Free Republic

The ideal of the coolly rational scientific observer, completely independent, free of all preconceived theories, prior philosophical, ethical and religious commitments, doing investigations and coming to dispassionate, unbiased conclusions that constitute truth, is nowadays regarded by serious philosophers of science (and, indeed, most scientists) as a simplistic myth...

“Junk” DNA Discovered to Have Both Cellular and Microevolutionary Functions Evolutionists have long sought mechanisms for the origin of reproductive barriers between populations, mechanisms which are thought to be key to the formation of new species. A recent article in ScienceDaily finds that “Junk DNA” might be the “mechanism that prevents two species from reproducing.” Basically, so-called “junk”-DNA is involved in helping to package chromosomes in the cell. If two species have different “junk” DNA, then this prevents the proteins in the egg from properly packaging the chromosomes donated by the sperm. The organism does not develop properly. As the...

Darwin’s bulldog—Thomas H. Huxley --snip-- Huxley, although an unbeliever, was thoroughly familiar with the gospel, and had little time for Christians who compromised their position by supporting the anti-biblical belief of evolutionary naturalism. He wrote: ...

A Trunk or Treat is a Halloween event that is often church or community-sponsored. People gather and park their cars in a large parking lot. They open their trunks or the backs of their vehicles and decorate them. Then they pass out candy from their trunks. The event provides a safe family environment for trick or treaters.... (see pictures!)

I have been thinking about this for a long time. I think several people have published book reports and others have given their take on certain books. We would need to have a variety of books by different denominational authors. Not everyone would have to read every book. Whoever might be interested in that month's title could post on that month's thread. We would have to have some kind of rules such as limited discussion until the half-point of the month so that the conclusion of the book wouldn't be given away in the first ten posts. There could be...

Pastor Benny Hinn: Charlatan or Man of God? October 09, 2009 Lauren Green. Pastor Benny Hinn is being investigated by the Senate Finance Committee and was recently denied entry into the United Kingdom. The press has been bad, he says, because the media doesn't understand him. But the Texas-based faith healer, whose "Holy Spirit Miracle Crusades" pack sports arenas across the United States, is fielding questions about his controversies nonetheless. He says he needs to voice his concerns over the land of his birth, Israel, and the threat to it posed by a nuclear Iran — which he talks about...

Outer Limits Not Lively Sept 29, 2009 — One of the “cosmic coincidences” cited in the intelligent-design treatise The Privileged Planet1 is the “galactic habitable zone” – a fairly narrow region of the galaxy where planets can form and exist safely.  The outer regions of the galaxy were described as lacking the heavy elements necessary for planet formation. Score one for the authors.  New Scientist reported on a planet search by astronomers at the University of Tokyo who failed to find planets in the outer reaches of the galaxy.  “Astronomers have long doubted that life could exist there,” the article...

The most popular dinosaur is probably Tyrannosaurus rex, a Latin term that loosely translates as “king lizard.” Based on evolutionary assumptions, scientists have long held that these dinosaurs lived for “only” 3 million years, approximately 68 to 65 million years ago. A fossil looking remarkably like a small version of T. rex, however, has been located in a much lower rock layer.[1] Using the evolutionary dates assigned to the relevant strata, this adds 60 million years to the T. rex timeline. If the evolutionary interpretation was this wrong about one creature, can it be trusted on the rest of the...

Many atheopaths1 and their compromising churchian allies claim that biblical belief and science are mortal enemies. Yet historians of science, even non-Christians, have pointed out that modern science first flourished under a Christian world view while it was stillborn in other cultures such as ancient Greece, China and Arabia. The historical basis of modern science depended on the assumption that the universe was made by a rational Creator. An orderly universe makes perfect sense only if it were made by an orderly Creator (cf. 1 Corinthians 14:33). For example, evolutionary anthropologist and science writer Loren Eiseley stated:...

Computers are becoming faster and more powerful all the time and those improvements have been mainly due to better hardware. Future improvements, however, may well rely increasingly on better architecture and software. One reason why this seems likely is that the human brain, with its very different architecture, dramatically out performs computers in performing various tasks (such as perceiving an object in a complex visual scene). If computers are to match the brain's performance, they likely will need to exploit features of the brain's design. In some regards the brain's hardware is far beyond that of a computer. Its "wires,"...

