Is anyone else getting a little sick and tired of the arguments?

Just on the Christian side of the debate there is a wide range of views. Many Christians are incredulous that someone could be Christian and be pro-same-sex-marriage, or more poignant, that someone might be actively non-heterosexual and be a follower of Christ. The other side of the debate is similarly incredulous: "these are Christians? Who judge us. Who pontificate. Who are also sexually broken persons, yet pretend they're perfect." There is a lack of grace on both sides. Both Christian sides. Christians ripping each other apart, for the onlooking world to see, against the new command of Jesus, to "love one another." Many Christians, it has to be said, sit in the middle, seeing the folly in arguing without dignifying the other. Many are appalled at the behavior of both sides.

The largest part of the issue is what glib Christians write, unchecked, in their social media comments. We all have the tendency to be glib when we live unchecked. Then many will say, "I wanted to say that." If that's the case – that something exclusivist was said – then it's a case of intentional, stubborn disobedience. "Doesn't God give us a mind and a mouth to express our thoughts and make our stand for Him?" God doesn't need any of us to make a stand for Him. But if we're glib, and we're caught out in our glibness, there's an opportunity for introspection. Glibness, no matter how right we think we are, will win nobody to Christ, and worse, it takes us farther from the Presence of God. See how deceived we can become?

A LOOK WITHIN

Now, as I look inward, I see the materials of stubbornness and glibness right there; insoluble with God's reckoning. Glibness, if I'm honest (and because I believe in Christ I need to be honest) is an abhorrent default. And stubbornness wills me to continue, insolently, along my prideful path. Glibness is a sign of something I cannot seem in my own strength to help, and how far short I fall of God's glory; the enemy of God reminding me. Stubbornness is the same. I am stubborn on a daily basis, many times a day. Woefully inadequate am I in my awareness upon entering the intensity of my inner reflections.

Yet this is a great thing to know. It's what makes me Christian. I'm a sinner. Knowing I'm a sinner means I understand the role of sin in others' lives. I experience the grace of God in my own life, and, having been forgiven, He helps me to locate the log that is intermittently in my own eye. I accept I'll never be anything close to being perfect in this life. And so I begin never to expect perfection in others. I begin to view others through God's lens of grace. And then, peace. Only then, peace.

IMPORTANT ISSUES

These are no doubt important issues – to all parties. I would be glib and stubborn if I pretended that parties on all sides of the debate have no right to debate their argument.

As I watch from my vantage point in the middle, as someone wanting to have no view, and yet as someone who does have a view (for we all have a view, especially if we don't), I have to remind myself that my frustration is a sign of my need of God, and not a sign of their fault; those who deal differently than I do.

There is no question, these are important issues for all sides of the debate. From my look within I establish that I must respect every different viewpoint, and particularly the person from which that different viewpoint has a viable worldview that backs it up.

WHAT IS MAKING THE ARGUMENT INSOLUBLE

Now to what is irreconcilable. There is no relationship. All the sides can see is the difference and the 'hating' starts. I've seen hating language and behavior from both sides. As far as east is to west, never the twain shall meet. This is another thing we're wise to accept. Until God reigns, truly in reality, there will never be a universal oneness of view. We're made too different, together with our sinful natures, to achieve it. So we must accept that, as we're passionate one way, others will be equally passionate the other way.

If there were relationship, and by relationship I mean functionally, then we might be able to argue respectfully. But even then we would not get agreement. It helps to accept this. It helps to commit beforehand to celebrate our vitalising diversity.

A BETTER WAY TO FIGHT – THE ONLY DECENT WAY

Arguments aren't the problem. In a free society we can argue, praise God; that all comers and all views have their rightful place – not at all regarding the material of respective arguments, but for the fact we're equals. This is about upholding the decency of being human. Get that right, and keep it at the forefront, and only then do we gain rightful entry into debate.

The problem is twofold: arguing without a well-thought-out case and, underpinning fruitful arguing, playing the ball and not the man or woman, ie arguing responsibly by being a guardian of emotions – ours and theirs. If they lose emotional control, we need to modulate back. We're called to love, not to victory. Love is the victory.

Entering an argument should mean that we've previously agreed we'll not act hurt if what is said or done to us or our arguments runs awry. The license to enter the arena should be contingent on being relationally resilient enough to hold ourselves well enough to respect the other. If we cannot do that we ought to get out of the debate, because we'll fight badly and damage will ensue.

