Ben Carson, Seventh Day Adventist

I think it was Donald Trump, in attack mode, who first brought up the religion of Dr. Carson, Seventh Day Adventism.  All I knew about this group was they worshiped on Saturday, didn’t drink alcohol or eat meat, had a female founder, and were known for their good works and social action—i.e., they are living out Matthew 25. 

“Carson, the only African-Amercian presidential candidate for 2016, said two stories inspired him in his life: Up from Slavery, an autobiography of Booker T. Washington, and the account of Joseph's life in the Old Testament in the Bible.

"That really spoke volumes to my heart. Where you end up has a lot to do with the attitude you adopt in your life," he told the congregation”   http://www.christianpost.com/news/ben-carson-shares-with-iowa-church-how-he-became-christian-142552/#eVSeF3vf2jhgBMHk.99

Today I came across Teresa Beem who grew up in the faith and wrote a book about why she left. Then later she became a Catholic and in 2008 was interviewed on Marcus Grodi’s Coming Home Network. I also found a letter to the Adventist church written by her and her husband in 2001 on the scriptural reasons they left their church.

I’m accustomed to squabbles among denominations.  There are approximately 30-40,000 Protestant groups, all claiming Biblical authority, but in fact, the final authority rests with the believer, not the Bible, a tradition or a leader from the past. They see the Pope everyday in the mirror, combing their hair or putting on make-up.  Add to that all the Gen-X and Millennials who claim the faith of “None” meaning they are “spiritual” but not “religious” and they have a veneer of Christianity.  But I’m sure if Carson grows in popularity, the media will begin to make an issue of his faith—particularly what it teaches about Roman Catholicism.

Beem says her earliest memories of the faith are fear of Catholics—that they would come to kill anyone who didn’t worship on Sunday. And even today (she said in 2008 on the Journey Home) Adventism is growing particularly in South America among nominal Catholics, because it isn’t just evangelization, but fear that Catholics will rise up and kill them.  Wow.  I didn’t know that. Growing up Protestant (Church of the Brethren) I heard all the whisper myths, like Catholics worship Mary and statues and can sin without worry because they can go to confession.  Yes, I was told this by my little friends when I was about 9 or 10. Beem also says Adventists are conspiracy theorists and believe and teach the government will take away their religious rights based on the teachings of their founder Ellen White, using todays headlines to confirm many of her prophecies.

I believe Barack Obama was elected to a second term because millions of Christians (evangelicals and fundamentalists) stayed home and didn’t want to elect a Mormon, so they got a socialist who is giving away the store. Fear of Mormonism worked beneath the surface to elect Obama, so I hope we don’t get the fear mongers in the media (who mostly support Hillary) to attack Carson.

Beem on EWTN Journey Home (2008)

Beem and husband (2011)

Beem and husband letter of resignation (2001)

Abortion in the 7th Day church

Ted Cruz and the debate the media messed up

Islam: What the West Needs Know.

Documentary film

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bY4p39jeAVI

Peaceful, moderate Muslims are not following the tenets of Islam.  Even violent Muslims think they are peaceful—Islam is dedicated to establishing the faith in the world, and is therefore peaceful, even if people have to be killed.  The “verse of the sword” makes all other verses null and void. Kill them when you see them, wherever you find them (Christians and Jews).

Abrogation  in the Koran means later verses counseling Holy War, such the Sword Verse abrogate earlier verses counseling tolerance and peace .  When Westerners quote the peaceful verses, they ignore that they have been replaced.

There is no assurance of heaven, unless one dies as a martyr during jihad. Islam does not forbid suicide—and they don’t see it that way since the intention is to kill others.

Jihad means struggle. There are 164 verses in the Koran and many in the Hadith on jihad

They know how to use our rights with full knowledge they will try to destroy those rights.

Beautiful sacred music

To find inspiration for my morning bike (stationary) ride, I type in to Google, Choral sacred YouTube, so this morning I found

AGNUS DEI - Sacred Choral Music - The Choir of New College, Oxford. (recorded 1996) Album

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRwhkBAeheM

Likewise, about 3.5 million others have also been listening to it.

I wonder where the performers are now, 2 decades later?

