Terrorism in Florida and the Depravity of Man

     By now I’m sure that we’ve all heard or read about the horrible act committed at a gay night club in Florida. We’ve also all heard of the religion of the perpetrator, and that he claimed allegiance with ISIS. However, what we may not be hearing, is what this event can actually teach us.

     Though it seems a bit ironic, there are atheists out there, condemning Christians and God for this act. The call is “Where was your God Christians?!?! Why didn’t He stop this!?!?” As I said, ironic considering the man who committed this atrocity is Muslim. However, we’ve learned nothing if not that atheists tend to be inconsistent in most things.

      Now, however, I want to focus on the response Christians (or at least those who are claiming the mantle of Christ) are giving. For most, it’s a blank stare, or to claim “God had nothing to do with this!” but if we travel down that road, it leads to a very dark place. Let’s explore that shall we?

     Let us assume for a moment that someone gives the above response. What does that logically lead to? Either a) God had no clue it was going to happen, and therefore was incapable to stop it(open theism) or b) He saw what was going to happen, and simply allowed it to, not wanting to infringe on humanity's “libertarian” free will, and hopes He can make some good come from it.
How about I offer a different suggestion. How about God ordained the shooting to take place?

     Ok, take a deep breath, hold it…hold it….and release. Feel a little better? Good, now let’s move on logically as opposed to emotionally. (Unfortunately too many discussions are driven by pure emotionalism as this one routinely is.)

     We see throughout Scripture that God uses both natural means (earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, etc) and human means to His ends. Isaiah 10 springs to mind, where God used the ambitions of the king of Assyria to lay waste to Israel when they turned from Him. (I’ll post the Scriptures at the bottom of this article.) In this day and age of shallow Christianity, this is denied vehemently in an effort to make God only about love. In fact I’m reminded of the female pastor my former church voted in. Shortly before my departure, she and I had a discussion on sin and repentance (see my article here for repentance: What Is Repentance? http://etchedinsteel.blogspot.com/2016/05/what-is-repentance.html ) to which she responded, and I quote, “God is love, God is Love, God is Love, God is Love, you can make the Bible say anything, God is Love, God is Love, God is Love, God is Love.” It’s this kind of shallow thinking that denies the doctrines of Grace, and in this instance the doctrine of Total Depravity. We are all slaves to our sin, as Jesus Himself said in John 8:34. We are all sinful and horrible by nature due to the fall, and it’s only through God’s common grace that we don’t turn this planet into a smoldering ash heap. (2 Thessalonians 2:7) As I pointed out before, God’s wrath is currently being poured out (Romans 1:18),and this incident is another example. However, God’s righteous judgement still falls onto those who commit these acts. “How?” You may ask. “Didn’t God ordain the act?” Yes, but it was through the already wicked and sinful nature of man that He did so. He lifts His grace but a fraction, and this is the result of the depravity of man’s heart unleashed. (Jeremiah 17:9)

     Now, does any of the above mean I or anyone else knows what good God has planned from this evil? No. It could be that this is the catalyst for many more Muslims to decry this type of violence. It could be that, like 9/11, future evil acts can be averted. It could be that the current media, which seems to avoid calling Islamic terrorism what it is, is forced to admit they’ve been complicit in hiding these acts. There are any number of things, including ones totally unknown and unimaginable to us. The point is, all things work to good for those that love Him!

     So as we ponder this horrific act of terrorism, remember there are two ways to view it. One places God outside of control, and causes Him to be impotent and stunted. The other places the blame squarely where it belongs, man’s wicked sin, while leaving God on His throne and in control, sovereignty intact. Which do you choose?

     Now, as promised, the relevant portion of Isaiah 10, God bless!

