Polls, Statistcs, Facts and Thoughts

I came across a statistic the other day that astounded me. It was posted to a page that I follow on Facebook. It isn't a noted news source or anything of any notoriety, I don't believe. Still, it is a page I have followed for some time and have agreed with most of their posts, Though I haven't researched it thoroughly, I have found no misleading information there. But this claim bothered me. The little alarm immediately went off in my head.  You know, that hit your heart alarm that makes one realize that one must verify the information they have come across. I think we should all pay attention to that little buzzer and not take everything we read at face value.

The post stated:

"Are you in the top 10% ? - 'Current studies show that only 10% of Christians have a Biblical worldview; only 14% read the Bible on a daily basis, and only 2.8% of American pastors are willing to apply the Bible to current issues,'"

That information is shocking! I immediately posed a question on the page. "Whose statistics are these? Who took this poll?" I firmly believe we should know that information before haphazardly believing such an astonishing figure.

So not getting any answers there, I decided to do my own research. When I googled the question "What percentage of Christians have a Biblical world view?" Within the results many of the very same statistics came up. No wonder people so readily believe this. It appears it is a well disseminated statistic. But is it true?  I searched the results looking for well-known and well respected sources. Pew; Barna; Focus on the Family and Wallbuilders were sources I felt I could trust and were some of the sources attributed to this statistic.

I knew from my past studies, that around 80% of Americans still "identify" (sorry, I hate that word, now that it has been so overused in media) as Christians. To my relief, after hearing these negative statistics, I found that Barna and Pew are still reporting that 70+ percent of Americans consider themselves Christian. (Pew has it at 96% of those ages 50 to 64.) But do they have a Biblical world view?  I knew the answer to that question would be much lower than 70%, but I have a hard time believing it is only at 10%. Barna, in fact, has it at 17%, at least for the older generations.

 

Ugh! Still nothing to brag about.

Now, I have been warning of the dangers of the emergent church/social gospel for 20 years. I am well aware the church is and has been in danger for some time. I have devoted this blog to bring awareness to that fact. But I am unprepared to throw our faith to the chickens like chicken feed. I believe we need to question this statistic. There are those that are seeking to destroy our Christian faith.  It stands in the way of their politics. It stands in the way of a one world government. It stands in the way of Satan whom we know is at the root of all attacks on the Holy Bible. Could this statistic be coming from those that want to destroy our faith to make it seem irrelevant? I believe that is a fair question and worth researching.

So to begin, let's define "worldview".

Below is a simple explanation that everyone can understand from David Barton at Wallbuilders:

"I ski and there are times where I’ll use gray goggles or times when I’ll use yellow goggles because it causes the snow to have different looks. So that is your worldview. It’s the way you see the world. It is the lens through which you see the world and everybody’s got one. Everybody sees the world through some interpretation of their own understanding and their own beliefs. What they’ve been taught through their own beliefs in economics, the way they were raised in a family, if they go to church, what church they go to if they belong to a political party, and what party that is. Everything affects your worldview.

And for Christians the number one thing this should affect your worldview is, “What does God say about this?” And that’s what's called a Biblical worldview."

I like that. I think this is accurate. It doesn't matter what I think. The only thing that matters is what the Bible says. For a Christian, we should answer every question of life with "What does the Bible say?"

But within this poll using that definition, of a Biblical worldview, there is left an extremely large question. Whose Christianity do we negate by disseminating such a statistic? The statistic seems to be very narrow, yet ambiguous. Only 10% of Christians have a Biblical view? What does it truly mean? It seems it would have to mean that this is referring only to Christians who have a 100% complete understanding of Biblical principles. Now, we all wish every Christian did, but that does not mean every Christian has arrived at fullness of understanding. The Christian journey is one of learning -  a life long walk of experience and gaining understanding.

I won't be good at explaining this, but let me try. Barna posted some charts regarding some beliefs that resoundly do not agree with the Bible. I have shown them below. Now, after looking at the 10% statistic, I see hope in these charts. If only 28 to 32 % of those who call themselves Christian  believe in New Spirituality, than that means 72 to 68% of Christians do not. That's a good thing.

If only15 to 23 % of Christians believe in Postmodernism, than that means 85 to 77% do not.

