Thought I would give my tired brain and over worked tear ducts a rest!
It is amazing how close to the surface those nerves are!
We think we move on,
But, A well seems some things are larger than life!
Even 50 years later.
Showing posts with label War. Show all posts
Showing posts with label War. Show all posts
May 7, 2020
January 20, 2020
Forth Reich
A friend gave me a number of books before my hospitalization, not realizing I could no longer read! With the return of my mind two weeks ago as come the ability to read! Very nice, I love reading.
One of the books was entitled, "The Forth Reich".
For those of you whom are weak on your German, Reich, refers to the State.
Like your Federal Government.
Now, World War Two was fought with the Third Reich.
Hitler's self described, thousand year civilization.
Luckily for mankind, a conglomerate of godless heathens defeated the German forces.
(referring to the leadership, not those performing the fighting!)
Now what most do not understand is that, there has already been a war against the Forth Reich - and the results are a bit of a mixed bag.
In a combined effort, the US, Britain, Norway, and Russia combined an assault first on Antarctica and then on to Argentina in 1947.
The entire effort lacks any formal documentation!
It is all "Top Secret".
Really?
Why, 60 years later?
Nope cover up time, because you see America won WWII!
Hitler was either shot in the head by his own hand, took poison, died fighting in the streets of Berlin or escaped by Junker heavy lifter or submarine! Point is: he is officially dead!
And if he isn't dead from WWII, then America looses credibility in the world's eyes.
And somehow, that is more important than truth?
That is how we ended up with political correctness, what the elite dictate truth to be - becomes truth!
So, we have truth and then there is "truth"!
Not very convenient.
Oh make no mistake, the little war did occur, NAZI forces were subdued, if not utterly destroyed. But not without cost. Any you would think that cost documented - NOPE!
But a 1990's investigation found ALL of the suspected Argentinian locations of Nazi sympathizers utterly destroyed.
All antarctic sites are under "No Fly" zones.
Enforced by military jets and rockets!
Is it possible Hitler did escape?
There was a route from the Bunker to the surface.
There was a landing strip at that spot.
There were all 5 of the Junker lifters in town, with their 18,000 km flight range.
All 5 left in mass with virtually all staff, gold treasury and important documents.
And all Junker disappeared from history.
Now father told long ago of:
Having had a flight at the end of WWII from his base in northern Poland to Bergen.
The point of the trip was a U boat inspection of some type.
It is one of those stories of his which does not fit with what we know!
But today it fell in place, maybe?
Just stick in there with me as I piece this together.
So father is taken from Poland, to Bergen.
No idea why him.
To do something unique to him.
That was of value at the time.
He performed his task and was taken home to play cat and mouse with the Russians.
The tale would be meaningless were it not for father remembering the U boat's number!
The same number as a boat now thought to have ferried Hitler to Argentina!
Too weird.
I wonder now if his other odd tale of loading a U boat during an evacuation, was a part of the other tale?
And the execution of the captain.
How could all of this fit together?
Yet father never said anything about what is known about the Forth Reich, nor associated subjects one could wonder about.
sigh ....
So many unknowns .....
sigh
And this inquiring mind would like to know!
One of the books was entitled, "The Forth Reich".
For those of you whom are weak on your German, Reich, refers to the State.
Like your Federal Government.
Now, World War Two was fought with the Third Reich.
Hitler's self described, thousand year civilization.
Luckily for mankind, a conglomerate of godless heathens defeated the German forces.
(referring to the leadership, not those performing the fighting!)
Now what most do not understand is that, there has already been a war against the Forth Reich - and the results are a bit of a mixed bag.
In a combined effort, the US, Britain, Norway, and Russia combined an assault first on Antarctica and then on to Argentina in 1947.
The entire effort lacks any formal documentation!
It is all "Top Secret".
Really?
Why, 60 years later?
Nope cover up time, because you see America won WWII!
Hitler was either shot in the head by his own hand, took poison, died fighting in the streets of Berlin or escaped by Junker heavy lifter or submarine! Point is: he is officially dead!
And if he isn't dead from WWII, then America looses credibility in the world's eyes.
And somehow, that is more important than truth?
That is how we ended up with political correctness, what the elite dictate truth to be - becomes truth!
So, we have truth and then there is "truth"!
Not very convenient.
Oh make no mistake, the little war did occur, NAZI forces were subdued, if not utterly destroyed. But not without cost. Any you would think that cost documented - NOPE!
But a 1990's investigation found ALL of the suspected Argentinian locations of Nazi sympathizers utterly destroyed.
All antarctic sites are under "No Fly" zones.
Enforced by military jets and rockets!
Is it possible Hitler did escape?
There was a route from the Bunker to the surface.
There was a landing strip at that spot.
There were all 5 of the Junker lifters in town, with their 18,000 km flight range.
All 5 left in mass with virtually all staff, gold treasury and important documents.
And all Junker disappeared from history.
Now father told long ago of:
Having had a flight at the end of WWII from his base in northern Poland to Bergen.
The point of the trip was a U boat inspection of some type.
It is one of those stories of his which does not fit with what we know!
But today it fell in place, maybe?
Just stick in there with me as I piece this together.
So father is taken from Poland, to Bergen.
No idea why him.
To do something unique to him.
That was of value at the time.
He performed his task and was taken home to play cat and mouse with the Russians.
The tale would be meaningless were it not for father remembering the U boat's number!
The same number as a boat now thought to have ferried Hitler to Argentina!
Too weird.
I wonder now if his other odd tale of loading a U boat during an evacuation, was a part of the other tale?
And the execution of the captain.
How could all of this fit together?
Yet father never said anything about what is known about the Forth Reich, nor associated subjects one could wonder about.
sigh ....
So many unknowns .....
sigh
And this inquiring mind would like to know!
May 17, 2018
Pasts Which Do Not Fade
He was a little shrunken man.
You know:
Body bent by age,
Skin wrinkled and flaky,
Legs and hands shook constantly.
Like so many he sought to sell his coins.
Ill health is costly in this country.
The dealer started sorting through what was there.
But it was his eyes .....
I was just watching, people fascinate me.
"Uhm, Kris, can you translate this?"
I looked at the bronze disk in his hand.
The old man was shaking.
"What do you think it is worth?"
Literally, I was shaken.
I put the disk down and had to fight back tears.
As best I could, I croaked out that it was priceless.
They agreed on some sum and the old man left happy.
We watch him leave.
In a low voice the dealer asked, "What is it Kris?"
"It was a man's life, Paul ... his very soul."
The little Lithuanian man was almost out of sight now.
"What does that mean?"
So I explained one of most sought after WWII medals, because ALL men with one were summarily executed!
And six women as well.
A Star of David with
The words, "SONDERKAMMANDO"
And then the real test, whom was it issued to?
On the reverse, the highly stylized "SS" of Hitler's special units.
Often these were Jewish "volunteers". (cough,cough)
The exterminators of their kinsmen.
This man was SS, assigned more than likely to Polnar (sp?), a Lithuanian Jewish extermination camp.
About 350,000 Jews were shot to death.
Dug up years later and cremated so the Russians would not find the burial trenches!
Eleven Jews survived Lithuania there.
"What should I do with it?", Paul whispered.
"Donate to a Jewish war museum or Holocaust Museum ..."
Yeah, it was those eyes .....
Haunted by decades of memories.
And the memory of failing his God.
Now he understood, unlike my father or uncle.
And he feared because he saw that I "knew".
