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Confusion: This Priest Faces Mecca?

This Priest Faces Mecca? A Parable of Confusion

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This Priest Faces Mecca? A Parable of Confusion

Rev. Steve Lawler has attracted the attention of the national media because this Episcopal priest chose a very odd way to observe Lent. He decided to “adopt the rituals of Islam” for the forty day season observed by many liturgical denominations, including the Episcopal Church.

As reported in The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Lawler decided to practice as a Muslim for the forty days as a part of his “Giving Up Church for Lent” emphasis at St. Stephen’s Church. The closer you look at this story, the more it appears that Rev. Lawler “gave up church” some time ago.

According to the press reports, the priest began to perform Muslim prayer rituals, facing toward Mecca and praying five times a day. He prayed to Allah, read the Qur’an, and adopted Islamic dietary restrictions.

He also got in trouble with his bishop. “He can’t be both a Christian and a Muslim,” said Bishop George Wayne Smith of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri. The bishop continued: “If he chooses to practice as Muslim, then he would, by default, give up his Christian identity and priesthood in the church.” The bishop also told the public that his priest had a responsibility “to exercise Christianity and to do it with clarity and not with ways that are confusing.”

It is refreshing to see that kind of conviction from a mainline Protestant church leader. But, after all, he had a priest who was practicing a different religion. Sort of.

What Rev. Lawler really represents is the postmodern spirituality that masquerades as authentic belief. This becomes clear when the report reveals that the priest did not declare the oneness of Allah nor acknowledge Muhammad as God’s prophet. These just happen to be the first of Islam’s Five Pillars.

So Rev. Lawler decided to deny the core beliefs of Islam, while claiming to be practicing the faith in order to learn about it. In so doing, he transformed himself into the perfect parable of postmodern confusion, emptying conviction of all content, picking and choosing beliefs and practices along the way. As his bishop rightly asserted, Lawler was “playing” with Islam.

At a deeper level, this betrays the kind of theological suicide mission that many liberal churches have adopted in recent years. The Bible could not be more clear in commanding Christians to avoid any confusion with non-Christian systems of belief.

As Paul instructed the Christians in Corinth:

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? [2 Corinthians 6:14-16]

That is very strong language. Indeed, Christian worship cannot be mixed with non-Christian elements, nor can a Christian play around with the beliefs and practices of non-Christian religions without compromising faithfulness to Christ. This is a much more prevalent temptation now with the spiritual practices of Eastern religions, which some Christians attempt to blend in with Christian beliefs.

The news article states that Rev. Lawler joined the Episcopal Church because he wanted a theologically liberal denomination. Evidently, he just found out that even liberalism has some limits. A Christian minister who prays facing Mecca is not merely praying in a new direction. He is, whether he admits it or not, departing the Christian faith.

I am always glad to hear from readers. Write me at mail@albertmohler.com. Follow regular updates on Twitter at www.twitter.com/AlbertMohler.

Cynthia Billhartz Gregorian, “Episcopal Cleric Tries Islamic Rituals for Lent,” The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Saturday, March 12, 2011.

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Adventist is fastest growing U.S. church

Adventists' back-to-basics faith is fastest growing U.S. church

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Adventists' back-to-basics faith is fastest growing U.S. church

G. Jeffrey MacDonald, Religion News Service

Rest on the Sabbath. Heed Old Testament dietary codes. And be ready for Jesus to return at any moment.

By Josh Anderson, AP

The fast-growing Seventh-day Adventist religion teaches no pre-marital sex. In this January 2010 photo Huston Fletcher, 17, center, dances with Phyllisia Reed, 17, left, and Jasmine Ward, 17, right, during a Purity Ball at a church in Nashville, Tenn.

If these practices sound quaint or antiquated, think again. They're hallmarks of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the fastest-growing Christian denomination in North America.

Newly released data show Seventh-day Adventism growing by 2.5% in North America, a rapid clip for this part of the world, where Southern Baptists and mainline denominations, as well as other church groups are declining. Adventists are even growing 75% faster than Mormons (1.4 percent), who prioritize numeric growth.

For observers outside the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the growth rate in North America is perplexing.

