The Truth Is Hated To Those Who Hate The Truth!

Leviticus 19:29, “Do not prostitute thy daughter, to cause her to be a whore; lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness.” 1st Peter 2:11 and Jude:1:19, “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul ... These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.” Increasingly, Americans are becoming sex-sickos! The LIFETIME TV channel is the most evil thing ever contrived by the wicked. LIFETIME started a pedophile dance program for 7 year old girls in July of 2011. Dance Moms is an American reality television series that debuted on the Lifetime TV network on July 13, 2011. Created by Collins Avenue Productions, it is set in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the Abby Lee Dance Company, and follows children's early careers in dance show business along with their mothers, who support them. Dance Moms has been renewed for a second season that aired January 10, 2012 on Lifetime. SOURCE: Dance Moms - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The sick program exploits little girls, some only 7 years old, painting them up like prostitutes and teaching then to dance like professional strippers on stage. No wonder child rape and sexual crimes are on the rise in America (and they're guaranteed to continue, jut as the globalist elite, the architects behind the NWO intended). Behind the love of money that drives this wickedness, there is a sinister agenda to undermine and destroy America's families and churches.

No one care about people life in New York City any more... This happened at the west farms train station a man stuck his head right in front of an oncoming train prior to doing so the man was drinking & smoking on the platform.

This is the man we need in the White House, Donald Trump Consistent with Foreign Policy

Camera by Paul Detrick and Zach Weissmueller. Edited by Amanda Winkler. I've never seen it so bad in America. Free speech is dangerously close to disappearing. I've seen hundreds of videos, many by congressmen trying to warn Americans on YouTube, being censored as a violation of terms of service. The truth is being censored. The mainstream newsmedia is censoring the truth, diverting the attention of Americans to petty crimes, small talk and non-essential issues. To no surprise, Google is developing eavesdropping software and CIA and Google are Teaming Up Again For More Spying. All of your web searches on Google and Yahoo are being recorded and stored in a massive database. Use StartPage instead. They're reading your emails too, selling the contents to make a buck. It's not only Google and Yahoo, but also MySpace, Twitter and Facebook. They're all selling you out, literally, and spying on you . . . Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and other U.S. “social networking” sites are at minimum providing information in similar fashion to U.S. agencies, and in some cases have also received substantial funding by U.S. government related entities as a most efficient and cost-effective means of spying on their users around the world. SOURCE: http://www.eutimes.net/2010/01/yahoo-spies-on-you-by-selling-all-its-users-private-email-contents-to-u-s-agencies-for-small-price/ My own website has been attacked numerous times and I don't know how much longer free speech will last. I encourage others to copy and distribute the truth from my website. It's all public domain, no credit need be given. I've had many people offer to donate money, and I have kindly turned down 100% of them. I didn't start this ministry to make money, don't care about money and don't want anyone's money. My treasure is laid up in Heaven (Matthew 6:20). I do what I do for the Lord. I want people to get the truth out. I encourage you to copy this website and make your own websites. The more articles you publish on the web, the more visitors you'll get. I am glad when people redistribute things from my ministry. You don't need to cite my name, that's not important. Jesus' name is all that matters. Obama's administration has called for a ban on free speech . . . http://www.prisonplanet.com/obama-information-czar-calls-for-banning-free-speech.html Changes are coming . . . Jay Rockefeller: Internet is “Number One National Hazard” to security! Freedom of speech WON'T last. Christians are being silenced. This website won't always be here. I certainly plan to keep going by God's grace. If you see this website gone one day, it won't be my doing, guaranteed. This website is a pulpit in cyberspace. It will be here as long as God wants it here. This is God's ministry, which He has entrusted to me. I am gratefully humble. I've seen so many great websites suddenly vanish. Fortunately, I have archived many websites using Teleport Pro, anticipating the day they would vanish. I suggest you do the same. Again, I want people to copy my websites. See also my website at, www.soulwinning.info. America has already gone to Hell and dark times are ahead. The saddest thing is apostasy in our Bibles and churches. America's largest churches have been corrupted... attacking the King James Bible, praising President Obama, praising the demonic Pope, pastors bragging about their arrogance, joining the government's Clergy Response Teams, telling people to stand down against tyranny, and so forth. It is a disgrace. God wants us to proclaim the truth. Ephesians 4:25, “Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.” I am telling you the truth. Love the truth (2nd Thessalonians 2:10)!

SATAN'S TEN COMMANDMENTS FOR PARENTS by Pastor James L. Melton Thou shalt not take thy children to a Bible-believing church That's right, the last thing I need is a generation of children who learn to believe and obey God's word! Take your sons and daughters to a big and liberal church where there are scores of fun activities to waste their time and rob them of any chance to really learn the Bible. Don't take them to an old-fashioned and fundamental church where the King James Bible is believed, preached and taught. Thou shalt not teach thy children to know and serve Jesus Christ I'll never populate Hell if you allow your children to see their lost condition and their need to have their sins washed away in the blood of Jesus Christ! Let them wait until they are older so they can decide for themselves what to believe. By then, I'll have them so brainwashed they'll never be saved. Tell them when to get up, when to take a bath, what to eat, when to be home and when to go to bed, but don't tell them what to believe about God, the Bible, and Jesus Christ. Thou shalt not spank thy children I want to produce a whole generation of self-serving rebels who are not disciplined and who do not respect any moral authority-- including God. When this happens, I will rule the world and damn billions to Hell forever! I need YOUR help! DON'T spank that child! Thou shalt enroll thy children in a day care center Mom, don't even think of staying home to train up your children! Sure, the Bible commands women to be "keepers at home," but who believes the Bible these days? Your family can't make it on a single income. Get yourself a job and let my specially trained day care agents start working on your children. You make the babies and let me handle the rest. Thou shalt enroll thy children in the public school system Don't even think of home schooling or a private school. You just trust me to educate your children the way I think best. The public school system is packed full of my agents. We've already thrown the Bible, the Ten Commandments and prayer out of the schools. Now we're having the time of our life! We'll teach your kids that they have evolved from animals so they'll feel no obligation to honor and obey their true Creator. Then we'll let them dress any way they choose while teaching them all about sex. We'll even have a few dances each year so they can rub their bodies together while listening and dancing to the most ungodly music the world has ever known. With a little luck, your kids will have their own kids before finishing high school, which just means more day care prospects for me! Don't you just love my system?!!!! Thou shalt allow thy children to walk, talk, dress and act like all other children You wouldn't want you child to feel strange or different from other kids, would you? Of course you wouldn't! You want your child to grow up to fit into the world, to feel accepted and normal in society. That's exactly what I want! I want everyone to just fit in with society - to conform to the trends and fashions of the day. I have the majority of the earth's population marching right into Hell without even knowing it. Don't ask questions about your children's conduct, their styles, and their trends. Just accept it as "the latest thing" and let me direct their footsteps. I know just where they need to be and I know just how to get them there! Thou shalt teach thy children to worship sports Ah, yes! Let's not forget that one! Let's keep that child's mind occupied all the time lest they start thinking and asking questions about God, the Bible and Jesus Christ! I want them playing baseball, softball, basketball, football, ballet, swimming, track, gymnastics, and everything else you can find. In addition to this, buy them shoes and clothing endorsed by famous sports figures and take them to every sporting event possible. With a little effort, you can waste at least ten or fifteen hours every week! Hopefully, by the time they're grown they'll be reading the sports page and watching the sports channel every day while neverreading the Bible. Thou shalt provide thy children with unrestricted entertainment Don't deprive your kids of all the things that other kids enjoy, such as Internet access, their choice magazines, video games, television and movies. These are perfect mediums by which I am reaching millions of young people every day. They're listening to my music, looking at my pictures, and applying my self destructive principles in their lives. It's amazing how willing parents are to turn their kids over to me, but they're certainly doing it. So pleasedon't ask questions or investigate the choice entertainment of your sons and daughters. Thou shalt permit thy sons and daughters to start dating by the age of sixteen Preferably before then, like maybe thirteen or fourteen, but certainly no later than sixteen! Other teenagers date, so why shouldn't your teens date? Other teenagers experiment with sex, drugs and alcohol, so why shouldn't your teens do likewise? You think, "Oh, my teen wouldn't do anything like that!" Yeah, right! I'm so glad you foolish parents have such short memories! I'm so glad you've forgotten yourteenage years! One of my greatest assets in ruining your child is your belief that your child is different and wouldn't do any wrong. You make my job so easy - and fun! Thou shalt not receive counsel from any Christian When you encounter a Christian who has exceptionally well behaved children, you will be tempted to seek advice from them on raising your own children. DON'T! These people are religious nuts. They believing in training up children GOD'S WAY, which is the old-fashioned way. This is the twenty-first century, a new age with a new way of life. Away with God and the Bible! Away with Jesus and fundamental churches! Live like you want to live! After all, you only live once, and then you'll be in Hell forever - along with your kids! Just fear me and keep MY commandments, and we'll all be together one day - sooner than you may think! Your's Truly . . . . . Lucifer God's Way Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6) And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. (Eph. 6:4) According to the Bible, children are to be TRAINED in the ways of God, not in the ways of men. Human traditions and philosophies are irrelevant. Every parent will be accountable to God for seeing to it that their children are TRAINED in righteousness. Friend, you've seen Satan's way, and it is evident throughout our society that his way is the way of sin, misery, danger, destruction and death. God has a much better way. Jesus said, ". . . I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6) Acts 4:12 says, "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." The Lord Jesus Christ has come and PAID for your sins by shedding His own Blood on Calvary. By receiving Him as your Saviour, you can be WASHED from all your sins in His precious Blood (Rev. 1:5; Col. 1:14; Acts 20:28; I Pet. 1:18-19). Notice these important words from Romans 5:8-9:"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him." Jesus PAID your way to Heaven for you! By receiving Him as your Saviour, you will be receiving God's ONLY means of Salvation. Are you willing to forsake YOUR righteousness and receive Jesus Christ as your Saviour, your ONLY HOPE for Salvation? Romans 10:13 says, "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10:9 says, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Are you willing to forsake your own righteousness, and trust Jesus Christ alone? He will save you just as He promised. Why not receive Him today and trust Him to give you a better way of life? How can you be a proper parent for your children if you aren't a true Christian? Why not receive Jesus Christ today and start applying Biblical principles in the training of your children? An Excellent Book Perhaps the best book available on the proper training of children is To Train Up A Child by Michael and Debi Pearl. This book will rid your mind of the traditional methods used in "raising" children, and it will replace them with the Biblical principles of TRAINING children. No parent has to accept unruly behavior from a child. There IS a cure. To Train Up A Child may be ordered from the Pearl's ministry at: The Church at Cane Creek, 1000 Pearl Road, Pleasantville, TN 37033. Copyright © 2001 James L. Melton

To all Trump hater to all liberals we are getting ready to party when Trump win the 2024 election.