Ok, so I get it. The more questions one is asked about Biblical principles the lower that number will get. The poll is looking for perfection of Biblical values. And that IS what we are to aspire to. But that is not what we will ever have on this earth. And my point is only this: It is my belief, to disseminate such a negative number because it relies on perfection, does more harm than good. It brings hopelessness. Who gains from that? Satan and those that want to negate Christianity all together, that's who. I don't want that to be misunderstood. I WANT perfection in my understanding and teaching of the Bible. But I don't want to discourage those that have not fully arrived, i.e. none of us. Who among us wants to believe we have digressed that far in our nation toward understanding and living the faith we were founded upon?

And so, I set out to prove this statistic isn't true. Probably not to demonstrate to the world as much as to prove to myself that this extremely low number cannot possibly be accurate. It is so very troubling. Now, as I have attempted to show, I can find other statistics that show our faith might not be in as much trouble as the original claim would have us believe. That's the problem with statistics. and clearly the problem with the internet. One can absolutely find anything one wants to promote and make it look legit. It takes a lot of work to delve for and discover truth.

For example the chart below from Pew Research Center shows 80% of Americans believe in God. And the chart to the right shows, over 50% of Americans believe God intervenes in their lives. That's a Biblical precept and that number should bring some encouragement to us, instead of making us feel like only 4% of Americans have any understanding of God at all -  which in my opinion the low statistics do! Whether or not that is their intent, is beside the point. That is what they point to - it just can't be healthy!

And yes, as I said, I did in fact find other statistics that would be more in line with where I thought the numbers should be. But those stats are of course, in regard to imperfect Christians. And that is that while 70 + percent of Americans who say they believe in God, only around 48% claim they have a Biblical worldview. That is exactly what I expected. But these studies delve further and upon questioning those Christians it has been revealed that only 10% actually do have a Biblical worldview.

"In other words, only 10% of Americans think and act according to the most basic biblical principles"

The problem is numbers can be skewed. There are so many variables to consider regarding the poll as these numbers are integrated into it. It is certainly no surprise that the younger generations have even lower numbers than the older generations. We have been on a slippery slope for years now. The younger generation will skew the poll. We have not taught our children well.  But it is also because in all truth, many of the younger generation have not really yet formulated their world view as they are still in the formative stages with so much of life to experience. They will not have the right answer to most questions. They are still baby Christians, in many ways. And yes, the poll did differentiate age groups, but when the ages are put together, we end up with revealing a mere 10% of Christians have a Biblical worldview.

 

Of course the Bible is our guideline and what we should always strive to use in our walk. But my concern is, does this statistic leave out those who have not entirely arrived at completion. Because in truth, that is ALL of us. Yes, it leaves those out who are still growing and makes Christianity seem like it has gone by the way side. That's my concern. We simply need to start standing up for false doctrines and worldly ideas, because in my view, we have the hearts.

 

Whether we like to admit it or not there are doctrinal differences within Christianity, that will affect the outcome of the poll. How were the questions worded? Did it stick to strictly foundational Christian beliefs or were doctrinal differences a part of it? There are things that Christians disagree on Scripturally, and there always has been since the beginning of time. It has always been my belief that God did that intentionally. Some things are left for us to work through, so that we will dig in for ourselves and really study the Bible. NOW, there is only ONE single, CORRECT interpretation; only one truth, but some things are left for us to study and discern; to take in the full counsel of the Word of God and put it ALL together. We can not cherry pick verses or take them out of context to fit what we believe.

Upon doing my research and reading from trusted sources, I grew weary. I felt unsure I was going to be able to prove my point, or even express my concern. I wanted to write to share a bit of my belief. That is why I blog. To clear my own thoughts, maybe to influence a few, just to get something down in tangible form that will allow discussion. Because I have always believed Christianity is in a world of hurt. And it has been my mission to expose that, to try to do something to bring about change. To work toward the spreading of the Gospel, but also to help formulate lives to live the best Christian life possible. It is my desire to help people understand that we have been under attack, and that our Christian faith is not the Christian faith of old in many ways. It needs to be protected and cared for. Of course God will never lose His church, but we are to be workers and not just sit idly by while the world has its way. We should never be silent in that regard, because it is my firm belief, silence is what got us into the mess we now find ourselves.

But anyway, as I researched, I didn't find my belief changing. I still do not believe the polls or these statistics, but it didn't become as important to try to disprove it. So what if I could? What would that do, bring the number up 20, or even 30 points, where I thought it would be? The number is still abysmal, which is right back to why I have always tried to expose the errors in the first place.

