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REVIEWS OF BOOK, MOVIES, VIDEO TALKS, AUDIO TALKS

5/4/10

MOVIE REVIEWS

by John, Revised 3/7/11

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A WRINKLE IN TIME

Base on the Newbery Award-Winning Novel, by Madeleine L’Engle

 

 

DVD MOVIE REVIEW

By John, 2/4/11

http://MyReligiousQuestionsViews.YolaSite.com

“Reviews-Books-Movies-Audios”

“MOVIES”,  A WRINKLE IN TIME

 

I read A WRINKLE IN TIME a couple of years ago. I love science fiction that is based on physics. I also love stories with subliminal or overt Christian values, like C.S. Lewis’ or Tolkien’s books or movies. This one is a children’s story or maybe a young teen story that adults can also enjoy.  Family, growing emotionally, spiritually & expressing love are very important challenges that our heroes must learn. We all must learn to discipline our thoughts & actions in our spiritual lives--if we want the peace that living a life in truth promises us. Madeleine’s books can get a child interested in science. The movie doesn’t get that deeply into explanations, so read the books1 with your tweens.

 

Replace swords, lasers, bombs, superficial values with real values-the spiritual ones-for a fun-family-movie-night. The movie brings beautiful special effects to this fantasy, self-discovery, & family movie. Our young female teen, Meg-the heroine,  must save her father from unknow dangers, Dr. Jack Murray, he's the absent dad & a scientist. Apparently he was working on some mysteries of the space-time continuum, specifically a “tesseract” & something went wrong. Tessering is a way to travel vast distances in space rapidly. It’s like a a worm hole, but faster, it’s a “wrinkle” in space-time. Dad is missing & the children & wife miss him. One day, a magical being visits Meg, her little genius brother, & her mother. Then the mystery deepens & slowly unfolds to-the conclusion of…. Sorry I don’t give away endings.

 

Parents go to the Bonus Features & watch a short interview with the Author & learn why the book was banned in many places. Why does Mrs. L’Engle say, she is similar to Meg? What does she say about family & physics? Don’t let your children have the edge on you when it comes to this movie. There’s also ample information on the Internet about the so-called Tesseract, space travel & what the magical beings in the movie represented.

 

 www.madeleinelengle.com/

 

1 The  quintet series:   A Wrinkle in Time; A Wind in the Door; A Swiftly Tilting Planet; Many Waters; An Acceptable Time

 

A WRINKLE IN TIME, DVD, Rated:  PG, Bonus Material Not Rated, Approx. 128 min., 2004 Release, Actors:  Kate Stuart, Gregory Smith, Alfre Woodard, David Dorfman, Chris Potter, etc.,  Disney, www.Disney.DVD.com, Based on the Newbery Award-Winning Novel, by Madeleine L’Engle, first published 1962.

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Body of Evidence, From the Case Files of Dayle Hinman, The Best of Court TV Programming, 2 DVDs, 325 minutes, © 2004 Medstar Inc. [Not religious, just an FBI trained profiler.]

 

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Reviews, Books, Movies, Audio

BALLYKISSANGEL

WITH MY PERSONAL TESTIMONY & VIEWS

[TV Series on DVD; TYPE:  SOAP OPERA-ON LOCATION]

 

BY JOHN L. DECOSSAUX, 11/18/11

 

BallyKissAngel or BallyK is the fictional name of a town in Ireland in this television series that started its first broadcast in the UK (England) in 1995. We borrowed the DVD Box Set with 15 DVD discs & 3 or 4 episodes per disc from a good friend, who is Catholic, but almost never goes to church. Coincidentally that’s what this DVD series seems to be about.

I thought about becoming a priest. I was divorced with two children & I went to a weekend retreat to see if I could go to their seminary. I think I was too religious for them. I wasn’t very holy & not much of a social worker, but too serious about the Bible & following it accurately. The spiritual counselor & advisor said they don’t want fanatics, fathers whose kids that are still at home or even in college, like mine were. I think they needed people who could obey the Catholic Church, easily handle the celibacy requirement, say the Mass, manage Bingo, Carnivals, handle the big crowds of lax Catholics on high Holy days, organize group vacations to the Vatican, and help administer the private schools & so many more practical things. I liked the idea of working for God & getting paid, but I was in murky waters & way over my head.

You need to be a business man, social coordinator & a realist to be a successful priest. Being comfortable with coming home to an empty house is also necessary. You have to be able to deal with the religious Catholics, the reverted Protestants that read their Bibles, the hypocrites, the ignorant & worst of all, those who think for themselves. Most of the seminarians were good at sports, manly-men & I only saw one overtly homosexual student, though I’m sure there may have been a few hidden gays, bisexuals or even heterosexuals (Shutter to think), especially if they were still having sex. They find all your secrets in confession, now called “reconciliation”. They give you some time to change your ways, but If you can’t you can quit or they’ll kick you out.

In the unreal but charming world of Bally K everyone seems to be looking for a deal, a scam, romance or easy money. Even the Catholic Church is liberal, plays fast & loose & is as sly as a fox with money. That’s probably accurate in the real world too. But in BallyK the priests are the community leaders & make society function like a well oiled machine. They do forgive quickly & are slow to judge or even prosecute. It’s a soap opera with priests. It’s very addicting. The Irish scenery is pristine & unfettered by high tension wires & factories. If this is not movie magic then Ireland must be a photographer’s & tourist’s dream. The only police officer or Garda in town is efficient, assertive & never flashes a weapon. Wouldn’t that be nice in America? Most cops here don’t think our citizens would respond in kind, but maybe some States, cities or small towns should try it.

The real-life situation of the collapsing Irish government, along with Greece & Italy is nothing short of a catastrophe which threatens the entire world wide economy. The Roman Catholic Church & Protestants used to fight each other in Ireland & refused any peace for so many years. Former terrorists now terrorize the locals for blabbing their secrets. That tells a frightening story that is bad for tourism. But if you didn’t know about that & only watched the BallyK series & didn’t watch the news journal programs, Ireland would be flooded with even more tourists.

In this series the actors change & grow while some leave & new ones join. The BallyK population face life on their own terms & the priests help to clean up their messes & are always there to support the folk. The town survives scams, rip-offs & powerful banks that must collect & repossess.

 In BallyKissAngel the Roman Catholic Church doesn’t seem to be shrinking or losing relevance, because of homosexual, pedophile priests or the rise of humanistic & libertine philosophies within the Vatican. While most of the population seems unaffected by the Ten Commandments or Jesus, they have their own post-modern Christian morality. They are good to each other, but they do divorce, have babies out of wedlock, hit their wives, hit their husbands, get drunk & use marijuana-medicinally-of course. They don’t like strangers, but covet tourists. They cheat on wives & husbands, but don’t especially like anyone messing with their local pub! One religion-hater is wondering if she loves a priest.

The Parish priest that is responsible for the local priests in the parish is old, cantankerous & zealous for the Church collections. I just realized, I never saw a nun in the series. I wonder why? Anyway, the church authorities rarely confront sin unless someone talks against the Church. One might say they are ruthless & zealous for the Church, but equally zealous for the town’s people, the majority of which are lax or absentee-church-Catholics. The head of the parish thinks he’s modern & he helps to run the civic affairs of Bally K…a bit like a well meaning bully. The towns’ people prefer the younger priests that come along, because they seem to easily twist them around their fingers.

Almost all life thrives around either the pub or the church. For a small town there are plenty of entertainments:  plays, horse racing, four wheeling, paint gun battles, a beach & even hot air balloons. Neighbors eventually support each other despite rivalries & past grudges. The landscape makes you think of Paradise. If you are tired of inappropriate sit-coms & Reality TV I recommend BallyK.

It’s not something designed to bring you closer to God, but to a post modern humanistic morality. That’s what I consider the main flaw. But, for most people it’s fun, tragic & tearful when you least expect it.

Wouldn’t it be nice to live in a town that gave everyone a second chance? It’s like watching a very well-done documentary in a mythical land. It’s like a modern remake of The Andy Griffith Show that supposedly takes place in Mayberry, North Carolina. It was a rural American town created for American television in the 1960’s to 1968 & it was in the top one to seven viewing slots the whole time. Just exchange the Southern accents with an Irish lilt & other Gallic accents & both towns present a magical age of minor crimes, minding everyone else’s business, with lots of understanding & forgiveness; even from the police or Sheriff!

When the television is off the picture isn’t so nice & neat. We like to see a world where people care, doctors make house calls, nature is still emerald green & people have time to fish? Though it is partly fiction, there’s still a lot of BallyKissAngel in America, Ireland & your Nations.

God, save the world & bring the better Paradise down to earth!

 

BallyKissAngel, the Complete Collection, DVD, 15 Disc Set BBC Video, with DVD Special Features [Filmed in Avoca], Cast Bios., etc., www.bbcamerica.com, © 2007 2 entertain Video Limited. A Ballykea Production for World Productions for the BBC in association with BBC Worldwide © 1996-2001 Ballykea Prod. Distrb. By BBC Worldwide Americas, Inc….

COLLAPSE

 

COLLAPSE, DVD, © 2009 Collapse Movie LLC, Director Chris Smith, Reporter/Prophet/Predictor:  Michael Ruppert, www.CollapseMovie.com,  FilmBuff, BlueMark Productions, MPI Media Group.

MOVIE REVIEW

 

You will see a man smoking cigarettes in a chair, being interviewed by a voice and you won’t be able to look away from him. This man is predicting the global collapse of our modern civilization. It could happen in 20, 50 or 100 years. It won’t happen all at once but it will start with shortages. For a few days there will be no oil, no electricity, no food at the grocery store, no operations in the hospital, then back to a few days of normalcy again.          Why? Because oil is king, it’s in everything, cars, plastics, food production equipment, in foods, even in your toothpaste. We have now officially used up over half of the world’s know oil supply. Depending on how much we cut back on energy needs is how long we have until it’s too expensive to buy energy & eventually the majority can’t buy it. Modern society collapses. Roads, bridges fall, but no one repairs them. The government cuts back on police, firefighters & government officials. Eventually we have to purify our own water, grow our own food & make our own entertainment by telling stories, making music & dancing.

            Well, what about wind mills, solar panels, electric cars or even hydrogen cars? Each of these requires an enormous amount of oil to make. It takes seven gallons of oil to make one tire and a lot more to melt & shape the metals & plastics in each car, even in an electric car. That is the next bubble to collapse. Don’t put your hopes in the “green revolution” because it depends on coal, oil & natural gas to create electricity, metal foundries, plastic & glass needed to produce windmills, solar panels, batteries, water turbines, etc.   

            Who will survive? Those that don’t can accept the truth, don’t panic & are willing to be adaptive will succeed. They will work at jobs that need to be done. Learn to be an EMT or mechanic. Brush up on your first aid, medical training or carpentry, melting metals & making farm implements out of them. Definitely learn to farm & start farming every square inch of land that you have, it’s our only future hope.

            The Bible said that money would become useless, even gold, and the oceans & rivers would become polluted. Then what? The Anointed one, Jesus comes back from Heaven & we become farmers. Each person builds his own house & grows his own food. Family & neighbors will have to come together & assist each other for repairs, tool making, tilling, planting & reaping the land. We’ll be in nature, we will learn to control our greed & our love of money (What money?) will begin again & we’ll start to pray again. God will be here on earth & we’ll be living ecologically responsible again.

 

“And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks:  nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”

 Isaiah 2:3-4, KJV

 

 

 Movie Review by John

This is a second film by brothers Stephen and Alex Hendrick the first was called Fly Wheel and it was also produced by their Baptist Church. In interviews I’ve heard them say, it isn’t easy making a film and they don’t recommend it for most people. Their latest film is “Fire Proof”, a very entertaining and Christian movie, especially if you are a Baptist. The themes of their films are career, how to become financially successful, family relationships and the Christian life. How can you be successful father, husband, coach, employee or business owner and still be a Christian? Why do things seem to go wrong, even for Christians? What is the answer? The answer is to put Christ first and watch the miracles role in.

            “Facing the Giants” is a great family movie, but as a thinking Christian, I question whether everyone who puts the Lord first will become contenders for number one on this earth, and get most their prayers answered in the affirmative. The idea is, even God doesn’t like us to stay a loser or a failure, God wants a winning season or nothing. I’m not saying it is exactly similar to the prosperity gospel idea. In that theory, if you give lots of money away, then God will make you rich. What comforts me in the Bible that I read, is that God loves: losers, the poor, bachelors-that no one wants, forever entry level workers, the falsely accused, etc. But is true that if you dedicate everything and everyone in your life to God, then God will glorify His name and He might take you along for the ride.

In America, it is possible for an ordinary, but super talented person to rise above the herd and become upper middle class or even rich. But, everyone doesn’t become rich or famous even, if they are a Christian. On the other hand, if Christians would actually follow Christ and put Him first, God’s involvement and or miracles would by seen by many. God doesn’t have transform each of his followers from a lousy coach to a great one, but they should become more honest, hardworking and give their best effort. Some Christians, who base their lives on God, will certainly need the extra motivation, that comes with knowing that they are doing everything for Christ and His Kingdom That will propel them to face the giants of fear, anger, lust, and failure in their lives and then win or lose, you did it for God. This is what the Kendrick’s movies are about, giving God your whole life, at work, in the home, and in prayer.

 Facing The Giants, PG, DVD, 2006 Sherwood Baptist Church of Albany Georgia, Inc., Provident Films, © Layout and Design Sony Pictures Home Ent.

GRACE & GLORIE

MOVIE REVIEW, VHS

 

By John

 

I love Christian movies, because I’m a Christian Catholic. I want to see someone in a movie or on television that is basing their lives on the tenets of religion and God and not on Humanism. It’s not an option it is a necessity to preserve my own beliefs. Christians should examine whether they should watch comedies or dramas in which God’s laws and teachings are subtly rejected and even overtly trampled in the mud.

 

Materialism, Humanism or a ”physicalist” says, man doesn’t need to believe in God just in what he sees with his eyes. Anything that can’t be measured or controlled by man is worthless and should be viewed suspiciously and sometimes with hostility.  Today’s atheism says, ”God doesn’t exist” while admitting the atheist or religionist is nothing but a clever ape with fanciful thoughts. They admit that we & they are totally untrustworthy to give any advice and thereby unqualified to condemn or praise anyone else. And yet some atheists find great pleasure in using their ape-like brains to destroy the religion of others, the majority of people in the world. Truly they are fools & not just arrogant fools but they are doing the works of evil!!

 

 

The 1951 Hallmark broadcast,  "Amahl and the Night Visitors" making television history. Most actors today will do anything to be in a Hallmark movie, because the quality is so professional and likely to win awards. I like Hallmark movies because they are usually family friendly and not afraid to broach topics of beliefs, tragedy and death as Grace  & Glorie does.  Staring:   Gena Rowlands, as the older lady who is dying & Diane Lane as the beautiful lady, inside & out, who helps people die. “Glorie” witnessed a family death and can’t live a normal life anymore. Will she become healed from the deathly job or give up on life?