JOHN 15:25 —"They have hated me without a cause." These are the words of our Lord Jesus Christ. In my two former discourses on total depravity, I have endeavored to demonstrate, that all impenitent sinners, hate God supremely. And having, as I suppose, established this doctrine beyond controversy by an appeal to matters of fact; it now becomes a very solemn and important question, why sinners hate God? If sinners have good reason for hating God, then they are not to blame for it; but if they have no good reason, or if they hate him when they ought to love him; then they have incurred great guilt by their enmity to God. In speaking from this subject, I design 1st. To show what is not the reason of their hatred. 2nd. What is the reason of it. 3rd. That they hate him, for the very reasons, for which they ought to love him. I. I am to show, what is not the reason of their hatred. 1st. It is not because God has so constituted them, that they have a physical, or constitutional aversion to God. The text affirms that sinners have hated God without a cause. Not that there is no reason why they hate him; but no good reason. Not that there is strictly no cause for their hatred; for every effect must have some cause; but there is no just cause. If God had so created man, that he was under a physical necessity of hating his Maker, this would not only be a cause, but a just cause for hating him. If God had incorporated with the very substance of his being, a constitutional aversion to himself; this would be a sufficient cause, not only for the sinner's hating him, but a good reason why all other beings should hate him. 2nd. The sinner's hatred of God, is not caused by any hereditary, or transmitted disposition to hate him. A disposition to hate God, is itself hatred. Disposition, is an action of the mind, and not a part of the mind itself. It is therefore absurd, to talk of an hereditary, or transmitted disposition to love or hate God, or anything else. It is impossible that a voluntary state of mind should be hereditary, or transmitted from one generation to another. If any of you understand by disposition, a propensity, or temper; not an action, which is not a voluntary state of mind; but a quality, or attribute, that is part of the mind itself, I say, 3rd. That the sinner's hatred, is not caused by any such attribute, or property, that makes a part of the mind, and which in itself has a natural and necessary aversion to God. 4th. There is no just cause, in the constitution of our nature, for opposition to God. The nature of man, is as it should be. Its powers are as God made them. He has made them in the best manner, in which infinite power, and goodness and wisdom could make them. They are perfectly adapted to the service of his creator; and if we survey all the exquisite mechanism, and delicate organization of the body, and scrutinize all the properties, and powers, and capabilities, of the mind, we can find no just cause of complaint; but on the other hand, infinite reason to love, and adore the great architect, and exclaim with the Psalmist, "I am fearfully and wonderfully made." 5th. There is no just cause for the sinner's hatred, in that wise and benevolent arrangement, by which all men have descended from one common ancestor; and under which divine arrangement, we are naturally, (not necessarily) influenced; and our characters modified by the circumstances under which we have our being. Our being so constituted, as naturally to influence each other, and be highly instrumental in modifying each other's character, is a wise and benevolent arrangement, of the highest importance to the universe: but like every other good thing, is liable to great abuse; and by how much the more powerful our influence is, to promote virtue when we do right, by just so much the greater is our influence, to promote vice, when we do wrong. 6th. Again. There is no cause for the sinner's hatred, in the moral government of God. His commandments are not grievous; nor impossible to be obeyed; nor calculated to produce misery when obeyed: but on the contrary, "his yoke is easy, and his burden is light." His commandments are easily obeyed; and obedience naturally results in happiness. If God had established a government, the requirements of which, were so high, that it was extremely difficult to yield obedience to his laws. If the laws were so obscure and intricate, and difficult to understand, that an honest mind were in great danger of mistaking the real meaning of his requirements; or if his laws were arbitrary, unnecessary, and capricious; or if they were guarded by unjust and cruel sanctions: if any of these things were true, sinners would have a just cause to hate God. But not one of them is true. Again. Sinners have no just cause for their hatred, in the requirements of the Gospel. If the conditions of salvation, held forth in the Gospel, were arbitrary, capricious, or unjust; if it were impossible to comply with them; if the terms of salvation were put so high, that men have not natural power to obey them, and fulfil the conditions upon which their salvation is suspended. If God commanded them to repent, when they had no power to repent; if he required them to believe, when they had no power to believe; and threatened to send them to hell, for not repenting and believing; in any, and in all these cases, sinners would have just reason to hate God. But none of these things are true. The conditions of the Gospel, so far from being arbitrary, are indispensable in their nature, to salvation, so far from being put so high, that it is impossible, or even difficult to comply with them; they are brought down as low as they possibly can be, without rendering the sinner's salvation impossible. Repentance and faith, are indispensable to fit the soul for the enjoyment of heaven; and if God should dispense with these conditions, and consent that the sinner should remain in his sins, it would render the sinner's damnation certain. Again. Not only are the conditions of salvation necessary in their own nature, but it is easy to comply with them. Much easier than to reject them. Our powers of mind, are as well suited to accept, as to reject the Gospel. The motives to accept, are infinitely greater than to reject the offers of mercy. So weighty, indeed are the motives to comply with the conditions of the Gospel, that sinners often find it difficult to resist them, and they are under the necessity of making almost ceaseless efforts to maintain themselves in impenitence and unbelief. Again. There is no just cause for hating God, in his providential government of the world. There is no reason to doubt, that God, so administers his providential government, as to produce upon the whole, the highest, and most salutary, practicable influence in favor of holiness. It is manifest that his moral laws, are guarded by the highest possible sanctions: that all has been done, which the perfection of moral government could do, to secure universal holiness in the world. So it is true, beyond all reasonable doubt, that his physical or providential government, is administered in the wisest possible manner. It is doubtless administered solely for the benefit , and in support of moral government. It is so arranged, as to bring out and exert the highest moral influence, that such a government is capable of exerting. Many sinners talk, as if they supposed God might have administered his governments, both moral, and providential, in a manner vastly more judicious, and more highly calculated to secure perfection in the conduct of his subjects. They seem to think, that because God is almighty, he therefore can work any conceivable absurdity, or contradiction. That he can secure perfection in moral agents, by the exercise physical omnipotence; and that the existence of sin in our world, is proof conclusive, that, although on some accounts, he is opposed to sin, yet upon the whole, he prefers its existence to holiness in its stead. They seem to take it for granted, that the two governments which God exercises over the universe, moral, and providential; might have been so administered, as to have produced universal holiness throughout the universe. But this is a gratuitous, and most wicked assumption. It is no fair inference from the omnipotence and omniscience of God; and the assumption is founded upon an erroneous view of the nature of moral agency, and of moral government. Again. There is no just cause for hatred, in any thing that belongs to the character of God. There is nothing hateful or repellant to any just mind, in any view that can be taken of the character of Jehovah. But on the contrary, his character comprehends every conceivable, or possible excellence. Again. There is no just cause for hatred, in the conduct of God. There is no inconsistency, between his conduct, and his professions. Some people seem to have conceived of God, as a sly, artful, hypocritical being, who says one thing, and means another. Who professes great abhorrence of sin, yet so conducts himself, and the affairs of his kingdom, as necessarily and purposefully to produce it. Who commands men to keep his law, on pain of eternal death, and after all, prefers that they should break it. Who commands all men to repent, and believe the Gospel, yet has made atonement but for the elect. Who, while he requires them to repent, has so constituted them, that he knows they are unable to repent; professes greatly to desire the salvation of all men, and yet has suspended their salvation upon impossible conditions. Indeed, many seem to represent the conduct, and professions of God, at everlasting variance with each other; and as making up a complicated tissue, of contradiction, absurdity, and hypocrisy. But all such representations, are a libel upon his infinitely fair and upright conduct. Again. There is nothing unkind, or unnecessarily severe, in the conduct of God, towards the inhabitants of this world. There has been a great deal of complaint of his conduct, among sinners; they have often complained of the injustice of his dealings, and have sometimes inquired, what they had done, that he should chastise them with such severity. But all such complainings only prove their own perverseness, and can never fasten any just suspicion upon the conduct of God. II. Sinners do hate God, because they are supremely selfish; and he is, as he ought to be, infinitely opposed to their supreme object of pursuit. The first thing that we discover, in the conduct of little children, is, the desire of self-gratification. At what period of their existence, their desire becomes selfishness, it is impossible for us to say. That a proper desire to gratify an appetite for food, and drink, and all our constitutional appetites, is not sinful, is manifest. These appetites, have no moral character; and their proper indulgence, is not sinful. But whenever their indulgence is inordinate, or whenever the indulgence of our appetites, comes in collision with the requirements of God; whenever, and wherever we indulge our constitutional propensities, when we are under an obligation to abstain from an indulgence, in every such case, we sin; for in all these cases we are selfish; we make our own indulgence, the rule of our duty, instead of the requirement of God. We consent to indulge ourselves, at the public expense, and in a way that is inconsistent with the glory of God, and the highest good of his universe. This is the essence, and the history of all sin. Now, at whatever period of our existence, we first prefer self-gratification, to our duty to God, when we first make self-gratification the supreme object of choice; at what particular moment self-gratification comes to be the ruling principle of our conduct, and the highest aim of our lives, it is perhaps impossible for us to determine. But whenever this may be, this is the commencement of our depravity. It is our first moral act. It constitutes our first moral character. Every thing, that has preceded this, has had no moral character at all. The Bible assures us, that this occurs so early in our history, that it may be said, that "the wicked are estranged from the womb. That they go astray, as soon as they be born, speaking lies." This language is not, of course, to be understood literally, because we do not speak at all, as soon as we are born: but the wicked speak lies, as soon as they do speak. Behold, says the Psalmist, "I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me." This language also, is certainly figurative; for it cannot be possible, that the substance of a conceived fetus should be sin! This would contradict God's own definition of sin. He says, "sin is a transgression of the law;" but the law prescribes a rule of action, and not a mode of existence. If the substance of a conceived fetus is sin: if the child itself, previous to birth, is a sin, than God has committed it. All that can possibly be meant, by this, and similar passages without making utter nonsense of the word of God; without arraying different passages in everlasting contradiction to each other, is, that we were always sinners from the commencement of our moral existence. From the earliest moment of the exercise of moral agency. And to insist upon the literal understanding of such passages as these, is the most dangerous perversion of the Bible. Adopt the principle of interpretation, that insists upon these passages being understood literally, and apply it, in the exposition of the whole Bible, and you will prove, not only that sin and holiness, are substances, but that God is, a material being. Indeed, here has been the great error, on the subject of depravity. This grand rule of interpretation, that all language is to be understood, according to the nature of the subject to which it is applied, has been overlooked, and the same meaning has often been attached to the same word, whether applied to matter, or to mind. For instance, to set aside God's definition of sin, as consisting entirely in the transgression of law, and bring in those figurative expressions, that would seem, unexplained by God's own definition, to represent sin, as consisting in something else, than voluntary transgression; is to array the Scripture in irreconcilable contradiction to itself, by overlooking one of the most important rules of Biblical interpretation. It is to trifle with the word of God. It is tempting the Holy Ghost. It is a stupid, not to say a willful perversion of the truth of God. Now, the great reason why sinners are opposed to God, is not, that there is any defect in their nature, rendering their opposition physically necessary, but because he is irreconcilably opposed to their selfishness. He is infinitely opposed to the supreme end of their pursuit, that is, to their obtaining happiness, in a way, that is inconsistent with HIS glory, and the happiness of other beings. The supreme end, at which they aim, is to promote their own happiness, in a way that is inconsistent with the public good. To this he is infinitely opposed. As they have an unholy end, in view, the means which they use , to accomplish this end, are, of course, as wicked as the end. God is therefore, as much opposed to the means, which they use, as to the end, which they are endeavoring to accomplish by those means. These means make up the history of their lives. They are all designed, directly, or indirectly, to affect the all absorbing object, at which the sinner aims; the promotion of his own happiness. God is therefore, as he ought to be, sincerely and conscientiously, and infinitely opposed to every thing they do or say, while in a state of impenitency. They would make every thing subordinate to their own private interests. He insists upon it, that they shall seek their happiness, in a way that is consistent with, and calculated to promote the happiness of the whole. This is after all the only way in which, in the very nature of things they can be happy. He accordingly sets himself with full purpose of heart, to defeat every attempt which they make to obtain happiness in their own way. He is the irreconcilable adversary of all their selfish schemes. He embitters every cup of selfish joy, "turns their" selfish "council headlong; and brings down their violent dealing upon their own pate." Thus you see that sinners hate God, because he is so holy. While they remain selfish, and he is infinitely benevolent, their characters, their designs, their desires, and all their ways are diametrically opposed to his, and his to theirs. They are direct opposites; and until they change, it will always be true as he has said, "I loathe them, and they abhor me." Holiness, is a regard to right. God requires upon infinite penalties, that every moral being in the universe should do and feel and say, that which is perfectly right; less than this, he cannot require without injustice. But sinners are unwilling to do right. They would be at liberty to consult their own private interest in every thing, and they of course consider God as an enemy, because he insists upon their unqualified obedience to the law of right, however perfectly it counteracts their selfish schemes. Again. Sinners hate God because he is so good. He is good and does good, and moves on in the promotion of the public interest in a way that often overturns and scatters to the winds, all their selfish projects and Babel-towers upon which they are attempting to climb to heaven. His heart is so set upon doing good, that in the prosecution of his great design, he has often overthrown families and nations that stood in his way; and once, he overwhelmed a world of sinners in a flood to prevent their mischief, and bring the world back into such a state, that, through the introduction of the law and Gospel, he might reclaim mankind, and save a multitude from hell. Again. Sinners hate God, because he is impartial. They view their own interest as of supreme importance, and are laying themselves out to make everything in the universe bend to it. They would have the weather, the winds, and the whole material and moral universe, conform to the great object they have in view, to consummate and perpetuate their own happiness. But as God has an end in view entirely diverse from theirs; as his object is to promote the general happiness, and the happiness of individuals, only so far as is consistent with the happiness and rights of other beings, he continually thwarts them in their favorite projects. The very elements of the material universe, are so arranged and governed, as often to make shipwreck of their fondest hopes, and annihilate for even their most fondly cherished expectations. But this is not all. Sinners hate God because he threatens to punish them for their sins. He will not compromise with them; he insists upon their obedience, or their damnation. He requests their repentance and reformation, or the everlasting destruction of their souls. Now, either alternative is supremely hateful to an impenitent sinner. To repent, heartily to confess that God is right, and he is wrong; to take God's part against himself; to give up the pursuit of his own happiness, as the supreme object of desire; to dedicate himself with all he is and has to the service of God and the promotion of the public interest; is what he is utterly unwilling to do; and inasmuch as God insists upon it, will make no compromise, but demands unqualified and unconditional submission to his will, or the eternal damnation of his soul; the sinner is entirely unreconciled to either. He considers God as his infinite and almighty adversary, and makes war upon him with all his heart. III. I am to show, that sinners hate God for the very reasons for which they ought to love him. They are the very reasons for which all holy beings do love him. His opposition to all sin, and to all injurious conduct of every kind; his high regard to individual, and general happiness; and in short, all the reasons for which selfish beings are so much opposed to him, are the foundation of obligation to love him, and are the reasons why reasonable beings, that have any regard to the moral fitness of things, feel it right, and infinitely obligatory in them, to love their Maker. He deserves to be loved for these reasons, and for no other. And it is for these, and no other reasons that sinners hate him. They do not hate him because he deserves their hatred, but because he deserves their love. It is not because he is wicked, but because he is good. It is not because they have any good reason to hate him, but because they have every possible reason to love him. I mean just as I say. Sinners not only hate God, in spite of infinitely strong reasons for loving him; but for these very reasons. Not only is it true, that these reasons for loving him do not prevent their hating him, but they are the very reasons for which they hate him. I shall conclude this discourse with several remarks. 1st. From this subject you can see the ridiculous hypocrisy of infidels. It is very common for them to profess in their investigations and inquiries after truth, to be impartial. They insist upon it that Christians are already committed, and are therefore incapable of giving Christianity a candid and unbiased examination. Christians, they say, cannot make up a judgment to be relied upon, because they are already committed in favor of Christianity. But infidels seem to suppose that they are in circumstances to make up an unbiased and enlightened judgment; and to examine and decide without prejudice. But this is utterly absurd. They are not on neutral ground, as they suppose themselves to be. They are committed against the Bible. That they are the enemies of God, is demonstrated by their conduct, entirely irrespective of the Bible. That their lives are such as no good being can approve; such as God if he is holy must abhor, is a plain matter of fact. It needs no Bible to prove this. Now, here is a book claiming to be a revelation from God, demanding of them holiness of heart and life; and threatening them for their sins with eternal death. Now, is it not absurd? Is it not ridiculous and hypocritical, for these enemies of God, committed as they are against God, and against this revelation; to set themselves up as the only impartial judges? They can sit down to the investigation of the subject without bias. They are on neutral ground. They feel no such prepossessions as to misguide their judgment. The fact is; admitting that Christians are as much prejudiced in favor of Christianity, as infidels say they are; still, unless infidels will admit that Christians are perfect, that they are wholly sinless, and entirely devoted to God; it will appear after all, that Christians are not so liable to be prejudiced in favor of Christianity, as infidels are against it. Infidels are entirely opposed to God, and all impenitent sinners, as I have shown in the two former discourses, are totally depraved; and until Christians are entirely perfect, they will not be so completely biased in favor of God, as sinners are in favor of the devil. They will not until then of course, be so liable to misjudge in favor of the Bible, as sinners will be against it. Christians, being upon the whole in favor of God, and therefore feeling a strong attachment to the Bible, and yet, having much remaining sin about them; and therefore liable to feel many objections to the strictness of its claims; are in the best circumstances, and in the most favorable state of mind of any beings in the world, to judge impartially. They are not so wicked as to reject what they see to be true, nor so obsequiously disposed, as blindly to submit to every thing that pretends to have a claim upon their obedience without investigation. By this I do not mean that Christians are better qualified to judge of the truth of the Christian religion, than if they were perfect; but I do mean to repel the absurd assertions of infidels, that the Christian's faith, is nothing more than a blind credulity. There never was at any time, piety enough in the church, to bear the restraints of pure Christianity, if the evidence in its favor, did not come upon them, with the power of demonstration. 2nd. From this subject you can see, that the wicked conduct of sinners is no proof that their nature is sinful.The universal sinfulness of men, has been supposed to conduct to the inevitable conclusion, that the nature of man must be in itself sinful. It has been said that in no other way, can the universal sinful conduct of men, be accounted for. It has been maintained, that an effect must be of the same nature of its cause; and that as the effects or actions of our nature are universally sinful, that therefore the nature or cause must be sinful. But if the effect must be of the same nature of its cause, if the cause must have the same nature of the effect, then God must be a material being, for he is the cause of the existence of all matter, and therefore he must himself be material. The soul of man must also be material. It acts upon his material body, and causes his body to act upon other material things around him, and as it is constantly effecting material changes on every hand, the soul must be material. This would, indeed, be a short hand method of disposing of the existence of all spirits. But who will after all admit of this mode of argumentation, and adopt as a serious and grave truth, the absurd dogma that the character of an effect, decides in all cases the character or nature of its cause. The universally sinful conduct of men is easily and naturally accounted for, upon the principles of this discourse. They universally adopt in the outset, the principle of selfishness as their grand rule of action, and this from the very laws of their mental constitution, vitiates all their moral conduct, and gives a sinful character to every moral action. If it be asked how it happens that children universally adopt the principle of selfishness, unless their nature is sinful. I answer, that they adopt this principle of self gratification or selfishness; because they possess human nature, and come into being under the peculiar circumstances in which all the children of Adam are born since the fall: but not because human nature is itself sinful. The cause of their becoming sinners, is to be found in their nature's being what it is, and surrounded by the peculiar circumstances of temptation to which they are exposed in a world of sinners. All the constitutional appetites and propensities of body and mind, are in themselves innocent; but when strongly excited are a powerful temptation to prohibited indulgence. To these constitutional appetites or propensities, so many appeals of temptation are made, as universally to lead human beings to sin. Adam was created in the perfection of manhood, certainly not with a sinful nature, and yet, an appeal to his innocent constitutional appetites led him into sin. If adult Adam, without a sinful nature, and after a season of obedience and perfect holiness, was led to change his mind by an appeal to his innocent constitutional propensities; how can the fact that infants, possessing the same nature with Adam and surrounded by circumstances of still greater temptation, universally fall into sin, prove that their nature is itself sinful? Is such an inference called for? Is it legitimate? What, holy and adult Adam, is led, by an appeal to his innocent constitution to adopt the principle of selfishness, and no suspicion is, or can be entertained, that he had a sinful nature; but if little children under circumstances of temptation aggravated by the fall are led into sin, we are to believe that their nature is sinful! This is wonderful philosophy; and what heightens the absurdity is, that in order to admit the sinfulness of nature, we must believe sin to consist in the substance of the constitution, instead of voluntary action; which is a thing impossible. And that which stamps the inference of a sinful nature with peculiar guilt is, that in making it we reject God's own declaration that "sin is a transgression of the law," and adopt a definition which is a perfectly absurd. 3rd. From the view of depravity presented in these discussions, it is easy to see in what sense sin is natural to sinners; and what has led mankind to ascribe the outbreakings of sin to their nature; as if their nature was itself sinful. All experience shows, that from the laws of our constitution we are influenced in our conduct directly or indirectly by the supreme preference of our minds. In other words, when we desire a thing supremely, it is natural to us to pursue this object of desire; we may have desires for an object which we do not pursue. But it is a contradiction to say that we do not pursue the object of supreme desire. Supreme desire is nothing else than a supreme or controlling choice, and as certain as the will controls the actions; so certainly, and so naturally, shall we pursue that object which we supremely desire. The fact therefore, that sinners adopt the principle of supreme selfishness, renders it certain and natural, while their selfishness continues to be predominant, that they will sin, and only sin, and this is in strict accordance with, or rather the result of the laws of their mental constitution. While they maintain their supreme selfishness, obedience is impossible. This is the reason why "the carnal mind, or the minding of the flesh, is not subject to the law of God neither indeed can be." No wonder therefore, that sinners, whose supreme preference is selfish, should find it very natural for them to sin, and extremely difficult to do anything else than sin. This being a fact of universal observation, has led mankind to ascribe the sins of men to their nature; and a great deal of fault has been found with nature itself; when the fact is, that sin is only an abuse of the powers of nature. Men have very extensively overlooked the fact; that a deep seated, but voluntary preference for sin, was the foundation and fountain and cause of all other sins. The only sense in which sin is natural to men is, that it is natural for mind to be influenced in its individual exercises by a supreme preference or choice of any object. It will therefore, always be natural for a sinner to sin, until he changes the supreme preference of his mind, and prefers the glory of God and the interests of his kingdom to his own separate and opposing interests. 4th. Here you can see what a change of heart is. Its nature, its necessity, and the obligation of the sinner immediately to change it. You can see also that the first act which the sinner will, or can perform, that can be acceptable to God, must be to change his heart, or the supreme controlling preference of his mind. 5th. Perhaps someone will object and say if infants are not born with a sinful nature, how then are they saved by grace? But I ask in return, if they are born with a sinful nature, how are they saved by grace? Does God create an infant a sinner, and then call it grace to save him from the sinfulness of a nature of his own creation? Absurd and blasphemous. What! represent the ever blessed God as either directly creating a sinful nature, or as establishing such an order of things that a nature in itself sinful would by physical necessity descend from Adam, and then call that grace by which the infant is saved! (not from its conduct, but from its nature!) But let us look at this. Here are two systems; the one maintains that infants have no moral character at all, until they have committed actual transgression. That their first moral actions are invariably sinful, but that previous to moral action they are neither sinful nor holy. That as they have no moral character they deserve neither praise nor blame; neither life nor death at the hand of God. God might annihilate them without injustice, or he may bestow upon them eternal life as a free and unearned gift. The other system maintains that infants have a sinful nature which they have inherited from Adam. The scriptures maintain that all who are ever saved of the human family, must be saved by grace; and those who maintain the system that the nature of infants is itself sinful, suppose that upon their system alone is it possible to ascribe the salvation of infants, who die before actual transgression to grace. But let us for a few moments examine these systems. Grace is evidently used in different senses in the Bible. It is sometimes synonymous with holiness. To grow in grace, is to grow in holiness. Its most common import seems to be that of unmerited favor. It is sometimes used in a wider sense, and includes the idea of mercy or forgiveness. Now, when infants die previous to actual transgression, it is impossible to ascribe their salvation to grace, in any other sense, than that of undeserved, or unearned favor. If they have never sinned, it is impossible that they should be saved by grace, if we include in the term grace, the idea of mercy or forgiveness. To assert that a child can be pardoned for having a sinful nature, is to talk ridiculous nonsense: and it is only in the sense of undeserved favor, excluding the idea of mercy or pardon, that an infant, dying before actual transgression, can be said to be saved by grace. In this sense, his salvation is by grace. He has never earned eternal life; he has never done anything, by which he has laid God under any obligation to save him, and God might, without any injustice, annihilate him. But if it please him for the sake of Christ, as I fully believe it does, to confer eternal life upon one whom he might without any injustice annihilate, it is conferring upon him infinite favor. But let us look at the other system for a moment. This denies that infants have a sinful nature, and rejects the monstrous dogma that God has created the nature sinful, and then pretends to save the infant from a nature of his own creation by grace, as if the infant deserved damnation for being what God made it. Those that hold this scheme insist that there is as much grace in the salvation of infants, upon their view of the subject, as upon the impossible dogma of a sinful nature. The fact is, that the very existence of the whole race of man, is a mere matter of grace; having reference to the atonement of Jesus Christ. Had it not been for the contemplated atonement, Adam and Eve would have been sent to hell at once, and never have had any posterity. The race could never have existed. There never could have been any infants, or adults (Adam and Eve excepted,) had it not been for the grace of Christ in interposing in behalf of man by his atonement. it was doubtless in anticipation of this, and on account of it, that Adam and Eve were spared and the sentence of the law not instantly executed upon them. Now every infant owes its very existence to the grace of God in Jesus Christ, and if it dies previous to actual transgression, it is just as absolutely indebted to Christ for eternal life, as if it had been the greatest sinner on earth. On neither of these schemes, does the grace which saves infants include the idea of pardon - but on both of them they are saved by grace, inasmuch as they owe their very existence to the atonement of Christ; and in both cases are delivered from circumstances under which it is certain had they lived to form a moral character, they would have sinned, and deserved eternal death. To think, therefore, of objecting to the view of depravity that I have given in these discourses, that it denies the grace of God in the salvation of infants, is either to misconceive, or willfully to misrepresent the sentiments that I have advocated. I desire to ask, and I wish that it may be answered, if it can be; wherein there is any more grace displayed in the salvation of infants, upon the one system than upon the other. Will it be said that if the nature of infants be sinful, grace must change their nature, and that there is this difference; that although in neither case does the infant need a pardon, yet in the one case his nature needs to be changed, and not in the other? But if his nature needs to be changed. I deny that this is an act of grace; if God has made his nature wrong and incapable of performing any but sinful actions, he is bound to change it. It is consummate trifling to call this grace - to cause a being to come into existence with a sinful or defective nature and then call it grace to alter this nature and make it as it should have been at first, is to trifle with serious things and talk deceitfully for God. 6th. Again. The hatred of sinners is cruel. It is as God says, "rendering hatred for his love." He is love, and this is the reason and the only reason why they hate him. Mark, it is not because they overlook the fact that he is infinitely benevolent. It is not merely in the face of this fact, that for other reasons they hate him; but it is because of this fact. It is literally and absolutely rendering hatred for his love. He is opposed to their injuring each other. He desires their happiness and is infinitely opposed to their making themselves miserable. He is infinitely more opposed to their doing any thing that will prove injurious to themselves, than an earthly parent was to that course of conduct in his beloved child, which he foresaw would ruin him. His heart yearns with infinitely more than parental tenderness. He expostulates with sinners and says, "O do not that abominable thing that I hate." "How shall I give thee up Ephriam? How shall I deliver thee Israel? How shall I make thee as Admah? How shall I set thee as Zeboim? My heart is turned within me, and my repentings are kindled together." He feels all the gushings of a father's tenderness, and all the opposition of a father to any course that will injure his offspring, and as children will sometimes hate, and revile their parents for opposing their wayward courses to destruction, so sinners hate God, more than they hate all other beings, because he is infinitely more opposed to their destroying their souls. 7th. The better God is, the more sinners hate him. The better he is, the more he is opposed to their selfishness: and the more he opposes their selfishness, while they remain selfish, the more they are provoked with him. In my second discourse on depravity, I showed that men hate God supremely. The only reason is because his excellence is supreme excellence. His goodness is unmingled goodness, and therefore their hatred is unmingled enmity. If there were any defect in his character, men would not hate him so much. If God were not perfectly ,yea infinitely good, men might not be totally depraved, I mean, they might not be totally opposed to his character; but because his character has no blemish, therefore they sincerely, cordially, and perfectly hate him. 8th. Again. The more he tries to do them good, while they remain impenitent, the more they will hate him. While they retain their selfishness, all his efforts to restrain it, to hedge them in, to prevent the accomplishment of their selfish desires; the more he interposes to tear away their idols; to wean them from the world, the more he embitters every cup of joy with which they attempt to satisfy themselves, the more means he uses to reclaim, and sanctify and save; if their selfishness remain unbroken, the more deeply and eternally will they hate him. 9th. This conduct in sinners is infinitely blame worthy and deserves eternal death. It is impossible to conceive of guilt more deep and damning than that of sinners under the Gospel. They sin under circumstances so peculiar, than their guilt is more aggravated than that of devils. Devils have broken the law and so have you sinners. But devils never rejected the Gospel. They have been guilty of rebellion and so have you. But they have never rejected the offer of pardon and spurned, as with their feet, the offer of eternal life through the atoning blood of the Son of God. If you sinners do not deserve eternal death, I cannot conceive that there is a devil in hell that deserves it. And yet, strange to tell, sinners often speak as if it were doubtful whether they deserve to be damned. 10th. It is easy to see from this subject, that saints and angels will be entirely satisfied with the justice of God in the damnation of sinners. They will never take delight in the misery of the damned, but in the display of justice, in the vindication of his insulted majesty and injured honor, in the respect which punishment will create for the law and character of God, they will have pleasure; they will see that the display of his justice is glorious, and will cry halleluiah, while "the smoke of their torment shall ascend up for ever and ever."