So I have changed my direction in this post back to my original quest for my blog. We are in a mess and we have done a terrible job of being good stewards of our faith. We must not be teaching our kids adequately and we are letting the world interfere far more than we should. We don't shame the media, we join them. We simply sit back and watch like the analogy of the frog in the boiling water. We didn't jump out at a boiling temperature, we stayed in the lukewarm temperatures slowly getting hotter and hotter, until we have all but been boiled alive.

Shame on us. I am actually pretty distraught over this, and I don't even know if I am making any sense. We are silent, instead of correcting false doctrine. Even when we, in fact, know we are Biblically mandated to correct and encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ. We have made every sin acceptable to us, if we just profess our love for Jesus loud enough. We have accepted the swearing pastor, the drinking pastor, and we have joined them. We wink at filthy jokes and rancor on television. We criticize other Christians for "being more about what we are against, than what we are for." We hold ourselves up and proudly state "we only want to stand for what we are for not against." We certainly don't want to admit that God is the one that has spoken about these things. Supposedly never understanding, (I wonder about that) when we do take this stance, we unwittingly support what the left supports in the degradation of our society. But again, maybe some do realize. Maybe, just maybe at the helm within some circles, there has been in infiltration of the church by those who seek to destroy it. And we just follow along, because it sounds so righteous. We accept sex outside of marriage and condone living with one another. We are silent regarding state-ordained, homosexual marriage, and the legalization of marijuana. We are nonchalant and give in to those things saying, "Oh well, it's going to happen eventually anyway." We don't expect any change in our lifestyle at all. We just LOVE Jesus. If we loved Him, wouldn't we obey His Commandments? Wouldn't we seek to become better than the world, rather than to become just like the world? Personally, I think the unbeliever expects that from us and actually wants to see a difference.

I will say it again, we have been poor stewards of our faith. We have all but thrown it to the wolves. In so doing, we have brought confusion to baby Christians, and to those of other faiths, and to the unsaved. Confusion reigns if these statistics are even partially accurate. And that is heartbreaking.

Now, I have turned this into a pretty depressing post. Who wants to read this? Can I end on such failure? Does this encourage anyone? Probably not. But it is still something that I needed to say. This is my witness. I feel like this is what I am to do. Others will do what they must.

I do like the way David Barton of Wallbuilders ended his interview with George Barna regarding this same subject. Allow me to try to gain back some dignity or honor, and end on a good note by quoting what George Barna author of one of the polls stated in that interview:

Well, really, there are a couple of things that keep me going. One is to recognize that we know we’re involved in a battle. So when you’re in the midst of a war you can’t really expect everything around you to look rosy.

Secondly, I know that through the power of the Holy Spirit that God has put within me because of my relationship with Christ I can do things for God that I just can’t do on my own power.

If I allow [H]im to use me for [H]is purposes. Great things can come out of it. And the other thing that keeps me going is as I study the [S]criptures I realize that when God transforms a culture [H]e never waits until [H]e has a majority of the people on [H]is side. He always uses what the [S]criptures call “a remnant” of individuals who are sold out to [H]im and to [H]is purposes.

So true and so well said. I simply added [H] -  just a little old fashioned correction. Forgive me, if that looks petty.

Onward!

Keep watch over yourselves and the entire flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood.
 - Acts 20:28

Bathroom Bullies

"Bathroom bullies"? Wow. I think the author of this article might be a bit confused! I point this out, because it is almost hidden within the text of the article and yet it says so much. Who are the "bathroom bullies"? Let's take a look. A little information about the author from Wikipedia - John Pavlovitz is an American Christian pastor and author, known for his social and political writings from a liberal Christian perspective. Wikipedia (emphasis in bold, mine)

Enough said. But I am going to share what I think, anyway. ;-) That's why I blog.

This article is a classic example of "Progressive Christianity".  I want to address it, because progressive Christianity is a danger to our faith and to our nation.

Clearly, this man has some confusion about what a Christian should be; OR this is an intentional attack on evangelical Christians of old and those who stand firm in their faith today. Some people have a need to believe and support this ideology because they don't like what God calls sin. (I don't think it's a sin to only want females in girls' bathrooms.) The loudest ones have a political agenda with attempts to destroy the church from within, before their politics can become effective. Others are simply, but dangerously deceived. I will not be one who remains silent about those who are purposefully deceiving others by "Progressive Christianity" and a possible paved path to Hell.