 

The old lady, Grace, is a Christian who hasn’t been to church in many years., she’s a bit gruff and old fashioned.  For instance, she won’t allow the doctors to take an x-ray. She says something like, “If God wanted me to see inside of myself, He would have made me with a window to look inside”. It might sound ridiculous, but she’s dying anyway and just wants to die in God’s time and not try to prolong the inevitable. Gloria is the agnostic lady, who is obsessed with death, when she could be enjoying life. For some reason Grace keeps calling her Glorie.

 

This movie has provoked some questions that I’ve never fully dealt with & probably never can. Many Christians and ancient people’s felt that they shouldn’t try too hard to thwart serious diseases, because it was God’s will. Some modern old fashioned religious and others may feel the same way for their own reasons.  I personally knew a doctor who chose not to have an operation and tried to reverse his disease and prolong his life through caloric restrictions, nutrition & exercise. It worked for a while, but he probably would have lived longer had he allowed the operation. But, he could have been hit by a train and died earlier anyway. No one knows for sure the date of his death. You can prolong your life, but if you know there is a Heaven then, some would wonder, “Should I go through operations, hospital stay, chemo, radiation or take pills that make me miserable or just let the disease take me?”  One true believer might say, “If God wants to heal me then He should do it quickly and if not then He is calling me home and I can’t wait to see Him.” Maybe the will of God is that most people get the operation  that is something each individual must decide.

 

Anyway the old lady, Grace, has a faith that Glorie wishes she could have. They become friends and they help each other out. It sounds like a chick flick, but it didn’t deal with fantasies of how great romance, love and marriage can be. Although it dealt with an important female relationship, a mother daughter type love I felt compelled to watch. This story proclaims life and its hard realities and says, we can cope with it and we must if we want happiness. Also we’re all needed for the pivotal point in someone else’s life. Is that the only reason we were born to help someone else out? Usually we get the help we need when we help others out, even more than they received from us.

 

The movie starts out with a Gospel-type song about Grace and Glory and that hooked me immediately. Please, will all Christians seek out Christian movies, books and media? It’s not too late to have Heaven on earth. Heaven begins here with what we allow our eyes and ears to enjoy and witness.

 

 

GRACE & GLORIE, VHS, 1999, Hallmark, Actors:  Gena Rowlands, Diane Lane, Gordana Rashovich, William Severs & Jack Willis, Director:  Arthur Allan Seidelman. http://corporate.hallmark.com/company/hallmark-hall-of-fame-movie-list

MOVIE REVIEW

“HEAVEN”

By John 5-13-10

 

HEAVEN, CLASSIC TALKS BY MOTHER ANGELICA, EWTN GLOBAL CATHOLIC NETWORK, 3 VHS Cassettes, Seven Total Episodes that are approximately 1 hour each for about 7 hours total. © 2004 Eternal Word Television Network, EWTN, 5817 Old Leeds Road, Irondale, AL 35210, Order # 1-800-854-6316.

WARNING:  The use of the program in this videocassette is restricted to private home exhibition and parish use only. No fee of any type may be charged for viewing and the program may not be exhibited in whole or in any part for any fund raising or commercial use. No copy may be made for any purpose whatsoever.

 

I believe the talks were taped from her Television EWTN show in 1986.This is a long series, but you soon begin to understand Mother Angelica. She’s not some weak minded, old nun, but a great spokesperson, fully approved and in line with the RC (Roman Catholic) Church. She doesn’t just talk about Heaven without also presenting the Gospel of Jesus Christ and also speaking about Purgatory and Hell. She also presents the puzzling attitudes of many people who don’t want to go to Heaven and she answers many of their concerns. Without the hope of Heaven the power of the Gospel is diluted and weakened. If we talk about the cross and the resurrection, but fail to understand the place where our spirits (souls) will dwell, until the resurrection, then we have missed the most interesting promises of the Bible.

This video series is a Scripture-filled & common sense meditation on Heaven.

 

“In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.” John 14:2, NRSV.

“’Death has been swallowed up in victory;. “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’” 1 Corinthians 15:55, NRSV

“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him”—These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit” 1Corinthians 2:9-11, NRSV

LETTERS TO GOD

Movie Review by John

A sweet little boy is being treated for cancer and the post office doesn’t know what to do with all these un-sent letters. What happens to a family when someone, especially so young has cancer? What happens to a community that is suddenly forced to see that they are needed? What happens when a boy writes letters to God? This is a Protestant style movie, but the evangelism is done in an unobtrusive, but effective way. Warning:  You will cry.

 

Letters to God, DVD, PG, 114 min., Vivendi Entertainment, Vivendient.com; by David Nixon:  Writer & Co-Director, LetterstoGod.com, [From one of the Producers of Fireproof & Facing the Giants]

 

 

 

MISSING IN AMERICA

MOVIE REVIEW by John L. D.

Missing in America, It’s Never Too Late To Find your Way Home, DVD, PG13, Thematic Elements, Some Violence & Language. Family Drama, Approx. 102 Mins., www.firstlookmedia.com, with Danny glover, Zoe Welzenbaum, Ron Perlman, Linda Hamilton & David Strathairn, Angel Devil Productions, Presents an Angel Devil/Intrinsic Value, © 2005 The Woodcutter LLC.

 

http://MyReligiousQuestionsViews.YolaSite.com

Movie Reviews, Missing In America

 

This is about a loner Vietnam Vet that has to take care of a young girl he’s never met for a while. He’s not used to company & he’s not ashamed to say, “No way”. You can imagine how a young girl would feel after being dropped off for a few days by a family member with a reclusive stranger. It could just be a story of the young girl taming the gruff older male & turning him into a respectable adult, but the story takes a strange twist. I’m not going to spill the story content, but if you or someone you know needs the inspiration to change or just a real good cry, this is your movie. The young girl played by Zoe is remarkable & Danny Glover is perfect fit for any role.

 

THE APOSTLES OF COMEDY, THE MOVIE

 Movie Review John

  Calling all Christians, yes even Catholics Christians, please let’s support Protestant and Catholic media productions. This DVD case has an icon with a white dove and a blue back round that says “Family Approved” & I agree. This is better than comedy because it deals with the comedian’s personal lives. We hear funny bits about religion & family issues, how they live out their Christian lives and how they deal with tragedy & depression.  We get to meet their families and its part documentary & part comedy show. This is the third or fourth time I borrowed it from the library, but I might have to buy it, it’s so good.

The Apostles of Comedy, The Movie, DVD, Comedians:  Jeff Allen, Brad Stine, Anthony Griffith & Ron Pearson, Rated PG, © 2008 First Look Studios, Inc., www.firstlookstudios.com, English SDH & Spanish Subtitles.

 

PARAPHRASED MOVIE REVIEW of the DVD version of:

 

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA

BY C.S. LEWIS

By John, 8/25/10 

I found the best Christian sounding quotes in, The Silver Chair. Most of The Chronicles of Narnia stories describe a fantasy land where animals can talk and think and act like humans. There are fanciful creatures, as in old legends, half horse/half human, fawns with human faces, giants, witches, magic and a male lion that talks. Aslan is the talking lion. If you want to get anything done right & for the good, he’s the one that you should consult.

 

If I didn’t know that these stories were written by a genius scholar and Christian, I don’t think I would have figured out that they were Christian stories. But knowing, is half the battle. Aslan the lion represents Jesus Christ. In the end of the Lion the Witch & the Wardrobe he lets the evil creatures and the evil queen witch sacrifice his life in place of their legal right to kill the naughty boy. The witch has the lion tied up, is cruel to him and laughs him to scorn and taunts him that she will still kill the boy. But Aslan’s sacrifice of love breaks the curse of winter magic or something similar. So the spring time and warmth of the sun and the rule of good comes back after a long winter of evil.

 

There are a lot of battles with good humans, animals and mythical creatures fighting together against evil human-like creatures, animals & mythical creatures. The movies, especially the Disney movies, are much worse than the Lewis’s small children’s books, about seven of them, because of all the violence & frightening creatures in animal attacks and hand to hand combat & sound effects seen in a realistic fashion, on a giant movie screen. The unconscious mind believes it is true, what ever it sees, so beware of movies, video games & the evening news, which is even more traumatic.

 

 Prince Caspian and The Voyage of The Dawn Treader, happens after Aslan goes away. Things go badly in Narnia again and the wicked start to dominate and threaten to take over the good world again & to make it evil. There are sea adventures, evil pirate types, being sold into slavery, being freed with a clever scheme, loyalty, honor and friendship. There is also a dragon & invisible creatures. The Christian values are shown against the evil values and the good wins, which is always nice. As Christians, we know that Jesus and we his followers win against evil and cruel magic in the end.

 

Near the end of C.S. Lewis’s children’s story, “The Silver Chair”, the wicked green witch has convinced everyone that the land above with stars and sun and the talking Lion Aslan are illusions. They are trapped in the bowels of the earth in her dark kingdom and are weary and depressed.

 

“But we’ve been there & touched it & smelled it, we’ve felt the suns heat on our skin” the heroes might have said (Paraphrases.)

 

The witch cackles “You can’t prove it, how do you know? You dreamed it all, there’s no surface land and it’s only hostile and barren up there”.

 

The part human/part pond creature who is helping two children to complete a mission from Aslan, basically says,

 

“I’d rather have the illusion of my wonderful illusion of how life is under the bright sun, than live in your dark and dreary world”.

 

Sometimes the clever philosophers convince us that Jesus is a myth and so is the belief in a second perfect sinless life on a New Earth. Ignorant sinners create a world for themselves of risk taking, dangers, addictions, self-absorption, occult practices and death. They try to change the civil laws to make it legal, desirable & necessary to become foolish like them. And we can’t answer them except to say,

 

“I know it in my heart what is true and it satisfies my deepest longings to know it is so. Jesus is God and he has prepared a place for my spirit in Heaven. He will not stop there, he will resurrect & combine my body and spirit and I shall live again as a human. This time I will never sin or even be inclined towards evil. So leave me alone vile logic and sorcery of the wicked, for I have something inside of me, a hope that defeats all of your spells and enchantments. The Spirit of God is Holy & is inside of me, protecting me. Your power over me is broken forever, Satan. Jesus, save and preserve me for eternity!!”

 

 

 

CYCLE OF DESTRUCTION & RE-BIRTH

 

What is the basis for the seven slim volumes of the Chronicles of Narnia? I read them some time ago and I forgot most of what I read. I will go back to them now or sometime soon, now that I have a more mature view of Christianity.

 

First of all, C.S. Lewis was an atheistic professor, living in England and he was a bachelor until late in life. He was alive when England was being bombed by the Nazis and he understands that there is evil and good first hand. His atheism couldn’t explain the actions of a person like Hitler, but his Catholic friend:  J.R. Tolkien, who wrote the Lord of the Rings trilogy, could. So he eventually became an Anglican, which is pretty close, as close as you can get to being a Catholic, when you are still a Protestant. As a Christian he wanted to write children’s books that were based on the Bible.

 

Think of the cycle of life in the perfect Garden of Eden. They walked with God, named all the animals, domesticated them or maybe were friends with the animals and then they tried to become like God by eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good & Evil and death and the curse were introduced. There the animals eat plants, fruits and grains, but no meat. So animals weren’t killing each other until Adam & Eve were kicked out of the Garden of Eden. So we go from perfect earth with no death to a difficult earth with death.

 

Then most of the people stop worshipping the real God, Jehovah and God says the world will be completely destroyed. Why? Because mankind had destroyed nature and violence, exploitation and everything opposite God’s morality was being practiced. Out of the whole world only Noah & his seven family members and hundreds of animals were saved on the giant ark.

 

When you died you went to either a good Sheol (Hell) or bad Sheol (Dark and hot Hell) where your spirit was either comforted or tormented. Only Enoch, Moses, Elijah & Melchisedek (He came down from Heaven originally) went to Heaven. Heaven was for the pure angels, non-human beings, and God with only those few exceptions.

 

Jesus Christ comes to earth from Heaven and dies for others and spring-time comes in the form of a true knowledge about God and a renewed relationship between God and his followers. The absolute power of sin and death is broken. Now after death his follower’s spirits can go to Heaven.

 

There are human influences in Heaven and on Earth now, but there is still another event to come. Dead people who are deserving of forgiveness will be awakened and given perfect bodies that will never die. The broken and diseased earth and universe will be given perfect bodies that can last forever. Then one day the resurrected bodies come down to earth with Jesus in the eternal city now called the New Jerusalem to reign over all the residents of the earth. There is no more curse, heartache and total failure.

 

The First Summer was in Eden. Man, animals and everything are friends with God.

 

Then the Autumn of death and disease comes outside of God’s will and Eden is hidden from mankind.

 

Then the Winter where most people on earth hate God comes. God uses the Heavenly rain and the earthly springs to flood and drowns the world and everything on it except for the Ark.

 

Then Spring-time brings warmth and hope as Jesus Christ comes & dies for mankind and the Universe. Good Sheol is emptied of holy people and Jesus takes them up to Heaven with him. A new religion is born & over two thousand years pass and the influence of Christianity affects every religion and child sacrifice largely ceases.

 

Then Summer-time comes when the Church is protected by Emperor Constantine and most Christian martyrdoms end. Without persecution, evil people enter the church to live off of it like wolves.

 

Then the Fall comes again when the Moors capture Constantinople, parts of Europe and Jerusalem. Martin Luther and other reformers split the Church of Christ into two branches:  Protestant and Catholic. Christians kill each other in the name of God and kill others who don’t agree with them.

 

The Winter comes through the Industrial Revolution, two World Wars, secular media entertainment and the Technology Revolution. The very thinking of mankind is again perverted to hate God and then to deny He even exists. Many earthquakes, fires, Hurricanes, mass outbreaks of disease and wars of genocide are sent by God. We are still in the winter awaiting either World War three or Jesus to return again.

 

FUTURE

 

This is when Jesus Christ returns to Jerusalem & resurrects the dead

for immortal life and possibly the animals will be resurrected as Randy Alcorn suggests in his book, “Heaven”. The earth will be either remade from scratch or improved one piece at a time until the earth is the way a sinless population could be happiest.

 

The Summer comes when we are fully educated in this sinless lifestyle and really learn to enjoy the eternal rest, a Sabbath rest, after recreating the Earth & Universe with God.

 

C.S. Lewis was one of the greatest minds in the world, at first promoting atheism, but now defending and promoting Christianity. This is the kind of guy you want on your team. He has written other adult books like:  Mere Christianity, The Problem of Pain, The Screwtape Lettters, The Four Loves & so many others that everyone should read, before deciding to become an atheist or stay agnostic or remain a disobedient and weak Christian.

 

This series of seven books, The Chronicle’s of Narnia, is based on the relationship of mankind with God and that is faithfully represented in the Jewish & Christian Bible. We know the Bible and yet we don’t. First, you have to take the Bible as true, every bit of it. It is a story of the relationship between God and mankind and the animals. WHAT? God is concerned with the ANIMALS? That’s ridiculous, that’s immoral that’s retarded.

