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Sorry, Pope Francis: Protestants Are Converting Catholics Across Latin America

'Francis effect' may yet materialize. But for now, Catholics have hit record low across 19 nations and territories.
 
 
Sorry, Pope Francis: Protestants Are Converting Catholics Across Latin AmericaPEW RESEARCH CENTER
[Editor's note: CT also took a deeper look at differences between what Protestants believe and practice in each country.]
Enthusiasm for the first pope picked from Latin America has prompted predictions of a “Francis effect” revival among the region’s Roman Catholics. Time will tell, but a new report shows exactly what the former Archbishop Bergoglio of Buenos Aires is up against in his own backyard: Protestants are remarkably ascendent across 18 nations and one US territory.
For most of the last century, more than 90 percent of Latin Americans identified as Catholics. But now that number has hit a new low: 69 percent, according to athorough report on this "widespread change" released today by the Pew Research Center.
"Evangelization efforts by Protestant churches seem to be having an impact," notes Pew. Regionally, 84 percent of Latin American adults were raised as Catholics. But nearly 1 in 5 adults (19 percent) now identify as Protestants, while only 1 in 10 (9 percent) were raised as Protestants. (Similarly, the religiously unaffiliated have doubled from 4 percent as children to 8 percent as adults.)
"In nearly every country surveyed, the Catholic Church has experienced net losses from religious switching," notes Pew, and "much of the movement ... has occurred in the span of a single lifetime."
In most countries, more than one-third of current Protestants were raised as Catholics, and more than half were baptized as Catholics.
The trend holds true across "people of all ages and socioeconomic levels," but in most countries, pluralities converted before the age of 25.
Pew’s findings corroborate a recent examination of 18 nations by Latinobarómetro. “In the past, Latin America was completely dominated by Catholicism,” noted the respected Chilean research group in an April report. “Today, it’s a region where clearly more than one religion exists.”
Pew researchers conducted face-to-face interviews with more than 30,000 residents of 18 Latin American countries and Puerto Rico as part of the Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project. (Cuba was the only Spanish-speaking country omitted.)
Latin America contains more than 425 million Catholics—nearly 40 percent of the world's total Catholic population, according to Pew.
“It is too soon to know whether Francis can stop or reverse the church’s losses in the region,” notes Pew. (The majority of surveys were conducted before Francis had concluded his first year in office.)
However, Pew's report does identify the primary reasons former Catholics became Protestants.
"Of the eight possible explanations offered on the survey, the most frequently cited was that they were seeking a more personal connection with God," notes Pew [see chart]. "Many former Catholics also said they became Protestants because they wanted a different style of worship or a church that helps its members more." More than half also "wanted a greater emphasis on morality." Marriage to a non-Catholic was only cited by 9 percent.
Notably, more than half of former Catholics (58 percent) say their new Protestant church reached out to them.
The countries where Catholics have experienced the largest declines: Nicaragua, Uruguay, Brazil, and El Salvador, all down approximatley 20 or more percentage points. (By comparison, US Hispanics have lost 22 percentage points.)
However, despite their substantial growth, Protestants have yet to break into the majority in any Latin American country.
The countries where Protestants have experienced the largest gains: Honduras (41 percent), Guatemala (41 percent), Nicaragua (40 percent), and El Salvador (36 percent).
As many as 74 percent of Colombian Protestants were raised Catholic, while only 15 percent of Panamanian Protestants converted from Catholicism. By comparison, nearly half of US Hispanics (47 percent) left Catholicism for Protestantism.
The survey suggests that the majority of former Catholics are skeptical about Pope Francis. Argentina, the pope’s homeland, and neighboring Uruguay are the only countries where majorities of former Catholics positively view the pope.
“In every other country in the survey, no more than roughly half of ex-Catholics view Francis favorably, and relatively few see his papacy as a major change in the Catholic Church,” notes Pew. “Many say it is too soon to have an opinion about the pope.”
Latin American Protestants also have different views than Catholics on the "most important way Christians can help the poor." Protestants believe "bringing the poor and needy to Christ" (47 percent) is more important than "performing charity work for the poor" (37 percent) or "persuading the government to protect the poor" (11 percent). By comparison, Catholics believe charity work (50 percent) is more important than evangelism (24 percent) or governmental efforts (19 percent).
Twelve Latin American countries still contain solid Catholic majorities, according to the Latinobarómetro study. In two countries, Chile and El Salvador, Catholics make up between 50 and 60 percent of the population, while in Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Uruguay, the Catholic Church no longer owns a majority.
Researchers also measured the yearly changes between the Protestant and Catholic populations from 1995 and 2013. “You can observe that in every country, with the exception of the Dominican Republic and Mexico, there has been a loss of Catholics occurring at the same time as the number of evangelicals has increased,” noted Latinobarómetro.
Below are the results for Honduras, Nicaragua, and Brazil. Researchers identified Honduras as the country with the “fastest and strongest change in religious beliefs out of all 18 Latin American countries.” Nicaragua was close behind.
CT first reported Protestants’ ascendency in Latin America in a 1992 cover story, and examined in 2009 whether the rapidly growing church was on the right track.
Regional coverage includes Brazil’s evangelicals making their voting bloc debut in 2010, a popular but controversial Christian parade, a notable church unity effort in Buenos Aires, Colombia being one of the world’s most violent mission fields, split political loyalties among Venezuelan evangelicals, Honduran evangelicals as agents of political change, and how missionary efforts in Ecuador finally yielded fruit.

