The Many Doors To Heaven

The Catholic church speaks often of the poor, helping them being essentially the only path to Heaven.  This blogger disagrees because giving charitably [1] to those with less is only one of the many ways to have a close relationship with God.  Support for this disagreement can be found in the Gospel of Mark:

While [Jesus] was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard.  She broke the jar and poured the perfume on [His] head. 

Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, "Why this waste of perfume?  It could have been sold for more than a year's wages and the money given to the poor."  And they rebuked her harshly. 

"Leave her alone," said Jesus.  "Why are you bothering her?  She has done a beautiful thing to me.  The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want.  But you will not always have me. She did what she could.  She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial.  Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her." [2]

Unlike her, there are those (relatively few, one would suppose) who always have at the forefront of their minds and at the top of their priorities the poor (and not themselves), like San Francesco d'Assisi and Santa Chiara d'Assisi after they left home.  The fact that this woman was not blessed with the holiness of Saint Francis or Saint Clare, she nonetheless did what she was able to bring herself to do, an act of care and love,  "a beautiful thing," [3] but not for the poor.  This did not diminish her standing in the eyes of Christ, even though she was chastised and made to feel guilty by some observers who apparently had taken Christ for granted and put the poor ahead of the One Who would die for their sins.  Without using words that would put them in their place, antagonizing them, Jesus told them lovingly that they would not always have Him, but the poor they would always have with them. [4]

Now that Christ is dead (and risen), there is no need for anyone to "pour perfume" on the body of Jesus.

Not in the literal sense.  When Jesus said, "you will not always have me," [5] was He referring to His earthly life which was about to end relative to the lives of those who would outlive Him at the time, or could He be referring to all those who would come into existence long after His resurrection, who could have Him in their hearts and minds while still in their flesh but not necessarily after their deaths since their souls could end up in Hell where they would be consumed eternally by pains and regrets?

The parables of Jesus are not static in time and therefore are relevant in the present.  They were told in a manner that would last through the ages and be applicable to anyone in any age, and at any age.  Accordingly, at least two interpretations of this Gospel of Mark, 14:1-10, ought to be deemed reasonable in this day and age.

The first is to always put Christ ahead of anything else that seems to matter, to have Him in one's life (since one may go to Hell thereafter and could no longer have Him), and to give Him the best one has to give: time and love daily by means of humble prayers, sincerity of reconciliations and expressions of gratitude.

To arrive at the second, one has to focus on the woman. This woman with the "alabaster jar of very expensive perfume" [6] was never identified as to who she was or where she came from.  She was just some woman, perhaps a relative, a friend or a caretaker of Simon, with no special status, who happened to be at Simon the Leper's home when Jesus was there.  She might not have even known Who Jesus was, let alone a believer in Him, but it was clear that she performed with kindness and love, freely and unconditionally, "a beautiful thing" for a guest of Simon the Leper, something so  beautiful that Jesus said, "wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her." [7]  Based on this perspective, the second interpretation of Mark's Gospel 14:1-10 could be that any person (a believer in Christ or not) who acts with purity of kindness and love toward others (poor or not) is beautiful enough that Christ would come to this person's defense, and be shown the path to Heaven.



[1] Charitable giving can be done in many ways.  Making a spectacle of it, like in a new television show in the United States called "Knock Knock Live," is vulgar.  In the first episode, a blower was used to scatter $5, $10 and $20 bills in the air on a residential street.  People scampering around, crouching down and picking them up from the ground were filmed for entertainment.
[2] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+14%3A1-10&version=NIV
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Ibid.

Unhappy With The Current Pope

This blogger has been doing his part in criticizing the pope, from the day he picked the name Francesco after San Francesco d'Assisi.  In the United States, his recent approval rating, dated July 22, 2015, shows a decline of 17 percent among the general population and a drop of 27 percent among conservatives from a year ago. [1]  Contrast these numbers with another survey conducted February 18-22, 2015, showing his immense popularity: 90 percent with a favorable view and 60 percent with a very favorable view. [2]  To be sure, statistics can be misleading, depending on the questions asked, the words used, the numerical values assigned, the sample size and the segment of population in the sample.  Had this blogger been asked if he had a favorable view of the pope, the response would be detailed in a statistically unquantifiable memorandum, with more negatives than positives.

