Folktruther—-I am not relating punishment from
God upon a nation where the quantity of sins is
inflicting massive suffering upon humanity, especially children, from a Humanistic point of view.
I am discussing it from a Biblical point of view
and there are plenty of examples in the Bible that
after a period of giving nations time to repent God
finally reaches a point where the choice is made
to cause great suffering upon that nation hoping
that sinners will turn from their wicked ways and
sin no longer.  There are even examples of God
eliminating nations that refuse to repent(Noah’s
ark, Sodom and Gomorrah are just two examples.)
When I look at what is not only happening within
America but also consider the pain and suffering
America is causing throughout the world(Vietnam,
Iraq, and Afghanistan, etc.) I am deeply concerned
for my home land.  Politicians and businessmen
have not only corrupted America but also the world.
One way to get America’s attention by God would be
through a nuclear attack.  There are verses in the
Bible which discuss “the elements melting.”  How
would the elements melt?  Don’t think that God will
not use other nations to accomplish the judgments
on America.  Just look at Israel.  For refusing to
obey God he let the Babylonians capture Israel
and lead them into captivity.  If Japan and China
decide to switch from the dollar to another currency
there will be GREAT TRIBULATION upon America.

Christian, the Holy Bible is recommending mass murder for sexual dviance.  You entertain the thought of a Hiroshima or Nagasaki to wipe out sin.

  Some of us consider these holy massacres and sacred atrocities moral perversions of the most gross kind.  And the history of traditonal religion adheres to this disgusting spiritual perversion.

Folktruther—-When I say studying the Bible I don’t
just mean reading it through.  The Bible is very
difficult to comprehend at times because of many
variables.  If I don’t understand a word I can go
to Strong’s Concordance to try to understand the
word.  If I don’t understand a concept I’ll read
other people’s opinions to try to understand how
they are trying to interpret it.  It’s rather strange
(strange isn’t the correct word) you mention the
Book of Leviticus.  Just minutes ago I was reading
the Book of Leviticus chapters 18-21 to recall what
they say about sexual sins and their punishments.
I need to answer another person on another site who
is suffering because they are 62 years old and have
lost 80% of their loved ones to AIDS.  This will be
a difficult response for me to write.  Leviticus
20:13 reads “If a man also lie with another man as
he does a woman, both of them have committed an
abomination:  THEY SHALL SURELY BE PUT TO DEATH.”
That a stiff penalty but I can understand the reasoning behind it because I taught Child Development at the university level.  One of the
ways children learn is through role models.  When a
child is going through early psycho/sexual development and sees a lot of men sleeping with men
or women sleeping with women it could influence that child’s thoughts and behaviors.  God loves children
and doesn’t want to see them heading down the wrong
road.  Therefore you eliminate the negative role
models.  However, in relation to adultery Lev. 20:10 reads:  “And the man that committs adultery with
another man’s wife, the adulterer and adulteress
shall surely be put to death.”  There is a story
of Jesus in the new testament related to adultery
in the 8th chapter of John.  The scribes and
Pharisees(religious leaders of the day) trying to
tempt Jesus brought to him a woman taken in the very act of adultery and said, “The law says this woman
is to be stoned to death, what do you say?”(when
reading this event I’ve always wondered why they
didn’t bring the man). Jesus wrote something in the
sand and then said, “He that is without sin among
you, let him first cast a stone at her!” And they
which heard him, being convicted by their own
conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the
eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.  When
Jesus lifted had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, “Woman, where are those thine accusers? Hath no man condemned thee?”  She
said, “No man, Lord.”  Jesus said, “Neither do I
condemn thee: go and SIN NO MORE.” Did she sin again?  Probably!  There’s too much pleasure associated with sex.  However, even if she sinned
again if she truly repented and ask for forgiveness
Jesus would have forgiven her again.  I know this
from a lesson Jesus taught Peter, one of his
disciples, in Matthew 18:21: Then came Peter to
him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother
sin against me, and I forgive him? Seven times?”
Jesus said unto him, “I say not unto thee seven
times but seventy times seven.”  I’m sure Jesus
would not have taught Peter something that Jesus
would not do himself.  Therefore, if we sin 490
times and truly with a repentent heart ask for
forgiveness, I’m sure Jesus will forgive us.  He
knows our flesh is weak,  However, in our country
presently sin is rampant.  This is scary because
anytime sin became rampant in the Bible, God brought severe judgment on the country.  Look at Sodom and
Gomorrah.  I wouldn’t be suprised to see a nuclear
bomb on America or a strong earthquake upon Los
Angeles.  In conclusion, I would listen to MarthA.
She appears to me to be very knowledgeable about
the Bible.