Do You Know Madalyn Murray O’Hair was Not an Atheist! That's right, Madalyn O'Hair was NOT an atheist! Shocked? An atheist by definition is: Someone who denies the existence of God. From O'Hair's own statements, it is clear that she DID believe in God, very much so, and she hated Him with a passion... "We find God to be sadistic, brutal and a representation of hatred." SOURCE: THE ATHEIST, by Bryan F. LeBeau, pg. 85 (a response from the self-announced "Maryland Atheist" to a Life magazine editorial) You can't express utter contempt for a God Who doesn't exist. Madalyn O'Hair hated God and the Bible. It's irrefutable evidence against any professed "atheist" who curses in God's name, talks about how much they hate God, and spends their life attacking a Person that allegedly "doesn't exist." No one hates God as much as professed "atheists." Madalyn Murray O'Hair was no atheist. Her very hatred for God manifested her belief in God. Madalyn O'Hair was consumed with hatred and anger against a God that she claimed didn't exist. Madalyn O'Hair: The Monster Madalyn's eldest son, William (now an evangelist), said this of his mother in his testimony... "I was born into a home of near constant rage and violence. As a result of my mother's constant angry outbursts, she could not hold down a job. She, my brother and I, lived with her parents and my unmarried uncle. My grandfather had never filed an income tax return and most of what he did do during his life was illegal or ill advised. My grandmother read Tarot cards and sent out demons by burning human hair. My uncle kept hoards of pornography in his room and my mother filled the house with statues of mating animals which she worshipped." SOURCE: http://www.wjmurray.com If anyone is sadistic, brutal and hateful, it was "Mad Madalyn." William J. Murray further states concerning his mother… Madalyn Murray O'Hair - She intensely hated a God that she claimed didn't exist. O'Hair was NO atheist!“When I was a young boy of ten or eleven years old she would come home and brag about spending the day in X-rated movie theaters in downtown Baltimore...” “My mother delighted in hiring unrepentant criminals to work in her atheist office. She particularly enjoyed hiring convicted murderers who had served their time but were unrepentant about what they had done...” “My mother was an evil person ... Not for removing prayer from America's schools ... No ... She was just evil. She stole huge amounts of money. She misused the trust of people. She cheated children out of their parents' inheritance. She cheated on her taxes and even stole from her own organizations. She once printed up phony stock certificates on her own printing press to try to take over another atheist publishing company. I could go on but I won't. All the money my mother made in this manner stayed behind. It did not go with her. 'For we brought nothing into this world and it is certain we can carry nothing out’” (1st Timothy 6:7). “My mother simply believed, 'Do what thou wilt shall be the only law.’” SOURCE: http://www.wjmurray.com "Mad Madalyn" lived out her professed atheism. No atheist should be ashamed of her and her profane life and words, for she was the epitome of every professed "atheist." She lived a reckless life of self-indulgence, wickedness and rebellion against the God of the Bible. No one curses God more than professed atheists. Truthfully, there is NO such thing as a genuine atheist, only wannabes, i.e., people who prefer to live as if there is no God in their unrepentant minds. Ultimately, O'Hair's bad company brought her own tragic demise and that of her precious family... "The dismembered bodies of Madalyn Murray O’Hair, Jon Murray and Robin Murray were found in January of 2000 in Camp Wood, Texas. One of the killers, David Waters, led the authorities to the site in return for a guarantee he would serve his time in a Federal rather than in a Texas state prison. He died of prison of liver decease in 2003. A second killer was sentenced to live in prison." SOURCE: http://www.wjmurray.com Madalyn liked hiring unrepentant, convicted felons — disobedient, lawless, reprobate persons — and one of them ending up stealing $54,000 from her and killing her. Her Mercedes, her mansion, and her fine liquor took her down that Highway to Hell way that so many people foolishly choose to go down. Madalyn Murray O'Hair is America! The following quote from William J. O'Hair is an indictment against America as a nation... "In reality my mother did not create the times, the times created her. She was what America was about in the sixties and seventies. There were several cases going to the Supreme Court to remove prayer. Her case just got there first. The left-wing Court of the day wanted prayer out of the schools and to allow abortion on demand. They virtually were advertising for cases to change America. But my mother saw the secular and sexual turn in America as centered around her." [Emphasis added] SOURCE: http://www.wjmurray.com Mr. O'Hair is correct... his mother simply embodied the spiritual condition of an entire nation during the sixties and seventies. Madalyn Murray O'Hair is America!!! Look at America today! Murdering little children is LEGAL. Casino gambling is LEGAL. Producing, selling and viewing pornography is LEGAL. Getting drunk is LEGAL. Fornication is LEGAL. Homosexuality is LEGAL. Even more representative of America is Miss USA, Tara Conner, who is a superb representative of American women today. She will continue wearing her crown, as the epitome of her country's lack of morals. It shouldn't be a surprise. American women are responsible for murdering nearly 50,000,000 babies by abortion!!! This is because of the wicked fornication in America, which has produced tens-of-millions of unwanted children. Worldly music, TV, and feminism are MUCH to blame for this corruption of America's morals. Can you image... fifty million people are not here today in the U.S. because they were murdered by their mothers! It's the reckless boozing and wild partying lifestyle which has fueled the abortion industry. Tara Conner is a good representative of that evil. Yes, she truly is Miss USA! Conclusion Madalyn Murray O'Hair, by her own expressed hatred for God, clearly evidenced that she believed in God. Her pathetic life is a sad account of evil and bitter hatred. She died a horrible death at the hands of one of her own kind. Sadly, Madalyn is most likely burning in the fires of Hell this moment; but her son made a wonderful statement that I want to share with you... "Christ is there for the vilest offender. The serial killer whose prayer at the hour of his death is genuine is also forgiven." SOURCE: http://www.wjmurray.com Amen! That is absolutely true. God will forgive anybody. There is always hope in Jesus Christ! Consider the solemn words of the mighty preacher, Charles Spurgeon... "I know that when you are dying you will believe in a hell. Conscience makes cowards of us all, and makes us believe, even when we say we do not, that God must punish sin." SOURCE: Charles Spurgeon, sermon entitled, TURN OR BURN, preached December 7, 1856, at the Music Hall, Royal Surrey Gardens (Note: some false teachers have tried to use this particular sermon by Spurgeon to teach Lordship Salvation; but by careful consideration of the word "renunciation," it is clear Spurgeon wasn't). “...the God in whose hand THY BREATH IS, and whose are all thy ways, HAST THOU NOT GLORIFIED” (Daniel 5:23).

Why I Left Freemasonry! By Evangelist Charles G. Finney, D.D. (1792-1875) Introduction: "No words can describe the wonderful joy that was shed abroad in my heart. I wept aloud with joy and love. The waves came over me and over me, one after another, until I cried out, 'I shall die if these waves continue to pass over me. Lord, I cannot bear any more." -Finney's description of his filling with the Holy Spirit on the day of his conversion" Charles Finney was born in Connecticut to an ordinary family and life that gave little hint of the great things God had in store for him. He was a schoolteacher and then a lawyer before his conversion at age 29. Finney was filled with the Holy Spirit on the same day he was saved and immediately began witnessing to friends and family members. More than twenty people were saved in the 24 hours following Finney's conversion. Finney's personal evangelism soon became public evangelism as he began to travel and preach in extended revival meetings. He considered revival to be a natural result of following the instructions God had laid out in His Word. During Finney's fifty years of preaching, more than 500,000 were saved. He wrote many books, the most enduring of which are The Autobiography of Charles Finney and Lectures on Revival of Religion. After ill health forced him to stop traveling in meetings, he accepted the pastorate of a church in New York City. From 1852 until 1866 he served as president of Oberlin College in Ohio. Although some of his theology was lacking, he was a powerful, Spirit-filled soul winner who brought revival to cities and towns across the eastern United States. -SOURCE (Sword of the Lord) Why I Left Freemasonry By Charles G. Finney When I was converted to Christ I had belonged to the Masonic Lodge in Adams, New York, about four years. During the struggle of conviction of sin through which I passed, I do not recollect that the question of Freemasonry ever occurred to my mind. New Views of Lodgism But soon after my conversion, the evening came for attendance upon the Lodge, and I went. They, of course, were aware that I had become a Christian and the Master called upon me to open the Lodge with prayer. I did so, and poured out my heart to the Lord for blessings upon the Lodge. I observed that it created considerable excitement. The evening passed away, and at the close of the Lodge I was asked to pray again. I did so, and retired much depressed in spirit. I soon found that I was completely converted from Freemasonry to Christ, and that I could have no fellowship with any of the proceedings of the Lodge. Its oaths appeared to me to be monstrously profane and barbarous. At that time I did not know how much I had been imposed upon by many of the pretensions of Masonry. But, upon reflection and examination, a severe struggle and earnest prayer, I found I could not consistently remain with them. My new life instinctively and irresistibly recoiled from any fellowship with what I now regarded as "the unfruitful works of darkness." Quietly Withdrawing Membership Without consulting anyone, I finally went to the Lodge and requested my discharge. My mind was made up. Withdraw from them I must -- with their consent if I might; without this consent if I must. Of this I said nothing; but somehow it came to be known that I had withdrawn. They therefore planned a Masonic festival and sent a committee to me, requesting me to deliver an oration on that occasion. I quietly declined to do so, informing the committee that I could not conscientiously, in any wise, do what would show my approval of the institution, or sympathy with it. However, for the time, and for years afterward I remained silent, and said nothing against Masonry; though I had then so well considered the matter as to regard my Masonic oaths as utterly null and void. But from that time I never allowed myself to be recognized as a Freemason anywhere. Beginning a Public Testimony This was a few years before the revelations of Freemasonry by Captain William Morgan were published. When that book was published, I was asked if it was a true revelation of Freemasonry. I replied that it was so far as I knew anything about it, and that as nearly as I could recollect, it was a verbatim revelation of the first three degrees as I had myself taken them. I frankly acknowledged that that which had been published was a true account of the institution, and a true expose' of their oaths, principles and proceedings. After I had considered it more thoroughly, I was more perfectly convinced that I had no right to adhere to the institution, or appear to do so; and that I was bound, whenever the occasion came, to speak my mind freely in regard to it, and to renounce the horrid oaths that I had taken. Masonic Oaths Procured by Fraud I found that in taking these oaths I had been grossly deceived and imposed upon. I had been led to suppose that there were some very important secrets to be communicated to me; but in this I found myself entirely disappointed. Indeed I came to the deliberate conclusion that my oaths had been procured by fraud and misrepresentations; that the institution was in no respect what I had been informed it was; and as I have had the means of examining it more thoroughly, it has become more and more irresistibly plain to me that Masonry is highly dangerous to the State, and in every way injurious to the Church of Christ. Features of an Anti-Christ Judging from unquestionable evidences, how can we fail to pronounce Freemasonry an unchristian institution? We can see that its morality is unchristian. Its oath-bound secrecy is unchristian. The administration and taking of its oaths are unchristian and a violation of the positive command of Christ. And Masonic oaths pledge its members to some of the most unlawful and unchristian things: To conceal each other's crimes. To deliver each other from difficulty, whether right or wrong. To unduly favor Masonry in political action and in business matters. Its members are sworn to retaliate and persecute unto death the violators of Masonic obligations. Freemasonry knows no mercy, and swears its candidates to avenge violations of Masonic obligations unto death. Its oaths are profane, taking the Name of God in vain. The penalties of these oaths are barbarous, even savage. Its teachings are false and profane. Its designs are partial and selfish. Its ceremonies are a mixture of puerility and profanity. Its religion is false. It professes to save men on other conditions than those revealed in the Gospel of Christ. It is wholly an enormous falsehood. It is a swindle, obtaining money from its members under false pretenses. It refuses all examinations, and veils itself under a mantle of oath-bound secrecy. It is virtual conspiracy against both Church and State. Some Fair Conclusions No one, therefore, has ever undertaken to defend Freemasonry as judged by the above. Freemasons themselves do not pretend that their institution as revealed in reliable books, and by some of their own testimony, is compatible with Christianity. So it must follow that, First, the Christian Church should have no fellowship with Freemasonry; and those who adhere intelligently and determinately to such an institution have no right to be in the Christian Church. We pronounce this judgment sorrowfully, but solemnly. Second, should the question be asked, "What shall be done with the great number of professed Christians who are Freemasons?" I answer, let them have nothing more to do with it. Let it be distinctly pressed upon their consciences that all Masons, above the first two Degrees, have solemnly sworn to conceal each other's crimes, murder and treason alone excepted; and that all above the sixth Degree have sworn to espouse each other's cause, and to deliver them from any difficulty, whether right or wrong. Third, if they have taken those Degrees where they have sworn to persecute unto death those who violate their Masonic obligations, let them be asked whether they really intend to do any such thing. Let them be distinctly asked whether they intend to aid and abet the administration and taking of these oaths. Or if they still intend to countenance the false and hypocritical teachings of Masonry. Or if they mean to countenance the profanity of their ceremonies, and the partiality of their sworn practice. If so, surely they should not be allowed their place in the Christian Church. Fourth, can a man who has taken, and still adheres to the Master's oath to conceal any secret crime of a brother of that Degree, murder and treason excepted, be a safe man with whom to entrust any public office? Can he be trusted as a witness, as a juror, or with any office connected with the administration of justice? Fifth, can a man who has taken, and still adheres to, the oath of the Royal Arch Mason be trusted to public office? He swears to espouse the cause of a companion of this Degree when involved in any difficulty, so far as to extricate him, whether he be right or wrong. He swears to conceal his crimes, MURDER AND TREASON NOT EXCEPTED. Is such a man bound by such an oath to be trusted with office? Ought he to be accepted as a witness or juror when another Freemason is a party in the case? Ought he to be trusted with the office of Judge, or Justice of the Peace, or as a Sheriff, Constable, Marshal or any other office? What Is Your Answer? I appeal to your conscience in the sight of God, for an honest answer to these three questions: 1. Is any man who is under a most solemn oath to kill all who violate any part of Masonic oaths, a fit person to be at large among men? 2. Ought Freemasons of this stamp to be fellowshipped in the Christian Church? 3. Do you believe that the sins of Masonic oaths are forgiven only to those who repent? And that we do not repent of those sins to which we still adhere? And that adherence makes us also partaker of other men's sins? "The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from ALL sin." "And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure" (1st John 1:17; 3:3). Reprinted from "Memoirs" of President Finney, formerly of Oberlin College. Copied from a tract published by National Christian Association -- publishers since 1868 of literature exposing secret societies.