Director Edward Higginbottom

College of New College  web page and schedule of performances

 

Paul Ryan our new Speaker of the House

I listened to Paul Ryan's speech today. It was nice to be reminded by him how important the House is to the people. We tend to forget this, but the founders made the House the most important of the branches in Section 2 of Article 1, by listing it first. It has the power of the purse, the power to make law, the power to impeach, override vetoes, vote on members of Supreme Court and impeach them. Then the Senate, section 3, which originally were not elected but appointed by the states. Then comes the executive branch, in Article 2, section 1 where the President's duty is explained as Commander in Chief of the military who can make treaties with the advice and consent of the Senate and gives occasional speeches to Congress. Then coming in 3rd in power is Article 3, the judicial power, with no mention that they should make law or invent rights as they did in Obergefell decision. The founders did not want the government to control the churches, as it does now, when it tells churches they can’t offer the Gospel if they have food pantries receiving government food, nor did they want the courts to have the power they had in Europe. Instead it was to be power for the people, the House of Representatives.

It was a revolutionary idea in the 18th century—and maybe still is since we haven't been able to hang on to it.

Do good by doing well

I received a notice today that my investment advisor had purchased 10,000  bond shares in a company I'd never heard of so I researched it. (Another purchase notice was stock in Ford, but that company I understand.) Even after reading what it does (semiconductor equipment and yield management system) I didn't understand.  What I did understand is that one of the founders (Tencor) was a Czech immigrant who left a Communist country and became successful in the United States. After poking around the internet I found a physics post doctoral fellowship named for him (died in the 90s), employees volunteering at Habitat for Humanity, grant for superior papers by young STEM students, and a foundation to support the children of his employees in college.  The company KLA-Tencor is involved in a number of “good works.”  Doing good while doing well.  It’s the capitalist way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCLf7ylBQr4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5cHeZN_t7I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lomLzuLVkgQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRc4akRPpnA

Throw back Thursday—the sweatshirt

The photo is only about 10 minutes old, but the sweatshirt is about 15 years old.  There are only a few days of the year that I wear it—have probably only washed it twice. 

Prologue to newly released YouCat Bible by Pope Francis

“I’ll tell you something: There are more persecuted Christians in the world today than in the early days of the Church. And why are they persecuted? They are persecuted because they wear a cross and bear witness to Jesus. They are convicted because they own a Bible. The Bible is therefore a highly dangerous book—so dangerous that you are treated in some countries as if you were hiding hand grenades in your closet.

It was a non-Christian, Mahatma Gandhi, who once said: “You Christians look after a document containing enough dynamite to blow all civilization to pieces, turn the world upside down, and bring peace to a battle-torn planet. But you treat it as though it is nothing more than a piece of literature.” “

YouCat means Catholic Youth Bible.

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/pope.francis.says.bible.is.a.highly.dangerous.book.that.he.loves.and.values.above.all.else/68097.htm

http://www.youcat.org/news/youcat-news/

Giving children a gift

Which candidate for president actually did something about giving children this gift? The Carson Scholars Fund, Inc. was founded in 1994 to address the education crisis in the United States. When retired world-renowned Johns Hopkins Pediatric Neurosurgeon Benjamin S. Carson, M.D. and his wife, Candy, read a research study about education in the United States, they were alarmed by the  findings. The study showed that our nation’s students ranked #21 out of 22 countries; next to the bottom of the list in science and math. Furthermore, the Carsons observed that many school display cases were filled with large trophies paying tribute to their sports teams’ achievements, while honor students were largely overlooked.” http://carsonscholars.org/

Appearances notwithstanding

Today the prompt at 3 Word Wednesday (a community for writers, poets and bloggers) is:

Nondescript, adjective: lacking distinctive or interesting features or characteristics.

Placid, adjective: (of a person or animal) not easily upset or excited, (especially of a place or stretch of water) calm and peaceful, with little movement or activity.

Quirky, adjective: characterized by peculiar or unexpected traits.

--------------------------------

She looked to be the perfect friend.
Just my type.
Bookish, nondescript appearance, sensible shoes.
But first glance, first impression can be misleading.
Beneath the placid wide eyes
Were archives of quirky questions never answered.

Update on exercycle “trip”

When I started this on Dec. 26, 2014, I had a nice little program that did calculations and showed me photographs, although it began at the Atlantic Ocean.  I thought I’d never get through Virginia, then shortly after I left that state, the website lost its funding, so I’ve been on my own (which isn’t too hard since I only go 5-7 miles a day, 26-27 calories for each mile.  In December I said I would ride to Indianapolis to see my sister-in-law Jeanne who is always our fantastic hostess when we travel to Illinois, but I’d soon zipped right on past.  So now I’m at 1583 miles on October 28, 10 months later.  I passed 35 pounds sometime in July, but haven’t lost any more weight, probably it was all that bread, wine and dessert for menu del dia in Spain in September. So I’ve decided to continue on to see in-laws Rick and Kate in Huntington Beach, and  Debbie, of course, Greg and Kari and the twins, too, who must be about two now (Nov. 22). Only 670 more miles to go.