After clicking on a number of related articles on the internet, this blogger was surprised to find out that he is not the only blogger unhappy with the current pope.  In fact, a much more knowledgeable blogger and a far better writer than this one was also critical of him.  Her name is Elizabeth Scalia. Below is an excerpt from one of her posts:

I love His Holiness Pope Francis, but for a while now, I have been feeling harangued by him, as he's been harping on us to do more, and ever more, to practice mercy on the world; to welcome the stranger, to clean up the rivers, to bring about justice and peace in our time; to level the playing fields, visit the sick, and so on. 

These are, of course, all very good things.  You can't argue with someone who is telling you to love the poor, or to make room in your pew for the transgendered, or to help poor kids get new opportunities, or to pay a worker what he is due.  

But sometimes, when I read Pope Francis exhorting us again  about the poor, or the environment, and urging people once again, to take action, to go out into the world and fix-all-of-the-things, because Jesus wants it (and yes, I'm sure Jesus does) I can't help thinking, "but Holy Father, have mercy! Do you not know that many of us are already doing the best we can?  Some of us are doing all  we can to keep the family together, keep food on the table, and maybe go out to a movie once in a while. [3] (Emphasis  original.)

Later on, she quoted Mark's Gospel:

"The poor you will always have with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them, but you will not always have me.

["]She has done what she could.  She has anticipated anointing my body for burial.["] [4] (Emphasis by Elizabeth Scalia.)

And like others frustrated with this pope, Elizabeth Scalia turned to the last pope, Pope Benedict XVI (whom this blogger likes), and quoted him:

"Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction." [5]

[1] http://www.gallup.com/poll/184283/pope-francis-favorable-rating-drops.aspx
[2] http://www.pewforum.org/2015/03/05/in-u-s-popes-popularity-continues-to-grow/?utm_source=Pew+Research+Center&utm_campaign=06df015817-3_5_2015&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_3e953b9b70-06df015817-399974833
[3] http://www.patheos.com/blogs/theanchoress/2015/07/15/catholicisms-future-love-and-mercy-with-scoldings/
[4] Ibid.
[5] Ibid.

How To Spend US$100 Million?

A hundred million US dollars is a substantial sum of money by most people's standards.  How to spend it is a question that only someone who has that kind of wealth is qualified to answer and to make good on it.  Yuri Milner is one such individual who will "start with $100 million" budgeted over 10 years to search for "intelligent extraterrestrial life" [1] as opposed to moronic extraterrestrial life.  One would think that finding nothing would make the $100 million that would be spent far more worthwhile than actually finding a handful of accidental single-celled-brained imbecilic creatures at a distant galaxy--any deep sea animal would be far more intelligent in comparison.  If such were the only aliens out there, would that not be an anticlimactic disappointment a hundred million dollars later?

Notwithstanding the likelihood of disappointments, Yuri Milner teamed up with self-avowed atheist Stephen Hawking on Monday, July 20, 2015, to make the announcement, (digressing somewhat from the matter at hand) the same Stephen Hawking who once stated that "space travel offers the best hope for our species' immortality." [2] Traveling at the speed of light, perhaps? [3]  As far as this blogger knows, no known matter hurtling through space at the speed of light can maintain its composition without vaporizing.  Maybe Stephen Hawking knows something the world does not know, or maybe his ego had exceeded his intellect, causing him to spew nonsense that has no empirical evidence.  However, that is not to say that traveling at the speed of light, or even faster, does not occur or that an eternity of existence is conjecture. Traveling at the speed of light is possible for a spirit since the spirit is not composed of matter.  A spirit is also eternal, just as God is eternal, and it is God who breathed spirit into man, so that man is truly an image of God.

God does not exist in Stephen Hawking's world.  Why should Stephen Hawking, the atheist, be concerned with immortality? Why not let his Godless theory of spontaneous creation [4] dictate the certain but not-so-spontaneous death and the sufferings that sometimes accompany it? Why should atheist Hawking place the human species above all other species when speaking of immortality by referring only to "our species" and remaining silent as to all other species?  Is the human species so special?  Of course!  Man is God's creation. Man is the human species and is  special. There is no doubt in this blogger's mind that Stephen Hawking believes that he is special not only because he is man, but also one who is intellectually gifted.