I know throwing a bunch of Scriptures at someone is no way to draw an unbeliever into our faith. But this is not to reach those who are unsaved. This is to reach those that might be finding themselves sucked into the dogma of what has come to be known as "Progressive Christianity".

Below are Pavlovitz points. Let me make a few comment on each of his points and apply Scripture to them. My points will be in blue for clarity. And in order to easily find the Chapter and Verse I have placed them in red. This is not, by any means, an exhaustive list of Scripture verses on the subjects. This is simply what I have committed to memory and why I know Pavlovitz must be refuted. The Bible tells us so. He states (Bullet points):

• I refuse to be a Christian who lives in fear of people who look or speak or worship differently than I do.

I know no Christian who lives in fear of other faiths. I do know faiths that are dangerously wrong. We are to guard against being exposed to that.

John 14:6  "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."        

And: John 14:15  "If ye love me, keep my commandments"

1 Peter 5:8  "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:"
Matthew 24:24 “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”

• I refuse to be a Christian who believes that God blesses America more than God so loves the world. 

Sounds very profound. But God clearly says throughout Scripture there are those he will bless and those he shall curse. As one example, in Genesis 12:3, he says he will bless those who bless Israel. America does and always has supported and been a blessing to Israel:   "And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."

And Romans: 9:18: Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
John 12:40: "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so that they cannot see with their eyes, and understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them." Yeah, I don't like that one either. But we need the full counsel of the Word of God.

• I refuse to be a Christian who can’t find the beauty and truth in religious traditions other than my own.

There is no need to find beauty or truth in religious traditions of other faiths. Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and any others are all false religions. There is Truth only in One. The others are a dangerous path to hell. Where is the love in that? We are a nation that accepts all faiths. But those citizens who are Christians have a command to share the Truth to those they come in contact. The Great Commission:

Matthew 28:16-20 ¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (emphasis in bold, mine)

Again, where is the beauty in a path to Hell?

• I refuse to be a Christian who uses the Bible to perpetuate individual or systemic bigotry, racism, or sexism.

Now what would be an example of this, in the author's mind? Not wanting to bake a cake for a homosexual wedding? (Leviticus 12:22, Leviticus 20:13 and Romans 1:26-27; and the Biblical definition of marriage in Matthew 19:3 -6 ) Or is it Christians who are bold enough to say there are only 2 genders that bothers him? (Genesis 5:2; Matthew 19:3 -6) Trying to "love someone in" to the Kingdom by caring enough to tell them truth? Is that the ones Pavlovitz is talking about? Standing up for white males, because they are now the PC person to attack, is that to whom he refers? Christians following Scripture? Does he consider that bigotry? Unfortunate that it doesn't fit the Progressive agenda? It is not ok to ignore the Bible in regard to homosexuality, and abortion and the fact that there is only one way to God.

One can be forgiven any sin, but one must not continue in that sin. This is what people who promote homosexual marriage do not understand. They love to point to all the other sins, like fornication or divorce that a Christian might be doing. But the difference is, to be truly born again they should no longer be actively participating in that sin. Not true of one in a homosexual marriage. They are continuing in sin. Not my words - God's.

John 8: 10 -11; "Go and sin no more." And John 5: 10-14 "...sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee."

• I refuse to be a Christian who treasures allegiance to a flag or a country or a political party, above emulating Jesus.

Really? This is simply another false accusation by this man. Progressives seem to love to point this finger at conservative Christians, while touting and demanding their own progressive narrative. I don't see emulation of Jesus in that. This is something the progressives love to accuse conservative Christians of, without regard to specifics. Who are they to say that anyone loves their nation more than their God? We are instructed to be good stewards of our nation. Most of us believe by being active politically in our nation, we are preserving our freedom to worship as we please. And thereby the ability to continue to spread the true Gospel. Do they believe they emulate Jesus better when they twist His word into things they want it to say? When they are the ones that end up casting judgment because they don't agree? I think there might be 4 fingers pointing back at them.

• I refuse to be a Christian who is reluctant to call-out the words of hateful preachers, venomous politicians, and mean-spirited pew sitters, in the name of keeping ceremonial Christian unity.

