Which Way Western Man?

Have you ever realized that we cannot make life?

That although we can certainly end the lives of others and continue doing what is necessary to continue our own, life itself cannot actually be created by us? This is simply because we are not God, regardless of how badly the satanists and those of this world seek to disprove that reality. We are merely imitations of His image, and a continual chain of life born from the first man, and continuing on until the last..

We cannot make a tree out of nothing, but we can use the fruits and seeds it produces to continue the chain of life that was once started by our creator. We can take an acorn, provide it with fertile soil, water and sunlight until it becomes an oak tree.. but no matter how badly those of the earth want, the living being itself is created by God alone, we just continue the chain of existence.

The Bible itself has been passed down generation after generation, providing the truth, the beautiful, the good and the love of our original creator down through the ages to all who come to exist along the chain of life referred to now as the human race. The history and wisdom of the Bible is a combination of hope and eternity, of life and of love.. It provides all who experience it the knowledge that this world we exist in now is temporary, and that evil is not inevitable or unavoidable. It calls us to look beyond the present moment and act for others + those who have yet to exist.

"He who plants a tree, plants a hope." -Lucy Larcom

Western Civilization is based on a foundation of 3 pillars:
- Greco-Roman Legacy : our philosophical + legal legacy. Where we got our ideas about law, material world constructs, language, art + science.
- The European Nations : a geographic region of the world where the Bible mixed with earth-worshiping pagans to create successful states, institutions, technologies, art + lifestyles that eventually spread to various colonies around the world.
- Christianity : the manifestation of God's truth + love born through His only son, and carried on through disciples to all of the various nations and to all of the spiritually poor.

Western Civilization itself was not created by any man, it was collectively produced and passed down to the future generations. It continues through us even now and to all who are still to come. Before becoming what we today consider to be "civilized" our European ancestors were barbaric, short-sighted, hedonistic, unskilled, violent, unorganized, and lacking organization. The Roman conquests of Europe, and the resulting Christian empires brought about what we now consider to be civilization. Our history was bloody and full of mistakes, as is our present state and that of our future offspring.. But we continue to make things here on earth better together over time as we individually seek the Kingdom of Heaven.

Christian virtues continue to improve human life here on earth, as our Bible teaches those with faith to have self-control, joy, love, and to seek out truth + the value of life provided to us by the creator. Our barbarian ancestors reacted to their environment, sought out power and pleasure, and sought to make their time here on earth long and easy.. Christians, however, are called by God's only Son to seek first the Kingdom of Heaven, sacrificing the temporary things in exchange for righteous eternal rewards.

This faith in the word of God necessarily provides all life with independence and importance. The knowledge of Christ's redemption shows us that we are all uniquely important and that our lives are valuable. Every single man, woman and child are now rightfully understood as individual souls, capable of carrying out atrocious evils, as well as finding and living beautiful and meaningful lives in the now and in the forever after. Christ showed us that we all have intrinsic value to God, and that we are not just temporary walking meat creatures. Christ's teachings provided us with what is now known as romantic love, and He provided future generations with respect and purpose for women, as well as all of the physically weak.

The Christians of Europe not only successfully continued the chain of life down to the present moment, but they forged over time a beautiful and prosperous environment in this temporary place. One that has provided us with beauty, love, knowledge, justice, meaning and purpose.. The sacrifices made by our ancestors brought us what we have and know today, and it is our job now to continue this journey of spreading the good of our creator down to those who are to come next. Our job is to seek first the Kingdom of Heaven, by trusting and loving our creator and all of His creations, and to avoid the evil temptations of this temporary physical world.

"The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit." -Nelson Henderson

We didn't make Christianity, we didn't make civilization. We just continued the chain of events for centuries, and continue to do so today. The meaning of life is to pass along the truth and love of God to His creations existing around you now, and down to all who have yet to be created. Go spread the love and truth of the Bible however possible, and share the teachings of Christ with your fellow humans now and forever.

If the tiny acorn is planted on fertile soil and given enough water + sunlight, it will grow into a mighty oak tree in time..

