Gaslighting is a serious form of psychological abuse, manipulation that is concentrated on making someone doubt reality, and thus making them easier to control. It is based on the plot of the film Gaslight (1940 and 1944 remake). The ten factors of gaslighting are:

1. The person will deny they said or did something, even when you have proof that they have.
2. The person will accuse you of doing things that you know they themselves have done.
3. The person will turn others against you in order to take away your support system.
4. The person will repeatedly tell you that you are crazy, in an effort to get you to doubt your sanity.
5. When talking with the person, you are never right, and they always are (according to them)
6. The person will says things that cause you to always feel like you have to defend reality.
7. The person will cause your trust in yourself and your intuition to begin to erode.
8. The person will cause you to always feel uncertain about whether you’re on good terms with them.
9. The person will always call your feelings and emotions into question, so that you begin to doubt your own feelings.
10. You find yourself collecting “proof” that things actually happened so you can reassure yourself.

H/t Dominee @BlessingManifested [note, although I wrote this, it is based on her original meme]

How Can This Happen In America – Part 2

by Robert Tuttle, III

There are three very important key phrases in these two verses that must be understood. The first is, “confess with your mouth.” This means you fully, unquestioningly, and unhesitatingly verbally agree, with the implication that in verbally agreeing one is also agreeing in their spirit. The second is “Jesus as Lord.” Some translations read, “the Lord Jesus.” Either way it is translated, the meaning is the same, Jesus IS Lord. The meaning is clear. In order to gain salvation, one must verbally agree that Jesus is Lord.

Now, before anyone jumps up and yells “Jesus is Lord!” and think they have salvation, remember that one must also agree in their spirit, their inner person, where truly and sincerely held beliefs are found. And one cannot agree that Jesus is Lord unless they first understand what Lord means. Hint: It doesn’t simply mean “boss of my life” as many people believe it does. The word is translated from the Greek word Kurios (koo'-ree-os), which means “lord,” as in one exercising full and sovereign authority over. It also means “master,” as in one who has complete and absolute ownership rights. Think both sovereign monarch, and also slave owner. Yes, I agree that “slave owner” sounds like a very harsh, cruel, and unloving thing to say about Jesus; however, given that He literally purchased every single person who biblically believes in Him and their redemption with His very blood, it isn’t too much of a stretch to realize that yes, He owns each and every true biblical Christian.

The third key phrase that must be understood is “believe in your heart.” This phrase in the Greek is “pisteusēs en tē kardia” which is literally translated as “believe in the heart.” The word believe, and I want you all to understand this as it is very important to gaining salvation, the word believe is used in the New Testament of “the conviction and trust to which a man is impelled by a certain inner and higher perogative and law of his soul.”1 Therefore, what Romans 10:9 is referring to with this word, is the absolute conviction that what follows in the text (namely the gospel) is completely and unquestioningly true, that God really and truly raised Jesus Christ bodily from the dead.

The word translated as “heart” is “kardia” from which we get our word cardiology as well as a number of heart related terms beginning with the prefix cardi. In English, the term most often refers to the powerful chambered organ in the center of our chest that pumps life sustaining blood throughout our bodies. But not so in the New Testament. Of the some 800 or so times it is used in the New Testament the word kardia never refers to the human organ. Instead it always refers to the center of who we are as a person. That unseen part of us that contains our beliefs, preferences, desires, opinions, ability to make decisions, and so forth. Our mind, our soul if you will. It is who we are beyond the physical body we inhabit. It is therefore absolutely necessary, as in a mandatory, non-negotiable requirement to salvation, that we “pisteusēs en tē kardia,” believe in the heart, our soul, that God raised Jesus Christ bodily from the dead – essentially believe the gospel as absolutely and completely true.

This is a lot to take in! Clearly though, the Bible obviously refutes the commonly held belief among most people that if we say some little pray where we intellectually acknowledge that we are a sinner, and say the words “Jesus forgive me” (or some iteration of that) and ask Him “into your heart” (whatever that means, as it is nowhere in the Bible) then the person will be saved. That is a false gospel that inevitably leads people into believing they say that little “repeat-a-prayer” and then live however they might want to live, in whatever sin they might desire, and still enter heaven. That is the heresy of antinomianism by the way.

No, we must remember the very words of Almighty God, who very plainly and bluntly stated, “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the WRATH of God abides on him.” (John 3:36 NASB77, emphasis mine).

