Peace
“In the last days the mountain of the LORD'S temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and peoples will stream to it.
Many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.
Every man will sit under his own vine and under his own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the LORD Almighty has spoken.”
Micah 4:1-4.
I firmly believe that one day all mankind will live in peace with one another. But man cannot do it alone.
Man has shown how selfish and self centred he is throughout history. One statistic I read stated that there has been but a few days of true peace in all the history of mankind. Through the centuries man has become more and more violent. Another statistic states the twentieth century seen more deaths due to violence and war than all others combined and the twenty-first century seems to be continuing to add to the deaths.
Mankind it seems cannot live at peace. Man doesn’t seem to see all men as brothers with rights given to them by God. The right of freedom of speech, freedom of belief, freedom to enjoy life. To as the Americans say, to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
It seems there is always some despot out there trying to impose their will on people. Love seems to be slipping away in our global society.
Abba Hillel Silver wrote,
“Faith in God is the strongest bulwark of a free society. Human freedom began when men became conscious that over and above society and nature there is a God who created them...who fashioned them in His likeness, and that they are, therefore, possessed of intrinsic and independent significance and are endowed, as individuals, with original and irrevocable rights and authority.
Abba Hillel Silver.
It seems as our society becomes more secular it is becoming more violent.
Around the world terrorist groups like ISIS, rather than seeing the one true God, they are fashioning a god after their violent twisted beliefs.
Mankind is on a slippery slope that is leading to a lake of fire and brimstone and he cannot stop the slide himself.
Man needs to turn to God.
God sent Jesus into this world to show how much He loved mankind and today there are an estimated 2.2 billion Christians. Jesus has been called the Prince of Peace. Not only that most religious leaders in the world recognize Jesus as at the very least a great moral teacher.
Sadly however the majority of the world wants nothing to do Jesus and his teachings They wish to blunder on doing their own thing and getting nowhere.
Eventually however as the Prophet Micah said,
“In the last days the mountain of the LORD'S temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and peoples will stream to it.
Many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.
Every man will sit under his own vine and under his own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the LORD Almighty has spoken.”
Micah 4:1-4.
It will indeed be a momentous day in history. I know many reading this will not believe it. But it’s what I believe as a Christian.
The Lord God of Jacob will one day make himself known to modern man in the flesh and he will bring peace to all mankind.
Something mankind will never do himself.
Think about it.
Showing posts with label Terrorism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Terrorism. Show all posts
Friday 6 February 2015
Tuesday 27 January 2015
The Holocaust Remembered
A time to remember
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Today is International Holocaust remembrance day. A day set aside by the United Nations to remember the victims of the Nazi genocide.
The numbers are staggering for Jews alone, 6,258,673
Jews Killed by country,
Africa 526, Hungary 305,000, Albania 200,
Italy 8,000, Austria 65,000, Latvia 85,000
Belgium 24,387, Lithuania 135,000,
Czechoslovakia 277,000, Luxembourg 700, Denmark
77 Netherlands 106,000, Estonia 4,000,
Norway 728, France 83,000, Poland 3,001,000
Germany160,000, Romania 364,632, Greece 71,301,
Soviet Union 1,500,000, Yugoslavia 67,122
TOTAL: 6,258,673
Included in this count an estimated 1,100,000 Children.
Add to that in excess of 5,000,000 non-jews who were murdered in the death camps.
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Even after listening to the first hand accounts of those who lived through it I still find it hard to comprehend.
It amazes me how the free and democratic nations could allow such things to happen. Yet it did. Men like Neville Chamberlain the prime minister of England at the time, with all the best of intentions wanting peace, failed to see that you cannot bargain with despots like Hitler.
Even the American government at the time refused, at the start of the war to get involved. Many nations including Canada turned Jewish refugees away.
At the same time in Nazi occupied Europe there were many individuals at the risk of their own life, Christians, even Muslims hid Jewish families. Some would pay with their lives for doing the right thing, but because of their actions many Jews lived to tell their story.
Today there are those in the world who would deny Israel the right to exist. Many who wish to destroy Israel and murder the Jewish people.