 

Yes, to those who don’t understand God and the Bible it sounds foolish, but it’s true.

 

When Adam & Eve sinned the curse upon mankind also affected the animals, the fish, the insects, the birds, the ground, the mountains, the underground, the sky and the universe. The Jewish Bible and Christian Bible predict that when God restores mankind into a right relationship with Himself & the Universe, no death, disease, crime or curse will exist in the animals, humans, the world, the sky, Heaven and the entire Universe will benefit from it!! Did the plants, trees, stones, rivers, mountains, winds, animals talk in the Garden of Eden? We don’t know, but it’s possible they will in the New Earth.

 

Jesus said, “I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.” Luke 19:40, KJV.

 

 

 

REFERENCES

 

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA, Disc 1 “The Lion the Witch & the Wardrobe”, Disc 2, “Prince Caspian and The Voyage of The Dawn Treader, & Disc 3, The Silver Chair, © 1988, 1990, BBC, Home Vision Entertainment, Original stories by C.S. Lewis. ©2011

 

THE PRIZE WINNER OF DEFIANCE, OHIO

 

http://MyReligiousQuestionsViews.Yolasite.com

Index:   “reviews-books-movies-audios”

 

MOVIE REVIEW BY JOHN, 12/14/10

 

This is a delightful, fun & hopeful movie, but she’s the wife. The dark, depressing & destructive half of the movie is the husband. If you’ve had one parent that was an alcoholic & the other parent that was practically a saint then, you can relate, as I did. This movie was adapted from a book about a real family, written by one of the daughters.

 

THE PRIZE WINNER OF DEFIANCE, OHIO, DVD, PG13 (For thematic elements, some disturbing images & language), 1 Hr & 39 Min, Director: Jane Anderson, with Julianne Moore &Woody Harrelson, TM & © 2006 by Dream Works LLC, www.DreamWorks.com

SHORT MOVIE REVIEWS

 

Body of Evidence, From the Case Files of Dayle Hinman, The Best of Court TV Programming, 2 DVDs, 325 minutes, © 2004 Medstar Inc. [Not religious, just an FBI trained profiler.]

 

 

 

 

Letters to God, DVD, PG, 114 min., Vivendi Entertainment, Vivendient.com; by David Nixon:  Writer & Co-Director, LetterstoGod.com, [From one of the Producers of Fireproof & Facing the Giants]

 

Review:  A sweet little boy is being treated for cancer and the post office doesn’t know what to do with all these un-sent letters. What happens to a family when someone, especially so young has cancer? What happens to a community that is suddenly forced to see that they are needed? What happens when a boy writes letters to God? This is a Protestant style movie, but the evangelism is done in an unobtrusive, but effective way. Warning:  You will cry.

 

 

The Apostles of Comedy, The Movie, THE MOVIE, DVD, Comedians:  Jeff Allen, Brad Stine, Anthony Griffith & Ron Pearson, Rated PG, © 2008 First Look Studios, Inc., www.firstlookstudios.com, English SDH & Spanish Subtitles.

 

Review:  Calling all Christians, yes even Catholics Christians like me, please let’s support Protestant and Catholic media productions. This DVD case has an icon with a white dove and a blue back round that says “Family Approved” & I agree. This is better than comedy because it deals with the comedian’s personal lives. We hear funny bits about religion & family issues, how they live out their Christian lives and how they deal with tragedy & depression.  We get to meet their families and its part documentary & part comedy show. This is the third or fourth time I borrowed it from the library, but I might have to buy it, it’s so good.

 

 

 

Letters to God, DVD, PG, 114 min., Vivendi Entertainment, Vivendient.com; by David Nixon:  Writer & Co-Director, LetterstoGod.com, [From one of the Producers of Fireproof & Facing the Giants]

 

Review:  A sweet little boy is being treated for cancer and the post office doesn’t know what to do with all these un-sent letters. What happens to a family when someone, especially so young has cancer? What happens to a community that is suddenly forced to see that they are needed? What happens when a boy writes letters to God? This is a Protestant style movie, but the evangelism is done in an unobtrusive, but effective way. Warning:  You will cry.

 

 

The Apostles of Comedy, The Movie, THE MOVIE, DVD, Comedians:  Jeff Allen, Brad Stine, Anthony Griffith & Ron Pearson, Rated PG, © 2008 First Look Studios, Inc., www.firstlookstudios.com, English SDH & Spanish Subtitles.

 

Review:  Calling all Christians, yes even Catholics Christians like me, please let’s support Protestant and Catholic media productions. This DVD case has an icon with a white dove and a blue back round that says “Family Approved” & I agree. This is better than comedy because it deals with the comedian’s personal lives. We hear funny bits about religion & family issues, how they live out their Christian lives and how they deal with tragedy & depression.  We get to meet their families and its part documentary & part comedy show. This is the third or fourth time I borrowed it from the library, but I might have to buy it, it’s so good.

DVD MOVIE REVIEW WITH GRITTY PERSONAL COMMENTARY ABOUT LIFE

By John L. Decossaux, 9/14/11

THE GRACECARD, PG13

When I saw a trailer for this movie, on a TBN interview, without an audience, one person clapped, probably a camera man. That was probably a polite response, because it seemed horrible.

But, this movie turned out to be great. I really enjoyed it.

  I try to support Christian Entertainment, even though it’s often not Biblical, uses super hot actresses (Makes gods out of women & promotes lust), tells semi cruel jokes in comedy & basically gives you nothing you can use for your life, except

The Jesus Guarantee Myth:

“I once was lost in sin, was in dysfunctional relationships & had a terrible life, but now I’m a Christian & I have a fairytale ending life”.

The Hollywood Guarantee Myth:

“I once was lost, was in dysfunctional relationships & had a terrible life, but now I found the love of my life & I have a fairytale ending life”.

 

We know that Hollywood portrayal of human to human love doesn’t solve every problem, fix our immature personality or stop our alcoholism or pornography addictions. It’s a myth, ask any of the millions of divorced people, especially those of us who have given up dating & the idea of marriage. Will you Hollywood humanists who hate religion please find a true human solution to life?

The Christian myth has been equally proven to be nonsense. Jesus saves you from the tax man, the divorce court, the cemetery, the drug dealers, foreclosures, prejudiced, depression, hurricanes, fires & poverty. That’s Santa Clause Christianity. I’ll be good & God will reward me & never give me coal. That’s a lie on two levels. Adults can’t ever be good for a whole year (Neither can children) and God sends good presents, but also coal & presents we don’t like. Will we simplistic Christians ever grow up? I’m trying to be real, Christianity is serious. It has many benefits, but being jailed or beheaded because you’re a Christian in a hostile country doesn’t appear to be a selling point. Lying, covering up or hiding the bad points of Christianity is bad salesmanship, because the truth eventually comes out. Christian life seems to be one choice out of many religions & beliefs. It is a marriage to God, not a myth, & once the honeymoon is over the rollercoaster starts up. It can be exciting or horrible depending on your attitude. The Christian life seldom happens like we want it, whether we had privileged parents or a family that was destructive & self-hating. Too many people have tried Jesus & left Jesus because they couldn’t improve their lives, so they took their lives back. If Jesus can’t improve your life then you might as well run it yourself & screw it up any way you want.

No, give control of your life to God & let him redeem you from the very real fires of Hell.

I’ve been saved, born-again, since I was seventeen & I still struggle with doubts about faith, how to treat people & how to cope with a family that is anything, but normal. I haven’t changed much of my personality in one day or many years and that’s my disappointing truth. Change takes discipline & time, not billions & billions of years, but you do have to try to change. At least I can do good, sacrificial deeds for people who don’t deserve them, like family, friends, big mouths & people who mock & look down on Christians. Even though I’ll never be a perfect Christian I’ll be a constantly improving one.

This movie dealt with black & white Christians who still have prejudice, but don’t want to. Someone else uses alcohol & throwing money at a problem without getting involved in their family. Tragedy & redemption were played out in an interesting way. There is some police action, violence & some preaching, but it’s not out of context. There is also a message of helping others grieve, how counseling can help, overlooking prejudice & doing the right thing. I don’t think most people will find this movie preachy. It’s entertaining & shows you how to help people you may not like. It also gives you a chance to cry & realize that you’re not the only imperfect person & that not all Christians & parents are perfect. There is healing when we work & sacrifice together without expecting thanks or reward & that’s what this film provides-a glimpse at a better life.

THE GRACECARD, PG13, Affirm Films in Association with Graceworks Pictures, LLC ©2011 & Calvary Pictures, a David Evans Film, © 2011 Layout & Design Sony Pictures Home Ent., Inc., http://www.thegracecardmovie.com/

 

CATHOLIC AUDIO, VIDEOS, VHS/DVD

  A Closer Look At Christ’s Church: Purgatory: Holy Fire, Program 15, of the Discussion Questions, VHS and Study Guide, St. Joseph Communications, P.O Box 720, West Covina, CA 91793, 1-800-526-2151.

This & the other lectures are good for Cathechesis & Small Church Communities. The man is deep and a riveting speaker.

  

Fatima, VHS with Ricardo Montalban, Produced by St. Gabriel Media, FATIMA, PO Box 9000, Farmington, MI 48024, 1-800-433-3503.

This is an excellent documentary of the Fatima miracles, with historical backrounds.

  

MOLOKAI, The Story of Father Damien, VHS 112 Min., a Film by Paul Cox, with Peter O’toole, Kris Kristofferson, Sam Neill, David Wenham.  An ERA Film Production, ERA Films/CVBA Damien—Jos Stelling Films-1999, Dist. By Vision Video, Box 540, Worcester, PA 19490, Visionvideo.com. Christian Films Catalogue,  www.Gatewayfilms. com, 1-800-523-0226.

Review:  This is a story of a saintly man in a deadly mission field with great actors.

 The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, from the visions of Anne Catherine Emmerich; narrated by Roger Basick, [Audio] 9 cassettes, 11.5 hours k1100, Recorded Books Inspirational, www.RecordedBooks.com, © by Thomas A. Nelson.

Review:  The book, with the same title, was the inspiration for Mel Gibson’s movie: The Passion of the Christ. I can’t believe I listened to all nine cassettes, that’s how good they were.

  The Lamb’s Supper, by Scott Hahn, Narrated by Gus Lloyd, Bantam, Double Day, www.RecordedBooks.com.

 Review:  Who says you can’t understand the book of Revelation?

 

The Song of Bernadette, VHS by Studio Classics, Winner 4 Academy Awards 1943,  20^th Century Fox, www.foxstudioclassics.com.

Review:  This is a movie of faith & inspiration. The story, not totally accurate in every detail, but close enough. It is a little over 3 hours long, with great acting. It depicts, the formerly emphasized teaching of suffering, in Catholicism, and it’s skepticism concerning visions and miracles.

BOOK REVIEWS

A PORTRAIT OF JESUS BY JOSEPH F. GIRZONE

BOOK REVIEW BY JOHN

 

A Portrait of Jesus by Joseph F. Girzone, Wheeler Pub., Inc. Rockland, <?MA,  © 1998 by Joseph F. Girzone, Originally published: New York: Doubleday, 1998, ISBN: 156895-598-7

 

First I would say that Mr. Girzone has a liberal or soft view of Jesus that ignores his manly & harsh side. Even though he is trying to help us understand an oft misunderstood person—Jesus, he is not the most objective author. If you want to believe completely orthodox Catholicism then check out church approved and sanctioned websites, media and books. Secondly his books are easy and entertaining reads, but this shouldn’t trump my first point. Thirdly, but some of his criticisms are valid.

 

As a former parish priest who was active in schools and other religious communities he is an expert from experience.

In A Portrait of Jesus, the author tells us how religions have distorted some of Jesus’ teachings, in modern Christianity & even in Judaism.

 

“Catholics were obsessed with Church laws and customs... Protestants were obsessed with the Bible and their conflicting interpretations...Jews were obsessed with keeping their people loyal to their bloodlines,” Foreword, page 2. 

 

"Many seminaries, Catholic or Protestant teach about the life of Jesus as an elective...What Would Jesus Do?

 

I have observed from the beginning that most Christians rejected many of the hard sayings of Jesus...

 

"...educated leaders understood, but pretended not to, because then they would have to repent or admit that they were not interested in religion that lived in love. "

 

            WHAT CAN YOU LEARN FROM THIS BOOK & THE SERIES OF JOSHUA BOOKS?

When did Jesus realize that he was God? What is the real meaning of the Prodigal Son story? How do we live a religious life? How should we understand the Law? How many miles did Jesus walk during his three year ministry? Should priests be celibate? What about the Eucharist? Why were the Samaritans excommunicated? Should Jews, Muslims and other religions celebrate church services together with Christians? Everyone has an opinion and Mr. Girzone emphasizes the loving side of Jesus and the Ecumenical side of religion. He wants to bring people together. Some of these opinions are worth hearing with his particular slant on the teaching of Jesus.

 

“Theologians may have to develop a whole new set of moral principles...Clergy can then provide solid guidelines for their parishioners...based on love properly understood. In turn, the people can then provide solid guidance to their children.”  Page 63.

 

 

John, 1/19/10, Revised by John 6/21/10

 

1/23/11

CREED – OR – CHAOS?

by DOROTHY L. SAYERS

BOOK REVIEW, by JOHN

http://MyReligiousQuestionsViews.YolaSite.com,

“Reviews-Book-Movies-Audios”

 

This book was first published in 1949 in New York by Harcourt. The author died in 1957. This book was written around WW11. Dorothy Sayers experienced both the gross materialism of America & Europe before the war & the belt tightening during the war. This was an interesting time period & our time is no less interesting. Can her solutions help us today?

           

First, I recommend that you go to the back of the book to the brief “Biographical Note”. That will help to explain how this author knows about big business, politics & religion. This last chapter contains the three major creeds of Christianity. Then go to the “Foreword” & find her definition or the Christian Church as one that follows the Creeds (Apostle’s, Nicene {&Athanasian}).

 

She is highly educated & a remarkable writer. She knew C.S. Lewis & T.S. Eliot (p. 138).

 

She seems prophetic about the collapse of our family structure & financial systems. It was happening already in her day & she gives us her theory. Our families are breaking down & are our governments don’t care. Why (p. 120)?

 

Do Christians really believe & follow their creeds? Does the agnostic, liberal or atheist follow theirs? What does the deterministic philosopher say to his cook who ruins his bacon (p20)?

 

Can you name & describe the Seven Deadly Sins? She can & goes into detail about them. They’re more important than you think.

 

Let me quote the Table of Contents:  1. The Greatest Drama Ever Staged, 2. The Triumph of Easter, 3. The Dogma Is the Drama, 4. Creed or Chaos? 5. Strong Meat, 6. Why Work?, 7. The Other Six Deadly Sins & Dorothy L. Sayers.

 

Who is leading us into the ditch, society or the church?