Obedience to God, to Jesus, while not necessary to receive salvation, it is the natural and biblically guaranteed result of having salvation from immoral sin and the wrath of God coming upon all immoral sinners. Obedience is the evidence of salvation. As God points out in John 3:36, if there is not obedience to Jesus, then there is no salvation; and, if there is no salvation then those who continue in their sinful immorality have nothing to look forward to other than spending the remainder of eternity in hell, the lake of fire, where the fire is never quenched and the worm never dies. A place of eternal torment, of weeping and gnashing teeth, where the unregenerate are punished eternally for their sins against the eternal God. (see Matthew 25:41,46; Mark 9:47-48; Luke 13:24-28; Matthew 13:40-43; Revelation 19:20; 20:10,14,15; and 21:8). I think the absolute horror of it is simply not grasped by a lot of people.

I sincerely applaud you if you have held on to the end of this rather long (and long winded) second half of this two-part “How Can This Happen in America?” article series. I apologize for being long winded, but I wanted to make sure that you, Dear Reader, have a full and complete understanding of this eternally important subject.




1. THAYER'S GREEK LEXICON, Electronic Database.; Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2006, 2011 by Biblesoft, Inc.; All rights reserved. Used by permission. BibleSoft.com

How can this happen in America? IN AMERICA!?!? I mean, I knew things were bad and getting worse. All it takes is ten minutes watching and/or reading the news to tell us that! But Holy Cow! I popped open the news this morning and what do I find? Total and complete insanity! How could this happen? HOW?! Let me share with you the three incidents that slapped me square in the face this morning. I am not going to go into a full blown investigative reporting on each of them, just a brief summary, but as I write about them it is only after several hours (most of the day) confirming that each of them are actually true. That’s how crazy they seem to me. Here we go.

On March 27, 2023 a transgender man (woman to man) entered a private Christian elementary school and began opening fire on the Christians inside the school. When it was all over (are things like this ever really “over”?), three 9-year old little children had been murdered in cold-blood along with 3 adults. The shooter was killed by police. She had also fired on the police as well. A majority of the most vocal among the far-left have been shouting from the roof-tops that while it’s sad children died, the real victim was the transgender shooter, and the transgender community at large.1

On January 6, 2021, a group of people stormed the United States Capitol in an attempt to stop legislators from affirming the election (no, I don’t want to argue this here), and the far-left media lost it’s mind. On March 29, 2023, a group of far-left people stormed the Kentucky State Capitol in an attempt to stop legislators from passing a bill, and the far-left media is conspicuously silent. Not one word has been said about it. Not. One. Word.2

In December 2022, a New Jersey mother attended a “Math Night” at her 7-year old daughters elementary school. While there this mother saw several posters, seemingly drawn by small children at the school, that taught and promoted such topics as pansexuality, polysexuality, bisexuality, etc. This mother was shocked that her 7-year old little girl was being taught these things, and subsequently commented about it in her Facebook parent’s group. The post contained nothing threatening, nothing negative about anyone, but simply that she didn’t think such things should be taught and promoted in an elementary school to such young children. Almost immediately the United States military became involved, opening a multi-agency law enforcement investigation into this mother, painting her as a threat. To date, there has been no response from the military regarding the Lt. Colonel who began this investigation which included United States military security forces, state and local law enforcement agencies, other than to confirm that the investigation was being undertaken.3

How can this happen in America? I can only answer, why not in America? As with the larger Western World – i.e. Canada, and the United Kingdom, America has insisted upon, and finally achieved, the almost total elimination of objective morality in our society. And by the way, it’s actually worse in Canada and the U.K. where in both countries you can be arrested and charged for simply reading the Bible out loud4, or even just praying silently in your own mind.5 In America, because we, as a nation, have almost completely eliminated objective morality from the public square (i.e. schools, public areas, government, the home, social media, etc), and replaced with the ever-changing subjective morality of the individual, we have now become a nation, a society of people who reject the concept of thou shalt do no evil, in favor of the concept of “do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law.” This, by the way, was the motto of the satanist Aliester Crowley. Congratulations, America. You have gone from a nation based on Judeo-Christian morality, to an all-in satanic nation.

I guess I can understand why America (and the wider Western World) has abandoned objective morality. It has because it wants, desires, can’t live without the cruelty, wickedness, gossip, slander, lies, and all manner of sexual perversion known to man that it absolutely loves to wrap itself up in, and wallow in. Smearing the filth of it all over themselves like a small toddler with a handful of poop. If you think I am wrong, go back to the beginning of this article and re-read the three incidents mentioned there, and understand that they are less than 1/10 of 1% of similar incidents happening around America and the wider Western World (i.e. Canada and the U.K.).