Matthew 7:22-23, “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” I had the opportunity to witness to a man this week. I was walking through a local shopping mall and noticed him right away. The fella's been riding around on a bicycle for 32 years, holding a big sign that reads, “GOD BLESS YOU!” He is kind of rough looking, untidy, but Jesus died for him! I've seen him dozens of times over the past couple years, holding that sign while riding around on his bicycle. His name is Roe. The man is 66 years old. He used to live in northern California. I wanted to find out what compelled him to ride around with that peculiar sign. He said he does it to express his gratitude toward God. I commended him for that. I had actually met the guy last month for the first time, which is when I learned who he was. I witnessed to him them, giving him a simple Gospel presentation. He agreed with everything I said and said that he was already a Christian, but then he said he was late for Catholic mass. So Roe left and I went away wondering whether he was really saved or not. So when I saw him again the other day, I was determined to find out for sure. I witnessed to him again, and he agreed with me again, claiming that he was already saved. So I quoted John 14:6, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” I asked him if he believed that everyone else is going to Heaven too. He kept repeating to me, “I am liberal in my views.” So I asked him what he meant by “liberal”? He specifically mentioned Hindus, and said he thinks they can get to Heaven through their own beliefs. That told me right there that he is not saved. So I quoted to him Jesus' words from John 10:1, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.” I told him that Hindus are thieves and robbers. I then asked him if he was aware that Hindus worship millions of gods? Literally, Hindus can choose amongst millions of gods to worship. All except one, the Lord Jesus Christ. So I quoted John 14:6 again to the man and asked him if he believed the Bible. He said that he does, “Yes.” So I asked him if Jesus is a liar. I told him that the Lord plainly said, “NO MAN COMETH UNTO THE FATHER, BUT BY ME”! Was Jesus lying? I could see that he looked perplexed, his thoughts contradicting himself. How can a man claim to believe the Bible, while denying the Lord's words? Jesus warned, “NO MAN COMETH UNTO THE FATHER, BUT BY ME”! I boldly said to the man, “That means, according to Jesus' own words, that Hindus are not going to Heaven.” So he again repeated to me, “I am liberal in my views.” I kindly but directly said to Roe, “I do not think you are a Christian.” I explained to him gently that in order to be saved, you MUST understand that JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY OF SALVATION!!! I mentioned Acts 4:10-12, “Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” There is NO OTHER NAME given amongst men, than the precious NAME OF JESUS, by which we must be saved!!! Since Hindus reject Jesus as THE ONLY WAY to the Father, Hindus are not saved. I wrote this article to teach others that just because someone claims to believe the Gospel doesn't mean they are saved. The man said to me, “Well, I'm a Christian myself, but I'm liberal in my views, and I believe other religions can get to Heaven through their different faiths too.” Ladies and gentleman, that is, A 100% CONTRADICTORY STATEMENT!!! Either Jesus is the only way or He's not!!! Do you know in essence what the man was really telling me? He was saying loud and clear to me... CHRISTIANITY IS NOTHING MORE THAN A PHILOSOPHY THAT I'VE ADOPTED!!! That is NOT the new birth by faith ALONE in the Lord Jesus Christ. Folks, I've heard false prophet Benny Hinn preach the simple Gospel, but he's as lost as a moose in a caboose!!! Have you ever tried to find a moose in a caboose? Well let me tell you, it's not easy to do! It's not...lol. Seriously, Benny Hinn will say different things to different crowds, anything to sucker them out of their money!!! I've also heard Hinn preach total heresy concerning salvation. I'm convinced that he doesn't believe a word of what he says. Truly, the love of money is the root of all evil (1st Timothy 6:10). It is possible to believe the facts about the Gospel in your head, superficially, but not truly trust in them in your heart. The way you can discern the difference is with what I just taught you. If you think that you are a Christian, but that Roman Catholics can also get to Heaven by keeping their Seven Sacraments, then you are not saved!!! How can you be saved if you think there are multiple plans of salvation? That's why we've all heard famous rock n' roll singers, like Alice Cooper, falsely claim to be Christians. I don't believe them for a second. Likewise, I believe at least HALF of all Baptist church pastors today are unsaved, because they are trusting in Wrong Repentance or Lordship Salvation to be saved. The two links that I just provided are excellent articles by Dr. Hank Lindstrom (1940-2008). Just because you mentally acknowledge some Biblical information doesn't make you saved. You must personally place your trust in the Gospel to be born-again (regenerated) by the Holy Spirit of God (John 1:12-14). And that faith MUST EXCLUDE all else!!! Partial faith in Christ, plus sacraments, equals damnation. Partial faith in Christ, plus turning away from sinful behavior, equals damnation. Partial faith in Christ, plus circumcision, equals damnation (Acts 15:1; Galatians 1:6-9). Partial faith in Christ, plus sacraments, equals damnation. Partial faith in Christ, plus making Jesus the Lord of your life, equals damnation. Partial faith in Christ, plus confessing Christ publicly, equals damnation. All of these fake plans of salvation insert a wrong way of thinking into your mind, that cons you into errantly thinking you are saved, but you still haven't been born-again!!! YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN!!! John 3:3, “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” I couldn't get Roe to get saved, because he has a liberal view that embraces all faiths. As long as Roe believes that Hindus can get to Heaven through their millions of gods, he still hasn't repented from wrong thinking. Repentance is not from sins, it is from wrong thinking. A man who says that he is saved, but thinks Hindus can also be saved without Jesus Christ, has never repented of wrong thinking. The fact that Roe thinks Hindus can be saved without Jesus Christ, clearly tells me that Roe doesn't understand the Gospel. He doesn't grasp the need for God's righteousness. Philippians 3:9, “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.” I have no righteousness to offer God, and neither do you (Isaiah 64:6). You don't become a Christian by merely claiming to be one, which is what Roe is doing. You must place your complete trust in what Christ did to pay for your sins on the cross, believing that after being dead and buried for three days, Jesus triumphantly raised up in a resurrected body!!! That is the Good News (Gospel)!!! To get to Heaven by human merit, you and I MUST be 100% perfect! No unrighteousness is allowed into Heaven (1st Corinthians 6:9-10). Since we have ALL fallen short of God's glory and broken His commandments (Romans 3:19-20), none of us can earn, merit or deserve eternal life. We all deserve to burn in the Lake of Fire for our own sins. Ah, but our loving God has made a way of escape through the precious blood of Jesus. Romans 5:9, “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” Since you and I have no righteousness of our own to offer God, we need the dear Savior. We need HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS!!! Romans 10:3-4, “For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” Only a saved person can understand this truth, because that is how he was saved himself. If you tell me that Buddhists and Hindus can go to Heaven without the precious blood of Jesus Christ, that tells me you are WOEFULLY IGNORANT OF GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS!!! I didn't write this article to be unkind to anyone; but rather, to ensure that you are really saved. YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN!!! Please don't allow religion to take you to Hell. Please don't allow the modern, corrupt, Alexandrian, counterfeit, Bible versions to take you to Hell. YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN!!! It is not enough to ascribe to the philosophy of Christianity to be saved. YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN!!! It is not enough to join a Christian organization. YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN!!! It is not enough to partake of a Christian culture. YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN!!! It is not enough to run a Christian business. YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN!!!

Senator Ted Cruz' Father Tells Truth Of Marriages. (YouTube cannot censor this video anymore!)

Jesus of Nazareth is a 1977 British-Italian television miniseries directed by Franco Zeffirelli and co-written by Zeffirelli, Anthony Burgess, and Suso Cecchi d'Amico which dramatises the birth, life, ministry, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.