 

CREED –or-CHAOS? Why Christians Must Choose Either Dogma or Disaster (Or, Why It Really Does Matter What You Believe), by Dorothy L. Sayers, Sophia Institute Press, 1999 Forthright Edition . 1-800-888-9344 www.sophiainstitute.com

7/28/11

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“Reviews-books-movies-audio”

BOOK REVIEW BY JOHN L. DECOSSAUX

10/3/11

 “GOD’S PLAN FOR THE AGES, THE BLUEPRINT OF BIBLE PROPHESY”

BY DR. DAVID R. REAGAN

INTRO

This is a good primer for learning about another dispensational view of:  prophesy, rapture, millennium, Heaven & Hell. Here are some of the chapters that stood out to me out of the 42 chapters & an Epilogue:  The Importance of Prophesy; The Abuse of Prophesy; The Range of Prophecy; The Interpretation of Prophecy; the Messiah in Prophecy; Prophecy & Evolution; Prophecy & Salvation; The Jews in Prophecy; The Arabs in Prophecy; Jerusalem in Prophesy; The meaning of Heaven; The Nature of Hell; Preterism; Date Setting; Growing Apostasy in the Church; The Explosion of Cults & the Revival of Davidic Worship. I’ll just talk on two of the books’ issues:  death & Creationism.

The chapter called The Nature of Hell, pages 158-167, present the only two orthodox Christian viewpoints about the immortality of the soul & the length of punishment in Hell. We’ve heard about “soul sleep” from Jehovah Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventist & others. Your body is asleep waiting for judgment then at the resurrection God sends your spirit to bring your body back to life & you become a living soul. Then you either go to Heaven & are given eternal life or you go to Hell-the Lake of Fire-to burn until your resurrected body dies, a second time, & your soul ceases to exist. The spirit belonged to God & had no personality, so He hangs it up in the cosmic closet. That is considered an unbiblical position & a heresy in most of Christianity. I used to really like that position because it made God look so merciful & so loving.

Here are the two acceptable Biblical Christian doctrines about Hell & related events:  The Traditionalist Viewpoint of Hell & immortality & The Conditionalist Viewpoint. After 40 years in Christianity I never heard of the Conditionalist Viewpoint or if I did I had forgotten it completely. Most Evangelical, Conservative, Orthodox, Fundamentalist & Catholic Churches believe in The Traditionalist Viewpoint. This is my gift to those of you who want to be Biblically accurate & still have a reasonable God & a more reasonable interpretation of this stressful doctrine of eternal punishment of the wicked. Thank you Dr. Reagan.

The Conditionalist Viewpoint accepts the Scripture that says, “(Jesus Christ/God) Who alone hath immortality” 1Timothy 6:16, KJV. Christians aren’t immortal in soul or body until the resurrection. Sinners may have been in Hades for 2,000-6000 years or longer, & that seems like their spirit or soul is immortal, but in the Lake of Fire their soul & body dies forever. Revelation 20:14 says, “And death & hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death”. He explains his viewpoint in great detail & many, but not all will be convinced. The benefit of this view is that the dead are ashes under our feet (Malachi 4:1-3) & their souls or spirits aren’t crying out in pain & cursing God for eternity (Isaiah 65:17 & Revelation 21:4-8). God might shield us from knowing that people we loved & other “good people” were suffering so badly but, God would always know that sin & sinful beings haven’t been destroyed, just jailed in eternal chains with constant punishment. If we are made in His image & we have feelings so must God. Therefore, it wouldn’t be good for His emotional or spiritual health to torture people He loves.

What does evolution have to do with prophesy? The Bible seems to take itself literally as the prophets & Jesus of Nazareth also took it to be the absolute truth. They didn’t think of it as a Greek or Hindu epic that had so many spiritual & practical truths that it didn’t matter if it were true. The philosophical truths behind it were valuable, as any wisdom can be & they made it up from their mind or a spirit, but was it the God of Christianity? No, if the story of creation in Genesis is not true than why do Job, the Psalms, Major & Minor Prophets portray it as part of God’s greatness & glory? The six day Creationists believe that if Genesis is proven by science to be false, eventually Christianity will become an ordinary religion created by man instead of God. I noticed that he doesn’t mention how old the earth is, but the ICR & other 6-day Creationists usually believe it to be 6-10,000 years old. That is based on the Bible chronologies more than science, but the chronologies seem symbolic & may have skips & gaps in them. Jesus told us to look for signs, but not dates of months & years, so that solves it for me.

If man/woman created God &/or Christianity, with its social, intellectual, spiritual values, we will die & cease to exist. Then life will have no meaning or actually less meaning; for those of us who want to do things that make sense & ask, “Why?” If there is a Hell then, no religion has the accurate antidote to death & hell unless it was discovered by chance. Science wants us to wait a few hundred or a few thousand years till they develop almost-eternal-life. The price tag is a world with no ultimate meaning, just people that have to immigrate to other planets, because earth is too crowded & can’t sustain us. At least the God of Christianity created, sustains, loves & provides the answers we seek & need in the Bible. It makes more sense than any other cold hearted & fickle god beings that crave gifts, human sacrifices or sex sacrifices. Our God raises us, heals us & loves us. Just as we can’t help falling in love with a child that needs us & appreciates us, God can’t resist falling in love with us. If Adam & Eve & all the animals including Dinosaurs weren’t created by God, the Institute for Creation Research & other Creationist say, then how did sin come about & why did Jesus die on a cross? He could have easily retired in Nazareth a stone mason/carpenter with seven children. Maybe Jesus had a higher purpose than the “good life”. He chose life in the Kingdom of Heaven.

 

GOD’S PLAN FOR THE AGES, THE BLUEPRINT OF BIBLE PROPHESY, By Dr. David R. Reagan, © 2005 by Lamb & Lion Ministries, lamblion@lamblion.com, www.lamblion.com

 

1/29/11

BOOK REVIEW

By John, 1/19/11

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“Reviews-Books-Movies-Audios”

 

 

HAVE A LITTLE FAITH

By Mitch Albom

 

Mitch Albom wrote another non-fiction book called Tuesdays with Morrie, which was made into a movie. This is about a dying man that this reporter writes a book about. Another book that was made into movie was The Five People You Meet in Heaven. That movie is a bit slow going, but it is a movie that I like. There is a blue man in the circus that has a nice color. Then there is an alcoholic father; who is too real & disturbing. There is also a quiet working stiff that dies & goes to “heaven”. It is indeed a strange version of heaven.  

 

In real life:  Mitch Albom is what I would call, a cultural Jew, which means he goes to the Temple for holy days where he sees his family & friends, but not to worship God. He is a modern sports writer & occasionally his books find their way to the New York Times best sellers’ list. He is very busy, very successful, & he doesn’t see the need for Temple, religion or God. He married a gentile woman. He goes to her church with her & goes along with some Christian holidays. She also accommodates his traditions. He studies different religions, because he is interested in people & what they believe—he’s a journalist, author, playwright & screenwriter. He’s doing fine without a deep commitment to religion or God. I guess he’s like a casual Catholic that marries a Protestant and only goes to church at Christmas, Easter & Ash Wednesday. He somewhat acknowledges God, sees the flaws in religion & puts more energy into his job, family & friends than religion, its traditions or its worldviews. To be fair 60% of Christians don’t attend Sunday church on a regular basis, so let’s say, most of them are also “cultural Christians”.

 

He is asked by his childhood rabbi to write his eulogy, because he is about to die. Mitch was the best thirteen year old boy at the Bar Mitzvah, as far as reading the Hebrew text & speaking in front of the audience. But, he ran the other way, as a child often does, when he saw the man of God walking down the hallway. He avoided him as a child & as an adult. He never an intimate conversation with him, but he said he’d write the eulogy, if he could interview him & get to know him. He wanted to make the eulogy personal & based on the accomplishments of his life. The rabbi agreed. Mitch discovered who this man of God was as a person. The man was like a saint in his love for people, his safety net of traditions & his acceptance of other religions.

 

There is a second story that Mitch tells. This a Christian story of his Black friend’s life. The trouble he gets into isn’t cute--it’s—pathetic & he winds up in prison & seems destined for failure. He gives his life to Jesus over & over again, before he starts to follow the path of Jesus. This is also a true story & it is too real & too disturbing to be told on most conservative & charismatic televised Christian TV broadcasting. They usually believe in the “prosperity Gospel” that those who truly believe that God, in Jesus Christ, will be well off & maybe even rich. That doesn’t happen in this story.

 

Mitch is one of those bleeding heart liberals, [I'm not calling Mitch names, just trying to make a point] who seems to be indirectly telling us - materialistic Christians -  what we don’t want to hear:  Jesus loved & cared for the poor, where they lived. He never built a church building, a mansion for himself, a money making business to elevate a few Christian leaders. He didn’t arrive in Bethlehem in a stretch limo nor did he organize a protest to Caesar, the colonizer, that Herod & Rome were unfair to Jews. He also seems to be telling the Jewish people, you don't have to believe everything about religion or God. You can still do good for everyone. [This is my point] Mitch is different. He is a regular guy who doesn’t hate Christians, Hindus, Moslems or religious people. He doesn’t agree with them fully, but he still likes them.

 

How can you be a Liberal or a regular guy and not be filled with hatred against: 

Religion, America, your parents, yourself & Bible-believing Christians?

 

I don’t know, but I suspect that a lot of regular people are not always:  rabid atheists, agnostics, Christians who hate Bible law & morality, nor do all accept unhealthy sex in all it’s varied expressions, any time or any place.  Some Liberals don’t want to scapegoat religion as the origin & sustainer of every sin, problem & war in the world. Mitch doesn’t make me feel hated by the Jews, just because I’m a Christian. He doesn’t tell stories of Christian crusaders or Nazis killing Jews while German Christians turned their back. This book is not about dividing, but bringing people & religions together. It felt good not to worry about the doctrines  & history that divides us for the few hours that it took to read this book.

 

I don’t believe every Fundamentalist, Evangelical, Orthodox, Conservative, or Charismatic Christian is a:

Nut-job, war-monger, education-hater, woman-hater, history-reviser, minority-hater, gun/rifle owner, liar, Bible worshipper, Pope-worshipper, extreme Capitalist or right–wing Republican out to bring back stoning & the laws in Leviticus. Anyone who believes that better examine themselves to see if they themselves are the:  

hate-mongers, prejudiced, censors of free speech, angry mob, etc., whom are jealous of happiness in those who have a certainty in beliefs & traditions.

 

Faith in people, God & traditions is a good thing. It’s positive. Anyone can ridicule, tear down, & defeat. Any ignorant, delusional & un-educated child can do that. Faith can unite communities, decrease loneliness, help the unfortunate, break the chains of self-destruction, & build up love. Let’s stop blaming each other. Crime, sin, poverty were all here since the world began [But after the fall of Adam & Eve]. These evils will be here even if all religion, philosophy, government or ignorance is destroyed. Don’t be part of the destruction be partners with those who create, embrace, heal, feed & love our neighbors. That’s the kind of vibe I got from this book & I recommend it to you.

 

P.S.  Nothing sells news, books or politicians like extreme view points, biased reporting or lying propaganda. Oh, maybe one thing does sell, maybe two:  love & truth. Mitch Albom has written a spiritual book that gives me faith in people who are religious; yet don’t have all the answers.

There are many good people & not so good people who help others & love God, even if God doesn’t make them rich.

 

Mitch Albom, thank you for a truthful & loving book.

 

 

Ten percent of the profits from the sale of:  Have a Little Faith, by Mitch Albom go to this charity:

www.aholeintheroof.com.

 

Have a Little Faith, A True Story by Mitch Albom, Hyperion, NY, © 2009 Mitch Albom, Inc., www.mitchalbom.com, www.HyperionBooks.com

 

HEAVEN, by Randy Alcorn

BOOK REVIEW BY JOHN

This is a comprehensive view of Heaven in heaven & Heaven on the New Earth. This answers a lot of questions about the After-life and raises a few also. If you think you know a lot about heaven, you don't know that much yet. Good & worthwhile read.

Look up the story of Mr. Alcorn's life. If Protestants had big "S" Saints, like the Catholics have, I'd recommend him & his family for sainthood.

© 2004 by Eternal Perspective Ministries, www.epm.org, E-mail: info@epm.org; www.heaveniq.com; Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, Wheaton, Ill,   www.tyndale.com 

 

BIBLE VERSES

 

Genesis chapters 1:29-30, 6-9 Exodus12:12, Numbers 22:21-35, Psalm 98:7-9, Isaiah 11:6-9, 55:12-13, Revelation chapters 19-22.

HEAVEN, OUR ENDURING FASCINATION WITH THE AFTERLIFE

BY LISA MILLER

 

BOOK REVIEW

BY JOHN, 7/18/10

 

Heaven, Our Enduring Fascination With The Afterlife, by Lisa Miller, © 2010 by Lisa Miller, HarperCollins Pub., 10 East 53^rd St., NY, NY 10022, First Edition. 248 pages, plus Acknowledgments, Notes, etc.

CONTENTS:  INTRODUCTION; WHAT IS HEAVEN?; THE MIRACLE; THE KINGDOM IS NEAR; GREEN, GREEN PASTURES; RESURRECTION; SALVATION; VISIONARIES; REUNIONS; IS HEAVEN BORING; EPILOGUE; Author’s notes…etc.

Ms. Miller is interested in religion and wants to believe, but can’t quite commit herself. She is a professional journalist and magazine editor and she does a very good treatment on Heaven (Keep in mind that I’m not a professional critic). You’ll find out who believes what, when and where. She even talks about Near Death Experiences. As a Christian I found it hard to hear her discuss some of my beliefs, knowing that essentially she rejects them. She is part of the story, who she interviews and where and if they ate together. It’s also sad to think that some Liberals and Atheists know more about my religion and all religions than I do. It makes me wonder:  “If I learn too much, will I fall away and become an agnostic too? I better read my own religious books more than the books in the other camp”

What should we do, get confused about what to tell others? I say, quote your Church and the Bible or tell parables about Heaven. Don’t get too specific, because we don’t know that much. Perhaps the super holy saints are granted the privilege of perfect understanding, but us ordinary religious will just have to wait until we die to see what happens. When the Holy Spirit is calling someone you can see a flame of  love in their eye originating from their hearts. Don’t spend too much time with the intellectualizers. Let them do their own research and let them argue with someone else.

Arguing with Christians, non Christian religious groups & Atheists seems unproductive. Both sides always claim the victory, but what does it prove? He who argues best can convince us that error is truth that the sky is red and that women are the same as men, but we know it’s not true. So did anyone’s mind get changed permanently? Teach your own congregation and family with formal, scheduled and joyful doctrinal studies and plays. So let’s spend time enjoying the benefits of believing the way we do instead of trying to force people to believe something that we can’t prove and unconsciously harbor doubts about. Let’s clean up our own house of doubts and increase our own faith and then one parable will slay many of those around us, because our face will glow with confidence.

I think priests and pastors should preach about Heaven at least 3 times a year and funerals don’t count. Even though we don’t know for sure, every person may have a different experience with Heaven and words aren’t adequate? Yes, Jesus preach about Heaven.