AMAZING FACTS: The Antichrist Unity Agenda

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January 2015
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Friday Night Live

The Antichrist Unity Agenda

The year 2014 was an especially notable one for Pope Francis, and it appears this popular, charismatic leader is increasing in influence—reaching across the divide to join hands with powerful religious and political figures in the name of global unity. But what’s really going on?

In a recent YouTube video called Antichrist Unity Agenda, Pastor Doug Batchelor reviewed the past year’s biggest spiritual developments in light of Bible prophecy. Now, this Friday, January 16, at 5:00pm PT, he’ll host a special 60-minute presentation of Friday Night Live, discussing Antichrist Unity Agenda and taking your Bible questions!

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Please watch the videos below for helpful information regarding these fascinating events and then join Pastor Doug Friday night for Friday Night Live — Antichrist Unity Agenda!





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The Rapid Progression of Papal Power

In reviewing my notes from 2014, I was stunned by how many historic headlines we witnessed revealing a major progression of papal power.

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Pope Promotes Sunday

Pope Francis recently discouraged people from working on Sundays, speaking of the day as a traditional Christian holiday. Is this custom found in the Bible?

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Urgent Prophecy Alert!

At times the wheel of prophecy can seem to turn slowly, but it never jumps off track! We’ve seen incredible evidence of this recently when Pope Francis sent a personal message of unity to a large convocation of Pentecostal leaders. In Mark 13:36, Jesus warns us that the events of the end will happen suddenly. As you can see, that’s why now is the time to surrender our hearts to Christ and His everlasting gospel. Learn how Amazing Facts new plan will open eyes all over the world and win souls to the kingdom!

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Hating the Enemy

A recent video from Pope Francis appealing for unity with Protestants in America has gone viral. Many are asking, "Is this a fulfillment of Bible prophecy?" Click here for a special message from Pastor Doug Batchelor, which includes a link to his special video message directly addressing this event.

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Romanism & The Reformation from the Standpoint of Prophecy 01 (Henry Grattan Guinness 1887)

ARE YOU A PROTESTANT? I doubt it. Are you raising your fist to Papal Rome and pointing your finger with the shout, ....

YOU ARE THE ANTI-CHRIST! YOU ARE THE WHORE OF BABYLON!

Yes...
Some of you realized that the Vatican declared war against the
Protestants and executed the counter-reformation by the agents of Rome,
the Pope's army, the Jesuits.

— If you know this, and are under
persecution from your Catholic family, your community, your "church",
and yes, even your government, then you are a TRUE PROTESTANT.

•—• AND TO GOD BE THE GLORY •—•

If
you're not sure you're a Protestant, you'll know after you listen to
this audio series as Tom Friess reads, 'ROMANISM AND THE REFORMATION by
H. Grattan Guinness.