You are probably right, Martha, it was assigned it in college and I probably wasn’t paying close eonough attention.  I do remember there were a lot of Epistles by Saul sombody but they all seemed pretty much the same, due, no doubt, to my ignorance.  I have since sent a number of E-epistles to the Truth Consumers but these have not received anything like the same attention.  Not Divine, you know.

Folktruther, November 1 at 10:23pm,

Folktruther said:  “Most people can whiz through the New Testiment in a few hours,...”

MarthaA’s answer:  I guess I have never known any of those most people, because to understand what you read in the New Testament it takes more than a few hours.  You are the 1st person I have ever heard of that can whiz through the New Testament in a few hours.

If you are a speed reader, sit down and whiz through a refresher of the New Testament, then I have some questions for you to answer after you are finished to see if you missed anything, which should be tomorrow for a whiz reader.

For the average person it takes more than a few hours to read the New Testament; there is a lot of repetitive verification in the first 4 books, but the New Testament is more than the 1st 4 Books, there are 27 Books that are mostly not repetitive.  If you think the New Testament is mostly repetitive then you apparently have skipped most of the New Testament.

“When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.”
—Hunter S. Thompson.

And these days are definitely getting weird.

Garrison Keillor has a unique talent for making the progressive case to the audience of folks who are still “on the fence”. This perceptive essay cuts right to the heart of what troubles the undecideds among us.

Don’t ask Keillor to be the next Paul Wellstone. His low-key approach to difficult subjects may not persuade Middle America to march on Washington, but it will give them the reasoning they need to withhold support from their pro-war Congressman.

Gently incisive as always. Thank you Mr. Heir-to-Twain.

You’ve been reading the bible, Christian, since 1977?
Far be it from me to make personal comments unecessarily but, Christian, you appear to be a very slow reader.  Most people can whiz through the New Testiment in a few hours, especially as it’s so repetitive.  I’m ashamed to confess, however,  that I have never read the Old Testment, the Jewish Bible, straight through.

I’ve tried, Christian, God knows I’ve tried.  But that fucking Liviticus…sorry, Christian, but those endless rules are maddening.  And the constant repitition!  god is Great, god is Really great, god is great, Indeed! it’s enough to drive you up a wall.  I suppose its the Great Lake of Fire for me. Better at any rate then reading Leviticus.

Please Report This Post!

I intended to read this article. Then I intended to contact the web master, or someone at TD to complain about the ads. No luck there either - no contact info. So, in hopes this will instigate a response:

Children may be able to focus on several blinking, moving, objects, and not go crazy. Not me, or many other seniors. I was going to complain directly to ‘OR Books’, the advertiser, but they are anonymous. The web site only has information on how to send them my money - Nothing else, not even other books. Are the a scam? Who knows?

So, I will never know what this article was about unless it crops up on Buzz Flash or Alternet. Something tells me my life will not be shortened by not reading it…

Please Report This Post! I’d like those in charge to read it…

christian96, October 31 at 5:14am,

I am in agreement with your post about learning war no more. It is time we as a Nation STOP learning WAR and START learning PEACE. Somehow the benefit of war to the greedy conservative warmongerers will have to be taken away.

I agree with the guns, tanks, swords and spears being pounded into plow shears, with the exception of a few for snakes, lions, tigers and bears,  etc. in emergency only.

It is terrible having to rely on these humongous cattle, hog and chicken farms of condensed destruction for our food source.  It is time the land be used as a benefit to the nation, instead of a destruction of the land——with farmers being paid by the government not to plant, instead of planting a different crop of benefit.

Jesus said PEACE be with you——and Jesus left PEACE with all those who choose PEACE in the Name of Jesus, who, according to the scriptures, is TRUTH, LIFE, LIGHT, LOVE and PEACE.

Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem.

It’s a lot easier for Garrison Keillor to SAY get the troops home from the AfPak “theater” than it is for Barack Obama to actually DO it.  If the auteur gets sick he can just cancel a show.  If the president gets cold feet he risks canceling himself….and maybe those nearest and dearest to him.

The nemesis Eisenhower warned about in his “military/industrial-complex” swansong is staking its entire existence on stringing-out this land war in Asia as long as possible, and milking it for all the blood-money it can get.  No reluctant tyro in the Oval Office is going to get in the way of that….and on-the-record Obama is altogether in-sync with the “project,” anyway.

This just in!:  St. Olaf’s kicked Lake Woebegone’s butts for the tenth straight year, in the annual battle of mythical Minnesota “just-plain-folks” meccas.

HokaHey!

The real quagmire here is the media. They choose the framing and the pundits.
The media shapes public opinion with lies, half-truths and distortions.
Television news is killing any chance we have for end to these wars.