It has gone on for so long – at least since the beginning of the 19th century and the spawning of liberalism, communism, rationalism, and a re-birth of atheism (at the very end of the 18th century). These movements (for lack of a better term) have from their beginning pushed for the eradication of objective morality in society. Their continual push for what essentially amounts to the destruction of mankind has been long and relentless. From the early 19th century, their forced march through manipulation has taken us all on an incremental journey to the continually degrading chaos we now live in. It has been a kind of “frog-in-a-frying-pan” death that we are now seeing come to fruition.

I am not going to entertain any back and forth on the possible responsibility of any particular political party as I firmly believe both parties are responsible to one degree or another. I believe it is very simply a case of there being a vast number of people in our society, including teachers and professors from kindergarten on up through college and university; politicians, and others right down to the average man and woman who have rejected God in favor of Satan. It’s as simple as that. And because we, as a nation, have rejected God and embraced Satan in a big corporate bear hug we are now suffering the collapse of our nation. In other words, how can this happen in America? Easy. We brought it on ourselves.

Part Two is coming soon, probably tomorrow. Hope to see you there as we learn how to reverse this whole nightmare and hopefully save western civilization!

Sources:

1. The internet is chock full of news and articles concerning the “Nashville School Shooting” and the “Nashville School Shooter” just do an internet search using either term and prepare to be inundated. Fair warning: don’t watch the body cam videos, they are graphic and horrifying. If you decide to look for articles and comments such as I mention, you might try this one: https://notthebee.com/article/trans-activists-are-calling-for-more-blood-after-the-nashville-shooting-heres-how-christians-should-respond

2.https://notthebee.com/article/pro-trans-protestors-in-kentucky-took-over-the-capitol-building-yesterday-weird-how-no-one-is-reporting-it

Also, this just in as I am writing this, it looks as if it is happening in Tennessee as well: https://notthebee.com/article/insurrectionists-are-forcing-their-way-into-the-tennessee-capitol-as-we-speak

3.https://notthebee.com/article/this-mom-is-suing-because-the-military-and-police-got-involved-after-she-objected-to-lgbt-posters-in-her-kids-school

4.https://christianconcern.com/ccpressreleases/first-street-preacher-arrested-and-reported-to-counter-terrorism-for-misgendering-to-appeal-conviction/

5. https://www.foxnews.com/media/uk-woman-arrested-second-time-offense-silently-praying-outside-abortion-clinic

A letter from Divisional Leader Phlegmore to Slugwart, a demon under his supervision (with apologies to C.S. Lewis).

Greetings Slugwart!

I wanted to encourage you to continue in your earnest endeavor to turn humans away from following the King, the Lord Jesus Christ. In order to accomplish this goal, there are three forms of attack that can be used.
The first of these is the direct attack on on God. This is something you seem to be quite proficient at. Whether it is an attack on the existence of God (providing what appear at first glance to be rational and logical arguments for His non-existence); or, an attack on the attributes and character of God. One of my favorite tactics is the over emphasis on God’s attribute of love. I am especially impressed with your use of the “God is love” attack, getting people to focus only on the love of God to the exclusion of His other attributes; and, causing them to view God as some sort of benign grandfatherly type who winks and chuckles at their sin, and automatically forgiving them with a “children will be children” attitude. They have no idea how blasphemous they are being and I love it!
The second of these is an attack on the teachings of God. I personally saw our master use this in the Garden of Eden when he approached Eve and said to her, “Hath God really said?” thus causing her to doubt that God had commanded them to not eat the forbidden fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Of course humans have become a bit more discerning since then, and now require a more subtle approach, one that eases into the deception, taking a longer period of time to acclimate the humans to a false teaching. Often this requires the use of intellectuals who do not have a firm biblical foundation beneath them. Apostate “Christian” denominations such as the Anglican church, the Roman Catholic church, United Methodist church (UMC), Episcopal church, Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA), and others all have such easily manipulated “biblical scholars” (LOL!). Therefore, the introduction of unbiblical doctrines such as Critical Race Theory, Social Justice, LGBTQ+ Theory (or Queer Theory), etc.; and the twisting of biblical doctrines such as women forbidden to be in positions of authority over men, the stern prohibition against any form of homosexuality, divorce for any reason other than sexual immorality, etc., is easily advanced.
A quick note, one method you might try is having a progressive liberal pseudo-Christian group present themselves as conservative or reformed. This is a good way to throw off the true Christians, and especially those who are biblically illiterate. I absolutely love lazy pastors who try to be seeker sensitive and culturally relevant. They are so easily manipulated!
The third of these is an attack on godly pastors, preachers, and teachers. If they will frustratingly insist on soundly teaching the whole of God’s Holy Word – all 66 books, and doing so exegetically, expositionally, then this is the only attack that can work. It won’t stop them from being biblically accurate, but it will cause others, especially those immature in their faith, and biblically illiterate, to run away from them. To view them as “heretics” and “wolves” (even though they aren’t), and otherwise disparage them. I have personally found this to be a very satisfying pastime, and I am sure you will as well. This works on the well known and also the not so well known pastors, preachers, and teachers. One of the best outlets for this type of attack is the internet. Make use of social media. Find an easily manipulated internet personality such as a YouTube influencer or a blogger and use them to attack your target. Better yet, find an internet discernment ministry and use them. No not a real discernment ministry, but one of those “heresy hunters” that are eager to find heresy among the more well known pastors, preachers, and teachers so they can take then down a peg or two, yet have no real understanding of the Scripture, or even of Christianity itself. Quite often you will find they have been manipulated in the past and so are more susceptible to it now.
That’s all for now Slugwart, just be encouraged that we are all in this together, and we have no intention of stopping our attacks on the Triune God, on His Bible, and on His followers.
Your Divisional Leader,
Phlegmore

