Saturday

The Religion WAR (01-12)

Reading between the lines, thinking outside the box, and seeing the forest...
 
 
 
    Pope Benedict XVI warned diplomats at the United Nations on Friday that international cooperation needed to solve urgent problems is "in crisis" because decisions rest in the hands of a few powerful nations. He also said that respect for human rights, not violence, was the key to solving many of the world's problems.
    While he didn't identify the countries that have a stranglehold on global power, the pope addressed long-standing Vatican concerns about the struggle to achieve world peace and the development of the poorest regions.
    On the one hand, he said, collective action by the international community is needed to solve the planet's greatest challenges. On the other, "we experience the obvious paradox of a multilateral consensus that continues to be in crisis because it is still subordinated to the decisions of a few."
 
    Before leaving the United Nations Friday, Benedict XVI wanted to thank the staff that keeps the organization up and running. He began with a comparison of the offices used by the UN with Vatican City State.
    "Here, within a small space in the busy city of New York, is housed an organization with a worldwide mission to promote peace and justice. I am reminded of the similar contrast in scale between Vatican City State and the world in which the Church exercises her universal mission and apostolate."
 
    On his way to an ecumenical prayer service at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Pope Benedict made a quick stop at Park East Synagogue and greeted the worshippers gathered there.
    He was greeted by the synagogue's chief rabbi, who recalled the progress of Catholic-Jewish relations over the past 45 years and invoked the time of renewal marked by the Passover as a sign of hope for inter-religious dialogue.
    "Shalom!" the Pope greeted the Jewish congregation with. "It is with joy that I come here, just a few hours before the celebration of your Pesah, to express my respect and esteem for the Jewish community in New York City."
 
    On Friday evening, the pope participated in an ecumenical meeting at the church of St. Joseph. The event was attended by 250 representatives from 10 Christian confessions.
    At the beginning of his address, he expressed his appreciation "for the invaluable work of all those engaged in ecumenism: the National Council of Churches, Christian Churches Together, the Catholic Bishops' Secretariat for Ecumenical and Inter-religious Affairs, and many others. The contribution of Christians in the United States to the ecumenical movement is felt throughout the world."
    He expressed the opinion that "globalisation has humanity poised between 2 poles. On the one hand, there is a growing sense of interconnectedness and interdependency between peoples even when - geographically and culturally speaking - they are far apart. ... On the other hand, we cannot deny that the rapid changes occurring in our world also present some disturbing signs of fragmentation and a retreat into individualism".
 
    Six thousand people flocked to St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York this morning for a Mass that Pope Benedict celebrated for clergy and religious. In his homily, Benedict XVI called for a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Church in America so that it can overcome divisions and allow all of its gifts to be spent for the sake of spreading the Gospel.
 
    Call Pope Benedict XVI a "cultural Catholic" and you're likely to get puzzled looks if not angry rejoinders. Cultural Catholics rank right down there with "cafeteria Catholics" in the opinion of those who argue that only a deep experience of Christian faith and a tight embrace of church teachings can make one authentically Catholic.
    Benedict is a thoroughgoing Catholic, by birth and upbringing. And he recognizes that Catholicism is a culture as well as a religion. Thus it should come as no surprise that Benedict has made recovering a distinctive Catholic culture a principal theme of his first visit to the US.
 
    It was a privilege to welcome Benedict XVI to the United States, President Bush told the crowd at the 5th Annual Catholic Prayer Breakfast on Friday.
    "This has been a joyous week. It's been a joyous time for Catholics -- and it wasn't such a bad week for Methodists, either. The excitement was just palpable. The streets were lined with people that were so thrilled that the Holy Father was here. And it was such a privilege to welcome this good man to the United States. It was a special moment to be able to visit with the Holy Father in the Oval Office. He is a humble servant of God. He is a brilliant professor. He is a warm and generous soul. He is courageous in the defense of fundamental truths."
 
    I wonder if we are in not in danger of completely missing the point of the Pope's trip to America. Benedict XVI's big idea is one shared by a billion Catholics and countless other Christians, not to mention Muslims and Jews: the idea of God. Commentators are often more shy of this idea than a large proportion of their viewers and readers.
 
    A German Jewish leader says she will not resume interfaith dialogue until the Vatican revises its Good Friday prayer. The president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany said in an interview that many Jews see the current prayer as a call to convert them.
 
    A high profile Muslim cleric and Hamas member of the Palestinian parliament gave a sermon last Friday in which he declared that soon Rome, "the capital of the Catholics" will be soon overtaken by Islam.
    "Very soon, Allah willing, Rome will be conquered, just like Constantinople was, as was prophesized by our Prophet Muhammad. Today, Rome is the capital of the Catholics, or the Crusader capital, which has declared its hostility to Islam…"
 
    The release last month of Osama bin Laden's latest rant - which featured fulminations over cartoon images of the Prophet Mohammed and charges that Pope Benedict XVI is leading a "new crusade" against Islam - sparked a fresh round of head-scratching worldwide. So why does Benedict infuriate bin Laden?
 
