The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

Part Three

The Christian Fools Paradox, Black Is Black?

and White Is Actually White?

Part One

Part Two

An offering of bliss, or an intolerant assault on insanity?

The Christian lives his/her life in conflict, or at least they should, say true wisdom. There is not only the conflict of their life with the world, a continual struggle of lifestyles; but there is the conflict of paradox; living a life of contradiction, as seen from the natural man when compared to the Bible. Folly makes capital of the wisdom that postulates that we must die to live, we must mourn to be joyous, we must surrender to be victorious, we must hate to love, we must follow to lead, we must become poor to be rich, we must become the least to become the greatest, we must be blind to see, we must work to rest, and we must be homeless to have a home. The hardest thing a Christian can do is to be faithful to this life of self-contradiction, and this is the greatest contradiction of all, that it cannot be done by any of them. This paradox brings much scorn and laughter from Folly and her cohort of motley fools, whether they are humanist, trans-humanist, or the new variety of "Christian" humanist; or just the generic tomfools lacking any sense of judgment or understanding.

As contrary as Christian truth appears to those outside, the “truth” of the world is even more-so. For with the world, even though they use the word truth, they can never see black as black, or white as white; the ground is always giving way under their feet and balance is found in a vacuum of uncertainty. To understand anything absolutely, is to wage war with the Queen of conundrums and lord of the ludicrous; better to go with gray; a moving target is hard to nail down. They see the world as silly putty; fashioning peace on the passing approximations of plastic truth, and take their stand in the flux of creative thinking, having their feet firmly planted on nihilistic delusions. Is not this the paradox of paradox; the confidence to trust the wreathing truth of the witless?

In Folly’s jovial irreverence she sees only those things that lend to pleasure and happiness. Everything she represents is geared to produce the “happy human,” but she never deliberately divulges at what cost her happiness is procured. Whole societies are instituted for nothing else than to worship and adore her in drunken humanistic happiness; but the folly of Folly is that she cannot keep us laughing, and the truth of despair, frustration, loneliness, and guilt keep returning, calling us back to a tormented sort of sanity, which by design encapsulates a hope of deliverance. There is not enough foolishness in Hell to keep back the truth of our depravity; and our own consciousness of damnation is a signal that help is very near, that rescue is a reality, and that our sight can be restored. But, Folly in her cunning, foolishly makes us think we have no sin, when we are all sin, through-and-through; then periods of powerful soberness invade our inebriated slumber and the penetrating light of conviction brings our eyes wide open, and is the signal that it is time to fly to Jesus; a way of escape has once more opened into a foolish heart.

But many also are the Christian foolish, who have seemingly fled to the threshold of faith toting a truckload of earthly gained talents, on a quest to the Celestial City, and to build something for Jesus, and found the gate a difficult endeavor, (I think strait is the term), not adapted to heavy loads or self-imposition; and turning to a less treacherous and more stimulating way lead off into the fog of delusions, half truths, and the perceived values of good marketing. Folly wants us to believe that we are some new kind of Jew, that we must be working, doing, working, doing, and doing some more, whether in sweat, song, or sermonizing; when in truth the dead do nothing. If we want to do something for Jesus we must first do nothing at all. “Unless a grain of corn falls to the ground, and die. . . .”  “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.” (Jim Elliot)

The Cost of foolishness; it is much more than any of us can afford. Since foolishness is nearly universal, then we need only inquire of those whose job it is to gather facts and statistics and see for ourselves the very high price of frequenting the house of Folly. With the increase of foolishness comes increased cost, and foolishness is habitual, so consequently, the ultimate bankruptcy of her children. The cost of foolishness is not apparent all at once, but is generally hidden in our slumbering attitudes of acceptance over time; it becomes a “norm.” Early America was characterized by Pilgrims and Puritans in sacrificial service to God who gave them great abundance through enormous loss. These many years later, their progeny is characterized by religious entrepreneurs, lost in their own self-consciousness, making merchandise of men’s souls. And, this attitude is equally wretched in the not-so-pious group known in the new religious jargon as “the un-churched,” who used to be called “lost.” Their lostness or un-churchedness, or what-ever, is best portrayed in the form of statistics, but is probably seen by them as being progressive and diverse, or even culturally hip.

Folly has our eyes fixed on the surface of things and is always involving us in some gag to prevent our eyes seeing below the crust. Truth is not generally apparent in superficial things, or trivial things that only have the appearance of importance. It takes a discerning eye to perceive, or judge, on matters of true truth. Truth is more than a definition or mental favoritism of “what is.” Truth is a revelation of the right “idea” coming to mind when you hear the word of the Lord. The word of truth should be neither an empty sound nor a vague notion of what is meant. What did Jesus mean when He said, “I am the truth”? Folly would state something merely intellectual that she could hand out or teach a class on, and leave lying on a shelf to gather dust. Jesus, on the other hand, meant something vital, something alive, self-sustaining, and so vital that all relationships are subject to it; He was not just speaking truth, He is Himself the embodiment of truth; all truth is comprehended in Him. Folly merely puts the highest word she knows to the highest fact she knows, and calls it the–truth; but is there a higher order? In our world of jest and joviality we say no, but in our moments of extreme mental anxiety we pray there is a higher order, and the real hope of such a thing keeps us off the bridge. But, we cannot know “truth” until we know the soul of truth and that soul’s true determination; we need "truth in the inward parts."

Christian truth appears to be an assault on what the world calls sanity, but what is the truth? The Great Physician has told us not to listen to all the voices in our head, but to follow His prescription precisely.

John 7:17 “Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.”

 John 8:31,32 “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’”

John 15:7 “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.”

2 John 1:9 “Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.”

The world is a hellish insane asylum with all the doors left open and the most insane of all become the ward keepers and directors. The best that the resident doctors can do is to keeps us all medicated and away from any desire to escape into the light of true truth pretending to see beyond the realm of our detention. In the world of the benumbed  truth is like the pretty shells along the sea shore, everyone holding fast their prettiest one, never lifting eyes to gaze upon the mighty ocean from which it came.  Reality for them is found in the debris that is washed ashore; the remains of the catastrophe that once was life. They see shadows and glimmerings of things that speak of another time, but never question the reality of the once living thing that is now dead, and carefully placed on the mantelpiece to enchant us.

We never question the remote presence of flowers, even though we cannot see them, when their scent reaches our nostrils; or the nearness of a restaurant when the smell flows down the corridor of some mall; nor the fact that water exist when thirst awakens our desire. Every man and woman has been given the innate desire and sense of the supernatural that Folly masks in humor or ridicule; but have you every desired something that has no root in reality or fulfillment; your desire is prophetic of its own fulfillment. Reason and logic are confounded when presented with the true facts. 

The truth is ever before us and is nowhere hid from those who want to see it; and the truth is much more exciting than the lie. 

Think for a moment now, and ask yourself, What color is my world? Do I live in the light of truth or the fog of folly? In every thing you do, and every answer you give, test yourself; you may be quite surprised at what you find.

Against her better judgement, this could be the very best gift you receive this year; plucked from the fist of Folly.

“The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”

Part One

Part Three

Part Two

Now, let’s see, where were we when last we were together? That little sleep has made me stuporous and hazy headed. Oh yes, now it is coming back to me. We were speaking of our dear beloved Stultitia of whom we have all bowed the knee. In a rare exhibition of her generosity she has paraded all of mankind onto the stage of our delusionary life and given us a peep behind the curtain. Here we also met her propmasters and helpers Anoia, (lack of understanding or ignorance), and Lethe, (obscurity, or forgetfulness), with whose help she prepares the costumes and prints the script. It is not at all unusual to find one of her actors totally involved in his or her part, believing that they are the epitome of fashion, the defenders of the faith, masters of their own destiny, the most brilliant, the most beautiful, able to perceive dark mysteries, leap tall buildings with a single bound, or prevent the train wreck that portrays man’s life, teetering on the brink of that great death, the oblivion of outer darkness. The plethora of foolish imaginations and the creative genius of their dementia have provided the gods with infinite hours of entertainment.