A good way to fight is also to accept there will always be a divide, and that God loves those on the opposite side of the argument just as much as He loves us. Our frustration should be a sign to us of our own incapacity to be God. It should drive us into the Godhead, but alas it doesn't and we'll often make ourselves and others pay for our spiritual incongruity that acts itself out in all sorts of criminal behaviors.

A NEW SOLUTION

There is a new solution that is also an ancient one. It's new because it's new to us. It's new every day. It's ancient because it's eternal. Nothing new under the sun. Both new and ancient.

Knowing how far we fall short is fundamental. Yet I am new, and God looks at me as if I'm perfect already – when I'm still so pathetically imperfect. Both things are true.

A new solution is this: stop. If we're not called to be a lobbyist on either side, we need to stop. Get out of the argument. We could be getting in God's way. We could be alienating people God has called us to love. Let us resolve to love in an inclusive way. Let us put away our differences, jettisoning our indifferences also, and commit again to living the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, … forbearance, kindness, goodness, … faithfulness, gentleness, self-control .

Love will call us into a rigorously uncomfortable sphere. Let us endeavor to recommence the journey every moment of our lives.

May God truly bless us all as we endeavor to live in the community of humankind, giving to each other the kindness of being human in its original form.

Christians never view Muslims as enemies. And let's leave the Muslims to speak for themselves. But some people are beginning to absorb some misleading issues about the similarities between the two religions, thereby causing Blasphemy, just in the name of making the followers of these two 'religions' re-think and unite. This should never be. If we want to unite, we should use our own human instincts and maturity, our senses of responsibility and senses of peace to do so and not trying to manipulate the word of God.

1. Christians and Muslims do not worship the same God of the Old testament. The God of the Christians right from the time of the creation operates as more than one person and this can be found in Genesis 1:26 When He said "Let us make man in our image, according to our Likeness, let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on Earth ". Also, people should stop this misleading thought that Christians hate non-believers, gay people, atheists and women's right organization. This is totally absurd. Even God loves them all and He said It that it is not His intention that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Christians only preach against their deeds which are against the standard of God. On the other hand, the Muslims vehemently oppose this Truth. They believe God is one in one personality.

2. Someone wrote 'Christians and Muslims love their children " . Well! Who doesn't love his children? Must you be a Christian or a Muslim before you love your kids? That seems ambiguous and until this point is very clear, it stands to be very weak.

3. In Christianity, both the end and the means matter a lot. By saying the Muslims and Christians believe in a wonderful Life after Life is quite a similarity. But even this after life is totally different. Christians will get to Heaven only through one way and He is Jesus Christ (Acts4: 12), while the Muslims through Mohammed with plenty of golden virgins awaiting them. This can never be found in the eternal home of the Christians.

4. Actually, it is true that both religions believe in specific paths as the only way to God. But Christianity does not preach violence and killing. Even If the middle-east incidence is cited as a reference, the children are mostly the followers of Judaism, which is different from Christianity (though with similar origin). Christianity is far above science which as well came out from Christianity origin and Judaism. That is why science will find it difficult to prove the efficacy of Christianity. The day a son proves how His father came to be will be the day when science will prove the efficacy of Christianity.

5. Islam has a one way approach to its followers and if peradventure you decide to change faith from Islam, the other followers have the right to kill you. But Christianity is not this way. You have the liberty because you have your Bible and God. If you do whatever pleases you, you will definitely face God on the judgment day. The Bible has been translated in different English versions, styles and languages ​​just for believers all around the world to know the truth and all secrets for themselves without been enslaved to their religious leaders. Unlike Islam, if you do not know Arabic, you cannot read the Koran and hence the only option is to listen to your leader.

In conclusion, though the two religions may combine to take over 2 billion out of the over 6 billion people of the world's population, they stand far apart in comparison.

Many of the so-called Christian festivals we celebrate today were originally pagan celebrations marking special times/ days in the yearly cycle of seasons. They were taken over by Christians, or, to be more specific, the Catholic Church, during the latter half of the first millennium AD. Here is why they chose to adapt pagan festivals to suit Christianity.

First, a few Examples

Before going into why many pre-Christian celebrations were hijacked by Catholics, let’s take a brief look at some prime examples of such ‘take-overs’.

Easter – The Spring Equinox has been celebrated by many cultures for thousands of years. Known as Osara by pagans, it was celebrated to mark the arrival of spring (a time of renewal and rebirth) and the land’s renewed fertility. When it was taken over by Christians to mark the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, some of the ‘old’ traditions were incorporated into the new celebrations.

