September
2004 Update
Dear Friends,
I wanted to drop you a note and remind you to get
involved in the election process this year. There
seems to be such a move to take the God whom we sought when this nation was birthed and
replace Him with everything that offends Him. We
are not
That marvelous heritage is being eroded faster than the Media can gleefully report it. Only you and I can stop it. That means the millions of Christians who stayed away from the voting booths last election must be there this time. It is time for you to get your church involved. Be sure all your friends, family and church- members are registered and will vote this November. As I said in my recent newsletter, set up a table at church and get a note in the bulletin. Get Voter registration forms filled out.. Visit your party headquarters and volunteer!
Here are a few reasons why.
Your brother in Christ,
Did You Know That:
Congress formed the American Bible Society. Immediately after creating the Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress voted to purchase and import 20,000 copies of scripture for the people of this nation.
Patrick
Henry, who is called the firebrand of the American Revolution, is still remembered for his
words, “Give me liberty or give me death.”
But in current textbooks the context of these words is deleted. Here is what he
actually said: “An appeal to arms and the God
of hosts is all that is left us. But we shall not fight our battle alone.
There is a just God that presides over the destinies of nations. The battle
sir, is not to the
strong alone. Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of
chains and slavery? Forbid it almighty God. I know not what course others may
take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death."
These
sentences have been erased from our textbooks. Was Patrick Henry a Christian? You be
the judge. The following year, 1776, he wrote this: "It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often
that this great Nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians; not on
religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For that reason alone, people of other
faiths have been afforded freedom of worship here."
Consider
these words that Thomas Jefferson wrote on the front of his well-worn Bible: "I am a real Christian, that is to say, a disciple
of the doctrines of Jesus. I have little doubt that our whole country will soon be
rallied to the unity of our Creator " He was also the chairman of the American
Bible Society, which he considered his highest and most important role.
On
There
is more. In 1782, the United States Congress
voted this resolution: "The Congress of the
William Holmes McGuffey is the author of the McGuffey Reader, which was used for over 100 years in our public schools with over 125 million copies sold until it was stopped in 1963. President Lincoln called him the "Schoolmaster of the Nation." Listen to these words of Mr. McGuffey: "The Christian religion is the religion of our country. From it are derived our notions on the character of God, on the great moral Governor of the universe. On its doctrines are founded the peculiarities of our free institutions. From no source has the author drawn more conspicuously than from the sacred Scriptures. For all these extracts from the Bible I make no apology."
Of
the first 108 universities founded in
"Let every student be plainly instructed and
earnestly pressed to consider well, the main end of his life and studies is, to know God
and Jesus Christ, which is eternal life, John 17:3; and therefore to lay Jesus Christ as
the only foundation for our children to follow the moral principles of the Ten
Commandments."
Yale
historian Harry S. Stout's wrote an article in Christian History magazine titled,
“Christianity and the American Revolution”.
Here is what he said about
“Over the span of the colonial era, American
ministers delivered approximately 8 million sermons, each lasting one to one-and-a-half
hours. The average 70-year-old colonial churchgoer would have listened to some 7,000
sermons in his or her lifetime, totaling nearly 10,000 hours of concentrated listening.
This is the number of classroom hours it would take to receive ten separate undergraduate
degrees in a modern university, without ever repeating the same course!
Events were perceived not from the mundane, human vantage point but from God's. The vast majority of colonists were Reformed or Calvinist, to whom things were not as they might appear at ground level: all events, no matter how mundane or seemingly random, were parts of a larger pattern of meaning, part of God's providential design. The outlines of this pattern were contained in Scripture and interpreted by discerning pastors. - [Today] taxation and representation are political and constitutional issues, having nothing to do with religion. But to eighteenth-century ears, attuned to lifetimes of preaching, the issues were inevitably religious as well."
Times
have changed, the world is different from those days, yet we all have the same hopes and
desires, the love of God, family and the freedoms that such a spiritually based birth gave us here in
Here are a few things to pray about.
A. Let
Your will be done in the fall 2004 elections. Let everything on earth work together to
bring about Your will and purposes.