"You've got a denomination that is basically going back to basics ... saying, 'What did God mean by all these rules and regulations and how can we fit in to be what God wants us to be?'," said Daniel Shaw, an expert on Christian missionary outreach at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif. "That's just totally contrary to anything that's happening in American culture. So I'm saying, 'Whoa! That's very interesting.' And I can't answer it."

Seventh-day Adventists are asking a different question: Why isn't the church growing much faster on these shores, which is home to just 1.1 million of the world's 16 million Adventists? Despite its North American roots, the church is growing more than twice as fast overseas.

"We don't feel that we're growing very much, and that is a source of concern, especially for North America," said Ron Clouzet, director of the North American Division Evangelism Institute at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Mich. Hispanic Adventists are "the one group that is growing very well," he added. "If we didn't have that group, we would look even more dismal."

With Saturday worship services and vegetarian lifestyles, Seventh-day Adventism owns a distinctive niche outside the Christian mainstream. But being different is turning out to be more of an asset than a liability.

Since the mid-19th century when the movement sprang up in New Hampshire, Seventh-day Adventism has had an urgent mission to bring the gospel — with a distinctive emphasis on Christ's imminent second coming — to the ends of the earth. Adventists find the essence of their mission in Revelation 14:12, where the end of the age "calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus."

The church's traditional, global focus is now bearing fruit in new ways. Newly arrived immigrants in the United States often come from parts of Latin America or Africa where Seventh-day Adventism has long-established churches, schools and hospitals.

Those who migrate from Brazil to Massachusetts, or from Mexico to Texas, are apt to find familiarity in a local Adventist church led by a pastor who knows their culture and speaks their native language, said Edwin Hernandez, a research fellow at the Center for the Study of Latino Religion at the University of Notre Dame.

Immigrants aren't the only ones embracing Seventh-day Adventism. Many in the general public have noticed Adventists tend to be superstars of good health and longevity; research shows they tend to live 10 years longer than the average American. With strong track records for success in health and education, Adventists find they get a hearing among skeptics who share those priorities.

Publicized research on Adventists' health "has helped bring some objective evaluation of Adventism... particularly all up and down the West Coast," said G. Alexander Bryant, executive secretary for the denomination's North American division. "So we talk to people about our lifestyle."

Some newcomers to Adventism also appreciate the church's clarity about what's expected of Christ's followers. Diana Syth of Kent, Wash. attended many types of Protestant churches for years. But she said she "never got the information I needed to know about what it meant to be a Christian" until she and her husband learned of Seventh-day Adventism from a sibling six years ago.

"My (adult) son has seen a change in us," Syth said. "He sees a new calmness in us. There's hope where there wasn't hope before."

Adventists are also reaping the rewards of their extra efforts in evangelism. Responding to a national initiative, more than 80% of the 6,000 Adventist churches in North America staged weeks-long outreach events in hotels and other settings in 2009.

Bryant said in an ordinary year, one-third to one-half of Adventist congregations put on such events, and North American church growth rates would hover around 1.7% — still high enough to top the rates of other large denominations in North America.

Creativity seems to be paying dividends, too. The church has seen some of its strongest gains come in non-religious regions such as the Pacific Northwest. In Washington, for instance, the denomination has established "Christian cafes," where people can relax and ask questions without feeling the pressures of church.

"You're not necessarily inviting them to church," Bryant said. "You're just sitting around, talking with people, building relationships — and slowly talking to them about Christ."

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上空からの福島第一原子力発電所

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Diluted Radiation Plumes Will Reach Cali

Nuclear Crisis -- Projection: Diluted Radiation Plumes Will Reach California Friday; Tokyo Flight Sets Off Radiation Detectors in Chicago

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Nuclear Crisis -- Projection: Diluted Radiation Plumes Will Reach California Friday; Tokyo Flight Sets Off Radiation Detectors in Chicago

Update: Americans, being a somewhat panicky people, have made a run on potassium iodide, which is administered to those exposed to high levels of radioactive iodine-131.

Also, according to the LA Times, "taking potassium iodide tablets without just cause can be risky for some people, health experts warned Wednesday."