Isaiah 10New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Assyria Is God’s Instrument
10 Woe to those who enact evil statutes
And to those who constantly record[a]unjust decisions,
2 So as to [b]deprive the needy of justice
And rob the poor of My people of theirrights,
So that widows may be their spoil
And that they may plunder the[c]orphans.
3 Now what will you do in the day of punishment,
And in the devastation which will come from afar?
To whom will you flee for help?
And where will you leave your [d]wealth?
4 Nothing remains but to crouch [e]among the captives
Or fall [f]among theslain.
In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away
And His hand is still stretched out.
5 Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger
And the staff in whose hands is My indignation,
6 I send it against a godless nation
And commission it against the people of My fury
To capture booty and to seize plunder,
And to [g]trample them down like mud in the streets.
7 Yet it does not so intend,
Nor does [h]it plan so in its heart,
But rather it is [i]its purpose to destroy
And to cut off [j]many nations.
8 For it says, “Are not my princes [k]all kings?
9 “Is not Calno like Carchemish,
Or Hamath like Arpad,
Or Samaria like Damascus?
10 “As my hand has reached to the kingdoms of the idols,
Whose graven images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria,
11 Shall I not [l]do to Jerusalem and her images
Just as I have done to Samaria and her idols?”
12 So it will be that when the Lord has completed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, He will say, “I will[m]punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the pomp of [n]his haughtiness.”13 For he has said,
“By the power of my hand and by my wisdom I did this,
For I have understanding;
And I removed the boundaries of the peoples
And plundered their treasures,
And like a mighty man I brought down[o]their inhabitants,
14 And my hand reached to the riches of the peoples like a nest,
And as one gathers abandoned eggs, I gathered all the earth;
And there was not one that flapped its wing or opened its beak or chirped.”
15 Is the axe to boast itself over the one who chops with it?
Is the saw to exalt itself over the one who wields it?
That would be like a[p]club wielding those who lift it,
Or like a rod lifting him who is not wood.
16 Therefore the Lord, the [q]GOD of hosts, will send a wasting disease among his stout warriors;
And under his glory a fire will be kindled like a burning flame.
17 And the light of Israel will become a fire and his Holy One a flame,
And it will burn and devour his thorns and his briars in a single day.
18 And He will destroy the glory of his forest and of his fruitful garden, both soul and body,
And it will be as when a sick man wastes away.
19 And the rest of the trees of his forest will be so small in number
That a child could write them down.”

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+10&version=NASB

The "UnReasonable" Rally!

     June is upon us, and with it, another strawman rally…I mean another angry atheist rally…I mean another unreasonable rally…oh well, whatever secularists want to call it, “reason” or “logic” certainly don’t make an appearance!      From some of their guest speakers such as Bill Nye the Strawman Guy, to SNL's Julia Sweeney, the list is certainly a joke! Lawrence Krauss is set to make an appearance, apparently to give legitimacy to Nye, who couldn’t strawman his way to a win in his debate against Ken Hamm. To see what I’m talking about, why don’t I show you a few screenshots from the Reason Rally website?

     Right away we see the strawmen marching along! No one says you can’t “be a good person without God”, it’s an old canard that has been debunked more times than are countable, yet atheists still trot it out for the “gotcha” effect. It isn’t that people can’t do good things without believing in God, only that you have no basis to call anything good or bad. The foundation is so full of holes, one could drive the proverbial truck through it. We say that it’s God’s common grace that keeps man from doing what his depraved nature wants, and in that, even non-believers can do good through God’s divine will.

     Now, strawman number two; the idea that public policy is based on religion and not science. First, one must ignore, in entirety, the fact that this country was founded on Judeo-Christian values. Second, they must also ignore the heinous things done in purely secular countries in the name of “science” or “the state”. (Seriously, Pot, Stalin, etc., anyone?) 

     Now, what does science say about morals or morality? Nothing! What does science have to say about theft? Nothing! What does science have to say about beating ones spouse? Nothing! What does science have to say about killing people? Nothing! And yet we ignore the science when it says that a child in the womb is human, and not a lump of cells. That Dr. Jerome Lejeune, (known as "The Father of Modern Genetics,") testified that human life begins at conception before the Louisiana Legislature's House Committee on the Administration of Criminal Justice on June 7, 1990.

     Dr. Lejeune explained that within three to seven days after fertilization we can determine if the new human being is a boy or a girl. "At no time," Dr. Lejeune said, "is the human being a blob of protoplasm. As far as your nature is concerned, I see no difference between the early person that you were at conception and the late person which you are now. You were, and are, a human being."