Sept 27, 2009 — What would Darwin do? Just in time for the 150th anniversary of The Origin of Species, his magnum opus has been reprinted with an introduction not by a scientist or historian, but by a Christian evangelist. He and a Christian movie actor are trying to get their special edition to students at major universities. Talk about brashness. Darwin’s defenders are stepping on themselves to condemn this – well, blasphemy...

The God Chasers by Tommy Tenney Book Excerpt & Commentary I recently finished THE SHACK by William P Young and HE LOVES ME by Wayne Jacobsen. I found both of them deeply moving, Biblical, edifying and helpful in drawing me closer to God. Subsequently, a Navy Friend/ Christian Bro of 30+ years read me the riot act about THE SHACK. I found his rants about “heresy” completely without substance. Turns out he had not read it. Sheesh. It is, after all, a NOVEL! And, I found it exceedingly Biblical. Some important Biblical truths, doctrines are affirmed with a sentence...

Ding, dong, the bells are dead – at least on weekdays. By court order, the electronic chimes that were rung each day by Cathedral of Christ the King Catholic Church in Phoenix, Ariz., are now confined to Sundays and special occasions, while the cathedral's leader, Bishop Rick Painter, faces potential jail time for playing the daily melodies. Responding to complaints that the electronic bells at the northern Phoenix church were rung too loud and too often, a municipal court gave Painter three years probation and a suspended 10-day jail sentence on charges of violating city noise ordinances. The judge further...

Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. As we came to the close of the last millennium there were groups within the Christian community who claimed to have a special connection with the encounter that the early followers of Jesus had in the upper room on that great and glorious day. A modern “Pentecostal” movement was born. Out of it, much good has come. The Second Vatican Council in the Catholic Church began with a prayer for a...

The Messianic Jew & Charismatic Dispensationalism by Marshall Beeber In the nineteenth century a theological revolution called "Dispensationalism" rightly outlined the "Biblical Historical Perspective", thereby giving mankind a clearer picture of how God has provided and continues to provide salvation to man throughout history.  By acknowledgement of this perspective, an accord between Hebrew Old Covenant and New Covenant prophecy was forged, sweeping away many of the contradictions that divided Christian and Orthodox Jewish prophetic viewpoints.  Dispensationalists became God's instrument of change in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries,  leading the way in promoting the support of the establishment of the...

Frog animation is happy for food he is about to receive but discovers what he intended didn’t turn out to be what he expected. This video reminds me of this 2008 upcoming election at the left.

Fog animation is happy for food he is about to receive but discovers what he intended didn’t turn out what he expected. Scripture at the end of this video.

SPIRITUAL PROGRESSION by Pam Clark (pamclark@prophetic.net) The woman at the well had faulty doctrine. Jesus revealed a lot of incredible truth to her. He told her that He was the Messiah, something others had really wondered about for centuries. He told her that God is a Spirit and they that worship Him must worship in Spirit and in Truth, implying it was more than just form and ritual. This was incredible doctrine. He also told her worship was a matter of the heart, more than just a physical location. He demonstrated the power and doctrine of forgiveness - and He...

This video is about a true story that happened in the late 60’s. My wife and I were visiting a small town called Chepachet R.I on Tanyard Lane. The song of the video is, I Saw The Light sung by Hank Williams, Sr..

Dearly Beloved . . . Following are some brief excerpts from Bro Jesse's book. I've read a number of Heavenly Visitation narratives. They are all different in some respects. Some folks might think that they are so different that the individuals must be visiting a different place. I don't feel that way. There's usually some things that are essentially the same. Virtually always, there's some aspect of the narrative that some group of Christians gets all up in arms about being unBiblical. I've never found any of the more convincing narratives that way, personally. I have observed that there's virtually...

They were not the most confident lot, this group of early followers of the One who was crucified and then raised from the dead. Even though they had seen Him defeat the final enemy, death, they were afraid as they gathered in that upper room. Right before He ascended He had promised that He would not leave them orphans but would send another comforter once He returned to the Father. He told them they would receive power from on high and be able to continue His work on earth until He returned. In that Cenacle, along with His mother, they...

