Friday, October 14, 2016

The Prince






Niccolo Machiavelli, author of The Prince, is known as the father of modern statecraft because he advised sixteenth-century princes to disregard accepted standards of virtue and "enter into evil when necessary." He recognized no higher authority than the state. He believed that virtue was whatever allowed the prince to survive politically. While it is better for the prince to be feared than loved, he should avoid being hated, as that could jeopardize his power. Best of all is to ruthlessly pursue power while appearing upright.The prince is a plan for seizing and holding power. Even today it is a realistic plan to become president of the United States of America.. Machiavelli set down a plan on leadership that was practical, not idealistic.This book is must reading for every politician on power politics.

The Clinton's have not only read the Prince but have memorized it, as they are about to become the leaders of the most powerful country in the world for a second time by using these principles. Pick up a copy of The Prince at your local library and you will see the tactics used by the Clinton's all through the book.

Thursday, October 13, 2016

C.S. Lewis: Thoughts on Jesus of Nazareth.


"I am trying to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic--on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg--or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to."

This quote was taken from his book, "Mere Christianity". C.S.Lewis is one of the great thinkers of out time. He was an atheist who set out to prove the claims of Jesus to be Gods Son false and instead became a Christian apologist. I challenge you to pick up a copy of "Mere Christianity" at your local library. It is a fascinating read.

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

It Is Finished...






Many people are confused by Matthew 5:17 when Jesus said,"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets: I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them..." (the Law and the Prophets being the Old Testament). We must also read Colossians 2: 13-15. Paul told us that when we were dead in our sins and in the uncircumcision of our sinful nature, God forgave us all our sins having cancelled the written code, with its regulations ( The Old Testament ) by nailing it to the cross. So with this passage we realize that Jesus was telling us that by dying on the cross, he fulfilled the law. (The Old Testament). As you probably know, we were given the Law so that we would realize how impossible it is to work our way to heaven and our only hope is the grace of Jesus. No matter how hard we try we can't even live up to the ten commandments.The Old Testament is the Jewish bible and the New Testament is the Christian bible.

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Submission to Governing Authorities






Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. KJV Romans Chapter 13: 1-2.

Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgement on themselves. NIV Romans Chapter 13: 1-2.

The above Bible verse seems plain to me. Christians are to accept our new President whoever he/she may be. If it turns out to be a person we weren't supporting then we were wrong and not God. I personally believe that if Hillary is chosen as our next President God is bringing judgement on America for taking him out of the schools and public places and allowing the Muslim faith in his place.

I believe the above verse does not preclude our working to abolish abortion, placing God and the Ten commandments, that have served us so well in the past, back in our schools. And above all else Christians should be earnestly praying: Thy Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.That particular part of the Lords model prayer is asking Jesus to return soon and put an end to all this madness on earth.

Saturday, October 8, 2016

TELEOLOGY

Does the universe have a purpose?

According to Aristotle, everything has a telos, which is an inner goal it is "meant to be.". An acorn has a telos, which is an oak tree. It's what an acorn is "meant to be." Birds have one, bees have one.

Does human life have a telos? Aristotle thought so. He thought the telos of human life is happiness. St. Augustine, seven centuries later, thought the telos of life is to love God. Martin Heidegger a twentieth-century existentialist thought man's telos is to live without denial of the true human condition, particularly death.

I personally go along with St. Augustine and believe that we were designed to love and worship God. The human condition is hopeless without Jesus Christ in our lives.