All of these conditions have been met and are being met in America today. Examples would be the historical genocide of the North American Indians (and yes, this includes putting them on reservations); or the genocide of African-American or “Black” People (I hate separating people according to the color of their skin. It takes away from their humanity) both historically by White Supremacists as well as historically and currently by Planned Parenthood who has made it guiding principle since its founding to abort (read that as murder) as many Black Babies as possible with the express intent of stunting the growth of the Black population to the point of unsustainability in order to eradicate them, a principle put forth by its founder Margaret Sanger. Even today, through its targeted and manipulative ads, the abortion rate in the Black Community is roughly 5 times higher than it is among Whites. By definition this is a form of genocide, and yet I do not hear anyone on the left calling for the abolishing of Planned Parenthood. Is it then safe to assume that those on the left support the genocide of Black people?

But I digress. What do you think is the most persecuted people group, the largest group in the world suffering the effects of genocide? Possibly even moreso than the Jews? It is the Christian Church. As any biblically true Christian can tell you, there is really only one Christian Church, and it consists of every single biblically born again believer throughout the world. All part of the one Christian Church. All part of the Body of Christ, and collectively known as the Bride of Christ.

Since its founding on the Day of Pentecost in 33AD the Christian Church has experienced severe persecution, always designed to eradicate Christianity from the globe, every year since its founding. That’s almost 2,000 years of unrelenting genocide. From Saul of Tarsus capturing Christians and having them imprisoned and killed to Nero using Christians as human torches to light up the Coliseum and his feast orgies (not to mention Nero feeding Christians to wild animals for his fun and amusement), and Domitian who not only strove to kill all the Christians, but he actively sent out Roman soldiers to confiscate every single copy of the Bible throughout the Roman Empire and destroy it. From the Roman Catholic church capturing as many Christians as they could and killing them by the sword & ax, by hanging and other forms of strangulation, by burning them alive at the stake (and many other forms of killing too gruesome to mention. You can Google it if you are entertained by that sort of thing); to localized Christian genocides such as the Armenian Genocide with between 1.2 and 1.5 million Christians were put to death; and from the Muslims persecuting and killing tens of thousands each and every year throughout world to the persecution Christians receive daily here in America. It seems that true biblical Christians face more backlash, more hatred, greater misrepresentation, false accusations and lies told about it than any group in America today. The goal, as stated by many who hate God, hate Jesus, hate the Bible, and hate true biblical Christians is to eradicate the Biblically true Christian Church in America, just as others are currently trying to around the world.

Remember the United Nations Genocide Convention’s definition of genocide that I previously cited? Genocide is not simply described as killing people as many suppose. It is about the eradication of one of the protected groups (such as Christians) by any means, including inflicting serious mental harm and deliberately inflicting condition of life calculated to cause the groups destruction. We already see the efforts of the government – both state (as in California) and Federal trying several measures that are designed to thwart or stop true biblical Christians from obeying God, which they are mandated by God to do; and, when people do not obey the commands of God they are in effect denying the only True and Living God. This is what these governments want to do and are trying to do, and they are supported in this form of genocide (as defined by the UN) by vast numbers of people in America, predominantly those on the left side of the political spectrum (though to be honest there are some on the right who want us gone as well).
I don’t know how many times I have heard people – and the government – lambaste Christians, mock them, belittle them, misrepresent them, lie about, and so forth, and this includes vast numbers of progressive pseudo-Christians (who for some reason think they can rewrite the Bible and redefine God and then be the true church. They are bald-faced liars and false teachers).