Because Stephen Hawking is special, therefore who other than Stephen Hawking, an atheist scientist who believes that "life rose spontaneously on Earth" [5] and who is famously smart would a tycoon named Yuri Milner pick to make the announcement on his spending of $10 million a year for ten years to look for the existence of alien life form?  Nobody, except for Stephen Hawking.  Stephen Hawking is the man, the one who can neither  explain with absolute certainty how the conditions that permitted the "life" he referred to that "arose spontaneously on Earth" could be so perfectly synchronized for "life" to thrive on this planet nor  deduce by infallible logic how humans became the only earthly species that is superior by far to all others, and the one who does not tell the world why he became so angry at God that he declared himself an atheist. [6]

Nobody is perfect, but Stephen Hawking was the perfect person for the job Yuri Milner had for him, making an announcement for Milner.  If a brilliant mind can be bought, certainly less brilliant minds are for sale as well.  A number of scientists will be given the assignment from Yuri Milner to find something that in this blogger's subjective and unscientific opinion does not exist.  But that is money well-spent--on something that cannot be bought, definitive knowledge of whether "humanity is alone or not." [7] Anything that cannot be bought is priceless.  Therefore, the $100 million is arguably priceless.

What truly is priceless is one's abiding faith in God which Yuri Milner seems to lack, which he is unable to purchase with his wealth.  Not being able to buy God, Yuri Milner is paying scientists to find what is neither in the future (not the eventual existence of extraterrestrial life but its existence relative to time in the present) nor at some place far away (measured perhaps in terms of light years).  By doing so, he is refusing to acknowledge that "intelligent extraterrestrial life" had existed previously on this very planet Earth, in the Person of Jesus, the Son of God, Who was indeed an intelligent extraterrestrial being, for He was both God and human, conceived by another extraterrestrial entity, the Holy Spirit, and born of the Virgin Mary, an extraterrestrial phenomenon.  If the Son of God is not "extraterrestrial" enough for Yuri Milner and Stephen Hawking, it is a possibility that they could, after their mortal lives, spend their eternity as spirits looking for whatever they think extraterrestrials ought to look like, with no result, no satisfaction, no God and no peace.  That would be Hell.

There is not enough combined wealth on planet earth to buy a ticket out of Hell but enough to go there [8], nor is there enough combined intellect in humans to know the Truth without God.  Besides the $100 million that Yuri Milner has to spend on finding extraterrestrial life, the hundreds of millions more that he likely still has will be worth zero to him at death. Similarly, the intellect that Stephen Hawking was gifted with will expire at his death.

In life, some are gifted with wealth, some with intellect, some with beauty, some with hardships [9] and some with unyielding faith in God.  All these gifts come to an end except faith which lives on in eternity.  The fact that faith in God may not be innate for some, it can be acquired, not with money or intellect, but with humility and purity of love, things that everyone is capable of, that cost no money but that are so rare to come by.  Faith in God ("Faith") is as perfect a marriage partner on earth as any other: Faith and wealth, Faith and intellect, Faith and beauty and Faith and hardships.  All of these "marriages" will lead to Heaven. Other marriages, such as atheism and atheism, pride of wealth and pride of intellect will not.

One would hope that Yuri Milner and Stephen Hawking would awaken to faith in God, that together they would look interiorly for the Truth that lead them to Heaven rather than externally to other theoretical universes that lead them to the vast emptinesses devoid of life and love.

[1] http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2015/07/20/stephen-hawking-announces-100-million-hunt-for-alien-life/

[2] http://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/im-atheist-stephen-hawking-god-space-travel-n210076
[3] http://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/29082/would-time-freeze-if-you-could-travel-at-the-speed-of-light
[4] http://news.discovery.com/space/the-universe-no-god-required-120626.htm
[5] http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2015/07/20/stephen-hawking-announces-100-million-hunt-for-alien-life/
[6] If Stephen Hawking did not say why he is an atheist, Stephen Hawking's ex-wife, Jane Wilde, did it for him: "'I understand the reasons for Stephen's atheist beliefs, because if at the age of 21 a person is diagnosed with a terrible disease, are you going to believe in God?  I think not."' See http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/stephen-hawkings-first-wife-jane-wilde-prayed-god-he-would-live-he-mocked-her-faith-1484522
[7] http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2015/07/20/stephen-hawking-announces-100-million-hunt-for-alien-life/
[8] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+4%3A8-10&version=NIV
[9] Hardships can hardly be considered a "gift" but the life that came with hardships is a gift.  That fact cannot be minimized or overlooked.  No one knows why different lives have different gifts and why hardships fall on some but not others. That only God knows.

