism cases, are now consulting with the Obama administration,” investigative journalist Patrick Poole explained.

Poole, who writes for PJMedia.com, says ISNA’s founders were even given a tour of the White House in March 2013.

“When [the White House] was closed off to the American public, they were meeting with senior White House officials,” Poole said, “including the head of the Office of Public Engagement, who said ISNA was the primary Islamic group that the White House does their Muslim outreach through.”

Fox Guarding the Henhouse

It wasn’t long ago that the U.S. government had a far less positive view of ISNA. In 2007, federal prosecutors named the group as an unindicted co-conspirator in the largest terrorism financing trial in American history.

The focus of that trial was an organization called the Holy Land Foundation. Its leaders were convicted of funding the terror group Hamas.

“The Holy Land Foundation was spun off of ISNA,” Poole told CBN News. “And here we have the United States government going into federal court saying, ‘These are bad guys, they’re supporting terrorism, they’re a front for the Muslim Brotherhood.'”

“And then as soon as they leave federal court, ‘These are our outreach partners, these are the moderates, these are the people that we need to be dealing with,'” he said.

That outreach includes a role for ISNA in shaping America’s counter-terrorism policies.

Magid, who is the president of ISNA, is a member of a Homeland Security working group on “violent extremism.”

ISNA also participated in a 2012 review of FBI counter-terrorism training documents. The bureau agreed to purge documents that ISNA and other Muslim groups found offensive or “islamophobic.”

Poole says the fox is guarding the henhouse.

“We see a repeated pattern from FBI reports, from Department of Justice evidence in these terrorism trials, that groups like ISNA and other Muslim Brotherhood fronts, like CAIR and the Muslim Public Affairs Council, that they’re here to Islamicize America,” he said.

Making Inroads

ISNA did not respond to CBN News’ request for comment.

As for the Obama administration, its relationship with ISNA continues. Earlier this month, ISNA officials met with Secretary of State John Kerry to discuss the latest attempt at peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

“The White House is not embarrassed about this relationship,” Mauro said. “They publicly brag about this relationship and the fact that they’re going to continue it.”

It’s not just the White House where ISNA is making inroads. The group’s interfaith office works closely with Jewish and Christian groups around the country. One of its leaders even spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast earlier this year.

Egyptian Christians, Muslims March against Obama

CBN News story 8/24/13….Hundreds of Egyptian protestors, many of them Coptic Christians, rallied in front of the White House Thursday, outraged over President Barack Obama’s support of the Muslim Brotherhood.

“Don’t support terrorists!” protestor Hale Salem said. “Don’t support terrorists! Please, Mr. Obama I voted for you — don’t support terrorists.”

“He’s asking us as Egyptians to leave the terrorists in Egypt alone? To kill us, to kill our people? It’s not gonna happen,” another protestor declared.

Muslims were also present, voicing their opposition against the Brotherhood.

“I’m a Muslim,” demonstrator Mina Khalifa said. “It’s not a Christian thing. It’s an Egyptian thing.”

Another Muslim protestor, Suzanne Elnahal, said, “They are terrorists; they have done so many problems in Egypt.”

Meanwhile, there are new concerns the old regime is making a comeback, as former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was released from prison and flown to a military hospital. He is now under house arrest.

But protestors say Mubarak wasn’t as bad as ousted President Mohammed Morsi.

“He’s not really a good guy, but he’s not at least a terrorist,” anti-Brotherhood demonstrator Layla Sedhom said. “But Mohammed Morsi is a terrorist. He belongs to the Muslim Brotherhood.”

The protestors say the Egyptian military is needed to keep order.

“They protect us from (the) Muslim Brotherhood,” Madline Mansour, a Coptic Christian, said. “Muslim Brotherhood kill us, kill all Christian people. Morsi is a terrorist. He belongs to the Muslim Brotherhood.”

Those at the rally say the Brotherhood has burned dozens of Christian churches, businesses, and more.

“For the Coptic Christians, they burn their houses. They’re targeting them,” one protestor said.

The protestors are also angered by Western media coverage of the situation in Egypt. They rallied against the Washington Post, accusing both the newspaper and Obama of being biased in favor of the Muslim Brotherhood.