But ...
Shalom, little man.
May your heart find peace,
With the Prince of Peace ....
This German understands.
This descendant of Hebrews will not condemn you.
This forgiven man, broken by God, hopes you read this ...
You know:
Body bent by age,
Skin wrinkled and flaky,
Legs and hands shook constantly.
Like so many he sought to sell his coins.
Ill health is costly in this country.
The dealer started sorting through what was there.
But it was his eyes .....
I was just watching, people fascinate me.
"Uhm, Kris, can you translate this?"
I looked at the bronze disk in his hand.
The old man was shaking.
"What do you think it is worth?"
Literally, I was shaken.
I put the disk down and had to fight back tears.
As best I could, I croaked out that it was priceless.
They agreed on some sum and the old man left happy.
We watch him leave.
In a low voice the dealer asked, "What is it Kris?"
"It was a man's life, Paul ... his very soul."
The little Lithuanian man was almost out of sight now.
"What does that mean?"
So I explained one of most sought after WWII medals, because ALL men with one were summarily executed!
And six women as well.
A Star of David with
The words, "SONDERKAMMANDO"
And then the real test, whom was it issued to?
On the reverse, the highly stylized "SS" of Hitler's special units.
Often these were Jewish "volunteers". (cough,cough)
The exterminators of their kinsmen.
This man was SS, assigned more than likely to Polnar (sp?), a Lithuanian Jewish extermination camp.
About 350,000 Jews were shot to death.
Dug up years later and cremated so the Russians would not find the burial trenches!
Eleven Jews survived Lithuania there.
"What should I do with it?", Paul whispered.
"Donate to a Jewish war museum or Holocaust Museum ..."
Yeah, it was those eyes .....
Haunted by decades of memories.
And the memory of failing his God.
Now he understood, unlike my father or uncle.
And he feared because he saw that I "knew".
But ...
Shalom, little man.
May your heart find peace,
With the Prince of Peace ....
This German understands.
This descendant of Hebrews will not condemn you.
This forgiven man, broken by God, hopes you read this ...
December 8, 2017
Heros of Telemark
My father loved war movies. I do not think that he actually understood war too well - war equals dead people, lot of them! And for someone whom saw the slaughter of the scientific workers associated with the V projects, the fire bombing of Dresden and the bombing of Nordhausen ... he really was quite clueless. I at least recognized that these represented sons, brothers, fathers and grandfathers - whom would never be returning home. I think father's entire philosophy of life was based on the idea: you are either alive, or you do not exist.
Anyway, in 1965, a very different style of historical war movie appeared, it was filmed on locations in Norway where the events had transpired (or as close as could be done, allowing for German and British bombing damage) It made the story more real and the casting of Kirk Douglas in the lead role brought his brooding performance into focus. Though he seemed to be very uncomfortable throughout the film.
Of course, the story revolves around the attempts to destroy the Telemark heavy water processing plant in Norway, during World War II. In spite of all of the attempts, those crafty Germans were always one step ahead of those desiring to destroy the project. Filled with spies and nail biting sequences, if you are cheering the Norwegians on, this is engaging film. But, if you cheer on stereo-typical, cold, calculating, merciless Germans - well, lots of opportunities in this film! Unfortunately, too few films are made to this quality level.
(under the item of Too Much Information: I had a chance to interview Hisenberg in 1967 or 1968 and I asked him if Telemark as the only heavy water plant or were there others. He laughed and commented that it was of no importance, they had all of the Plutonium they needed by then. Other questions unfortunately only pissed him off - so I hit a nerve when asking about his bomb's triggering mechanism ... sigh - if Kris, then really piss people off! Which was unfortunate as I had great admiration for the man and his work on the first atom bomb! Fortunately the design could not have worked! I may be German but I am not insane!)
Certainly a must view, a must ponder on the points the film brings up concerning life, nationalism, sacrifice, etc! And the complete absernce of God, when filming in what was a deeply religious country and people. 1960's Western morals being overwritten on to WWII Norway?
Anyway, in 1965, a very different style of historical war movie appeared, it was filmed on locations in Norway where the events had transpired (or as close as could be done, allowing for German and British bombing damage) It made the story more real and the casting of Kirk Douglas in the lead role brought his brooding performance into focus. Though he seemed to be very uncomfortable throughout the film.
Of course, the story revolves around the attempts to destroy the Telemark heavy water processing plant in Norway, during World War II. In spite of all of the attempts, those crafty Germans were always one step ahead of those desiring to destroy the project. Filled with spies and nail biting sequences, if you are cheering the Norwegians on, this is engaging film. But, if you cheer on stereo-typical, cold, calculating, merciless Germans - well, lots of opportunities in this film! Unfortunately, too few films are made to this quality level.
(under the item of Too Much Information: I had a chance to interview Hisenberg in 1967 or 1968 and I asked him if Telemark as the only heavy water plant or were there others. He laughed and commented that it was of no importance, they had all of the Plutonium they needed by then. Other questions unfortunately only pissed him off - so I hit a nerve when asking about his bomb's triggering mechanism ... sigh - if Kris, then really piss people off! Which was unfortunate as I had great admiration for the man and his work on the first atom bomb! Fortunately the design could not have worked! I may be German but I am not insane!)
Certainly a must view, a must ponder on the points the film brings up concerning life, nationalism, sacrifice, etc! And the complete absernce of God, when filming in what was a deeply religious country and people. 1960's Western morals being overwritten on to WWII Norway?
July 18, 2016
In Memory of Hiroshima
Friday marked an anniversary where I would have published this then, but Friday's post was important to someone, so I aim to please ....
What was Friday?
The anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan - the birth of atomic warfare and the uneasy detente of the Cold War era which so thoroughly messed up my life ...
I can not fathom how God feels about war. If you believe that human life is precious and a gift of God, then how does one truly deal with the concept of humans destroying human life on so vast a scale? How does God feel about President Truman making the decision to end the war through the utter destruction of two cities of mostly civilians? (Admittedly, Hiroshima was a military city of about 40,000 military and a prisoner of war encampment for 700 captured Americans at ground zero!) Was this wisdom or further human folly?
Certainly, scientists spoke out quite strongly against the usage of the Atom as a bomb. All of the high brows were removed from any military projects because they were German, suspect and considered a threat against the success of the bomb. I grew up with most of them as a child, so I heard the arguments long after the war was over. However, I never knew Einstein, he had died before I came along. And, political "scientists" stepped in to do the job with no actual understanding of what they were doing. My personal dislike for men such as Oppenheimer so great it is hard for me to be objective - I was only a child and the man a creep, so yeah my opinion might just be jaded a little. But, a few of the politicos were men I liked as a child, no one knows their names, they were just grunts doing the jobs and follow up.
My own father justified his involvement because of the NAZI fear of the Soviet army and its need for utter destruction. He greatest complaint was of how, "those meddling Americans" had completely ruined Germany's race for the atom and supremacy in the war!
Thank God!
Once the Americans had grabbed father, his work on the nuclear bomb was still driven by prejudicial hatred for all things Russian! He held those cherished viewpoints even after my trips to Soviet Russia and adoption of four children. Then, he started to figure it out.
I also knew Tibbets, the pilot of the bombing run and a few others of the Enola Gay flight crew. So, it was informative to hear their side of the argument. And it was with sadness when last I met with Tibbets, whom knew his time was short, and wanted to see me one more time and talk about my father, the bomb and the big question. A man left bitter believing that he was judged and passed over for recognition for what he had done for America. A man torn. A man understanding something more than others.