Mass Attendance Decline In The Philippines

A concise, well-written April 12, 2013, Philippine Daily Inquirer article about the shrinking number of Catholics attending Sunday Mass in the Philippines [1] was not a 2-year old country-specific phenomenon but a current reality generally everywhere.  The decline was attributed in part to "bland and boring" homilies, second collections (putting the burden of apportioning the first collection upon the parishioners), the perfunctory performance of priestly duties during Mass and "'superficial religiosity'", all of which sums up what this blogger has in mind for an entry.  Since these thoughts had already been expressed, far better than what this blogger can do, this entry ends here with two citations concerning homilies [2], [3], and the last paragraph of the article first cited:

"There's a lack of spirituality among our priests.  That's why their marriage doesn't come across to their listeners.  We must be personal witnesses.  As St. Augustine said, 'Before anyone can touch others, you must yourself be touched by God.'" [4]

[1] http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/389451/priests-blame-boring-sermons-second-collections
[2] http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1501807.htm ("No boring homilies, pope tells new priests at ordination")   Quoted from the April 27, 2015, Catholic News Service article: "'The bad shepherd,' [the pope] said, 'thinks about himself and exploits the sheep.  The good shepherd thinks about the sheep and gives himself for them.'"
[3] http://www.cruxnow.com/church/2015/02/11/vatican-gives-tips-on-preparing-homilies-tying-them-to-catechism/ ("The Vatican on homilies: Keep it short and don't be boring")  Every homilist ought to read this February 11, 2015, Catholic New Service article to understand what a homily is  ("[it] should show people how God's word is being fulfilled in their midst, how it calls them to growth and conversion") and is not ("[it] cannot 'address some issue completely unrelated to the liturgical celebration and its readings' or 'do violence to the texts provided by the church by twisting them to fit some preconceived idea'" in accordance with the Homiletic Directory published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, dated June 29, 2014.
[4] http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/389451/priests-blame-boring-sermons-second-collections

Little Sisters Of The Poor

That the United States would oppress those given their religious liberty by its Constitution is unthinkable but the unthinkable took place on July 14, 2015, when the 3-judge panel of the 10th Circuit federal appeals court in Denver, Colorado, ruled against the Catholic nuns belonging to the Catholic religious community called Little Sisters Of The Poor.  [1], [2], [3], [4], [5]

The judges disingenuously reasoned that "because the accommodation does not involve them in providing, paying for, facilitating, or causing contraceptive coverage, Plaintiffs’ only involvement in the scheme is the act of opting out." [6]

The truth is: everything costs money, directly or indirectly. In this case, the providing of contraceptive coverage will in one way or another be reflected in the insurance premiums.  For the judges to opine that opting out is merely the signing of a piece of paper and nothing else, they are deluding themselves which intellectuals often do, with no basis in reality.

Be that as it may, the judges' ruling stands if the case is not appealed.  Hopefully, this case will be appealed, and if the United States Supreme Court affirms the Circuit court's decision or lets the ruling stand without a hearing, then my advice to Little Sisters Of The Poor is to let the fines be levied, let the hospices be closed, let all of the feeble, the sick and the dying elderly go to the United States government in Washington, D.C. with their walking aids, in their wheelchairs and on their death beds and seek care.



[1] http://www.becketfund.org/littlesisters/ (quick introduction to Little Sisters Of The Poor)
[2] http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/07/14/denver-court-rules-against-little-sisters-poor-contraception-coverage-case/ (good synopsis of the case)
[3] http://hotair.com/archives/2015/07/14/10th-circuit-to-little-sisters-of-the-poor-comply-with-contraception-mandate/ (slightly more detailed summary of the case)
[4] http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2014/01/12/obamacare-contraception-little-sisters-of-the-poor-editorials-debates/4446007/ (good editorial)
[5] http://www.becketfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/LSP-Op.pdf (the 133-page opinion, including the partial dissent)
[6] Ibid, page 78.

The Future

One's future changes with time.  When one is old enough to anticipate, assuming that life's circumstances are good, the future can be full of wonder.  Everything that is new is exciting.  At some point, wonders become possibilities and the potential to realized them seem limitless.

As the years go by, when trials are met by failures, realities set in, so instead of having lofty goals such as conquering the world and changing it, one is changed by defeats. Making a living, raising a family then become the focus in life.  The future is no further than the daily routines, the typical work schedule and the next vacation.

When the children have left home, the future is mainly the passage of time, day after day, vacation after vacation, as one seasons folds into another, as the years seem to go by quicker and quicker.  This lasts a while until one's parents are no longer able to care fully for themselves, needing attention and care.  They are a preview of one's future that one does not care to plan for or think about until it becomes real.  By the time it does, one's future may not be so carefree, like the future of one's younger years.