     Dr. Lejeune also pointed out that each human being is unique -- different from the mother -- from the moment of conception. He said, "Recent discoveries by Dr. Alec Jeffreys of England demonstrate that this information on the DNA molecule is stored by a system of bar codes not unlike those found on products at the supermarket...it's not any longer a theory that each of us is unique." We ignore the science that says life cannot arise from non-life(the law of biogenesis), we used to ignore the science that tells us all humans, regardless of race or ethnicity are equal (see http://creation.mobi/darwins-bodysnatchers-new-horrors ). In some sad instances, this hasn’t disappeared completely. Did some abuse the texts of Scripture to prop up their hatred, of course. However an abuse of a thing, is not a reflection of said thing, only a reflection on the depravity of man.

     Now let’s say you mean that you wish to rid society, and ignore the governmental aspect for the moment, of theism. I think this speaks volumes to the bigotry and hatred toward theism, and especially Christianity as it is not us who are trying to silence you, but in your own words, this is the case the other way around. You also must ignore that society is made up of all it’s constituent parts, of which theism is the dominant view. You must use the terror of the minority to silence the majority. Definitely a “you’re too dumb, we know better” attitude. Arrogance much?

     Moving on to misrepresentation number 3; the separation of church and state canard! This one hasn’t been beaten to death too many times has it? It’s still, however, the atheists most well worn argument to date, so it’s doubtful that no matter how many times it’s debunked, they will continue to use it! The quote originates from a letter from Thomas Jefferson to a Baptist group that was afraid that the US government would declare Roman Catholicism as the countries religion. He was allaying their fears by reinforcing the first amendment, which states that the government will not establish a religion, nor infringe upon the free exercise thereof. He was saying the wall of separation was one way. The government could not interfere with religion, but that religion could influence government.      This quote was ripped out of context by a Circuit Court judge in an effort to find a ruling more to his liking, as opposed to going by what the text of the law states. Since then it has been used like a sledgehammer any time a secularist gets his feels hurt, or a theist expresses their viewpoint.

     Finally, let me wrap this up with one more screenshot. This one captured at about noon today (May 31st). I think it speaks volumes in and of itself. It says that people don’t want to donate to an anti-cause. They don’t want to throw their money into “nothing”. 

So short of a sudden influx of money from a few affluent donors, it appears the “Reason Rally” is going to fall well short of its goal. I can’t say I’m overly surprised. When a group holds such animosity, that a Christian group of a thousand people, are told they cannot hand out free copies of a book, as well as a free gift cards to Subway because it may spark violence! (http://mobile.wnd.com/2016/05/police-say-christians-cant-give-atheists-gift-cards/#4FLdo8oPGJ2wcCMs.99)

     Let me close first with a laughable quote from the event promoters, then with a solemn look at what is wrong with the “Reason” Rally. The quote: “Not only are we celebrating our secular, atheist, agnostic, humanist, freethinking, and nonreligious identities, we are preparing to exercise our power at the voting box to bring good sense back to government,”

     I don’t think I need to point out, that good sense fled politics the day that Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump became the two major party nominees. I would ask, what is there to celebrate? If this isn’t a religion, or a worldview (believe it or not I’ve been told by numerous atheists that it isn’t a worldview) what is there to celebrate? Time hurtling us toward nonexistence? The lack of any meaningful definition of a moral structure and societal anarchy? If the amount you’ve raised with only a few days until your event is any indication, your “power at the voting box” is quite limited at best. Perhaps we could call it the "2 Thessalonians 2:11-12 Rally"? "For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false..."

     The simple fact of the matter is that these people, whether they want to admit it or not, hate God. As John 3:19-20 says: “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.”      Yet there is hope, and a way back towards the Light, back to God. It is Jesus Christ, who while the eternal Son of God, condescended to come to earth, to join His divinity with a human nature, lived a perfect and sinless life, was crucified and died for the wrath of God against sin, and rose again three days later. He took our punishment for those who God draws to Himself. If you feel that pull, if you realize deep down that you are, as Romans 1:18 puts it “...suppressing the truth in unrighteousness”, then I say to you, that God is calling you. That He will take out your heart of stone and replace it with a heart of flesh as it says in Ezekiel 36:26. Don’t ignore this feeling, this calling. It will change you for the better in ways you’d never thought possible! God bless!

What Is Repentance?