Who are these people he is accusing? Treading danger ground here. Instead, maybe he should heed these Scriptures:

Galatians' 1:10
For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.

Deuteronomy 4:2
You must not add to or subtract from what I command you, so that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God that I am giving you.
Deuteronomy 12:32
See that you do everything I command you; do not add to it or subtract from it.
Proverbs 30:6
Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you and prove you a liar.
Revelation 22:7
"Behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of prophecy in this book."

Revelation 22:18

For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book;

Matthew 6:24
No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
1 Thessalonians 2:4
Instead, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, not in order to please men but God, who examines our hearts.

Ok so I guess I got carried away with posting Scriptures on that one. You get the point.

• I refuse to be a Christian who tolerates a global Church where all people are not openly welcomed, fully celebrated, and equally cared for.

It was God who created the nations and the boundaries, for His purpose.

Acts 17:26 "And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;"

We probably shouldn't argue. And the verses regarding this are many, so I will list a few more:

Deuteronomy 32:8 "When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when He divided the sons of man, He set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God."
Job 12:23 "He makes nations great, and destroys them; He enlarges nations, and sends them away."
Psalm 74:17 "You set all the boundaries of the earth; You made the summer and winter."
Jeremiah 27:5 "By My great power and outstretched arm, I made the earth and the men and beasts on the face of it, and I give it to whom I please."

But also, in regard to his reckless comment about being "equally cared for", the truth is, rather, that we are instructed in Scripture to take care of our own first. There is nothing wrong with that. And is in fact, how we are better able to help others. Everyone knows one cannot do ones best when one is weak.

Galatians 6:10 "As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith." That would also be those of our own nation, then, wouldn't it.

1 Timothy 5:8 ⁸ But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

And as well, Jesus told us the poor will always be among us.
Matthew 26:11 "For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always."

I am tired of Progressives using the Bible to promote their socialistic agenda. It simply isn't there. This is classic distortion. Socialism is simply a world experiment that has failed over and over. The Bible must be utilized in full context.

2 Thessalonians 3:10  For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

• I refuse to be a Christian who speaks always with holy war rhetoric about an encroaching enemy horde that must be rallied against and defeated.

There are enemies that seek to destroy us. God doesn't expect us to sit idly by, but to take up our sword. We have the same enemy then as now.

Luke 22:36-38 "Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one."

Deuteronomy 3:18 At that time I commanded you: "The LORD your God has given you this land to possess. All your warriors are to cross over, armed for battle, ahead of your brothers, the Israelites.

And Numbers 32:20 "Then Moses said to them: “If you do this thing, if you arm yourselves before the LORD for the war,"

Nehemiah 4:17-18 “Who were building on the wall. Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other. And each of the builders had his sword strapped at his side while he built. The man who sounded the trumpet was beside me.”

I know progressives do not like to give the same respect to the Old Testament as to the New Testament, so I have bookended these verses with New Testament Scriptures ending in Matthew 10:34: "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword."

• I refuse to be a Christian who is generous with damnation and stingy with Grace.

That's his opinion. In my opinion, one cannot be a loving Christian without warning of Hell and the sin that takes one there. What kind of love is that, if we don't? We are instructed to warn others and to correct brothers and sisters when in error.

Galatians 4:16 "Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?"

And don't forget this, Mr. Pavolovitz:

Jude 1:4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. (emphasis in bold mine)

• I refuse to be a Christian who can’t see the image of God in people of every color, every religious tradition, every sexual orientation.

God is not in everything or everyone as the "new" (rather, age old) heresy of pantheism comes around again. The image of God is not in race or nationality, but in those who have accepted His love and forgiveness for their sin and with whom the Holy Spirit dwells. I have already listed Scripture regarding the sin of certain "sexual orientations" and of false religions. We can be accepting of neither, but that does not mean we do not have love for them and have concern for their error.

• I refuse to be a Christian who demands that others believe what I believe or live as I live or profess what I profess.

I see no Christians, in the negative light this man sees. These accusations are merely his opinion. We are expected to share God's truth, so that others will find Grace and enter His Kingdom. Contrary to this man's statement, Jesus called us to share His truth. Jesus sent the disciples out in twos and told them to shake the dust from their feet, if anyone did not receive their message.

Luke 10: 1-3" And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet."

And Matthew 10:14-15 "Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city."