--Psalm
33:11
B.
Raise up godly leaders who love You and who love righteousness. Give us elected officials
at every level who can be counted on to do what is right in Your eyes, honoring you and
shunning sin.
--II
Samuel 23:3-4
C.
Awaken our nation to the need for godly leaders. Make us a country of people hungry and
thirsty for righteous leaders.
--Proverbs
25:5, Proverbs 29:2
D.
Give discernment and wisdom to the electorate. Grant to our electorate the ability to see
those leaders whose actions are in accord with Your values and laws.
--Proverbs
3:21
E.
Spur the hearts of all Americans to invest their time, energy and interest in the fall
2004 elections. Cause them to dismiss the negative and seek Your will as they consider
candidates and issues.
--Philippians
2:14-15
F.
Protect our nation from harm and calamity throughout the campaigns, the conventions of
both parties and Election Day. Protect the candidates, their team members and the
delegates to their conventions. Foil the plans of anyone intending to bring harm or damage
to them. Guard and preserve our system of government.
--Psalm
32:7
G.
Guide the members of the media into wisdom and truth. Protect them from the temptation to
stretch or distort the truth, to add hype or spin. Give us sources for our
election-related decisions that are trustworthy and honorable.
--Proverbs
12:22
H.
Build into the very fabric of our nation a sense of the privilege and responsibility of
our citizenship. Grant each American of voting age an acute awareness of the value of his
or her vote. Let no one feel unneeded, unnecessary or above the process of the elections.
Cause unprecedented numbers to vote in this election, honoring You and doing Your will.
--Amos
6:1
I.
Grant that the election officials, machinery, balloting equipment, and all persons
involved in overseeing the elections will work flawlessly resulting in accurate and fair
results.
--Proverbs
1:3
J.
Bless the efforts of the Pray the VoteTM
initiative that great numbers of people will commit to pray and will faithfully follow
through on their commitment. Bring to mind the need for prayer and spread the word about
all the prayer efforts for this fall's elections http://www.presidentialprayerteam.org/praythevote/res-whattopray.php
Now
Back to the Ministry at Hand
The Soul Ties of Masonry
"We may not call in
question the propriety of this organization; if we would be Masons we must yield private
judgment. ‘To the law and to the testimony—if any man walk not by this rule it
is because there is no light in him."’—Pierson’s Traditions of
Freemasonry, p. 30.
"That this surrender of
free-will to Masonic authority is absolute (within the scope of the landmarks of the
order) and perpetual, may be inferred from an examination of the emblem (the shoe or
sandal) which is used to enforce this lesson of resignation. The esotery of the Masonic
rituals gives the fullest assurance of this: "once a Mason always a Mason" is an
aphorism in our literature conveying an undeniable truth."—Morris’
Dictionary of Freemasonry, p. 29.
"A Mason should know
how to obey those who are set over him, however inferior they may be in worldly rank; or
condition." —Macoy’s Masonic Monitor, p. 14.
"Disobedience and want of respect to Masonic superiors is an offense for which the transgressor subjects himself to punishment."—Mackey’s Masonic Jurisprudence, p. 511.
"Under the head of
Discipline is given a catalogue of fifteen prime classes of un-Masonic acts, of which this
is one. It is so subversive of the groundwork of Masonry, in which obedience is most
strongly inculcated, that the Mason who disobeys subjects himself to severe
penalties."— Morris’ Dictionary, pp. 91,92
"As a presiding officer
the Master is possessed or extraordinary powers which belong to the presiding officer of
no other association" Mackey's Masonic Jurisprudence, p. 344.
"The powers and
privileges of the Master of a lodge are by no means limited in extent."-Chase's
Digest of Masonic Law, page 380.
"An affirmation is not
equivalent to an oath in Masonry however it may be in common and is not legitimate in the
working of the lodge."-Ibid. p.13.
"The Covenant is
irrevocable. Even though a person may be suspended or expelled; though he may withdraw
from the Lodge, journey into countries where Masons cannot be found, or become a subject
of despotic governments that persecute, or a communicant of bigoted churches that denounce
Masonry, he cannot cast off or nullify his Masonic covenant; No law of the land can affect
it-no anathema of the church weaken it. It is irrevocable." -Webb's Freemasons'
Monitor, p. 240.