My energy is not atomic it is Eternal and flowing , Alive ! And Creating , not manufactured . So as you see things constructed by man realize this ; All elements of the Universe and mankind evolve from My Hand and I AM CREATOR AND GOD ALMIGHTY . There will be an ATOMIC ANOMALY SOON yet far more reaching will be the effect on man's heart than just an incident or explosion Yet the critical element is not what has been pushed away , vaporized or displaced , but the raining down of My Spirit on mankind shortly...

A few Scriptures and some Quix commentary . . .  Keeping in mind . . .  THESE SIGNS SHALL FOLLOW [FOLLOW WHO?] THOSE WHO BELIEVE . . . cast out demons . . . speak with other tongues . . . etc.  AND . . . by reasonable extrapolation: John 20:22-23 (The Message)The Message (MSG)Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson 22-23Then he took a deep breath and breathed into them. "Receive the Holy Spirit," he said. "If you forgive someone's sins, they're gone for good. If you don't forgive sins, what are you going to do with...

In a Michigan state court, a jury trial begins today in an unusual negligence suit against Lansing's Mount Hope Assemblies of God Church and its pastor, Dave Williams. Last Friday's Lansing State Journal explains that church member Judith Dadd alleges she suffered a concussion and scalp lacerations, headaches, depression, fatigue and memory loss, all from a fall she took in 2002 while praying at the church. She says she answered a call to the altar, where it is common for members to collapse to the floor when they "are overcome by the Spirit of the Lord". Church ushers are supposed...

The Visible Church Was There All Along by Cindy Beck “I just can’t be Protestant anymore,” I blurted out one night as my husband and I were driving in the car. “What?” “This is just crazy. Every church teaches something different. Every pastor interprets the Bible according to his own personal beliefs. How is anybody supposed to know who’s teaching the truth?” “Well, all we can do is choose the denomination that’s most faithful to the Bible.” “So we decide what the Bible means? We decide what’s true? Then the Bible isn’t our final authority – we are.” Kerry was...

“This could be a church,” he muttered. “Lord, that is the place.” Mr. Florian, a factory worker by day and a pastor by night, was desperate to find a home for his small congregation...Now, on most nights when the neighborhood winds down to rest, the fluorescent lights inside the room flicker to life, and the spartan, whitewashed space rattles under a sonic barrage of prayers, yelps and tambourines. As a teenage band pounds out bouncy Latin rhythms, men in crisp business suits that belie their dreary day jobs triumphantly pump their fists. Women in flowing skirts shout, stomp and gyrate...

NOTE: BOLD & COLOR EMPHASES by Quix OpenHeaven.com Digest December 27, 2006 Ron McGatlin Dec 27 2006 07:07PM Published By Ron & Barbara McGatlin OpenHeaven.com In This Edition 1. FIRE LIKE WE’VE NOT SEEN BEFORE 2. "A Year Like None Other!" 3. "The Day Is Coming" 4. Kingdom Growth Guides Added 5. TOP NEWS Headlines -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. FIRE LIKE WE’VE NOT SEEN BEFORE Jesus Baptizes With The Holy Spirit & Fire By Ron McGatlin "You have never yet seen the fullness of outpouring of My fire. You have seen outpourings of My Spirit and My love" I tremble and tears...

The bongo drums and keyboard at Iglesia El Shaddai, a Pentecostal church in Elizabeth, are being played so briskly they can support a conga line. The El Salvadorian-born pastor shakes a tambourine, some women rock their hips and everyone sings praise to Jesus in Spanish. Soon, the pastor takes the service down a notch. But just a notch. With his eyes shut, Renato Castro shouts "Gloria, Jesus! Aleluya!" and paces before 300 people. The worshippers, eyes also closed, shout as they feel the spirit -- the Holy Spirit -- moving them: "Oh, Dios! Dios!" "Gracias, Papa!" Lips tremble. Tears flow....

4. They often have hyper-masculine or other sexual auras A politician is a salesman who is selling himself as the product. The strong and distinctive voice, from Roosevelt to JFK to Clinton, is a testament to the power of a strong masculine aura. America adores its combat heros; it's the reason why former Generals get elected President. It's the reason why an actor with practically no prior government related experience can beat an incumbent on a recall for the highest position in the California state legislature. The gamblin', rough-and-ready cowboy is in every young American boy's imagination and every young...