Simple Salvation By Dr. Curtis Hutson (1934-1995) In the book, Life and Works of Spurgeon, published in 1890, Mr. Spurgeon gives the following account of his conversion: It pleased God in my childhood to convince me of sin.… My heart was broken in pieces. Six months did I pray—prayed agonizingly with all my heart, and never had an answer. I resolved that, in the town where I lived, I would visit every place of worship in order to find out the way of salvation. I felt I was willing to do anything and be anything if God would only forgive me. I set off, determined to go round to all the chapels; and I went to all the places of worship; and though I dearly venerate the men that occupy those pulpits now, and did so then, I am bound to say that I never heard them once fully preach the Gospel. I mean by that, they preached truth, great truths, many good truths that were fitting to many of their congregation—spiritually-minded people; but what I wanted to know was, How can I get my sins forgiven? And they never once told me that. I wanted to hear how a poor sinner, under a sense of sin, might find peace with God; and when I went I heard a sermon on "Be not deceived: God is not mocked," which cut me up worse, but did not say how I might escape. I went again another day, and the text was something about the glories of the righteous: nothing for poor me... At last, one snowy day—it snowed so much I could not go to the place I had determined to go to, and I was obliged to stop on the road, and it was a blessed stop to me—I found rather an obscure street, and turned down a court, and there was a little chapel… I wanted to know how I might be saved… At last a very thin-looking man came into the pulpit and opened his Bible and read these words: "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth." Just setting his eyes upon me, as if he knew me all by heart, he said, "Young man, you are in trouble." Well, I was, sure enough. Says he, "You will never get out of it unless you look to Christ." And then, lifting up his hands, he cried out…, "Look, look, look! It is only look!" I saw at once the way of salvation. Oh, how I did leap for joy at that moment! I know not what else he said; I did not take much notice of it—I was so possessed with that one thought. Like as when the brazen serpent was lifted up, they only looked and were healed. I had been waiting to do fifty things, but when I heard this word "Look!" what a charming word it seemed to me! Oh, I looked until I could almost have looked my eyes away! And in Heaven I will look on still in my joy unutterable. That was Spurgeon’s experience of salvation—the man who became one of the greatest preachers of all times. In fact, he may have been the greatest preacher since the Apostle Paul or since New Testament preachers. He preached when just a teenager at Park Street Church. A thousand came to hear him, then twelve hundred. He made a move to Exeter Hall, and ten thousand came. Later when that place burned, they moved to Surrey Gardens. Thirty thousand came to hear him there. The people said, "He’s a teenager, a novelty. When he gets older, this will wear off, and such crowds will not come." But they kept coming. Finally the Metropolitan Baptist Tabernacle was built which seated five thousand. You had to have a ticket in order to get into the Metropolitan Tabernacle to hear Spurgeon preach, and these had to be gotten two to three weeks in advance. On many occasions Spurgeon would ask the church members to stay at home to make space for all the visitors. And these visitors would pack the five-thousand-seat building to hear Spurgeon preach. When I read his salvation experience, I knew my experience was not too much unlike Charles Spurgeon’s. I went to church. A preacher said, "Ye must be born again," but I had no idea what he meant. I even heard him say, "You ought to be saved. If you are not saved, you are going to Hell." I knew Hell was a lake of fire—an awful place—but I didn’t know what "saved" meant. And no matter how much I wanted to be saved, I couldn’t have been because I didn’t know how to be saved. I prayed, I did everything else I knew to do, but I didn’t know I had to trust Jesus Christ as my Saviour. Nobody had ever explained it to me. Multiplied thousands of religious people go to church Sunday after Sunday, week after week, month after month, year after year; many know about Jesus and know something about the Scriptures, but they don’t know how to obtain forgiveness of their sins. So they face death still unsaved. I think many preachers take for granted that people know how to be saved, and so they never bother to explain it. They think it sounds too simple. At the risk of sounding too simple, I take the text Spurgeon heard and give you a simple salvation sermon so no one listening to my voice can ever say, "I went to church, heard what he said, but didn’t know what he meant. I didn’t know how to be saved, nor did I know how to obtain forgiveness of my sins." "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else."—Isa. 45:22. Looking at the text, I call your attention to four things: I. THE SOURCE OF SALVATION You have the Source of salvation in the text: "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else." Doesn’t it seem strange that we have to emphasize "me"? Salvation is not in a church, not in any denomination, not in sacraments, not in ceremonies, not in rituals, not in works, not in reformation; salvation is in a Person—the Lord Jesus Christ. "Look unto me, and be ye saved." My most difficult job as an evangelist is getting people to look to Christ alone for salvation. Some very sincere people look to Jesus and the baptistry. "It is not enough to look to Jesus," they say; "you must also be baptized." Now everybody who gets saved ought to be baptized by immersion in a local church, but no one gets baptized to be saved. It is not looking to the baptistry; it is looking to Jesus. I have been baptized, and I try to live right. But if I had to die right now and stand at Heaven’s gate and were asked, "Curtis, why should we let you in?" I would not say, "Because I lived right." I believe I would stand tall and say: My hope was built on nothing less Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness; I dared not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly leaned on Jesus’ name. And that angel would say, "Come in, Curtis. You have the magic word that gets one into Heaven!" Jesus will not share saving people with any church, with any denomination, with any individual—not the pope, not the Baptist preacher, no sacrament—nothing else. He only is the Saviour, not one of the saviours. In Acts 4:12 Peter said, "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." A missionary visiting on a mission field led a little boy to Christ. He already had religion and knew about Jesus, but he had added many other things for salvation. A few days later when she saw the little fellow, his countenance had changed. She asked, "Son, something has happened to you. You don’t look the same. What happened?" He answered, "Miss Missionary, I always knew Jesus was necessary, but I didn’t know until the other day that He was enough." I am here to tell you and the whole world that Jesus Christ is not only necessary, He is enough. It is not what a man does that saves him; it is not what a man promises to do that saves him; it is not what a man quits doing that saves him; it is what a man has that makes him a Christian. If a man must have a million dollars to be a millionaire, what must a man have to be a Chris-tian? CHRIST! In I John 5:12 we read, "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." That is it! I’m not going to Heaven because I’m a Baptist, or because I’ve been baptized, or because I have tried to live good. I’m going to Heaven because I’m trusting Christ and Him alone for salvation. There is no promise to those who partially believe on Jesus. The promise is to those who wholly believe on Him, the Source of salvation. I belong to a church, I tithe to a local church in Murfreesboro, not in order to be saved, but because I am saved and want to help propagate the Gospel throughout the world through my local church program. But I did only one thing for salvation: I looked to Christ alone. If there were any other way to be saved, why would God let His Son die on the cross? Yet this religion and this religion and this religion are trying to go to Heaven through baptism, through keeping the Commandments, through sacraments, through ceremonies, through lighting and burning candles and every other way. But Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." II. THE SCOPE OF SALVATION We have the Source of salvation, but we have also the scope of salvation: "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth." Who can be saved? Everybody! I get a little impatient with those who teach hyper-Calvinism and say that some are elected to be saved, some are elected to be lost, and some couldn’t get saved no matter what because they weren’t elected. I have never met a non-elected Calvinist. They are all elected. It is the others who are not. Ask any little first-grader what "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth" means, and he will tell you, "Everybody in the world." John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world…." Ask any third-grader what that means, and he’ll tell you, "God loves everybody in the world." Hebrews 2:9 says He tasted "death for every man." Ask any third-grader what "every man" means, and he’ll say, "Nobody is excluded: it means everybody." But once you get to college and seminary, you learn that "every man" doesn’t really mean every man; that the whole world doesn’t really mean the whole world, but the whole elected world. Hogwash! Why don’t you take it for what it says, "Look unto me, and be ye saved"? What is the scope? "All the ends of the earth." Salvation is for everybody. If I sell automobiles, I have to find a prospect because everybody is not a prospect. If I am selling real estate, I have to find a prospect because everybody is not a prospect. But when I am preaching the Gospel, everybody I meet—rich or poor, educated, uneducated, dumb, handsome, good-looking or ugly—is a prospect for salvation. "Jesus died for the whole world" is the scope of salvation. Nobody in Hell will ever look up to Heaven and say, "Jesus, I wanted to be saved, but You didn’t die for me." He will be in Hell because he would not trust Jesus Christ as his Saviour. III. THE SIMPLICITY OF SALVATION We not only have the Source of salvation and the scope of salvation, but we have the simplicity of salvation in our text. Dr. Bob Jones, Sr., once said, "Truth’s most becoming garment is simplicity." People are not confused because preachers have been too simple, but they are confused because preachers have been too complicated. Good preaching is not complicating a simple matter, but simplifying a complicated matter. Billy Sunday used to say, "Put the cookies on the lower shelf so everybody can reach them." Whether this is true, I do not know, but I have been told that Charles Finney really didn’t start out to preach. But he went to hear other preachers preach, and they used such words that the average man couldn’t understand. Being a lawyer and an educated man, he could understand them. I am told that Charles Finney would gather people together and explain what the preacher had said from the pulpit. And he drew larger crowds explaining what the preacher had said than the preacher drew when he preached the sermon! Make your message so simple that anybody can understand it. Salvation is so simple that we stumble over it. We can’t believe it is that easy. Does our text say, "Look unto me, and be baptized and join the church"? No. Does it say, "Look unto me, and live right"? No. Does it read, "Look unto me, turn over a new leaf, and promise never to sin again"? Oh no! We do one thing to get saved: we look to Christ. When Moses raised that brazen serpent in the wilderness, he said to those who were bitten and doomed to die, ‘Look and live.’ He didn’t say, "All you who have 20/20 vision, look and you will live, but you who are blind in one eye don’t have a chance." He just said, "Look." You could have been blind in one eye and hardly have had sight in the other, but with what sight you had, if you looked at that brazen serpent, you lived. People say to me, "I don’t think I have enough faith to be saved." It is not the measure of faith but the object of faith who saves. You can have a little bitty faith and a great big Saviour. If, with what little, quivering faith you have, you will look to Jesus, then you will be saved. Not a man in this room put his breakfast through a chemical analysis before he ate it. You just sat down and started eating. You don’t know that your spouse wouldn’t put rat poison in that food! Blind faith. You trusted her. When you eat in a restaurant, you eat by faith. I have sat down in a restaurant and noticed bread left on plates and nice pieces of meat. I wonder: Do they throw out that good, uneaten stuff? That seems like such a waste. Everyone has faith. The simplicity of salvation—"Look unto me" is all He is saying. With the little faith you have, even if it be just the least bit, say, "I cannot save myself. I believe Jesus died for me, and I’m looking to Him, trusting Him to take me to Heaven," and you will be saved. The word look means "to depend on, to rely on." That same expression is found in Hebrews 12:2: "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith." Martin Luther translated that, "Oft looking unto Jesus," which has the idea of looking away from everything else and looking only to Jesus—looking away from our baptism, our works, our good life, our promises to do better, our reformation—looking only to Jesus. Do I make myself clear? I’m struggling. I don’t want you to trust anything but Jesus. I want you to live right, go to church, get baptized, tithe. But when it comes to salvation, I want you to say, "My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. I am trusting Him and Him alone to get me to Heaven." The Source of salvation—Jesus. The scope of salvation—"all the ends of the earth." The simplicity of salvation—just look. Isn’t that simple? Jesus made it that easy for us. He did the hard part two thousand years ago when He suffered Hell at Calvary for the whole world. I won’t get into trying to explain that, except to say that He was infinite. He could suffer infinitely. And He did it in those few hours when He was suspended between Heaven and earth, as if rejected by both. We have seen the Source of salvation, the scope of salvation, the simplicity of salvation. One is saved by simply trusting, simply believing, simply depending on Jesus. IV. THE SURETY OF SALVATION Now, the surety of salvation. "Look unto me, and be ye saved." We use that word all the time. Sometimes an unsaved world doesn’t understand our terminology, especially those who don’t go to church. If you say, "So-and-so got saved," they think he was in a house on fire and was pulled out of the back bedroom window. Or he was drowning, and somebody threw him a lifeline and dragged him in. To the world, saved means saved from something. If you save a man from a burning building, you save him from burning to death. If you save a man from drowning, you drag him out of the lake before he goes under for the last time. And when a man is saved in the Bible sense, he is saved from the penalty of sin, which is Hell. To be saved means I am saved from Hell, the lake of fire. And when I get to Heaven, I’ll be saved from the very practice and presence of sin. But right now, I am saved from the penalty of sin, for Jesus paid the penalty at Calvary. "Look unto me, and be ye saved." The Bible tells us that, but most religions teach that you are not saved when you look to Jesus. They say you are put in a position to be saved, provided you don’t mess up again, or provided you endure to the end, or provided you keep the Ten Commandments. You have looked to Jesus and are trusting Him, but if you mess up, too bad. But all of us know we are going to mess up. We are not saved by not messing up; we are saved by looking to Him. "Look unto me, and be ye saved"—not put into a position to be saved provided you do this and do that; but look unto Him, and be saved. Do you know that if you are in danger of being lost, you are not saved? You were just put into a position to be saved, provided something doesn’t happen. If I swim out into the middle of the lake to rescue you, then drag you ninety yards and leave you ten yards from shore, then brag after I get back to shore that I have saved you—I didn’t save you. I put you in a position to be saved provided you could swim ten yards. And if you look to Jesus and He says, "You will go to Heaven if you don’t do this, or if you do that," He doesn’t save you; He puts you in a position to be saved if you can do this or if you can refrain from doing the other. No, when you looked to Jesus, you were saved right then and there. And you couldn’t go to Hell if you tried. Justification is an act that cannot be reversed nor followed by condemnation. The Source of salvation—Jesus. The scope of salvation—"the ends of the earth." The simplicity of salvation—just looking, just trusting. The surety—and be saved. I am saved. I am going to Heaven. Why? Because I’m looking to Jesus. I’m trusting Jesus. And if you will look to Him, you too will be saved. Trust Him alone and nothing else.

If you should die right now, do you know for sure that you would go to Heaven? Think carefully on this soul-searching question: If your answer is anything other than, "Yes I'm absolutely certain that my sins are forgiven and that Heaven will be my home," then this important message is just for you. The Bible teaches that you need to know and believe these things to settle this matter of your eternal destination: You must accept that you are a sinner. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). No one is exempt from this indictment. Everyone has sinned. Romans 5:12 says, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." No one is perfect and no one can live up to God's perfect standard. We are sinners by nature. You must accept that as a sinner you owe a penalty. "For the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23a). Because of our sin we owe a debt. This debt is a spiritual death or separation from God in the lake of fire known as Hell. Hell is not a figment of someone's imagination or only a figurative term. Hell is very real. It is a literal burning place. It's not a place where you go because your friends will be there and you want to have a good time. It is a dark, lonely, seething, burning place, and it never ends. It continues to burn for all time. The worst part is, there is nothing you or I can do on our own to avoid it. Outside of Jesus, it is our final destination. If you are depending on your church membership to get you to Heaven, beware; it's not enough. If you pray a lot hoping to get to Heaven, don't depend on that; it's not enough either. Even if you give a lot of money to a church, it's not enough to gain Heaven. Many people think if they are good enough, they will be able to slip in through the gate when no one is looking or find a hole in the gate somewhere. Please, my friend, don't depend on something so shaky. It can't happen that way. There is only one way to get to Heaven. How? You must accept that Jesus Christ has already paid our sin debt. "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Christ was not a sinner, and the Bible teaches that God took all of our sin and placed it on Christ. While Christ was bearing all our sins in His own body, God punished Him in our place to pay the debt we owe. This is not something God promised to do. It is something He has already done. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). It is a fact: Jesus Christ has already paid your sin debt. You must accept by faith what Jesus Christ did for you. "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him" (John 3:36). In this verse, the world is divided into two groups: those who are believing and those who are not believing on the Son. Those who believe have everlasting life, and those who don't believe shall not see life. The word "believe" means to trust, to depend on, to rely on. To believe on the Lord Jesus Christ means that you accept the fact that you are a sinner, that as a sinner you owe the sin penalty, and that Jesus Christ died on the cross, was buried, and arose again on the third day to pay the debt you owe. But it means going one step further: it means that you will completely trust Christ to get you to Heaven, that you will place the matter of your salvation in His hands and depend on Him alone for everlasting life. ​The moment you do this, God promises you are not condemned but have everlasting life and that you will never perish in Hell. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life" (John 5:24). Now, if you will trust Jesus Christ as your Saviour, pray this simple prayer from your heart: "Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner, and I deserve to pay my own sin debt, but I do believe that You died for me to pay the debt that I owe. Today, the best I know how, I trust You as my Saviour. I will depend on You from this moment on for my salvation. Amen." ​If you have accepted Christ as your Saviour, please contact us today and let us know of your decision. We would love to rejoice with you, and send you some literature on how to live the Christian life. Visit Us 224 Bridge Avenue Murfreesboro, TN 37129 Call Us

America’s Moral Meltdown By Richard F. Ames The United States is often considered one of the world’s leading nations. Sadly, America is more and more leading the world in immorality. How will the decline of this once-great nation affect our world—and you? Great nations often reflect great character and purpose. But when their standards and values decline and decay, their days are numbered. When families are strong and parents instill true values and godly character in their children, the nation is strong. But when a society abandons traditional "family values," history shows that its day of judgment looms. A May 2000 Gallup Poll revealed that 77 percent of Americans believe America’s moral values are growing worse ("Morality Ratings the Worst in Five Years," The Gallup Organization, May 25, 2006). Yet more than 80 percent of Americans consider themselves personally religious. Last year, Gallup reported: "Fifty-five percent [of Americans] say religion is ‘very important’ to them, and another 28 percent say ‘fairly important’" ("Faith Accompanies Most Americans Through Life," May 31, 2005). With a majority of its citizens professing religious faith, is America morally strong? Or is the nation heading for a moral meltdown? From its beginning, the United States has found its core values in the pages of the Bible. British historian Paul Johnson explained: "Hence, though the Constitution and the Bill of Rights made no provision for a state church—quite the contrary—there was an implied and unchallenged understanding that America was a religious country, that the republic was religious not necessarily in its forms but in its bones, that it was inconceivable that it could have come into existence, or could continue and flourish, without an overriding religious sentiment pervading every nook and cranny of its society. This religious sentiment was based on the Scriptures and the Decalogue, was embodied in the moral consensus of the Judeo-Christian tradition, and manifested itself in countless forms of mainly Christian worship" ("God and the Americans," Commentary, January 1995, p. 31). At its foundation, the U.S. based its values "on the Scriptures and the Decalogue"—the Bible and the Ten Commandments. More than 200 years later, is the nation still living by biblical values? Historically, marriage and the family have been the building blocks of society. When men and women transgress the Ten Commandments—when they practice adultery and unfaithfulness in their marriages—the family unit suffers. Ancient Rome at first emphasized strong families, but historians have documented Rome’s declining emphasis on morality, and how that decline affected Roman society. In his book, Ancient Education and Today, E. B. Castle wrote, "Added to this initial cause of family disruption [the increasing absence of traveling businessmen from their families] was the consequent easy attitude to the marriage tie, the increasing frequency of divorce, and the growing freedom and laxity in women’s morals, all of which ended in a loosening of the old family unity in which the best in Roman character had its roots" (p. 119). Will modern Western civilization follow the pattern of Rome’s decay? Writing in the first century ad, the Roman philosopher Seneca observed that "some noble ladies reckon the years of their lives, not by the number of the consuls, but by that of their husbands, now that they leave their homes in order to marry others, and marry only in order to be divorced… no woman keeps a husband at all unless it be to pique her lover" (On Benefits, Book III, xvi). Men, too, are seduced by the false allure of adultery. With increased access to birth control, and the easy availability of abortion on demand, sexual activity has increased in the last few decades as people think they can avoid its consequences. Millions fail to take seriously the simple biblical admonition, "You shall not commit adultery" (Exodus 20:14). Yet, if everyone kept this precept—the seventh of the Ten Commandments—lives would be far happier and society would be far more stable. Divorce statistics in Western nations remain sobering. In the last 30 years, the percentage of married adults in the U.S. has dropped by 17 percent, and more than 40 percent of first marriages end in divorce (Time, September 26, 2000, p. 77). In Great Britain, 53 percent of all marriages end in divorce, and in Canada 45 percent of all marriages end in divorce (ibid., p. 76). The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported in June 2001 that Australia’s divorced population had increased by 172 percent between 1981 and 2001. What a sad commentary on the family stability of those nations! Media and immoral culture influence many to divorce, weakening national character. Why? One reason is that societies increasingly reject biblical teachings, particularly the Ten Commandments! The fifth commandment states: "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you" (Exodus 20:12). If everyone kept the fifth and the seventh commandments, nations would experience stable and happy families. Decaying Morality? Our modern Western world increasingly rejects the Ten Commandments and continues its slide into immorality. Just how bad is it? The Barna Research Group surveyed American’s attitudes toward ten moral behaviors, and found that 60 percent consider it acceptable for unmarried people to cohabit. Fifty-nine percent believe sexual fantasizing is appropriate. Nearly half (45 percent) consider abortion acceptable, and 42 percent approve of extramarital sex. Thirty-eight percent approve of pornography, and 30 percent find homosexuality acceptable (“Morality Continues to Decay,” November 3, 2003). Regardless of Americans’ opinions, do you realize that, according to biblical principles, those behaviors are morally wrong? Just as God is the Creator of the natural laws of physics and chemistry, He is also the Lawgiver of spiritual law. And those spiritual laws are just as real as the physical ones! From beginning to end, the Bible reveals that obedience to God’s revealed laws brings blessings, while disobedience brings curses and penalties. Scripture reminds us: "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life" (Galatians 6:7–8). We all need to keep the Ten Commandments. Even if our nation is turning away from the Ten Commandments—refusing even to let them be posted in public buildings—each of us individually can learn the true ways of love toward God and love toward neighbor. As we apply the Ten Commandments in our own lives, we will be following Jesus’ advice, "If you will enter into life, keep the commandments" (Matthew 19:17). A nation that practices sexual licentiousness will pay the price. But we must ask ourselves individually: What is my attitude toward sexual activity? God created sex for intimacy, romance, and love in marriage, and to build a family. God’s way is the way of joy, peace, giving, serving, caring, and loving. Husbands and wives who love one another, and who are committed to one another, know the joys of intimacy that God intended. But there are consequences for disobedience. "Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge" (Hebrews 13:4). Marriage is a blessing, and sex is God’s great gift within marriage. Yet how many millions will receive God’s judgment for their fornication and adultery? If you are engaging in sexual immorality, you need to repent. You need to confess your sin before God, then change your behavior and quit sinning! God will forgive you, if you truly repent and accept Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for your sins! When ancient King David committed adultery with Bathsheba, the prophet Nathan convicted David of his sin. David did not try to justify his sin; he confessed it, and prayed: "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin" (Psalm 51:1–2). Too many men and women today are not seeking God to help free them from the temptations of sexual immorality. Remember, Jesus taught us to pray, "And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen" (Matthew 6:13). Are we becoming a nation of adulterers? Newsweek magazine asked: "Just how many married women have had sex with people who are not their husbands? It’s hard to say for sure… Couples therapists estimate that among their clientele, the number is close to 30 to 40 percent, compared with 50 percent of men, and the gap is almost certainly closing… The best interpretation of the data: the cheating rate for women is approaching that of men." ("The New Infidelity," July 12, 2003). What does your Bible reveal about adultery? The Apostle James reveals the reason for wars, and he indicts those who are lustful. "Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God" (James 4:1–4). Are you an "enemy" of God? In the Barna report mentioned above, even a majority of those who call themselves Christians were supportive of cohabitation. Sixty-six percent of self-described Roman Catholics, and 50 percent of Protestants, said they believe it is okay for men and women to live together outside of marriage. Today, even many who call themselves "religious" just follow along with the immoral crowd and commit fornication and adultery. This problem, however, is not new. In the first century ad, the Greek city of Corinth was a center of worldwide commerce, and it was also a center of paganism, idolatry and sexual immorality. Many Corinthians repented of their sinful lifestyle, and became Christians. The Apostle Paul warned them against the temptations of their day. "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Corinthians 6:9–10). Are you practicing any of those behaviors? God says that none of those individuals will inherit the Kingdom of God! Some of the Corinthians had repented of those lifestyles and sins when they became Christians—and God forgave them! The Apostle Paul continues, "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 and by the Spirit of our God" (v. 11). Marriage Meltdown? Some cities, states and countries act as if they know better than God. God defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. The two shall become one flesh, He says. Yet more and more governments around the world are supporting same-sex unions. On November 18, 2003, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that according to the state Constitution, same-sex couples cannot be denied the right of civil marriage. The state of Vermont recognizes "civil unions" for same-sex couples. The Washington Post reported that in the Netherlands "As many as 8 percent of all marriages here, are now between people of the same sex" (Washington Post, p. A20, September 23, 2003). A national poll by Environics Research in the summer of 2003 reported that "Currently just over half of Canadians (53 percent) strongly (28 percent) or somewhat (25 percent) support" same-sex marriage. These ungodly trends will bring God’s judgment on us, unless we repent individually and nationally. The enormity of these trends—including a nationwide push in the U.S. for the recognition of same-sex "marriage"—has led to a conservative move to amend the U.S. Constitution. In January 2005, 25 U.S. senators co-sponsored the "Marriage Protection Amendment," to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman, for purposes of federal law. The amendment stated: "Marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman. Neither this Constitution, nor the constitution of any State, shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon any union other than the union of a man and a woman." Here we are in the prophesied end-times. Not that long ago, no one could have imagined that it might be necessary to amend the U.S. Constitution to define marriage. How far we have come from the days of which historian Paul Johnson wrote above! Worse, who would have imagined that 100 senators would not agree that marriage is the union between a man and a woman? Although same-sex marriage is not yet legal at the national level in the U.S., state governments are continuing to debate whether to do as Massachusetts has done, and establish same-sex "marriage." Other states, like Vermont and Connecticut, now allow what they call same-sex "civil unions." These offer most of the civil benefits of marriage, without using the word marriage. Several other states, including California, New Jersey and Maine, allow some form of same-sex domestic partnership. Sadly, a majority of Americans approve of several other immoral behaviors. The above-mentioned Barna survey reported that 59 percent of Americans approve of sexual fantasizing. Are you misusing your mind in that way? Jesus Christ explained that we can sin in our minds, even without illicit sexual contact. Some religious people think that they can indulge in sexual fantasies without sinning. Yet carnal thoughts, including lustful thoughts that obsess about sex, are sinful. Jesus said, "But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies" (Matthew 15:18–19). Those of you who indulge in pornography, or any sexual vice, need to repent! You need to quit sinning! You need to take steps to prevent your easy access to sexual temptations! The Apostle Paul gave this urgent instruction: "Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body" (1 Corinthians 6:18). Some think there are no penalties for easy sex, but God says that you sin against your own body! The Apostle Paul continues, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body" (1 Corinthians 6:19–20, RSV). If you have not already done so, I hope you will make that commitment to glorify God in your body and in your spirit. God’s way of life through Christ is the abundant life (John 10:10). God intended that we live according to His awesome and wonderful spiritual laws of love that produce genuine happiness. The Great Commandments The Almighty Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ, have given us the principles, laws, and precepts that produce lasting peace and happiness. God, not mankind, defines marriage. Jesus Christ Himself taught what are called the two "great commandments"—to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves (Mark 12:28–31). The first four of the Ten Commandments show us how to fulfill the first great commandment—to love God. The last six commandments show us how to fulfill the second great commandment—to love our neighbors. Yes, in order to fulfill Jesus’ command, we need to study and obey the Ten Commandments! Sadly, our Western world is heading down a toboggan slide into immorality! What is the solution? We need to repent—nationally and individually—of our lustful, sinful lifestyles and attitudes. We need to get back to Scripture and the Ten Commandments! Many years ago, in 1975, a television reporter asked me my appraisal of American morality. I answered, even then, that morality and godly character among Americans had declined—because biblical values were declining. When a nation reads the Bible and practices its precepts, it will prosper. But great neglect of the Bible and its teaching will continue to produce moral decline—and eventual national destruction. Daniel Webster, the great American statesman, gave this warning about our national future: "If there is anything in my thoughts or style to commend, the credit is due to my parents for instilling in me an early love of the Scriptures. If we abide by the principles taught in the Bible, our country will go on prospering and to prosper; but if we and our posterity neglect its instructions and authority, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us and bury all our glory in profound obscurity" (Halley’s Bible Handbook, p. 18). Our Western nations are neglecting—and increasingly rejecting—the instruction and authority of the Bible. We need to study the Bible and practice the way of life taught by the apostles, the prophets—and our Savior, Jesus Christ. They taught the Ten Commandments—God’s law of love—and its spiritual application. As Jesus said, "It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God’" (Luke 4:4). May we each put God’s word into action, in our hearts and in our lives! The time is coming soon when God will punish America and the other Western nations for their immoral ways. But even if your nation does not change its ways, you can repent personally, turn to your Savior, Jesus Christ, and escape that time of judgment. Will you accept the challenge to live the abundant way of life taught in your Bible? If you do, you can rejoice in God’s divine blessings, receiving in this life a foretaste of what the whole earth will experience in Tomorrow’s World.