We also discovered just how necessary foolishness is to the successful exploitation of our miniscule part in the grand play. Why, without Folly, her children pout and become bored, peradventure some benevolent soul should cross their path with news of life outside the cave and the hope of something more serious strike a root. Yes, yes, foolishness is what makes life worth living, proven by all of her children. From A to Z it is Folly who opens the doorway to bliss. Now, just think about it, remove all the foolishness from this dismal existence and what do you have left? Complete boredom! Veracity occupies only a fly speck in the overall production that only a minutia of mankind are ever likely to recognize it; but Folly, on the other hand, is fruitful and can be found and favored anywhere anytime, and requires but one resolve, i.e. ignore the fable in some ancient moth eaten manuscript, and get on with the show.

Folly has been generous in her perusal and desires to go beyond the general to the exalted. The common person will most readily admit of their foolish life, replete with redundant misdeeds, and ever anxious to test some new life strategy, like Lotto or investments in depreciating commodities. But, let’s go on to those who are the “wise” in this world, and who profess to shun foolishness. It is these worldly wisenheimers who have raised foolishness to an art form, and who have perfected stupidity while thumbing their nose at the common duncical lot of humanity.

Bear with me awhile as we venture into the realm of well-mollified madness. Madness tranquillized and normalized, Insaneness promoted to the status quo. Think not that Stultitia has been relegated to the State Department only; it simply is not true my fellow fool; if Folly is prolific anywhere she is prolific in the pulpit. Now we will pass from the general to the more specific.

Delusions of Grandeur, the Breakfast of Champions

Folly declares that she is so much more tempered and not like those other gods and goddesses who send curses and lightening, draughts and plagues, and all kinds of suffering when improperly recognized. She demands no temple or sacrifices. “Why should I require a goat or a wafer when men everywhere pay me homage in their minds and manners continually.” She would be the first to remind us that even the Christians follow this rule. How many of them do such foolish things like burning candles, even during the day when they are not needed, or becoming a wholly different person with a completely different persona on a certain day of the week, sometimes twice a day, and practice rituals, doing this, that, and the other, then revert back to their common everyday self for the conduction of business and life outside their religious building. And especially, those Catholics with all their sacraments, pretending to be holy by doing certain things certain ways and invoking the names of Apostles and mere men, weeping at scratches on walls, worshiping the virgin Mary instead of Jesus through so many Hail Mary recitations and bead counting, and believing they are accepted of God by these, and never actually imitating the Apostle’s holy lives with selflessness and humility. “Good lord, why would I want a temple, the whole world is my temple, dedicated to me, Folly?”

And, those Protestants, they are no better. Thinking they made great strides with Luther and Calvin. Their followers through time set up whole institutions of religious practices, dampening the light and darkening the path with the leaven of foolishness. Even the Peasant’s War, although the product of the madness of a malicious sort reflected the same folly as Popery, promoting vanity, pride, and the conceit of selfish-fulfillment, and rang the death knell for many local Catholics. Calvin also, with his great influence, was unable to forgo the sentence of death, for the poor fool Servetus, by his own followers. What was it that the Protestant church protested anyway if it wasn’t the complete foolishness of corrupt popery with its thousands and thousands of butchered humans because of their differences in beliefs on thousands of possible points? Madness never ceases. Christ’s command for them to go back and do their first work over again was translated by the Reformers as only going part way back to maybe the third or fourth works, which allowed faith and foolishness to remain a mixture.

Having taken a peek into the vortex of madness, which is madness of the grossest sort, Folly now fast forwards us into our present foolishness. Today the word “Protestant” is rarely used, and this is due to Folly’s apt assistant Lethe a.k.a. forgetfulness, which she administers with sophistication; a quality of which the whole world belies. Pray tell, what is there to “protest” today, aren’t we all becoming one. What better unity and ecumenism than the universal adoration of Folly? I, Folly, am the fulfillment of all the hopes of Hippies, the existential hinge on which the whole world turns; the universal, ecumenical, experiential focus point that every generation has sought; I, Folly, am above all gods, beloved of my children. To wake-up into my sleep is eternal, blessed, bliss.

The Reverential Face of Folly

Folly is often found in the pulpit imitating the “divines” who are confident that they have risen to Lordship, Father-hood, Reverend, or Most Reverend, or some other self-ingratiating title, and let’s not forget our esteemed Doctors.

Certainly, though no one is less willing than our religious leaders to recognize my good will toward them, but they are still obliged to me for no little benefit of importance. Who, but I, have blessed them with so much selflove that they are wholly persuaded that they are dwellers of the third heaven, looking from their lofty perch, declaring mere recipients of revelation as only kitchen table theologians, and not fitted for understanding the deep things of a Schoolman? And, those of popish persuasion declare proudly of their ability to see meanings of words not apparent to the vulgar cut of mankind; projecting penance for repentance, indulgence for grace and free gift, or judging Jesus’ own words “it is finished” to mean that it is not finished. Do you see the absolute foolishness of this? and it goes on and on, and they are lucky enough to find whole troops of gnats and flies to believe them, never questioning this popish poopery. What total moronity and my own foolishness exceed even me, in their own declaration and separating out of venial and mortal sins. Why, this madness alone accounts for the complete blessedness of millions to enjoy booze, bingo, and casino night for the price of a few good deeds. Little do they know, because they are held by an inebriated elation, that venial sins are a mere fantasy and are not to be found anywhere in all of creation. What they don’t know is that all sins are really Mortal, and there is nothing they can do to get rid of them, so “eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.” Yes, yes, oh for the joy in it all that even Jesus has been reduced to a wafer and taken captive in a bird cage. Please, let’s not stop this joy fest just now; please indulge me this further foolishness. Truth has been so far forgotten that men dressed in black open their mouth and gnats and flies fall prostrate licking their feet insisting that they have fulfilled the rule and deserve “forgiveness” from the authorized divine, according to the mandate of men. The Protestant crowd is no different; they just haven’t had as much practice.

Oh what vanity my dear prelates in Rome have, fools of the highest order, creating a schooled system of salvation by works. It offers salvation on the installment plan, and then ensures that the pathetic evildoer is perpetually behind in his payoffs, so that when he croaks there is a prodigious unpaid balance, and he must continue payments by sufferings in purgatory, or until the debt is paid by the prayer, contributions, and sufferings of his living relatives and friends. Oh, what thumbs must have become sore, sucking this from their deepest innards. The whole system and plan calls for blindness, merit, and moolah, from the cradle to the grave and even beyond. Surely the sapience that drew such a plan of salvation is from Stultitia. These foxes have so many holes they can run to that their joy is never ceasing, and their blindness never healing. If boredom sets in then a mere question is set in their mind, like “is it possible for the Father to hate the Son?” Or “could it have been possible for Christ to have been born a woman, or a devil, or a donkey, or a cucumber, or a rock? Then how the cucumber would have preached, performed miracles, and been nailed to the cross? Or, will it be permissible to eat and drink after the resurrection, seeing how much we love to eat and drink? And, the Apostles, they all knew Jesus’ mother, but which one of them could show how she was preserved from original sin as well as any of the learned Catholic theologians of renown, or how she could remain a virgin after having other offspring? The Apostles cannot hold a candle to these puffed-up beetles with all their volumes of publications and prescriptions, their holy robes and clerical collars, setting them off as excellent vessels of the Lord. And, “it is hardly clear how it was revealed to them that a charcoal sketch on a wall should be worshiped with the same worship as Christ Himself, provided that the picture has two fingers extended, long hair, and three rays in a halo stuck on the back of the skull.” Only the immense education, (the Apostles being ignorant, naïve, and uninitiated) of elite men with keen brilliance and intellect have achieved such insight. Little, will they admit, that it is Folly who has awarded these dustballs with crowns and gowns.

Pleassseee, give me my credit in this madness, the whole crowd draws it pleasure from me. The deliciousness of Stultitia’s spiritual concoction, a little holiness, a little profanity; nectar and naughtiness, mixed by pope and pastor, with an open invitation to belly up to the bar, and experience the emergence of euphoria with its new relaxed dress code. Catholics and Evangelicals coming together, pondering the last great social question; the question of human solidarity. It was my idea; give me a little credit; the conjoining of all in one. The whole idea is so exciting I get a little goosey. The world’s most immoral governing body (the Vatican) leading the way in social justice. Only Folly could have empowered the most notorious trull, wenching with kings and princes, to coach the world concerning chastity; and cover it in the vesture of charming words, “Caritas in Veritate,” charity in truth.

