NONBELIEVERS HAVE ROLE IN GOD'S PLAN, POPE SAYS
Urges Collaboration to Build the Kingdom of God
VATICAN CITY, DEC. 6, 2000 (ZENIT.org).- Every person is called to "collaborate" with the coming of the Kingdom of God, John Paul II said, in an urgent appeal for cooperation between believers and nonbelievers.
In today's general audience address, the Pope said: "All the righteous on earth, even those who do not know Christ and his Church and who, under the influence of grace, seek God with a sincere heart, are ... called to build the Kingdom of God, cooperating with the Lord who is the first and decisive architect." [Note that righteousness is not available except through Jesus Christ. It is only His righteousness that is sufficient for our triune God. Jesus Christ is the Kingdom of God. We cannot construct the Kingdom of God] .. the Pontiff continued his catechetical talks on the relations of the faithful with non-Catholics. Today he focused on the collaboration with nonbelievers in contemporary society. Above all, the Pope explained the meaning of the expression "Kingdom of God," which reveals man's mission in the world in light of the Gospel. Collaborators of the Kingdom are those "who lovingly endure the sufferings of life; ... the pure of heart ... who choose the way of righteousness, namely, of union with the will of God," the Pope said... Full story: Source: ZENIT, December 6, 2000 - DAILY DISPATCH - The World Seen From Rome http://www.zenit.org/.
At the commencement of the Third Millennium are the predictions of 'God's' Kingdom on earth coming to pass? The Mormons said they were going to be heading a United Kingdom. The Jehovah's Witnesses operate under the promise of having a heavenly millennial age where the lambs will lay with lions and tears will become a thing of the past. And Pope John Paul II encourages participation by all.
And now Bob Jones tells us after all these years of labor by the university professors to keep Christianity out of one's rhetoric, out of the mainstream and out of the school curriculum, that the United States has always been a Christian nation? It took a lot of audacity or Bob Jones is uninformed when he praised Ronald Reagan as a Christian. The Reagans were running the U.S. by astrology. They did not hide it.
It is hard to understand what the Christian Right really represents? Larry King is married to a Mormon. He is an admitted unbeliever. Is Bob Jones doing what Jesus advocated? When a caller on Larry's show about Senator Ashcroft and asked, if Senator Ashcroft had to make a decision about abortion which is legal in the U.S. would he be able to make a decision without considering what he is deeply committed to? Bob replied that Senator Ashcroft would be giving Caesar what is Caesar's which was a most bizarre reflection.
God carefully instructs us to do what He teaches us to do, not what the world calls for. The interviews by Larry King are traps to demoralize Christianity one more time and we reject mixing the Gospel with politics.
If we love Christ Jesus, we ought not throw our precious love around publicly to confessed anti-Christians.
"And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it. For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God-speed: For he that biddeth him Godspeed is partaker of his evil deeds." (2 John 1:6-11)
We don't know if Bob Jones is still a member of the Council for National Policy. He was listed as a member and that membership doesn't to fit the admonition of the Gospel:
"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. Wherfore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." (James 1:19-21)
Beverly Lahay, also a member of the Council for National Policy,
gave a speech that Senator Ashcroft should be nominated to Janet
Reno's job. Her insignia is quite interesting. Concerned Women
of America: 
We were under the impression that
she is a Christian? Why the pentagram? Symbols are powerful tools
and should not be used haphazardly. They speak volumes.
We are bringing this to your attention because many Christians, in fact half the population of the U.S., are caught up in this political atmosphere thinking they are helping God change the world when God pointed out that the world is on a downward spiral. Man has proven over the last 6000 years that men and women will not behave according to God's Word and that is all they are proving today in the political arena.
"Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: as free, and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. Honor all men. Love the brotherhood , Fear God. Honor the king." (1 Peter 2:13-17)
God is not encouraging us to get involved in politics. He wants us to be free to do His will. Politicians are not free to do God's bidding, if it is true that this government is by the people, of the people and for the people. The leader would have to serve the Constitution and his constituents. That is what he is paid to do.