 Mark 6:7 "And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits;"

• I refuse to be a Christian who sees the world in a hopeless spiral downward and can only condemn it or withdraw from it.

We are not to love this world. It is not our home. Christians more than anyone, do not withdraw from this world to do nothing, as he implies. Rather, they are the most active in bringing about love in a tangible way. But they are also keenly aware they are not to love this world, but to be set apart from it.

1 John 2:15 "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him."

And Romans 12:2. "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
John 15:19 - If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

• I refuse to be a Christian devoid of the character of Jesus; his humility, his compassion, his smallness, his gentleness with people’s wounds, his attention to the poor and the forgotten and the marginalized, his intolerance for religious hypocrisy, his clear expression of the love of God.

I know no Christian's like this. This is not my view of my brothers and sisters in Christ. Truly a sad perception this Pavolvitz has of fellow Christians. Or maybe he just has an agenda. Maybe he has sin he wants to embrace. The truth is, Jesus turned tables. Jesus called some a "generation of vipers". Jesus said, "Go and sin no more". Jesus told us He came to fulfill the law, not replace it. ~Matthew 5:17

2 Corinthians 7:1 - Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Matthew 12:34-37  "O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

2 Corinthians 4:2 "But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God."

• I refuse to be a Christian unless it means I live as a person of hospitality, of healing, of redemption, of justice, of expectation-defying Grace, of counterintuitive love. These are non-negotiables.

James 1:27  Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. Emphasis in bold mine. This is the part of this passage that the proponents of Progressive Christianity always seem to miss. "...keep himself unspotted from the world." We probably should pay attention to that phrase, too. Seems these days it is sorely missed.

Yep some things are non-negotiable. Forgiveness requires repentance.

There is so much more I could say; so many more Bible verses to quote. But this is getting long and people don't have the time to delve into an article of such length. I think I have included a Bible verse with each of his points and that is enough. That is what I set out to do. If someone has more questions or wishes to discuss they can do so here in the comments. I will answer to the best of my ability. And I am always open to discussion. I believe that is how we all learn. But yes, let's put an end to "bathroom bullies". We might have different ideas of who they are.

I will simply end with a few more important verses.

1 John 5:11-14

¹¹ And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

¹² He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

¹³ These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

Colossians 2:8

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

Romans 16:17

"Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them."

1 Corinthians 10:33
just as I try to please everyone in all I do. For I am not seeking my own good, but the good of many, that they may be saved.

 

Taking Time for Truth

I have said it before and I will say it again: I am not as concerned about people who vaccinate and those who do not, as I am concerned about the misinformation that is being disseminated throughout the internet. The problem is, it all seems to be coming from the anti-vax movement, and much of it is blatant.

A "Friend" of mine on Facebook posted an article the other day with her comments. Her comments were good and I could tell she was actively seeking truth and trying to share what she has learned.

I went to the article and read all that was contained there. It was one I had read before, as it has passed through the Facebook world at least a couple times. There were multiple errors/mistruths in the article, so I wanted to comment. Not on my friend's page, (I am learning that isn't always well received by various friends) but rather on the page of the woman who wrote the article. I felt I would reach a bigger audience there, anyway. I simply believe it is worth the time to speak truth.

I posted only a couple facts, not having the time to comment on her whole article. I was polite, thoughtful and reserved; only stating facts I had learned previously. The post was mostly ignored for the first day. During the evening, someone posted a comment attacking me - of course without any facts; just name-calling. The next morning, I pointed that out in my follow-up comment. During that time, another comment was posted by someone else asking my solution to what I had pointed out earlier. While I was writing out my response, apparently the original post had been removed or I had been blocked from the page. When I went to post my comment, I received a message alerting me to that fact. I was not allowed to post.

Typical. I have learned over and over again that when someone does not have accurate statistics and facts they are often threatened by those who do. Still, I wanted to be sure to see what had happened. I could no longer see the post on my "Friend's" page. Instead in it's place was the common message we see: "This comment cannot be displayed. It may have been removed"...blah,blah,blah something to that efffect. We have all seen that message from time to time. I could no longer find the author's page, so I went to my husband's Facebook page to see if it had been removed completely or just for me. Sure enough, once on his page I could see the post on my Friend's page (who is a mutual friend of his) and I could go to the author's Facebook page. What I noted was different, however, is that now unless one follows her page, one can no longer post a comment. No, it was not that way the day before. I had easily commented on her page. The other difference now was, on my friend's page where I had seen the original post, one could no longer click on it to be taken to the corresponding page. Now if one clicked on the post/picture it only opened up the full comment directly on my friend's Facebook page. It would no longer take me to Lauren Novelli's page.

