I Rest My Case

It is done. There are no words left. The case for God, humanity, Christ, all the great prophets, and planet earth, rests before you. God will act soon, or not. This author is finished discussing the issues at hand.
Farewell,
G.S. Cox

An Urgent Request

Oh Lord, hear our prayers, and answer us. We are besieged everywhere. Evil is overwhelming us on every side. In America and all over the globe, power hungry people with no knowledge of you, no kindness, conscience, nor humanity, are overtaking your people. 

All our institutions are corrupted, and the ancient covenants that bound leaders to the people are being torn up. The lawless ones in authority - and out - are issuing laws. Many who have no law in their hearts are the police, judges, and juries. Our economies are failing from regulation, scheming, and theft. We are bankrupt. 

Our religions are fallen, and the good among us are under assault. You ask us to pray for our enemies, and we will. But they still must be separated from us.

Take them out, Lord; remove them from the scene - as you promised long ago. Can the lamb fight the wolf? Can the colt fend off the mountain lion? We ask you to fulfill your promise, O God, that the Last Days will come to an end before all is lost. 

We are in that final day, Lord. Take them out. Or take me out. Do you remember King David's plea? Will you hear it once more?

Psalm 58, of David:

Do you really speak righteously, you mighty ones? Do you judge people fairly? No, you practice injustice in your hearts; with your hands you weigh out violence in the land.

The wicked go astray from the womb; liars err from birth. They have venom like the venom of  a snake, like the deaf cobra that stops up its ears, that does not listen to the sound of the charmers
who skillfully weave spells.

God, knock the teeth out of their mouths; Lord, tear out the young lions’ fangs. They will vanish like water that flows by; they will aim their useless arrows.  

Like a slug that moves along in slime, like a woman’s miscarried child, they will not see the sun.  

Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns—whether green or burning—He will sweep them away.  

The righteous one will rejoice when he sees the retribution; he will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked. Then people will say,

“Yes, there is a reward for the righteous! There is a God who judges on earth!”

God Asks Us To Be More Than Human

We live in an age of superheroes. Spiderman, Iron Man, Batman, Cat Woman, and others, are hugely popular fictional figures, globally. Religion used to be the source of superhuman images, but modern technology demanded its own. The Hindu religion, particularly, has many gods who are similar.

Although it's not often seriously discussed, every major religion recognizes the existence of angels, who, according to Scripture, sometimes intercede to help human beings.  This author has experienced that contact, and it's a breathtaking honor. Perhaps you have had that contact, too, but never knew it. Angels sometimes appear as kind and helpful strangers; ordinary people.

We humans yearn to be exceptional and powerful. Mythological heroes exist in every culture, and have been around for at least 5,000 years, so they obviously fulfill a human need. Hercules, Perseus, Diana, Athena, and Jason still appear in popular films.

God wants us to be superhuman. We have the capacity to do a great deal more than just eat, sleep, work, and procreate.When the world was still a wild and unmapped wilderness, humankind had the opportunity for adventure and the extraordinary life. Sadly, the modern world has no practical wilderness left to explore. Google Maps shows us every bit of it. Sure, one can still go to New Guinea or Outer Mongolia for adventure, but only as a vacation. A miserable vacation of steaming, dangerous, bug-infested jungle; or vast, empty, flat grasslands. There are no places left to legally settle and build a community.

From time immemorial, western expansion served as a safety valve for societies pressured by expanding populations and dwindling resources. Now there is no longer that safety valve, and the adjustment to this reality is fraught with peril.

So what can we do? We only have the inner world left to us. Our hearts and minds. Pray to God and connect. Dig your own well, so to speak. We each have an inner conduit, deep down, that we can use to reach our Creator. You've seen it in your dreams. This is the great value of meditation and prayer.

We can become superhuman by not giving in to anger, greed, sadism, selfishness, gluttony, sexual promiscuity or masochism. These are all human qualities that cause us grief, pain, and suffering. Our lives will be immensely improved if we cut them out of our behavior. And it will please God at the same time.

Catholic, Protestant, Jew, Muslim, Hindu or Buddhist; Who Is Greater?

For thousands of years religious wars have been waged and perpetuated by the belief that force can persuade people to love our God and Creator, or defend us against alien and corrupt ideas. Even among Christians - who are taught that non-violence is best - the sword, arrow, and bullet have often been  unleashed in battle to the death. 