The unhinged left

Melissa Harris Perry of MSNBC, who makes $1.2 million a year reading aloud for TV shows and is worth about $40 million while owing $70,000 in back taxes, chastised a guest for using the words “hard worker” when talking about Republican Paul Ryan. Seems that term is reserved for blacks who were slaves working in the cotton fields, which obviously isn’t her, since she’s bi-racial from a Mormon family. She also is the one who ridiculed Mitt Romney’s black grandchild and is a self-proclaimed chief of the word police. This woman has serious problems with race, words, and just being polite. She gives liberals a bad name.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/oct/26/melissa-harris-perry-rants-about-slavery-after-gue/#!

The plan to elect Hillary

There are so many things wrong with the Donald Trump run for President as a Republican I'm convinced he's a Democrat plant. Unfortunately, many Republicans either lost or never had conservative values and are falling hook, line and sinker. Go back and read about how Germans hungry for change and self esteem followed a man who promised them the moon with feel-good shouting and bombastic speeches.

The reason we've got an Obama second term is because so many Christians (I've heard 54 million, but don't really know) sat out the election and pouted because they didn't want a Mormon, or their favorite didn't run. Now much of that same group is set to do the same thing and elect Hillary Clinton. I think they are the children of the folks who voted for Ross Perot and elected Bill Clinton.

English services in Whittenberg, Germany

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDO2LlQRnhA

In 2 years (2017) we'll be celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. The cathedral in Whittenberg, Germany, shown in this video is being renovated for the influx of tourists.  There is an English language ministry here of visiting Lutheran pastors for English speakers and tourists at Whittenberg.  You'll hear some really ragged congregational singing of "A Mighty Fortress," but lots of heart. Pastor this week (earlier this month) is Rev. Ronald Stehl of Red Wing. MN.  "How are you going to get to heaven" was addressed, and even Lutherans in his own congregation got the answer wrong, he says.

Bienvenidos Pto. Vallarta, Patricia

Hurricane Patricia was the strongest hurricane on record, and just messed up some trees and houses a bit when hitting Mexico, and there seems no loss of life.  Of course, there was a sand sculpture of Mary on the beach at Puerto Vallarta that was untouched. But surely prayer couldn't stop a hurricane.

Some politicians keep their promises

When Obama was running in 2008 he promised to fundamentally transform America. He's certainly kept that promise. There are times I don't recognize America. In Ohio we have legalization of marijuana on the ballot. Before you say, “Great, it didn't hurt me I still have half my brain after losing all those cells”, you must understand the money lobby is going for revising the state constitution and allowing only about 10 mega investors in the trade to grow, process and sell it. Sweet crony capitalism if I've ever seen it. Could beat Al Gore investing in cap and trade. Criminal elements in Ohio could match DC. We got casino gambling the same way—locally citizens voted it down several times until they weaseled in and made it state wide.

As he chases the wind and solar dream, Obama puts coal mining industry in 9 states at risk with new EPA regulations and is destroying the small businesses and non-profits set up in the 1970s to fight the oil interests of the middle east since coal is one of our biggest assets. Only fracking is keeping our energy costs low (while Obama takes credit for lower gasoline prices). Meanwhile we’ll be supporting the out of work miners and all the supporting businesses with our higher taxes for unemployed and 123 wealth transfer programs.

Obergefell (same sex marriage decision by SCOTUS): John Azumah, an ordained Presbyterian minister from Ghana taught a class at Columbia Theological Seminary (Decatur, GA), “Introduction to Islam” to seminary students, the future leaders of Christianity in America. An invited iman asserted to the class that Jesus is not the Son of God, denied the crucifixion and resurrection, and maintained the Bible had been falsified. The students all listened passively with respect and responded only with very timid and politically correct questions. Until. . . a question on homosexuality. When the guest instructor answered that it was un-Islamic, not of God and unnatural, the respectful, timid class which had heard him deny all the basic tenets of the Christian faith turned on him with shock and rage. Some wanted to cancel a planned visit to a mosque. In our culture it’s acceptable for Christians to deny Jesus, but not their own sexual desires. (from First Things, Oct. 2015, “Through African Eyes” pp. 41-46)

Washington Post has a compelling article by a special ed teacher with a PhD who is leaving the profession because of required standardized testing. Read it, it will make you weep for our educators and children. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2015/10/25/special-ed-teacher-quits-i-just-cannot-justify-making-students-cry-anymore/

Standardized testing is not a left/right issue, but is bi-partisan disaster. They had it when I was a kid, but not as awful as today. Common Core and Race to the Top are the Obama versions, but Bush had No Child Left Behind. I’ve never heard a single teacher or administrator praise those programs.