At death's door, if one's mind is still functional, what kind of future can one imagine, if any?  Is the end of life merely the shutting of eyes and the cessation of breath with nothing to look forward to?  Can life be so meaningless, born to dream in the younger years, to cope with realities during middle-age [1] and to lie on a death bed accepting the inevitable without a scintilla of hope?

If life ends without no hope and no future, which means that all hopes are only as long as one's lifespan, then what is the purpose of having hopes?  One may as well let the present be.  To think that one's hope can be transferred to the next generation is egoistical and delusional.  Nobody wants to carry out the hopes of the dead for the living have their own hopes to realize.

Misery, on the other hand, can be successfully transferred, even if the next generation does not want it.  The reason for anyone to want to keep a hope alive is to nullify the misery attached it. [2] Therefore, any hope that is free of misery is a hope that will expire. 

Expired hopes ends in nothingness and nothingness in the end makes whatever precedes it meaningless, aside from assets that are bequeathed and/or distributed in accordance with the terms of a trust. [3]  Since a life precedes the distribution of assets at death, and hope dies even with a living trust [4], life therefore has no meaning except for those who believe in a future after death.

Having a future after death means existence continues in the afterlife.  With an afterlife, hope can be had on the death bed.  The only hope on the death bed that has meaning is the hope for Heaven.  Heaven which is eternal gives meaning to life which is not.  The hope of Heaven is for man to willingly choose God over Satan.  If man does not hope for Heaven, his alternative is Hell.  There is no hope in Hell.  Hell is a wasteland full of restless miserable souls that refused to be saved.  It is an eternity of hopelessness and it is always in the present without a future.  It does have a past of eternal regret of having lived a life of irrelevance.  That itself is hellish.  

[1] Some cope by wanting to own the world while others by escaping it, and the rest by relying on a variety of distractions.

[2] As an example, keeping the hope of Heaven alive is to negate the misery of Hell.

[3] Assets of the deceased have meaning because the beneficiaries can use the money.  Not too many people find no meaning in money, even money with conditions. Conditions can be attached to assets and set forth in a living trust if one wants to dictate the terms from the grave, but how is the deceased going to enforce those terms (hopes) to the letter?  In short, hopes die even with a living trust.  No hope, no need for a future.

[4] Ibid.

Top Christian Turns Investment Advisor

The pope had asked all Catholics "to dump stocks with heavy exposure to coal and other greenhouse-gas-emitting energy sources." [1]  This presumes that the world would be better off for humanity when investors hold a "holy equity portfolio" which is well-diversified across all industries other than those that are supposedly environmentally irresponsible leading to global warming, but investing in companies that weaponize aircrafts, ships, vehicles and the earth's natural resources as well as companies that profit from the sale of alcohol, tobacco and firearms are no better off for humanity but the pope is silent on them.

The pope ought to stay out of the secular world, be holy, and inspire people to take the path of Christ by living a life of simplicity and holiness, like his namesake saint, Francesco d'Assisi, not by spouting platitudes on topics of which he and the scientific community he relies on do not a full understanding.  If he had implored the world's Catholics all to live simply, without being consumers of goods that rely on fossil fuels to generate, then global warming would likely slow down by about one-seventh. [2], [3]

As an aside, the world is generally becoming warmer.  Is that so terrible?  When one becomes sick, one's immune system reacts to combat that sickness.  When the globe is imbalanced, this blogger surmises that it reacts like the human immune system but unlike one's immune system which may not be able to overcome all illnesses, the world's self-regenerating ability will preserve the world's existence, likely at the expense of the human race, by becoming so hot and so frigid that it would sanitize everything, returning itself to its original Garden of Eden condition, in order to start over.