Christmas and Abortion Go Hand-in-Hand

By Tara Chapman


The very title of this article is sure to offend the masses of mainstream professing Christians.  It seems the two dominating topics in the mainstream "Christian" circle are abortion and homosexuality, while just about everything else gets left out.  And Christmas is surely their most beloved holiday, seeing as it's celebrated as a time, rather than a single day.  Christmastime lasts for at least an entire month.  Yes, they make merry for an entire month, serving the god of materialism and readying themselves for the climax on December 25 in  honor of their god Satan, whom they ignorantly worship, thinking they worship Christ.  

All year long they talk of how Roe v Wade needs to be overturned and that abortion is the murder of unborn children (and this is true), but they get a bit side-tracked at Christmastime.  Every year, it's the same huge conflict between professing "Christians" and atheists.  The so-called Christians are every bit as carnal as the atheists.  They love the heathen feast that they've "Christianized" and call Christmas.  They're so carnal and love so much the feast that God hates, that they'll take such drastic measures to claim it for Christ by saying things like, "Put Christ back into Christmas" and "Jesus is the reason for the season."  They throw a big fit when a nativity scene is banned from public squares.

Behind the scenes, the god they really worship--Satan--would be celebrating all the more than they, if he wasn't so busy to keep everyone deceived into worshiping him (Revelation 12:9).  Before the Catholic Church named the heathen festival it adopted "Christmas," it was called "Dies Natalis Solis Invicti", which means "the birthday of the unconquered sun."  Hmmm.  People claim December 25 is Christ's birthday, but that's simply not so.  They have the wrong Son.  People who worship the Son do not observe December 25, which is for those who worship the sun.  Interestingly, these are the same people who worship weekly on Sun-day, rather than God's seventh-day sabbath.  Also around this same time, Brumalia and Saturnalia were observed by heathens, and the god really worshipped is Satan.

During the Christmas season or Christmastime, most professing "Christians" are too busy with the Christmas issue to remember the issue that dominated their time the rest of the year--abortion.  Christian organizations are too busy trying to push their latest books, dvds, and other products for a profit--just to make a buck--all as great Christmas gifts, of course.  They do attempt to help needy children at this time, but one must scratch his or head and ask why this isn't a top priority all year, and secondly, why are toys and other non-necessity items emphasized, rather than food and clothing?  Toys are fine and dandy, but it seems to me as if these professing Christians are actually promoting the wrong values.  It sends the message that it's only decent for children to receive Christmas gifts, and if families are too poor to afford them, others need to step in and help, because it's just not right for a child to be deprived of a good Christmas.  This puts a burden on the poor, and this promotes materialism and idolatry.  Is it any wonder why depression skyrockets at Christmastime and that more suicides occur at that time of year than any other?  If Christmas was truly a Christian feast, then the poor could be  helped by having their meals provided.  But Christmas isn't  Christian, and the most popular Christmas meal alone proves this fact--ham is abominable swine's flesh, and true Christians do not partake of pork.  To provide a ham for a poor family is to do them more harm than for them to fast on that day, because unclean meats are terribly detrimental to one's  health.

If these millions of  professing Christians really wanted to put an end to abortion, they'd put an end to their Christmas observance, as well as their other idolatrous observances.

That's right.  It's hard to get accuracy in polls with regard to religion, and so they vary a bit, but probably around 70 percent (this is being very conservative--most polls are quite a bit higher, up to 86 percent or higher) of Americans identify themselves as "Christian."  Now, if 70 percent (again, a very conservative figure) of Americans were truly Christians, I state with strong confidence that abortion would not be allowed in this nation.  Furthermore, if that 70 percent remained faithful, the number would actually grow.  Of course, if 70 percent of the population were truly Christians, Christmas also would not be tolerated.

Stunningly, approximately 70 percent of abortions in the U.S. are performed on women who identify themselves as Christians (Protestants or Catholic)!  So, somewhere between about 70 percent and 86 percent of Americans claim to be Christians, and 70 percent of abortions are performed on self-proclaied Christians.  Now, either there are significantly more men who are Christians than are women, or the percentage of abortions done on Christians isn't any lower than that among other religious (including atheism) groups.  Whatever happened to being a "peculiar people?"

Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works (Titus 2:14).

And YHWH hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments (Deut. 26:18).