This accounts for many
strange and mysterious proceedings in our would-be courts of justice and in the churches.
NO law of the land (that is, civil law,) can even affect this lodge oath or covenant. No
anathema of the church (that is, divine law), can weaken it.
Is it any wonder that
criminals go scot-free when the sheriff that impanels the jury, enough of the jurors
impaneled to bring in a divided verdict, enough witnesses drummed up to make the evidence
appear contradictory, the attorneys of the prosecution and of the defense, and the judge
on the bench, are irrevocably bound to the prisoner at the bar as sworn brethren, by an
obligation considered paramount to all others, civil or divine?
Is it anything strange that
there is trouble in the church when the members are bound up, by this strong covenant,
with saloon-keepers, irreverent scoffers, and other evil-minded men, in sworn brotherhood?
Is there no escape from
Masonry is the now all important question. The answer is Yes, absolutely Yes! The Word of
God tells us that we can confess our sins (this oath bound bondage is sin) and He is
faithful and has mercy upon us.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (KJV,I John 1:9)
What a promise of deliverance. No blood oath can stand against the Word of God!
1. The prevalent use of
offensive concepts, titles, and terms such as "Worshipful Master" for the
leaders of the lodge; references to their buildings as "mosques,"
"shrines," or "temples"; and the use of such words as
"Abaddon" and Jah-Bul-On," the so-called secret name of God. To many, these
terms are not only offensive but sacrilegious.
2. The use of archaic, offensive rituals and so-called "bloody oaths" or "obligations," among those being that promised by the Entered Apprentice: [not listed for lack of space] or that of the Fellow Craft degree: [not listed for lack of space] Or that of the Master Mason: [not listed for lack of space] Or that of other advanced degrees with required rituals considered by many to be pagan and incompatible with Christian faith and practice. Even though these oaths, obligations and rituals may or may not be taken seriously by the initiate, it is inappropriate for a Christian to "sincerely promise and swear," with a hand on the Holy Bible, any such promises or oaths, or to participate in any such pagan rituals.
3. The recommended readings
in pursuance of advanced degrees, of religions and philosophies, which are undeniably
pagan and/or occultic, such as much of the writings of Albert Pike, Albert Mackey, Manly
Hall, Rex Hutchins, W.L. Wilmhurst and other such authors; along with their works, such as
Morals and Dogma, A Bridge to Light, An Encyclopedia of Freemasonry
and The Meaning of Masonry.
4. The reference to the
Bible placed on the altar of the lodge as the "furniture of the lodge,"
comparing it to the square and compass rather than giving it the supreme place in the
lodge.
5. The prevalent use of the term "light" which some may understand as a reference to salvation rather than knowledge or truth.
6. The implication that
salvation may be attained by one's good works, implicit in the statement found in some
Masonic writings that "Masonry is continually reminded of that purity of life and
conduct which is necessary to obtain admittance into the Celestial Lodge above where the
Supreme Architect of the Universe presides." (Louisiana Monitor, page 79)
Even though many Masons
understand that the "purity of life and conduct" can only be achieved through
faith in Jesus Christ, others may be led to believe they can earn salvation by living a
pure life with good conduct.
7. The heresy of
Universalism (the belief all people will eventually be saved), which permeates the
writings of many Masonic authors, which is a doctrine inconsistent with New Testament
teaching.
8. The refusal of most lodges (although not all) to admit for membership African Americans.
As reported by the
Southern Baptist Home Missions Board,
SBC 1350 Spring Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30367-5601 (1993)
The
by
If you look at the face of Mormonism and the face of Christianity, one of the biggest differences you can’t help but see are the majestic LDS Temples that dot the globe. Any one who has ever read the Bible knows that temples play an important part in facilitating the covenant of God with His people. What were they for? What did people do in them? What difference do they make today? The very fact that Mormons use a "physical temple" firmly put them out side the Christian faith. To use a material building as the place of communion with God is to undo what Christ accomplished on the Cross. The very existence of Easter proves Christians have the "real temple."