NEW YORK - A new 10-nation survey of Pentecostal and charismatic Christians, considered the fastest-growing stream of Christianity worldwide, shows they are deeply influencing the Roman Catholic and mainstream Protestant churches and are poised to make a big impact on global affairs. p>The poll released Thursday by the Washington-based Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life found that "spirit-filled" Christians, who speak in tongues and believe in healing through prayer, comprise at least 10 percent of the population in nine of the 10 surveyed countries. The study also found that followers are more willing than previously thought to bring their...

 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. -Mark 11:22-24  In Kenneth Hagin's book, New Thresholds of Faith, he states that the margin of his Bible...

Did you know that Pat Robertson, through rigorous training, leg pressed 2,000 pounds? How did he do it? ...Where does Pat find the time and energy to host a daily national TV show, head a worldwide ministry, develop visionary scholars, while traveling the globe as a statesman? One of Pat's secrets to keeping his energy high and his vitality soaring is his age-defying protein shake...

VIRGINIA BEACH-Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson is warning that, according to God, storms and possibly a tidal wave will pound America's coastline this year.

ENID, Okla. A Southern Baptist pastor being removed from a national board governing worldwide evangelism says he doesn't speak in tongues himself but is defending missionaries who do to keep the denomination "broad in our cooperation." The Rev. Wade Burleson, the senior pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Enid, said that the board of trustees of the Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board wants him to be removed because of his criticism of a policy change enacted by the IMB in November 2005. It stated that any candidate speaking in tongues, even privately, "has eliminated himself or herself from being...

Three significant movements have swept through the Church since the Second Vatican Council, all of which have been sources of great blessing and sometimes confusion, with, on occasion, some devotees mistakenly making themselves a Magisterium unto themselves. Most of them outgrow this error. I am speaking of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, the Marian movement — particularly involving reported apparitions, especially those occurring in Medjugorje, in the former Yugoslavia — and the Traditionalist/ Tridentine Mass movement. I most closely associate myself with the charismatic renewal which I credit with perhaps saving my life while Jesus was working on saving my soul.Of...

The Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board has adopted a new policy that forbids missionary candidates from speaking in tongues. The policy, adopted Nov. 15 during the board's trustee meeting in Huntsville, Ala., reflects ongoing Southern Baptist opposition to charismatic or Pentecostal practices.

Folks, I watched Dateline NBC's report on "The Mystery of Miracles" earlier this week and I have the following thoughts. The program touched on the Medjugorje events which started to manifest itself in that Bosnia-Herzegovina town back in the late 1970's. The basic details are these: Our Lady supposedly appeared to four young adults and a boy and began a dialogue with her that for some of them continues to this day. I've read some early books about the Medjugorje events and for a while, there was much agreement between them. But as the record grew and the alleged apparitions...

SAO PAULO, Brazil -- Pack 15,000 bodies shoulder to shoulder in a vast old warehouse, get them singing as loud as their lungs will allow and feel the temperature rise. "How many people are sweating?" As the Rev. Marcelo Rossi stands before a shimmering expanse of upraised hands, working up the crowd, a droplet of perspiration cuts a shining rivulet behind his left ear and trickles toward his clerical collar."Sweating is good," he announces. "It gets the bad things out. Now put your hands over your hearts and join me: Let's get rid of envy, of greed. . . ."

"When American citizens go to the polls in November, they will have the opportunity to change the course of history. On their decision largely rests the style and structure of the immediate future..... We, your Elder Brothers, cannot stand aside and watch while the very future of the world is under threat. America is a great nation with much of good to give the world. It must now awaken to its soul's longing to serve, to live in peace and justice, and, together, in harmony and co-operation, to work with all nations to remake this world. This election can be...

Renewal attendees 'Get pumped for Jesus' By Lauren Roth TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER 08/09/2004 This weekend, a stranger gave Veronica Thomas a golden bracelet decorated with small palm trees. Ms. Thomas, of Brooklyn, N.Y., said it was typical of the atmosphere at the Diocese of Scranton's Catholic Charismatic Renewal, which wrapped up a three-day weekend at the University of Scranton on Sunday. LIKE FAMILY "It was a stranger, but everyone's like sisters and brothers at this conference," she said. "Everyone will talk to you." The conference centered around the charismatic style of worship, which includes vocal prayer and praise. Inside...