Back in Japan, a pastor by the name of Kyimoto (? I can't find him on the internet but I remember well the role he played in post war Japan from the books I read as a child) became involved in reaching out to the untouchables of Japan - the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And with the love of God he reached out to those dying from radiation and cancer, those disfigured and scarred, those whom could never be married. He made a difference. And yeah, no one has ever heard of him.
If there is a lesson to be learned from this horrific piece of history:
Truman made a judgment call - kill civilians and force surrender, or lose more men in an invasion
Men such as Tibbets did what they felt needed to be done to end the war, at the risk of their own lives
The average Japanese was ignorant of what was happening and desired things all men desire
Scientists foresaw what would happen and revolted
Politicos ran with the ball
And in the end, it was men and women wanting to show God's love whom changed lives
I am glad that I was not any part of this.
I am glad that I have never been forced to make a choice which could cost someone their life.
I am glad that God pulled my butt onto a different path than that of my father.
I am sorry for those broken by actions such as this, victims come in all styles.
I am thankful for men, like Kyimoto, unknown and yet serving God in the hardest of times.
What was Friday?
 |
| At the moment of the Hiroshima blast. |
I can not fathom how God feels about war. If you believe that human life is precious and a gift of God, then how does one truly deal with the concept of humans destroying human life on so vast a scale? How does God feel about President Truman making the decision to end the war through the utter destruction of two cities of mostly civilians? (Admittedly, Hiroshima was a military city of about 40,000 military and a prisoner of war encampment for 700 captured Americans at ground zero!) Was this wisdom or further human folly?
Certainly, scientists spoke out quite strongly against the usage of the Atom as a bomb. All of the high brows were removed from any military projects because they were German, suspect and considered a threat against the success of the bomb. I grew up with most of them as a child, so I heard the arguments long after the war was over. However, I never knew Einstein, he had died before I came along. And, political "scientists" stepped in to do the job with no actual understanding of what they were doing. My personal dislike for men such as Oppenheimer so great it is hard for me to be objective - I was only a child and the man a creep, so yeah my opinion might just be jaded a little. But, a few of the politicos were men I liked as a child, no one knows their names, they were just grunts doing the jobs and follow up.
My own father justified his involvement because of the NAZI fear of the Soviet army and its need for utter destruction. He greatest complaint was of how, "those meddling Americans" had completely ruined Germany's race for the atom and supremacy in the war!
Thank God!
Once the Americans had grabbed father, his work on the nuclear bomb was still driven by prejudicial hatred for all things Russian! He held those cherished viewpoints even after my trips to Soviet Russia and adoption of four children. Then, he started to figure it out.
I also knew Tibbets, the pilot of the bombing run and a few others of the Enola Gay flight crew. So, it was informative to hear their side of the argument. And it was with sadness when last I met with Tibbets, whom knew his time was short, and wanted to see me one more time and talk about my father, the bomb and the big question. A man left bitter believing that he was judged and passed over for recognition for what he had done for America. A man torn. A man understanding something more than others.
Back in Japan, a pastor by the name of Kyimoto (? I can't find him on the internet but I remember well the role he played in post war Japan from the books I read as a child) became involved in reaching out to the untouchables of Japan - the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And with the love of God he reached out to those dying from radiation and cancer, those disfigured and scarred, those whom could never be married. He made a difference. And yeah, no one has ever heard of him.
If there is a lesson to be learned from this horrific piece of history:
Truman made a judgment call - kill civilians and force surrender, or lose more men in an invasion
Men such as Tibbets did what they felt needed to be done to end the war, at the risk of their own lives
The average Japanese was ignorant of what was happening and desired things all men desire
Scientists foresaw what would happen and revolted
Politicos ran with the ball
And in the end, it was men and women wanting to show God's love whom changed lives
I am glad that I was not any part of this.
I am glad that I have never been forced to make a choice which could cost someone their life.
I am glad that God pulled my butt onto a different path than that of my father.
I am sorry for those broken by actions such as this, victims come in all styles.
I am thankful for men, like Kyimoto, unknown and yet serving God in the hardest of times.
June 17, 2016
The Apostate German Church
Cardinal Woelki, is the Archbishop of Cologne, Germany. A country racked by rioting almost to the point of civil war. The Muslim masses are rioting, raping, murdering lone Germans and burning their camps. The Germans are rioting, beating the tar out of any Muslim they find in retaliation. The German government is trapped between the opinion of its people and the politics of the world and wealth they are being given to host these immigrants. Chancellor Merkel has got to be feeling the stress!
And Woelki gives a speech, yards from where hundreds of German girls were raped by the Muslims on New Years Eve and calls for tolerance for these immigrants.
And in a twisted allegory, Woelki compares Jesus call for us to care for one another, to that of the refugees plight.
There is an argument there. If you spiritualize Jesus' teachings, we are to care for the world, but that was never said nor asked by Jesus. We are to care for one another, even the dogs of the faith, remembering that they are our brothers and sisters. We are to house, feed, clothe, and witness to them. Jesus never asked a Jew to do that for a Roman or a Scythian ..... Interesting.
That is the difference between knowing your Scripture and seeing it twisted for an end goal.
End goal?
Yeah, you had better believe he and/or Cologne are being subsidized by the UNHCR - the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, which oversees the rescue and settlement in host countries of refugees. And these days no one is going to take 10,000 refugees without some Deutsche Marks attached to the deal .... Which by the way, more than likely came from your tax money paid to your government.
What follows is a translation of the address, read it - consider how reasonable it sounds - then put it into context and see how damning this propaganda piece really is.
*****
Transcript:
And Woelki gives a speech, yards from where hundreds of German girls were raped by the Muslims on New Years Eve and calls for tolerance for these immigrants.
And in a twisted allegory, Woelki compares Jesus call for us to care for one another, to that of the refugees plight.
There is an argument there. If you spiritualize Jesus' teachings, we are to care for the world, but that was never said nor asked by Jesus. We are to care for one another, even the dogs of the faith, remembering that they are our brothers and sisters. We are to house, feed, clothe, and witness to them. Jesus never asked a Jew to do that for a Roman or a Scythian ..... Interesting.
That is the difference between knowing your Scripture and seeing it twisted for an end goal.
End goal?
Yeah, you had better believe he and/or Cologne are being subsidized by the UNHCR - the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, which oversees the rescue and settlement in host countries of refugees. And these days no one is going to take 10,000 refugees without some Deutsche Marks attached to the deal .... Which by the way, more than likely came from your tax money paid to your government.
What follows is a translation of the address, read it - consider how reasonable it sounds - then put it into context and see how damning this propaganda piece really is.