     While scrolling through the internet, I recently stumbled across this little gem, as a response to an atheist who had asked “Why should I repent for being human?(paraphrase)” The particular responder, a Roman Catholic whom I shall not name, (I have not approached them on this yet) replied:

     “Nah, that would be silly.  Repentance in Christian thought can broadly be described as an attitude of self betterment.  A striving to become more moral etc.”

     Broadly is an understatement. Biblical repentance is described as a true sense of ones own guilt and sinfulness, a grasp of God’s mercy in Christ, and a detestation of one’s sin. (2 Cor. 7:10, Psalm 51:4,9, 11 Psalm 109:21-22, Psalm 119, 128, Job 42:5) As we can see this no mere “self betterment” (which biblically speaking is an oxymoron- Romans 7:18), but an act of spiritual turning. To abandon that which is evil and a true longing for things that are Holy. We also see that repentance is an act of God, and that man, in his fallen and spiritually dead nature, is incapable of repentance on his own. (John 6:44, Acts 11:18, 2 Timothy 2:25)

     Does this mean that after repenting of sin, we will not sin again? Of course not! We still have a human nature, a sinful nature. However, when we sin, if we are truly reborn in Christ, the sin will grieve us, the Holy Spirit will convict us, and we will turn away from that sin, and again, back to God, and God will, as Psalm 103:12 puts it, remove our sins "as far as the East is from the West."

     I understand, unfortunately, that the internet is a hotbed of half truths and watered down theology, but when we see such things, we must call it out, we must do what we can to correct it, lest it draw people into a false conversion. To that end, let me point you to a new website that will be a good resource for those with questions. The Council of G+ has created a website for easy access to our videos and hangouts. Feel free to search our website, or ask questions, and we will be happy to help. God bless! http://spirited-tech.com/COG/

The Intellectual Puddle

     I've never thought of myself as "old" or even considered that my youth was as long ago as it now seems. I always laughed at the old timers when they said "Back in my day..." But increasingly I am seeing what they meant. I speak now of society's inability to rationally, logically, coherently think.

     Case in point, politics. The front runners of each of the two major parties are inexcusably unfit to Commander In Chief.

     On the one hand we have Donald Trump. A man so prone to lie and exaggerate it's a wonder he can string a single sentence together. His ever shifting positions reflect his inability to do anything outside the popular feeling of the day. Yet he has a groundswell of followers who take every word he says as gospel truth, and if you disagree, you are attacked, shunned and threatened until you stop speaking or climb on board the crazy train.

     On the other hand, we have Hillary Clinton. A sociopath if ever there was one. A woman so devoid of foundations she was willing to threaten and silence rape victims to ensure her husband's political future. Which we now see was simply her stepping stone to her ultimate grab for power. Utterly devoid of empathy, she sacrificed four men in Benghazi and then, on national TV, under oath, in front of all of America, had the gall to shout "what difference does it make?"

     We see the droves of the willingly uninformed, the almost zombie like following and shallowness of thought, that has led society to this point. I've often said, the bulk of people these days are three miles wide but only a half inch deep in their thinking.

     Emotionalism has replaced rational thought. Where ad hominems, appeals to emotion, or authority are the rule rather than the exception. I remember growing up being challenged regularly on my assertions, yet now when I challenge others to prove their assertions, I'm simply labeled, and ignored. Our society has become too afraid of deep thinking, too afraid that by looking closely, they may be proven wrong, or worse, proven to longer be the center of the universe. The greatest generation of the 30's and 40's has given way to the "me me me" generation of this new millennium.

     How much deep thought does it take to realize that condoning and celebrating with things as transgenderism, a known mental disorder, is not the best thing? Instead we are called "transphobic" because we care enough about this incredibly tiny minority of people to recognize they need help, and to want to help them. Instead we create new "genders" ignoring what science knows and explains. That we are a sexually dimorphic species. There is no third or fourth or fifth options.

     I'm afraid we're witnessing the end of society as we know it. We've become intellectually afraid to speak the truth, and it won't be long before those who make us that way silence any dissenting opinion, permanently. I pray God brings a sweeping change, because without His divine intervention, there is no hope.

Is This The Best We Can Do?