“So the Obama administration helps the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt; that’s not right,” anti-Brotherhood protestor Sawers Kamel said. “That has a lot of question marks. Why? Why?”

The Alarming Rate At Which Christianity Is Being Replaced By Islam

Millions of Americans fail to realize that what happens in Great Britain generally happens here in America a few years later.

The hippie and free love movement back in the 1960s started in Great Britain and quickly spread to our shores, especially the western shores of California.  Around the same time, the Beatles surfaced and changed the sound of music in our country.

National Health Care was launched in Great Britain long before anyone thought it would materialize here, but alas, thanks to Barack Obama, we once again have followed the trodden path of the British.

In the 1980s, the number of Christians in Great Britain began to decline.  Church congregations in many areas became so small that they had to close the church and sell the buildings.  Some of those church buildings were converted into pubs, some hotels and others into mosques.

A close friend of mine lives in Great Britain and has told me on more than one occasion that he has seen many Christian churches close their doors in the past decade.  What he found to be quite alarming is that in some areas, almost all of the Christian churches have been converted into Muslim mosques.  Entire communities and some towns have been completely taken over by Muslims, often driving out Christian families that have lived there for generations.

On Feb. 20, 2004, the British Church Newspaper published an article titled ‘More Muslim Worshippers Than Anglicans?’  A statement in that article spelled out what my friend had been telling me about the influx of Muslims in Great Britain.  It stated:

“Attendance at Britain’s mosques has outstripped the number of regular worshippers in the Church of England for the first time, with figures showing that 930,000 Muslims attend a place of worship at least once a week, compared to 916,000 Anglicans.  The Church lost 100,000 worshippers between 2000 and 2002.”

The Church of England is not the only Christian denomination in the UK, but it is one of the most influential.  The declining trend seen in the Church of England is also being seen in virtually every other Christian denomination as well.

A more recent report states that the number of people in England and Wales who identify themselves as Christians is 4.1 million fewer in the 2011 census than in the previous census.  That is an overall decline of 10% in a relatively short time.

On the flip side of the situation, there has been a massive influx of Muslims into the country.  The number of Muslims in England and Wales during the same time frame has increased by 75%.  This influx is having a dramatic effect on the overall religious climate of the British Isles so much so that 1 of every 10 Britains under the age of 25 claims to be Muslim.  The number of people under the age of 25 that claim to be Christian has dropped to less than 5 of every 10.

Keith Porteous Wood, Executive Director of the National Secular Society commented on the latest findings, saying:

“In another 20 years there are going to be more active Muslims than there are churchgoers.”

“The time has now come that institutional Christianity is no longer justified, the number has dropped below critical mass for which there is no longer any justification for the established Church.”

If you don’t think this is happening in the US, then you better wake up and smell the coffee.  America is also experiencing a huge influx of Muslims, especially since Obama took over as president.  Muslims are taking over communities and cities in the US including Dearborn, Michigan and Murfreesboro, Tennessee.  We have seen Muslim judges rule on sharia law instead of American law.

We’ve also been witnessing a decline in the number of Americans identifying themselves as Christians.  I’ve seen numerous reports of churches closing their doors because they can’t afford to remain open due to small numbers.  One of the programs on TV that my wife and I like to watch shows people who turn buildings and other things into very nice homes.  We’ve seen a few couples who have bought closed churches and converted them into luxury homes.

We’re not very far behind Great Britain in the change of culture.  At the current rate of change, I wouldn’t be surprised to see our numbers of Christians versus Muslims match Britain’s by the end of Obama’s current term in office.  Christian America is almost a thing of the past.

When we turned our back on God, He turned us over to our sinful ways and now we are reaping what we have sowed as a nation.  Without a national repentance, starting with the leadership on down, we are destined to become a pagan nation with a motto – One Nation Under Allah.

Read more: http://politicaloutcast.com/2013/05/the-alarming-rate-at-which-christianity-is-being-replaced-by-islam/#ixzz2UKQ7mTrZ

Our current U.S. Administration is making it a crime to share Christianity. Sign the petition against this.

The Pentagon has released a statement confirming that soldiers could be prosecuted for promoting their faith: “Religious proselytization is not permitted within the Department of Defense…Court martials and non-judicial punishments are decided on a case-by-case basis…”.