Painted eggs, for instance, originated from a thousands-of-years-old Middle Eastern tradition. The ‘Easter bunny’ is actually the product of confusion over eggs in wild hares’ nests (forms) in Europe. Wild hares build forms for their young. Once the young have abandoned the forms, these nests are often taken over by birds (plovers). On finding these birds’ eggs in hares’ forms, locals believed they were left by the hares.

Halloween – Taken over in the 8th Century as ‘All Hallows Eve’ (the 1st of November being ‘All Hallows, or All Saints Day), Halloween was celebrated by pagans to mark the beginning of winter and the Celtic New Year. Samhain, as it was and still is known today by modern pagans, is also the night when the souls of people who passed away during the year are said to wander among the living. Celebrations were meant to honour the dead and aid them on their journey into the afterlife, or ‘other-world’.

Christmas – Marking the winter solstice (northern hemisphere), pagan Yule celebrations included clove-spiked oranges and apples in baskets made from evergreen boughs and flour-dusted wheat stalks being carried and offered as gifts to others by children. The interiors and exteriors of homes were decorated with ivy and holly in the hope nature sprites would join the celebrations. Representing the ‘seeds of the Divine’, mistletoe was also used as decoration.

The tasty Yule logs we have today are a mere shadow of the original ceremonial Yule logs, which had to be harvested from the land of the homeowner or presented as a gift (buying a log was unacceptable). Once the log had been dragged into the fireplace, people would decorate it with seasonal greenery, douse it with ale or cider and dust it with flour before setting it alight using a piece of the previous year’s log. After burning through the night, the log would be allowed to smoulder for 12 days before finally being ceremonially extinguished.

If at first you don’t succeed..

Sometimes, adding or changing names did not have the desired effect and additional ‘measures’ had to be taken. Introducing All Saints Day in the 8th Century, for example, was far from successful in removing the deep-rooted ‘travelling dead’ symbolism of Samhain. Honouring some new religion’s saints was, after all, somewhat different from honouring the souls of departed loved ones. To accommodate for this, All Souls Day (2nd of November), a day where people pray for the souls of the dead, was added in the 9th Century.

Why these Festivals were Hijacked

As early missionaries travelled around the world to spread the Christian message, their attempts to remove/ subdue deep-rooted native beliefs, traditions and customs met with understandable resistance. In the 6th Century, Pope Gregory I decreed that Catholic missionaries should try to accommodate for native/ pagan customs in order to make Christianity more palatable to natives. Adding new ‘holy days’ or simply renaming special dates in the pagan calendar and incorporating some of the original customs into the way such days were celebrated effectively made it easier for missionaries to convert natives to Christianity.

The concept of the evil eye in religion is so widespread that all religious groups recognize it as something to guard against. However, these beliefs naturally vary. The evil eye in Christianity is believed to be such a danger; one that requires guarding against. It is considered to be an actual manifestation of the battle that goes on in the spiritual world. It is one of the weapons used by Satan and his forces against God and God’s forces as well as the people. 

 

Christianity believes in the existence of Satan and demons, though they are not believed to be actually manifests in physical form. The evil eye in Christianity is considered to be one of the tools that the negative forces use in order to bring harm to Christian believers.

 

The evil eye in Christianity is considered to be a danger not just towards the believers but also coming from them. Christianity warns its believers to protect themselves from getting affected by envy in case they themselves might be the source. Christianity warns believers not to use the eye for evil or negative purposes such as harboring negative thoughts about other people.

The Christianity’s belief in the evil eye is found on some passages in the Holy Word. According to the Bible, Jesus referred to the eye as the lamp of the body. The Bible goes on to say that if a person’s “eye is generous, your whole body will be full of light.” However, if one’s eye is evil, one’s entire body will be filled with darkness. Later on in the same passage, the Bible says that “if the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!”

There are also several other references to the concept in Christianity principles and beliefs. According to the Holy Word, Jesus makes a reference to the belief in the parable of the laborers in the vineyard. This is found in Matthew 20:15. According to the parable, the owner of the land used the term “evil eye” when he asked the workers about their complaints or grumblings because of the land owner’s generosity.

In another passage from Mark, Jesus also enumerates several evil things during a dispute with the Pharisees. The evil eye was mentioned as one of these evil things. According to the passage, the the negative effect caused by the eye comes from a person’s heart and overcomes the person entirely. Several other mentions of the evil eye were found in the Bible, showing just how much influence the lucky eye belief in Christianity has over the religion.