All of these actions, whether committed by the President, a member of his staff, a member of Congress, or any politician; or whether it is someone in the media or other form of entertainment; or whether it is two doors down or across the street –– they are engaged in a form of the genocide of the true biblical Christian Church in America.
And sadly, it seems that no one in this country, including the politicians, really cares. When someone makes insensitive comments about Jews, Muslims, or the LGBTQ+ community, people are up in arms (well, maybe not so much with Jews as antisemitism is on the rise in America). When people mock, belittle, or blaspheme Christians and Christianity –– crickets. But, this is to be expected. Jesus Himself said, “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they followed My word, they will follow yours also. But all these things they will do to you on account of My name, because they do not know the One who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. The one who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well. But this has happened so that the word that is written in their Law will be fulfilled: ‘They hated Me for no reason.’” (John 15:18-25 NASB95) [see also 1 John 3:13; 2 Peter 4:12-19].

If you are still with me after all of that, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Sometimes I will come across a news item that just pushes me into a Popeye moment, when “I’ve taken all I can stands and I can’t stands n’more!”
With that said, thank you again and may our Great and Awesome God bless you abundantly, may our Wonderful Lord Jesus Christ shine the light of His countenance upon you, and may our Perfect Comforter and Teacher, God the Holy Spirit be with you always.


[The first two installments of this series can be found here and here]

It has been proposed that there was a group of indigenous tribes here possibly even before these ancient ancestors of the North American Indians. Many scholars, such as John Haywood (known as the “Father of Tennessee History”) and Joseph Henry (the first Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution) are known to believe and have believed (in the cases of those passed) that an ancient race of indigenous pygmies (for lack of a better description) inhabited areas of North America. There have been several mummies and numerous graves located regarding these “pygmies,” such as those in Alaska, Montana, Wyoming, and Tennessee.
When the mummies and skeletal remains were examined, it was determined these “pygmies” were no taller than 36 inches from head to foot. Some of them closer to 24 inches tall. Their skull brain capacity was equal to that of a child 7-9 years of age (leading some to believe these were the remains of children), but their teeth were not only fully developed permanent teeth, but they showed the severe wear that is common among mature adults.

Another interesting fact regarding these North America “Pygmies” is their appearance in the traditional history of many different North American Indian tribes. The tribes of British Columbia have within their history a recognition of very small people called the “Et-nane,” and the Cherokee history which mentions the existence of the “Little People” in eastern North America; while the history of the Shoshone and other tribes makes mention of the Nimerigar, a race of violent little people who were known to be cannibalistic, living in the Pedro Mountains of what is now Wyoming. Other North American Indian tribes that recognize these “Little People” are the Ҫatōl’ltq, the Tlatlasikwala, the Tsimshian, the Tlingit, the Umatilla, the Nez Perce, the Blackfoot, the Gros Ventre, the Arapaho, various bands of the Sioux, the Omaha, the Otoe, the Cheyenne, the Zuni and the Crow (see The Little People of the Pryor Mountains who were known as ferocious little people https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_People_of_the_Pryor_Mountains).
I bring up these “Little People” because none of them exist anymore. The reason they don’t is because they were victims of genocide (leading to their extinction) at the hands of those “indigenous” people who came after them. Genocide did not stop there. Many North American Indian tribes engaged in genocidal wars against other North American Indian tribes, both before and after the so-called “White Man” arrived in North America. Not only would they raid the villages of enemy tribes, killing many man, women, and children (especially babies as they swung them by their ankles, bashing their heads into trees and rocks – a quick death to be sure, but brutal and barbaric nonetheless). Many of these North American Indian tribes not only practiced the murderous aspect of genocide against opposing tribes, but they also captured survivors of their raids and enslaved them, often treating them as no more than simply dogs, and abusing them horribly. Many of these same tribes did the exact same thing to every settler or group of settlers they might come across.

