Friday, January 27, 2006

Bring on the Lions: Will an Italian judge have to rule on the existence of Christ?

From Yahoo News:

The Associated Press

VITERBO, Italy - An Italian judge heard arguments Friday on whether a small-town parish priest should stand trial for asserting that Jesus Christ existed.

The priest's atheist accuser, Luigi Cascioli, says the Roman Catholic Church has been deceiving people for 2,000 years with a fable that Christ existed, and that the Rev. Enrico Righi violated two Italian laws by reasserting the claim.

Lawyers for Righi and Cascioli, old schoolmates, made their arguments in a brief, closed-door hearing before Judge Gaetano Mautone in Viterbo, north of Rome. They said they expected the judge to decide quickly.

Cascioli filed a criminal complaint in 2002 after Righi wrote in a parish bulletin that Jesus did indeed exist, and that he was born of a couple named Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem and lived in Nazareth.

Cascioli claims that Righi's assertion constituted two crimes under Italian law: so-called "abuse of popular belief," in which someone fraudulently deceives people; and "impersonation," in which someone gains by attributing a false name to a person.

"The point is not to establish whether Jesus existed or not, but if there is a question of possible fraud," Cascioli's attorney, Mauro Fonzo, told reporters before the hearing.

Cascioli says the church has been gaining financially by "impersonating" as Christ someone by the name of John of Gamala, the son of Judas from Gamala.

He has said he has little hope of the case succeeding in overwhelmingly Roman Catholic Italy, but that he is merely going through the necessary legal steps to reach the European Court of Human Rights, where he intends to accuse the church of what he calls "religious racism."

Righi, 76, has stressed substantial historical evidence — both Christian and non-Christian — of Jesus' existence.

"Don Righi is innocent because he said and wrote what he has the duty to say and write," Righi's attorney, Severo Bruno, told reporters.

He said he told Mautone during the hearing that Righi was not asserting a historical fact when he wrote of Jesus' existence, but rather "an expression of theological principles."

"When Don Righi spoke about Christ's humanity ... he was affirming that he needs to be considered as a man. What his name is, where he comes from or who his parents are is secondary," he said.

Fonza said he countered that there have long been questions of Christ's existence and that the matter warranted discussion in the court.

"When somebody states a wrong fact, abusing the ignorance of people, and gains from that, that is one of the gravest crimes," Cascioli told reporters.

Righi's brother, Luigi Righi, attended the hearing and said his brother was "serene but bitter."

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Doesn't this case sound like something out of the Twilight Zone? Unfortunately, it's for real... The EU Human Rights Commission will probably knock out 2000 years of Christianity in one fell swoop by declaring it to be "religious racism."

It's a sad world we live in. Christians can't afford to stay put in their "comfort zones" any longer. It's time to speak out and share the Gospel more boldly than ever before.

I find it somewhat ironic that this court case is to be tried in Italy, the modern country that came from the remnants of the Roman Empire.

Bring on the lions.

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

THE TOP TEN PREDICTIONS FOR 2006/Did God Create Everything?

THE TOP TEN PREDICTIONS FOR 2006

1. The Bible will still have the answers.
2. Prayer will still work.
3. The Holy Spirit will still move.
4. God will still inhabit the praises of His people.
5. There will still be God-anointed preaching.
6. There will still be singing of praise.
7. God will still pour out blessings upon His people.
8. There will still be room at the Cross.
9. Jesus will still love you.
10. Jesus will still save the lost.

--Author Unknown

(Thanks to Karen S. for sharing these "predictions" with us. Amazing how the more things change, the more the stay the same... And here's another email story that may or may not be true, but makes a good point either way.)


Did God Create Everything?

This is a really great answer to a question you may be asked or have asked. Did God create everything that exists? Does evil exist? Did God create evil?

A University professor at a well known institution of higher learning challenged his students with this question. "Did God create everything that exists?"

A student bravely replied "Yes He did".

"God created everything?" the professor asked.

"Yessir, He certainly did." the student replied.

The professor answered, "If God created everything, then God created evil. And since evil exists, and according to the principal that our works define who we are, then we can assume God is evil."

The student became quiet and did not answer the professor's
hypothetical definition. The professor, quite pleased with himself, boasted to the students that he had proven once more that the Christian faith was a myth.

Another student raised his hand and said, "May I ask you a question, professor?"

"Of course", replied the professor.

The student stood up and asked, "Professor, does cold exist?"

"What kind of a question is this? Of course it exists."

"Have you never been cold?" The other student snickered at the young man's question.

The young man replied, "In fact sir, cold does not exist. According
to the laws of physics, what we consider cold is in reality the absence of heat. Every body, or object, is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body, or matter, have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-460 F) is the total absence of heat; and all matter becomes inert and incapable of reaction at that temperature. Cold does not exist. We have created this word to describe how we feel if we have no heat."

The student continued, "Professor, does darkness exist?"