 

Today the belief is mostly seen as independent of the religion of Christianity itself but more of a superstition. Even though some superstitions are frowned upon by religion as a concept, the belief in the eye is so strong that it has found a place of its own in the life of many Christians. The Christian belief relies solely on protection from God and focuses more on encouraging people to prevent having any negative thoughts. Several people, however, also rely on protective charms to shield them against the effects of the evil eye. These charms are often called evil eye jewelry but are also sometimes termed as lucky eye jewelry and charms. Evil eye jewelry such as bracelets, necklaces, and keychains are widely available. They also make great gifts. For anyone who believes and acknowledges in the power of the eye, these charms are definitely considered as must-haves.

Epistemology is the branch of philosophy which deals with knowledge. Epistemology is the analysis of the certainty of what we claim as truth. Many brilliant philosophers have spent lengthy careers defining knowledge and certainty.

How can you be sure of what you believe? What is really, actually, literally true? Your beliefs, in a sense, rule you. Why not make truth your belief rather than belief your truth?

All religions make truth claims, yet all religions contradict each other. Which religion is true above all others? The one true religion is the religion with the most rational evidence backing up its truth claims.

Epistemology is how we escape from the feel good but wrong headed claim that all ideologies are equally true. But how can we be certain about anything in an uncertain, postmodern, relativistic culture?

Christianity’s holy book, the Bible, offers evidence from the supernatural that gives certainty to its claims. The truth claims of Christianity, its epistemology, is backed up by predictive prophecies and miracles.

Some would say that Christianity is a matter of faith and not evidence. Indeed, Christianity is a faith but it’s not a blind faith. It is not a freestanding truth claim like so many of the world’s religions and philosophies. God gave us evidence and I think we should look at the evidence.

The New Testament in Acts 1:3 says that Jesus proved that He had risen from the dead by “many convincing proofs” (NAS). These proofs gave the disciples a strong epistemological basis for belief in Christ. They would go on to spread the message of the Gospel at great personal sacrifice and many of them were eventually tortured to death for their faith.

Most sacred writings of other faiths have no predictive prophecies at all. There are some alleged prophecies contained in the Koran. The Koran’s prophecies are very few in number and vague in content. The Hindu Vedas contain no predictive prophecies at all to my knowledge.

The Bible, by contrast, contains thousands of predictive prophecies that have been fulfilled down through history and some are being fulfilled in our own day. The prophecies and their fulfillments prove that God inspired the writing of the Bible. The prophecies are like God’s signature on His holy book. This divinely inspired book, the Bible, contains the doctrines of the Christian faith.

Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled over 300 messianic biblical prophecies (including 62 major prophecies) in His first coming. These prophecies that predicted details of the life of Christ were written in the Old Testament hundreds of years before His birth.

No other figure in all of world history can make anything like this claim! No king or priest or president or conqueror or philosopher or any ancient or modern celebrity other than Christ fulfilled 300 plus predictive prophecies!

Some would argue that many of the messianic prophecies are vague or ambivalent. But I would point out that though some may seem vague, many are stunningly specific and taken together they give a compelling portrait of Jesus as Messiah. (The words “Messiah” and “Christ” have the same meaning and I use them interchangeably.)

The 53rd chapter of Isaiah goes into repetitive detail of how He would die for the sins of the people. Psalm 118:22-23 predicted that the elders (builders) of Israel would reject Him. Zechariah 12:10 describes how Israel shall look at the one “whom they have pierced” and will mourn for Him and there will be a national embrace of the Messiah by Israel at His second coming.

In short, the biblical Christian faith has better fulfilled prophecies than any other of the world’s religions. The religion with the best supernatural witness is the religion with the strongest truth claim.

Then there are the miracles. The fact that Jesus performed miracles in ancient Israel is recorded in four eyewitness accounts which are the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John in the New Testament. Many miracles continue to be performed in Jesus’ name even to this day.

I recently met Ralph Anderson who was miraculously healed of cerebral palsy. He was healed through the ministry of what the world would dismissively call a “faith healer” but whom I would regard as a faithful minister of Jesus Christ. He was healed under the ministry of Kathryn Kuhlman, a well known healing evangelist of a generation ago.