     I originally started this blog as an addition to my ministry on G+ and YouTube, but occasionally one comes across something so insane, so ridiculous, that they must discuss it. Today I found such a situation.
     Earlier today, a brother in Christ posted a link to an article claiming that “climate change” was causing the earth to tip. ( http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/earth-is-tipping-because-of-climate-change1/ ) Ludicrous as that sounds, it’s only the beginning.
     Then later the same day, I find out there’s going to be a debate on “climate change” involving everyone’s favorite (psuedo)science guy, Bill Nye. Now after the Creation/Evolution debate he had with Ken Hamm, surely they found a true intellectual heavyweight to tackle this subject right? Someone with a background in climate science? Perhaps a degree in one scientific field or another? A weather man at the very least? No such luck. No instead, handling the opposing side, the one denying the pseudo-science that is anthropogenic global warming, is none other than failed Vice Presidential candidate and Donald Trump schill, Sarah Palin. Perhaps she’ll bring up how it’s still so cold in her home state of Alaska? One could only hope that she will come prepared with at least the latest satellite data showing that the earth hasn’t been warning for around 19 years now. ( http://www.climatedepot.com/2015/11/04/no-global-warming-at-all-for-18-years-9-months-a-new-record-the-pause-lengthens-again-just-in-time-for-un-summit-in-paris/ ) However, her current political ravings and choice of Presidential candidate, don’t give me much confidence in her discernment or her depth of thought.
     And the final straw on the insanity of the day was this piece I stumbled across, wherein there are calls for those who do not agree with global warming, should be charged as criminals. Because the Gestapo style cultism of AGW cannot abide dissent! ( http://dailycaller.com/2015/09/17/scientists-ask-obama-to-prosecute-global-warming-skeptics/ ) These “scientists “ go so far as to demand that President Obama use the RICO statutes, the ones meant to go after organized crime, to silence dissenters as “dangerous”, and have them jailed! As if denying a scientific hypothesis(one not overly well documented to be even remotely a result of human activity, let alone a crisis) was on par with being a drug king pin or mobster! We're talking about a hypothesis based solely on the idea that the temperature of the earth right now is optimal for the planet, yet the largest numbers of the most diverse populations of species on record, existed back when the earth was a tropical oven! This is what happens when a worldview or ideological stance is challenged, and it can’t stand up to scrutiny. It’s most devout followers try to silence the opposing view with laws, jail time, and intimidation, yet they wish to use the laws meant for mobsters on those who disagree, whilst perpetuating the stereotypical mobster role. “Those are awfully nice rights you’ve got there. It’d be a shame if something were to happen to them….”

My Conversion Story

     I was recently on the Bible Thumping Wingnut Sunday hangout and podcast (just listened in, didn't engage at all) and listened as Tim's guest, a gentleman named Larry, gave his testimony. To say I was surprised would be an understatement in that it mirrored my own so closely for a time!
  This got me thinking, as some in the chat asked me about my own story, and rather than continuously repeat myself, I thought I'd share with all of you.
     I was raised in a very Roman Catholic family. The vast bulk is still Roman Catholic. My father was in the Air Force, and shortly after my birth, we were moved to Keflavík Iceland. My earliest memory is from there. As I grew up, my parents would take me to church with them, and while I was still relatively young, I tried hard to be a part. This didn't last. I got nothing from the service, it seemed all pageantry and pomp, all flash and no substance. It quickly became a chore, rather than a pleasure, to sit there for what seemed an eternity on a Sunday morning.
     As I got into high school, my parents stopped making me go. High school was a difficult time, often bullied, unable to fit in. However, it wasn't until I began learning about evolution, that I finally gave up any pretence of their being a God. Aside from someone to blame when things went wrong.
     I met the woman who would become my wife as a senior in high school. We were friends, and through a series of unflattering circumstances on my part, began dating. After a few weeks, she invited me to go to church with her one Sunday night. I had nothing better to do, so decided at the very least, I'd be able to hang out with her for an extra couple of hours. It was a decision that set me on the path I currently travel, and I know was ordained by God.
     I remember, standing as people sang around me, but not knowing the words, just keeping my mouth shut. Then, the pastor began to preach. His first words weren't about his golf game (a very commonplace event when I attended Mass) but the word of God. Then he unpacked them, explained them, showed how they worked and what they meant in our day to day lives. I was dumbstruck. It was as if the words in the Bible in front of me, the one from the back of the pew, suddenly made sense. Before when I'd read the Bible (one given me by my grandmother) it was gibberish. I couldn't make heads or tails of it. Now suddenly, it came to me like I'd known it all along!
     I didn't jump up right there and yell "Hallelujah!" at the top of my lungs, and it was still some time before it registered what was happening to me, but nevertheless, it did happen.
     Today, I stand here, 16 years a Christian, 13 years married to that same woman who took me to church, and still growing in my faith. I still stumble, I still sin, but by the grace of God, putting a good woman in my life, I've been saved from the pits of hell.
     Now it's your turn. Do you know what it took me almost 18 years to find out? That God the Son, came to this earth and humbled himself to the point of becoming flesh, to live a perfect and sinless life, to die upon a cross to bear our sins, and to rise again 3 days later. That in that we can find true peace with God. That He loves us so much, that He would take a punishment for us, because as the Bible States, "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." That "all", is universal. Every person has sinned, myself chief among them. So don't believe the lie of Satan that you're not good enough for God to love, because believe me, He does. When you put your faith in Jesus, God sees  His eternal son, He sees us as His adopted child, not the sinner. Jesus's sacrifice has taken that away, and now God sees you as clean! So if you wish to know more, let me know, find a solid Bible believing church, do whatever it takes, but don't let this pass! God bless you!