Study shows link between homosexuality and pedophilia By Interim Staff | September 2002 A new study by Dr. Timothy J. Dailey and the Washington D.C.-based Family Research Council recently confirmed what police and psychiatrists have known for decades: a definitive link exists between male homosexuality and pedophilia. The report entitled Homosexuality and Child Sexual Abuse, shows that while homosexual men make up less than three per cent of the adult male population, they commit a disproportionate number (one third or more) of child sexual molestations. Dailey's report is being sent to parents, youth groups, school administrators, Catholic bishops, and religious organizations. Homosexuality and Child Sexual Abuse presents a number of controversial findings. The first is that a significant percentage of child sexual abuse victims are boys. The second finding of Dailey's report contradicts the "inaccurate but widely accepted claims of sex researcher Alfred Kinsey" that homosexuals comprise at least 10 per cent of the population. Based upon a study of three large data sets, the General Social Survey, the National Health and Social Life Survey, and the U.S. Census, "a recent study in demography estimates the number of exclusive male homosexuals in the general population at 2.5 per cent, and the number of exclusive lesbians at 1.4 per cent," writes Dailey. The FRC study also demonstrates, with a wealth of anecdotal evidence, that pedophile themes can be found throughout "mainstream" gay literature, including fiction anthologies such as: The Penguin Book on International Gay Writing, The Gay Canon: What Every Gay Man Should Read, and A History of Gay Literature: The Male Tradition. Interestingly, the late gay Beat poet Allen Ginsberg was a pedophile, and wrote articles for publications associated with the North American Man-Boy Love Association. "I reread Collected Poems and Ginsberg's two subsequent collections, surprised by the pattern of reference to anal intercourse and to pederasty that emerged," writes Dailey. According to Homosexuality and Child Sexual Abuse, pedophiles have long existed as a subculture within the gay rights movement. Dailey quotes David Thorstad, a homosexual activist and founding member of NAMBLA, to demonstrate that by 1985, pedophilia had gained acceptance within the homosexual movement, as it was in that year that NAMBLA was admitted as a member in New York's council of Lesbian and Gay Organizations and the International Gay Association. In the words of Jim Kepner, at one time the curator of the International Gay and Lesbian Archives in Los Angeles: "A point I've been trying to make is that if we reject the boylovers in our midst today, we'd better stop waving the banner of the ancient Greeks, of Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Oscar Wilde, Walt Whitman, Horatio Alger, and Shakespeare. We'd better stop claiming them as part of our history unless we are broadening our concept of what it means to be gay." The link between homosexuality and pedophilia is rejected by many mainstream research groups, which have even begun to view pedophilia in value-neutral terms. The American Psychiatric Association removed pedophilia from its list of sexual perversions in 1994, while in 1999 the American Psychological Association published a report, "A Meta-Analytic Examination of Assumed Properties of Child Sexual Abuse Using College Samples," which "claimed child sexual abuse could be harmless and beneficial," according to a 1999 WorldNetDaily column by noted researcher Dr. Judith Reisman. "None of this is news in the sense that this information (the link between pedophilia and homosexuality) was fundamentally proven a long time ago," Canada Family Action head Brian Rushfeldt told The Interim, "but I'm glad to see the FRC reiterating it, especially at a time when the Catholic church is struggling with the pedophile priest issue." Rushfeldt stresses that pedophiles come in both homosexual and heterosexual forms, but there are differences between the two that need to be understood. "Do you treat the cocaine addict the same way you treat the alcoholic? If a priest abuses young boys, that's a homosexual act, and we have to recognize it as such if we want to help him." Asked why the link exists in the first place, Rushfeldt, a former addiction counselor, says part of the answer lies in the availability of sex. "Sex addicts generally need instant gratification. They have a very low threshold for delaying gratification, and it's much easier to manipulate a young boy into having sex than it is to manipulate another man." He adds that homosexual pedophilia is influenced by other factors as well. "There's a distinct quality about male homosexuality that gay men tend to be attracted to young, good-looking guys. Another part of pedophilia's appeal is the power the pedophile feels in manipulating the boy. It's a combination of things."

The way we become “born again” is found in the Word of God... “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” —1st Peter 1:23 We are born again by the Word of God. Jesus is the Word of God (John 1:1,14: Revelation 19:13). The following statement sums it up pretty good... If you're born once, then you die TWICE; If you're born twice, then you die ONCE. If you don't receive Jesus Christ and become a born again Christian, then you will sadly burn in hellfire for all eternity (John 3:18,36; Revelation 20:15; 21:8). Perhaps you say with the man I mentioned earlier, “That born again stuff makes no sense to me.” Well, most people can't explain how a black cow can eat green grass, give white milk, and then it's turned into yellow butter—but they still eat it! My friend, you don't have to figure everything out to be saved, you just need to trust upon Jesus, the Christ, the only begotten Son of God. Again, being born-again means having He Who is the Beginning (Jesus Christ) born in you.” Revelation 1:8, “I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the Ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” Isn't that beautiful. When a person is born-again, the Spirit of Christ comes to live in that person's body. “Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His” (Romans 8:9b). This birth comes about only through faith in the Son of God. The GOOD NEWS (the Gospel) is that it is very EASY to have the second birth, i.e., a spiritual birth. God came down to this earth 2,000 years ago and took upon Himself the form of a man. That man was the Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:1,14; 1st Timothy 3:16). Literally, the GODHEAD became incarnate (Colossians 2:9—King James Bible). Jesus was born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14). Jesus never sinned even once (2nd Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15). Jesus died, was buried and rose again after three days (1st Corinthians 15:1-4). Jesus shed His precious blood to pay for all our sins (Colossians 1:14; 1st Peter 1:18,19), and applied that blood to the Mercyseat in Heaven (Hebrews 9:12, 24-26). My friend, if you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the only begotten Son of God Who died, was buried and rose again for your sins, and you've made that your hope for Heaven by believing on His name, then you are a born-again child of God. Jesus is the Savior Who paid for our sins. If you realize that you're a guilty sinner, then you simply need to believe on the Gospel of Jesus Christ to have your sins forgiven. Believe that Christ died and was resurrected, shedding His precious blood to wash away your sins. All God the Father asks is that we come for salvation by way of the cross upon which His Son Jesus Christ died.

We Are Living in Some Very Dark Times! Very few people realize just how far Americans have sunk into the abyss of evil. As a nation we have allowed the murder of over 40,000,000 little babies through torturous abortion. As a nation we sat back and watched Terri Schiavo being tortured to death through dehydration and starvation. As a nation we have allowed our reckless government to murder over 100,000 innocent Iraqis in a bloodbath based upon the lies of a corrupt and evil White House administration. As a nation we have allowed drunken driver after drunken driver to kill millions of innocent people, yet have failed to do anything about it (like outlaw alcohol). Evil 'Breastaurants' On The Rise In America (sex degenerates exploit women for profits) As a nation we have allowed homosexuality to flourish, flourish to the point where Christians are now being arrested for speaking out against homosexuality. Unfortunately, there are not enough Christians obeying the Scriptures by speaking out against homosexuality (Psalm 94:16). Thus, homosexuals WILL get their rights and sin-fighting Christians WILL be persecuted. Halliburton is presently building concentration camps in the U.S.! You can be guaranteed it will be the protesters, patriots, and Christians who are put into them!!! We will all be mislabeled as "terrorists." Are you aware of the recently created term "Christian Terrorism"? According to WIKIPEDIA.com: "Christian terrorism is terrorism that the perpetrator claims is performed in furtherance of Christian goals or teachings..." —SOURCE (Wikipedia) But isn't it interesting in light of all the Alabama churches burned to the ground in 2006, that no mention was ever made of "terrorists" setting the fires? So if you block an abortion clinic, you're a terrorist; but if you burn a church to the ground, then you're just an arsonist. The Ku Klux Klan has become synonymous with hatred for homosexuals. The Klan is purposely and falsely labeled as "Christian" to associated Bible-believing Christians with the group. The truth is that the KKK is a Satanic organization. You can expect that government authorities in the near future will be labeling ALL TRUE Christians as terrorist criminals. This will be easy to do simply by comparing them to professed pseudo-Christian groups such as the KKK. In fact, Wikipedia gives a listing of "Christian terrorist" groups on their website. The term "Christian terrorism" is frightening indeed. You can also expect that preaching against homosexuality in public WILL become punishable as hate-crime. The next Democrat to take office WILL pass similar legislation here in America. Christians who preach the Word of God WILL go into detention camps. I guess the town of Brattleboro must like to attract pedophiles, pimps, prostitutes and homosexuals, because they're flocking to wherever sin is flourishing. Don't the city council members, mayor and citizens of Brattleboro realize that sex-perverts, nudists, whoremongers and pedophiles live for this kind of sexually depravity immorality? By allowing people to walk around butt naked they're encouraging sexual crimes. Have they no self-honor, no decency, no fear of God? “...the God in whose hand THY BREATH IS, and whose are all thy ways, HAST THOU NOT GLORIFIED” (Daniel 5:23). I love America; but I don't like what I see happening to our nation! I believe God wants us as Christians to obey the laws of our land (Romans 13:1-7). I am NOT anti-government. However, I am unalterably opposed to the government's corruption and the stealing of American taxpayer's money. OUR government does what they do in OUR name, with OUR money and with the power that WE give them. We have every right to ask questions, demand answers and enforce justice. It is our Bill of Rights. I do NOT hate anyone, I simply hate what God hates... EVIL. If the shoe fits, wear it. If something on this website offends you, then so be it. I do not say this to be unkind, but because you need to know the truth! America is going to hell. We are losing our manufacturing jobs in America! We are losing our rights to privacy! We are losing our homes! Do you think this is all a big coincidence? To the same degree that the American people continue to walk into the dark depths of wickedness, to that same degree America is headed for imminent destruction! Remember that one can move to Italy, but you will never be an Italian; you can move to Mexico, but you'll never be a Mexican; but you can move to America and become an American. What a blessing! It is a shame what we are doing to this once great nation. Our love for sin as a people has caused God to remove His hand of blessing from our country. We have allowed Satan to put a noose around our necks. We have given the Devil a big stick to hit us with.