As savage as these “indigenous” people were, not all North American Indians were like this. Do we use a broad brush and paint all North American Indians as barbaric savages practicing genocide, enslavement, and racism (yes, they did that too)? No, we don’t, because it would be wrong to accuse the innocent of the crimes of the guilty. In the same way it is wrong to accuse innocent “White” people of the crimes of those who are guilty of it – such as Mrs. Reid does in her appalling misrepresentation of the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving.
I could stop here, and it would make the point of Mrs. Reid’s intentional ignorance of history (intentional because she could have easily done a couple hours of research and learned the truth, but she chose not to), and her public demonstration of her ignorance on national television. She should be embarrassed as any right thinking person would be, but somehow I think she not only won’t be embarrassed, but she will double down on ridiculous statements and by launching a diatribe of ad hominems against her critics.
However, since we started out talking about Mrs. Reid’s false accusation of genocide, I think it only accurate to talk about one of the longest lasting genocides in the recorded history of man, with the largest body count of all groups, and equaled by perhaps only the Jewish people. Not only have the Jews been fighting against their eradication since the birth of their people, one cannot help but also remember the Nazi Holocaust and the Soviet Holocaust (which included Jews as well as others), and the countries of Iran, Syria, and indeed most of the Middle and Near East are trying and have been trying for millennia, to eradicate the Jewish People.
Before I go on, I think it is important to establish what is meant by the word genocide, what exactly is the definition of the word? Without going into a long mostly boring lecture on the etymology of the word, it is defined by the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, commonly known as the “Genocide Convention,” as:

Therefore, in order for something to be genocide it must first meet two conditions. First it must be against one of the following groups, 1. A national group, 2. an ethnical group, 3. a racial group, and 4. a religious group. Examples would be trying to destroy, in whole or in part, groups such as the Ukrainians, the North American Indians, “Black” people, or Muslims.

The second condition that must be met in order to legitimately be called a genocide is that the act or actions must be done with the intent to destroy one of these protected groups, and involves the five given examples above: Killing members of the group; and/or Causing serious bodily or mental harm to them; and/or deliberately inflicting condition of life calculated to cause the groups destruction; and/or imposing measure intended to prevent births within the group; and/or forcibly transferring children out of the group to another group.

[Part One can be found here, and Part Three here]

This is a rather long piece, so I have broken it down into three parts. Make sure your seat belts are secure and the safety bar is in the down and locked position. Remember to keep your arms and hands inside, and here we go.

Recently, Joy Reid, the host of MSNBC’s “The Reid Out,” stated the United States of America is a nation founded on violence. She said “we are a country that chooses violence over and over again”; and that the GOP (Republican Party) uses the Thanksgiving “fairy tale” to erase genocide. I must say at the outset that I abhor murder, and have an increased loathing when it comes to genocide. I believe there will be special punishment in Hell for those who commit murder and/or genocide. That being said, I would like to examine Mrs. Reid’s comments.

In one sense Mrs. Reid is correct. We are indeed a violent country, and our citizens seem to choose violence “over and over again.” We see repeated examples of this almost on a daily basis. From the thousands of shootings and stabbings, assaults and murders that happen each and every week nation-wide, to the verbal and psychological violence we experience each and every day from those around us, and those we expose ourselves to. However, while some of what Mrs. Reid says is unfortunately true, most of what she says is both false and misleading.

Was there a genocide taking place at the founding of America? Not necessarily. Now, it is certain that there were some people among the early settlers, as well as those who came later, who felt nothing but hatred and disdain toward the indigenous people – the North American Indians. They derided them, mocked them, abused them, and quite often killed them. But the Pilgrims who arrived in 1620 were a peaceful group, who quickly established a peaceful relationship with the Wampanoag Tribe, a relationship that lasted for more than 50 years, when the actions of a few individuals exploded into the King Phillip’s War (1675-1678).

Once the actual history is known, it becomes clear that what Mrs. Reid calls a “fairy tale” was actually true. Again, this does not mean that other people who were not part of the Pilgrim settlers were not hostile to the North American Indians. To be sure, there were people like that, but not the Pilgrims. In order to keep the history of America accurate here (something Mrs. Reid failed to do), the Pilgrims arrived in 1620. The actual first English colony, however, began in Jamestown, Virginia in 1607. But they were far from the first “White Men” to set foot in America. The Spanish arrived in 1565, and Leif Erickson, the Viking explorer from Iceland, arrived here in about 1000AD. Hundreds of years before Leif Erickson, however, an Irish explorer monk by the name of Brendan arrived in North America sometime between 512AD and 530AD. Of course there are those who believe Leif Erickson was the absolute first to arrive in North America, but they are unable to explain how in his explorations of North America he came across an Irish settlement. Maybe descendants of Brendan and his crew? But some scholars believe that even before Brendan, long before Brendan, there were Roman, Phoenician, Egyptian, and Arab traders and explorers that made it to North America.