My Response To Christianity Today's Coronavirus Conspiracy Article

This is a response to Ed Stetzer's article for Christianity Today called "On Christians Spreading Corona Conspiracies: Gullibility is not a Spiritual Gift" the link to which is at the bottom of this blog

I want to start off this critique by pointing out that in Ed Stetzer's article for Christianity Today, there are a lot of claims made about Christians sharing "conspiracy theories" online regarding the recent outbreak of the coronavirus, and yet he only chooses to share one of said theories.. The theory that the virus itself was made in a Chinese lab, as well as the accompanying claims that it was deliberately spread to other nations. These claims are actually now being investigated and taken seriously by the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security. Ed conveniently leaves out the novel being pushed by supposedly "credible sources" that the outbreak was caused by Chinese citizens eating diseased bats from a wet market in the Wuhan province.. A story that is quite clearly nonsensical and laughable to intelligent minds.

His opinion piece is packed full of insults, fallacies, and manipulative rhetoric, yet glaringly lacks any sort of evidence based claims to disprove what he labels "conspiracy theories." He repeats the phrases "conspiracies," "lies" and "gullible" many times when referring to the behavior of Christians, while clearly placing his trust in "credible sources" who have a well documented history of being wrong or even outright lying to the general public.

The term "conspiracy theory" was in fact created by the CIA originally to discredit those who challenged the official narrative about the John F. Kennedy assassination, and has since been used to discredit any who dare question the stories provided to us by corporate media institutions and government agencies. You know, like how Vietnamese rebels never actually fired at US ships in the Gulf of Tonkin, how Iraqi soldiers did not remove babies from incubators in Kuwait, or how Jeffrey Epstein obviously did not commit suicide in his jail cell.. These blatant lies and deceptions pushed by "credible sources" are still believed by most because those willing to risk shining light on the truth are demonized with labels like "conspiracy theorist" and called "gullible" by people like Ed Stetzer.

I suggest you take your own advice Ed, and recognize that gullibility is not a spiritual gift.

He claims that "As followers of Jesus, we are people of the truth. Falling for and spreading conspiracy theories does not honor the Lord, but it does cause people to question our judgement." This self-described Christian is forgetting that we are called upon to not cast judgement on our neighbors repeatedly by our Lord. He is choosing to judge and belittle other Christians publicly for their actions instead of leaving that judgement and criticism to the Lord alone.

Jesus states in Matthew 7:1 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged." Paul writes in Romans 2:1 "You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgement on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgement do the same things." Also, it should be noted that it matters not what the humans of this world think of us or our "judgement" if we truly believe in, trust, and act righteously for God. Are you doing right by God, or are you focused on doing what is expected of you by the crowd here on earth Mr. Stetzer? For if we truly know God's logos and trust in His plan, why would people's opinions about us matter at all?

Ed claims that "..we need to speak up.. and lovingly say 'you need to go to trusted sources" and that "..there are plenty of credible news sources.." yet he fails to point the Christians he is judging here to actual scripture and the word of our God during these chaotic and confusing times. I strongly advise that Christians, and even non-believers, look towards the insights of ancient, time tested knowledge given to us by our creator when faced with earthly threats and dangerous environments. Our Lord makes it very clear to us that we should have no fear, that we should place our trust in Him, and to put on His armor when the threats of this earth do come for us.

"Yes, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for you are with me, your rod and your staff they comfort me." Psalm 23:4

"When I am afraid, I put my trust in you." Psalm 56:3

"Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe." Proverbs 29:25

"But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. 'Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened." 1 Peter 3:14

"Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Ephesians 6:10-12

... and I could easily keep going and going.

It seems like Ed is lacking in trust with God's plan, instead choosing to place his trust in the authority figures and the opinions of his peers here in this temporary place. That is fine, he can choose to suffer and die with his academic friends, and our Lord will grant him that wish. And may he live a thousands years.. The only problem I have is that he is mocking and condemning Christians for their trust in the Lord's plan, as well as their disbelief in earthly powers who have a recorded record of leading us down dark paths and away from the presence of God and His Kingdom. Ed is attempting to shame believers into placing their trust in man instead of trusting in God, who will make all things good in time.

In his article, Ed continues to judge Christians by stating that "you're ultimately bringing harm to yourself and your community" by questioning the narratives of our earthly institutions.. He claims that "we damage our witness and that of your church.. when you focus on unproven theories and speculation.." Ed fails to explain what harm is actually being caused by us having opinions that differ from the unspecified "trusted sources." He seems truly worried about what non-believers think of Christians, and seems to place more importance on that than actually having faith in God's plan. It seems as if he is focused primarily on the opinions of his fellow man and on being popular. He appears to be concerned about being trusted by academics and those choosing to be of this world, and not just in this world as our Lord instructs us to be.