Update: The New York Times has an animated model that shows the likely travel path of the plume of radioactivity released from damaged reactors at Fukushima No. 1 power plant in Japan. It suggests that it the leading edge of it will reach the West Coast on Friday. The good news, for North American readers, is that the radiation will be highly diluted by the time it makes its long journey across the Pacific, and authorities say they expect the plume to represent no threat to human health. 

More troubling is that the situation is not yet under control, and could deteriorate -- a hazard heightened by the powerful aftershocks that continue to batter Japan. There is also uncertainty about exactly how much radioactivity has been released into the environment so far; Japanese authorities and TEPCO officials have released neither measurements nor estimates. 

Take a look at the Times' model here.

Update: NHK English reports the latest official stats from the March 11 earthquake and Tsunami: 5,700 confirmed dead and 9,500 missing.

Update: The Chicago Tribune reports that traces of radiation were detected on a United Airlines jet that arrived at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport from Tokyo yesterday "but determined that the plane’s cargo and passengers were safe."

Federal officials inspected a United Airlines jet and one other with Geiger counters after they arrived in Chicago from Narita International Airport Wednesday, sources told the Tribune. A person familiar with the search  said it was conducted by Customs and Border Patrol agents in the “guise of a random inspection.”

Though officials detected trace elements of radiation on two cargo containers on one of the planes, they later determined that the packages were safe, sources said. Officials also determined the jets were safe after inspecting for radiation.

The radiation plume forming over the Pacific from Japan’s nuclear crisis is a growing concern for U.S. carriers, who want to avoid contaminating aircraft surfaces and exposing passengers and employees to harmful radioactive isotopes.

For the first time in recent memory, maps used to guide aircraft around hazards such as storms and active volcanoes now carry a red radioactive sign to denote a no-fly zone over the crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi reactors. Flight dispatchers Thursday were also given the coordinates of an area over the Pacific where airborne concentrations are of greatest concern, sources told the Tribune.

 

Update: The Kyodo news agency offers a confusing report about the attempts to get water into a cooling pond for highly radioactive spent fuel rods at Fukushima. First, some apparently good news:

An unprecedented attempt to douse an apparently overheating spent fuel pool with tons of coolant water at a stricken nuclear plant in Fukushima bore some fruit Thursday, but the emission of smoke newly confirmed at another pool suggests the difficulties that lie in the way of resolving the crisis triggered by the March 11 quake and tsunami.

But the headline, "Operation to pour water at Fukushima nuke plant said effective," appears to have overstated the tangible results:

The utility said vapor rising from the partially destroyed No. 3 reactor building suggests the operation went some way toward cooling down the pool that could otherwise emit highly contaminated radioactive materials.

However, no major changes were seen in radioactive levels at the plant immediately afterward.

Update: The disaster at Fukushima Dai'ichi has brought renewed attention to Japan's spotty nuclear safety track-record. AJE summarizes: 

In 1997, at least 37 workers were exposed to radiation at the Tokaimura plant, after a fire and explosion.

In 1999, workers were reported to be hand-mixing uranium at the same plant.  Two workers later died.

Hundreds of people were exposed to radiation and thousands evacuated in the same year after an accident at Tokaimura. 

The Fukushima number 1 plant has also had problems in the past. In 2006, a small amount of radioactive steam seeped out and blew beyond the compound.

In 2007, a powerful earthquake caused malfunctions at the Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear plant.  The damage included radioactive water spills, burst pipes and fires. 

Update: Al Jazeera English, citing the IAEA, reports that "Japanese engineers have laid an external grid power cable to the number 2 unit, in accordance with plans announced on Thursday."

However they can't reconnect power until they have finished spraying water on unit 3, which is at major risk of overheating and sending more radiation out into the atmosphere. Earlier attempts to drench the fuel rod pools appeared to have very limited success.  

Japanese officials have claimed that the power line would end the crisis, but that is questionable if, as has been reported, two containment vessels have been breached.