Imagine with me for a moment the potential of being driven by this purpose. Whole worlds of possibilities are opened up. Baptist taking vows of silence and monasteries created for no other purpose than to paralyze the tongue. Methodist stuck to the top of a pole like a sponge, not eating or sleeping, the epitome of sacrificial righteousness; protestant pillar saints; what a concept. They could even have some fun with the flogs; rent them out right next to the coffee bar and have Wednesday night workouts while contemplating how much I love them. I am beginning to sound like a mother, am I not? I am so pleased with them all; all except for those others; they refuse to play along. They are not mine, neighbor children, but I have succeeded in getting some to come over and play; funsuckers, that’s what we have nicknamed them. We can’t have them spoiling the party, can we? Our motto is “Come along, to get along,” catchy wouldn’t you say?

I could say so much more if I weren’t dancing, jostling, juggling, and joking. Why should life be so “straight” after all, it’s unnatural; and black is never black, or white, white; statutes were made for statues, stone men, and laws were built to be busted, they’re all cracked from the get-go anyway; foolishness is never cast in concrete.

Well, children, it is past my bed time. Tomorrow we will embark on an adventure to the abyss of the absolute; a field trip to the house of absurd relics: truth, holiness, perfection, and eternity, to name a few; they’re all party favorites, so come dressed-up if you like. It should be a fun time, so let’s all get a little rest; you’ll need it.

Coming soon to a Blog near you………….

The Christian Fools Paradox, Black Is Black? and White Is Actually White?

An offering of bliss, or an intolerant assault on insanity?

"WHERE IS THE WISE ONE? WHERE IS THE SCRIBE? WHERE IS THE DEBATER OF THIS AGE? HAS NOT GOD MADE THE WISDOM OF THE WORLD FOOLISH? … FOR THE FOOLISHNESS OF GOD IS WISER THAN HUMAN WISDOM."

Part Two

Part Three

The Bible has gone to great lengths to show that all of mankind, I say again, all of mankind, are deluded. Solomon has said conclusively, “Vanity of vanity, all is vanity,” and also that “Folly is bound up in the heart of a child.” Men upon the face of the earth are all men chasing shadows, all the days of their lives, and men, at the very height of their glory, are all mad. The domicile of delirium, i.e. worldly happiness, is the home of Folly, and is better known as common “foolishness,” and we could say stupidity, silliness, asininity, absurdity, imbecility, or mild mannered craziness, but let’s not get particular. This Folly, who loosely closes her fist and allows her many jewels to be heisted, with only a pretense of resistance; and sheepishly hides her face from our insanity, while attaining a howling good time, is the same goddess of this world who freely dispenses those things which, we suppose, make us happy. In our madness the pretense becomes the reality, and to unveil the charade is to spoil the whole production. To remove the actor’s make-up is to ruin the play; and to expose the play as a travesty, could well earn you a lashing, if not literal at least of the tongue. This foolishness is what those of the world call logic, wisdom, and intelligence, and that is the great delusion of mankind, and the great entertainment of Folly.

This idea of exposing the folly shut up in the bodies of men is not new with me, so I’ll take a minute to give some credit where credit is due, to Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam, who wrote the renowned work, The Praise of Folly, in the year 1511. I have loosely followed his lead without quoting him directly, while trying to retain his method of delivering a needed message through irony.

It seems that Erasmus was on his way back from Italy to England where he was visiting Vanity Fair, i.e. the Italian Renaissance (def., re-birth) himself being a Dutch Renaissance humanist Catholic Priest, having seen firsthand the bud of humanism opened in full bloom, the fruit of which are the likes of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, along with grand new ideas of literature, science, art, religion, and politics. Simultaneously with the Renaissance there was occurring the Reformation. Erasmus lived during the Reformation period, but while he was very critical of the Catholic Church, as is evidenced in The Praise of Folly, he could not bring himself to join the cause of the Reformers. In relation to clerical abuses in the Catholic Church, Erasmus remained committed to reforming the Church from within; bad idea, which has never worked.

The Reformation, now having seen five hundred years of progress, has fallen into a similar situation as the Catholic Church,  a severe degradation of both the clergy and the laity. Here again, trying to reform from within is probably not going to work, but only a strict obedience to Scripture to, “Come out from amongst them and be ye separate,” will work. As in the Catholic Church most will remain within, because that is the easiest path. And also, as during the Reformation, there is a heavy cost of swimming against the tide of the prevailing religious sentiments.

During Erasmus’ prolonged trip of about two months, and incited by his disgust of both secular and ecclesiastical corruption, he allowed himself a little levity and penned his famous book The Praise of Folly, Morias Enkomion (Μωρίας Εγκώμιον). Sometimes the book is called “In Praise of More,” since the book was dedicated to Sir Thomas More, whose title is a play on the name of More, Morias meaning folly.

Folly praises self-deception and madness and moves to a satirical examination of pious but superstitious abuses of Catholic doctrine and corrupt practices in parts of the Roman Catholic Church—to which Erasmus was ever faithful—and the folly of pedants (including Erasmus himself). Erasmus had recently returned disappointed from Rome, where he had turned down offers of advancement in the curia, and Folly increasingly takes on Erasmus' own chastising voice. The essay ends with a straightforward statement of Christian ideals. (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

More, who consequently, is recognized by the Catholic Church as an English Saint and martyr was beheaded by Henry the VIII for his part in opposing the Reformation and Henry’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon.

One last note of consequence is the fact that Erasmus fully expected to be attacked for his satirical uncovering of the foolishness within the Catholic Church, and mankind in general. It has always been the gift of the Court Jester to present truth immersed in the roar of laughter. A character trait of the true worldling is the ability to laugh at himself while not allowing any of the reality of truth to impinge upon his understanding or bring light into his darkness. When truth registers with an individual it inevitably brings a change of life, or it can bring an uproar and condemnation.

I’m not here to make anyone angry, but to exhibit some of the things which we wise and intelligent humans mistake for genuine wisdom, and pride ourselves in accomplishing. So, grab a cup of coffee and let’s take a look at a few of the jewels that Folly toys herself with.

Folly is not partial, because every flesh covered human is her offspring, and all of humankind has inherited, and is afflicted with, her madness. For men to try and define her foolishness, in all of its complexity, is like a fish trying to comprehend wetness; it can be done, but Folly’s way is to just simply abandon yourself and enjoy it, and to see it in it ridiculous outfit knowing that we all walk around in our own custom tailored clown suits.

A Note From Folly

You may ask, “Is there a value in foolishness?” Of course there is value! Isn’t it your laughable illusions that enable you to live a happy life? Even your own marketers know that if you perceive something as valuable, then who is to say it isn’t? and everyone values a good time. It is only those intellectual types and Puritans who would destroy the illusion, and bring discontentment, with a display of matters-of-fact; it is the wise man that disturbs the peace; but the wise man in doing so becomes a wise fool. The wise man, Solomon, warns us not to “…answer a fool according to his folly, or we will be like him.” A modern translation might say, “Don’t argue with a fool; those who pass by can’t tell the difference.” He who is madder laughs at him who is less; the wise man is only a well-to-do beggar, or an ingenious jughead; and the best you can hope for is borderline sanity. Ignorance is bliss.

Stultitia-

The Jewel Pouch

With that introduction let’s go swimming in the lake of madness. Let it be known that we are not talking about truth, I mean true truth; but rather the truth inherent in madness, the truth of this world, the truth of apparent reality. We will not separate the madness of religion from all the other forms of madness, because in the final analysis they are all the same, but we will distinguish between two variants of madness, as expounded by Plato, one being evil, and the other being divine or good. Plato, not knowing anything divine except the plethora of divinity ignorantly worshiped by the masses, speaks of this good type of madness as from these gods; but it is Folly’s madness none the less, and not really divine, but merely a matter of degree, and exhibited in a more peaceful manner. So, what we really have is evil madness and good madness, both of which show up in religion and the world. Our goal is primarily to expose the madness or foolishness that we call happiness; the other madness, of mayhem and murder, should be apparent without comment.