It's also important to note marital status of those having abortions. Combined, never-married and divorced women obtain 74 percent of all abortions in the U.S., so nearly three out of four unborn baby murders are performed on single women (ibid). Married women are responsible for 18.4 percent of abortions. The remaining eight percent, I assume, are women who chose not to say. Fourteen percent or more of women in the U.S. have at least one affair during marriage, and so we can safely assume that the majority of abortions performed on married women are due to adultery. It sounds to me as if abortion is largely a fornication and adultery problem. Does it not? Abortion is largely due to physical fornication/adultery. Christmas is observed by spiritual fornicators (those never called by God) and spiritual adulterers (those called by God).

Now, let's look at Christmas.  Depending on the poll you use, either 96 or 97 percent of the U.S. population observes Christmas.  As a matter of fact, it's a national (federal) holiday.  Pray tell, why isn't anyone up in arms about this, shouting that this is a church-state violation?  The only thing I ever hear is fighting about Christ's name being put on it or left out and whether a nativity scene should be allowed in a public place.  

Hmmm...but we shouldn't be suprised, should we, that there is no upset over Christmas being a federal holiday or not, seeing as 97 percent of Americans observe it!  Ninety-seven percent of Americans identify themselves as Christians.  If Christmas was Christian, and there's a small group who want Christ's name left out of it but still observe it, then why is it that they even want to observe it?!  If they hate Christians and don't believe in God, then why in the world would they want to observe God's feast?  The professing Christians celebrate it in much the same way as non-Christians do, with nativity scenes, nativity plays, and prayers added.  Some "Christians" leave Santa Claus (Satan Claws) out of their season observance, but I don't know of any Christmas observers who leave out the gifts and feasting, and not many leave out the tree.  We gave up the tree and Santa for a couple years before we realized we should not observe Christmas at all.  It's not just the heathen traditions that go with it that are wrong.  It's ALL wrong. 

Most atheists--those who claim they don't believe in God--in the "white" English-speaking nations observe Christmas.  Some do not, but most of them do.  Two of the most famous atheists--Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion, and Sam Harris, author of The End of Faith--both observe Christmas.  They view it as a "post-Christian" and "secular culture" holiday.

Well, I'm  here to tell you the truth.  If Christmas was really a holy day of God, the evil majority would NOT be observing it.  There are 96-97% of the population who celebrate this holiday in the U.S., and yet this nation is self-decaying in its wickedness.  All it takes is a little wisdom to see that Christmas is NOT a feast of God.  God-haters and unbelievers would have absolutely no desire to keep a feast that truly belonged to God, and if we really had the percentage of Christians as people claim to be, we would not celebrate Christmas as a nation (it was actually outlawed in the early colonial days), and we would not murder our unborn.  Period.  Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider, celebrates Christmas, too. They send out annual Christmas cards that say "Choice on Earth." How classy. It's also interesting to note that there was a great surge of abortions in the UK in January this year (2008), and it was thought due to an increase in drunken partying that occurs during the Christmas season. 

God told the Israelites:

Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou inquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise. Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.  What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it  (Deuteronomy 12:30-32).

The Israelites then (our fathers--the nations of the now-modern Israel, United States, and the nations that made up British Commonwealth and Scandinavian countries) had done just this when Moses was upon Mt. Sinai to get the two tables of testimony (10 commandments).  They melted all their gold and molded it into a calf and then declared it their "gods which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt" (Exodus 32:2-6).  And then, they proclaimed the next day a feast unto YHWH.  YHWH is the true God, who HAD just brought them up out of the land of Egypt.  They weren't claiming to worship Satan.  They claimed to worship the true God--YHWH, the great I AM--whom brought them out of Egyptian bondage (which typified bondage to sin.)  God was fiercely angered by those actions.

That's what Deuteronomy 12:30-32 was all about.  God made it clear exactly how He wants to be worshipped, and He gave His feasts to us in His Word.  Leviticus 23:2 says, "My feasts."  If you want to worship God His way, read Leviticus 23 for His feasts.  The new covenant is all about the Holy Spirit being available to all so that people WANT to keep God's law, that it's written on their hearts after begettal of the spirit and to keep the spirit of the law, which is a much higher standard, far from doing away with the law.  Read Jeremiah 31:31-33 and Hebrews 8:8-10.  The whole book of Hebrews is a vital read to understand just what is replaced by Christ's sacrifice and priesthood, and it surely does not include God's feasts and the true way to worship Him.