The Ignorance of Anti-Theists

     Johnathan Swift once famously wrote: “Falsehood flies, and the Truth comes limping after it” wrote This was altered through time and later attributed to Mark Twain as saying: “A lie travels around the globe while the truth is putting on its shoes.”  Regardless of which you prefer, the idea behind it is as true now as it was then. The idea that someone can spout a half-truth, or an outright lie in no time flat, and it takes a good deal longer to correct. Such is what happened recently on G+. Another YouTuber (who is irrelevant to this article so shall remain unnamed) was called out for poor scholarship and discernment, and urged to focus on his strengths of which is countering Muslim claims. In the midst of this, in the comments section, one particular Anti-Theist (who will be referred to from here on as AT) began making such remarks as to remind me of the late great Swift. I engaged with AT, in an effort to help them see their error. Instead, they doubled down. After a number of exchanges, I was forced to withdraw for a time. This wasn’t good enough for AT who continued to bomb the comments with replies and mentions of yours truly. So much so that I was forced to respond in an effort to stop them. I’ve decided to answer a number of his assertions and accusations here, where I am able to once again, give truth a ride. AT's comments are in bold and italics:

+Metal Minister not really they got laws of mose s down.

Kill gays check.
Kill non believers check.
Control women check.
Slavery check.
Pro rapist marrying their victim.
Both blame victim of rape.

     Oh boy. Who hasn’t heard this one a million times? First, a bit of context. The idea of stoning homosexuals was a law designed to 1) stop the spread of infectious diseases, 2) stop the spread of rampant sin and idolatry (most of the pagan God’s of the time were sexual in nature) and 3) to keep the Israelites separate from the gentiles around them. There is much, much more obviously, but considering the comment was made purely as an appeal to emotion (logical fallacy) it doesn’t warrant much more here. If one would like to dig more deeply, here’s a good resource: https://carm.org/why-do-christians-not-obey-old-testaments-commands-to-kill-homosexuals

     Now, the “kill non-believers” remark is what brought us here to begin with. AT cited Deuteronomy 13:6-10 as claiming this. However what they failed to understand (which will be obvious by the end of this) is that passage is dealing with people trying to pull the Israelites away from God to false gods. In other words, into idolatry, not simply killing people because they don’t adhere to the same religion. I’ll expand a bit in the next section.

+Metal Minister lol more assertion without anything backing it.

+Metal Minister there was no trail mentioned in the verse.  You are adding shit to the law.