I disagree with Pope Francis

XIV ORDINARY GENERAL ASSEMBLY

THE VOCATION AND MISSION OF THE FAMILY
IN THE CHURCH AND THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD

INSTRUMENTUM LABORIS

Chapter II

The Family and the Socio-Economic Context

The Family: An Irreplaceable Resource of Society

Economic Challenge. 14.

“The concrete aspects of family life are closely connected with economic matters. Many point out that, to this day, the family can easily suffer from a variety of things which make it vulnerable. Among the most important problems are those related to low wages, unemployment, economic insecurity, lack of decent work and a secure position at work, human trafficking and slavery.”

“The following effects of economic inequity are reflected in a particularly acute manner in the family: growth is impeded; a home is missing; couples do not wish to have children; children find it difficult to study and become independent; and a calm planning for the future is precluded. Pope Francis insists that a change in perception by everyone in society is necessary to overcome this situation: "Growth in justice requires more than economic growth, while presupposing such growth: it requires decisions, programmes, mechanisms and processes specifically geared to a better distribution of income, the creation of sources of employment and an integral promotion of the poor which goes beyond a simple welfare mentality" (EG, 204). Renewed solidarity between generations begins with attending to the poor of this generation, before those of future generations, giving particular attention to family needs.”

The girls of a Christian school in Chibok, Nigeria who were kidnapped by Boko Haram last year were not kidnapped because they were poor or their parents didn’t have jobs or they lacked an education.  Hitler didn’t imprison and gas Jews because either he or they were poor. Stalin didn’t send East Europeans to the Gulag because they were poor, uneducated, or lacked resources.  North Koreans aren’t starving to death because they are poor.  Christian Armenians didn’t die on a death march a hundred years ago because either they or the Turks were poor. No, it is a power based philosophy, not poverty. And the very entities the Pope assumes will make the decisions for the distribution of wealth are the entities which killed 100 million of their own citizens in the 20th century.

The United States has 123 programs to transfer wealth from the employed and comfortable to the low income and unemployed, and a total of 2,293 Federal assistance programs.   If the Pope were correct, there would be no poverty in the United States where we “distribute” $22,000 a year to each low income person.

If the Pope were correct about secure income solving the world’s problem (or bringing the masses to Jesus, which is why we have a Pope) why are there unhappy, mentally ill, dysfunctional, suicidal, imprisoned and wealthy celebrities, CEOs, doctors and politicians? Back to the drawing board, sir. Economic growth solves more poverty than socialist programs with a Christian veneer.

In 1820, the vast majority of people lived in extreme poverty and only a tiny elite enjoyed higher standards of living. Economic growth over the last 200 years completely transformed our world, and poverty fell continuously over the last two centuries. This is even more remarkable when we consider that the population increased 7-fold over the same time (which in itself is a consequence of increasing living standards and decreasing mortality – especially of infants and children – around the world). In a world without economic growth, an increase in the population would result in less and less income for everyone, and a 7-fold increase would have surely resulted in a world in which everyone is extremely poor. . .

The first of the Millenium Development Goals set by the UN was to halve the population living in absolute poverty between 1990 and 2015. Rapid economic growth meant that this goal – arguably the most important – was achieved (5 years ahead of time) in 2010.

World Poverty

It was rapid economic growth not redistribution of wealth that achieved that.

I’ve always wondered if there was a reason to eat celery

World’s Healthiest Foods newsletter writes:  “If you have become accustomed to thinking about celery as a crunchy, low-cal vegetable but not a key part of your health support, it is time to think again.

Recent research has greatly bolstered our knowledge about celery's anti-inflammatory health benefits, including its protection against inflammation in the digestive tract itself. Some of the unique non-starch polysaccharides in celery—including apiuman—appear especially important in producing these anti-inflammatory benefits. (Unlike starchy polysaccharides that provide plants with a way to store simple sugars, these non-starch polysaccharides in celery help provide this vegetable with its unique structure and are not made from simple sugars but rather from pectins.)