The epistemological foundation of Christianity which includes both predictive prophecies and miracles, is the most rational and logical of any faith. There is no religion, cult, political ideology or philosophy that has anything that even remotely compares with the evidence that God has given us to prove the truth of Christianity.

Every religion offers evidence to support its truth claims. Why not believe in the religion with the best evidence? Why not call upon the name of Jesus Christ today!

By: Jesse Duplantis (2012)

ISBN 978-160683-687-3

Book Price $15.00

Know God And Find Your Destiny

Jesse Duplantis is known as a true evangelist. He has a TV ministry that spans the globe, and ministry offices in USA, UK, and Australia. He has spoken in literally thousands of churches worldwide and is known as the “Apostle of Joy” because of his hilarious illustrations. Jesse believes that anyone can know God and find their destiny!

Know The Truth Beware Of Error

In twenty four brief chapters, Jesse presents his message. He discusses God is a living reality (Ch. 1); we need the raw and real word of God (Ch. 4); prayers of doubt and the choices that kill (Ch. 12); who Knows the mind of the Lord? (Ch. 14); Christianity builds walls, Christ does not (Ch. 19); beware of lofty intellectualism (Ch. 22), & more.

Philosophy Purely On Jesus Christ

Jesse communicates with simple and concise phrases that convey powerful meaning. He relays, “Faith is what God has chosen to be the vehicle for healing and miracles.” His style is personable and easy to relate with!

Bold statements shall catch attention and call for personal examination. Duplantis challenges, “I find that most people can’t tell you what God said. They can only tell you their philosophy and their own ideas about how God works. But their ideas may be totally contrary to what God has already said.” His statements cause self-reflection.

Jesse causes readers to take responsibility and not blame God. He explains, “Jesus let us know that when it comes to mountains in our lives, most of the time, you aren’t really “waiting on God” to come through… He’s waiting on you to do what He already instructed you to do in His Word.” His methods shall bring readers to winning actions!

By boldly confessing God’s will, “God wants people saved, healed, at peace, and strong spiritually, physically, emotionally, financially and in every other way.” Jesse establishes a clear image for us to receive our true destiny!

Jesse’s main theme is that our rationalization has watered down God’s Word. He injects, “Culture shouldn’t take precedence over Christ.” Also, “… when people spin off into philosophies… they also end up stealing the joy… “

Jesse offers a powerful summary, “… Christ must be the source, substance, and standard for all religious philosophy-otherwise, it’s not going to measure up… base your philosophy purely on Jesus Christ… not on opinion… “

The Pure And Powerful Reality Of Christ

Jesse Duplantis skillfully guides readers into the discovery of living in the pure and powerful reality of Christ.

Reincarnation and the New Age Movement (NAM)

New Agers believe in the ancient Hindu concept of reincarnation. The belief goes as follows:

– Through a long process of rebirths, man will eventually be spiritually perfect

– Animals have the same or higher rights than humans, because animals are reincarnated souls.

– They also adhere to the Hindu principle of "karma" – which we will reap in the next life, whatever we sow in this life.

This NAM (New Age Movement) belief in reincarnation has led many New Agers to seek council from "spirit guides" or "channels" (the practice of allowing spirits from another dimension to speak through their bodies). Of course most practitioners are not aware that these practices open portals to the underworld that eventually enter and raise havoc in their lives and the lives of their loved ones.

Aliens and the NAM

Many NAM followers also believe in UFO's and extra-terrestrial beings, from which they reputedly also receive messages. UFO's have also influenced many other recent cults, such as the "Heaven's Gate".

The NAM and Global religion

Could the coming global religion be the New Age Movement; or a mixture of Christianity with the NAM and other religions; or a mutation thereof? Could it be a global Islamic Caliphate; since the book of Revelation reveals the martyrdom by God's elect by beheading?

Whatever the One World religion will be; it will be an abomination before the sovereign God of the universe (Rev. 17: 5), and it will not last long (approximately 3.5 to 7 years)! It obviously will not be a religion of God, but rather a religion of man.

The coming "one world order" will not be the creation of man, but of man under the influence of the forces of darkness; so it will be an extremely clever and seductive for the uninitiated. Most will succumb to the delusion and the lie. Indeed, at first it may encompass many religions and beliefs, but in the midst of the great tribulation (also called the Apocalypse), the antichrist (the man of perdition – Satan's representative here on earth), will finally unveil the lie. But by then it will be too late for those who worshipped the devil's name, and whoever took up his mark.

How Many Will Choose the One World Religion?