    In this predominantly Catholic nation the devil is gaining a foothold. "There is a greater openness towards the devil," the Vatican's chief exorcist said. In fact, Rome has been called the most "satanized" city in Italy.
    [WAR: Satan already has a foothold via the Catholic Church!]
 
 
 
    A generation of young Germans has turned its back on organized religion, finding the church outdated and irrelevant. Yet a new study shows that focusing on spirituality could win them back.
 
 
 
    Though my detractors often claim otherwise, I see myself as anything but a "self-hating Jew", and the more vocal I am in my criticism of the Israeli government's crimes, the more credence I give that claim.
    I passionately love my religion, and just as fervently defend its teachings to the hilt when it comes to how to treat our fellow man. That Zionism has come along, hijacked Jewish doctrines, and twisted them to form part of an all-out supremacist movement is not something I can swallow if I want to stay loyal to the true values of Judaism.
    Unfortunately, by demanding that the world sees Zionism as a philosophy essentially based on Jewish principles, Zionists have managed to unforgivably drag the religion's name through the mud for over 60 years.
    "Zionism is far, far removed from the Jewish religion. I have no issue with Jews - just as I have no problem with Christians or Buddhists. I don't mind Jews living here, just so long as they do it peacefully."
 
    A new survey conducted by a Washington DC-based evangelical organization among American Christians has found that 82% of them believe they have a moral obligation to support the Jews and Israel. The poll, conducted among Catholics and Protestants alike, tested their stance on Jerusalem's future and ways to deal with the Iranian nuclear threat.
    According to the poll, 65% of American Christians are convinced that Iran is developing nuclear weapons, which its leaders will attempt to use in order to destroy Israel.
 
    Two years after Benedict XVI's comments about Islam sparked protests around the world, the pontiff is once again in conflict with Muslims. This time, friction between the Vatican and Muslims is delaying the construction of what would be Saudi Arabia's first church.
 
 
 
    With 70 million faithful, America has the 3rd largest Roman Catholic population in the world after Brazil and Mexico. Almost 25% of the US is Catholic, and the proportion is rising with the influx of immigrants from Latin countries.
 
    Don't expect any public testimonies of faith from John McCain, who is not demonstrative about his religion but who embraces a Baptist faith that is based on salvation. McCain's official congressional record identifies him as an Episcopalian, and he was raised in the Episcopal Church, but the senator said he now considers himself a Baptist.
    He cut short any further inquiry by adding that he "won't have anything more to say about that. The most important thing is I'm a Christian."
 
    "A Scientologist who's 'clear' believes he's no longer a Homosapien. He's Homo-novis, a new race. They believe they are the only hope for this section of the galaxy, starting with planet Earth."
 
Yes and no...
    Where did America go wrong? As our nation has turned away from (and even become hostile toward) the Ten Commandments and other biblical principles, we have seen our citizenry become progressively more dishonest and deceptive.
    How can we alter this course? I believe a Christian uprising is needed. Christians must rise to confront and address the culture with reason and the truth of Scripture – not with hysteria and insensitivity.
    [WAR: Yes, his analysis is right, but his solution is dead wrong! The last thing we need is a paganistic Xian uprising. We need mass repentance and a return to the faith of our real founding fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.]
 
 
 
    In the relationship between God and man, the things that truly matter cannot be measured—and those that can do not really matter.
    Members, co-workers, visitors, and subscribers can all be tallied, yet who save God can track the increase of faith or the building of character of members of a church?
    No minister can present a yearly report to a church board on the ratios of sheep to goats or wheat to tares. No quarterly reports can be given on the ripening of the fruit of the Spirit. No chart can mark the increase or decrease of the poor in spirit, the meek, or the pure in heart.
    We need to look no farther than the Worldwide Church of God to see that impressive membership numbers and abundant income are profoundly poor indicators of spiritual health. On every count, the metrics and markers pointed to growth and vibrancy.
    The people took these indicators as proof that God was with—and pleased with—them. Yet their spiritual state went unmeasured—and immeasurable, except through anecdotes. When things fell apart, it became evident that only a small percentage of those supporting that work were truly converted.
    Amazingly, some within the church of God are trying to resurrect all of this.
    Though it cannot be charted, there is still division within the church today. Though there is no hard data to point this out, human solutions are still being applied to spiritual problems. The numbers may not indicate it, but there is still leader/organization-idolatry, where these things stand in the place of God rather than pointing people to God.
    If we examine the many examples and statements in the Bible, we see that God's work is not defined as preaching the gospel of the Kingdom to the world. That is only a facet of what He is doing.
    God is creating men in His image (Gen 1:26). Psalm 74 says He is working salvation. John 6:29, the closest thing to a definition scripture in this regard, says clearly that the work of God is that we believe in Him whom God sent. In short, the work of God is centered on changing people. His work is primarily centered on the church, not the world.
 
Today in Scripture
    * "On the 12th day of the 1st month we set out from the Ahava Canal to go to Jerusalem..." (Ezra 8:31)
    * "In the morning [of the 12th day], as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots..." (Mark 11:20 - 14:2 / Luke 20:1 - 21:38 / Mat 21:18 - 26:16)
 
 

posted by The Daily Warrior | 2:21 PM