IN HEAVEN AS ON EARTH

IN HEAVEN AS ON EARTH, A VISION OF THE AFTERLIFE, A NOVEL BY M. SCOTT PECK, M.D., © 1996, M. Scott Peck, M.D., Hyperion, 114 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10011, First Edition, ISBN 0-7868-6204-1

Book Review by John, 4/27/10

 Daniel, the dead man, is very similar to Dr. Peck in real life, if you’ve read:  The Road Less Traveled, A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth, and In Search of Stones, a Pilgrimage of Faith, Reason, and Discovery, by Dr. Peck. Daniel’s dead and he’s in a very strange place. Is it Limbo, Purgatory, Hell or Heaven? It’s hard to tell & apparently the spirits or “souls” that he meets don’t have too many answers either.

The interesting premise is that the soul is a ball of light that can take the shape of a person; it’s starting to sound like a ghost. Depending on how long you’ve been there and how wise you are in this an existential nothingness is how big and bright your ball of light is. Then it gets New Agey. Everyone goes to the After-life that he/she unconsciously chooses or is ready for. It has nothing to do with Christianity and any religion or no religion will do.

And did you know that Jesus Christ, after his resurrection didn’t have a glorious body, just a ball of light-soul that could create material illusions of objects or himself? That’s how he appeared to Mary Magdalene and the Disciples, by using the right amount of desire and concentration to created the illusion of a his “resurrected” body. I didn’t know that either, but at this juncture in his life, Dr. Peck was a seeker of all truth and didn’t yet regard the Bible and Christianity as the soul deposit of all truth about Jesus Christ.

 

In his book People of the Lie he discusses the existence of evil and demon possession from the scientific viewpoint of a Christian and a Psychologist, so I am happy that he is now a Christian and also an imaginative writer.

            I was draw powerfully to this book about Heaven, because I have a difficult time determining what it will be like in Heaven. It is said that there will be thrones, worship, singing, crowns, falling down in worship, but then why do we also have a doctrine of the Resurrection, where we get a glorified body and we can live in Heaven or Earth?

How can all the souls or spirits of those beheaded for Christ be under the altar in Heaven, it would be very crowded, so they must be immaterial spirits (Revelation 6:9)? But the other spirits are dressed in white robes are standing in a multitude in Heaven (Revelation 7:9). Maybe there are different situations for different saints.

I guess I’ll answer my own question.

They, the Saints, have spiritual bodies that are very material in Heaven, but invisible on earth, unless they are told to manifest themselves in reality or a dream or vision.

But in order to live in Heaven and on earth we would need the resurrected, transformed or translated body of Enoch, Elijah, Mary the Mother of God and Jesus Christ our Lord.

Peter is in Heaven as a Spirit Saintly spirit (or soul). He walks around and maybe appears & disappears, squeezes inside the head of a pin, travels trillions of miles a second, divides him self into thousands of duplicates, glows like the sun and who knows? If he visits us on earth we might not see or recognize him or it would be a brief visit, like Moses & Elijah visited Jesus and the three disciples in vision. (Matthew 17:3; Mark 9:4; Luke 9:30) But if Elijah & Enoch come back we will see them, but only if they want us to. They can eat fish or bread, touch us and let themselves be touched. They can walk with us for miles and not start to fade out like a ghost or a vision. They have the transformed & immortal body that Jesus had.

The Roman Catholics insist on the Resurrection doctrine, but I don’t think they explain why we need a body, since we had a spiritual thing-body (?) in Purgatory or Heaven. Yes, the Catholics still teach Purgatory as a place of purging our sins and impurities, so we can enter Heaven as perfect beings (And not pollute Heaven or be unhappy there?).

Dr. Peck’s vision of Heaven as a bodiless place, where we can sleep in the gray fog of nothingness is not appealing to me and most people would agree.

The Christian view is very optimistic, but Jesus says that His father is preparing a room for us, he’ll give us crowns and we’ll worship in his Temple in Heaven (In His Mansion John 14:2; 1Timothy 4:8; 1Peter 5:4; Rev 3:12). Paradise is another name for Heaven and we hope it will be better than our wildest dreams (Colossians 1:5).

 

Quotes from "In Heaven As On Earth" Book

“That’s what the Resurrection was about?”

“ His corpse didn’t get up and walk around. It was his soul that came back to earth and projected itself with such power that ordinary people could see him. .” Page 114.

“Because we’re conscious in a place as if it preceded creation, does that mean we’re gods?” Page 135.

There is a graphic seduction scene between a “woman” and Daniel from pages 176-188 that should be X-rated.

End of Review

PARTIAL QUOTES FROM:

MALIGNANT SADNESS, THE ANATOMY OF DEPRESSION, BY LEWIS WOLPERT

  Malignant Sadness, The Anatomy of Depresssion, by Lewis Wolpert, Pub.:  The Free Press, (Simon & Shuster, Inc.) New York, London, Sydney, Singapore. © 1999 by Lewis Wolpert.

BOOK REVIEW BY JOHN

Introduction

"It was the worst experience of my life....".

"Although there are many ‘self—help’ books on the subject, I found very little reliable information ". P:  ix

"Psychoanalysis, because of its very nature...",  P:  144

"Interpersonal therapy is relatively brief, generally consisting of 15 to 20 sessions".  P:  145

Cognitive therapy for depression is a brief... P:  147

 "ANTS are the ". P:  148

...and it is claimed that 80 per cent of all depressions will eventually undergo remission without treatment, ".   P:  160

"it is a serious illness about which one should not feel ashamed, and get help from a professional ".   P:  185 [End of book.]

 

The Case For Christ, A Journalist’s Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus,

by Lee Strobel, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI 49530, & Willow Creek Resources

PARTIAL QUOTES FROM:  THE CASE FOR CHRIST 

Other books:  The Case for Christ Student Edition (with Jane Vogel); The Case for a Creator—Student Edition (with Jane Vogel), etc.

"The First Interview: Craig L. Blomberg, PH.D., p29. Think of the story of Jesus walking on he water, found in Matthew 14:22-33 and Mark 6:45-52. Most English translations hide the Greek by quoting Jesus as saying...

Page 35:  “a good case can be made for saying that Christian belief in the Resurrection, though not yet written down, can be dated to within.”

Page 42:  “Rabbis became famous for having the entire...committed to memory".

 Page 61: “That would be a fragment —and it measures about two and a half by three and a half inches,” he said. Page 62: “He [C. H. Roberts of Saint John’s College, Oxford] concluded it originated between A.D. 100 to 150.” [Bruce M. Metzger PH.D. interview.]

Page 68:  “For instance, in the Gospel of Thomas Jesus says..."

 Page 78:  [Josephus in, The Antiquities] said...

 Page 158:  “ And certainly sinlessness is an attribute of deity".

Page 184:  Some skeptics have asserted that Jesus merely maneuvered his life in a way to fulfill the prophecies. Lapides made a small concession..." 

Page  195: "The back would be so shredded that part of the...was sometimes exposed by the deep, deep cuts".

 Page 244:  "Eyewitness testimony is called direct evidence...".

Page 260:  [Bruce Metzger] "The modern New Testament is...percent free of textual discrepancies",  

Page 262: "Even so, the New Testament specifically confirms that Jesus ultimately possessed...qualification of deity...".

  I didn't want to quote anything that I'd need permission from the author or publisher to print on this web site, but doesn't this make you want to read the book? There is a lot of scholarship & gives you a taste of the Biblical world of proof & knowledge. This is a must read for seniors in high school & college students.

MERE CHRISTIANITY

BY C.S. LEWIS

REVIEW BY JOHN, 12/21/10

I don't even want to review this book, because if you are a Christians or someone interested in any type of religion you should read this book & several others from Mr. C.S. Lewis:  The Abolition of Man, The Case for Christianity,  The Joyful Christian,The Problem of Pain, & The Screwtape Letters. He was an atheist in England around World War II and a professor. He knew the great author Tolkien who was the author of the-Lord of the Rings- book series. He influence C.S. Lewis to become a Christian. J.R. Tolkien was Roman Catholic, but Lewis became an Anglican & one of the greatest Christian apologists of all time.

        Right now, as I was scanning the preface to the book, I found something to help me. You see I'm looking for a church again, right now. I'm not a scholar of religion, and he just reminded me that as long as a church has the orthodox basics of Christianity we can join that church. So, I'll check out their doctrines & make a choice, when & if I'm ready to commit myself to a certain body of believers. Now I just have to make sure I no what orthodoxy is.

FOR THE CHILDREN & ADULTS

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA SERIES [BOOKS]

BY C.S. LEWIS

 

1.   THE MAGICIAN’S NEPHEW

2.   THE WITCH THE LION & THE WARDROBE

3.   THE HORSE & HIS BOY

4.   PRINCE CASPIAN

5.   THE VOYAGE OF THE ‘DAWN TREADER’

6.   THE SILVER CHAIR

7.   THE LAST BATTLE

PAPAL SIN, Structures of Deceit

 http://MyReligiousQuestionsViews.Yolasite.com

Index: Protestant Book Movie Reviews

BOOK REVIEW BY JOHN L. D., 10/15/10

 

PAPAL SIN, Structures of Deceit, © 2000 by Gary Wills, Doubleday, NY.

This book has been devastating to my already shaky Roman Catholicism.                   

If you want to hang on to your Roman Catholicism I suggest you skip this book.

REVIEW

Papal Sins is very well documented history & modern reporting of the teachings and flaws in the Roman Catholic Church. It is written by a Pulitzer Prize winner, but that doesn’t mean he is a god or perfect. This book is filled with his interpretation of the facts & his conclusions based on his personal beliefs, feelings and intellect. We are all entitled to our opinions. Having said that,

Let me quote a few of the headings from his table of Contents:

" l Historical Dishonesties, 1. Remembering the Holocaust….ll Doctrinal Dishonesties…7. Excluded Women, 8. The Pope’s Eunuchs, 9. Priestly Caste…14. Marian Politics… lll. The Honesty Issue, The Splendor of Truth, 19. Augustine vs. Jerome,  21. The Truth That Frees”, etc.

These are amazing chapters and this is a book will inspire me do more research about the true origins of Christianity and perhaps the proper way to live this modern life in light of the true teachings of Jesus of Nazareth the Christ. I’ve read a lot & listened to Catholic radio that defends the Catholic Church & I thought I knew a lot, but this book approaches common objections to Catholic doctrines in a new way.

Let me describe it my way. We all deceive ourselves about our wives, children and how attractive, loving and perfect they are & we are with them. To admit too many failures and weaknesses might tip us over the edge of sanity into the black hole of despair. We all know someone that hates themselves so much that everything they do or touch shrivels up or dies & we don’t want that to happen to us. Sure we made mistakes as dad & mom, but we stop short of apologizing & changing our behaviors because to admit error is to call into question our motives as parents. Did we really only have our children's best interests at heart? If we admit a mistake they will think that proves that we didn’t love them enough; as if parents can be perfect in their love. We are afraid to admit we didn’t parent or love perfectly. Of course living a life out of fear, using repression and lies only create deep psychological problems for our children. It is always better to say,

“Daddy was wrong & I made a mistake & I tried to cover it up. I was afraid you would think I was a bad, stupid and a weak person. I thought you would stop loving me & you wouldn’t obey me anymore. I’m going to punish myself with no TV for a week. Oh, you think that’s funny? It is funny. Will you forgive me for _____ ? I love you and I’m going to make sure I don’t make that mistake again”.

 Dr. Wills’ approach reveals, a perhaps frightened, self defensive and self-protecting Roman Catholic Church, priesthood & Papacy. It is merely preserving itself & justifying its doctrines, beliefs & seventeen (2,000 years?) hundred years of existence through self deception, trickery and false conclusions about Jesus, the Apostles, the Bible, Church Fathers and Church history. He takes key events and key Popes in the organized Roman Catholic Church history & tries to show where they veered away from the original Apostles of Christ and when.

 

CONCLUSION

 

Is this just another liberal author trying to get us to be politically correct or is he teaching the truth about the Roman Catholic Church & even the New Testament, the Church Fathers and Christianity? I can’t be sure, but it is an amazing book on many levels. Jesus’ narrow door & gate seem to be getting wider and only those accepting the modern sexual, radical and inclusiveness values that reject the literal reading of the Bible, will be allowed into modern society or even into the modern Church of Christ. Is this Satan’s clever deception or God’s will? Has Satan overthrown the ancient God & religion of the Jews and Christians?

            Maybe the only way to be filled with the Holy Spirit is to stop the cover ups, lies and sins in our churches. Openly confess & repent & then warn the world of its coming Judgment by God. Like Jonah preaching to the foreigners in Nineveh, we’re reluctant to preach such an unpopular message to “progressives” (Liberals) who think they’re so superior to us. Maybe we’re afraid they will repent. Let's not get swallowed by a great fish before we preach to them. Maybe we want the plagues and catastrophes to keep falling on their heads. Maybe we don’t even believe that God punishes church sinners or agnostic sinners anymore, either now or in the future. That would mean the end of our religion based on the old and new covenants in the Bible. Let’s hold on to the words of Jesus, where else can we turn to?

            Dr. Wills follow up book that explains why he’s still a Catholic in:  “Why I Am A Catholic”. It has lot’s of unnecessary history, but the last two or three chapters tell us the why of it. It’s not very detailed or convincing & you many have to go to the Catholic websites where apologists explain their positions in greater detail.

See my review on his important book:  What Jesus Meant.

 

PARADISE MISLAID

 

HOW WE LOST HEAVEN AND HOW WE CAN REGAIN IT

by Jeffrey Burton Russell

 

 

BOOK REVIEW

JOHN

 

Paradise & Heaven are in the news today as we discuss why Moslem terrorists are willing to be martyrs for Allah, so they can go to Paradise after death. It turns out that Heaven & Paradise, which sometimes means the same thing, and Satan and Hell have been hotly contested subjects before. Not just in the 20^th or 21^st centuries but since the beginning of time. It didn’t take long before Adam & Eve got kicked out of Paradise on earth, but did they go to Paradise or Heaven when they died? Is the After-life only imaginary, a real place with molecules or some spiritual stuff that can’t be seen, touched or measured by humans or their high tech instruments? Is the Mind equal to soul or spirit or body plus soul? Do we have a need to believe in a God who sees us, helps us and wants to one day live with us? Is it a faulty evolutionary gene that we’ve out grown the need for or a gene, a religion gene, planted by God for modern people as well as ancient?

 

Mr. Burton is a professional and a scholar and you will get history and interesting facts, maybe more than you wanted. I just want to believe that my churches teachings of Hell, Purgatory, Sin, Satan and Heaven are correct. Don’t confuse me with the facts. I also tend to believe that those teachings were always the same since Moses, King David, Jesus Christ and St. Augustine or St. Aquinas, but sad to say it isn’t true. Each new phase of civilization brings a crisis of belief and a challenge to the Bible and corporate religious beliefs contained in Churches, Temples or Mosques. Sometimes religion leads society then someone like Copernicus or others will come a long and overturn our view of the planets, heaven, the soul and the body. Then the churches: Protestant, Catholic or heretics must always play catch-up and build on the philosophers arguments instead of scientists & philosophers building their ideas off of the Bible or Church.