If the pope is truly serious about the environment and if global-warming is to be stemmed, he should not simply ask Catholic investors to sell their stocks in companies that depend heavily on fossil fuels but to take a courageous step forward and announce to the world that it must use nuclear power, except Japan, a country with a recorded history of earthquakes and tsunamis [4] but had failed to relocate its nuclear plants away from the sea.  He should further ask the oil-rich countries, especially the group in the Mideast, including Iran, [5] to build as many air-cooled  nuclear power plants [6] as needed for their own energy consumption.  He should also ask the scientific community to miniaturize air-cooled nuclear generators so that public buildings, high rise offices, apartments and individual homes around the world can have them for their electrical needs.  If global warming is now at a critical stage, then he should ask the world to stop all transportation that relies on the use fossil fuel, directly and  indirectly, and live the lifestyle of the traditional Amish people who travel using the horse and buggy (carriage). [7]

[1] http://www.morningstar.com/news/market-watch/TDJNMW_20150709162/popes-climatechange-message-converting-catholics-into-activist-investors.html

[2] https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=number%20of%20catholics%20in%20the%20world

[3] https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=world%20population

[4] http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Safety-and-Security/Safety-of-Plants/Fukushima-Accident/

[5] http://explorationworld.com/top10/246/Top-10-oil-richest-countries-in-the-world

[6] http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/our-energy-choices/energy-and-water-use/water-energy-electricity-nuclear.html#.VZ948PlViko

[7] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MLCuWEwqSk

Christians Who Mix Religion With Commerce

This blogger was so wrong in his last entry entitled Christians Not Coming Out To Affrim Church Teachings In A Secular World,  but time will tell if it is so, after all appeals from a case in Oregon have been exhausted, if Christians will have their way in a world run by a secular government, or a government that adheres to a clear separation between church and state.

Melissa Klein of Oregon not only mixed ingredients to make cakes that she sold out of her now closed bakery Sweet Cakes, she and her husband also incorporated their religion into their business.  Based on their belief that homosexual marriage is a sin, they refused to accept an order for a wedding cake from two lesbians,  As a result, they were ordered to pay $135,000 in damages. [1]

This entry addresses mainly the religious beliefs of the Kleins and peripherally the ruling against them which is being appealed.  The case would likely be adjudicated based on the constitution and the state laws of Oregon, but this entry speculates on a possible legal outcome should the case reach the United States Supreme Court ("USSC") on the issue of religious freedom in light of the United States Commerce Clause [2] and the very amorphous concept called "substantial effect" that the USSC read into it. [3]

The Kleins are Christians and believe that homosexual marriage is a sin, relying on Leviticus 18:22 [4], [5] but did not go as far as citing Leviticus 20:13 [6].  Their extrapolation that Leviticus 18:22 would condemn females who sleep with females may or may not be reasonable but beliefs are not subject to the standard of reasonableness.  However, for the Kleins to conclude that homosexual marriage is necessarily sinful would require a judgment.

Judging others is against the teaching of Christ. [7]  Perhaps examining their own sins relative to the sins of others, practicing humility that is fundamental to the Gospels and not judging may be good for their souls, even if God agrees with their belief.  Ultimately God holds the scale that measures the weight of sins a person carries in life based on the totality of the circumstances that encompasses both facts and intent.

If the Kleins' judgment is correct, that the couple offering to purchase a wedding cake from them will engage in lesbian sex, occasionally or insatiably, then the Book of Leviticus that is part of the Old Testament which is against homosexual sex, is the right authority to rely on to reject the lesbian couple's offer based on the Klein's unwavering belief that homosexual marriage that ultimately leads to homosexual sex is a sin against God, regardless of any other subsequent parts of the Bible that may or may not have have modified or overruled certain parts of Leviticus.  For the Kleins, it is about their beliefs and their right as US citizens having the freedom of religion under the US Constitution.

Many people in the world do not have freedom of religion. This freedom is a precious by any standard.  For the government to impose a penalty upon the Kleins for their refusal to bake a wedding cake for a lesbian couple is to take away the Kleins' freedom to exercise their religion under the 1st Amendment of the US Constitution [8] in the performance of their daily work for their daily bread.

The freedom to exercise one's religious beliefs in the United States is not unbridled.  A clear separation of church and state is maintained, notwithstanding the reference to God on all United States notes and coins, a currency no Buddhists, Muslims, agnostics, atheists or Satanists would refuse to gladly receive and spend.  One possible argument that the Kleins must  bake the wedding cake for the lesbian couple under the laws of the United States may be found in the Commerce Clause [9] that on its face regulates only interstate--not intrastate--commerce, commerce with foreign nations and Indian tribes [10] and further under the "substantial effect" doctrine [11] that had been read into the Clause by the USSC even though the Kleins only bake cakes for local consumption and do not sell across state lines because  the equipment and ingredients that the Kleins use to bake their cakes are not all manufactured and grown locally within the state (these facts are assumed) and therefore state lines have been crossed.  It is also possible that the parts that go into their baking equipment had been shipped from overseas, and that some of their equipment were assembled in another country, not to mention that the vehicle, its components and the fuel they use to transport the raw materials used for baking are likely not products of the state of Oregon.

