WH Weekly Address Oct 19, 2013
Remarks of President Barack Obama

Transcript

Blatant idolatry in modern music

Jeroboam's Idolatry source

In a recent song titled let nas down by hip hop artist j. cole, there is a chorus that states "Yeah, long live the idols, may they never be your rivals pac was like jesus, nas wrote the bible."  Then later in the verses he says "I used to print out nas raps and tape 'em up on my wall," "I let nas down damn, my heart sunk to my stomach."

I have no interest in passing judgement on j. cole, may the Lord God bless his life. What I will do is point out the obvious truth, using his craft and this song as an example. 

The Bible is filled with verses that warn believers of idolatry. Its is a rational and logically sound warning for reasons like this one.  

Deuteronomy 6:7-9 “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.“You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.“You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.“You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."

Like Moses who was an expert in the Word of God, j. cole is an expert in the word of nas. Moses commanded the Israelites to put the commandments on their heart. He then instructs them to write them on the doorsteps of their homes in the same way j. cole taped nas raps on his wall. 

As a result of diligently reviewing and studying his idols nas and tupac, j. cole becomes a great rapper. He even places his idols by his heart and letting nas down causes his heart to sink.

Moses wanted the Israelite's to be experts of Gods word and their hearts to sink when they let God down. In Matthew 22:37 Jesus give us the same command.

Idolatry is all around us in the modern world and it is up to us to decide what we will tape to our walls, speak of with family and friends, and place on hearts. I recommend the Word of God.

Perception vs reality

A couple days ago I saw the episode “Hamletta” from the Goodwin Games and today I saw a video titled It’s Not About The Nail. Both of them seem to comically tackle an interesting Idea, the truth.  An Aspiring actress and a stubborn girlfriend, both have the same problem. It’s false perception. “Perception is reality,” we might say, but that’s not true at all.  We often forget why we make statements like that.  The Fact that perception is not reality is the very reason why we say that it is. We use phrases like these is a warning and tactic. You can either make your motives clear to reveal the truth or make it appear as you wish so as to hide the truth.

Consider these characters, the aspiring actress who can’t act and the stubborn girlfriend championing her model communication skills. How did they get there?

It was a good intentioned, relativizing brother and an ill intentioned, reprobate, pedophiliac schoolteacher who deceived the aspiring actress and it was probably self-help media and feminist gender prejudice that deceived the unstable girlfriend. I don’t know, maybe I’m wrong about where it came from for the girlfriend but the fact remains that it’s there right in between her eyes (literally).

What does it matter if “it’s all relative” and “ignorance is bliss ” and all that matters is the “to thine own self be true” proclamation? Nothing would be wrong if they were true statements. The problem is that they aren’t true. You wouldn’t say, “ignorance is bliss” to someone who likely has HIV or “its all relative” to a cereal killer or “to thine own self be true” to a child who lacks self-discipline, and I think that last one is taken out of context. To be honest with one’s self does not mean to give in to one’s desires. Just maybe, the first step to solving a problem is admitting we have one.

So what is our problem? If we concede that relativity is false, and that there is such a thing as good and evil and desirable and undesirable, than we can also acknowledge that we may have been deceived about what those are (Romans 1:25). Than the logical conclusion is truth exists free from our perception, and if free, than absolute (John 14:6). This absolute is God (John 1:1-5). Subject to nothing and no one but himself he has exalted his word above all else. (Psalm 138:2, John 5:19, Philippians 2:9). This is why the truth does set free when we submit ourselves to the study and doing of his word, because God alone is free. (John 8:31-36, Romans 8:17)

Article by Christopher Garcia contact

Modern day wonders and miracles

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A young boy's hearing was recently healed by scientist according to yahoo news. In Mark 7:31-37 Jesus heals a deaf man. What does this mean in regards to miracles then? In Exodus 7:8-13 pharaoh had magicians who were able to perform miracles similar to Moses and Aaron. Even Jesus states in Matthew 24:24 that false messiahs and prophets will perform great signs and wonders to deceive. Now before I get started I will clarify that I am not implying that scientist healing people of sicknesses is designed to intentionally deceive but rather could tend to mislead. I will explain my rationale

The definition of false according to google is

1. Not according with truth or fact; incorrect.
2. Not according with rules or law.

So the term false is perceived in two frames by all of us. There is definition 1, empirical evidence like Moses observing pharaohs men turning staffs into snakes and then there's definition 2, the law, whats ok and not ok to do with that power. Pharaoh was using this power of miracles to enslave, while Moses was trying to set his people free. Both were able to perform a miracle in plain sight but which man was not acting according to the law? As believers we would agree that pharaoh was false, not according to God's law.

In John 20:29  Jesus states "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." It doesn't take a second look to tell that Jesus was a good shepherd and pharaoh was a bad shepherd. Enslaving people against their will and being stubborn to the obvious facts. It doesn't matter what miracles are being performed before your eyes but whether those powers will be in the hands of those who will lead you out of enslavement or into enslavement. It's why a perfect sinless Christ as king over all the earth is so necessary, who gave us the truth in John 8:32. In a technological world, full of great wonders everyday God's Word is still the greatest of all wonders.