TONGUES Glossolalia & Charismatic Renewal In Light Of The Bible -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By E. L. Bynum "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world." 1 John 4:1 The modern day "Tongues Movement" is spreading throughout Christendom with amazing speed. It is creating more excitement than any other religious movement of the 20th century. Thousands of people in almost every denomination say they have spoken in "tongues". At the moment it seems to be the most effective ecumenical approach on the church member level. Since Pentecostals,...

The Father and Jesus are well known - both have starred in movies and have been the subjects of countless books, paintings and music compositions. What about the third member of the Trinity? The Holy Spirit does lots of heavy lifting in the Bible by providing supernatural strength, direction and courage to scriptural heroes. When the world was created, when Jesus was conceived, when he was crucified, the Holy Spirit was there. When Saul was converted, when John baptized Jesus, the Holy Spirit was there. When the early Christian church was founded on the Day of Pentecost nearly 2,000 years...

I know you are busy, but I was wondering if you could help me. My grandmother is dying--she just told my Mom she thinks she will die within the week. She slept all day today. I was wondering if anyone could tell me the best way to get her to know the Lord before she dies. She is Catholic and went to church very regularly, (I can never remember a time when she didn't give me Catholic literature or prayer pamphlets) but I can't say for sure if she is born again. She lives 100 miles away in New York,...

Guimaraes reviews Close-ups of the Charismatic Movement by John Vennari @ TraditionInAction.org HOT TOPICS: What is the "Spirit" in the Charismatic Movement? Charismatics, Devils and Modernists Atila Sinke Guimarães I was impressed after reading Close-ups of the Charismatic Movement by John Vennari. In many senses it was a shock for me, since I lacked a full idea about such a movement. I had never had the time before to study the so-called Pentecostal or Charismatic Movement. The French Pentecostal movement in the early 1990s Only once did I have an opportunity to view it superficially. This was in winter 1991-1992...

Lansing Diocese to ordain its first married priest When Steve Anderson began studying for the Catholic priesthood three years ago, he had much in common with his classmates.A love of God.A desire to serve.A background of intense Bible study.But Anderson, 44, also has a wife and three sons. Technically, that made him ineligible to serve a church that requires its clergy to be single and celibate."The most common question is, 'How can that be?' " said Anderson, former pastor of a Charismatic Episcopal church in Brighton.In a 1980 statement, Pope John Paul II allowed an exception for married Episcopal clergy...

By Darren Morrison When I got saved it was not in what I would call a spiritually grounded church. But I did get saved according to scriptures, I did repent of my sin turning toward GOD and believing in the lord Jesus Christ. But I was taught early on that all churches were Good as long as they taught about Jesus. I mean to say that they accepted most doctrines but not all. They were critical of Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses, but not much more than that. So I went to several churches. I wanted to get as much of...

CNLGLFG.COM CHRISTIANS NO LONGER GAY LIVING FOR GOD Please allow us to reach out to you in love and help you to discover how it is possible to no longer be homosexual, and how to begin living your life as God intended . . .

Thursday, Jan. 23, 2003 10:24 a.m. EST Hillary Tainted by Bin Laden Cash? New York Sen. Hillary Clinton's household income for 2002 included $750,000 in payments from three Arab nations with ties to the 9/11 hijackers, including a $267,000 speaking fee from a group funded by the family of Osama bin Laden, NewsMax.com has learned. In late January 2002, ex-president Bill Clinton traveled to bin Laden's hometown of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to address a group of Saudi businessmen. He was paid $267,000 for a 40-minute speech, according to a Jan. 25, 2002, report in The Middle East Newsfile, a British-...

I have a good Catholic Friend who was recommending that I find out about the Charismatic Movement and I have heard and read some interesting things. I am wondering if any Catholic Freepers have an experience with this movement (I know they do not like the term movement). God Bless Vocatus Atque Non Vocatus Deus Aderit

How the Charismatic movement has changed for the worse. In the l950s and thereafter, the charismatic movement seemed to come out of nowhere. That is because, regardless of what position one takes on speaking in tongues or not speaking in tongues, the Lord God Himself moved upon His worldwide church in very unique ways. There were Anglican / Episcopal rectors, Protestant ministers and missionaries, Catholic nuns and priests who were brought alive in the Holy Spirit. They did not all agree on everything; but those come upon by heaven did agree that their souls were being changed anew toward Christ....