I’ve been criticized so much for quoting the Bible I’ve become immune to it.  It’s like water rolling
off my back.  Well, here I go again.  The Bible
tells of a day in the future when we learn war no
more.  Isaiah 2:4 reads: “They shall beat their
swords into plowshares, and their spears into
pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against
nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” As
a counselor the word that stands out is “LEARN” for
me.  How do people LEARN war?  A question which has
puzzled me since I began reading the Bible in April
1977.  I’ve discovered some answers which I will
share in a book in the future.  My reason for this
post is to challenge former Marine officer Matthew
Hoh to use his leadership skills to lead our nation
towards the fulfillment of Isaiah 2:4.  We have
the resources.  We have “plowshares” for farming.
We have the materials and knowledge to help the
Iraqi and Afghan peoples to learn to build infrastructures, farming technology, etc.  There
was a time when people around the world looked up
to America.  Now they hate us for our political and
business practices.  We can regain the respect of
the world.  We only need leaders to accomplish the
task.  You can be one of those leaders Matthew Hoh.
You have demonstrated you have the values, especially
honesty, that America needs to demonstrate that we
are interested in construction rather than destruction around the world.  That construction
must take place without a concern for who is going
to make money.  Our concern must be what and how
can we serve not only our people but also the people
around the world. When we move in that direction we
will regain respect around the world.  Be Strong and
bold Matthew.  Ask God to guide you!  To show you
the way.  You’ll be suprised where you are lead!

Very soon, President Obama will decide whether to send as many as 60,000 additional U.S. soldiers to the war in Afghanistan.

Let’s urge Obama to live up to his 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. Tell him to withdraw troops from Afghanistan—not send more.

http://bit.ly/noafghansurge

It is time to get out of all foreign countries and, quietly, very quietly, dismantle the five sided Pentagon and retire those who are working there.

i don’t believe that you didn’t have the letter that Matthew Hoh sent to his superiors.  maybe i shouldn’t call them superiors?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/hp/ssi/wpc/ResignationLetter.pdf

“It is rare that a high-level official—he was the senior State Department guy in Zabul province—resigns in protest, and in all the to-do about his four-page resignation letter, nobody had a single bad thing to say about Matthew Hoh.

It is time to quit hurting the Afghan people, it is time for agreement and diplomacy; NOT continuing Right-Wing Conservative EXTREMIST war against the Afghan people.

I’m beginning to get sick and tired of this trend of making heroes out of this sorry asses who joint the military for whatever the reason and, once they have to face the music, all of a sudden, have an attack of conscience.

Isn’t this the same crap as the Hollywood types who get all the good press, adulation and credit for cleaning up off drugs and/or alcohol?  I mean, whatever happened to not doing it in the first place?  Now, that shows character! The other scenario…well, not so much!

Reject the drugs, reject the military, reject the brainwashing from day one and that makes you a person of morals, character and principle.  Do the shit and then repent, and hopefully profit from it, and you’re nothing but a hypocrite in my book.  Oh, yeah, and while they’re at it, they may as well find Jayzus too and turn the other way and open up a mega church or become a televangelist to show their repentance and rehabilitation.

Id rather be the last Socialist labor candidate handing out leaflets at Wal Mart than be a sell out shopping or working there or supporting sell out Democrats..—in fact, I d tahther die. We all will.

Lets do it with some dignity and be honest about corporate/dem/gop Merka!

The point is to make it hard for the elites to live WITH you, not without you. Afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted. Its the only decent position for an elitist to take.

When will so-called populists stop kissing Dem ass, when theyre broke like us?

Thanks Garrison. You’ve been an inspiration for years. My hope is that you and other people that can make headlines, get radical.  Know what’s on the line, and kick up some dust. You could make it amusing, possibly, BUT for Chr,,, sake !!!!! The life on this planet is coming to a horrible ugly end without some serious 60’s type heroes.  It’s not that ice is melting and the ocean is rising, it’s that the coral reef’s, the hot spots for all ocean creatures, are dying.  All that’s going to be in the ocean is slime and mud. Ditto, in its own way the other 1/3 of this planet. IT’S TIME TO FREAKOUT GARRISON. WAY PAST THAT TIME.  AND YOU CAN’T FIND IT IN YOUR HEART TO CRITICIZE THE GUY THAT’S A COMPLETE AMORAL FAKE, WITH A GREAT SMILE. WHO’S AIDING AND ABETTING THE MURDER OF ALL SENTIENT LIFE.

SHI, GARRISON

Let me be the first to thank you, Garrison, for your two recent statements trying to get the word to the President that it’s time to pack up and go home. Your name means a lot and will help all the rest of us make ourselves heard at headquarters.  Thanks again.