 

Unless you’ve studied religion in dept you can’t believe how complex the journeys of your religion & beliefs have been. Even atheists and agnostics are different now than from the ancients, the 1600s and today. If you love history, science, philosophy, religion or sociology this book has it all. When you study any subject in full you’ll come across every aspect in life and learn more about yourself & the world than you ever hoped or even imagined. How can life be this complex? How can human thought and beliefs keep developing so intensely? Will we ever come to a stage where we know everything and never again have to humble ourselves with a new discovery of truth that proves that we were once again wrong? I doubt it.

 

After reading this book do I still believe in God, Hell, Heaven, Satan, redemption, Paradise and eternal life? Yes, I survived Philosophy, Religion, Psychology and Sociology classes in a State College, so because God is willing I will keep my faith intact. Don’t let questions or answers keep you from your strong intuition that there is a purpose and a plan that God has made for you. If that intuition came from the words of the Bible you have a solid foundation.

 

PARADISE MISLAID, HOW WE LOST HEAVEN AND HOW WE CAN REGAIN IT,

by Jeffrey Burton Russell, © 2006 Oxford University Press, Inc./ New York, www.oup.com

 

PEOPLE OF THE LIE, THE HOPE FOR HEALING HUMAN EVIL

BY M. SCOTT Peck, M.D.

A Touchstone Book, Published by Simon & Schuster, Inc. New York, © 1983 by M. Scott Peck, M.D.

ISBN 0-671-52816-5 Pbk.

 

Book Review by John L. Decossaux, 4/27/10

 

“Evil people are easy to hate. But remember Saint Augustine’s advice to hate the sin but love the sinner".  [Saint Augustine, The City of God, ed. Bourke (Image Books, 1958 ed.), p.304.] Introduction, Handle With Care, Page 9.

 

Short Table of Contents

Introduction, Handle With Care; Chapter 1.  The Man who Made A Pact With the Devil;  2. Toward a Psychology of Evil;  3. The Encounter With Evil In Everyday Life;  4.  Charlene:  A Teaching Case,  5.  Of Possession and Exorcism;  6.  Mylai:  An Examination of Group Evil;  7.  The Danger and the Hope.

 

I’m not sure I want to read this book tonight, maybe in the daytime. I know this book is not a novel and it is based on his therapy and research with exorcists. This is deeply psychological with a lot of therapeutic mumbo jumbo. I finally finished it & I was a psych major, so I loved it.

Warning:  This is not a book for children.

THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS,

THE SUBTLETY OF SATAN IN THE COMLEXITY OF LIFE,

by Tony Kessinger, www.crossbooks.com & www.tonykessinger.com.

 

BOOK REVIEW

By John, 1/19/11

http://MyReligiousQuestionsViews.YolaSite.com

“Reviews-Books-Movies-Audios”

The Devil Is In The Details

 

My favorite part, of this scholarly work, explains the problems & contradictions in the Bible. Actually the book covers the origin of evil, the Devil’s name in the Hebrew Bible (not Lucifer), before he sinned, & much more. If you like theology from a conservative scholar this will satisfy you.

            Dr. Kessinger takes on such difficult problems such as Predestination versus Free Will. He solves the contradiction by calling it a paradox. In other words, both Biblical views or interpretations are correct--at the same time. God is in complete control of our salvation & yet we have free will. It’s not correct to say that God is in complete pre-destined control of our salvation & therefore we don’t have free will or a choice--to accept or reject salvation. Nor, is it correct to say we have free will therefore we bless God with our consent to be saved & God is weak & not all powerful. [pp. 206-215].

            Are certain Bible doctrines in contradiction to themselves? I’m lying to myself about this fact that they are, because I need to create doctrines, put them in a box & make sense out of them? Maybe it is this divine paradox or mystery that points me to the startling conclusion that the Scriptures are divinely inspired?

How can I live with the contradictions I find in the: 

Bible, Denominationalisms, Churches, Church Fathers, theologians, Popes, arm-chair Bible believers (like myself), Sunday or Sabbath School classes, Church Homilies or Sermons, Bible linguistics, history, science & other areas? How can I dispel my doubts & become a true believer or should I admit defeat & throw my Bible out or place it on my night-stand it next to an Astrology & Skeptic’s book?

            Most conservative Christians don’t even know that there are contradictions or inaccuracies in the Bible, but they are some of the most obnoxiously self-righteous people out there. Let’s call them paradoxes, not contradictions. They are both right & wrong at the same time. “I am living. I am dying” are both true statements about me. Does that mean I don’t exist, that I never said that, my friends made it up & I’m a mythical being? That’s what they say about Jesus.

            Satan can’t keep me out of the Kingdom of God with a little confusion about Christianity, but he will keep trying till the day I die.

            Mr. Kessinger Ph.D. in Religion handed me this book to help me solved my problem of how to find a church, which represents Jesus & the New Testament accurately? Would he say, “Find the church that accepts all scripture verses & uses them all in the formation of dogma”? I don’t know, but I want to find the true church, the true interpretation of the Bible & the real Jesus.

Thank you for the book Dr. Kessinger, I’m going to read it again. May your mission fields yield thousand fold crops. See you in Sunday school.

 

“For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” 1Cor.13-12, KJV

BOOK REVIEW BY JOHN L. DECOSSAUX

ON

“THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE MESSIAH,

A STUDY OF THE SEQUENCE OF PROPHETIC EVENTS”

BY DR. ARNOLD G. FRUCHTENBAUM”

 

This is a book for the serious Bible student who wants to understand the book of Revelation from many different Christian view points. If you want to tell others about the Bible, the Gospel & Jesus you should become an expert in the doctrine of Salvation, & be able to easily converse about the Trinity, the virgin birth, the miracles & claims of Jesus. Even if you are an ordinary layperson with no formal education in the Bible you should learn about the various Christian interpretations of the Bible & be able to defend yours. The book of Revelation is a book that seems to be a mystery. If we can’t be sure, we should at least know the different theories about what its revelation to the Church might be.

Dr. Fruchtenbaum features his own dispensational theory, but presents the flaws in other dispensational view points. He also explains & exposes the wide spread, but quieter, amillennial view point. He also goes into other details about the Mysteries, Heaven & Hell. He points out that St. John in the Book of Revelation uses over 500 Old Testament Bible verses. He & the Apostles revealed the mysteries from the Old Testament, before the end of the 1^st Century. The problem with the Book of Revelation is that from one paragraph to another you may be in the beginning of time, the end of the days, back to the birth of Jesus, or the birth of the Church or in Babylon, the rapture, the Second Coming, in Heaven or in the New Earth. Dr. Fruchtenbaum puts all these prophesy in the proper sequence, which is quite a feat & then he further explains & illustrates them with charts & diagrams.

The Holy Spirit’s Book of Revelation (emphasis mine), recorded by John, travels back in forth in time, uses:  symbols, explains those symbols, uses exact numbers, exact years  Most Christians don’t know if it’s all symbolic & only represents the 1^st Century Christian history or also the future history of the world & Christianity. No matter how good a job St. John does, Revelation, for most Christians it’s still only clear as a dirty window pane. The future is here & we need to know how to survive it. How can we know what to preach if we don’t even know the basic doctrines about, Heaven, Hell, the New Jerusalem, the Rapture, the Second Coming & the antichrist?

I don’t know how much of this book is true, but he has certainly challenged my foggy thinking, my amillennialism, my dislike of the “secret” rapture (he never calls it secret), my belief that Hell-fire is temporary & some other sloppily researched Bible beliefs of mine.

End of Review

Soon to come my extensive Book Report called:  A BOOK REPORT, BY JOHN L. DECOSSAUX ON “THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE MESSIAH, A STUDY OF THE SEQUENCE OF PROPHETIC EVENTS”, BY DR. ARNOLD G. FRUCHTENBAUM”

 

In the Foreword by Charles C. Ryrie we learn that the author’s foundation for Bible Interpretation is dispensational, pretribulational Premillennialism.

Original publication August 11, 1996, Body of work: pages 3-540, Appendices from pages 543-800, Scripture Index pages 801-831. There are sixteen charts & three diagrams. The back hardcover says he received a B.A. from Cedarville University, his Th.M. from Dallas Theological Seminary, and his Ph.D. from New York University, with graduate work studies at the Jewish Theological Seminary, NY & Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

 

“THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE MESSIAH, A STUDY OF THE SEQUENCE OF PROPHETIC EVENTS”,  Revised Edition, by Dr. Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Th.M., Ph.D., Copyright © 2002 by Ariel Ministries, www.ariel.org..

 

Note:  For a brief alternate view point see  Farewell to the Rapture, (N.T. Wright, Bible Review, August 2001)

http://www.ntwrightpage.com/Wright_BR_Farewell_Rapture.htm#_edn2

& also explore Catholic & other mainline churches websites about these topics:  rapture, Second Coming, post-tribulation, mid-tribulation, pre-tribulation, a-millennialism, replacement theology, end of the world, Bible prophesy, end times events, eschatology, intermediate Heavenly body, eternal Hell, apocalypse, Armageddon, Dallas Theological Seminary, the Book of Revelation, Jewish Christians, Messianic Christians, Israel in prophesy, antichrist, literal Bible interpretations, symbolic language in Revelation & 666.

The End

 

THE TWO BABYLONS OR PAPAL WORSHIP

BOOK REVIEW BY JOHN, 2/15/11

 

 

I’ve only briefly scanned this book. There are a lot of ink drawing of gods & pagan worshippers that seem to verify that Catholic Christianity took these myths & made them their own by replacing them with Jesus & the Virgin Mary. Roman Catholics might say, so what? Satan has been counterfeiting the real God since the beginning & we see that recorded in the first book of the Bible. Maybe the pagans were counterfeiting the Jewish God. Maybe some Protestants are misrepresenting the Roman Catholics….

 

Anyway the whole idea of Protestants condemning & discrediting others who worship Jesus is like sawing the branch of the tree you are sitting on. Just like the Christian persecution of Jews was equally evil & stupid. But what are these books telling us about the authors? Their God is very picky & exacting & ready to crush any church like a bug. You better have your doctrine perfect or you’re all going to Hell. That’s not very comforting or merciful, is it? The legalistic Christian or person is a perfectionist, trying to please the difficult parent, teacher or employer or God. No one likes a suck up or someone trying to advance by any means. God wants love, devotion & obedience, but not a man-made system of rules that places extra burdens on people that they couldn’t even follow (Matthew 23:4). God has enough rules let’s not add the extra theories or questionable history & even worse conclusions.

 

So, Protestants, Catholics, cults, pagans & atheists want to discredit Christianity with sloppily drawn conclusions. So what else is new? Let them have their fun, we will all face God at the Judgment Day.

 

The Two Babylons or the Papal Worship, Proved to be THE WORSHIP OF NIMROD AND HIS WIFE, by the late Rev. Alexander Hislop, Published by the Loizeaux Brothers, Inc, A Nonprofit Organization, Devoted to the Lord’s Work and to the Spread of His Truth, Neptune, NJ, First Edition, 1916, First American Edition 1943, Second American Edition 1959, Published in England by A & C Black, LTD.

THE VIRGIN MARY CONSPIRACY

COMMENTARY & BOOK REVIEW BY JOHN, 2/15/11

 

This was an interesting book, though I was unable to finish it. Theories that try to tie pagan religions with Christianity sound to me…well, like theories. Did Jesus go to England with relatives & build a church during the missing years after his bar mitzvah? What or who is the “holy grail”? Is the Roman Catholic Church covering up history that proves it is lying about the origins & truths of the first Christians? Were there any Popes in the first 300 years of Christianity or powerful Bishops that spoke for all Christians? This is the clincher:  the Virgin Mary didn’t have a baby conceived by God, but by a man & he is named—his identity revealed. He is the royal heir to the throne of David through a man & not God. My thought is, if only he picked up a sword & conscripted an army the Hebrews would have put him in charge of their army & people. He could have been another Moses, Joshua, Esther, Sampson Judith or Judas Maccabaeus.

 

If this author’s theory is accurate history, that would mean that the majority of secular & religious historians-of the first & second centuries-would concur & teach this theory & give sufficient proof to us to be convincing. Then intelligent & educated Christians would be forced to conclude that Jesus abdicated his throne, by letting himself be crucified or the Romans had someone else in mind to rule over the Jews in Jerusalem & they killed him. But, I need a lot more proof than reading one book on such an important subject.

 

Is Christianity a myth that has been taught as actual history, by some clever disciples of a poor rabbi-Jesus of Nazareth? If so then all religion could be myth & man-made stories. It would then be the product of visions & similar delusions of sane & mad men & women.  Then we can all get drunk & become atheists, some of which like to insult people as a profession (Like comedians)  & drink & smoke too much-not that the majority do. The twelve Apostles were then a bunch of pranksters who were willing to die for their amazing fiction, which they hoped might live for thousands of years after their death. People have died for a lot less. It’s a shame that they didn’t secure copyright protection & lucrative book deals for their Gospels, they & their heirs would have become billionaires by today.

 

I don’t think there is any proof that contradicts the experiential & historical truths that Jesus was who he said he was. If Jesus was a victim of deification by the ignorant & bored masses & ancient philosophers & theologians that would mean we would have to reject the Virgin Birth as a fundamental doctrine. We would also have to reject Jesus’ incarnation (A miraculous coming down from Heaven to earth and being born) by a poor woman. Instead we would come to believe, the easier story that, Mary or Miriam was a privileged Jewish woman who was married to some royal dude. So she is a Queen then? Jesus then is demoted & is not the God/Man-fully God & fully man. Then the Trinity would be toppled & then redemption or final atonement for sin. A Jewish Messiah’s (Christ also means “anointed one”) spilt or sacrificed blood wouldn’t cleanse anyone of their sins. Then, he was just a teacher, prophet, rabbi, teacher, miracle worker or healer, but not a universal Savior. If that were true then, there is no sin, then all religions are equal, then we all came from apes or Sea Turtles or whatever, so we might as well kill, rape & steal for tomorrow when we die there is no punishment or reward. Religion then becomes only a diversion, a self-improvement project, something to break the monotony of the week & nothing to offend or delight anyone about.

 

If we eliminate Christianity we still have the Jewish, Muslim & other religions that won’t go along with diluting their religion or will they? In a secular society all religions do become equal, but less important than the necessities of life or common sense. Then we can all become Buddhists or Unitarians or similar groups that believe eventually we all become God or we all go to Heaven.

 

Why march in civil rights protests? Why try to improve morality or defy a government. Well, we would still do that, maybe even more, because this life is all we have, so we might as well get government, family & friends to give us as much as we can get from them. However many people who don’t believe in Jesus or God realize that morality & concern for others ultimately makes our lives better. There are many wealthy Christians who are lobbying Congress right now to reduce their fair tax burden, so they can become richer. I bet they would have made Jesus rich with their investment strategies. I wonder if they would sell all they have, give it to the poor & follow Jesus (Matthew 19:21), or would they teach Jesus about greed & the Prosperity Gospel?                                                                                                                                                                                              

 

Theories are interesting & these kinds of books push weak & lazy Christians over the edge into unbelief, fear or confusion. If you don’t want to believe then don’t, but don’t use bad science & weak history to justify your contempt for Christ & his religion. Before Christianity is proven to be 100% true, Jesus will return, like a glowing meteor. Why because, we must believe by faith.