     Now, setting aside the vulgarity, what AT is responding to is my quotation of Matthew Henry’s commentary of the verses in question which states: “Thou shalt surely kill him. By this law the persons enticed were bound to the seducer, and to give evidence against him before the proper judges…” So as we can see, it wasn’t a matter of people simply gathering up stones and throwing them at people, it was a matter settled by judges. This was obviously not good enough for AT (hence the cussing)  who seems to believe that because it doesn’t state it outright in that one passage they cherry picked, that the judges and trial weren’t part of it. This is where the context comes into play. One cannot simply take a single passage from the Old Testament law and say that because it isn’t explicitly laid out every time, that it doesn’t pertain to that instance. When one is dealing with the Old Testament, one must realize they aren’t exhaustive, they’re exemplifications.
     Now, let me quickly link to a couple of things so that you can follow up with this and the issue of rape at a later time. Both have been beaten to death, so I won’t waste the time here going over them again. http://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-bh6mj-5d4416  Bible Atrocities 2.1 https://youtu.be/mFIUK_V6BfQ

+Metal Minister yet nothing in that verse mentioned worship of idols, other gods yes, but no idols.  Which there is a law already for idolatry in the 10 comandments.

     I added this part to prove a point. Idolatry IS the worship of a false god! It’s placing a god above Yaweh! This is throughout the Bible. Anyone remember the Israelites and the golden calf from Exodus? They did what? That’s right, bowed down and worshipped the idol as a god! Trying to split hairs and say things like “idolatry doesn’t mean only worshipping a false god” is disingenuous at best. The entire point of calling something idolatry is that it places that idol above God, it defacto makes it a god!

+Metal Minister I didn't ask question.  So I don't need to seek an aswer.  I made a statement.

You still have not shown how I taken it out of context.

Which is what you are doing by changing it to mean idolatry vs trying to get people to worship other .

Idolatry isn't only pertain to other god's. 

So you are the one taking it out of context.

     As I just explained, AT was attempting to invoke the splitting hairs or logic chopping, logical fallacy. (https://www.logicallyfallacious.com/tools/lp/Bo/LogicalFallacies/120/Logic_Chopping)  As to their comment about not needing to seek an answer, is that they made the statement about Jesus fulfilling the law, to which I asked (as a matter of hoping AT would seek the answer) “Which law did Jesus fulfill?” I was attempting to show them that the punishments for those laws no longer pertain in this life, as Jesus took the punishment for them. They still have eternal ramifications, but no longer apply here. As for the definition of idolatry, Romans 1:21-25 sums it up swimmingly! You’re wrong AT, you’re just wrong.

"+Metal Minister pro tip of the day.  Don't start an agrument that you will not justify your claims at all

     I’d say I’ve justified my claims rather well AT, it’s you who’ve not justified what they stated, only thrown out assertions.

+Metal Minister how does idolatry equal to human sacrifice.

It doesn't.  Idolatry is just worship idols.  Nothing about human sacrifice.

     Here I had mentioned that part of the reason that God so hates idolatry, and even more so during the times of the Old Testament, was that many of these idolatrous religions practiced human/child sacrifices. Such as the cult of Molech, the Canaanites, there are verses in number in the Bible mentioning these acts such as Deuteronomy 18:10, 2 Kings 3:27, 2 Kings 16:3, 2 Chronicles 28:3 and so on. This was not a small or isolated problem in the world of the ancient Israelites! There was a good deal more than this, but as time is short and this article is running very long, I will wrap this up here.
     Unfortunately, things have gotten bad enough that AT actually began stalking my G+, commenting on another post in an effort to get me to block them, so they could claim “victory “. This is a common anti-theist tactic. Badger and attack until the other person gets fed up and blocks you. I’ve seen it enough that, a small part of me thinks I may be being a little cynical, the majority of me says I’m correct. As of the end of this article, I’ve yet to block AT, though if things persist, it may be inevitable. This is the exact reason I remind fellow Christians of Ephesians 6:11-12, to put on the full armor of God. Remember, if He is for us, who can stand against us? God bless!

(For full context of the discussion: https://plus.google.com/101966781319840582394/posts/YJqwD9UEGkX)

*UPDATE*

     In response to my requesting that AT cease commenting on my other posts, he responded with the following:

+Metal Minister learn to change your settings.

     So apparently the response to a request to break contact is “change your settings” after denying that the reason for the repeated contact is to incite being blocked. More hypocrisy, more deceit, more trolling. What settings? Should I be forced to keep all of my posts private so a single anti-theist will stop harassing me? No, it’s time to grow up!