Christmas supposedly is the celebration of Christ's birth, though anyone can read about Christmas in an encyclopedia or on the Internet and discover that it's the birth of the so-called "sun god" (because it comes right after the winter solstice--the day of the year with the shortest period of daylight) and has been celebrated long before Christ's birth.  And equally ironic is the fact that Christmas comes from two words:  Christ and mass.  Mass is a Catholic practice, and it literally means "death."  Why do people claim to be observing the Messiah's birth when the very word Christmas means "death of Christ?"  People cheerfully go around wishing each other a "happy death of Christ" every time they say "Merry Christmas."  How sick.  But, rather interesting, isn't it, that if Christ had been aborted, he'd have been dead at birth?  What would there be to be merry about it our Messiah had been aborted?  Our hope would be lost.  We'd have no hope of salvation, for we have all sinned (Romans 3:23), and the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).  Without the sacrifice of a perfect sinless man, none of us could receive grace to be saved.    

During Saturnalia, December 17-25, Rome would close their courts, because they'd passed a law that no one could be punished for property damage or injury to persons during that week.  "The festival began when Roman authorities chose 'an enemy of the Roman people to represent the 'lord of misrule.'  Each  Roman community selected a victim whom they forced to indulge in food and other physical pleasures throughout the week.  At the festival's conclusion, December 25th, Roman authorities believed they were destroying the forces of darkness by brutally murdering this man or woman" ("The Real Story of Christmas," http://www.simpletoremember.com/media/a/Real-Story-of-X-mas-and-New-Years-b/).  

The Catholic mass is a ritual that involves a priest holding a eucharist (round wafer/cracker), which supposedly represents Christ.  The eucharist is also called the "host."  Host comes from a Latin word meaning victim.   Remember how scientists have referred to victims of parasites (blood-suckers) as hosts.   This is the same difference.  In the mass, the cracker (which is shaped like the sun, and sometimes it's even placed in the center of a "monstrance" which is just a contraption that looks like sun rays all around that holds the host (cracker) in the middle.  You can find pictures of one on the Internet.  The host cracker is supposed to represent Christ.  He's their victim that they sacrifice over and over again.   It's HEATHEN!  This is from what the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) is deriving the word "Christmas."  Christ becomes their "lord of misrule" and their victim that they sacrifice on December 25.  Christmas is a holiday of the wicked whore RCC.  And yet, Protestants joyfully celebrate Christmas, too, each and every December 25.  And to Catholics and Protestants the REAL Jesus/Yahushua whom true Christians worship, he is the "Lord of Misrule."  To them, the true God has a burdensome rule, a faulty set of rules that they believe, since they can never by themselves keep perfectly, they shouldn't even bother to try.  "[God's] law was nailed to the cross [during Jesus' crucifixion]," you hear the false professing "Christians" say.   This, of course, is scripture-twisting at its finest, which is what the unlearned and unstable habitually do to the scriptures (2 Peter 3:16).  They prefer the RCC's laws (Daniel 7:25) over God's laws.  So, again, to them the TRUE Jesus Christ is the "lord of misrule" and the victim of the December 25 sacrifice--Christ-mass.  In their hearts, the shout, "Death to the true Christ, the lord of misrule.  Let the false Christ, the sun god, Satan, the god of Saturnalia, be BORN on this day.  Let him try to bring peace on earth.  We don't want the true Christ's rule over us."  In the days leading up to December 25, people place "Christmas presents" (gifts in celebration of the death of Christ the "son of God" and the birth of the "sun god" Satan) under an evergreen tree.  

2 Kings 16:4  And he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree. (See also 2 Chronicles 28:4)

Jeremiah 3:6 YHWH said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot.

Isaiah 57:5 Enflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree, slaying the children in the valleys under the clifts of the rocks?

Gift=sacrifice.  "Gift" and "sacrifice" can be interchangeable.  Notice, for example, the differences in a couple different translations of Matthew 8:4:

And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them (KJV).