*****
Transcript:
| 00:02 | In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. | |
| 00:09 | Amen. May peace be with you. — And with your Spirit. | |
| 00:19 | Dear sisters, dear brothers, I wholeheartedly welcome you | |
| 00:23 | to the celebration of our Feast of Corpus Christi here in the Roncalli Square. | |
| 00:30 | A boat, a refugee boat from the Mediterranean sea. | |
| 00:37 | What business is that supposed to have with Corpus Christi? | |
| 00:41 | Both, monstrance and this boat, they have carried Christ. | |
| 00:51 | The monstrance carried Christ in the form of the Eucharist bread. | |
| 00:59 | The boat carried Christ in the form of the poor. | |
| 01:05 | That is why it is dear to me that this boat today is our altar. | |
| 01:11 | This boat, with hundreds of refugees, with women and children, and elderly people, | |
| 01:19 | that was drifting in the Mediterranean sea, until it was detected, and the people were saved. | |
| 01:25 | “Did you recognize me?”, Christ will ask us one day. | |
| 01:30 | “Did you recognize me in the form of the transformed bread; | |
| 01:35 | did you recognize me when I was a refugee and came to your country?” | |
| 01:50 | Dear sisters, dear brothers. | |
| 01:55 | Nothing unusual for a town by the Rhine, such a ship. | |
| 02:02 | For 737 years now in our town the feast of Corpus Christi has been observed with special festivity. | |
| 02:14 | In this long history, the procession of 1945 is unforgotten, | |
| 02:25 | Which paraded through the ruins of our inner city, almost completely destroyed by war. | |
| 02:32 | Trusting that God’s love outlasts all vicissitudes of history, and human distress, | |
| 02:41 | the citizens of Cologne back then professed their belief in the steady presence of Jesus Christ | |
| 02:50 | in the sacrament of the Holy Communion. | |
| 02:54 | The misery and the loss of loved ones were impossible to overlook. | |
| 03:00 | The consequences of the catastrophe of the Nazi dictatorship were impossible to overlook, | |
| 03:06 | and with it the consequences of the war. | |
| 03:10 | In this hour such, or similar, catastrophes take place. | |
| 03:19 | These days it is easier for us than back then, after the war, to distance ourselves. | |
| 03:28 | Today, one can simply close the newspaper. | |
| 03:35 | One can simply skip over reading certain things. | |
| 03:39 | One can switch off the TV, not open the social media. | |
| 03:46 | See nothing, hear nothing, say nothing. | |
| 03:52 | Therefore, dear sisters and brothers, we must be careful at our Feast of Corpus Christi today | |
| 04:00 | at the gold, the beauty, and the dignity of the monstrance, | |
| 04:06 | not to close our eyes to what it is truly about. | |
| 04:12 | So when we carry the Lord through the streets of the city now, | |
| 04:16 | then, dear sisters and brothers, we must — in the monstrance, | |
| 04:22 | in the Eucharistic form of the bread — | |
| 04:26 | recognize and heed his maltreated body, his maltreated face, his wounds, | |
| 04:36 | in the faces and in the bodies of the people of today. | |
| 04:44 | And we must act accordingly! | |
| 04:47 | We will not let ourselves be prohibited from speaking! | |
| 04:50 | It is nearly a year ago that on this wonderful square, in the shadow of our cathedral, | |
| 04:57 | in pouring rain, we remembered with 23,000 bell tolls the dead | |
| 05:04 | who have since the year 2000 lost their lives on their flight across the Mediterranean Sea. | |
| 05:12 | 3,327 deaths have since been added to that, according to the refugee relief organization UNHCR. | |
| 05:25 | Drowned and murdered. | |
| 05:28 | Whose hopes, whose sorrow, whose dreams and grief, | |
| 05:33 | whose families and stories God alone knows. | |
| 05:39 | The waves of the Mediterranean Sea have closed over them. | |
| 05:43 | 3,327 people have perished in boats like this! | |
| 05:54 | The pictures that you can now see in newspapers and on TV, | |
| 06:00 | overcrowded and keeling over, they strike right into the center of the heart. | |
| 06:06 | They must strike the heart | |
| 06:09 | of European society, dedicated to peace and human rights. | |
| 06:17 | The people who were in this boat, hardly conceivable, a hundred of them, | |
| 06:27 | who set out across the sea, they were found and saved, a coincidence, a blessing. | |
| 06:39 | This boat becomes our altar today. | |
| 06:44 | The altar is an allegory, a symbol, of the Lord himself. | |
| 06:51 | He is right there in this boat! | |
| 06:54 | In this boat that trafficked people, young and old, women and men, across the Mediterranean sea. | |
| 07:01 | So when, in a few moments, we carry the body of the Lord, that was sacrificed on the cross, | |
| 07:08 | in the monstrance through the streets of our town, | |
| 07:12 | then it is the same body | |
| 07:17 | that we meet in the streets, in the poor, in the torrents of the sea, | |
| 07:24 | in the unaccompanied minor refugees, | |
| 07:27 | in the terminally ill, in the traumatised children from regions of civil war, | |
| 07:35 | in their desperate mothers, and abducted fathers, | |
| 07:39 | in every woman, in every man, in every child that hopes for a future. | |
| 07:46 | Their cry for justice, their cry for dignity, their cry for freedom. | |
| 07:55 | It is God’s cry! | |
| 07:58 | Let us hear it! | |
| 08:01 | Because, dear sisters and brothers, whoever lets people drown in the Mediterranean sea, lets God drown. | |
| 08:09 | A hundred times, a thousand times! | |
| 08:12 | Whoever tortures people to death in camps, tortures God to death! | |
| 08:17 | A thousand and a many thousand times! | |
| 08:21 | Every death, a death of God! | |
| 08:25 | That is why one day, Christ will ask us: | |
| 08:28 | “Did you recognize me? Did you truly recognize me? | |
| 08:33 | In the body of the transformed bread.” | |
| 08:37 | “Did you recognize me? Truly recognize me? When I was a refugee and came to your town, your country.” | |
| 08:45 | “Did you recognize me? Truly recognize me? When I needed your help as I was drowning in the sea.” | |
| 08:53 | And, dear sisters and dear brothers, when we do this, then the Evangel will become alive, today. | |
| 09:02 | And what happened back then, happens today, too: | |
| 09:07 | “They all ate and were satisfied.” | |
| 09:12 | Amen. |
June 8, 2016
Cassius Clay, Politics, Religion
As you know, I do not wax upon the things of politic - I simply do not care about the subject nor the desires of political parties one way or the other. The end of politics is always the same: man is corrupt all of his system will only be more corrupt across time. But ...
My grandfather, John, was a heavyweight boxer. He was not a big man but he had stood up to the best, had his brains beat out of his head and lived. Others facing the likes of Max Baer did not fare so well.
And he taught me to box, though my hand structure is completely wrong and he made sure I understood that if I hit someone straight on - that was the end of that hand and wrist! Yeah, piano or violin fingers they are called.
So Cassius Clay was someone I watched through the media and respected as a fighter. When he refused to enlist for the military, it caused quite the ruckus in the early 1960's! I can remember my father was absolutely livid that anyone could say "NO" to the demands of their country. You have to remember, he was a NAZI - the state is the supreme being and you will comply!
But, I was born without prejudice nor a desire to kill anyone, by some natural or unnatural means I understood that human life was precious and war was wrong. Yeah, my father was livid with me quite a bit as well. And I was unshakable, in spite of the beatings, the government was not the final authority. And Clay came along, I listened to his words in the news and thought on them. Something was wrong in this world, but I was too young to fully understand the corruption behind politics nor the history of black America.
While in prison, Clay converted to Islam, changed his name and upon release was not widely accepted by anyone! He was a disgrace after-all. But, he was one a heck of a fighter!
Less than a decade later, it was my turn to be drafted. In the mail came a heavily wax like substance impregnated card telling me that the President of the United States was ordering me to report to such and such place, and time. Only problem was, I was 17, not 18, and I knew it was not a valid draft document. For fun I tried lighting it on fire - it would not burn. I tried to chop it up with a knife or scissors, even an axe - it would not cut. I tried boiling it - but it remained unchanged. I tossed it in the garbage.