Update:  Here's the latest report from CNN on cooling efforts by the Japanese military:

Military helicopters began dumping water on the reactor Thursday morning, with police and fire trucks opening up after 7 p.m. (6 a.m. ET). Japan's Defense Ministry said the first effort lasted 40 minutes, and the Tokyo Electric Power Company said the efforts would continue throughout the night in order to keep the reactor and its adjacent spent fuel pool from overheating.

Update: This morning's report in the New York Times is grim indeed, describing the failure of multiple "ever more desperate and unconventional methods to cool damaged reactors" to make a significant impacts. Extremely high levels of radiation are preventing some efforts, hindering workers from getting too close to the zone. The Times also describes conflicting messages from American and Japanese officials, as Americans  such as Gregory Jaczko, the chair of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, have been much more fatalistic in public than their Japanese counterparts. American officials have recommemded evacuation within a 50-mile radius of the plant, more than the distance recommended by the Japanese.

Another article suggests that non-threatening radiation plumes could reach the West Coast of the U.S. in days. The radiation plumes from the plant "will "churn" across the ocean, "touching the Aleutian Islands on Thursday before hitting Southern California late Friday" according to a projection from the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization, a UN-run organization.

Update: The LA Times has a sad story about what life is like at this moment for people who are trapped near the nuclear plant, and their sense of betrayal and isolation:

Residents describe spooky scenes of municipal cars driving down near-empty streets telling people to stay indoors, but they've seen few other signs of outside help.

Aid agencies are reluctant to get too close to the plant. Shelters set up in the greater Fukushima area for "radiation refugees" have little food, in part because nobody wants to deliver to an area that might be contaminated. And with little or no gasoline available, not everyone who wants to leave can get out.

Radiation fears mingled with a sickening sense of abandonment Wednesday.

The fear of ostracism also brought back memories of the stigma faced by survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, who were often shunned due to their exposure to radiation. The connection between the two disasters isn't all negative:  scientific teams from Hiroshima are preparing to visit the stricken area while Hiroshima's hospitals are also getting ready to receive victims of radiation poisoning, according to this excellent report from Democracy Now!

Meanwhile the AP reports on the "bungling" and mismanagement and secrecy of the nuclear industry at large in Japan 

Leaks of radioactive steam and workers contaminated with radiation are just part of the disturbing catalog of accidents that have occurred over the years and been belatedly reported to the public, if at all. In one case, workers hand-mixed uranium in stainless steel buckets, instead of processing by machine, so the fuel could be reused, exposing hundreds of workers to radiation. Two later died.

TreeHugger adds that WikiLeaks reveals warnings about the specific vulnerability of these plants to earthquakes two years ago.

Update: USA Today -- without information on radioactivity levels in Fukushima, there's no way of predicting how much radiation will hit the US:

"The Japanese government's radiation report for the country's 47 prefectures Wednesday had a notable omission: Fukushima, ground zero in Japan's nuclear crisis. Measurements from Ibaraki, just south of Fukushima, were also blanked out. Radiation experts in the USA say that the lack of information about radioactivity released from the smoldering reactors makes it impossible to gauge the current danger, project how bad a potential meltdown might be or calculate how much fallout might reach the USA."

Update: BBC reports:

Japanese defence minister Toshimi Kitazawa confirms four water drops took place over the Fukushima Daiichi plant. He says 11 "special purpose vehicles" manned by defence forces will conduct water spraying operations from the ground on Thursday afternoon.

Update: NHK English reports that temperatures are rising in the spent fuel cooling pools at Units 5 and 6. The two reactors were offline when the earthquake hit, but the fuel rods remain hot for years. The cooling systems in 5 and 6 are damaged, which poses a risk that the water will boil off, exposing the rods to the environment. In the worst case scenario, the spent fuel could combust in a chemical reaction, releasing radioactive smoke into the environment.

Operators at Fukushima No. 1 are desperately trying to get water into the cooling pools. According to NHK they are now trying to use a heavy water cannon to direct water onto the pools.

Update: An unnamed US official has told ABC news that Washington is not happy with how the Japanese have responded to the crisis:

U.S. officials are alarmed at how the Japanese are handling the escalating nuclear reactor crisis and fear that if they do not get control of the plants within the next 24 to 48 hours they could have a situation that will be "deadly for decades."