Back to the Pilgrims and the North American Indians and the myth embraced by Mrs. Reid that the Pilgrims came to colonize North America and committed genocide against the indigenous peoples here. For many, many years, the popular teaching was that the Pilgrims killed off the Wampanoag’s by introducing them to smallpox. The problem with this theory is that there is no evidence to support it. There is, in fact, evidence that it had nothing to do with smallpox, and nothing to do with the Pilgrims.

The Wampanoag Tribe did indeed suffer a terrible disease, but it wasn’t smallpox, rather, it was a bacterial infection known as leptospirosis. The tribe suffered greatly as a result. This epidemic, however, began in 1615 and ended in 1619, all before the Pilgrims arrived in North America. While this is what the evidence shows to be true, far too many people today choose to ignore the truth and replace it with the myth of the “White Man” (naturally – for these people, to identify the alleged perpetrators by their racial and ethnic heritage, thus promoting racism and ethnic discrimination against this group), and laying the blame completely at his feet.

Again, this is not to say the North American Indians were not horribly abused and taken advantage of, and not to say they were not the victims of genocide. It is beyond question that they were. But for generations it was committed by individuals and sometimes groups of individuals; and sadly, very sadly, the eradication of the North American Indian became the policy of the United States Government. Not necessarily the people of the United States, but certainly its government. I will note briefly here that smallpox was introduced to South, Central, and North America by Spanish Explorers. In 1520 a group of Spanish explorers arrived in Vera Cruz, Mexico. Along with them was an African slave who was infected with smallpox. Before long the group, along with the slave, began exploring the North American continent, spreading the disease as they went.

Clearly then, it was not the Pilgrims. The Pilgrims also did not come to colonize North America. They were known as Separatists in their home country of England, and they were persecuted cruelly there. Many of them were thrown out of their churches, they were burdened by exorbitant fines, they were imprisoned in the most inhumane conditions imaginable, and they were executed. All for their faith, and nothing but their faith. By definition they were the victims of genocide, and they did not simply travel to America, but rather they escaped to America. The very ones that Mrs. Reid points to and accuses of genocide were actually the victims of genocide desperately trying to save their lives and the lives of their family. Would Mrs. Reid support the genocide of people for their religious belief? Does she pick and choose which genocide to condemn and which genocide to accept as good?

Again, as I have already pointed out, this is not that the North American Indians were not victims of genocide. Clearly they were. It must be understood, however, that not only were the North American Indians victims of genocide, they were also perpetrators of genocide, and they were not the first people in North America. The North American Indians are by and large descended from the Clovis People who migrated up from South America. Before they ever reached North America, however, the inhabitants of an area known as Berengia (sometimes known as the Bering Land Bridge, but far larger than you might imagine) began their migration to North America. These people initially came from what we now consider to be Siberia. They migrated to North America, along with animals such as the Woolly Mammoth and the Giant Ground Sloth and other creatures.

[Be sure to read Part Two here]

Homosexuality is Condemned by God in the Bible!