It will be a global religion that all will embrace except those who choose to worship the God of the bible; the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; specifically all those written in the Lamb's Book of Life. These will all refuse to take the mark of the beast / devil (the 666).

The Garden of Eden Lie and the NAM

Within the NAM and many other false religions or cults, Satan has succeeded in cultivating and magnifying the Genesis chapter 3 lie that we are gods.

The NAM may indeed be the Genesis 3 lie – mutated or should I say "reincarnated" into a massive global lie (The beast of Revelation). It is the lie that declares "we can be like God even while engaging in sin"; that is the seduction that the unbelievers lust for, and the core of accepted NAM.

The NAM may not be the harlot religion of Revelation 13, and 17, but its doctrine fits the "harlot of Revelation 17" description to the letter. In bible prophecy a harlot is a person or institution (such as a belief system, cult, religion or kingdom) that believes in and worships many gods.

Although many consider the New Age Movement as a refreshing outlook towards the future progression of mankind, its roots are of ancient times; a blending of occult practices, mystery religions, ancient cults and beliefs. Its "new thought for modern times" theology is really just ancient history revived for the uninitiated!

Its goal of "peace" is a veil for mass appeal; in order to expand its influence, governance and eventually for global control. Presidents and secret societies have been chanting "New World Order" for many years; especially throughout the last century.

The danger here is that when you do not know who or where the enemy is, you are most vulnerable to its sway. Most think that NAM is enlightening, harmless and progressive for our modern society; and that no evil exists within its doctrine. This is Satan's most powerful weapon; that he is harmless and or that he does not even exist. The most powerful weapon of a true enemy; whether in a military operation, a criminal act or dark forces at work – is when they can camouflage themselves from their target.

The seduction of the new age movement is that "man is God". That would be wonderful if it was true. Unfortunately for them it is not true; but just another one of Satan's delusions which mankind has swallowed up; such arrogance leads to destruction and not the immortality without submission to God, that most unbelievers lust for. The NAM glorifies man rather than God.

All of these delusionary principles of the NAM and other cults will cause many to be deceived into embracing a "universal religion" at the time of the end. They will fall for the whims of the antichrist, and will worship his image as many will be convinced that "Lucifer is God" and "God is Lucifer"!

They will worship "MAN" and concepts from "the NAM" rather than the great "I AM"! As the following passage confirms, in the last days man will call good evil; and evil they will call good.

"Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" Isaiah 5:20 (Bible – NKJV)

The Biblical and Christian Perspective on the NAM

God warns us in many scriptures to beware false prophets and false Christ's. In these last days the forces of darkness are hard at work to bombard mankind with false doctrines and hopes, so as to deceive the masses. They seduce many with promises of power released from the spirit world; through the forces of darkness.

The following bible verse is one of many that clearly refute reincarnation. Hebrews 9:27 "And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,"

The NAM mis-represents Christian doctrines by twisting Scripture to support the idea that original Christianity taught reincarnation. They have too few scriptures to cite, but one that they cite is Luke 1:17 when Jesus calls John the Baptist "Elijah". But Jesus is clearly speaking metaphorically in Luke 1:17; revealing that John the Baptist was fulfilling the prophecy of Malachi 4: 5-6.

If reincarnation is the reality then there would have been no need for Jesus death at the cross or His resurrection since He died for our sins and reincarnation presumes that man reincarnates until he is perfected.

Christianity teaches us to "humbly" accept the fact that only Jesus is perfect and this is why he had to die for the redemption of sin. He paid the price so that we can overcome sin through the only supernatural power that we should seek – the Holy Spirit. The bible teaches humility and in the faith and worship of God; while the NAM teaches pride and in the faith and worship in and of oneself. Indeed, the principles of the NAM and of the bible are diametrically opposed.

The NAM fails to recognize that Lucifer is Satan. As a result they follow the dark side; or what the bible refers to as the "prince of darkness" – which is Lucifer / Satan / the devil. Like many pagans, many in the NAM do not even believe that Satan or evil exists.

To deny that good and evil exists is to be out of touch with reality, or to believe the lie that evil is good! We see evil all over the place, even more so in these "modern / enlightened" times! The bible makes it quite clear that good and evil exists, and that evildoers are going to be accountable to it (read Proverbs 15: 3).

NAM claims that divinity exists within every human since we all are part of the divine essence. New Agers are a religion that practices idolatry and self-worship; violating God's commandment that we worship just Him!