"It would be hard to describe how alarming this is right now," one U.S. official told ABC News.

"We are all-out urging the Japanese to get more people back in there to do emergency operation there, that the next 24 to 48 hours are critical," the official said. "Urgent efforts are needed on the part of the Japanese to restore emergency operations to cool" down the reactors' rods before they trigger a meltdown.

"They need to stop pulling out people—and step up with getting them back in the reactor to cool it. There is a recognition this is a suicide mission," the official said.

Update: According to the Washington Post, industry is digging into its deep pockets to buy some influence in the hope of heading off efforts to better regulate nuclear plant operators.

Nuclear power advocates are waging an intense lobbying campaign on Capitol Hill this week in an attempt to limit the political fallout from the reactor crisis in Japan, which threatens to undermine already shaky plans for expanded nuclear capacity in the United States.

Lobbyists with the Nuclear Energy Institute and some of the United States’s largest energy firms, including Exelon of Chicago, are holding meetings with key lawmakers and standing-room-only briefings for staff members in an attempt to tamp down talk of restrictions in response to the Japanese disaster.

The efforts come as lawmakers held hearings Wednesday focused on the impact of the worsening catastrophe at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, where at least three reactor cores are believed to be imperiled following a major earthquake and tsunami last week.

Update: Stars and Stripes reports, "experts are now saying the Fukushima crisis could rival the 1986 Chernobyl disaster in the former Soviet Union."

Nuclear scientists use the term “core-on-the-floor” to describe radioactive fuel burning through protective containment layers, hitting water and bursting into the atmosphere in a huge steam explosion, spreading clouds of radioactive gas and dust.

It’s never happened before, but experts fear it may soon become reality in one or more reactors at the Fukushima nuclear complex, which was gravely damaged in last Friday’s 9.0-magnitude earthquake and ensuing tsunami.

“We are right now closer to core-on-the-floor than at any time in the history of nuclear reactors,” said Kenneth Bergeron, a former Sandia National Laboratory researcher who spent his career simulating such meltdowns, including in reactors of the type at the Fukushima plant.

This scenario is sometimes (inaccurately) referred to as the "China Syndrome." 

Update: The Daily Telegraph reports: "Japan was warned more than two years ago by the international nuclear watchdog that its nuclear power plants were not capable of withstanding powerful earthquakes."

An official from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in December 2008 that safety rules were out of date and strong earthquakes would pose a "serious problem" for nuclear power stations.

While it responded to the warnings by building an emergency response centre at the Fukushima plant, it was only designed to withstand magnitude 7.0 tremors. Friday's devastating earthquake was a magnitude 9.0 shock.  

The news is likely to put further pressure on Japan's Prime Minister, Naoto Kan, who has been criticised for "dithering" over the country's response to the ongoing crisis at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

The Japanese government pledged to upgrade safety at all of its nuclear plants, but will now face inevitable questions over whether it did enough.

Update: The chief of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission says that there is no longer water in one of the spent fuel pools at the Fukushima Dai-ichi, according to NPR. Japanese officials deny the report. What does this mean? NPR explains:

If NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko is correct, this would mean there's nothing to stop the fuel rods from getting hotter and ultimately melting down. The outer shell of the rods could also ignite with enough force to propel the radioactive fuel inside over a wide area.

Update: According to Stars and Stripes Magazine, the Pentagon is preparing for a worst case scenario in Japan -- a full-scale meltdown. The military has instituted the following precautions to protect American service personnel and their dependents:

-- 50-mile no-go zone around the Fukushima Dai-ichi (much bigger than the Japanese evacuation zone).

-- US Air crews flying rescue missions 80 miles have been told to start taking potassium iodide tablets.

Update: The Tokyo Electric Power company says "a new power line that could solve the nuclear crisis is almost ready." The power line would, in theory, restore the plant's crippled cooling systems. We're a bit skeptical that restoring power would end the crisis, given that multiple containment domes have reportedly been breached, but we'll keep you informed of the latest.