When I turned 18, I did go and register for the selective service and wrote boldly on the form that I only did so only under duress and would only consider military service as a medic or similar orderly - I would carry NO firearms what-so-ever. They even had a brochure on how to resist the draft in the recruiters office, I picked one up.
The recruiter was livid.
My father was livid.
Yeah, not a good day a whole lot of livid was going on!
I thought often of Clay and his fight against the military industrial complex, corrupt politicians and the bias in the USA for war - at any cost, for any excuse, against anyone.
But, I was a no one. I had not won any Olympic Medals. I had no fame for anything I had done. No foreign reporters wanted my story.
And for the next three years I fought that illegal attempt to bring me into the US Army. It was only through their arrogance that they lost the battle finally before an honest judge - the story is in one of these blogs.
Clay had been an inspiration to me. Someone whom was willing to stand up to the status quo and say, "This is wrong."
For that, I respected the man.
But, he saw the truth but did not fully understand what so many still do not even see. Tommy James figured it out. I eventually learned. And though Clay never could due to the Islamic base of his faith - a Jewish prophesy, this song still conveys what many know from Revelation 1: the Shekinah Glory of God revealed on Earth ...
My grandfather, John, was a heavyweight boxer. He was not a big man but he had stood up to the best, had his brains beat out of his head and lived. Others facing the likes of Max Baer did not fare so well.
And he taught me to box, though my hand structure is completely wrong and he made sure I understood that if I hit someone straight on - that was the end of that hand and wrist! Yeah, piano or violin fingers they are called.
But, I was born without prejudice nor a desire to kill anyone, by some natural or unnatural means I understood that human life was precious and war was wrong. Yeah, my father was livid with me quite a bit as well. And I was unshakable, in spite of the beatings, the government was not the final authority. And Clay came along, I listened to his words in the news and thought on them. Something was wrong in this world, but I was too young to fully understand the corruption behind politics nor the history of black America.
While in prison, Clay converted to Islam, changed his name and upon release was not widely accepted by anyone! He was a disgrace after-all. But, he was one a heck of a fighter!
Less than a decade later, it was my turn to be drafted. In the mail came a heavily wax like substance impregnated card telling me that the President of the United States was ordering me to report to such and such place, and time. Only problem was, I was 17, not 18, and I knew it was not a valid draft document. For fun I tried lighting it on fire - it would not burn. I tried to chop it up with a knife or scissors, even an axe - it would not cut. I tried boiling it - but it remained unchanged. I tossed it in the garbage.
When I turned 18, I did go and register for the selective service and wrote boldly on the form that I only did so only under duress and would only consider military service as a medic or similar orderly - I would carry NO firearms what-so-ever. They even had a brochure on how to resist the draft in the recruiters office, I picked one up.
The recruiter was livid.
My father was livid.
Yeah, not a good day a whole lot of livid was going on!
I thought often of Clay and his fight against the military industrial complex, corrupt politicians and the bias in the USA for war - at any cost, for any excuse, against anyone.
But, I was a no one. I had not won any Olympic Medals. I had no fame for anything I had done. No foreign reporters wanted my story.
And for the next three years I fought that illegal attempt to bring me into the US Army. It was only through their arrogance that they lost the battle finally before an honest judge - the story is in one of these blogs.
Clay had been an inspiration to me. Someone whom was willing to stand up to the status quo and say, "This is wrong."
For that, I respected the man.
But, he saw the truth but did not fully understand what so many still do not even see. Tommy James figured it out. I eventually learned. And though Clay never could due to the Islamic base of his faith - a Jewish prophesy, this song still conveys what many know from Revelation 1: the Shekinah Glory of God revealed on Earth ...
May 30, 2016
Memorial Day
One of the things which drew me to this little town in northwestern USA, is that it had a memory. Not much of one anymore, but once it did and evidences still exist of that memory.
When World War I broke out, an unbelievable 1,438 children of this town would die ... about 10% of the population! There are no numbers for how many were sent, just how many died.
That loss had a huge impact on this area.
They ran a series of plantings - 1,438 Dutch Elm trees for twelve miles to Seattle on a memorial drive. Mid-point on the drive is a wall erected to memorialize those lost, all of the names originally on brass plaques, but now in plastic because the drug addicts of the area can not resist selling the plaques to the brass recyclers! And, the brass recyclers can not resist the profits of public theft ..... Today, there are no survivors of World War I, lost to the passage of time. But, the horror what they faced still exists in photographs and in print.
This photo of today, is attended by the town's only survivor from World War II. Yeah, time marches on and soon, even they will all be gone and we will have generations then with no memory what so ever. And I dare say, no honor either.
Search out a veteran in your area and just take a few moments of your time to thank them for what they sacrificed ... I will be hunting down little Tony, the beggar I see occasionally on the streets - rather innocently screwed over by life and left to fend for himself almost penniless. He was in most of the heavy Pacific battles in WWII and this is the honor awarded him ...
They ran a series of plantings - 1,438 Dutch Elm trees for twelve miles to Seattle on a memorial drive. Mid-point on the drive is a wall erected to memorialize those lost, all of the names originally on brass plaques, but now in plastic because the drug addicts of the area can not resist selling the plaques to the brass recyclers! And, the brass recyclers can not resist the profits of public theft ..... Today, there are no survivors of World War I, lost to the passage of time. But, the horror what they faced still exists in photographs and in print.
This photo of today, is attended by the town's only survivor from World War II. Yeah, time marches on and soon, even they will all be gone and we will have generations then with no memory what so ever. And I dare say, no honor either.
Search out a veteran in your area and just take a few moments of your time to thank them for what they sacrificed ... I will be hunting down little Tony, the beggar I see occasionally on the streets - rather innocently screwed over by life and left to fend for himself almost penniless. He was in most of the heavy Pacific battles in WWII and this is the honor awarded him ...
January 19, 2016
Humanity Should Be Our Race
I have now completed re-reading all of my archaeology books. Some of them were a bit difficult - the massive usage of Greek, Hebrew and Latin in the texts was maddening - I realize I used to know this stuff but even when I translate the expressions, I am left utterly clueless as to what the author was driving at. Sigh, poor old brain, you have been robbed.
I was fascinated relearning about the Egyptian culture and society. The comparison to this world today is so strikingly different! The Egyptians were about as close as one could get to a raceless society .... be you of whatever skin color - it was meaningless up to the time of the Hebrew exodus. Then there was no trust any longer of any foreigner! Color still had no meaning though.
Humanity had been the race of mankind.
Like many other cultures they learned racism and bigotry, then passing their newly acquired values on to their descendants ... Time of course institutionalizing and validating that they are better than those they look down upon. Dang those Greeks for beating the tar out of them!
This post arose out of a memory from late one night, before I could drift off and relive the same dream/memory yet again ... :) Yeah, still only one dream, every night, everytime I close my eyes. Sigh :) yeah you would be amazed at what brings me peace to my soul when I sleep.
In the memory, I am at the NCO Club bar at Fitzsimmons Army Hospital. I had just passed my final shooting exam and Carlos Hathcock was talking about being a sniper in Vietnam ... "You are assigned your kill zone and you kill anything and everything in that zone ... dog, pig, Gook - does not matter. They enter your zone, you kill them."
Of course as a young man I saw this as a bit outrageous but my mind had hooked onto the word, "Gook". He had dehumanized the Vietnamese, they were no longer humans: men, women or children - just "Gooks".