Our dear Stultitia will:

1. Endeavor to show, and provide, the necessary illusions to render life in this world tolerable and pleasant.
2. Show how she makes the professional churchmen and statesmen blind enough to be happy while conducting their various irresponsibilities.
3. Enable the Christian fool to see how incompatible the happiness of this world is with Christian joy; and to inadvertently provide a way of escape.

Irony of Irony; A Fools Life is the Best Life, and You Can Have “Your Best Life Now”

Stultitia, also known as Folly, has a very bad reputation, even amongst them who should know better, her loftiest students, the wise. They would even call her stupid, but not to her face. When she walks into a room everyone, including the snobs, become perky and giddy, because it is she who pours into the hearts of men the delight they crave. It is Folly that transforms them when they come forth out of their winters of melancholy boredom into the spring time of ecstatic ignorant elation. What their stuffy preachers couldn’t achieve in two hours of chatter, Folly accomplishes by just entering the room.

There is a reason that she wears the cap and bells of the certified fool. Take a moment and listen carefully, but not like you listen at Church, half asleep, but the way you listen to the saleslady or man who’s wrapping you around their little finger, or the low brow comedian telling off color jokes. What you will hear from her, is not nonsense, but a rational argument exhibiting untold treasures. She’s not at all ashamed of self-love either, or to pat herself on the back, after all, who knows her better than herself.

Folly keeps the best of company. Who is the company that Folly keeps? Isn’t it obvious? It is those who feed on flattery and all who practice the fine art of self-love. We may think it a shame for others to praise one self, and the wise men teach it also, but tell one of them they’re mistaken on some issue and see how quick they come to their own defense. Folly’s self-praise is considerably less offensive and more modest than the run-of-the-mill human author or speaker who pays good money to have someone else endorse him or sing his praises, or speak sheer lies, and elevate him to Heaven itself, and set him as the model of all virtue. Do you see how very modest Folly is compared to these guys; she would never make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. She is very open and honest about it all!

But, there is that other company too, the common man. He will go to any length to hear his name mentioned in some praise worthy way, whether on the dock, or in the office, from the pulpit, or in the newspaper. He will spend countless hours pouring over some thing: an article, a canvas, an idea, some grueling work, and swear he knocked it out in an hour, or had his company’s best interest in mind, just to earn a little applause. Yes, she keeps company with common folk, and they give her the greatest honor, and eagerly identify with her through their speech, which is, “that truest mirror of the mind,” never mind that they are not outwardly adorned with cap and bells, they foolishly lie, saying one thing and thinking another, something Folly would never do. She cannot be hidden even by those who think themselves wise, strutting around like geniuses, movie stars, or millionaires. The raw fact is they are some of her most ardent followers, even when they are throwing her name around at others as a mark of disgrace and something to be avoided.

Stultitia is fond of imitation; after all, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, as every fool knows, I mean, as we all know. A whole day can be consumed and privileges gained in this pastime. Call it schmoozing or sucking-up if you like, but how wonderful the perks when a compliment is rightly used in a conversation or golf game, geared to open a door or two. How delightful to win at this game of flattery and imitation. Volumes have been written on how to do or say just the right thing to bring down a kingdom or pick up a girl. From top to bottom it is foolishness, and Folly is the mother of all these blessed children.

And, speaking of children, let’s speak first of marriage and its encumbrances. Would any man in his right mind ever submit to it even once, not to mention two, three, four times, (as they do these days) if he ever listened to all the wiseacres forbidding this unthinkable thing with all of its drawbacks? What woman would ever yield to the advances of any man if she stopped to consider the perils of childbirth, and the labors and trials of raising children? This game, as ridiculous as it is, is the fountain of so many disdainful philosophers and schoolmen, and pious priest, and pope-holy pontiffs, that the continent of Europe can scarcely contain them. It would be such a little thing for Folly to assert her role in the very production of this fortune, but she would rather commend her handmaids Anoia (lack of understanding) and Lethe (forgetfulness) for their small part and service. In any case, how can you characterize this life as sane; can you even call it a life, without this associated pleasure? On the contrary, is there any part of life that is not pure misery if not seasoned with the delight of foolishness?

Call me a liar if you want, but isn’t it true that it is the foolishness of youth that makes it so attractive. Aren’t the goo goo’ing and the cuddliness of babies the things that make these little simpletons so alluring, and we encourage silliness as a way to lighten our own burden? Then there is adolescence, those teenagers; full of grace and energy, and appetite. They crave all-things and are ignorant of nothing and everything, all at the same time; one minute playing the fool, and the next, acting as if they’re Einstein. Where does this youthful charm come from but Folly’s handbag? Then there comes the wilting of the flower, our days passing by like falling stars when true happiness is found in a simple place to rest. Youth gives way to seriousness, and the farther they get from foolishness the less they are alive. Stultitia has some precious stones for these primetime grownups also. Like an Indian summer a second childhood recharges those nearly dead batteries, and brings the want of youthfulness. Red sports cars, hair plugs, and tummy tucks are prized commodities of the upperclassmen; if they could only remember where they put the car keys; and wasn’t loud music really made for the old deaf fools. Now, when we consider this advanced period of ripening, wouldn’t you agree that Folly has been most wise, in causing these overgrown nippers to revert to a kind of prepuberty, which is itself identified with a feeble grasp of reality and a meandering mind? Isn’t the primary charm of childhood capsulated in this fact, that it knows nothing? Let a child be a child; a child prodigy is only admired in the company of its parents, never actually; he’s just too smart for his own britches. But, old men and women are loved for their jolliness and feebleness, and not filled with too much wisdom, judgment and advice; but through foolishness, they are made happy. And even so, this phase, toward the end is even better than childhood. Those babes are sweet indeed but they lack the ability to talk, and in that they lack a most enjoyable pastime, gossip, and how that makes life delicious. Old people and infants are so much alike: the wrinkles, gums, whitish hair, a liking of milk, a small bodily frame, forgetful, thoughtless, toothless, loving jokes and tomfoolery; they’re a perfect match.

Now you can understand how those old wise snobs, the scholars, bankers, business owners, and all the wannabes, dry up before their time; devoted to seriousness? They forever worry and beat their brains out trying to untie the Gordian knot, when Alexander’s sword did the trick right nice. As the old saying goes, “A stupid head grows neither gray nor bald.” In this world foolishness is the only way of preserving youth; why else did the Greeks and the Romans have so many gods of pleasure. It is Folly who makes everybody laugh by getting a fool to sing some karaoke, or recite a poem, which the audience would rather hear than a performance at the concert hall, especially when soused on the secretions of madness. We will not mention the foolish things that follow such a feast, when madness has reached its peak; I can hardly keep from laughing. But, I suppose I should put my finger on my lips, lest some tender one be eavesdropping and repeat such things that can’t be spoken-out with impunity, so let’s move on with these two short questions. In this situation, what is there that a man would not give to a woman? And, what compensation would he await in return but, foolishness?

What peace and tranquility comes with perfected folly, and what a treat awaits them at the end of a grueling day, having successfully warded off the assaults of those more foolish than themselves and anyone claiming to know the “truth;” the intolerance of such a thing is repulsive. These intolerant truth fanatics are the arch enemies of Stultitia, and her many defenders deserve to be rewarded with exceptional offerings of madness, and what can this grace be but to drink beer and wine and eat food, and sit stupefied for hours watching television. What better way to end a day in the jungle than to just “tune out” reality, and spend quality time with family. The preciousness of this craziness is testified to by the fact that virtually everyone, 97.5%, partake of this blessing daily, for hours and hours, and most own more than one T.V., and many leave them on all day long. What in the world can excel this madness; a massive troop of fools enlisted for no other reason than to praise Folly, by living out a life of fantastic happiness, laughing or crying on cue. The cheap thrills we receive erratically throughout the day cannot be compared to this programed stupidity, on purpose no less; and even this is not to be compared to the banquet of fools served up for our enjoyment by Hollywood in all of its varied formats; good Lord!, this colossal ignorance takes my breath away. We haven’t even gotten to the fanatical worship of the sports channel, or the religious piracy of TBN; these are a couple of Folly’s favorites, but not to be out done by those wonderful soaps in their dishonest depiction of the life we would love to lead.