Let me explain:
Easter is the celebration of
Christ’s Resurrection from the dead. Is it NOT? The Cross of Calvary is the
dividing point between death and life, the body and the spirit,. It is the very altar of
the greatest sacrifice that has ever been paid.
You can not be saved with out being " born-again" or born of the spirit.(Jn.3:3-8)
One can not come to God on their own but must follow Christ in laying down their own life with Him and then receive a NEW LIFE in Resurrection by the Spirit.
God wants us to walk in the
Spirit, not the flesh. By receiving Christ as our Savior, we believe His Righteousness
pays the price for our sins. By THIS Faith - we are saved! God paid the full price FOR US
. The cost was His only righteous Son -Jesus Christ. He values us with the Righteousness
of Christ. The very reason Christ came was to die on the Cross! READ Hebrews
The Mormons have it so backwards they don’t even know it. Mormon Temples are consecrated places which are too sacred for the profane eye to see or the profane foot to enter. They are places where secret rituals are enacted on behalf of members to enable them to attain personal godhood. Only "worthy" LDS members with a temple recommend may enter to do what they need do to become "like God."
Inside, members perform special ordinances that include: Baptism for the Dead, Washings, Anointings, Endowments and Sealings. Without their temple endowments and being "married or sealed" for time and all eternity, Mormons believe that no one can attain their greatest destiny found in the "Celestial kingdom."
They believe righteousness
is conditional upon the physical acts and things they do. That’s why Mormons put so
much value on the "Aesthetics of Righteousness." This is not what God had in
mind for his Children. Read Romans 8: 5-8
Through the very act of
Salvation. The believer becomes the
Through His act of Grace, Christ became our High Priest, because he established a NEW covenant that has nothing to do with Mormon temples. We read in Heb 8:1-7:
"Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man.
For every high
priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary that
this One also have something to offer. For if He were on earth, He would not be a priest,
since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law; who serve the copy and
shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make
the tabernacle. For He said, "See that you make all things according to the pattern
shown you on the mountain."
But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second". (NKJV)
Mormons do not believe this
is true. LDS Prophet Spencer W. Kimball said. "The Lord cannot save men in their sins
but only from their sins, and that only when they have shown true repentance." (P.166
Miracle of Forgiveness) He is a False Prophet because he contradicts the WORD of GOD.
Jesus died for sinners!
John 2:18-22 "Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." Then the Jews said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?" But He was speaking of the temple of His body. Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.."
Eph 2:19-22 "Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone, in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God."
From The Mail Bag
Hey
Ed - Do you know what category
your book the God Makers fits into?? Sensationalism!!! I cannot believe that the
Christian community takes that as any kind of authority on Mormonism, given how slanderous,
rude and obnoxious it is. Just a thought.. Jack
Ed Responds:
Dear Jack, What a rude, obnoxious
and slanderous comment. Are you trying to be sensational
or what? Talk about beating on a dead horse... The God Makers certainly was and still is
Sensational!!!! Because it removed the party mask of Mormonism and told the whole world
the truth about Mormonism, using its own leaders' words as proof.
The God Makers book has been in print for almost 20 years and sold many hundreds of
thousands of copies. It was the number one best seller in the entire religious book market
for many months and stayed on the best seller list for over a year.
Today, it’s revised and expanded, updated release still sells at the level of a new
book and will continue to be the benchmark book on Mormonism for years to come. Them's
just the fax, Jack....
It could never be that if it was based on hype and lies and not facts. With well over
1,000 certified references, most of which are legal LDS documents, it has withstood years
of controversial challenges and will continue to do so.