The cakes that the Kleins bake are therefore inextricably connected to the international and interstate stream of commerce, so much so that they would have no other option but to be subjected to and abide by the laws of the United States prohibiting discrimination.  Otherwise, if the Kleins can reject homosexuals based on their religious beliefs, then other supposedly intrastate businesses would also be able to do so, forcing homosexuals that engage in homosexual sex to not only go from one baker to another, but also from one technician, tax adviser, marriage counselor, lessor and seller of housing (those not subject to the US Fair Housing Act) [12] to another to obtain what every other non-homosexual US citizen would be entitled to obtain with without being subject to discrimination.

With marriage being legal in all 50 states and federal benefits extending to all married couples regardless of sexual orientation, the Kleins' right to exercise their right under the Freedom of Religion in Amendment 1 of the US Constitution must unfortunately yield to the Commerce Clause found in same Constitution that secures the calm flow of commerce unimpeded by unending lawsuits balancing the arbitrariness of rejection and the authenticity of beliefs while the Kleins continue to reap benefits from the stream of interstate and international commerce that is maintained by the laws of the United States.

This is not a conclusion that sits well with this blogger, nor is the alternative superior.  To exist in this modern society where Caesars are ubiquitous, one must rely on their laws (not God's) to guarantee an efficient commerce without being shackled by different beliefs for it is nearly impossible to give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God [13]--a true separation of Church and state, of God and Godlessness.  That is not to say that one who has to make a living using commerce regulated by the US government cannot practice any religious beliefs.  Believers in God can always go toward Christ, the Son of God, with prayers and  toward sinners with an abundance of Christian humility, forgiveness and love with the enduring hope that good can emanate from their lifestyles taken after that of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Joseph and Jesus, and that all sinner's souls will be saved.


[1] http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2015/07/sweet_cakes_same-sex_discrimin.html
[2] http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Commerce+Clause
[3] http://nationalparalegal.edu/conLawCrimProc_Public/CongressionalPowers/SubstantialEffect.asp
[4] http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2015/03/sweet_cakes_discrimination_hea.html
[5] https://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/Leviticus%2018:22
[6] https://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/Leviticus%2020:13
[7] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%207:1-5
[8] https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/first_amendment
[9] http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Commerce+Clause
[10] https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/first_amendment
[11] http://nationalparalegal.edu/conLawCrimProc_Public/CongressionalPowers/SubstantialEffect.asp
[12] http://fairhousing.foxrothschild.com/2011/01/articles/fha-basics/exemptions-to-the-fair-housing-act-not-many-but-here-are-some/
[13] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%2012:17

Christians Not Coming Out To Affrim Church Teachings In A Secular World

As the right to display religious symbols in public places in the United States is being curtailed by the government in order to achieve a clear separation of church and state, religious institutions and their affiliates such as schools and charities that believe marriage can only be between a man and a woman will likely be confronted with the choice between accepting gay marriage or losing their tax-exempt status. [1], [2]

Should churches lose their non-taxable status, Christians will see many of their places of worship close their doors due to insolvency since donations to churches may be treated as taxable income (money collected for the purpose of providing religious services) as opposed to non-taxable gifts. Moreover, if churches are no longer tax-exempt, then donations would no longer be tax deductible, in which case, donations would likely shrink as would the survival of a good number of churches likely be in jeopardy.

With many Christians not having a place nearby to worship, they can be considered homeless--spiritually homeless, and like those without shelter, they would be relegated to the fringes of society.  Existing in an inferior status causes shame and embarrassment, so rather than wear visible badges of religious inferiority, Christians would try to hide their spiritual homelessness by finding invisible closets in which they can go into, coming out only to others who are like-minded privately, outside of work places, business conventions and secular gatherings.  Is it not ironic that Christians who disapprove of gay lifestyles and gays who have been subjected to such disapproval seemed to have switched places, with the former group going into and the latter coming out of the closet?

Those who dare to come out as Christians will face reprobation and rejection in a secular world accepting of behaviors and lifestyles that are contrary to Christian beliefs and will do so at the risk of losing their contracts with the government, their jobs in the government and in the private sector with government contracts because the government has to ensure that those who live the gay lifestyle, the innocuous and the abominable, would not be subject to discrimination. [3]  Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that rather than being upfront and talk about their religious beliefs, Christians will not be coming out of their closets to advocate church teachings in a secular world.