But the military seems to have done that often. Huns, Japs, Nips, Frogs, Cabbage Eaters, Krauts, Nazis, Commies, etc. Pick the war and you can find lots of examples of removing any term associated with human in describing those whom you want to justify the killing of.
There was only one point in time where I saw that my father got "it". We were at Calais, facing an untold sea of grave markers ... tens of thousands. And father completely collapsed, sobbing and crying over the loss to the human chain of life. Yeah, Nazi's were Darwinists. Did not know that, did you? The value of being human was your ability to pass on your genes to the next generation.
And here we come to reality: you, the Bible and your responsibility as a Christian.
It is not just verbage from America's founding fathers: All Men Are Created Equal. I remember in seventh grade history in Germany, that it was modified to be All White Men ... and they may well have been correct from the perspective of the Founding Fathers ... or it may well have been true to them: that all men are equal in God's eyes - and those are actually the only ones which matter. Our perspective is just so much rubbish if we are demeaning others.
Want to change the world? See the world as colorless, see others truly as your equal or even superior, end political suspicions - not stupidly, but with knowledge of whom your friends are. For instance, there is little reason to think Israel is not an American friend, when politics are removed. Same for many other nations America has spent a great on spying on them! Conversely, nations whom are at best out right enemies, well, kiss off support for and concentrate on places like China and Saudi Arabia. Of course, it also means destroying the economic structure which supports underwriting those outright aggressive towards you and your friends or faith.
Humanity is the name of your race, and mine. But how to convince those with power to lose?
As a Christian, you are called to LOVE - you, your family, your friends and your enemies. This word has been so misused that it really has no meaning any longer. Even our enemies we are to love, think about that! Yes, feeding, clothing and helping - all as a witness of His love in you. Catch the hitch there? It is a witnessing tool, no if and's or buts. And the early Christians understood this, gathering money to help the Romans with destructions from flood and earthquakes. Yeah, the Romans understood ... their government did not care - these people they persecuted did ....
So my point: Human is our race and Love, God's Love, is to be our religion
How does this fit in with the problems this culture has created around the world and Christians are suffering from even as I write this?
It does not matter if you are an Immigrant, if you are a rapist - you must die.
It does not matter if you are Muslim and believe you are above the law - you must die,.
You loot, you burn, you steal, you take up arms - you must die.
If you empower others to do these things - you must die.
Where is Love in there?!?!?!? It is in the love for the innocent you are fighting for, no matter whom they are .....
I still believe that with the application of rational minds peace can be found, it is the irrational mind which has been empowered which has caused this mess around the world - and this must be stopped. It is not about politics, it is about justice.
The unknown 15 year old girl attacked in Cologne, is no less deserving of justice than my cousin Bernard who was executed for helping injured Muslim old men and women in a Bosnian refugee camp. And the world system is incapable of even charging those they hold for his murderer! His guilt is undeniable, even he admits it - but he also insists that those whom caused the mess be found guilty first ... and well, America sure is not going to hand over ex-President Bill Clinton. That's politics for you!
Sorry world, you like to believe there are no lines in the sand ... and I am here to tell you that God long ago drew a line in the sand - cross it and expect a major whacking.
Sigh.
I was fascinated relearning about the Egyptian culture and society. The comparison to this world today is so strikingly different! The Egyptians were about as close as one could get to a raceless society .... be you of whatever skin color - it was meaningless up to the time of the Hebrew exodus. Then there was no trust any longer of any foreigner! Color still had no meaning though.
Humanity had been the race of mankind.
Like many other cultures they learned racism and bigotry, then passing their newly acquired values on to their descendants ... Time of course institutionalizing and validating that they are better than those they look down upon. Dang those Greeks for beating the tar out of them!
This post arose out of a memory from late one night, before I could drift off and relive the same dream/memory yet again ... :) Yeah, still only one dream, every night, everytime I close my eyes. Sigh :) yeah you would be amazed at what brings me peace to my soul when I sleep.
In the memory, I am at the NCO Club bar at Fitzsimmons Army Hospital. I had just passed my final shooting exam and Carlos Hathcock was talking about being a sniper in Vietnam ... "You are assigned your kill zone and you kill anything and everything in that zone ... dog, pig, Gook - does not matter. They enter your zone, you kill them."
Of course as a young man I saw this as a bit outrageous but my mind had hooked onto the word, "Gook". He had dehumanized the Vietnamese, they were no longer humans: men, women or children - just "Gooks".
But the military seems to have done that often. Huns, Japs, Nips, Frogs, Cabbage Eaters, Krauts, Nazis, Commies, etc. Pick the war and you can find lots of examples of removing any term associated with human in describing those whom you want to justify the killing of.
There was only one point in time where I saw that my father got "it". We were at Calais, facing an untold sea of grave markers ... tens of thousands. And father completely collapsed, sobbing and crying over the loss to the human chain of life. Yeah, Nazi's were Darwinists. Did not know that, did you? The value of being human was your ability to pass on your genes to the next generation.
And here we come to reality: you, the Bible and your responsibility as a Christian.
It is not just verbage from America's founding fathers: All Men Are Created Equal. I remember in seventh grade history in Germany, that it was modified to be All White Men ... and they may well have been correct from the perspective of the Founding Fathers ... or it may well have been true to them: that all men are equal in God's eyes - and those are actually the only ones which matter. Our perspective is just so much rubbish if we are demeaning others.
Want to change the world? See the world as colorless, see others truly as your equal or even superior, end political suspicions - not stupidly, but with knowledge of whom your friends are. For instance, there is little reason to think Israel is not an American friend, when politics are removed. Same for many other nations America has spent a great on spying on them! Conversely, nations whom are at best out right enemies, well, kiss off support for and concentrate on places like China and Saudi Arabia. Of course, it also means destroying the economic structure which supports underwriting those outright aggressive towards you and your friends or faith.
Humanity is the name of your race, and mine. But how to convince those with power to lose?
As a Christian, you are called to LOVE - you, your family, your friends and your enemies. This word has been so misused that it really has no meaning any longer. Even our enemies we are to love, think about that! Yes, feeding, clothing and helping - all as a witness of His love in you. Catch the hitch there? It is a witnessing tool, no if and's or buts. And the early Christians understood this, gathering money to help the Romans with destructions from flood and earthquakes. Yeah, the Romans understood ... their government did not care - these people they persecuted did ....
So my point: Human is our race and Love, God's Love, is to be our religion
How does this fit in with the problems this culture has created around the world and Christians are suffering from even as I write this?
It does not matter if you are an Immigrant, if you are a rapist - you must die.
It does not matter if you are Muslim and believe you are above the law - you must die,.
You loot, you burn, you steal, you take up arms - you must die.
If you empower others to do these things - you must die.
Where is Love in there?!?!?!? It is in the love for the innocent you are fighting for, no matter whom they are .....
I still believe that with the application of rational minds peace can be found, it is the irrational mind which has been empowered which has caused this mess around the world - and this must be stopped. It is not about politics, it is about justice.
The unknown 15 year old girl attacked in Cologne, is no less deserving of justice than my cousin Bernard who was executed for helping injured Muslim old men and women in a Bosnian refugee camp. And the world system is incapable of even charging those they hold for his murderer! His guilt is undeniable, even he admits it - but he also insists that those whom caused the mess be found guilty first ... and well, America sure is not going to hand over ex-President Bill Clinton. That's politics for you!