Jesus said to him, "Don't tell anyone about this! Instead, show yourself to the priest. Then offer the sacrifice Moses commanded as proof to people that you are clean" (GWT).

Let's analyze these scriptures:

1) Most translations use "gift," but God's Word Translation, and perhaps others, uses "sacrifice."  We can turn back to Leviticus chapter 14 and read about the "gift" or "sacrifice" that Moses commanded by the word of God.  If you do go read it, you will notice it probably says "offering."  Gifts, offerings, and sacrifices are words that can often be interchangeable.  So, Christmas "gifts" can very well symbolize sacrifices or offerings placed under an evergreen tree, which is a heathen practice.  

2) High places are  where heathens have always been fond of sacrificing to their false gods.  They would build asherah, as the Hebrew in the OT says, or what we call obelisks, in these high places (hills).  Today, false Christian churches are very often built upon hills.  Go to Google online and search with the quotation marks:

"church on the hill"
"church on the top of the hill"
"church at the top of the hill"

You'll be blown away at how many search results you'll get.  Churches are often built in high places so that they'll be seen.  Most false Christian churches have obelisks or "steeples" (asherah) on top.  The asherah/obelisk/steeple represents the male phallis (penis, in other words).  It's the perfect symbol of spiritual fornication and adultery.  Whoring around in false Christian churches, giving worship to the false christ Satan, ANGERS the true God, who ALONE deserves worship and honor.  

3) Burning incense is linked to prayer and often symbolizes prayer or is burnt during prayer:

 Psalm 141:2 Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

Luke 1:10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.

Revelation 8:4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.

4) Idols and idolatry can be the love of money and material possessions--material wealth--STUFF, like the BUNCHES of stuff people buy during Christmas, which is the biggest money-generating time in the United States.  The Christmas gifts under the tree are examples of idols.  

5) Heathen religions have always sacrificed children.  Catholicism claims to be against abortion, but nearly 1 out of 3 abortions are performed on self-professed Catholics (31.3%), and more than 1 out of 3 more are self-professed Protestants (37.4%).  In addition, the vast majority sacrifice their children to the medical and pharmaceutical gods by having them vaccinated with poisons and doped up on all kinds of synthetic poisons.  They sacrifice their children to the un-Godly public school system and to un-Godly television programs.  They sacrifice them to a lot of after-school activities.  The list goes on.  The majority don't want to care for their children, and they don't take the time to find out what is the best for them.  They don't care.  Most children, including the majority of those in professed "Christian" homes, are not taught daily to live by the Word of God (the bible).  

So, let's look at one of those scriptures again:  2 Kings 16:4  And he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.   And he gave gifts and prayers under the Christmas tree in his local church on the hill.  It could very well read that way today.  Before I repented and believed the true gospel and vowed to follow God's way, I attended a Protestant Baptist church that hosted a "Trim the Tree" service where each family would get an ornament of some sort and go to the front of the church and place it on the Christmas evergreen tree and then recite a piece of scripture and sit down.  Then, everyone would pray afterward.  That church has the obelisk proudly displayed on the building, too.  It proudly shouts to the true God of the bible, "I'm a whore!"

Let's get back to the word victim for a minute. Etymonline says this about the word "victim":

 "living creature killed and offered as a sacrifice to a deity or supernatural power," from L. victima "person or animal killed as a sacrifice." Perhaps distantly connected to O.E. wig "idol," Goth. weihs "holy," Ger. weihen "consecrate" (cf. Weihnachten "Christmas") on notion of "a consecrated animal." Sense of "person who is hurt, tortured, or killed by another" is first recorded 1660

Isn't it interesting that it may be linked to the German word for Christmas?  The Germans are the ones who brought their heathen Christmas celebrations to the United States.  The modern Israelite people of the U.S. decided to fornicate and adopt the ancient Assyrians' (Germans) heathen customs, which are the same as the RCC ancient Babylon customs.  It's the same thing with different titles and names on it.  The Israelites fornicated with Egypt, and they have fornicated again and again with Assyria and Babylon.  History repeats itself.  