It has been instrumental in leading tens of thousands of Mormons to take another look at
the doctrines and practices of Mormonism and choose the real Jesus over that brother of
Lucifer one you call your elder brother. I personally doubt that you ever even read the
book you are blindly condemning. Only fools do that...I suggest that you not be of that
nature and study things for yourself at the site you just visited. Then pray about it and
ask the Father if these things are not true.....oh well...you know the rest... Ed
Dear
Ed Because of you, I have
heard something in a Baptist church that I had not heard for over eight months in a Mormon
church. I heard, the truth, and the true word
of God from the Bible. I feel that a weight
has been lifted off of me, and I have Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ to thank foremost for
the truth. I also have to thank you for
inspiring me to seek the truth in the Bible Thank
you!
Ed,
My husband and I just finished reading your
book...We could not believe
what we were reading, you were right on with how the LDS church and
Take care, Deanna
Pastor
When I was a Mormon I felt the Mormon Spirit,
and I remember believing that it had told me that the Mormon Church was true. I remember
believing that I had received a spiritual witness as to the truthfulness of the Book of
Mormon. I went on a mission and I bore my Mormon testimony to others, and I believed what
I was telling them was true, and I believed that I did feel the Mormon Spirit as I was
telling other people about the Church.
Now that I have left the Church I no longer believe that the Mormon Spirit has any
validity. Rather I now maintain that it was all a kind of software for my brain - Mormon
Brain Software. The feelings I had were the result of my presence in the culture, and my
desire to fit in.
Also now that I have left I have shared with many hundreds of people detailed
Well, I would like to know if you think that from the perspective of a believing Mormon
that I will probably be a Son of Perdition and go to Outer Darkness.
What is Outer Darkness like? Will I still get a resurrected body there? Anon...
Dear Anon....First,
understand that the
What you have done and others [myself included] is open up the hidden things of darkness.
There is great Biblical precedence for doing what you have done...In fact, the Word of God
admonishes you to do just what you have done.
Eph 5:8-14
For you
were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness,
righteousness, and truth), finding out what is
acceptable to the Lord. And have no
fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those
things which are done by them in secret. But
all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is
light. Therefore He says:
"Awake, you who sleep,
Arise from the dead,
And Christ will give you light." NKJV
Here are a quick series of scripture I just pulled together to let you know that the
outer darkness is reserved for those who have not been partakers of truth and the light of
Christ, not those who have exposed the dark things of some mystery ritual:
Col 1:12-15
12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us
to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has delivered us from
the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom
we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. NKJV
John 3:16-21
17 For God did not send His Son into the world to
condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 He who believes in
Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not
believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation,
that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because
their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come
to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the
light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."
NKJV
John
46: I
have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in
darkness. NKJV
Acts 26:17-18
I now send you, 18 to open their eyes, in order to
turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may
receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in
Me.' NKJV
Hope that helped.
Bless you as you walk in the freedom and light of Jesus Christ!
Ex-Mormon Christian
One in a Million [saved]
To
Ed, I have just started
reading your web site and find the material helpful and thought provoking. However I did
not notice anything about video games and their impact on children and youths. Do you
think that it is appropriate for Christian parents to allow their children to play games
on machines such as play station 2 and Nintendo game cube. I am really struggling with
this issue as I have a 10 year old son who likes video games. A concerned mother
Dear Mother, Play Station 2 and other video
game systems have all centered on the more aggressive/the more popular the game.
Therefore most kids want the more aggressive games because those are the ones their peers
all talk about.
Messing with acts of killing and maiming and zapping off the planet other players or characters will never do a single positive thing for a child.
Hours of playing, isolated from the
‘outside’ world, bring a sense of separation from relationships and
reality to the child and that will determine his or her approach to real life
situations in school, at home and in church.
The real world, to the gamer, is the
insides of the game, the computer screen and his ability to cope is tied to his/her
adeptness at controlling the game.
A false world and a dangerous one.
We removed that stuff after a few
weeks of the old Mario’ game when our [grown] sons were just kids. I recommend
that parents get that stuff away from their children and replace it with a lot of face to
face interaction.
They are most likely addicted to it
as much as a person can be addicted to porn or narcotics. It will be hard to get
them off it, but far better the temporary struggle than a life ruined.
It is a time for the parents to step
into the battle, realizing the time the child has spent at the game controls, he/she has
been in a separation mode. It will require a lot of TLC and interaction. God Bless You, Ed
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