I'm sure you've heard this from so-called "fundamentalists" for quite some time. But is it true? Let's take a look at Scripture and see what it really says about homosexuality.The normal expression of sexuality is between a biological male and a biological female. This is shown in Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4-6; Mark 10:6-9; and Ephesians 5:31. Any other expression of sexuality than that between a biological male and a biological female is an abnormal perversion. The Bible states that all sex outside of the normal standard is considered sexual immorality, and it is a sin that finds its roots in the sinfulness of man’s heart (Mark 7:1). The command given by God to Adam and Eve, and which extends to all biological men and biological women who are married according to the normal expression of marriage, is to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth (Genesis 1:28). It goes without saying that homosexuals cannot obey this command and procreate.
The Bible speaks very loudly and very clearly against the sin of homosexuality. In Genesis 19:1-29, we read that God completely destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, and it is clear that this was due to the rebellion of the inhabitants against God, as seen in their demand to have homosexual relations with men sin of homosexuality (see v.5 & v.13). Elsewhere, in Leviticus we see the following:
“22 And you shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination.”
“13 If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltiness is upon them.” (Leviticus 18:22; 20:13 LSB)
“24 There were also male cult prostitutes in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations which Yahweh dispossessed before the sons of Israel.” (1 Kings 14:24 LSB)
A point of contention brought up by the pro-homosexuality crowd is that we are calling for their death. They often follow this with something along the lines of “death, simply for loving someone.” Arguments such as this demonstrate their ignorance of the Bible. While God still views the sin of homosexuality as an abomination (His morals have not changed, nor will they ever), the penal aspect of this falls under the Levitical Civil Law, which applied only to the Israelites. Since the first century the Moral Law serves as an objective moral compass for mankind. The Ceremonial Law was fulfilled in Jesus, who was the final sacrifice for sin for all who believe in Him, and the Civil Law will be fulfilled in all those who reject Jesus and the salvation found only in Him, when they are cast into hell for all eternity.
Another common argument by the pro-homosexuality crowd is that Christians are being contradictory, picking and choosing or “cherry picking” (as based on their re-defining of the term), by wearing clothes made with a mixture of wool and linen, planting different seeds together, or eating lobster, crab, shrimp, and pork (Leviticus 11:9-12; 19:19; Deuteronomy 22:11). These arguments stem from their ignorance of Old Testament Jewish Law. The Old Testament laws condemning homosexuality as an abomination are part of God’s Moral Law, and are still in effect for all people everywhere. The Old Testament Laws condemning the wearing of wool and linen mixed fabric, the planting of different seeds together, and the eating of certain foods are all part of God’s Ceremonial Law which was established to keep men and women in a right standing with God (remaining ceremonially clean, etc); and were applicable only to the Jews, and only until the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus fulfilled the Ceremonial Law as the final propitiatory sacrifice for sin. While there were often Moral, Civil, and Ceremonial aspects to the various Old Testament Laws; God is unchanging*, and therefore His morality has never and will never change. It is part and parcel of who and what He is, inextricably tied to His attribute of absolute purity and goodness.

[*The Immutability (Unchangableness) of God: Numbers 23:19; Psalm 33:11; 102:27; Isaiah 40:8; Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8; James 1:17]

The condemnation of homosexuality is not confined to the Old Testament. It also appears in the New Testament. In addition to those verses noted above where Jesus stated the normal expression of sexuality, we read in the Letter to the Romans, chapter 1, verses 18-32, God’s condemnation of those who engage in all manner of unrighteousness. Included in that list of unrighteous acts is homosexuality. In verses 26-27 we read: “26 For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions; for their females exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, 27 and in the same way also the males abandoned the natural function of the female and burned in their desire toward one another, males with males committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.” (LSB)
Because these people openly reject God, and openly rebel against Him, God has given them what they want by giving them over to depravity. By specifically naming female homosexuality (verse 26) and male homosexuality (verse 27), God makes it clear that there are no exceptions. All homosexuality is considered “unnatural” and “indecent.” God goes even further by stating homosexuals receive in themselves the “due penalty” for their unnatural and indecent acts. The “due penalty” includes the numerous sexually transmitted diseases, broken lives, broken minds, and ultimately cast into hell for all eternity.
In 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 we read, “9 do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.” Again, God is very specific, naming both effeminate and homosexuals. The word effeminate is translated from the Greek word malacoi, which means catamites, males who are effeminate and submit their bodies to homosexual practices. The word homosexual is translated from the Greek word arsenokoitai, which refers to a sodomite, or a pederast. Biological males engaging in homosexual activity with other biological males, including biological male teenagers.
And finally, in 1 Timothy 1:9-10 we read, “9...law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and godless, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, 10 for sexually immoral persons, for homosexuals, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching” Here we see that homosexuals are equal to murderers, the sexually immoral, kidnappers, liars, perjurers, and whomever else is engaging in sinful actions. God clearly states here that homosexuals are lawless, rebellious, ungodly, unholy, godless sinners. There is no mistaking the clear and literal words of Scripture in these passages. They simply say what they say, and the only way to make them say something else is to mistranslate, misapply, and otherwise twist them. But taken literally, with the clear and explicit meaning of the words – which is the natural and normal way to read these passages, then we easily and quickly understand them.
Fortunately, homosexuality is not an unforgivable sin. This is shown in 1 Corinthians 6:11, “11 And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” In this verse, after condemning a slew of sins, including homosexuality, God goes on to say that some of the people He has been writing to were lost in these various sins; but, they were washed, sanctified, and justified in and through Jesus Christ our Lord and in the Holy Spirit who seals us for the day of redemption (Ephesians 1:13).
Often homosexuals and their supporters will claim that “Jesus never said a single word about homosexuality.” All Christians know that Jesus is God, He is Yahweh Almighty (as is the Father and the Holy Spirit). Since all 66 books of the Bible were breathed out by God, every passage noted herein was breathed out by Jesus Christ. So yes, Jesus said quite a bit about and against homosexuality.