 

The Virgin Mary Conspiracy, The True Father of Christ and the Tomb of the Virgin, by Graham Phillips, Copyright © 2000, 2005 by Graham Phillips, Bear & Company, Rochester, Vermont, www.InnerTraditions.com.  Other books by this author:  Atlantis and the Ten Plagues of Egypt, The Chalice of Magdalene, The Templars and the Ark of the Covenant.

 

THE WIT AND WISDOM OF BISHOP FULTON J. SHEEN, Edited by Bill Adler

 

Book Review By John

 

If you want to know about politics, religion, philosophy and a few good jokes this is the 172 page book for you. Mr. Adler has taken the best quotes from the writings of Fulton J. Sheen and recommends it to anyone seeking inspiration.

 

“PARTIAL QUOTES”

 "Then why should marriage...be based on moods?" Page 5 

 

"Most men have a hunting instinct, but this does not give them a right to shoot their...." Page 6

 

"No human being is free to decide whether he will go through life without suffering and trial."  Page 9

 

  “If the human heart can so thrill us, then what must be the great Heart of God!” Page 15

 

"…the husband..., Today I sold a thousand refrigerators,” to which the wife may answer, 'How do you want your eggs?'"  Page 16

 

"Love is a messenger from God saying...." Page 18

 

"True love is born of a need and a sympathy....  Page 19

 

"Do you get your rights and liberties from the Federal Government in Washington....They cannot be taken away".  Page 23

 

"...why should I not be intolerant about an evil which destroys the nation? Page 25

 

"If you wish to keep your rights and liberties in education, you must also keep ". Page 25

 

[Chapter Title:  Freedom in America]

 

"Hence the educational ideal is not uniformity, but unity, for unity allows... both Protestant and Catholic,

which do not have to insist on education as a means of making money...."  Page 26

 REVIEW

I recommend this book for the humor & the wisdom that is relevant for today.

 

The Wit And Wisdom Of Bishop Fulton J. Sheen, Edited by Bill Adler, © 1968 by Bill Adler, Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, N.J.

 

OTHER BOOKS BY FULTON SHEEN

 

THE LIFE OF CHRIST

AN INSPIRING INTERPRETATION WRITTEN TO GIVE EVERYONE HELP, HOPE AND GUIDANCE IN HIS OWN LIFE--TODAY BY THE MOST REVEREND FULTON J. SHEEN, PH.D, D.D., Published by Maco Magazine Corp., 480 Lexington Ave,  NY 17, N.Y., © 1954 by Bishop Fulton J. Sheen,Nihil Obstast…Imprinatur….

 

REVIEW

Anything written by this great philosopher, apologist for the R.C. Church and humorous story teller, Fulton Sheen is a must read for this and all generations. For instance, he presents the idea, that Jesus coming was foretold and it was necessary to predict his life, his manner and his mission. Why? Because otherwise any fool could have claimed to be the Messiah and Christ and who could have argued against him if  it could have been anyone no matter how heretical. But no, the Christ was to be a man, born of a virgin, born in Bethlehem, a rejected man, with the miracle working power & authority of Moses, etc. (I’m loosely paraphrasing). He has so many insights that can’t remember most of them and I’ll be forced to keep this book as an inspirational book forever.

 

Chapter one is, “Early Life of Christ, 2. Temptations, 3. The Beatitudes, 4. Public Life and Passion & 5. Death and Resurrection.

 

Here’s a few random quotes:

 

“Very few today believe in the devil. This is exactly what the devil wants. He is always circulating the news of his death”. Page 33

 

“[Jesus Christ] Let Him come into the world in which Nietzsche proclaims his gospel of the strong, advocates hating our enemies, and condemns Christian virtues as the ‘soft’ virtues, and say to the world: ‘Blessed are the patient….” Page 70

 

“In His last hours with His Apostles, He instituted not a Memorial Day, but a Memorial Action. Seated at a Passover meal…He prepared to fulfill it by celebrating the liberation of souls from the slavery of satan! [sic]”

Page 106

 

VIDEO LECTURE REVIEW

 

THE DEVIL OUR CROSS, Talk by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, VCR, Supplied by Keep The Faith, Inc., 10 Audrey Place, P.O. Box 10544, Fairfield, NJ 07004, 201-244-1990.

 

Fulton Sheen said [My paraphrase], The Church tried to do something good with Vatican 2 & the Devil turned it on its head & damaged the church greatly.

  PROSE FROM LECTURE

“I slipped his fingers & escaped his feet, I ran & hid for him & feared to meet...[It's really good]

An uncaught captive in the hands of love.”

 

Recited by Fulton Sheen and I don’t know if he’s the author.

 

John, 6/21/10

 

 

THE WORDS OF JESUS,

A GOSPEL OF THE SAYINGS OF OUR LORD,

WITH REFLECTIONS BY PHYLLIS TICKLE,

by Phyllis Tickle, www.phyllistickle.com &  www.allthewordsofjesus.com.

 

BOOK REVIEW

By John,1/19/11

http://MyReligiousQuestionsViews.YolaSite.com

“Reviews-books-movies-audios”

“The Words of Jesus by Phyllis Tickle”

 

I was browsing through the full steel shelves at the library & this one called out to me. This book takes some of the teachings of Jesus & categorizes them under five chapters or “Books” called:  The Words of Public Teaching, The Words of Private Instruction, The Words of Healing Dialogue, The Words of Intimate Conversation, & The Words of Post-Resurrection.

            This is a much better idea than the New Testament by Thomas Jefferson, that I’ve only heard of & haven’t read which allegedly strips Jesus of his divinity, miracles & confusing worldview.  Mrs. Tickle lets the statements & actions of Jesus stand on their own. This book is a good tool for meditating on the words of Jesus from a fresh perspective. This is like a concentrated version of the New Testament that magnifies his oft-quoted words without a lot of extraneous actions distracting our view of Jesus.

            This author has studied & written on religion quite extensively. She is relaxed & not upset with Jesus’ sermons, admonitions or teachings, controversial or not. She lets the Gospels stories of Jesus stand on their own. She doesn’t try to twist Jesus’ words into something a reasonable, believer in modern science would say or a fundamentalist would insist on. Her relaxed & resigned attitude towards Jesus’ divine words & concepts reduced some of my own anxiety. I could clearly see that Jesus is sometimes gentle & motherly, but other times harsh & fatherly. One moment he is a lamb, then a lion. He’s someone who refuses to entertain people with his powers and also a public miracle worker. This is the real Jesus. Do we have to interpret him in order to follow him? Jesus is who he is. He does miracles, prophesies, casts out demons, dies for us & is resurrected. He is publically seen & touched by hundreds, some of whom had scribes record their stories. The author has not twisted or interpreted the Bible, but presented it as it is. And for that I thank her.

 

Thank you Phyllis Tickle for becoming a religious expert.

You are humble enough to let the New Testament speak for itself.

 

I think, that we often try to twist:  the Bible, politics, sciences & everyday experiences to fit the beliefs that our:  governments, societies, schools, churches, families & our inner child believes in. Maybe we should believe what Jesus said & did & meditate on that. We should also follow his commands & follow the Ten Commandments, which means to love God in everyway possible & our neighbors as ourselves [Matt. 5:43,44, 22:36-40].

 

 

WHAT JESUS MEANT, BY Garry Wills

 

Book Review by John L. D.

12/06/10, Rev. 1/23/11

 

Sometimes I like to give you the Table of Contents, so you can decide whether you are interested in a book.

 

“A Note on Translation; Foreword: Christ Not a Christian; The Hidden Years; The Work Begins; Radical Jesus; Against Religion;  Heaven’s Reign; Descent into Hell; The Death of God; The Life of God;  Afterword”

Garry Wills seems to say & this is only my interpretation, you should read the book for yourselves:

Was Jesus a Christian? Well he wouldn't appreciate the pride, power & politics of religion today. He wouldn't want anyone fighting in most wars. He wouldn't want Christians pushing their agendas or morality through politics.

Dr. Wills says, Jesus wouldn't judge homosexuals, but would eat with them as he did with the lepers of his day. Homosexuality was part of the "unclean laws" of Leviticus, etc., which laws we do reject today. So, it is immoral to apply the levitical laws to homosexuals, but not to heterosexuals, adulterers, blasphemers, etc.? Why apply it to anyone? Jesus didn't come to condemn....

St. Paul wouldn't tell women they couldn't preach or be a deacon or serve the communion agape feast, because some of his biggest praises went to married apostolic couples. At times he even mentioned a wife first & signalled-out single women as great workers.

In ancient Hebrew customes women were usually in an "unclean"  (menses or giving birth) state so they were kept from Bible studies & had to rely on their memorizing passages that they heard, behind the gate in synagogue or the Temple. Again, we don't follow unclean laws anymore as Christians. The followers of Jesus broke most of the unclean prohibitions, as Jesus himself had done.

What are the Greek meanings for:  church or "changing things as they are in heaven" or apostle or Paraclete?

Was the crucifixion of Jesus a sacrifice or an object lesson against scapegoating others for our guilt & sin?

Will Judas make it to Heaven? If he didn't commit suicide wouldn't he have repented?

I won't tell you, read his book.

Jesus wouldn't want church authorities telling us what to do, because where two or three are gathered in his name, they have the authority & power of the Holy Spirit. You don't have to go to a Bible College, Seminary or get ordained to hear God, whether you have a paid position in the church or not. Authoritarian churches are losing people to the Charismatic Churches which are more like the churches in the New Testament.

The Roman Catholics claim their "authority" from the succession of the Popes & bishops, which is a false claim. Many Popes were elected by secular kings, many were deposed, some were evil, and some were bought & sold. The Holy Spirit probably did not elect a pure line of Popes & so there is no unbroken succession of popes. The Protestants claim that everyone can interpret the Bible for themselves, but then they send a pastor to school to learn Greek & he becomes the only one expert enough to interpret the Bible for his flock. So you better get it right & follow him. The minister or pastor has no right to dominate. God is the Lord through the Holy Spirit who speaks to those gathered in Jesus' name.

Was Jesus against organized religion? It would seem so, for he was always criticizing it. Why would Jesus act differently to our church leaders today?

CONCLUSION
 I might have to borrow this book again from the library because the ideas are a bit strange. They are sometimes liberal & sometimes orthodox.  I get the distinct impression that Garry Wills doesn't think there are any sexual sins anymore, that they were nailed on the cross with the unclean laws. He doesn't mention AIDs or any other sexual diseases. For the health-minded that would be a very good argument for one long-time marriage partner, but it isn't presented as one of his concerns.

He also says that abortion should not be called "murder" because the ancient Jews & early church fathers never did. He admits it's wrong, but not equal to murder. If he is right then Catholics & Protestants should rachet down their "Pro-Life" rhetoric. I don't think Jesus meant for us to rub salt into open wounds, but to enhance life with our salt.

Female-haters eventually kicked out all the competition. The fair-minded people believed that there were neither women, men, slaves, free, rich or poor in the Christian Way. But the rich & powerful males wanted to dominate & marginalize all they could. It took them a few hundred years, but they eventually succeeded.

The new morality is love, love, love. The old morality was judge, judge, judge.

Maybe Garry Wills has a point. There will be weeds growing alongside of wheat in the Christian churches until  Jesus returns, we know that. But, who are the weeds? Even if we find the weeds we can't pluck them out or we will yank out the wheat by accident. Some straight wheat have relatives & spouses that have sexually weedy relatives who hate the conservative churches & say they are:  hateful & un-Jesus-like. Some of the wheat aren't sure that homosexuality, abortion, contraception, drugs, alcohol abuse & cursing, are really sins, so they are leaving the angry & harsh churches. We shouldn't hold back the truth, because we are ashamed, afraid of repercussions or out of disobedience to Christ. But, are we deliberately hurting someone's feelings, that we secretly don't want in our churches because of our prejudice?

The evangelical, conservative & orthodox churches seem to be saying that sexually active people can be ministers as long as they aren't openly--homosexuals, lesbians, bisexuals, etc. We hardly condemn the "straight" sinners in the congregation, though it is preached rarely, as long as they eventually get married. That shows that we are playing favorites & Paul would never tolerate that. If one sermon, anywhere in the world, is preached saying that homosexuality or abortion is a sin, it will be covered in every liberal media outlet around the world. Can we judge people & speak for God & say, you three to the left--go to hell; the poor person there, the red head & the short person get to the right & go to Heaven"? The liberals, humanists & atheists are judging us ferociously. What will we do to defend ourselves or love them into the church?
I agree that the unclean laws, circumcision, hand washing rituals before eating are not required now. I agree that keeping or breaking the Ten Commandments won't get us into or keep us out of Heaven--if Jesus is our sacrifice & Savior. But I also agree that the Ten Commandments, where they interscect with Jesus' Commandments (and they weren't all love, love, love) are our moral guide until the day we die. The Apostle's Creed is true, but we also need a love relationship with God & rules & laws to keep us on the straight & narrow. Conservative Christians are drawing a line in the sand with sex choices & abortion.

What about pride, gluttony, covetousness? Why are we focusing on the world, we can't even manage our flocks' bedroom lives?

I guess we must divide up the churches once again between originalists & re-inventers  of Christianity. I'm willing to lose friends & family for Jesus, but not happy about it, but willing? I better find sinners who are ready to accept God & they can become my new family & friends or I'll become quite lonely.

Garry Wills has truly revealed the major flaws in the Catholic Church in this & other books & so he is conservative. His stance on freedom & choice in any sexuality goes against the New Testament teachings & so he is also a liberal.

 

WHAT JESUS MEANT, BY Garry Wills, © 2006 Garry Wills, Viking, Penguin Group, NY.

 

BOOKS WITH SOME SHORT REVIEWS

 BY JOHN, Revised: 6/23/10

 

 

Annals of Imperial Rome, Tacitus (A.D. 116.)

 

Act of God, by Charles Templeton.

 

Review:  I’ve only read others comments about this, but I may get around to reading it. Former Evangelist turns against Christ and proclaims it in this novel.

 

Can You Trust Your Doctor? The Complete Guide to New Age Medicine and Its Threat to Your Family, by John Ankerberg and John Weldon, Wolgemuth & Hyatt, Publishers, Inc., 1749 Mallory Lane, Suite 110, Brentwood, Tennessee 37027, ISBN 1-56121-065-X,

© 1991-1997.

 

Review:  This is a demons and occult agendas are everywhere, type of book, but the Protestant authors have done great research to substantiate their assertions.

 

DARWIN’S LEAP OF FAITH, Exposing the False Religion of Evolution, by John Ankerberg & John Weldon, Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Oregon, 97402,  © 1998, by John Ankerberg & John Weldon.