The professor responded, "Of course it does."

The student replied, "Once again you are wrong sir, darkness does notexist either. Darkness is in reality the absence of light. Light we can study, but not darkness. In fact we can use Newton's prism to break white light into many colors and study the various wavelengths of each color. You cannot measure darkness. A simple ray of light can break into a world of darkness and illuminate it. How can you know how dark a certain space is? You measure the amount of light present. Isn't this correct? Darkness is a term used by man to describe what happens when there is no light present."

Finally the young man asked the professor, "Sir, does evil exist?"

Now uncertain, the professor responded, "Of course, as I have already said, we see it everyday. It is in the daily examples of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil.

To this the student replied, "Evil does not exist, sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat, or the darkness that comes when there is no light."

The professor sat down.

The young man's name was Albert Einstein...

(Not sure if this is a true story, but it's still a good analogy for God's love.)

Friday, January 13, 2006

A Top Twenty Not to Be Proud Of...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10823343/

St. Louis makes the top 20 list of "the meanest places in America for Homeless people". (Not exactly a top 20 list you'd like to see your town listed on.)

Gee, you'd think with all the churches and church schools around here we'd treat the homeless (most of whom are mentally ill) with a bit more Christian charity, wouldn't you?

Something to think about...

Sunday, January 01, 2006

Valentines Carols

Some of my fellow church members and I decided to make "Christmas caroling" to our shut-ins a year round activity. And what better way to kick off the New Year than by going "Valentines Caroling"?

Here are some of my attempts at re-writing carols to fit the day that honors that great and loving saint, Valentine.:

Valentines, Valentines (Sung to the tune of Jingle Bells)

CHORUS:
Valentines, Valentines
And we'll tell you, too
Jesus came to give us life
And this good news to you! (repeat)

Dashing through the snow (cold), we came here today
To sing a silly song with laughter all the way! Ho, ho, ho…
Our glad voices ring, lifting hands, we sigh--
What fun it is to praise our Lord
The love of God most high!

On Valentines Day (Sung to the tune of Away in the Manger)

On Valentines Day we sing you this song
To tell you we love you and wish you life long--
The knowledge our Savior will be by your side
Forgiveness of sins is why he did die

On Valentines Day we know this is true
Jesus rose from the grave for me and for you
Together in heaven with Him we will share
The love of the Father and His tender care

God Bless Ye Merry Gentlemen (Sung to the tune of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen)

God bless ye merry gentlemen
And ladies of this place
Remember Jesus loves you so
I'll show it on my face
My smile and hug are tokens of God's peace and loving grace.
Oh-oh, tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy, oh-oh, tidings of comfort and joy!

God's Love's All About! ( Sung to the tune of Silver Bells)

CHORUS:
Red and pink! Red and pink!
Valentines cards by the plenty
Hear us shout-His love's all about!
We share it this Valentines!

Pretty windows, busy mall stores
Dressed in hearts and love scenes
In the air there's the feeling of cupid
People hugging, people smiling
But what does this all mean?
It means Jesus' love reigns supreme!
(Repeat CHORUS)

Everyone is God's child! (sung to the tune of Silent Night)

Valentines hug, Valentines smile-
Everyone is God's child!
We share the gospel by singing to you
Telling of Jesus who loves us all true
Jesus' love covers the earth!
Jesus' love covers the earth!

Valentine's hug, Valentine's smile-
Every heart is worthwhile
God made us all to be his children
Together forever in heaven we'll spend
Jesus saves all of mankind!
Jesus saves all of mankind!

O Little Day of Valentines (sung to the tune of O Little Town of Bethlehem)

O Little Day of Valentines
How beautiful you shine!
Today we share good news with you
Of Jesus' love divine
Our hearts and happy voices
Tell of our joy and mirth
Of this we sing, our Lord and King
Who came to bless the earth.

O Little Day of Valentines
Why is it on this day?
That people think of candies pink
Instead to Whom we pray?
Valentine shared the gospel story
With those he called most dear
So we will too, share this with you
Our good Lord's always near!

Valentines is Here (sung to Joy to the World)

Valentines is here, the day of love
God tells us from above
How to love each other
Be sisters and brothers
Travel Christ's pathway true
Travel Christ's pathway true
Travel Christ's pathway for me and you!

Valentines is here, this day of hearts
Let loving thoughts impart
To every son and daughter
Mother, child and father
Share the gospel news
Share the gospel news
Share the gospel news from me to you!

Feel free to "Valentines Carol" your loved ones with these songs… If you decide to print the lyrics out, don't forget to put "all lyrics copyright 2005 by Cindy Appel, all rights reserved" somewhere on the page. And don't forget to tell folks where you saw these songs first. Thanks!

P.S. Drop me an email and tell me how folks reacted to your "Valentines Caroling". Email me with "Valentines Caroling" in the subject header to cynthianna @ hotmail.com (no spaces)
Thanks.