Those who wish to do such atrocities are no better than that despotic Austrian corporal and his followers who plunged the world into world war.
These men are evil and are proving they will, like Hitler kill anyone from anywhere and of any faith who will not conform to their ways.
If world war two and the holocaust has shown us anything, it is that we cannot bargain with such men. They like Hitler and his henchmen need to be destroyed. They need to be at the very least put on trial for crimes against humanity.
We who live in the free democracies of the west need to be doing all we can to stop those who would murder innocent men women and children.
We need to stand with the Jewish people. Stand with Israel and all the peace loving countries of the world against a great evil that is before us.
As individual citizens we need to urge our politicians to do the right thing and stand up to the terrorist. We need to stand behind and support our troops as they stand in harms way protecting our way of life.
I believe it was Stephen Harper Canada’s prime minister who said we are in a war. I believe we are.
Our war may not consist of massive tank battles and daily air raids but it is no less a war a war that affects us all.
So as we remember the millions that died in the holocaust of world war two. Let us not forget the message it sends.
The message that we will never be able to appease evil men. Chamberlain waving his little piece of paper and proclaiming peace in our time could not in 1939. Nor will we be able to in 2015.
Let us remember the words of Martin Niemoller an anti-Nazi who wrotes,
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“When they came for the Communists, I did not stand up, because I was not a Communist. When they came for the Jews, I did not stand up, because I was not Jewish. When they came for the Catholics, I did not stand up, because I was not a Catholic. When they came for me, there was no one left to stand up.”
Martin Niemoller
It will take the might of the free world to ensure our freedom of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
So pray that our politicians to do the right thing. Pray for our the men and women of our military that they may be safe.
And pray for Israel, the Jewish community the world over and for the peace of Jerusalem. For I believe it is only when the Jews and Jerusalem are at peace will the world truly be at peace.
Think about it
Today is International Holocaust remembrance day. A day set aside by the United Nations to remember the victims of the Nazi genocide.
The numbers are staggering for Jews alone, 6,258,673
Jews Killed by country,
Africa 526, Hungary 305,000, Albania 200,
Italy 8,000, Austria 65,000, Latvia 85,000
Belgium 24,387, Lithuania 135,000,
Czechoslovakia 277,000, Luxembourg 700, Denmark
77 Netherlands 106,000, Estonia 4,000,
Norway 728, France 83,000, Poland 3,001,000
Germany160,000, Romania 364,632, Greece 71,301,
Soviet Union 1,500,000, Yugoslavia 67,122
TOTAL: 6,258,673
Included in this count an estimated 1,100,000 Children.
Add to that in excess of 5,000,000 non-jews who were murdered in the death camps.
Poles, Romani gypsies,
Mentally and Physically disabled,
Freemasons, Slovenes,
homosexuals, Jehovah’s witnesses,
Christians of all faiths,
Spanish republicans,
Soviet prisoners of war,
Prisoners of war of other allied nations,
and many thousands more.
As someone who has always lived in the relative freedom of the west born after world war two, I cannot imagine the horrors those sentenced to the death camps underwent. Even after listening to the first hand accounts of those who lived through it I still find it hard to comprehend.It amazes me how the free and democratic nations could allow such things to happen. Yet it did. Men like Neville Chamberlain the prime minister of England at the time, with all the best of intentions wanting peace, failed to see that you cannot bargain with despots like Hitler.
Even the American government at the time refused, at the start of the war to get involved. Many nations including Canada turned Jewish refugees away.
At the same time in Nazi occupied Europe there were many individuals at the risk of their own life, Christians, even Muslims hid Jewish families. Some would pay with their lives for doing the right thing, but because of their actions many Jews lived to tell their story.
Today there are those in the world who would deny Israel the right to exist. Many who wish to destroy Israel and murder the Jewish people.
Those who wish to do such atrocities are no better than that despotic Austrian corporal and his followers who plunged the world into world war.
These men are evil and are proving they will, like Hitler kill anyone from anywhere and of any faith who will not conform to their ways.
If world war two and the holocaust has shown us anything, it is that we cannot bargain with such men. They like Hitler and his henchmen need to be destroyed. They need to be at the very least put on trial for crimes against humanity.