Biden Lied 30 Times During The State Of The Union. by SHAWN FLEETWOOD President Biden has been known to tell some pretty outrageous lies throughout his political career. So, it came as no surprise when Ol’ Sleepy Joe spewed out more than a few whoppers during his State of the Union address on Thursday. From foreign policy to the economy, there was almost no subject in which the president didn’t lie to the American people. In case you missed his dumpster fire speech, here’s the definitive list of Biden’s biggest SOTU falsehoods. 1. Sending Money To Ukraine Biden claimed that Republicans who oppose sending additional U.S. taxpayer dollars to Ukraine are doing so because they want America to “walk away from our leadership in the world.” That is false. Opponents of endlessly funding Ukraine’s war with Russia have regularly stated that American interests must come before those of other nations. 2. Trump’s NATO Remarks Biden claimed former President Trump told Vladimir Putin, “Do whatever the hell you want,” regarding Russia’s invasion of Eastern Europe. But that’s not accurate. The former president’s remarks came during a recent South Carolina rally, during which Trump recounted a story from when he was president and speaking with a NATO member. Trump purportedly told this state that he would withhold U.S. support if they didn’t pay their minimum defense spending obligations. “‘You didn’t pay? You’re delinquent?’” Trump recalled telling the unidentified NATO member. “‘No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You gotta pay. You gotta pay your bills.’” 3. World Security And Ukraine Biden claimed “the free world is at risk” if the U.S. doesn’t ship more American taxpayer dollars to Ukraine. There is literally no evidence to support this assertion. 4. Jan. 6 Demonstrations The president claimed that the Jan.6, 2021, demonstrations at the U.S. Capitol and concerns and lawsuits regarding the integrity of the 2020 election “posed the gravest threat to [American] democracy since the Civil War.” Contrary to Biden’s claim, the J6 events did not put American self-governance in jeopardy, nor did it expose Americans to risks like those experienced during World War I, the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor, or World War II, to name a few. 5. Alabama IVF Issue Biden falsely contended the Alabama Supreme Court “shut down IVF treatments across the state.” That is not what the decision said. As The Federalist’s Jordan Boyd reported, Alabama’s highest court “ruled that embryos are people with inherent value, not legal property.” 6. Kate Cox Biden claimed the life of Kate Cox, a Texas woman who left the Lonestar State to obtain an abortion, was “at risk” during her pregnancy. As Susan Bane wrote in these pages, Cox’s now-deceased unborn baby was diagnosed with Trisomy 18, “a condition associated with severe developmental delays.” These children “can sometimes thrive into their early twenties.” Cox was not at risk of dying from the diagnosis, however. 7. Covid Shots And Cancer Biden falsely claimed the Covid jabs are “now being used to help beat cancer.” 8. 15 Million New Jobs The president regurgitated the lie that his administration has “created 15 million new jobs.” That assertion is false, as Biden conflated jobs recovered after Covid lockdowns with actual, new jobs created. 9. U.S. Inflation Rate Biden claimed the U.S. has “the lowest” inflation rate in the world. Numerous countries currently have a lower inflation rate. 10. Consumer Confidence The president said that “consumer studies show consumer confidence is soaring.” MarketWatch reported last month, however, that the consumer confidence index “fell to 106.7 from a revised 110.9 in January.” 11. Drug Prices Biden said he’s “ending” the trend of Americans paying “more for prescription drugs than anywhere else.” That is false, as Reuters recently reported that new drugs released by pharmaceutical companies last year were “at prices 35% higher than in 2022.” 12. Biden Beat Big Pharma The president claimed his administration “beat Big Pharma!” However, the president empowered pharmaceutical companies when he unlawfully attempted to mandate private businesses force their employees to receive the Covid shot. 13. Student Loans Biden contended that he “fixed student loan programs to reduce the burden of student debt for nearly 4 Million Americans, including nurses, firefighters, and others in public service.” That is false. Biden’s illegal efforts merely transferred the responsibility of paying back these loans to individuals who never attended college or had already paid back their loans. 14. Decreasing The Federal Deficit Biden falsely claimed he “cut the federal deficit by over one trillion dollars” and has been “delivering real results in a fiscally responsible way.” Both claims are false. In fact, the U.S. national debt has risen by more than 6 trillion since Biden took office. 15. Corporations Aren’t Paying Their Fair Share Biden insinuated that “big corporations and the very wealthy” do not “pay their fair share.” As organizations such as The Heritage Foundation have reported, wealthy Americans pay the “large majority of taxes” in the United States. 16. Trump Tax Cuts Biden falsely claimed the Trump tax cuts “overwhelmingly benefit[ed] the very wealthy and the biggest corporations.” Data produced by the IRS has shown that “on average all income brackets benefited substantially from the Republicans’ tax reform law, with the biggest beneficiaries being working and middle-income filers, not the top 1 percent,” according to The Hill. 17. The National Debt Under Trump Biden stated that the Trump administration “added more to the national debt than in any presidential term in American history.” This is untrue. Democrats’ favorite “fact-checking” outlet, PolitiFact, admitted that “former President Barack Obama accumulated more debt than Trump.” 18. Inflation Reduction Act In an apparent reference to the so-called “Inflation Reduction Act,” Biden claimed “nobody earning less than $400,000 will pay an additional penny in federal taxes.” Yet, estimates produced by the Joint Committee on Taxation predict that the Democrats’ bill does “nothing to bring the economy out of stagnation and recession, but it will raise billions of dollars in taxes on Americans making less than $400,000.” 19. How Many Billionaires? The president claimed there are 1,000 billionaires in the U.S. According to Forbes, there are 735 billionaires in America as of 2023. 20. How Much Billionaires Pay In Taxes Biden falsely claimed the average federal tax rate for billionaires is 8.2 percent. Once again, the left’s favorite “fact-checking” site, PolitiFact, rated the president’s assertion “false,” as “the richest Americans pay an effective tax rate of more than 20% on the income the government counts under the current tax code.” 21. The Ukraine-Border Bill Biden claimed the border boondoggle negotiated behind closed doors by Senate leadership contained “the toughest set of border security reforms we’ve ever seen” and would “bring order to the border.” That statement could not be further from the truth, as the bill would have only exasperated the ongoing southern border invasion. 22. Election Law Falsehoods The president insinuated that Republican-backed election integrity measures, supported by most Americans, take “us back in time” and constitute “voter suppression” and “election subversion.” There has never been any evidence these laws do what the president suggested. 23. Book Bans The president regurgitated the falsehood that conservatives are banning books. 24. ‘Lincoln’ Riley Biden claimed an illegal immigrant killed a young woman named “Lincoln” Riley. That is incorrect. Her name is Laken Riley. 25. Trump’s Comments On Iowa School Shooting Biden misrepresented remarks given by Trump in response to a January Iowa school shooting, which left one dead and several injured. As The Federalist reported, the shooter “flirted with Democrat gender ideology.” In his SOTU address, Biden claimed Trump told Iowans to “get over it.” Of course, Biden took the comments out of context, which shows Trump sympathizing with the victims and speaking about the importance of moving forward as a community. “To the entire community, we love you, we pray for you, and we ask God to heal and comfort, really, the whole state. … We’re really with you as much as anybody can be. It’s a very terrible thing that happened,” Trump said. “It’s just terrible. … That’s just horrible. It’s so surprising to see it here. … But we have to get over it. We have to move forward. … To all the relatives, and all the people who are devastated right now, to the point they can’t breathe, they can’t live, we are with you all the way.” 26. The Second Amendment The president falsely claimed that a “ban” on so-called “assault weapons” doesn’t constitute a violation of the Second Amendment. 27. Biden’s Teaching Career Biden falsely asserted he “taught the Second Amendment for 12 years.” 28. Gaza Deaths Biden said that “most” of the people killed in Gaza “are not Hamas,” including “thousands [who] are innocent women and children.” Given that these figures are provided by “local authorities” (A.K.A. Hamas), it’s unknown whether they are accurate. 29. America’s Prospects Challenging China Biden claimed the U.S. is “in a stronger position to win the competition for the 21st Century against China or anyone else for that matter.” Given the ongoing border invasion, economic woes, and foreign policy failures under Biden’s presidency, this statement is not true. 30. The Idea Of America Biden ludicrously contended that America has “never fully lived up to” the idea that “we are all created equal.” Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood BIDEN LIES CONGRESS

This prayer was given in Kansas at the opening session of their Senate. It seems prayer still upsets some people. When Pastor Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate, everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but this is what they heard: "Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done... We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We confess that we have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and call it Pluralism. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh, God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Amen!" The response was immediate. A number of legislators walked out during the prayer in protest. In 6 short weeks, Central Christian Church, where Rev. Wright is pastor, logged more than 5,000 phone calls with only 47 of those calls responding negatively. The church is now receiving international requests for copies of this prayer from India, Africa, and Korea. Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on "The Rest of the Story" on the radio and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired. The prayer of Pastor Joe Wright is the horrifying truth about America. The United States has deteriorated into a large Sodom and Gomorrah! America is a land of Evils! Why should God bless America?

Farewell Address to the Nation January 11, 1989 My fellow Americans: This is the 34th time I'll speak to you from the Oval Office and the last. We've been together 8 years now, and soon it'll be time for me to go. But before I do, I wanted to share some thoughts, some of which I've been saving for a long time. It's been the honor of my life to be your President. So many of you have written the past few weeks to say thanks, but I could say as much to you. Nancy and I are grateful for the opportunity you gave us to serve. One of the things about the Presidency is that you're always somewhat apart. You spend a lot of time going by too fast in a car someone else is driving, and seeing the people through tinted glass -- the parents holding up a child, and the wave you saw too late and couldn't return. And so many times I wanted to stop and reach out from behind the glass, and connect. Well, maybe I can do a little of that tonight. People ask how I feel about leaving. And the fact is, ``parting is such sweet sorrow.'' The sweet part is California and the ranch and freedom. The sorrow -- the goodbyes, of course, and leaving this beautiful place. You know, down the hall and up the stairs from this office is the part of the White House where the President and his family live. There are a few favorite windows I have up there that I like to stand and look out of early in the morning. The view is over the grounds here to the Washington Monument, and then the Mall and the Jefferson Memorial. But on mornings when the humidity is low, you can see past the Jefferson to the river, the Potomac, and the Virginia shore. Someone said that's the view Lincoln had when he saw the smoke rising from the Battle of Bull Run. I see more prosaic things: the grass on the banks, the morning traffic as people make their way to work, now and then a sailboat on the river. I've been thinking a bit at that window. I've been reflecting on what the past 8 years have meant and mean. And the image that comes to mind like a refrain is a nautical one -- a small story about a big ship, and a refugee, and a sailor. It was back in the early eighties, at the height of the boat people. And the sailor was hard at work on the carrier Midway, which was patrolling the South China Sea. The sailor, like most American servicemen, was young, smart, and fiercely observant. The crew spied on the horizon a leaky little boat. And crammed inside were refugees from Indochina hoping to get to America. The Midway sent a small launch to bring them to the ship and safety. As the refugees made their way through the choppy seas, one spied the sailor on deck, and stood up, and called out to him. He yelled, ``Hello, American sailor. Hello, freedom man.'' A small moment with a big meaning, a moment the sailor, who wrote it in a letter, couldn't get out of his mind. And, when I saw it, neither could I. Because that's what it was to be an American in the 1980's. We stood, again, for freedom. I know we always have, but in the past few years the world again -- and in a way, we ourselves -- rediscovered it. It's been quite a journey this decade, and we held together through some stormy seas. And at the end, together, we are reaching our destination. The fact is, from Grenada to the Washington and Moscow summits, from the recession of '81 to '82, to the expansion that began in late '82 and continues to this day, we've made a difference. The way I see it, there were two great triumphs, two things that I'm proudest of. One is the economic recovery, in which the people of America created -- and filled -- 19 million new jobs. The other is the recovery of our morale. America is respected again in the world and looked to for leadership. Something that happened to me a few years ago reflects some of this. It was back in 1981, and I was attending my first big economic summit, which was held that year in Canada. The meeting place rotates among the member countries. The opening meeting was a formal dinner for the heads of government of the seven industrialized nations. Now, I sat there like the new kid in school and listened, and it was all Francois this and Helmut that. They dropped titles and spoke to one another on a first-name basis. Well, at one point I sort of leaned in and said, ``My name's Ron.'' Well, in that same year, we began the actions we felt would ignite an economic comeback -- cut taxes and regulation, started to cut spending. And soon the recovery began. Two years later, another economic summit with pretty much the same cast. At the big opening meeting we all got together, and all of a sudden, just for a moment, I saw that everyone was just sitting there looking at me. And then one of them broke the silence. ``Tell us about the American miracle,'' he said. Well, back in 1980, when I was running for President, it was all so different. Some pundits said our programs would result in catastrophe. Our views on foreign affairs would cause war. Our plans for the economy would cause inflation to soar and bring about economic collapse. I even remember one highly respected economist saying, back in 1982, that ``The engines of economic growth have shut down here, and they're likely to stay that way for years to come.'' Well, he and the other opinion leaders were wrong. The fact is, what they called ``radical'' was really ``right.'' What they called ``dangerous'' was just ``desperately needed.'' And in all of that time I won a nickname, ``The Great Communicator.'' But I never thought it was my style or the words I used that made a difference: it was the content. I wasn't a great communicator, but I communicated great things, and they didn't spring full bloom from my brow, they came from the heart of a great nation -- from our experience, our wisdom, and our belief in the principles that have guided us for two centuries. They called it the Reagan revolution. Well, I'll accept that, but for me it always seemed more like the great rediscovery, a rediscovery of our values and our common sense. Common sense told us that when you put a big tax on something, the people will produce less of it. So, we cut the people's tax rates, and the people produced more than ever before. The economy bloomed like a plant that had been cut back and could now grow quicker and stronger. Our economic program brought about the longest peacetime expansion in our history: real family income up, the poverty rate down, entrepreneurship booming, and an explosion in research and new technology. We're exporting more than ever because American industry became more competitive and at the same time, we summoned the national will to knock down protectionist walls abroad instead of erecting them at home. Common sense also told us that to preserve the peace, we'd have to become strong again after years of weakness and confusion. So, we rebuilt our defenses, and this New Year we toasted the new peacefulness around the globe. Not only have the superpowers actually begun to reduce their stockpiles of nuclear weapons -- and hope for even more progress is bright -- but the regional conflicts that rack the globe are also beginning to cease. The Persian Gulf is no longer a war zone. The Soviets are leaving Afghanistan. The Vietnamese are preparing to pull out of Cambodia, and an American-mediated accord will soon send 50,000 Cuban troops home from Angola. The lesson of all this was, of course, that because we're a great nation, our challenges seem complex. It will always be this way. But as long as we remember our first principles and believe in ourselves, the future will always be ours. And something else we learned: Once you begin a great movement, there's no telling where it will end. We meant to change a nation, and instead, we changed a world. Countries across the globe are turning to free markets and free speech and turning away from the ideologies of the past. For them, the great rediscovery of the 1980's has been that, lo and behold, the moral way of government is the practical way of government: Democracy, the profoundly good, is also the profoundly productive. When you've got to the point when you can celebrate the anniversaries of your 39th birthday you can sit back sometimes, review your life, and see it flowing before you. For me there was a fork in the river, and it was right in the middle of my life. I never meant to go into politics. It wasn't my intention when I was young. But I was raised to believe you had to pay your way for the blessings bestowed on you. I was happy with my career in the entertainment world, but I ultimately went into politics because I wanted to protect something precious. Ours was the first revolution in the history of mankind that truly reversed the course of government, and with three little words: ``We the People.'' ``We the People'' tell the government what to do; it doesn't tell us. ``We the People'' are the driver; the government is the car. And we decide where it should go, and by what route, and how fast. Almost all the world's constitutions are documents in which governments tell the people what their privileges are. Our Constitution is a document in which ``We the People'' tell the government what it is allowed to do. ``We the People'' are free. This belief has been the underlying basis for everything I've tried to do these past 8 years. But back in the 1960's, when I began, it seemed to me that we'd begun reversing the order of things -- that through more and more rules and regulations and confiscatory taxes, the government was taking more of our money, more of our options, and more of our freedom. I went into politics in part to put up my hand and say, ``Stop.'' I was a citizen politician, and it seemed the right thing for a citizen to do. I think we have stopped a lot of what needed stopping. And I hope we have once again reminded people that man is not free unless government is limited. There's a clear cause and effect here that is as neat and predictable as a law of physics: As government expands, liberty contracts. Nothing is less free than pure communism -- and yet we have, the past few years, forged a satisfying new closeness with the Soviet Union. I've been asked if this isn't a gamble, and my answer is no because we're basing our actions not on words but deeds. The detente of the 1970's was based not on actions but promises. They'd promise to treat their own people and the people of the world better. But the gulag was still the gulag, and the state was still expansionist, and they still waged proxy wars in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Well, this time, so far, it's different. President Gorbachev has brought about some internal democratic reforms and begun the withdrawal from Afghanistan. He has also freed prisoners whose names I've given him every time we've met. But life has a way of reminding you of big things through small incidents. Once, during the heady days of the Moscow summit, Nancy and I decided to break off from the entourage one afternoon to visit the shops on Arbat Street -- that's a little street just off Moscow's main shopping area. Even though our visit was a surprise, every Russian there immediately recognized us and called out our names and reached for our hands. We were just about swept away by the warmth. You could almost feel the possibilities in all that joy. But within seconds, a KGB detail pushed their way toward us and began pushing and shoving the people in the crowd. It was an interesting moment. It reminded me that while the man on the street in the Soviet Union yearns for peace, the government is Communist. And those who run it are Communists, and that means we and they view such issues as freedom and human rights very differently. We must keep up our guard, but we must also continue to work together to lessen and eliminate tension and mistrust. My view is that President Gorbachev is different from previous Soviet leaders. I think he knows some of the things wrong with his society and is trying to fix them. We wish him well. And we'll continue to work to make sure that the Soviet Union that eventually emerges from this process is a less threatening one. What it all boils down to is this: I want the new closeness to continue. And it will, as long as we make it clear that we will continue to act in a certain way as long as they continue to act in a helpful manner. If and when they don't, at first pull your punches. If they persist, pull the plug. It's still trust but verify. It's still play, but cut the cards. It's still watch closely. And don't be afraid to see what you see. I've been asked if I have any regrets. Well, I do. The deficit is one. I've been talking a great deal about that lately, but tonight isn't for arguments, and I'm going to hold my tongue. But an observation: I've had my share of victories in the Congress, but what few people noticed is that I never won anything you didn't win for me. They never saw my troops, they never saw Reagan's regiments, the American people. You won every battle with every call you made and letter you wrote demanding action. Well, action is still needed. If we're to finish the job, Reagan's regiments will have to become the Bush brigades. Soon he'll be the chief, and he'll need you every bit as much as I did. Finally, there is a great tradition of warnings in Presidential farewells, and I've got one that's been on my mind for some time. But oddly enough it starts with one of the things I'm proudest of in the past 8 years: the resurgence of national pride that I called the new patriotism. This national feeling is good, but it won't count for much, and it won't last unless it's grounded in thoughtfulness and knowledge. An informed patriotism is what we want. And are we doing a good enough job teaching our children what America is and what she represents in the long history of the world? Those of us who are over 35 or so years of age grew up in a different America. We were taught, very directly, what it means to be an American. And we absorbed, almost in the air, a love of country and an appreciation of its institutions. If you didn't get these things from your family you got them from the neighborhood, from the father down the street who fought in Korea or the family who lost someone at Anzio. Or you could get a sense of patriotism from school. And if all else failed you could get a sense of patriotism from the popular culture. The movies celebrated democratic values and implicitly reinforced the idea that America was special. TV was like that, too, through the mid-sixties. But now, we're about to enter the nineties, and some things have changed. Younger parents aren't sure that an unambivalent appreciation of America is the right thing to teach modern children. And as for those who create the popular culture, well-grounded patriotism is no longer the style. Our spirit is back, but we haven't reinstitutionalized it. We've got to do a better job of getting across that America is freedom -- freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of enterprise. And freedom is special and rare. It's fragile; it needs production [protection]. So, we've got to teach history based not on what's in fashion but what's important -- why the Pilgrims came here, who Jimmy Doolittle was, and what those 30 seconds over Tokyo meant. You know, 4 years ago on the 40th anniversary of D - day, I read a letter from a young woman writing to her late father, who'd fought on Omaha Beach. Her name was Lisa Zanatta Henn, and she said, ``we will always remember, we will never forget what the boys of Normandy did.'' Well, let's help her keep her word. If we forget what we did, we won't know who we are. I'm warning of an eradication of the American memory that could result, ultimately, in an erosion of the American spirit. Let's start with some basics: more attention to American history and a greater emphasis on civic ritual. And let me offer lesson number one about America: All great change in America begins at the dinner table. So, tomorrow night in the kitchen I hope the talking begins. And children, if your parents haven't been teaching you what it means to be an American, let 'em know and nail 'em on it. That would be a very American thing to do. And that's about all I have to say tonight, except for one thing. The past few days when I've been at that window upstairs, I've thought a bit of the ``shining city upon a hill.'' The phrase comes from John Winthrop, who wrote it to describe the America he imagined. What he imagined was important because he was an early Pilgrim, an early freedom man. He journeyed here on what today we'd call a little wooden boat; and like the other Pilgrims, he was looking for a home that would be free. I've spoken of the shining city all my political life, but I don't know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it. But in my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, wind-swept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That's how I saw it, and see it still. And how stands the city on this winter night? More prosperous, more secure, and happier than it was 8 years ago. But more than that: After 200 years, two centuries, she still stands strong and true on the granite ridge, and her glow has held steady no matter what storm. And she's still a beacon, still a magnet for all who must have freedom, for all the pilgrims from all the lost places who are hurtling through the darkness, toward home. We've done our part. And as I walk off into the city streets, a final word to the men and women of the Reagan revolution, the men and women across America who for 8 years did the work that brought America back. My friends: We did it. We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger, we made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all. And so, goodbye, God bless you, and God bless the United States of America. Note: The President spoke at 9:02 p.m. from the Oval Office at the White House. The address was broadcast live on nationwide radio and television.