Well, my beloved friends I have taken much, too much, of your precious time in silliness and foolish talk, and I have to stop for a while. I know I promised to venture into other realms, like putting my finger on those stick-in-the-mud professional churchmen and statesmen; and to show you a blissful alternative and escape hatch, but I have to stop and get my breath; but stay tuned, the end of the thing is near, I promise.

Delusions of Grandeur, the Breakfast of Champions

Stultitia is often found in the pulpit imitating the “divines” who are confident that they have risen to Lordship, Father-hood, Reverendship, or Most Reverendship, or some other self-ingratiating title.

The Christian Fools Paradox; Black Is Black? and White Is Actually White?

An offering of bliss, or an intolerant assault on insanity?

Poor Harold Camping, the whole world has witnessed his fall, and now he must bolster his pride and continue his self-deception or confess and repent. But, let me say this in his defense; he is more honest in his promulgations than the whole camp of liberal Emergents. Harold studied the Bible, in the power of his own mind and reasoning, and boldly stated his conclusions to the world. The liberals, on the other hand, do their studying and then scurry off into shadows, innuendos, insinuation, half-truths, and misrepresentations.

These New Age liberal Emergents come to no absolute conclusions. By making no judgments, they can say everything, without saying anything. They have perfected the Luciferian art of “doublespeak” by virtually prefacing all they say with the preamble “Hath God really said,” or as Rob Bell would say “. . . and someone knows this for sure?”  Harold did no such thing; he boldly proclaimed his error, in the face of truth; he dared to come against the light in the open, and fell. The liberals lay in ambush with snares and pits, and hide in the fog of deceit. Harold was not really honest by any stretch of the imagination; even still, he was more honest than the Emergents.  When Satan initiated the use of Liberal tactics, in the Garden of Eden, he was awarded the title, “Father of all lies,” so what does that make the Emergents?

Harold rejected God’s truth and is condemned. The liberal Emergents reject God’s word and are applauded, proving that it is hard to hit a moving target or put fog in a box. At least Harold tried to be honest in his own deceived way. The best way to deceive is to copy Satan, by muddling, diluting, mixing, melding, stretching, bending, thinning, reducing, cutting, adulterating, or prostituting the truth, and never show your hand. Harold showed his hand, and is now clearly a liar and false prophet. You will rarely get a peek at the hand of an Emergent. Emergents love to engage in mind manipulation and ego massage, and appeal to the desires of the flesh, where the subtle effects of leaven can work unnoticed.

Who should we be concerned about mostly? Harold was a shooting star, his predictions were confined to a small group of followers, and collateral damage was minimal. On the other hand there are the liberal Emergents, whose infectious disease gnaw on and disintegrate the very foundation of truth. Harold Camping’s teaching is unsound, and needs to be exposed, and was mostly accomplished by his own actions; but the Emerging scourge is a wretched curse by which many a soul will be damned.

We love to focus on today’s headlines, and laugh at such foolishness as billboards predicting the return of our Lord, when all the while leprosy is creeping up our legs unnoticed. Satan will keep our eyes on the immediate comic display of a few as the real enemy surrounds the city. Harold Camping is more like a sedative to distract our attention till it is too late, until the last curtain falls on the final act, and the world is carried away in its stupor. 

The false prophet Harold Camping (see my article Harold Camping proclaims the Lord’s return will be in May 21, 2011) has put up billboards across the nation advertising his belief that the Lord will return for His Church on 5-21-2011, one such billboard is in Indianapolis. Harold’s heresy has been matched by the American Atheists who have put up their own billboards mocking, not Harold Camping, but all of Christianity. My question is, what will Harold be doing on May 22?

Where do we start an examination of “truth,” well, at the beginning would be a good place, so let’s go back to Genesis and the Garden of Eden.

The common story of the “beginning” seems to always start and finish with the disobedience of eating the forbidden fruit. That is all well and good, but much is being left out. A few questions need to be asked:

·         Why the test

·         What is the significance of the test

·         Why is the “knowledge of good and evil” a bad thing

·         Why is it important today

Let’s go back to before the eating of the fruit, when things were good between man and God. God walked with Adam and Eve, and there was an open, harmonious, relationship; not like today. Adam, not knowing “evil,” instinctively knew the right thing to say and do, always. He was not distracted with all the mental gymnastics that accompany decision making now.  Answers and solutions flowed easily from a mind uninhibited by contrary thought processes and guilt.  All of nature was in sync and operated according to a perfect order. It was a time that we can only dream about; the stuff fairy tales are made of. Adam and Eve never spent time considering a better life than what they had; trying to imagine a more perfect perfection doesn’t even make sense. They were perfectly content.

In the entire Garden there were only good things, and Man and Woman had every bit of it at their disposal, to enjoy for evermore, and never grow bored, or complacent. Only a single test was required. God did not put any pressure on them outside of a single test.

It is paramount that we understand what happened in the Garden for us to understand all the problems that followed, and to grasp the significance of our predicament today. It is kind of like a math formula; if you get the expression wrong up front the outcome will be wrong also. When things don’t work mathematically it is necessary to go back and see where you erred and make corrections.  Consequently, very much of what we are faced with today, in the church, and in the world, is a miscalculation of the consequences that took place with that single test.

There are a lot of opinions as to why God tested our ancient parents, but the one thing we know for sure is that they failed. Speculation and debates are useless and only allow good debaters to take advantage of those who are not as talented in arguing, and we see this in the world stage at every level; men, governing, controlling, and lording it over those who are considered to be their “lesser.”

The church has missed a very important part of the event that took place in the Garden. The issue of sin is not being minimized; sin is tragic, and will be the reason for the loss of so many souls to the torment of Hell. But, there is something else here that is going virtually unnoticed, and is critical for our successful navigation through the maze we call human life. How do we find our way back to God? How do we determine good from evil, and truth from error?

 The Bible declares that men are “lost.” I went wandering off one time in the desert around Superstition Mountain in Arizona. It was a long time ago. My girls were still very young. I pulled the car over to the side of the road and told Marilyn that I would be back shortly. So with camera in hand and brain turned off I started taking pictures. When I was finished I turned to go back to the car, but to my stark realization, I had become “lost.” I did not know where I had come from, or where to go. I became acutely aware that this was serious, and for an instant an adrenaline rush of fear passed over me. Lucky for me Marilyn had the presence of mind to honk the horn and direct me out of danger. That was a great lesson, and the lesson of the Garden is similar. What men have failed to learn from the Garden lesson is that they are very lost in this world and hear horns honking from many different directions, and have only succeeded in going deeper, and deeper, into a vast waste land, trying to reason-out which horn is theirs.

A human characteristic, which is now an inherent part of our makeup, is this new ability to know both good and evil. But, wouldn’t this be a good thing? Where once we were in harmony with God and His creation, and now we are in such pain, sorrow, and confusion, do you think this is a good thing? It is true,  we do know both good and evil, we just don’t know good from evil; so now what do we do? God has chosen this way to make His offer of salvation; He had a plan.

The whole idea of faith, trust, belief, devotion, obedience, consecration, dedication, sanctification, allegiance, and reliance, is that we would be able to find our way out of this wasteland by being able to distinguish the sound of God’s horn, from all the others. The horn I refer to is the voice of God. This is exactly the problem we now face, the inability to distinguish right and wrong, good and evil, and black from white. Every question has a thousand nuances, and every horn sounds like salvation.

God was clear in His directions on how to distinguish the correct path to follow, so what’s the problem? Human nature is the problem. If the easy path can be the right path also what a blessing that would be, and there lies the problem. When I was lost in the desert I had good reason to be afraid, but being lost in the “world” doesn’t appear that bad. As a matter of fact, most people don’t even consider themselves lost with all the creature comforts they have. Our diversions hide the problem, and the solution.