The involvement of the church in politics is causing major damage to what the church is supposed to represent. We are still operating under the separation of church and state. The IRS makes that very clear by withdrawing the exempt status from any church that does not keep church and state separate. Looking at the election this time around, the IRS turned a blind eye to politicians and churches. Although Beverly LaHay insisted that the Republican Party is going to run the country by the Rule of Law, she was making a foolish statements.
Of the $1.5 billion dollars spent on the election, many dollars were donated by Christians to this cause because donations to churches were down in the year 2000 according to statistics.
FAITH-BASED IS NOT NECESSARILY CHRISTIAN FAITH
On C-SPAN in a press interview about the new administration, on January 5, 2001 President elect's press secretary stated that pseudo faith agencies such as Alcoholics Anonymous [AA] would be one to be considered for funding through the new faith-based agency to be installed into the White House. Their 12-step plan is not based on the biblical faith but any faith in a higher being.
(NY Times) WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration's proposal to let the government help religious groups that deal with social problems is already raising questions such as the threat to churches' independence and the separation of church and state. Those questions were addressed Wednesday by religious leaders and analysts during the presentation of a survey on the role of religion in public life.
The debate on religious groups is certain to grow because President-elect Bush plans to establish an ``office of faith-based programs'' in the White House. Bush wants to tap resources of the nation's religious organizations to deal with social problems such as poverty, alcohol and drug abuse and affordable housing. [Source: http://www.usajewish.com ]
Government is not our Savior. January 6, 2001 10:00 PM Eastern Time, the history channel (60 min) presented a program: "The U.S. government creates a network of underground bunkers to protect top officials in case of nuclear holocaust. (CC) (TVG) Why the top officials want to survive when the rest of the world is nuked is hard to understand.
"For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. (Matthew 16:25)
BUSH MEETS WITH RELIGIOUS LEADERS
President-elect George W. Bush met with religious leaders on Wednesday as part of his plans to extend faith-based social service initiatives as he outlined in his presidential campaign. About 20 leaders met with Bush to advise him on ways that religious groups can help tackle a variety of social
problems. Bush has contended that social service programs such as welfare-to-work and drug treatment should be overseen by individual states and not the federal government. "If you recall his speech in Indianapolis in June of 1999, he focused at great length on how to find faith-based solutions to solve some of society's greatest, deepest problems. Charitable choice. Charitable giving," said Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer. [Source: http://www.harpazo.net/news.html
WHY DO WE BELIEVE WE ARE MOVING FROM LIBERALISM TO THE NWO: CHURCH / STATE
We are finding the birds are singing it from the roof tops of other countries and here are some examples: Vladimir Putin was interviewed by Larry King and confessed that he is a believer in God (?). To prove it he has changed the Russian national anthem.
Old Hymn, New Words
Part 2: New Anthem Lyrics
Anthem of the Russian
Federation
Music by Alexander Alexandrov
Words by Sergei Mikhalkov
Approved by Putin on Friday, Dec. 29, 2000.
Listen to the Anthem (1)
Russia, our holy country!
Russia, our beloved country!
A mighty will, a great glory,
Are your inheritance for all time!
(Refrain:)
Be glorious, our free Fatherland!
Eternal union of fraternal peoples,
Common wisdom given by our
forebears,
Be glorious, our country!
We are proud of you!
From the southern seas to the polar
region spread our forests and fields.
You are unique in the world, inimitable,
Native land protected by God!
(Repeat refrain)
Wide spaces for dreams and for living
Are opened for us by the coming years
Faithfulness to our country gives us strength
Thus it was, so it is and always will be!
_____________
Anthem of the Soviet Union
Music by Alexander Alexandrov
Words by S.V. Mikhalkov & G.A. Registan
Approved by Joseph Stalin in 1943
Unbreakable Union of freeborn Republics,
Great Russia has welded forever to stand.