Lauren Novelli - "Holistic Lioness" is her name and self identified moniker/description. I have seen her before. She is the typical anti-vaxxer posting and sharing all the same information that all anti-vaxxer's promote. And I am not talking about the followers here, or the average person. I am talking about those actively disseminating the anti-vaxx information to those they hope to bring into their cause. All the information from Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and the anti-vax guru, Andrew Wakefield, was there. Wakefield is the one who started most of this controversy with his paper regarding vaccines causing autism. He and his paper have since been debunked and exposed. He lost his medical license over it. Along with these two, multiple sites that I have previously written about, and hopefully exposed, (at least to a few people) were shared on her page.

I went to the date the post I am referring to had originally been posted. It was no longer there. But coincidentally, I did notice another post that had been made at the same time. It was a notice that she would not accept any comments from anyone that contradicted her, or the people that she was promoting.

 

Well that 'splains it, doesn't it? I wasn't at all surprised. This seems to be a common practice by those that don't have the facts on their side. I also noted, there were at least a few negative comments displayed throughout her page. But none that had any actual facts, statistics or truth. Only flippant one-liners. I suspect that was intentional so that she might appear unbiased and that she allows discussion. She does not. The truth is, she is biased. She would not accept my comment that was thoughtful, concise and with proven facts.

 

Anyway, as usual, I hate to give her any attention. But at the same time, I feel it is important. Her article claims nurses don't have any education regarding vaccines. This is entirely false. A nurse on my "Friend's" page posted a great rebuttal to that. I didn't ask permission to share, so I won't use her name, but I believe everything posted to Facebook is "Public Domain". Below is her comment:

"I don't know where she got her information from regarding health professionals not knowing what's in the vaccines. Nurses are taught about vaccines in nursing school and more than just once. Any nurse (any good nurse) has to know what it is they are administering, what it does, what it's for, and what the side effects are. This is taught first quarter nursing school and drilled in each quarter thereafter. Also any healthcare professional working in the industry HAS to get vaccines. I'm not sure where her information came from, and honestly I stopped reading it after I read that, but as a nursing student....I know how vaccines works and I have to know what's in them before I am allowed to administer it this includes the flu shot. I get people are doing what they think is best and it is their choice to do so, but this persons take on medical professionals is way off base."

I found myself wishing this nurse had posted to Lauren's page and not only to our mutual friend's page.

 

My original comment to Lauren's page was simply that "live" vaccines are rarely used and that I believe this is sometimes used as a tactic for fear-mongering by overstating live vaccine usage. My other comment was in regard to VAER's, stating as I have shared before that anyone (without proof) is allowed to post to VAERS. You can read my article regarding VAERS here:

 

As well, this is VAERS' disclaimer which I was getting ready to post to Lauren Novelli's page, but was blocked from doing.

“VAERS accepts all reports without judging whether the event was caused by the vaccine.”

And an additional quote from the website states:

“Note: Submission of a VAERS report does not constitute admission that healthcare personnel or the vaccine caused or contributed to the event.”[1]

Anyway, I simply wanted to point out what anti-vax gurus continue to mistakenly promote. As I have said, there are multiple errors in the article. I believe I have addressed all of them in my past articles on this blog, so I won't do it again here. This is just a warning to please be careful. There is so much misinformation out there. There is a good article at this link to help you identify misconceptions being distributed, and how to find the truth regarding vaccines and information about the dangerous diseases they prevent.

One more thing. For future, (and I have observed this for a while now) there is also a close connection between many anti-vax sites and those that promote CBD Oil and medicinal marijuana. I have tried to warn of this connection in the past. We are on dangerous ground in more ways than one, when fake information is so freely and continually circulated. I knew I would find this connection on the Holistic Lioness' Facebook page. There are multiple problems with that. Maybe we should ask, if anti-vaxxers are being used by a whole other agenda. That will be for another post.

 

And again, I really don't care if you vaccinate or not as much I care about truth. I have finally come to realize that about myself and my concerns. That took some time, too.

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