Another NAM agenda is one that endeavors to replace the Christian faith with Mother Earth, also referred to as "Gaia". The green earth and global warming initiatives may also be interrelated to this Mother Earth movement. It is wonderful to attempt to protect the planet, as long as man does not think that they can do a better job at preserving this great green earth than God can. We need to focus more on the pollution in our soul, than the pollution in the atmosphere!

In reality however, the NAM is more about man achieving godhood without God (the Genesis Ch. 3 lie). So at the core of the NAM is faith in and worship of self (void of God). They claim that man can achieve this "godhood" by harnessing the all-pervasive life force that exists in the cosmos.

While the ultimate goal of Christianity is oneness with God, to the New Age Movement it is oneness with self. I believe I have made the case that you cannot believe in the God of the bible and at the same time embrace the New Age philosophy.

Christianity has been around for centuries. It is one of the foundations of religious belief for millions around the world. It has stood the test of time and is still standing.

As someone whose life has been forever changed by the concepts found in Christianity I can tell you that I am disturbed by the way some Christians choose to deal with those who fail to uphold the moral standards normally found in the Bible.

Everyone falls short, makes mistakes and misses the mark. But the irony of it all is this; when a person does not meet the expectations that others have for them as a Christian the funeral is usually held while the person is still breathing.

Consider the many men and women in the Bible who failed. God lets us look into their lives for a reason. I believe it is so we can all see that man is flawed, prone to making mistakes and desperately in need of a savior.

Adam and Eve – sacrificed an eternity with a relationship with God for a piece of fruit. They could have had it all but allowed sin to take the one thing we all desperately need: God.

Abraham – had Ismael when God had told him that his son would come through Sarah.

Isaac – lied about Rebekkah being his wife because he was afraid.

Jacob- deceived his father and stole from his brother

Moses – killed an Eqyptian for being an Egyptian doing what come naturally

Gideon- refused to accept the position God intended for him

David – killed a man to have his wife

Solomon – loved strange women more than he loved God.

Peter – denied Jesus 3 times

Paul – watched Christian being murdered

The list is longer but you see my point. Christians cannot say they have lived such righteous lives that they have never failed. We all have sinned and fallen so short of God’s glory. But if that is the case, how can we as a people be so intolerant of the failures of others? Because for many believers we do not look at how God views people; instead we look at how we view them.

Sometimes people find more grace in a hospital than they do in a Bible believing church. That just ought not to be. God’s grace should be sufficient for us all. It will be when we stop killing those whom Jesus died to save.

It isn't a secret as the evidence is everywhere. Christianity started with the Roman Catholic Church after Constantine established it in 325 AD. The trick as used many times by chiefs, kings, emperors, and others supposedly brought the god to earth to gain credibility and power. Prior to his murderous raids and seizing of the Roman Empire, this emperor was needful of such a positive stamp on his activities.

A look back into his history shows that Claudius Constantine was an Amorite by descent. His ancestors were the Amor who ran the Persian Empire and their original Capital was Babylon. Yes, he was Islamic by religion and birth.

The Amor occupied a large portion of the Mediterranean and built Roma (reverse Amor) as their new capital after Mary, the next capital created after Babylon was destroyed. The name Mary crops up many times in the progress of the Islamic religion and is a common name among its worshippers.

Linguistically the name is from 'ma-rI' which means 'mother's powerful eye'. That is the sun and the Islamic flag bears the 'sun-star' of five points cradled inside the crescent moon. The same 5-point star is an iconic symbol globally for the law, police, military, and other institutions. The number 5 is sacred in both Islam and Catholic worship.

Both religions pray 5 times a day and the commonalities between them is striking. Even the law, costumes, symbols, festivals, calendar, and instruments are similar because they came from the same source.

The bible supports this claim and calls Constantine the Second Beast with the number 666 to his name. A beast is a devourer and in this setting, he devours the 'spirit' connection between the real God, the Spirit of the Universe, and the spiritual people.

My reincarnation memory is very strong and explains why there is no heaven or hell, the two weapons of religion to force people to believe. They also represent the trap or prison from which it becomes impossible for many to break. Common sense will tell those who have a mind that no such places exist because they have no presence.

Religious teachers tell followers to have faith. My definition of that is 'belief in the ridiculous without proof'. How can one believe in something they cannot see, hear, touch, or feel? That is why the Catholic religion produces statues and copies of artwork depicting what some have described as Mary and angels and so on.