The ancient Israelites would be led away into spiritual fornication and would sacrifice their children in the fire to Moloch (Molech/Molek), which is the same as Tammuz.  Satan really doesn't care what name is used.  He just wants to receive the worship, instead of God.  The true God does not accept worship besides worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24).  Psalm 119:142 says, "Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth."  God only accepts worship according to HIS law.  When false "Christians" observe Christmas, they worship their false Christ--Satan.  They are deceived.  They think they worship the true God.  2 Thessalonians 2:10 says, "And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved."  Again, truth is God's law.  The bibles says this also about righteousness:  My tongue shall speak of thy word:  for all thy commandments are righteousness.  So, yes, the false Christians are deceived by unrighteousness.  Deception is the opposite of truth, and unrighteousness is the opposite of righteousness.  The bible says further that, "For this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:  That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness" (v 11-12).  The delusion indeed is VERY strong.  People are very carnal.  They will NOT give up their Christmas, Easter, Sunday, and other abominable customs.  They are deceived heavily, because their hearts are not in the right place.  They think their hearts are good.  Many will say, "I love Jesus" and "I think abortion is evil," but they don't go much past that.  They do not love God with all their hearts, souls, and minds.  They do not put Him before all else.  They do not hunger and thirst after righteousness.  They care more about their own lusts and their own ways of doing things, and they fully expect God to accept their false worship of Him.  They don't worship the true God, though.  They only think they do.  They really worship Satan, and when they pray, they pray to him.  They have a false Christ.  They answer to Satan and the RCC.  Satan may give them blessings here and there that are within his ability for their reward for worshiping him.  They may be physically blessed, and they attribute it to God answering their prayers.  They may seem to have enough prayers answered that they think God hears them.  But, it's not the real God.  They have been deceived and are ignorantly worshiping the false Christ--Satan.  

Moloch, the god to whom children were sacrificed had a head like a bull calf and a body like a man.  In the bottom, a hot furnace would burn, and they'd place the children in the hands of the idol, and the children would burn to death.  Then, men would masturbate and spill their seed before the idol.  People would be drunk and would dance and play loud music to drown out the cries and screams of the babies and young children.  Is this what was happening in verse 6 of Exodus 32, after the people made the "golden calf?"  Was there child sacrifice?  It doesn't say.  But, the false god sure sounds like Moloch, the horned god.  

Jeremiah 10:2-4 Thus saith YHWH, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.

Matthew 15 : 3,9 But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?...But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

Christmas and Christmas trees are one of many examples of vain worship based on traditions/customs of men.  They are not doctrines or commandments of God, and He does not accept such worship.  They are abominable in His sight.  

Galatians 4:9-11  But now after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?  Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.  I am afraid for  you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.  

It's interesting how false "Christians" twist this scripture (see 2 Peter 3:16) to tell true Christians they are wrong in observing the commanded festivals of God outlined in Leviticus 23.  But, how can that be, when Paul was talking to Gentiles who had never worshiped the true God, so they would never have observed God's festivals before.  It was impossible that Paul was talking about the Gentiles returning to God's festivals.  They never would have known about God's feasts.  They had just recently come to know the true God, so the days, months, and times, and years to which they were returning were the heathen festivals, one of which is Christmas day and Christmas time, when people make merry and declare a feast to God that is NOT one of His feasts and worship Him in ways in which the heathen worship their gods, like with decorating evergreen trees--decking them out, like Jeremiah talked about.  

Mainstream Christianity has decried U.S.-government-legal abortion in the United States for 35 years, but yet they still don't heed God's word on the matter:

Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou inquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.  Thou shalt not do so unto the YHWH thy God: for every abomination to the YHWH, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods. What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it (Deuteronomy 12:30-32).  

Listen up mainstream Christians!  This is a warning to you.  If you want to end abortion, STOP transgressing the the law of God, and end your abominable Christ-mass celebration.  You were warned by the Almighty God in His Word.  And if you continue in your wicked worship of the false christ Satan each year on Christmas, you can bear some of the guilt in the millions of murdered unborn children each year.  True Christians who worship God in spirit and in truth, who keep His laws, including His sabbath and other feasts and who do not keep false Christianity's heathen feasts, are NOT included in the abortion statistics.  True Christians do not have abortions, and they do not keep feasts that are linked to child sacrifice.

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