Last night here and this morning in Japan, a horrfying drama unfolded. News reports circulated saying that the remaining 50 workers struggling to contain the damage at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant had to temporarily leave because of a dangerous spike in radiation levels. They soon returned, but their absence provoked fears.

Furthermore, it appeared that the containment vessel in reactor 3 had ruptured, and plumes of smoke were seen exiting from the roof. Concerns remained about the pool which contained the fuel rods.

The New York Times has several detailed reports this morning:

The vessel that possibly ruptured on Wednesday had been seen as the last fully intact line of defense against large-scale releases of radioactive material from the stricken reactor, but it was not clear how serious the possible breach might be. The implications of overheating in the fuel rod pool, which is also at the No. 3 reactor, seemed equally dire.

The developments were the latest in Japan’s swirling tragedy since an earthquake and tsunami struck the country with unbridled ferocity last Friday. Emperor Akihito told the nation on Wednesday he was “deeply worried” about the nuclear crisis.

The company operating the reactors had withdrawn most of its workers from the plant on Tuesday, leaving only a skeleton crew of 50 struggling to lower temperatures.

When those workers were forced to suspend cooling operations, the spent fuel rod pool began heating up dangerously.

There are many concerns about this growing nuclear threat, not the least of which is that the drama and horror is overshadowing the world's attention from massive humanitarian crisis--the homeless, foodless, hurt and missing--that has taken such an unimaginable, devastating toll already.

And then there is the anger and frustration with persistent claims that nuclear power is safe, and with the UN watchdog group International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) which has to rely on member-states cooperation to provide inspection. One Russian expert who had helped with the Chernobyl clean up was particularly biting in his criticism: 

"The Japanese were very greedy and they used every square inch of the space. But when you have a dense placing of spent fuel in the basin, you have a high possibility of fire if the water is removed from the basin," former Soviet nuclear expert Iouli Andreev said, according to The Guardian. He had harsh words for the IAEA. "This is only a fake organisation because every organisation which depends on the nuclear industry – and the IAEA depends on the nuclear industry – cannot perform properly ... It always will try to hide the reality."













  4. Dan Savage, America's Most Important Sex Ethicist

    Benjamin J. Dueholm, Washington Monthly





















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Sunday laws and Ecumenism

Sunday laws and Ecumenism, a fast-spreading trend unto a Theocracy

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Sunday laws and Ecumenism, a fast-spreading trend unto a Theocracy


Dionne Sabbay Thompson


"Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence" John 18:36

Revelation 13:3, 12 speaks of a “deadly wound” healing.  Since 1798, with the occurrence of France’s epidemic of "giddy" licentiousness, the earth’s inhabitants have been under the influence of rising godless ideology – please see Spirit of Prophecy volume 4 p. 191.  America’s freedom of religion remains fairly new, relative to Papal Rome’s kingdom and its 1260 year reign.  “The time period of 1260 is mentioned seven times in the bible and seven is the number of completion, emphasizing the completeness of the scriptures in prophecy, highlighting the delay of God’s work and its closure Daniel 7:25; 12:7; Revelation 11:2,3; 12:6,14; 13:5”, A Soul Sealed at Character Perfection p. 84. “In no land had the spirit of enmity against Christ and the truth been more strikingly displayed than in giddy and godless France” Spirit of Prophecy volume 4 p. 191, also see Rev 11:7,8.  The "Two Witnesses" are the Old and New Testament mentioned in Rev. 11:3.

A Theocracy, per the Oxford Dictionary (American edition) is “a form of government by ‘god’ directly or through a priestly order”.  A Theocracy implements religious laws within its political governing system, requiring compliance from all its citizens.  There are many who seek to erase the Decalogue, God’s character Transcript:  however, attention must be called to this serious matter, as no human can erase what God writes with His finger Exo. 31:18.   God’s Ten Commandments mentioned in Exo. 20 is the original Immutable, Divine Moral law, but what is its counterfeit?  History reveals that in 321 AD Emperor Constantine enforced (by law) a counterfeit Sunday-Sabbath, which consequently caused seventh-day Sabbath keepers to be martyred for non-compliance.   