Sorry world, you like to believe there are no lines in the sand ... and I am here to tell you that God long ago drew a line in the sand - cross it and expect a major whacking.
Sigh.
January 14, 2016
A Catholic Stand Against ISIS
It Is A Duty For Christians To Take Up Arms, To Defend Their Brethren Against The Satanist Muslims
By Theodore Shoebat
Major Church leader, Bishop Bagobiri, of the Catholic Diocese of Kafanchan in Nigeria, said that it is the duty of Christians to take up arms to defend themselves and their brethren against Boko Haram, calling the jihadists as being a part of “Satanist driven Islamic organizations”. He said:
Surely this is a call for Christians to partake in the greatest act of love, that of placing your life for the lives of your brethren.
Surely this is a pristine presentation of the Christian spirit.
St. Peter tells us, “love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8) For this reason, does the Christian warrior purify his own soul, when he takes up his cross, arms himself with spiritual armor and temporal weapons, and exemplifies the greatest act of love, illustrating the words of Christ:
Many will say that this commandment cannot be applied to physical warfare, but only spiritual warfare. But this is an inadequate interpretation. For when Josiah “slew all the priests of the high places,” (2 Kings 23:20), and “burned the chariots of the sun” (2 Kings 23:11), how does the Scriptures describe his glorious crusade against the pagans?
Thus does the Christian crusader follow His Savior when he picks up a sword to defend the Christians, who are temples of the Holy Spirit, as Christ picked up a whip to defend His Father’s Temple. In the words of St. Bernard:
The Christian fighter strives with all of his being to defend his friends, carrying out the greatest form of love, “to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:3)
The Christian crusader sacrifices so much of himself, putting his life near its end, willing to give it up for the sake of Christianity, denying himself and following Christ, obeying the words of his Divine Master:
So militant are these words of Christ, that one Crusader, in the time of the First Crusade, applied it to the holy war against the Muslims:
The warrior and defender of Christendom, therefore, has within his heart the words of Solomon:
This is the heart of Christendom, this is the whole duty of the Church Militant, to defeat the devils with the Armor of God, and their followers with the armor of sacred combat. The crusader strikes the devil with the Sword of the Spirit, and conquers the followers of Satan with the sword of battle.
Christus vincit!
Major Church leader, Bishop Bagobiri, of the Catholic Diocese of Kafanchan in Nigeria, said that it is the duty of Christians to take up arms to defend themselves and their brethren against Boko Haram, calling the jihadists as being a part of “Satanist driven Islamic organizations”. He said:
The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes it as an act of love towards one self and carried out in defense of God’s gift to life, which we are merely custodians. The theological authorities of the Church are emphatic: Love towards oneself remains a fundamental principle of morality.Surely this is a call to crusade, not in the sense of an actual war, but in the sense that it is a call for one to take up his cross and defend the Church against persecution. For that is the eternal significance of crusade.
…
Therefore, it is legitimate to insist on respect for one’s own right to life. Someone who defends his life is not guilty of murder even if he is forced to deal his aggressor a lethal blow. Nor is it necessary for salvation that a man omit the act of moderate self-defense to avoid killing the other man, since one is bound to take more care of one’s own life than of another’s.
…
The Magisterium is further explicit on this subject matter when it teaches that ‘legitimate Defence can not only be a right but grave duty for one who is responsible for the lives of others. The Defence of the common good require than an unjust aggressor be rendered unable to cause harm.
…
It must be stated clearly here that in light of the above official church statement, that the exercise of self Defence does amount to un-forgiveness, nor is it to be seen as an act of vengeance or vendetta.
…
Christians must do everything within their powers to protect their lives from being snuffed off by Satanist driven Islamic organisations. Christian communities that observe absolute pacifism have all ceased to exist, according to researchers into Christian persecution
Surely this is a call for Christians to partake in the greatest act of love, that of placing your life for the lives of your brethren.
Surely this is a pristine presentation of the Christian spirit.
St. Peter tells us, “love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8) For this reason, does the Christian warrior purify his own soul, when he takes up his cross, arms himself with spiritual armor and temporal weapons, and exemplifies the greatest act of love, illustrating the words of Christ:
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. (John 15:3)When the Christian warrior fights for the defense of the defenseless, and for the Faithful, he follows all of the Law of God. Christ said:
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 22:37-40)The militant defender of the Christian Faith, when he strives against the enemies of God and His Church in holy war, he loves God with all of his being. For what greater evidence of love is there, than to sacrifice not just a little, but all, that is, one’s life? The holy combatant loves God with every fiber of his being, committing himself to the first commandment of the Law of Love, “Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” (Mark 12:30)
Many will say that this commandment cannot be applied to physical warfare, but only spiritual warfare. But this is an inadequate interpretation. For when Josiah “slew all the priests of the high places,” (2 Kings 23:20), and “burned the chariots of the sun” (2 Kings 23:11), how does the Scriptures describe his glorious crusade against the pagans?
And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him. (2 Kings 23:25)The command of Christ, the first and great commandment, is directly applied to holy warfare in the Scriptures, and therefore does this application apply to Christian holy war. Christ loved His Father with all of His strength, mind, heart, and soul, when “He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables.” (John 2:15)
Thus does the Christian crusader follow His Savior when he picks up a sword to defend the Christians, who are temples of the Holy Spirit, as Christ picked up a whip to defend His Father’s Temple. In the words of St. Bernard:
By all these signs the knights clearly show that they animated by the same zeal for the house of God which of old vehemently inflamed the Leader of knighthood himself, who, having his most sacred hands armed, not with a weapon, but with a whip which he had fashioned from lengths of cord, entered the temple, ousted the merchants, scattered the coins of the money changers, and overturned the chairs of the pigeon vendors, considering it totally unfitting to defile this house of prayer by such traffic.” (St. Bernard, In Praise of the New Knighthood, ch. 5, 9)The Crusader most definitely follows the second commandment of loving one’s neighbor and one loves himself. For to love one’s self entails defending one’s self from an attacker, and so therefore to love one’s neighbor is to as well defend him from an attacker. What better way to obey this commandment, then, than to defend the Church and one’s brethren from persecution?
The Christian fighter strives with all of his being to defend his friends, carrying out the greatest form of love, “to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:3)
The Christian crusader sacrifices so much of himself, putting his life near its end, willing to give it up for the sake of Christianity, denying himself and following Christ, obeying the words of his Divine Master:
If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. (Matthew 16:24)These words truly embody the ultimate spirit of the warrior: he takes up his cross, for he fights the devil with the image on which Christ destroyed the works of the devil, and he denies himself, placing himself fully on the Providence of God, “strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man” (Ephesians 3:16), and committing fully with the precept of the Apostle, glorifying “God in your body, and in your spirit,” (1 Corinthians 6:20).
So militant are these words of Christ, that one Crusader, in the time of the First Crusade, applied it to the holy war against the Muslims:
When now that time was at hand which the Lord Jesus daily points out to His faithful, especially in the Gospel, saying, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me,” a mighty agitation was carried on throughout the region of Gaul. (Its tenor was) that if anyone desired to follow the Lord zealously, with a pure heart and mind, and wished faithfully to bear the cross after him, he would no longer hesitate to take up the way of the Holy Sepulchre. (The Gesta, ed. Edward Peters)Because the Crusader loves God with all of his being when he fights the heathens and the heretics, because he loves his neighbor, willing to fight and die in defense of him, he then follows all of the law. For on these two virtues — loving God and loving neighbor — “hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40)
The warrior and defender of Christendom, therefore, has within his heart the words of Solomon:
Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. (Ecclesiastes 12:13)
Let the saints be joyful in glory;The saints are there to take up arms to destroy the heathens, and “execute judgment”. This is the truest essence of Christian militancy, the purest actions of the Faith, to unite the spirit of Orthodoxy with the sword, the Sword of Christ with sacred warfare, to fight for the path of truth and bring to flames the crooked road of falsehood. The warriors have “praises of God” in their mouths, “and a two edged sword in their mouths”, for in their spirits lies meditations upon the Law, while their hearts charge with arms to establish and defend the eternal precepts.