Have you ever stopped to consider that everything in nature takes the path of least resistance? Water will always run downhill and into the sea. The wind is the same, unless forced into another path. The laws of electricity are governed by an equal reality. The “law of the jungle” is dictated in the same way. Animals push their sick and weak to the back of the herd. Animals will do their business in the open without shame. They will procreate in the open with no regard for onlookers. They have absolutely no consciousness of guilt about destroying other animals, and little concern about the death of a sibling or parent. Humans who display such characteristics are called “animals.” Why? If evolution is the correct answer then why are we infected with all this inner turmoil to “care” about others? Why do we protect our sick and elderly? Why do we take food out of our own mouth to feed the hungry? Why are we tormented with guilt when we lie, cheat, and steal? Are the traits in animals somehow left undeveloped in humans? Are lower animals actually more highly evolved than humans in this sense, and humans still evolving to this higher state of being self-centered, un-caring, and free of guilt?

As we see in all of our surroundings, mankind is very confused in their role on this planet. Our human nature seems to be a composite of natures, a good caring side, and an opposite “law of the jungle side.” It is this law of the jungle side that desires the, go-with-the-flow, I’ll do it my way, path of least resistance, way of life. This way appears to be the right way because it blends so nicely with what we experience in life. But, this way always leaves a lot of baggage behind in the form of guilt, and the common way to remedy the problem is to submerge our hearts and souls into the mire of this depraved kind of “freedom,” and liberate ourselves from conscience. These warring natures are actually clues of how to distinguish which “horn” to listen to.

Here is the part that never makes it to the pulpit, and for some reason, we never hear of; it is the new way of coming to the knowledge of “truth,” and hearing God’s voice outside the Garden; don’t follow your heart or its reasoning. [1]Because of this we have accepted that it is O.K. to have divisions within the body of Christ, that achieving [2]“unity of mind and thought” is passé. “Is Christ divided?” Did the Holy Spirit communicate one truth to one denomination and another truth to a different denomination? Or, was truth spread around through so many religions and cults? All the Christian denominations look at all the other religions and say they have missed it, while thinking it is alright for them to pulverize God’s word into so many sects and denominations.

[3]Our “natural” ability to find solutions to problems has been totally corrupted by the invasion of a foreign element–the knowledge of evil– and there is now no way to escape from the wasteland. [4]All of our imagined solutions are only mirages, which lead us further and further away from the “truth,” and into despair. [5]There is only one way out of this house of mirrors, and without help we are doomed. [6]All of the solutions we are faced with today are only different facets of the grand delusion that [7]Eve was offered; and that delusion is the lie that we can be self-reliant; that in and of ourselves, and our own brilliant insight, we can be complete, and make our own decisions.

At this point God steps in. In our minds we would reason that the best thing to do would be to just kick the Devil out of the Garden, but the truth is just the opposite; God kicks us out, and gives us [8]instructions on how to distinguish the sound of His “horn,” or voice. Faith, trust, and belief, are key components of those instructions.

This is all very [9]simple, but has been missed by the majority of people, including Christians. We cannot see the truth because it all seems so illogical to our now impaired ability to reason correctly. Here is the simple God-logic of the situation. [10]Do not listen to the instructions that come from your faulty navigation system—your mind‑‑they will trick you into faulty conclusions, and keep you self-confident, and follow the wrong path.

In the Garden, God told our Grandparents to enjoy all of His creation for their own benefit; nothing was off limits, except one tree; “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” God told them not to eat of that tree, that if they did, they would die; it would be the beginning of a trip into superstition and despair, which would result in death.

We don’t know how long Adam and Eve lived in the Garden before the “fall;” all we know for sure is that they fell, and they died.

According to the Bible the Earth is the kingdom of Satan and his horde of disenfranchised angles called demons. God obviously had a plan since He created this place of beauty and rest in the middle of a prison planet occupied by evil on all sides. The Garden was a haven in the very center of enemy occupied territory.

Outside the sanctuary of Eden is the chaos of Satan’s dark kingdom. In this kingdom everything is antithetical, pretentious, and counterfeit. Out here, in the world, there are many horns sounding, and everyday more are heard. All of them come with a promise of light and wisdom, showing us a way to god or to become gods. Even as we speak, all of these prognosticators, seers, oracles, soothsayers, esoterics, philosophers, prophets, politicians, mystics, kabbalist, sects, denominations, cults, orthodox and unorthodox, are raising high the standard of truth, with voices sounding ever more as one voice, propagating the religion of the world.  

 In the Garden, beauty, simplicity, peace, and harmony, was obvious; chaos could not be found; everything was “the truth.” Outside, chaos and confusion reigns, and lying is the norm; you will look very hard to find true peace.

 The Word of God, i.e. the Tree of Life, has been reduced to a loosely held set of cultural events and archaic moral recommendations. The Bible has become a muffled sound in a whole concert of horns, all blaring and blending as one synchronized commotion to drown out the one true sound that can save us.

 This is exactly what we should expect if we understand what has happened in Eden. What God has said, Satan has copied, or tried to destroy. God said to Adam, “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Gen 2:16, 17. The anti-type of Satan sounds something like this, “my world is here for your enjoyment, take all you want and have fun, and be happy, but there is this one restriction, do not eat from the tree in the midst of my garden, the tree of Life, or you will die.”

 What the Bible says throughout is to live a separated life, isolated from all the commotion outside the Garden; from all the efforts of Satan to tempt and trick us into responding to one of the false sounds of deliverance. We must make a decided effort to ignore the sirens and seductresses of this world by closing off all avenues of assault. Not only that, but we are instructed to not even trust our own thinking. I know this all sounds ridiculous, and that is precisely why very few will heed the warnings, and so many will be lost.

 [11]As the world continues to rumble, and the seas roar, like a woman in labor, ready to deliver, the events that took place in Eden, and after that, should begin to make more sense. The tree of Life—the Bible–that we are advised to not take literally, is our only escape. It foretells of these end time calamities. The religious and political power structures of Satan’s world have diluted the message to a near meaningless book of verbiage. For anyone still seeking the truth, the message is still absolute, and able to lead any who follow to safety, but the trip is not without perils; the Bible is clear on that point also.

 The Bible, the Word, is the “tree of Life.”  When the Bible speaks of mixing two types of cloth together, plowing with an ox and an ass, or adding yeast to dough, it is speaking of the peril of adding or mixing anything of the world to the truth of Scripture; this will never work; it is like adding venom to vaccine, as history has proven.

 By extension we can say: If you think you can do something good for the Lord, you are wrong. If you think you can build or plant a “Church” for the Lord, you are wrong. If you think you can live a good life and please the Lord that way, you are wrong. If you think speaking in tongues, or healing the sick, or even reading your Bible will secure you a seat on the Gospel Train, you are wrong. We had life once, inside the Garden of Eden, but now, outside the Garden, the Lord requires death. Jesus said to follow Him. Where did He go? He went to a hill outside Jerusalem and died, and it is there we are to follow. Dead men do not do anything, they are dead. All our thoughts and good intentions must go; all our aspirations and education, no good; all our lust, desires, and habits along with all of those things, even our devotion to children and spouse, must take their place on the burning altar and be reduced to ashes. Then, and only then, with the faith and belief of Abraham, we know that what we have dedicated to the Lord He is able to raise again from the ashes, to be a vessel for the King’s use, forever, and evermore.

Rom 12:1-2

 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

 John 14:23-24

 Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

 This is part of the lost truth of the Bible, and this is only the beginning. There is so much that we are not hearing from the sounds coming from so many religious buildings, with their CEO’s and Sunday morning speeches, and the horns are earsplitting. We have men trained by men to preach the party line; ordained by men, commissioned by men, sent by men, to build something for “men.” It sounds very much like the episode of Nimrod and the Tower of Babel.

 These are the last days of the last days, before the Lord’s return, and truth is at a premium. Solomon instructs us to “buy the truth and sell it not.” Jesus instructs us to sell everything we own and buy “the pearl of great price.” They both speak of “truth” as the most valuable possession that a person can own. There are so few of us who really want to know the truth. We will satisfy ourselves with concession, because it is something we can live with.