The statement, released to Fox News, follows a Breitbart News report on Obama administration Pentagon appointees meeting with anti-Christian extremist Mikey Weinstein to develop court-martial procedures to punish Christians in the military who express or share their faith.

(From our earlier report: Weinstein is the head of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, and says Christians–including chaplains–sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ in the military are guilty of “treason,” and of committing an act of “spiritual rape” as serious a crime as “sexual assault.” He also asserted that Christians sharing their faith in the military are “enemies of the Constitution.”)

Being convicted in a court martial means that a soldier has committed a crime under federal military law. Punishment for a court martial can include imprisonment and being dishonorably discharged from the military.

So President Barack Obama’s civilian appointees who lead the Pentagon are confirming that the military will make it a crime–possibly resulting in imprisonment–for those in uniform to share their faith. This would include chaplains—military officers who are ordained clergymen of their faith (mostly Christian pastors or priests, or Jewish rabbis)–whose duty since the founding of the U.S. military under George Washington is to teach their faith and minister to the spiritual needs of troops who come to them for counsel, instruction, or comfort.

This regulation would severely limit expressions of faith in the military, even on a one-to-one basis between close friends. It could also effectively abolish the position of chaplain in the military, as it would not allow chaplains (or any service members, for that matter), to say anything about their faith that others say led them to think they were being encouraged to make faith part of their life. It’s difficult to imagine how a member of the clergy could give spiritual counseling without saying anything that might be perceived in that fashion.

In response to the Pentagon’s plans, retired Lt. Gen. Jerry Boykin, who is now executive vice president of the Family Research Council (FRC), said on Fox & Friends Wednesday morning:

It’s a matter of what do they mean by “proselytizing.” …I think they’ve got their defintions a little confused. If you’re talking about coercion that’s one thing, but if you’re talking about the free exercise of our faith as individual soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines, especially for the chaplains, they I think the worst thing we can do is stop the ability for a soldier to be able to exercise his faith.”

FRC has launched a petition here which has already collected over 30,000 signatures, calling on Secretary Hagel is stop working with Weinstein and his anti-Christian organization to develop military policy regarding religious faith.

**UPDATE**

The FRC petition has now exceeded more than 40,000 signatures at the time of this update.

Breitbart News legal columnist Ken Klukowski is senior fellow for religious liberty with the Family Research Council and on faculty at Liberty University School of Law.

The latest news story from the Christian Post…no age restriction or permission needed for the morning after pill.

The Story below just shows how little value is placed on the life of our unborn children these days. What do you think?

A federal judge in New York ordered the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday to make the Plan B emergency contraceptive pill available to young teens and girls without a doctor’s prescription. The White House promptly responded by saying the age restriction was the “right common-sense approach.”

While today’s women need to prove at the pharmacy they are 17 or older to be able to buy the morning-after pill, U.S. District Judge Edward Korman for the Eastern District of New York ruled Friday that women of any age should be able to buy emergency contraception without a doctor’s prescription, according to The Associated Press.

President Barack Obama had supported a 2011 decision by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius setting age limits for Plan B One-Step and its generic versions, which can prevent pregnancy if taken soon enough after unprotected sex. Obama had then supported Sebelius, saying she acted because she wasn’t sure that an 11-year-old “should be able, alongside bubble gum or batteries…to buy a medication that potentially, if not used properly, could end up having an adverse effect.”

Korman, too, acknowledged that the case was controversial, as “it involves access to emergency contraception for adolescents who should not be engaging in conduct that necessitates the use of such drugs,” but he called Sebelius’ decision “politically motivated, scientifically unjustified and contrary to agency precedent.”

Justice Department spokeswoman Allison Price said Friday that the decision of whether to appeal would be taken soon. “The Department of Justice is reviewing the appellate options and expects to act promptly,” she said.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said Friday the president hasn’t changed his position. “He believes it was the right common-sense approach to this issue,” Carney said.

The Family Research Council expressed “serious concerns” regarding the court ruling.

“This ruling places the health of young girls at risk. Making Plan B available for girls under the age of 17 without a prescription flies in the face of medical information and sound judgment,” said Anna Higgins, director of the Center for Human Dignity at the FRC, in a statement. “I am very troubled that the court has not fully taken into account the concerns expressed by HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and many public health advocates that there is not enough data on the health effects of Plan B on young girls.”