Conversely,Waldenses or Vaudois, were known for their compliance to the seventh-day Sabbath, and they were the first of Europe to receive a translated copy of the Holy Scriptures, possessing it hundreds of years before the Reformation - see Great Controversy pg. 65.   The Great Controversy pg 68 reveals that these individuals were known to congregate beneath the shadow of mountains, in the Alpine valleys of Europe.  “The Vaudois churches, in their purity and simplicity, resembled the church of apostolic times. Rejecting the supremacy of pope and prelate, they held the Bible as the only supreme, infallible authority. Their pastors, unlike the lordly priests of Rome, followed the example of their Master, who ‘came not to be ministered unto, but to minister”. They fed the flock of God, leading them to the green pastures and living fountains of his holy Word”.   The historical enforcement of Sunday laws legitimized torture and murderous acts of God's law-keeping Waldensians who were labeled heretics.

Today, Catechism of the Catholic Church by Libreria Editrice Vaticana  1994 misinterprets God’s holy-finger written Ten Commandments.  The third commandment is completely revised and the Lord’s Day or Sun-day, the day of the Sun, is inputted – please see p. 524.  God’s fourth commandment regarding His non-negotiable, sanctified Sabbath day of rest is replaced with a directive for children to honor their parents’ – see p. 530-31.  This is problematic as the authentic, genuine Sabbath was instituted by God, our self-sustaining Creator: and, it is immutable or unchangeable Gen. 2:3, Exo. 20:11, Isa. 43:10-12.  Man’s tradition should never seek to supersede God’s Decalogue, as such an ordinance will remain in effect for eternity:  and, it is housed in the holy of holies, the second apartment of the heavenly sanctuary Gen. 2:3, Exo 20:8-11, Psa. 111:7-10, Heb. 9:4, Rev. 22:18-19.  The above mentioned literature upholds self-focused directives regarding Sunday as a day of:  “rest”, “meditation”,  “relaxation”, “cultivation of mind and body”.  These self-oriented principles undermine God’s sanctified Sabbath day of rest.

Papal Rome’s historical edicts and encyclical documents have never met Jehovah’s non-negotiable standards.  Historically, after Christ’s ascension to heaven in 31AD “Christianity” apostatized, gradually conforming to paganism and its heathen practices Great Controversy p. 384.  This caused the emergence of the infamous “Dark Ages”, under the earthly jurisdiction of the kingdom of Papal Rome.  Such an issue of apostasy is evident today, under the guise of “Ecumenism”:  and, its ground-work will lead to a far worse persecutory-time than the Middle ages of times past.  Contrary to God’s loud-cry message, Ecumenism seeks to include all in its universal, Babylonian worldwide congregation Rev. 18:1-5.  Ecumenism’s totalitarian, all-inclusive strategies point to a dangerous, unsanctified trend:  and, its ultimate goal will evidence a change of times and laws; an action prophesied by Daniel within Dan. 7:25.  Deceptively, this will lead to the Mark of the Beast, Enforced Sunday law; a day that will appear lamb-like in its focus on family values and lawful order Rev. 13:11-18.   Mimicking the proceedings of the past, Papal Romish systems (beginning in the United States of America), will seek to use force, withdrawing protection from citizens who honor the Divine, genuine, biblically-supported laws of God Exo. 20.  Its enforcement and penalties will be an indication to God’s remnant church that Christ is on the verge of completing  His Priestly, intercessory duties: and, He will be returning to reap His righteous harvest shortly thereafter Lev. 23:33-44, Dan. 12:1, Matt. 22:1-36, Mark 4:29, Eph. 5:21-33, Rev. 3:7-13, 14:14-16.   

Character Purity Ministries located in Pelham, New York (Westchester County) aims to edify the globe about the Three angels' messages, the Loud cry and all relevant end-time present Truth, as Christ's return is imminent:  and, He hopes to cut His work (through His body of believers) short in righteousness Rom 1:16-17, 9:28, Rev 14:6-12.

Buy it today!  A Soul Sealed at Character Perfection

Dionne Sabbay Thompson LMSW is a devoted, published author for God: and, she is the founder of AdventistWheat Publishing and Character Purity...




"And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed" Rev. 13:15


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