 

Review:  This book deals with 1. Evolution (Biology)—Philosophy.   2. Creationism.   3. Evolution Biology—Religious aspects. This is thorough and it shows how different opinions can open our eyes and stimulate our thinking. What if we find out one day, through science or through our own meeting with God, that God did created the Universe and that hostile atheists were using science to destroy the faith of millions?

 

 

Quotes from Darwin’s Leap:

 

“…evolution is ‘the key philosophical concept that has allowed the atheists and agnostics to dominate the whole intellectual world and government world,’ 17, page 26,. 17:  Cited in World magazine Nov.22, 1997; see John Ankerberburg, John Weldon, The Facts on Creation and Evolution (Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 1993), pp.35-36.”

 

Philosopher Will Durant once noted: “By offering evolution in place of God as a cause of history, Darwin removed the theological basis of the moral code of Christendom”, 18, p.26. 18:  Will Durant, ‘Are We in the Last Stage of a Pagan Period?’  Chicago Tribune, Syndicate, April, 1980, from Morris, Long War, p.149.”

 

“In the creationist/evolution debate, one must recognize that whether you begin with a materialistic or a theistic origin for the universe….”  Ankerberg & Weldon p. 322.

 

 

Early Christians Speak, by Everett Ferguson, Biblical Research Press/ACU Press, 1984, Revised, 1987, Library of Congress Catalogue Card Number: 81-68871, ACU Press, Abilene, Texas.

 

I’m Dysfunctional, You’re Dysfunctional, The Recovery Movement and Other Self-help Fashions, by Wendy Kaminer, Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc. New York, etc. ISBN 0-201-57062-9, Copyright 1992 by Wendy Kaminer.

 

Review:  She admits to being a skeptical, secular humanist, but she’s logical and rational. But at least she is politically incorrect.

 

Glimpses of the Devil, by M. Scott Peck M. D.

 

Review:  This a true story of a Psychiatrists exorcism of two demons and his meetings with Malachi Martin, a famous /Catholic author/exorcist. He also recommends his previous book, that is also about  evil:  People of the Lie.

 

God’s Psychiatry, With faith you can work miraculous changes in your life—in seven days!, by Charles L. Allen, © 1953 by Fleming H. Revell Co., Choice Books, Harrisonburg, VA 22801[Hand Stamped: Cholce Books, P.O. Box 243, Vienna, VA, 22180, We Welcome Your Response]

 

Review:  A Methodist Ministering from Atlanta and then Houston tells us how to renew our minds with famous verses in the Bible in just seven days. I haven’t read it all yet, I guess I’m a bit afraid of change, but using scriptures as your positive affirmations, morning, lunch time, afternoon, supper time and before you go to bed, will surely transform your thoughts, attitudes and life.

 

Heaven, Our Enduring Fascination With The Afterlife, by Lisa Miller, © 2010 by Lisa Miller, Harper Collins Publishers, 10 East 53^rd St., NY, NY 10022.

 

Review:  Ms. Miller is the religion editor at Newsweek magazine and this is a very thorough review up to the present day about the beliefs that most of us hold about Heaven and why. She also tells us what the theologians and scholars say which is usually at odds with the inner knowledge of the common person. She writes as a reporter and not a believer so be careful not to get confused or doubtful about your personal belief.

 

How We Got The Bible, by Neil R. Lightfoot, © 1962, by Neil R. Lightfoot, Sweet Publishing Co., Austin, TX

 

Icons of Evolution, by Jonathan Wells.

 

Review:  Is Evolution really based on science or are the main proofs, we are taught in schools, magazines and museums all flawed?

 

Joan of Arc, by Mark Twain, Ignatius Press, San Francisco

 

Review:  How to be a holy soldier is demonstrated by a 16-17 year old French peasant girl, a true story, a true saint, in 452 pages.

 

Letters, Pliny the Younger.

 

Lights in the Sky and Little Green Men, A Rational Christian Look at UFOs and Extraterrestials, by Hugh Ross, Kenneth Samples, and Mark Clark, NAVPress, Colorado Springs 1(800) 366-7788, www.navpress.com, Reasons To Believe.

 

Review:  Hugh Ross  the other authors are Progressive Creationists and this book has so much science, philosophy and religion…it’s a great read!

 

Long War, by Henry Morris.

 

Review:  This is one of the great modern 6 Day Creationists who tried to bring science and the Bible together.

 

Mars and Venus on a Date, by John Gray, Ph.D., Harper Collins Publishers, New York 10022, © 1997 by Mars Productions, Inc. Other publications: Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus.

 

Review:  Psychology that is very valuable for understanding women and men.

 

Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis, Broadman & Holman Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, copyright renewed © 1980 by Arthur Owen Barfield.

[Anything by C. S. Lewis is a must read for most serious students of Catholic or Anglican religion. For instance: Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer; Miracles; The Problem of Pain; The Screw Tape Letters. ]. <!--[endif]-->

A SEVERE MERCY, (INCLUDES 18 PREVIOUSLY UNPUBLISHED LETTERS BY C.S. LEWIS, A REAL-LIFE LOVE STORY, FULL OF WONDER AND HOPE, Copyright © 1977 by Sheldon Vanauken, A Bantam Book/ published with Harper & Rowe, Publishers, Inc.

Book Review:  This author answers the most difficult questions of Christian life with personal stories, poems, & also letters from C.S. Lewis. This is a true love story & the journey towards one lovers death. Two Christians lives are exposed with honesty & compassion. As students they befriend C.S. Lewis & they share the correspondence between each other.  Mr. Vanauken has made a classic contribution to Christian literature.

Catholicism, The Meaning of Catholicism: the organic unity of the Christian experience—its religious, moral, intellectual and social values—and its realization within the structure of the Catholic Church. Edited by George Brantl. Publisher: George Braziller, Inc, One Park Ave NY 10016, © 1961 by George Brantl. NY, Nihil Obstat…Imprimatur…

 

Book Review:  This goes to the heart of what the Catholic Church teaches with long quotes from: the Church Fathers, great writers, Popes, and many Bible quotes. What is a soul, evolution, and Catholic philosophy? You will find many deep thoughts here.

 

 

Catholicism And Fundamentalism, The Attack on “Romanism” by “Bible Christians”, by Karl Keating, © 1988 Ignatius Press, San Francisco, ISBN: 0-89870-177-5 (SB.).

 

Book Review:  A must for Roman Catholics who read or teach from the Bible.

 

Catholics and The New Age, Servant Publications, MI, 1992.

Book Review:  A book showing what the New Age philosophy and religion is.

  

Christ The Lord, The Road To Cana, A Novel by Anne Rice, Alfred A. Knopf, NY, Toronto, 2008, also her first Christian novel Out of Egypt.

Book Review:  Wow, if you want to know what the people, towns and times of Jesus were like & did you know she’s a good Catholic now?

 

Confessions and The City of God by St. Augustine.

Book Review:  A must for any student of religion.

 

Death, The Final Surrender by Fr. Cedric Pisegna, C.P., JC Productions, 2931 N. Willamette Blvd. Portland, Or, 97217-4048 (503) 289-1942, www.frcedric.org.

Book Review:  Not as detailed a NDE (Near Death Experience) as I would have liked, but a good read. He answers email and he's a great person.

 

Glimpses of the Devil, by M. Scott Peck M. D.

Book Review:  This a true story of a Psychiatrists exorcism of two demons and his meetings with Malachi Martin, a famous /Catholic author. He also recommends his previous book, that is also about  evil: A People of the Lie.

 

Icons of Evolution, by Jonathan Wells.

Book Review:  Is Evolution really based on science or are the main proofs, we are taught in schools, magazines and museums all flawed?

 

 Jesus of Nazareth, by Pope Benedict XVl. Pope.

Book Review:  Excellent.

 

Joan of Arc, by Mark Twain, Ignatius Press, San Francisco

Book Review:  How to be a holy military woman, a military leader and a saintly teen  is demonstrated by a 16-17 year old French peasant girl, a true saint, in 452 pages. Historically based on voluminous records but a novelists flair of Mark Twain is added.

 

Joshua, A Parable for Today, by Joseph F. Girzone, Colier Books, Macmillan Pub. Co. , NY.

Book Review:  He wrote a series of these books that portray Jesus in modern life. The first:  Joshua book was made into a very good movie. His views of Jesus and the modern Church are spelled out in his book, A Portrait of Jesus. Also read Never Alone. This is a retired Catholic priest. He is a bit liberal and sees Jesus as a always turn the cheek and love, love, love kind of savior.

 

Lead Us Not into Temptation: Catholic Priests and the Sexual Abuse of Children, © by Jason Berry: 1992 & 2000 (paperback), New York, Double Day, see 1992.

Book Review:  This is for mature adults firm in their Christian faith, not young people under eighteen. This is a very detailed explanation of the pedophile priest controversy & those whose caused it. It is examined from the families of the victims, the bishop offices and the therapists view points.

 

Playboy to Priest, by Rev. Kenneth Roberts, Our Sunday Visitor Inc., Pub., IN.

Book Review: This is a true story is better for adult Christians & the missionary minded.

 Rise, Let Us Be On Our Way & Crossing the Threshold of Hope by John Paul ll.

Book Review:  Excellent.

The Devil is in the Details, The Subtlety of Satan in the Complexity of Life, by Tony Kessinger, www.crossbookscom & www.tonykessinger.com, copyright 2010 by Tony Kessinger, Published by CrossBooks 03/11/10

Book Review:  See above review.

 The Keys of This Blood, by Malachi Martin, Simon & Schuster, 1990.

Book Review:  A Catholic Church Cardinal and Bishop, one of whom became: Pope John Paul 11 and their roles in liberating Poland. This is truly a fascinating history of the Church of Christ fighting the forces of Communism without a bullet being fired.

  

The Lost Books of the Bible and The Forgotten Books of Eden, The Lost Books of the Bible © 1926 by Alpha House, Inc.; The Forgotten Books of Eden, 1927 Alpha House, Inc; LB Press, World Bible Publishers, Inc.

Book Review:  Many Jews and early Christians read these books and considered some of them helpful or even somewhat inspired. I found many of these stories fascinating and it made me wonder if the apostles may have known & been influenced by these works.

 

The Meaning of Creation, Genesis and Modern Science, by Conrad Hyers, John Know Press 1984, GA.

Book Review:  He discusses the various positions of Creation and Evolution and he prefers the mythological, historical and sacred view of the Bible. If you are curious about the Creation Evolution Debate this is a must read.

 

The New English Bible with the Apocrypha, Oxford Study Edition, Oxford University Press, New York 1976, © 1976 by Oxford University Press, Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 75-32364.

Book Review:  The commentaries are not appropriate for orthodox Protestants, but perfect for Catholics. This is a good study Bible.

  

The Practice of the Presence of God, by Brother Lawrence, © 1982 Whitaker House.

Review:  If you  like the underdog and unlikely saints, like John Vianney, you'll like this. This is a thin book and a classic.

 

 

WHY I AM A CATHOLIC, by Garry Wills, Copyright 2002, Houghton Mifflin Co,NY, NY 10003

Book Review:  Mr. Wills wrote a disturbing book about the Roman Catholic Church called "Papal Sin" & yet he remained a Catholic. This is his explanation why.

Also see books by Catholic Author & scholar Raymond Brown.

 

RELIGIOUS & SPIRITUAL LINKS

JEWISH LINKS

http://JewishAdventist.org (Christians who keep Sabbath {Saturday}, no pork/shellfish),

http://www.JewishVoice.TV ;  Mail@JewishVoice.Org

 “A safe &, healthy, Messianic online community for Jewish, Messianic and Christian believers in Messiah Yeshua. We uphold Torah as a valid lifestyle for God's ...”
www.MessiahNet.com/ -

www.lightofmessiah.org/index.php

www.SidRoth.org  (Supernatural Chrisitanity)

Zola Levitt Ministries Institute of Jewish-Christian http://www.Levitt.com/  

 

CATHOLIC LINKS 

 

www.AllAmericanSpeakers.com/speakers./Garry-Wills/383445 (Books: “Papal Sins” & “What the Gospels Meant”)

www.AmericanCatholic.org

www.Catholic.com

www.ChristianAnswers.net

www.foxstudioclassics.com

www.lifesitenews.com

www.PeterKreeft.com

www.randomhouse.com/features/girzone/ (Books: “Joshua, A Parable for Today”, etc.)

www.ScottHahn.com

 

PROTESTANT LINKS

 

www.Adventist.org (Seventh Day Adventists)

www.AnswersInGenesis.org (Creationism, Young Earth)

www.BillyGraham.org (Evangelist)

www.Blessitt.com (Carried Cross around the world)

www.CrefloDollarMinistries.org (Black Minister preaching the true & practical Gospel)
www.foxstudioclassics.com (Find some religious movies)

www.heaven.net.

www.JoelOsteen.com (Positive encourager)

www.JosephPrince.org (Pentecostal, Taiwanese origin)

www.JoyceMeyer.org (Practical Advice)

www.LeadingTheWay.org

www.lifewithoutlimbs.org (No arms or legs Evangelist)

www.love2learn.net/science/creation.htm

www.Reasons.org (Progressive Creationism, Old Earth)

www.TBN.org (Worldwide Christian Broadcast & Holy Land Exp. In Orlando)

www.TDJakes.org (Very Popular Black Minister)

 

SUICIDE LINKS

 

http://www.aggiecatholic.org (Catholic)

http://christianteens.about.com (Christians)

http://www.mentalhelp.net

www.carlisle.army.mil/banner/article.cfm?id=1086 (Military)

http://www.suicide.org/police-suicide-prevention-and-awareness.html (Police)

www.ToSaveALifeMovie.com (Christian Young Adult)

www.Suicide.org

www.SuicideHotLines.com

http://www.theawarenesscenter.org (Orthodox Jewish)

 

 

Non-CHRISTIAN BOOKS or Authors

   The History of Hell Alice K. Turner © 1993 by Alice Turner, Permissions Dept., Harcourt Brace & Co., 6277 Sea Harbor Dr., Orlando, FL 32887-6777 ISBN:  0-15-600137-3.

Review:  Warning:  This is an atheistic author bent on exposing the contradictions in a belief in Heaven & Hell, while at the same time she is an excellent scholar. The subject of Heaven before the Cross of Christ and after can be confusing. If you are not a thorough researcher, interested in the various mythologys of death and are not strong in your faith, skip this.

 

Act of God, by Charles Templeton.

Review:  This is a true story of a former Evangelist that turns against Christ and proclaims it in this novel, but I haven't read it yet.

 

I’m Dysfunctional, You’re Dysfunctional, The Recovery Movement and Other Self-help Fashions, by Wendy Kaminer, Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc. New York, etc. ISBN 0-201-57062-9, Copyright 1992 by Wendy Kaminer.

Ms. Kaminer admits to being a skeptical, secular humanist, but she is logical and rational, but at least she is politically incorrect.

 

The Varieties of Religious Experience,© 1902 & renewed in 1929 by William James, The Modern Library, New York.

Review:  This book is for students of World Religion & philosophy that are strong enough, in their faith & in communion with scholars/Church, to bear the blow to their religion.