[1] http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/07/02/government-crusade-against-churches-begins-with-removal-of-non-profit-status/
[2] http://goodnewsaboutgod.com/studies/spiritual/the_organized_church/501c3.htm
[3] For Christians to practice their religion in the United States, they can do so in private "'behind closed doors'" like in China but not out in the open, in the public square and certainly not while carrying on their businesses in the stream of commerce.  Hopefully that day will not come to pass but the force of law may propel it in the direction of China.

The End Of The World Is Now

This purely subjective entry is not about Armageddon per se but about the many "worlds" that had ended and had been replaced by "new worlds" to which everyone, to a larger or lesser extent, adapts to eventually, with eagerness and reluctance, out of habit and out of need, and under the force of law.  "New worlds" come into existence as a result of man sometimes using a rather perilous combination of his God-given talents and his Satan-driven desires, although not all newness in the changed worlds have origins rooted in evil.

For one world to die and another to be born used to take a generation or longer but the rate of replacement is increasing so much so that dramatic changes are taking place within a lifetime as medical and non-medical technology advances, the speed of communication quickens and as man's talents are more and more aligned with Satan's goal to destroy mankind.

It is apparent that the 18th century is very different from the current 21st.  The 18th century has been chosen as the starting point because this was the century in which some of the most famous musicians were born [1] and some of the most enduring musical pieces were written.  The classical composers of the 18th century were followed by impressionist painters of the 19th century whose renowned signature works are housed in the world's most notable museums.  Musicians [3] and artists [4] of the 18th and 19th centuries, respectively, had used their talents to glorify God whereas some of the talented ones of the 20th and the 21st centuries used theirs to serve Satan.

With major advances in medicine [5] in the 19th century beginning with vaccines [6] and continuing into the 20th century with the discovery of antibiotics [7], the healthy man had used his time to invent [8].  The top 10 innovations in the 20th century, as Jeff Danelek pointed out in his article, influenced humanity both positively and negatively. [9] While Danelek's list of top 10 inventions was not in chronological order, each invention had changed the world previous to its existence, and all of them together had brought to an end all the known worlds.

The world at present is on-going, but it is also ending, with robotics leading the way.  Robots will eventually be part of life, from performing household chores to providing transportation that benefits humanity to carrying out anonymous murders and unaccounted for computerized warfare that destroys it.

The end of the world means that a new one had replaced it. Like an infant, the new world has the potential to be good but it also has an equal potential to be evil.  Based on the events that are unfolding at present, God's will is not being done on earth as it is in Heaven.  In fact, Satan's plans are being executed, beginning with the rejection of the ideal woman exemplified by the Blessed Virgin Mary, the resultant disintegration of the family and the isolation of the individual fueled by technology to the replacement of love for neighbor with power over and control of neighbor, the elimination of true  spiritual conscience in favor of imperfect secular rules of the totalitarian State and the coming disintegration of the Church (currently being rotted out from within by hypocrites and minions of Satan) and all other religious institutions to be reconstituted as puppets of tyrannical regimes [10].


[1]  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:18th-century_classical_composers
[2] http://www.historyofpainters.com/19th_century.htm
[3] Two of the greatest 18th century composers of classical music who glorified God were Ludwig van Beethoven and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.  Beethoven wrote the Missa Solemnis and Mozart the Mass in C Minor and others.
[4] Vincent van Gogh showed his love for Christ by painting the Pietà after Eugene Delacroix and the Raising of Lazarus.  Even though Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Claude Monet and many other 19th century Impressionist painters had not painted anything religious, Renoir glorified God by some his paintings depicting a certain peaceful timelessness that could very well have been similar to a picture taken in the Garden of Eden had it continued.  The same goes for the waterlilies that Claude Monet painted and his personal garden of Eden at Giverny that he tended (one needs to walk around his garden and pause to reflect to appreciate fully the beauty and tranquility contained within its proportions).
[5] http://www.localhistories.org/medicine.html
[6] "Louis Pasteur, the Father of Immunology?" by Kendall A. Smith
[7] "A Brief Biography of Alexander Fleming" by Tim Lambert
[8] "Top 10 Inventions of the 20th Century" by Jeff Danelek
[9] Ibid.
[10] ISIL is an example.  ISIL is a criminal regime with its own flag that had hijacked Islam, making the religion its homicidal puppet.