While celery is also rich in well-known antioxidants like vitamin C and flavonoids, scientists have now identified at least a dozen other types of antioxidant nutrients in celery. These antioxidants include dihydrostilbenoids like lunularin as well as furanocoumarins like bergapten and psoralen. The antioxidant support we get from celery is largely due to its phenolic nutrients that have been shown to help protect us against unwanted oxygen damage to our cells, blood vessels, and organ systems. “

Additional information on celery.

A Few Quick Serving Ideas

• Add chopped celery to your favorite tuna fish or chicken salad recipe.
• Enjoy the delicious tradition of eating peanut butter on celery stalks.
• Use celery leaves in salads.
• Braise chopped celery, radicchio and onions and serve topped with walnuts and your favorite soft cheese.
• Next time you are making fresh squeezed carrot juice give it a unique taste dimension by adding some celery to it.
• Add celery leaves and sliced celery stalks to soups, stews, casseroles, and Healthy Stir-Fries.
• Consider the purchase of celery in its non-Pascal varieties. Root celery can be served as a major plate vegetable all its own, and leaf celery can be substituted for parsley in almost any recipe.

http://www.livescience.com/50640-celery-nutrition.html

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/270678.php

Adult Sunday School, October 2015, UALC

Our Sunday school class is studying Romans, and for two weeks had an outstanding, articulate retired Lutheran pastor, Douglas McBride formerly of San Antonio, as our teacher. Class members are taking us through Romans after his excellent overview and first three chapters. I hope he can come back.

Paul wrote a letter to the Roman church, a mixed group of Jews and Gentiles, from  Corinth, while he was on his third missionary journey between 56 and 58 A.D. He was on his way to Spain.**  At the time he was gathering an offering from the Gentile Christians for the church in Jerusalem (15:25; Acts 24:17). Over half of the people he specifically mentions in the letter have Greek or Roman names, and he calls the Jews, “my brothers.” The church may have been started by his converts, but no one knows for certain. Since he first mentions Phoebe it appears that she brought the letter to Rome, so she must have been a trusted convert and helper. He greets a number of households indicating the church was made up of numerous groups, and he addresses in the letter a number of situations, many of which sound similar to our churches today. Struggles among themselves; how to deal with the government, etc.

He encourages unity and accepting one another, just as Christ accepted them. Yet it seems the church has never been more divided and scattered than today.

In the free box at church I found the New International Version of the Bible (Zondervan) on cassette.  I may be one of the few people who still have a hand held cassette player, so I’ve been listening to Romans while using my exercycle. Usually, I don’t enjoy audio of the Bible--speakers/voice actors go too fast or it’s too monotonous, but this one is really excellent.  There are music and sound effects, and when the writers reflect on OT passages of Jesus’ messages, there is a slight echo or reverberation.

* * “We know little about the early years of Christianity in the Iberian Peninsula. According to legend the apostle James --at Christ’s urging--carried the gospel to the country in 40 AD, but the early church writers have nothing to say about it. We know that St Paul intended to visit in Spain (Epistle to the Romans, XV, 24 and 28), which would suggest that there were organised groups for him to preach to. But there is no evidence that he made the trip, nor does any church in Spain popularly claim to have been founded by Paul.

By the second century, however, some Christian communities were probably established in the peninsula. We know that St Irenaeus, bishop of Lyons (France), writing around 180 AD, alludes to Christian churches amongst the Celts and Iberians.  We also know from a letter by St Cyprian of Carthage (?-258?) that by 254 AD there were Christian communities in Astorga, Mérida, León and Zaragoza.”  Source.

Obama and the military

Obama vetoed the NDAA. He stabbed our military in the back and sunk us at a very dangerous time—right on the heels of his giving the store to Iran to build nuclear weapons. Such bills had been vetoed by only four past presidents according to WSJ—in 1978, 1988, 1995 and 2007. In each case, the president objected to an actual provision in the bill, and each time Congress’s Armed Services committees were able to find a compromise that earned the presidential signature. Obama isn't about bi-partisanship or compromise.

In vetoing this legislation, President Obama has made history, but for all the wrong reasons. He has become the first commander in chief willing to sacrifice national security by vetoing a bill that authorizes pay, benefits and training for U.S. troops, simply because he seeks leverage to pursue his domestic political agenda.

The president didn’t veto the bill because of any of its policies, which make some of the most significant reforms to the Pentagon in more than 30 years, while giving troops the vital capabilities necessary to combat today’s mounting threats. (Wall St. Journal)

Defense is part of discretionary spending. It’s 16% of the $3.8 trillion compared to the 60% (mandated) spending on Medicare, Medicaid, S0cial Security, unemployment.