 You have to be very careful and “See to it, then, that the light that is within you is not darkness.” Luke 11:35

 “Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!”  Matthew 7:22, 23

Many people, and Christians also, simply do not understand the story of the Bible, and throw out the parts that bother them. The Bible is the complete testimony of God; we accept it all or we reject it all, there is no middle ground. Those who did not accept Noah's offer of safety inside the ark perished; mercy had run it course. The Truth is still setting people free.

How often have you heard someone say, Awhat in the world are you waiting for?@ Deep down in the substrata of this little question rest the essence of nearly all the problems that plague the Church and the world.

 

This phrase is really a test of our allegiance. Is there an emotional, psychological, or physical bond that is fastening you to this world? Is there something you’re waiting for? We know that those who are of this world are waiting for something: more free time, hit the lotto, hit their boss, a new house, a new car, a new computer, the latest action game, a girlfriend, a boyfriend, to change the world, or a change of scenery, Friday, payday, another day, any day, as long as it isn’t today. When the world stops waiting for something, they’re probably pretty much at the end of their rope or the end of their life. Life, for those of this world, is mostly about waiting for something. Those people are linked to the world in a very materialistic way, waiting for it, the world, to deliver.

 

But, what about you, Christian man, Christian woman? When I say Ayou@ I mean all of you who say you are not waiting for anything of this world, and that includes a paycheck. Now, let=s narrow the field a little further, by introducing another question, Awhy do you do the things you do?@ This question tries to probe and penetrate the delusional fog that has engulfed the Church. Have you sensed that something has crept into the lives of everyday Christians, that doesn’t belong there, like an alien presence? Even writing this article can be a deception, thinking all-the-while that I am waging this important front line battle against Church corruption, when in reality it may be, that deep down, I’m just waiting for something. We have to force ourselves to answer these questions. It is conceivable that I’m waiting to write an article that will win me a little recognition and applause; and it is conceivable that what you are doing, and waiting for, is something for your own glory, and not the Lord’s at all.

 

Let me be direct. I’m talking about Ahumanism.@ Christian humanism is the trick that the flesh plays on us when we pretend we are doing something for the Lord. The humanism I speak of is not that credo or manifesto that many consciously accept because it blends so easily and conveniently with their worldview. It is not that way of life that we intentionally agreed to as a “consenting adult.” The humanism I speak of is that template that was stamped into our nature because we are children of Adam, and created in his likeness. It is not something extra that is tacked onto our God likeness, but rather, this humanism lies at the core of our being. The “Humanist Manifesto,” on the other hand, is basically the mandate and justification, by the world, for humans to be and act, like humans. Who do they justify this to, Christians? No! They justify it to themselves, to override that inner voice of conscience, which is saying that what they are doing is wrong? They certainly don=t have to justify it to Christians or anyone else; pray tell, they need no justification, they couldn’t do otherwise.

 

Humanism is both the scourge of the age and the drug of choice for today=s man and woman. You don=t have to look far to see the all-encompassing nature and effects of humanism in any aspect of life, and clearly it has captured the Church, e.g. Rob Bell, and Brian McLaren.

Before you can recognize humanism in the Church, you must be able to recognize it in yourself. It is there, it is all around us, and unavoidable, but it must be detected. In all of my efforts to expose this nasty plague to the consciences of those who represent our Lord in these last days, there has not been one in a hundred who have openly acknowledged the seriousness of the problem in the Body of Christ, not to mention their own lives. In most cases it has been vigorously denied or thrown back at me as one who has a vendetta against a particular person or the Church in general. I have no vendetta. Truth is the one thing that will bring the healing we need so desperately, with our eyes focus hard on that One who was lifted up for us. Jesus is Truth, and He is healing, and He is truly Human and truly God, and our only hope of escape and rescue is to clinging to that rope of Faith, in Who He really is, and what He represents for a disintegrating world.

Be careful of how you entered into the AWay@ and that you are not a common thief or robber. Be careful that it isn’t you, in your human nature, who will be on the wrong side; that you find yourself turning against truth instead of proclaiming truth. Examine yourself closely that you are not found to be only, at the end, a mere “HUMAN.”

By Christian J. Pinto

http://www.adullamfilms.com/

“For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither

hid, that shall not be known.” (Luke 12:2)

Perhaps more dangerous than yoga, psychology, or any of the new age doctrines that have crept into modern churches, is the ongoing love affair that some believers have with patriotic Christianity.  Many Christian leaders, who can easily spot the lies of the New Age movement, abandon all discernment when it comes to the history of America and the idea that this country was founded as a Christian nation.  Yes, they are well able to recognize the kundalini serpent crawling up the spine of believers at the gym, but can’t seem to figure out that the Washington monument is a pagan phallic symbol that glorifies a demonic entity. They are unable to discern that just because certain Freemasons wrote “Glory to God” on it does not make it a Christian icon.

Christians who live in America understand that we are soldiers of Christ, who are strangers and pilgrims upon the earth, and who happen to be stationed in a place called America.  American Christians, on the other hand, believe that the United States represents the kingdom of God on earth, and their purpose is to promote American values and the revolutionary principles of democracy, rather than the message of life eternal.  They will politely refrain from being too forward about such sensitive issues as heaven and hell; but will be bold to speak about freedom of speech and the right to bear arms.  ”I don’t want to intrude my beliefs on yours,” they say, “unless it comes to my Constitutional rights!”  If their zeal for the Lord Jesus were equal to their love for America, we can only wonder what great things might be done for the sake of the truth.  As believers living in America, we must ask: is the core message of Americanism, even at its best, really that of the Bible?

Church and State

If one studies these elite societies at any length, he will quickly realize that their religious views cannot be separated from their political machinations.  Their insistence on a separation of church and state does not mean they want to separate religion from government.  It means they want to separate The Church (i.e. Christianity) from the state.  This is why they demand that all Christian icons (the cross, ten commandments, etc.) be removed from government buildings, seals, etc.  Yet the pagan icons, such as the Statue of Liberty, the Eye of Horus, the Washington Monument, along with countless other celebrations of the occult religions are never threatened.  Yes, the Ten Commandments must be taken away from in front of the courthouse, but the statue of the blindfolded Themis, the Greek goddess of justice, can remain unfettered.  The message is clear: the devils can stay, but God must go.

The Founding Fathers of America

Many Christians are repeatedly told by their pastors, teachers and church leaders that America was founded as a Christian nation.  This assertion would not be so bad if it were confined to the arrival of the Puritans at Plymouth, and the early development of the new world.  If that were the case, it would be an accurate statement in this writer’s opinion.  It is very clear that the Puritan/Pilgrims who built the towns, cities and roads for the original 13 colonies did so as Bible believers who were establishing Christian communities.

The problem arises when one marks the foundation of our country at the American Revolution and the establishment of the United States.  It is at this point where all bible believing Christians should be very wary, since the working of occult societies during this era was at an unprecedented height in history.  Some historians even argue that you simply cannot understand the history of the world for the past few hundred years if you do not take these societies into account.  Their members have been the planners, leaders, and engineers of a global agenda, one that they do not readily share with the rest of the world.  More importantly, they often use “religion” as an instrument to manipulate the masses, their belief being that the end justifies the means.

For Christians, our concern should be not for their conspiracy to take over the world, which is simply the fulfillment of God’s prophecies and proof that His Word is true.  Rather, our concern must be their corruption of the faith of Christ from within our ranks.  In the New Testament, Jude gives us this important exhortation:

“… it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort

you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was

once delivered unto the saints.  For there are certain men

crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this

condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God

into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our

Lord Jesus Christ.” (Jude 3-4)

Notice that Jude is warning us that we must “contend” (i.e. fight) for the true faith because “certain men” whom he calls “ungodly” have crept into the church.  Such warnings are found throughout the New Testament.  Jesus warned of “ravening wolves” in “sheep’s clothing” (Matthew 7:15), while Paul warned of “grievous wolves” who would not spare the flock (Acts 20:29), while Peter warned that such men would bring in “damnable heresies” (2 Peter 2:1) and would be denying the Lord, just as Jude confirms.

Sadly, all of the above warnings can be found among the chief Founders of the American Revolution, which will be shown in the following articles.  The question is, are the Founders men who have crept into the church?  The answer can only be “yes.”  Not only were these men involved in churches in their lifetimes, but even two centuries later, their names and philosophies are sounded regularly among the congregations of the Lord.  Their influence is among us, as surely as if they lived and breathed at this very hour.