Truth be told, religion is usually just an excuse, a fig leaf, that covers the real motive. Land, money, and power are almost always the cause of wars. If the combatants really knew or believed in God, they would tremble at the evil they were sowing and unleashing against themselves. All religions have been used in this way, and it's probably impossible to judge which are worse or better than others, historically. War is a fact of life on earth, and all nature is "red of tooth and claw". The animal and insect kingdoms are in a constant state of conflict, and have been since the dawn of time.

The dream of a Utopian society without war is just that, a dream. Some wars just have to be fought. As it says in Ecclesiastes, "To everything there is a season... and a time for every purpose under heaven... a time for war, and a time for peace..."

Does God favor one religion over another? Are some people destined for a higher realm because of their religion? Perhaps, but we cannot know for certain. What we can all probably agree on, however, is that the spirit in our hearts and our conscious wish to find goodness, peace, and mercy will carry us very far in our journey toward God. This is what counts most. Money, power, and property can't go with us, and they don't count in the Heavenly Record Book. A clean conscience and a record of giving love to others do count in that book.

Jesus was challenged often on this point. In the New Testament, Mark 12:28, it's written, "One of the teachers of the law [a rabbi] came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, 'Of all the commandments, which is the most important?'
'The most important one,' answered Jesus, 'Is this: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this,: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.'"

Very simple. All the great religions of the world could conceivably qualify. But who are our neighbors? "Love your neighbor as yourself" was a commandment of Old Testament law from Leviticus 19, interpreted by rabbis of that time to mean that you need only love members of your own religion or nation. Jesus is clear in Luke 10:25 that all men and women are our 'neighbors'. This is one of the greatest attributes of Christianity, and the reason it achieved such heights of success. All people in the world have intrinsic value, regardless of wealth, family, power, race, religion, or social position. 

Additionally, who is this God Jesus refers to? In the Judeo-Christian world, God is a loving, merciful, forgiving Creator of all things. Many other religions also see God this way. But in the end, it's you, the believer and seeker, who must "wrestle with God" to find out who, exactly, is this object of your worship. Why is there suffering, and why would a loving God allow it?

Check out the answers in this essay on the Book of Job, by Chesterton..

We are saved by our faith and the spark of spirit in our hearts. 

Have a very Happy New Year!

A Time Of Renewal

Long before Christianity came along, midwinter festivals celebrating the winter solstice were popular. Pagan societies often thought they had to make a plea to the gods at this time of year so the gods would make spring come again. The Druids of Britain - and others - made gruesome human sacrifices to guarantee a fruitful harvest to come.

Christ became a living sacrifice for us, once and for all, removing the urge and need for a death ritual of appeasement to God. Yet the death ritual endures. Human hearts will have dark wickedness in them until the Last Day of Judgment. Yet, we are forgiven if we only ask for forgiveness. We start with our families,  making amends with them, and movimg outward. This is the meaning of Christmas.

God comes to - and through - those who are among the least of us in society. Mary and Joseph were poor. The King of Kings came for those in need. Rejoice if you are hurting and in poverty. Rejoice if you have been rejected by the world and human society.

Death is not an end, but a beginning. Rebirth and new life comes to those who die.

Conversely, take heed and be careful if you are rich and content. Give to those who are in need. Your abundance can be a trap if it makes you think you are superior to others, and you got where you are by your efforts alone.

We are alone, and there is no collective salvation. You came into this world naked and will leave it naked. Be ready to face your Creator and account for your deeds. A wonderful reward is yours if you've acted honorably.

Watch A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens. Or read his book. The pure and joyful message of Christmas never has been better told.

Have a very Merry Christmas, Chanukah, or other winter festival of renewal!

Inhuman Evil Surpasses All Understanding

The child killer of Connecticut is beyond evil. Look how his actions are polluting the whole world. In every nation people are reading and hearing about it, and have to stop and question themselves. Is someone I know capable of this? How can I protect my children?

The police say, "We haven't yet found a motive for the killings." There is no “motive”, as human beings understand motive. The Connecticut killer shot his mother in the face, and went on to murder the school principal and twenty children whom he didn't know. Then he killed himself. We can at least be grateful he killed himself, thereby sparing us a trial that would force us to talk about him for years. His acts are a quantum leap beyond all rational thought or discussion of motive or reason. Mental derangement alone can't explain mass killing like this.

Bashar al-Assad of Syria has killed about 40,000 of his own people in the last few years, mostly civilians. But he wants to hold onto his power; an understandable, though contemptible, motive. The Nazis, Communists, and Fascists of history had monetary and political/social scapegoating motives for their crimes. The Connecticut shooter is truly inhuman. He is Satanic, possessed by inhuman evil, beyond our understanding. Children are largely innocent, and as such, are an expression of God.  Killing them is like killing God. Satan can’t give life, as God does. He can only corrupt and kill, which he does gleefully.