The court order was in response to a lawsuit filed by the Center for Reproductive Rights in 2005. “More than twelve years have passed since the citizen petition was filed and eight years since this lawsuit commenced,” Korman wrote. “The FDA has engaged in intolerable delays in processing the petition. Indeed, it could accurately be described as an administrative agency filibuster.”

“Today science has finally prevailed over politics,” Nancy Northrup, president and chief executive of the liberal advocacy group, said in a statement. “This landmark court decision has struck a huge blow to the deep-seated discrimination that has for too long denied women access to a full range of safe and effective birth control methods.”

The morning-after pill contains a higher dose of the female progestin hormone – to prevent ovulation or fertilization of an egg – than is in regular birth control pills. However, if a woman already is pregnant, the pill has no effect.

About 19.7 million new sexually transmitted infections were reported in 2008, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Based on the CDC’s estimates, that brings the total number of STIs in the country to just over 110 million, and most of the new cases crop up in young men and women aged between 15 and 25. “Making Plan B available over-the-counter for any age will put many of these young girls at further risk because it circumvents necessary medical screening for sexually active girls,” Higgins said.

There is also a real danger that “Plan B may be given to young girls, under coercion or without their consent,” Higgins added. “The involvement of parents and medical professionals act as a safeguard for these young girls. However, today’s ruling removes these commonsense protections.”

However, some see the morning-after pill as a way of reducing teenage pregnancy.

The New York City Department of Education last year decided to make the morning-after pill available without parental consent to high school teenage girls as young as 14, at 13 public schools, expanding a program that began in 2011.

Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, then told The Christian Post that the decision was “the kind of imperial edict that demands a lawsuit.”

“Whenever it comes to sensitive issues such as sexuality, the government must always play an ancillary role to that of parents,” he said. “The provision that parents can opt out smacks of governmental arrogance and must be resisted: the government has no business eclipsing parental rights.”

Question of the day….is lying to save someone’s life a sin?

English: The school building of Winnenden school shooting, Albertville real school, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Someone recently brought up something interesting that I thought would be a great discussion. One of the teachers in the recent Connecticut school shooting hid her students in a closet, then told the gunman that they weren’t in there. She was killed, but lied to protect them. How do you feel about this? It’s a tough spot because in all honesty (no pun intended) she did lie, which is a sin, but on the other hand, she did it to save the children, and gave her life up doing it. If you reply with an answer, please give Biblical scripture to back it up. thanks…:) And don’t forget to keep the families of the victims in your prayers.

Tonights question and news story…do you think Churches or Pastors shoul be involved in politics?

Pews (Photo credit: Etsy Ketsy)

A recent poll by the general American Public says that a majority of the people think religion should be kept out of Politics. What do you think after reading the story below?

AFP – Wed, Mar 21, 2012   Fifty-four percent of Americans think churches should steer clear of politics, according to a Pew Research Center poll announced Wednesday during a presidential campaign tinged with faith issues.

Pew said it was the third consecutive poll in four years to reveal that Americans who favor churches speaking out on political and social issues are outnumbered by those who believe they should not.

Of the 1,503 adults it surveyed by telephone on March 7-11, Pew said 40 percent believed churches and other houses of worship “should … express their views on day-to-day social and political questions.”

Sixty percent of Catholic respondents said the church should keep out of political issues, according to Pew’s findings.

Early this month, New York‘s Cardinal Timothy Dolan, leader of the increasingly outspoken US Conference of Catholic Bishops, said the church was called upon to be “very active, very informed and very involved in politics.”

With President Barack Obama up for re-election in November, the Catholic church is fiercely opposing his proposal for all employee health plans — including those at religious-affiliated institutions, such as hospitals — to cover the cost of contraceptives.

The Pew survey also found that 38 percent of Americans say there has been “too much expression of religious faith and prayer by political leaders.” Another 30 percent said there has been too little.

“The percentage saying there is too much expression … has increased across party lines, but this view remains far more widespread among Democrats than Republicans,” said Pew in a summary of its findings.

Pew, which posted full details of its research on its website (www.pewforum.org), said its survey had a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.