New law could increase STDs among teens

So the current administration lifted the age restriction for the Plan B/morning after pill. No worries to the pro lifer (such as myself) since it is not an abortion pill. If it were it would be a different story. All it does is prevent fertilization and does not eliminate a fertilized egg. 

I believe that a 15 year-old should not be having sex (nor should I since I'm not married) but this new law may do just the opposite. According to an article on USA Today, "The increased availability of plan B to teens will increase sexual activity among that age group. A study out of the United Kingdom showed that as the access to Plan B among teens increased, it was associated with a higher rate of diagnosis of STDs (sexually transmitted diseases) among that age group."

God recommends abstinence(self control) or marriage, over contraception.

Fundamentalist or mentally ill?

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In the close future religious fundamentalism may be considered a curable mental illness, according to Kathleen Taylor, a researcher at the University of Oxford.

I'm wondering....who gets to define the terms religious and fundamentalism? Hopefully it doesn't end up like the word terrorism (low odds).

It's supposedly a "cure" marketed towards radical religious practice. So if you go to church on Sunday, read the Bible and live by the Holy Spirit you're not fundamentalist. Are you? I mean, there's you going to church and there's you believing and experiencing the Holy Spirit. Science hasn't proved the Holy Spirit exist, so is it real? Some non believers might call that a delusion, hopefully the prestigious doctors at Oxford never share that same opinion. Interpret things as you wish but believing in the Bible wholeheartedly might pose an issue and fall in the fundamentalism category some day, but lets not get too paranoid.

God still protects our right to religious expression in the US and every Christian should take advantage of that right. It means not being afraid to say you believe Jesus walked the earth in the flesh, died and was resurrected. That God answers your prayers and that you have an intimate relationship with Him through the Son.

Wolf in sheep's clothing?

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Biblical text states in Colossians 2:8 "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ." Dalai Lama supports trying to achieve immortality through science and business according to a prweb release. If that's not taking a major blow to Christ who said He is the way, the truth and the life, then I don't know what is. We need to protect our faith by defending it against falsehoods, no matter how prevalent it becomes in modern culture.

Immortal means exempt from death. Do you think this is humanely possible? I consider it false advertising but God says in Genesis 11:6, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them." (NIV). God knows that when people are united working towards a purpose they can accomplish impossibilities, both for His glory or for their own glory. This is why unity in the body of Christ is so crucial.

Is the current one language science united through economics and democratic governments? Indeed it is beyond obvious that together humans have accomplished numerous and unbelievable feats in the last 200 years using these philosophies but has it been done in the glory of God? What will a future that has eliminated God and trumped scientific, economic and democratic ethics in regard to creation over biblical ethics look like? One thing is for sure, corruption has been rampant within the last decade both economically and democratically in our world. 

Science on the other hand is sort of impartial, handing over technology into the hands of the corrupt and noble alike(of course if you can afford it). Then we're left hoping and praying that the leaders of our world will be good shepherds, but can you be a good shepherd if you don't put God first? I say no, society obviously has different opinions.

God, gods and personifications

“Mother Earth”,  the nourisher of all things, from the alchemistic work “Atalanta fugiens” (1618) by Michael Maier (image in public domain). MEDIA SOURCE

Can you you believe in no God or gods but still "personify" nature and develop art in attribution to it ? We might not bow our heads or have statues and pray anymore but we act according to our right and wrong precepts. The art, images, etc of Mother Nature are just like statues, ways to communicate ethics(a set of concepts and principles that guide us in determining what behavior helps or harms sentient creatures). Whether you bow to it or pray to it is trivial, but has it become a part of or your entire identity, effectively altering moral precept.  If it has to then it may be your god. An example of nature's ethics infiltrating ethics is social darwinism. It may seem harmless but if you recognize the term "survival of the fittest" in its popular use, it is a term that is contrary to Christ's teaching who said blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. I'm not sure how cut throat business practices by the strong to the detriment of the weak competition is loving your neighbor as yourself.

Insulting someones belief in a God the Father while praising the belief in mother earth is ludicrous and offensive to what is good. It is simply a form of bigotry and ignorance relating to the mechanisms which govern the hearts and minds of humanity.

If one was interested in the social structures(patterned social arrangements in society that are both emergent from and determinant of the actions of the individuals) associated to God, gods and personifications of nature simple refer to history and you might see a pattern emerge. Examples below taken from wikipedia and britannica.

Mother Nature (sometimes known as Mother Earth) is a common personification of nature that focuses on the life-giving and nurturing aspects of nature by embodying it in the form of the mother.

Ba'al designated the universal god of fertility, and in that capacity his title was Prince, Lord of the Earth. In the mythology of Canaan, Baal, the god of life and fertility.

You believe in your gods and I'll believe in mine.