Consider this: when our Puritan fathers founded Harvard University in 1636, they set forth the motto: Veritas Christo et Ecclesiae which means “Truth for Christ and the Church.”  That was the original focus of Harvard and they had no problem stating it openly.  Nearly four hundred years later, the motto has been shortened to: Veritas. Simply the word for “Truth.”  As with many things, “Christ and the Church” have been thrust out.  But this is no accident, and is not a betrayal of the “original intent” of the Revolutionaries.  On the contrary, it is exactly what they wanted.  Yes, the Pilgrims would be turning in their graves, but they are separated from Jefferson, Adams and Franklin by more than a hundred years.

Taking America Back: but back to what?

The evidence will show that the troubles for Christianity in America did not begin when they took prayer out of schools in the 1960′s.  It began with the American Revolution.  This is especially bad news for those who think we need to “get back to the founding fathers.”  George Washington and Thomas Jefferson do not represent the solution — rather, they were the very beginning of the problem. But to understand this, you must first understand them.

The Bible vs. Secular Terminology

It may be that the greatest single hindrance to discerning the truth about these men is that they are often defined – not by a Biblical standard – but by secular thinking.  It is one thing for teachers and professors in universities to have such a view, but quite another for pastors and ministers in the church.  Our first responsibility is to the Word of God and the preaching of the Gospel, not to promote secular philosophies and ideas.

It is often given out that certain founders were “deists” or “theists” or some other such thing.  Unfortunately, such worldly terms are very misleading and only succeed in masking the truth.  It reminds me of an interview I heard with a woman who said she represented a “Pregnancy Alternative Clinic,” which was really an “Abortion Clinic.”  The words pregnancy alternative helped to soften the blow of what she was really promoting.  So it is with those who refer to the founders as “non-religious” or “free-thinkers” etc.  It does not represent the Biblical point of view, which is of great concern since Jesus said:

“He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words,

hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken,

the same shall judge him in the last day.” (John 12:48)

Ultimately, all men will be judged according to the Word of God; so our service toward mankind is to inform them of how their condition is viewed in the sight of God.  Imagine a doctor telling a man that he has some “respiratory irregularity,” when the truth is that he has lung cancer! Does the doctor do a service to a dying man by misleading him?

I am reminded of a popular TV show, “The Biggest Loser,” about overweight people who are brought to a work out camp for weight loss.  At some point, these people are made to sit down with a doctor, who often informs them that if they do not lose the necessary weight, they will die in a short time.  Often, those who are given such news weep, and are shocked to hear the report.  Nevertheless, it is that very shock that compels them to do something about it.  A patient needs to know the dire nature of his condition so that he will be compelled to act.  Where spiritual matters are concerned, we must seek the Great Physician for an examination of how the beliefs of deists and freethinkers should be viewed.

Judge Not?

Whenever discussions come up about the faith of others, some will often object and cry out that it is wrong to question.  ”If someone claims to believe God, or says they have faith in Christianity, we ought to take them at their word,” they say.  But according to the Bible, it is in no way wrong to examine the faith of those who claim to be Christians.  If anything, the fault is in failing to exercise discernment.  We are not expected to politely accept a confession, especially if we are given cause to doubt it.  On the contrary, we are told:

“Beware of false prophets …” (Matthew 7:15)

“Take heed that no man deceive you …” (Matthew 24:4)

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether

they are of God …” (1 John 4:1)

In the articles that follow, we will examine some of the beliefs of the key founding fathers, whose own words prove that these men were not Christians and had no intention of founding a Christian country.  As you read the words of these men, consider how their so-called “faith” would be viewed in the sight of God.  How does the Word of Life judge their testimonies?  Remember this verse:

“Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ?

He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.” (1 John 2:22

HT Yvonne

Rob Bell is obviously not one of those to whom the truth has been revealed, and has found it necessary to rely on his own “reason” to try and de-code Bible mysteries.  Rob’s results are laughable since he overlooks the evident simplicity of “truth.”

When Jesus spoke, many misunderstood Him, because He would use the apparent to identify the not-so-apparent. Most often this was seen in the many parables He spoke. Even His Disciples had to be taken aside and the meaning “revealed” to them. We are told that this is how we are to understand everything spiritual; it has to be revealed to us. Also, we are told that to those outside, the answer is not revealed, and that they will remain in the dark.

Understanding the inspired writings of God, which is proven by our obedience, is a wonderful “fruit,” and much joy comes as a result; along with much trouble. We are told to look for the fruit to distinguish the true believers from the false. But, in Rob Bell we see no fruit of understanding, only the fruits of a clever mind. Rob stumbles along, when trying to grasp what the Bible could possibly be talking about, when it uses words like “Gehenna.” Many in Jesus day were confused by His use of the common to illustrate the uncommon; they just couldn’t connect the dots, because the Master did not reveal the answer, and the Holy Spirit had not yet been given.

There were some of those surrounding Jesus who would have understood that the Greek word Gehenna was the same as the Hebrew Old Testament word Tophet , “ Topheth has long been prepared; it has been made ready for the king. Its fire pit has been made deep and wide, with an abundance of fire and wood; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of burning sulfur, sets it ablaze,” (Isa. 30:33; Jer. 7:31,32.)

Jesus was linking Gehenna with Tophet, and neither Gehenna nor Tophet were the same as Sheol, Hades, the Abyss, or Tartarus, although they were translated Hell. Thus our Savior says in Matt. 10:28, “that we are not to fear them which kill the body, but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both body and soul in Gehenna.” This is the same place that John calls “the lake of fire which burneth with brimstone,” and into which the Beast and the False Prophet, Satan, Death, Hades, and whosoever is not found written in the book of life, are finally cast, and swallowed up forever; i.e., it is the ultimate “Hell” of full and final punishment.

As far as Rob wishing that this world is “Hell;” he can only wish.

Rob’s ignorance of Scripture shows up in his dealing with the Rich Man and Lazarus also. This story is not called a parable, and could very well be the unveiling of an invisible world where departed souls, of both good and bad, continue on in life, after leaving the body. Is not God the God of the Living?

If I may add my two cents worth here concerning Hades I think that the Scriptures have designated Hades as a place, other than just a hole in the ground. A careful inventory of the passages where this word is used I think is conclusive that Hades is the name of a place in the unseen world. But, it is distinct from Hell as the place of the final judgment. The ancient's understanding of the word was that it was a place of departed spirits, a receptacle of souls that have left the body. This is the place where Christ descended into, a place where both good and bad souls, up to the time of Christ's resurrection, went. The reason I say this, is that it seems that Hades was divided into two compartments, one side of which was known as "paradise." Hades is the place where the rich man and Lazarus both went when they died. Lazarus went into the bosom of Abraham, i.e. Paradise. In Hades the rich man lifted up his eyes and seeing Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom. Lazarus was then in Hades too, as well as Abraham, and the only difference was a great gulf between them. Lazarus was comforted and the rich man tormented, but Lazarus was not yet in Heaven. And, also, the words of our Lord while on the cross to the thief; today you will be with me in Paradise, i.e. the better part of Hades. They were neither in Hell nor in Heaven. It is kind of like a holding area for both, a place of detention. We don't hear that there was any compensation given to the good, or of judgment for the bad. Christ, by virtue of death went to Paradise, but not as a subject of death, but as its conqueror proclaiming victory to the departed saints (1 Peter 3:18, 19) and brought with Him the faithful souls as "having the keys to death and to Hades." Paradise no longer is in Hades, but only those who await judgment. "O death where is thy sting? O Hades where is thy victory?" The grave still has its victory, all our dead bodies will end up there, but there is no victory for Hades as to the faithful, but only for those who have no claim in Christ; no share in His redemption. But, Hades is not Hell/Gehenna.

Rob’s nice little story may appease weak souls who feed on corn husk, but it will never convince anyone who is filled with the Spirit of God. Rob Bell is an unbeliever and a false teacher which can be proven by his fruits and his theatrics, and his rejection of the simple word of God.