We who live in the free democracies of the west need to be doing all we can to stop those who would murder innocent men women and children.
We need to stand with the Jewish people. Stand with Israel and all the peace loving countries of the world against a great evil that is before us.
As individual citizens we need to urge our politicians to do the right thing and stand up to the terrorist. We need to stand behind and support our troops as they stand in harms way protecting our way of life.
I believe it was Stephen Harper Canada’s prime minister who said we are in a war. I believe we are.
Our war may not consist of massive tank battles and daily air raids but it is no less a war a war that affects us all.
So as we remember the millions that died in the holocaust of world war two. Let us not forget the message it sends.
The message that we will never be able to appease evil men. Chamberlain waving his little piece of paper and proclaiming peace in our time could not in 1939. Nor will we be able to in 2015.
Let us remember the words of Martin Niemoller an anti-Nazi who wrotes,
“When they came for the Communists, I did not stand up, because I was not a Communist. When they came for the Jews, I did not stand up, because I was not Jewish. When they came for the Catholics, I did not stand up, because I was not a Catholic. When they came for me, there was no one left to stand up.”Martin Niemoller
It will take the might of the free world to ensure our freedom of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
So pray that our politicians to do the right thing. Pray for our the men and women of our military that they may be safe.
And pray for Israel, the Jewish community the world over and for the peace of Jerusalem. For I believe it is only when the Jews and Jerusalem are at peace will the world truly be at peace.
Think about it
Wednesday 29 October 2014
Christians and Terrorism
Christians and Terrorism
As I write this it is October 28th 2014. Sadly I watched the funeral of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo the soldier murdered while guarding the National War Memorial in Ottawa.
This man was proud to be a Canadian and serve his country.
The man that killed him was nothing more than a hate filled misguided evil man.
What causes a man to do such a thing?
Chedly Belkhodja, principal of Concordia University’s School of Community and Public Affairs states,
“Radical Islamic groups can appeal both to lonely lost souls and Muslims in Western countries who feel excluded and marginalised,... A lot of young people can be an easy prey,”
Studies by John Horgan seems to agree.
John Horgan, is a psychologist and professor at the University of Massachusetts Lowell’s Centre for Terrorism and Security Studies, who study the minds of terrorists.
He notes foreign fighters are drawn to join ISIS by the need to “belong to something special.”
They want to find something meaningful for their life,” he said. “Some are thrill seeking, some are seeking redemption.”
Max Abrahms, an expert on terrorism from Northeastern University notes that
from most of the terrorism research available, those who join terrorist groups like ISIS are the most "ignorant people with respect to religion and they are generally the newest members to the religion.... They would probably fail the most basic test on Islam,"
Christians do have an answer for these terrorist groups but sadly the church here in North America, Europe and the west in general have fallen down on the job so to speak.
Much of the church has fallen into an institution dripping with ritual and out of date methods of reaching the word.
Those who’s heads are turned toward terrorist groups undoubtedly find the church outdated, uninteresting and uninspiring.
You only have to look around at the declining enrolment in churches today. These churches generally have ornate buildings and rituals that are fine for a previous generation and in and of themselves are good at reminding people, if they understand, what Christ stands for.
Unfortunately they mean little to those of the twitter verse or the world wide web.
One only has to take a look around the world at the churches that are truly growing. These churches are “adding value” to the life of those that are coming to them. The are preaching the same core message that the apostles preached but in a modern way. A way youth and young adults can relate too.
My son is an adult youth leader who attends a large and growing church. This church has been on the forefront of evangelism in out small city for some time.
It encourages its youth to live differently. To make a positive difference in the lives of those around them.
The message they give to these young people is relevant to their generation and it is preached through various social media.
One only has to look back at the first century church to see what needs to be done. The church fathers, the disciples, the apostle Paul and others in the early church used the most modern methods of their day.
Peter and the other disciples preached in the temple, in synagogues and other places. Paul spoke in the Areopagus and at many more venues. They all sent letters to the various churches.
So prominent was the teaching of the Apostles in Jerusalem that the apostles were brought before the religious authorities of their day.
The book of Acts recoding the authorities reaction,
“We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”
Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than men!”