Created in struggle by will of the people,
United and mighty, our Soviet land!
Sing to the Motherland, home of the free,
Bulwark of peoples in brotherhood strong.
O Party of Lenin, the strength of the people,
To Communism's triumph lead us on!
Through tempests the sunrays of freedom have cheered us,
Along the new path where great Lenin did lead.
To a righteous cause he raised up the peoples,
Inspired them to labor and valorous deed.
[Or, the original way:
Be true to the people, thus Stalin has reared us,
Inspire us to labor and valorous deed!]
Sing to the Motherland, home of the free,
Bulwark of peoples in brotherhood strong.
O Party of Lenin, the strength of the people,
To Communism's triumph lead us on!
In the vict'ry of Communism's deathless ideal,
We see the future of our dear land.
And to her fluttering scarlet banner,
Selflessly true we always shall stand! (2)
- (1) http://www.funet.fi/pub/culture/russian//lyrics/political/SovNatlAnthem.wav
- (2) http://russianculture.about.com/culture/russianculture/library/weekly/aa010101b.htm
- EU CONSERVATIVES LOOK TO TOPPLE LEFT
January 11, 2001 - BERLIN (AP - Stephen Graham) - Leading European conservatives took a swipe Thursday at left-leaning governments across the region for failing at a summit last month to forge ahead with European Union (news - web sites) expansion.
Conservatives meeting at the 14th European People's Party congress are trying to craft a political vision that will help them win back the political middle ground from left-leaning parties now in power across Europe.
Attendees at the congress criticized last month's EU summit in Nice, France. The summit was supposed to ease expansion by updating the treaty that governs the way the EU works. However, the final agreement fell short of the sweeping reforms proposed by several countries, although progress was made on streamlining institutions and reforming voting procedures.
More than 600 delegates from 42 center-right political parties were expected at the congress, which opened Thursday.
``Nice showed that Europe lacks spiritual leadership,'' said Finnish Conservative Party leader Sauli Niinsto.
``We once more need a vision for Europe, and need people who can represent that vision,'' said Angela Merkel, chairwoman of Germany's Christian Democrats and host of the three-day congress in a Berlin hotel.
The group admitted conservative parties from Hungary and Slovakia ahead of its plenary session, where leaders including Merkel, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel and Italian conservative leader Silvio Berlusconi were to speak.
Former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl was also to address delegates on behalf of conservative leaders who signed the 1992 Maastricht Treaty, which paved the way for the introduction of the single European currency, the euro.
The parties are to adopt a motion Saturday outlining values they hope will help them win back the political middle ground and allow them to exert greater influence within the 15-member union as it prepares to admit a dozen countries from the east and south of Europe.
The parties ``traditional values'' need to be ``reaffirmed, rethought and modernized in order to make them applicable the 21st century,'' according to a draft.- AUSTRALIA REPUBLICANS CAMPAIGN
January 1, 2001 - SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - Australians who want to replace Britain's Queen Elizabeth II (news - web sites) as the country's head of state resumed their campaign Friday, just over a year after losing a key referendum.
The Australian Republican Movement said it will try to revive its fortunes by linking its campaign to celebrations this year commemorating Australia's centennial.
``This year provides us with an ideal opportunity ... to get as many Australians committed to an Australian head of state as we can,'' said the movement's chairman, Greg Barnes.
In a November 1999 referendum, about 55 percent of Australians voted to keep the monarchy instead of replacing it with a republic headed by a local president. Since the referendum, the republican movement's membership has plummeted from 8,000 to 3,000.
Barnes said the group would begin gathering signatures on a petition asking Parliament to hold another referendum. The petition will be presented to both houses of Parliament when it holds a special session in May to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Australia's federal legislature.
Six British colonies united to form the Commonwealth of Australia on Jan. 1, 1901. - (2) http://russianculture.about.com/culture/russianculture/library/weekly/aa010101b.htm