Ed suggests that thinking for yourself and challenging the narratives given by the ruling class makes us bad Christians. He not only judges us for our lack of faith in earthly institutions, he does so in a mocking tone. He claims that even asking questions is wrong for Christians to do, writing "I still believe spreading unproven speculation is bearing false witness and I still believe we need to repent." He is choosing to be disingenuous, emotionally manipulative, and dismissive of believers who have reason to doubt the fear-mongering and anger of those in positions of power here on earth. He chooses to belittle us, call us names, insult our intelligence, and judge our opinions about the narratives being pushed on us by those with a known record of lying and those with incentive to do so now. He calls Christians "gullible," "easily fooled," "bearing false witness," "outraged" and "influenced by social media trolls and click-bait" without any real evidence or direct sources.

I merely suggest that you the reader think for yourself when faced with the opinions and narratives of man, and always trust in the word of God first and foremost. The Bible never fails, and it never will. Can the media companies or our government say the same?

I also suggest that you forgive Ed Stetzer for this shameful article, and find it in your heart to love him despite his condemnation and likely disdain for those of us who choose to challenge to narratives being pushed by our media companies and the claims being made by our governments. Ed is clearly lacking the truth and love of God, and is choosing to be one of this world and not merely in it. But there is still time for him to be saved and find the light, and I truly hope he does in time.

Ed, and those who agree with him, I think you should remember the words of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ;
"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven." Luke 6:37
"Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgement, but has passed from death to life." John 5:24


Here is the link to his original article for Christianity Today :
https://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2020/april/christians-and-corona-conspiracies.html

Martyr Moment : Hieromartyr Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna

He was born at Ephesus around the year 70. St Irenaeus of Lyons, his disciple, says that St Polycarp was 'a disciple of the Apostles and acquainted with those who had seen the Lord.' His parents died as martyrs, and he was given into the care of a devout lady named Callista. As a child, the Saint was so eager to follow the commandments of Christ that he repeatedly emptied his foster-mother's pantry to feed the poor. Since her supplies were always miraculously renewed, Callista changed his name from Pancratius to Polykarpos,meaning 'Much fruit.' 


  When grown, Polycarp became a disciple of St John the Theologian, and in time became Bishop of Smyrna; it is told that the messages to the Church at Smyrna in the Book of Revelation are addressed to St Polycarp and his flock. He knew St Ignatius of Antioch personally, and some of their correspondence is preserved. 
  Polycarp led his Church in holiness for more than fifty years, and became known throughout the Christian world as a true shepherd and standard-bearer of the Faith. About the year 154 he traveled to Rome and consulted with Pope Anacletus on the defense of the Faith. 

  Not long after he returned to Smyrna, a fierce persecution was unleashed against Christians in Asia Minor; along with many others, St Polycarp was arrested, having predicted his imminent martyrdom. (The account of his martyrdom that follows is based on eyewitness accounts gathered immediately after his death.) 

  On the evening of Holy Friday, soldiers burst into the farmhouse where he was staying. The Bishop welcomed them cheerfully, and ordered that a meal be prepared for them. He was granted some time to pray, and for two hours stood commemorating everyone that he had known and praying for the Church throughout the world. His captors sorrowed that they had come to take such a venerable man, and reluctantly took him to the Proconsul. When urged to deny Christ and save his life, the aged Saint replied, 'For eighty-six years I have been his servant, and he has wronged me in nothing; how can I blaspheme my King and Savior?' Told that he would die by fire if he did not apostatize, Polycarp replied 'You threaten me with a fire that burns for a short time and then goes out, while you know nothing of the fire of the judgment to come and of the everlasting torment awaiting the wicked. Why wait any longer? Do what you will!' 

  Placed on the pyre, Polycarp lifted his eyes heavenward and gave thanks to God for finding him worthy to share with the holy Martyrs of the cup of Christ. When he had said his Amen, the executioners lit the fire. The eyewitnesses write that the fire sprang up around him like a curtain, and that he stood in its midst glowing like gold and sending forth a delightful scent of incense. Seeing that the fire was not harming him, the executioners stabbed him with a sword. His blood flowed so copiously that it put out the fire, and he gave back his soul to God. His relics were burned by the persecutors, but Christians rescued a few fragments of bone, which were venerated for many generations on the anniversary of his repose.