Acts 5:28,29.
The apostles were radicals in their day. They were radical for the Prince of Peace, Jesus. They never preached rebellion or hate.
Jesus who said,
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
This is the first and greatest commandment.
And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22:37-40
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous...”
Matthew 5:43-45.
We in the church need to be looking beyond church buildings, the rituals, and traditions. We need to be speaking without compromise about salvation that can only come from Christ.
We need to be out there in social media showing those who are disenfranchised with society that there is a better way. That violence and hate are not the solution to their problems.
We need to be like the good Samaritan. being there to bandage, not only the physical wounds of individuals, but their psychological wounds also.
It is only when those who feel marginalised or outcasts from our society realize that Christ is the answer to their problems that they will turn from violence.
Think about it.
As I write this it is October 28th 2014. Sadly I watched the funeral of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo the soldier murdered while guarding the National War Memorial in Ottawa.
This man was proud to be a Canadian and serve his country.
The man that killed him was nothing more than a hate filled misguided evil man.
What causes a man to do such a thing?
Chedly Belkhodja, principal of Concordia University’s School of Community and Public Affairs states,
“Radical Islamic groups can appeal both to lonely lost souls and Muslims in Western countries who feel excluded and marginalised,... A lot of young people can be an easy prey,”
Studies by John Horgan seems to agree.
John Horgan, is a psychologist and professor at the University of Massachusetts Lowell’s Centre for Terrorism and Security Studies, who study the minds of terrorists.
He notes foreign fighters are drawn to join ISIS by the need to “belong to something special.”
They want to find something meaningful for their life,” he said. “Some are thrill seeking, some are seeking redemption.”
Max Abrahms, an expert on terrorism from Northeastern University notes that
from most of the terrorism research available, those who join terrorist groups like ISIS are the most "ignorant people with respect to religion and they are generally the newest members to the religion.... They would probably fail the most basic test on Islam,"
Christians do have an answer for these terrorist groups but sadly the church here in North America, Europe and the west in general have fallen down on the job so to speak.
Much of the church has fallen into an institution dripping with ritual and out of date methods of reaching the word.
Those who’s heads are turned toward terrorist groups undoubtedly find the church outdated, uninteresting and uninspiring.
You only have to look around at the declining enrolment in churches today. These churches generally have ornate buildings and rituals that are fine for a previous generation and in and of themselves are good at reminding people, if they understand, what Christ stands for.
Unfortunately they mean little to those of the twitter verse or the world wide web.
One only has to take a look around the world at the churches that are truly growing. These churches are “adding value” to the life of those that are coming to them. The are preaching the same core message that the apostles preached but in a modern way. A way youth and young adults can relate too.
My son is an adult youth leader who attends a large and growing church. This church has been on the forefront of evangelism in out small city for some time.
It encourages its youth to live differently. To make a positive difference in the lives of those around them.
The message they give to these young people is relevant to their generation and it is preached through various social media.
One only has to look back at the first century church to see what needs to be done. The church fathers, the disciples, the apostle Paul and others in the early church used the most modern methods of their day.
Peter and the other disciples preached in the temple, in synagogues and other places. Paul spoke in the Areopagus and at many more venues. They all sent letters to the various churches.
So prominent was the teaching of the Apostles in Jerusalem that the apostles were brought before the religious authorities of their day.
The book of Acts recoding the authorities reaction,
“We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”
Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than men!”
Acts 5:28,29.
The apostles were radicals in their day. They were radical for the Prince of Peace, Jesus. They never preached rebellion or hate.
Jesus who said,
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
This is the first and greatest commandment.
And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22:37-40
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous...”
Matthew 5:43-45.
We in the church need to be looking beyond church buildings, the rituals, and traditions. We need to be speaking without compromise about salvation that can only come from Christ.
We need to be out there in social media showing those who are disenfranchised with society that there is a better way. That violence and hate are not the solution to their problems.
We need to be like the good Samaritan. being there to bandage, not only the physical wounds of individuals, but their psychological wounds also.
It is only when those who feel marginalised or outcasts from our society realize that Christ is the answer to their problems that they will turn from violence.
Think about it.
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