No doubt you're hearing people say, “If he couldn’t have gotten a gun, those children wouldn’t be dead!” Yes, and if my drug addict friend couldn’t have gotten his heroin overdose, he wouldn’t be dead from heroin.
But you can’t eliminate these things without creating a police state. Even then, as in our prisons, criminals can get contraband of all kinds.

How easy it is for evil to cloak itself in righteousness. Did you see Obama shedding tears in front of the cameras yesterday? This man who endorses late-term abortion, where living babies are “eliminated” with scissors into the neck. And how about his Marxist economic policies that oppress us and guarantee millions will never have good jobs, economic freedom, and prosperity. As President Reagan famously said, “There is no freedom without economic freedom.”

In times of widespread, intensifying chaos, social upheaval, and psychopathology, the weak-minded and deranged blossom forth into Satanic manifestation like this Connecticut killer. These people are nurtured in the muck of negativity and desperation that ‘progressives’ foster in our society.

Here's a fact: The American cities with the strictest gun control laws, like New York, New Orleans, and Chicago, have the highest murder and violent crime rates by far. Those states and cities that allow law-abiding citizens to carry concealed weapons have the lowest murder and crime rates in America.

Now we’ll see a full-court press to further restrict freedom and liberty, starting with guns and metastasizing throughout all facets of life. There are over 300 million guns in America. How can they be found and disposed of? They cannot.

No, what we need are a lot more people packing them. Everywhere. So that every Satanic killer will be unsure of his/her safety.

Why won’t someone stand up and say,”Outlaw guns? Sure! That will solve it! What a good idea! While we’re at it, why not outlaw drugs, booze, and all crimes? That will do the trick.” So-called 'progressives' are responsible for most of our stupid laws, going back to 1900, and starting with prostitution.

Did Jesus or any of His Apostles call for strict laws? No. The greatest and most moral people who have ever lived look to God, not the State, for solutions. The State is a highly flawed mechanism; as likely to cause more evil as it is to correct it.

Have You Ever Run Out of Money?

It's a bad feeling, whether it's because your wallet is missing, you lost your job, or blew it all on a gambling binge. Well, it's a lot worse when you did it yourself by gambling, drinking, or trying to get a woman to love you. But reality must be faced in the real world by us individuals, and the awful consequences may teach us a valuable lesson on taking responsibility. Many great people have come back from such disasters, recouped their losses, and gained wisdom. It can be a very good thing in the end.

The same thing happens to entire nations occasionally. But when the money's gone, nations can mask the truth, print more money, and lie to their people and the world for a long time before the brick wall of reality hits them in the face. Saddest of all, the fomenting of lies and scapegoats can delay or derail the consequences, and the nation's people may never learn and profit from the grave error.

If children are never corrected, bad students never given a failing grade, or criminals not punished for their crimes, that's a green light that authority has broken down. Lawlessness and chaos inevitably follow; a terrible result for everyone.

Here is an indisputable fact: The United States, Greece, Spain, Portugal, and many other countries ran out of money quite a while ago. China and other global investors are now providing 46% of annual U.S. government expenditures. Germany has been paying just as much for Greece and other European Union countries, and there's no end in sight for all of them.

President Obama and his Democrat Party just announced that they have no intention whatsoever of curtailing U.S. spending, and they're demanding more; an unlimited end to their borrowing. The EU debtor countries also have said they cannot cut anymore, but their deficits increase.

How much longer can this go on? Paper money printing has covered up the grim reality for years, but at some point there will be so much paper money in circulation that it will lose most of its value. This is called hyper-inflation.

Sooner or later China, Germany, and other national creditors will have to shut off the money tap, or they will be dragged down with the bankrupts. They don't want to shut the tap because they are net-export countries, and world trade will grind to a halt. But they'll be forced to.

Why does this happen? People everywhere generally can't stand the truth. They create false stories and false personas for themselves and for their nations to make themselves feel better. Note that every time someone mentions a country or ethnic group they say, "They are a proud people!" Yes, almost everyone is "proud", and a lot of the time that feeling is based on nothing. Or based on a crime. The Nazis were proud, the Soviets were proud, and the slaveholders of the Old South were, too.

Many of our fellow humans seek to be like God, playing the generous benefactor or righteous leader to right all wrongs and fix the problems in the world. We cannot be or compete with God. It always created terrible tragedy.

The dreaded catastrophe is upon us.