The cover-up comes in the brain-washing of children and the constant bombardment by members of one's community. If one fails to believe or accept the 'norm' than ostracism and loss of friends and family can result.

Constantine invented Jesus Christ and before that, there was no Christianity (Revelation 13: 12-18). The make-believe of the prophet's life and times comes mainly from Hollywood and those who are taken in by the promises and who remain trapped in their beliefs.

New Thought: Ancient Wisdom

New Thought and Christianity mix together about as well as Christianity and everything else. What's important to realize is that the fundamental principles at back of the entire New Thought Movement predate Christianity, even the old testament by many thousands of years.

Many scholars call these lessons The Hermetic Wisdom , but even that is misleading because Hermes is a western name attributed to an ancient Egyptian philosopher named Thoout . 'New Thought' is essentially the teachings of 5,000 year old Egyptian named 'Thoout' adapted for our modern palates. Basically, the New Thought Movement is based on the notions of:

1. Divine Goodness
2. Equality across race, gender, creed, and economic status
3. The Human Creative Potential (we can create the lives we want)
4. The agreement of like things (also called the 'Law of Attraction')
5. The inclusive / pervasive nature of Divinity

Sounds pretty simple right? Not really any different than the United States Declaration of Independence. Would it surprise you to know that the 20 of the original signers of the Declaration of Independence were students of these ancient Hermetic teachings?

New Thought Meets Christianity

Amongst other things, Emma Curtis Hopkins (1849-1925) is often credited with coining the phrase; "The New Thought Movement." She was a tremendously confident, prolific, outspoken, and controversial figure in our world history who was always willing to stand up for precisely what she believed in; including being instrumental in securing womens' right to vote in the United States.

As editor of, "The Christian Science Journal" she attempted to bring the Eastern lessons of Hinduism and Buddhism into the scope of Christianity. It was her firm belief that seeds of truth rest within all world religions and must be understood from a viewpoint above any proprietorship. In other words, she didn't see Christianity as bound by strict dogmas or singular teachings, instead she saw the core concepts as being present in religions all over the world.

But Christian Science was a religion and wasn't about to discard its strict teachings for sake of one woman's views. So she was dismissed as editor of the Christian Science Journal and very nearly excommunicated from their ranks.

If you can't join them, beat them …

From her perspective the core teachings of Christianity insist that Divinity is Omnipresent. How could Divinity simultaneously be all powerful and all pervasive yet owned by any one religious group?

It made no sense to her. If God is all pervasive we must be able to see signs of God everywhere, end of story. So she decided to start her own church. This is where it gets interesting. Emma Curtis Hopkins, Editor of the Christian Science Journal, gets fired from her position as editor and decides to found her own church naming it exactly the same as the one she just left! If she couldn't get the Church of Christian Science to see things her way, she was going to create her own Church of Christian Science and name it: The Church of Christian Science.

How is that even possible? Well, that sort of thing can't really happen these days, but this was over 30 years before radio or widespread use of telephones and the Christian Science Movement was spreading quickly all over the United States. People were interested in a new way of practicing their faith and Christian Science was rapidly filling that void popular across the then 37 US States. People were interested the teachings, most people didn't even realize that there were two completely unaffiliated organizations with the same name!

New Thought Christianity Proliferates

Emma Curtis Hopkins was a "Preach what I practice" sort of teacher. If her students were going to follow in her footsteps they would need to create their own churches as well. Some of her noteworthy students include:

• Charles and Myrtle Fillmore who co-founded Unity Church
• Anna Rix Militz who founded The Home of Truth
• Ernest Holmes who founded The Church of Religious Science
• Malinda Cramer, Nona L. Brooks, and Fannie Brooks who co-founded The Church of Divine Science

There are many other New Thought Christian groups out there with over 800 Churches worldwide and close to 10 million practitioners spread around the world. So diverse are they, that any effort to concisely describe them all here would be ridiculous.

So are they all the same? Do they all teach the same things? Actually, each and every one of them teaches something different, but the Core Principle: "There is a all pervasive force of goodness underlying all things" is a root common to them all.

This is an epically important principle for the people all over the world. To shed the idea that we are inherently bad and replace it with the idea that we are inherently good is a tremendously empowering way to think. Literally hundreds of different Churches now offer their own versions of that same core truth with the world. I for one think it's a pretty entertaining way to get the message out. After all, the idea of ​​being 'born good' instead of being 'born a sinner' ought to be worth at least few dozen versions …