Farewell Address to the Nation January 11, 1989 My fellow Americans: This is the 34th time I'll speak to you from the Oval Office and the last. We've been together 8 years now, and soon it'll be time for me to go. But before I do, I wanted to share some thoughts, some of which I've been saving for a long time. It's been the honor of my life to be your President. So many of you have written the past few weeks to say thanks, but I could say as much to you. Nancy and I are grateful for the opportunity you gave us to serve. One of the things about the Presidency is that you're always somewhat apart. You spend a lot of time going by too fast in a car someone else is driving, and seeing the people through tinted glass -- the parents holding up a child, and the wave you saw too late and couldn't return. And so many times I wanted to stop and reach out from behind the glass, and connect. Well, maybe I can do a little of that tonight. People ask how I feel about leaving. And the fact is, ``parting is such sweet sorrow.'' The sweet part is California and the ranch and freedom. The sorrow -- the goodbyes, of course, and leaving this beautiful place. You know, down the hall and up the stairs from this office is the part of the White House where the President and his family live. There are a few favorite windows I have up there that I like to stand and look out of early in the morning. The view is over the grounds here to the Washington Monument, and then the Mall and the Jefferson Memorial. But on mornings when the humidity is low, you can see past the Jefferson to the river, the Potomac, and the Virginia shore. Someone said that's the view Lincoln had when he saw the smoke rising from the Battle of Bull Run. I see more prosaic things: the grass on the banks, the morning traffic as people make their way to work, now and then a sailboat on the river. I've been thinking a bit at that window. I've been reflecting on what the past 8 years have meant and mean. And the image that comes to mind like a refrain is a nautical one -- a small story about a big ship, and a refugee, and a sailor. It was back in the early eighties, at the height of the boat people. And the sailor was hard at work on the carrier Midway, which was patrolling the South China Sea. The sailor, like most American servicemen, was young, smart, and fiercely observant. The crew spied on the horizon a leaky little boat. And crammed inside were refugees from Indochina hoping to get to America. The Midway sent a small launch to bring them to the ship and safety. As the refugees made their way through the choppy seas, one spied the sailor on deck, and stood up, and called out to him. He yelled, ``Hello, American sailor. Hello, freedom man.'' A small moment with a big meaning, a moment the sailor, who wrote it in a letter, couldn't get out of his mind. And, when I saw it, neither could I. Because that's what it was to be an American in the 1980's. We stood, again, for freedom. I know we always have, but in the past few years the world again -- and in a way, we ourselves -- rediscovered it. It's been quite a journey this decade, and we held together through some stormy seas. And at the end, together, we are reaching our destination. The fact is, from Grenada to the Washington and Moscow summits, from the recession of '81 to '82, to the expansion that began in late '82 and continues to this day, we've made a difference. The way I see it, there were two great triumphs, two things that I'm proudest of. One is the economic recovery, in which the people of America created -- and filled -- 19 million new jobs. The other is the recovery of our morale. America is respected again in the world and looked to for leadership. Something that happened to me a few years ago reflects some of this. It was back in 1981, and I was attending my first big economic summit, which was held that year in Canada. The meeting place rotates among the member countries. The opening meeting was a formal dinner for the heads of government of the seven industrialized nations. Now, I sat there like the new kid in school and listened, and it was all Francois this and Helmut that. They dropped titles and spoke to one another on a first-name basis. Well, at one point I sort of leaned in and said, ``My name's Ron.'' Well, in that same year, we began the actions we felt would ignite an economic comeback -- cut taxes and regulation, started to cut spending. And soon the recovery began. Two years later, another economic summit with pretty much the same cast. At the big opening meeting we all got together, and all of a sudden, just for a moment, I saw that everyone was just sitting there looking at me. And then one of them broke the silence. ``Tell us about the American miracle,'' he said. Well, back in 1980, when I was running for President, it was all so different. Some pundits said our programs would result in catastrophe. Our views on foreign affairs would cause war. Our plans for the economy would cause inflation to soar and bring about economic collapse. I even remember one highly respected economist saying, back in 1982, that ``The engines of economic growth have shut down here, and they're likely to stay that way for years to come.'' Well, he and the other opinion leaders were wrong. The fact is, what they called ``radical'' was really ``right.'' What they called ``dangerous'' was just ``desperately needed.'' And in all of that time I won a nickname, ``The Great Communicator.'' But I never thought it was my style or the words I used that made a difference: it was the content. I wasn't a great communicator, but I communicated great things, and they didn't spring full bloom from my brow, they came from the heart of a great nation -- from our experience, our wisdom, and our belief in the principles that have guided us for two centuries. They called it the Reagan revolution. Well, I'll accept that, but for me it always seemed more like the great rediscovery, a rediscovery of our values and our common sense. Common sense told us that when you put a big tax on something, the people will produce less of it. So, we cut the people's tax rates, and the people produced more than ever before. The economy bloomed like a plant that had been cut back and could now grow quicker and stronger. Our economic program brought about the longest peacetime expansion in our history: real family income up, the poverty rate down, entrepreneurship booming, and an explosion in research and new technology. We're exporting more than ever because American industry became more competitive and at the same time, we summoned the national will to knock down protectionist walls abroad instead of erecting them at home. Common sense also told us that to preserve the peace, we'd have to become strong again after years of weakness and confusion. So, we rebuilt our defenses, and this New Year we toasted the new peacefulness around the globe. Not only have the superpowers actually begun to reduce their stockpiles of nuclear weapons -- and hope for even more progress is bright -- but the regional conflicts that rack the globe are also beginning to cease. The Persian Gulf is no longer a war zone. The Soviets are leaving Afghanistan. The Vietnamese are preparing to pull out of Cambodia, and an American-mediated accord will soon send 50,000 Cuban troops home from Angola. The lesson of all this was, of course, that because we're a great nation, our challenges seem complex. It will always be this way. But as long as we remember our first principles and believe in ourselves, the future will always be ours. And something else we learned: Once you begin a great movement, there's no telling where it will end. We meant to change a nation, and instead, we changed a world. Countries across the globe are turning to free markets and free speech and turning away from the ideologies of the past. For them, the great rediscovery of the 1980's has been that, lo and behold, the moral way of government is the practical way of government: Democracy, the profoundly good, is also the profoundly productive. When you've got to the point when you can celebrate the anniversaries of your 39th birthday you can sit back sometimes, review your life, and see it flowing before you. For me there was a fork in the river, and it was right in the middle of my life. I never meant to go into politics. It wasn't my intention when I was young. But I was raised to believe you had to pay your way for the blessings bestowed on you. I was happy with my career in the entertainment world, but I ultimately went into politics because I wanted to protect something precious. Ours was the first revolution in the history of mankind that truly reversed the course of government, and with three little words: ``We the People.'' ``We the People'' tell the government what to do; it doesn't tell us. ``We the People'' are the driver; the government is the car. And we decide where it should go, and by what route, and how fast. Almost all the world's constitutions are documents in which governments tell the people what their privileges are. Our Constitution is a document in which ``We the People'' tell the government what it is allowed to do. ``We the People'' are free. This belief has been the underlying basis for everything I've tried to do these past 8 years. But back in the 1960's, when I began, it seemed to me that we'd begun reversing the order of things -- that through more and more rules and regulations and confiscatory taxes, the government was taking more of our money, more of our options, and more of our freedom. I went into politics in part to put up my hand and say, ``Stop.'' I was a citizen politician, and it seemed the right thing for a citizen to do. I think we have stopped a lot of what needed stopping. And I hope we have once again reminded people that man is not free unless government is limited. There's a clear cause and effect here that is as neat and predictable as a law of physics: As government expands, liberty contracts. Nothing is less free than pure communism -- and yet we have, the past few years, forged a satisfying new closeness with the Soviet Union. I've been asked if this isn't a gamble, and my answer is no because we're basing our actions not on words but deeds. The detente of the 1970's was based not on actions but promises. They'd promise to treat their own people and the people of the world better. But the gulag was still the gulag, and the state was still expansionist, and they still waged proxy wars in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Well, this time, so far, it's different. President Gorbachev has brought about some internal democratic reforms and begun the withdrawal from Afghanistan. He has also freed prisoners whose names I've given him every time we've met. But life has a way of reminding you of big things through small incidents. Once, during the heady days of the Moscow summit, Nancy and I decided to break off from the entourage one afternoon to visit the shops on Arbat Street -- that's a little street just off Moscow's main shopping area. Even though our visit was a surprise, every Russian there immediately recognized us and called out our names and reached for our hands. We were just about swept away by the warmth. You could almost feel the possibilities in all that joy. But within seconds, a KGB detail pushed their way toward us and began pushing and shoving the people in the crowd. It was an interesting moment. It reminded me that while the man on the street in the Soviet Union yearns for peace, the government is Communist. And those who run it are Communists, and that means we and they view such issues as freedom and human rights very differently. We must keep up our guard, but we must also continue to work together to lessen and eliminate tension and mistrust. My view is that President Gorbachev is different from previous Soviet leaders. I think he knows some of the things wrong with his society and is trying to fix them. We wish him well. And we'll continue to work to make sure that the Soviet Union that eventually emerges from this process is a less threatening one. What it all boils down to is this: I want the new closeness to continue. And it will, as long as we make it clear that we will continue to act in a certain way as long as they continue to act in a helpful manner. If and when they don't, at first pull your punches. If they persist, pull the plug. It's still trust but verify. It's still play, but cut the cards. It's still watch closely. And don't be afraid to see what you see. I've been asked if I have any regrets. Well, I do. The deficit is one. I've been talking a great deal about that lately, but tonight isn't for arguments, and I'm going to hold my tongue. But an observation: I've had my share of victories in the Congress, but what few people noticed is that I never won anything you didn't win for me. They never saw my troops, they never saw Reagan's regiments, the American people. You won every battle with every call you made and letter you wrote demanding action. Well, action is still needed. If we're to finish the job, Reagan's regiments will have to become the Bush brigades. Soon he'll be the chief, and he'll need you every bit as much as I did. Finally, there is a great tradition of warnings in Presidential farewells, and I've got one that's been on my mind for some time. But oddly enough it starts with one of the things I'm proudest of in the past 8 years: the resurgence of national pride that I called the new patriotism. This national feeling is good, but it won't count for much, and it won't last unless it's grounded in thoughtfulness and knowledge. An informed patriotism is what we want. And are we doing a good enough job teaching our children what America is and what she represents in the long history of the world? Those of us who are over 35 or so years of age grew up in a different America. We were taught, very directly, what it means to be an American. And we absorbed, almost in the air, a love of country and an appreciation of its institutions. If you didn't get these things from your family you got them from the neighborhood, from the father down the street who fought in Korea or the family who lost someone at Anzio. Or you could get a sense of patriotism from school. And if all else failed you could get a sense of patriotism from the popular culture. The movies celebrated democratic values and implicitly reinforced the idea that America was special. TV was like that, too, through the mid-sixties. But now, we're about to enter the nineties, and some things have changed. Younger parents aren't sure that an unambivalent appreciation of America is the right thing to teach modern children. And as for those who create the popular culture, well-grounded patriotism is no longer the style. Our spirit is back, but we haven't reinstitutionalized it. We've got to do a better job of getting across that America is freedom -- freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of enterprise. And freedom is special and rare. It's fragile; it needs production [protection]. So, we've got to teach history based not on what's in fashion but what's important -- why the Pilgrims came here, who Jimmy Doolittle was, and what those 30 seconds over Tokyo meant. You know, 4 years ago on the 40th anniversary of D - day, I read a letter from a young woman writing to her late father, who'd fought on Omaha Beach. Her name was Lisa Zanatta Henn, and she said, ``we will always remember, we will never forget what the boys of Normandy did.'' Well, let's help her keep her word. If we forget what we did, we won't know who we are. I'm warning of an eradication of the American memory that could result, ultimately, in an erosion of the American spirit. Let's start with some basics: more attention to American history and a greater emphasis on civic ritual. And let me offer lesson number one about America: All great change in America begins at the dinner table. So, tomorrow night in the kitchen I hope the talking begins. And children, if your parents haven't been teaching you what it means to be an American, let 'em know and nail 'em on it. That would be a very American thing to do. And that's about all I have to say tonight, except for one thing. The past few days when I've been at that window upstairs, I've thought a bit of the ``shining city upon a hill.'' The phrase comes from John Winthrop, who wrote it to describe the America he imagined. What he imagined was important because he was an early Pilgrim, an early freedom man. He journeyed here on what today we'd call a little wooden boat; and like the other Pilgrims, he was looking for a home that would be free. I've spoken of the shining city all my political life, but I don't know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it. But in my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, wind-swept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That's how I saw it, and see it still. And how stands the city on this winter night? More prosperous, more secure, and happier than it was 8 years ago. But more than that: After 200 years, two centuries, she still stands strong and true on the granite ridge, and her glow has held steady no matter what storm. And she's still a beacon, still a magnet for all who must have freedom, for all the pilgrims from all the lost places who are hurtling through the darkness, toward home. We've done our part. And as I walk off into the city streets, a final word to the men and women of the Reagan revolution, the men and women across America who for 8 years did the work that brought America back. My friends: We did it. We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger, we made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all. And so, goodbye, God bless you, and God bless the United States of America. Note: The President spoke at 9:02 p.m. from the Oval Office at the White House. The address was broadcast live on nationwide radio and television.