Let them sing aloud on their beds.
Let the high praises of God be in their mouth,
And a two-edged sword in their hand,
To execute vengeance on the nations,
And punishments on the peoples;
To bind their kings with chains,
And their nobles with fetters of iron;
To execute on them the written judgment—
This honor have all His saints. (Psalm 149:5-9)
This is the heart of Christendom, this is the whole duty of the Church Militant, to defeat the devils with the Armor of God, and their followers with the armor of sacred combat. The crusader strikes the devil with the Sword of the Spirit, and conquers the followers of Satan with the sword of battle.
Christus vincit!
December 30, 2015
No Easy Choices
Friday I watched a show on ABC, called 20/20, usually I ignore ABC, never have been impressed with 20/20 and certainly anything to do with ISIS is an utter turnoff - I know what affect that subject will have on me - and I already crippled Islamic expansionism out of Yugoslavia once. Conversely, I also crippled the Slavic Army's attempts to mass murder Muslims in Bosnia. Hey, am at my core still a Hutterite - I hate war and murder!
But, the program seemed to be about refugees in Iraq, so it might be interesting ...
Link to the program: http://abc.go.com/shows/2020/listing/2015-12/18-2020-121815-escaping-isis
If you are not on a system which allows you to view past programming, you can get the idea via numerous sources here: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=escaping+isis
You really do want to get the idea before you read further: Rape and murder of women and children, execution for all adult males.
As I mentioned yesterday, I have been rereading my Bonhoeffer. He wrote two noteworthy books: "Cost of Discipleship" and "Letters From Prison". In Cost of Discipleship, he takes a hard look at the cheap grace being sold to the masses through religion and calls for faithful followers of Christ to realize that being a Disciple of Christ comes with a Cost - a very personal and steep cost. End result however was isolation of the believers and empty piety - the very things he was hammering the Lutheran Church about! Book backfired because the laity did not understand how to transform from a dead church into a living belief.
His collection of letters from prison make up the second book and you can follow his thoughts across time as he at first believes he is going to be set free shortly, to realizing that he hosed up badly and the gallows awaits him. Yesterday's quote from him came from the point of realizing he was being held responsible by God.
And so, I watched the Escape From Isis, on ABC. The story of a refugee camp in northern Iraq of families whose town was run over by Isis. A Christian town utterly destroyed. Christians running for their lives - literally! Of Christians asking the hard questions: "Why" and "What now?". Ten thousand of them, trying to live their faith in the absence of everything!
Bonhoeffer saw the disappearance of the Jews, he had to have heard the rumors of the camps. And he did nothing. He saw the rise to power of Adolf Hitler and never muttered a word in public - although in private he did equate Hitler to Satan incarnate. And that belief, that Hitler really was Satan, led him down a path of becoming involved in the attempt on Hitler's life! And a corresponding death sentence for himself and all of the other males in his family whom were involved in the plot.
Coincidental with Bonhoeffer's silence was the rise of the White Rose Group (Die Wiesse Rosen) in Munich. Kids whom saw the apostasy and lies - and published fliers telling the hard truth of National Socialism and the War on the Eastern Front - which also revealed the existence of the concentration camps. Bonhoeffer was to follow them to the gallows.
I contemplate the travails of the Iraqi Christians and the cost they are paying for their faith. Here at home - no one actually cares. "It does not affect me..." syndrome.
And we, as Christians, now stand at a crossroads - the decisions we make, the leadership we follow, will all have a telling effect upon our our Christianity and witness - or the lack thereof.
God never guaranteed to save any of us from persecution and martyrdom.
God never said life was going to be easy.
God did say He would meet our needs.
God did say all was to be to His glory.
We, like it or not, are to be of one body and we are currently represented by an apostate western church, unworthy of the price being paid in Iraq by those isolated Christian believers. The same could be said of believers in Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Liberia, Yemen, Egypt, etc, etc, etc!
Get the point?
Christianity is under attack worldwide.
Evil has raised its head.
Now, what are you going to personally do about? Yes, your choice will be judged and you will be held responsible. To act is to draw that evil upon you and your loved ones. To not act will eventually cost the lives of you and your loved ones ...
And what did Dietrich Bonhoeffer think? Continued from yesterday's poem:
"Until thou wipe out our guilt,
Keep us in quiet patience.
"We will silently prepare ourselves,
Till thou dost call to new times.
"Until thou stillest storm and flood,
And thy will does wonders.
"Brother, till the night be past,
Pray for me!"
So, your move: stand for God and thwart evil or support evil through your disinterest ... And remember, to fight in God's world is to do so on bent knees - and He will move or He will tell you to.
But, the program seemed to be about refugees in Iraq, so it might be interesting ...
Link to the program: http://abc.go.com/shows/2020/listing/2015-12/18-2020-121815-escaping-isis
If you are not on a system which allows you to view past programming, you can get the idea via numerous sources here: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=escaping+isis
You really do want to get the idea before you read further: Rape and murder of women and children, execution for all adult males.
... INTERMISSION ...
His collection of letters from prison make up the second book and you can follow his thoughts across time as he at first believes he is going to be set free shortly, to realizing that he hosed up badly and the gallows awaits him. Yesterday's quote from him came from the point of realizing he was being held responsible by God.
And so, I watched the Escape From Isis, on ABC. The story of a refugee camp in northern Iraq of families whose town was run over by Isis. A Christian town utterly destroyed. Christians running for their lives - literally! Of Christians asking the hard questions: "Why" and "What now?". Ten thousand of them, trying to live their faith in the absence of everything!
Bonhoeffer saw the disappearance of the Jews, he had to have heard the rumors of the camps. And he did nothing. He saw the rise to power of Adolf Hitler and never muttered a word in public - although in private he did equate Hitler to Satan incarnate. And that belief, that Hitler really was Satan, led him down a path of becoming involved in the attempt on Hitler's life! And a corresponding death sentence for himself and all of the other males in his family whom were involved in the plot.
Coincidental with Bonhoeffer's silence was the rise of the White Rose Group (Die Wiesse Rosen) in Munich. Kids whom saw the apostasy and lies - and published fliers telling the hard truth of National Socialism and the War on the Eastern Front - which also revealed the existence of the concentration camps. Bonhoeffer was to follow them to the gallows.
I contemplate the travails of the Iraqi Christians and the cost they are paying for their faith. Here at home - no one actually cares. "It does not affect me..." syndrome.
And we, as Christians, now stand at a crossroads - the decisions we make, the leadership we follow, will all have a telling effect upon our our Christianity and witness - or the lack thereof.
God never guaranteed to save any of us from persecution and martyrdom.
God never said life was going to be easy.
God did say He would meet our needs.
God did say all was to be to His glory.
We, like it or not, are to be of one body and we are currently represented by an apostate western church, unworthy of the price being paid in Iraq by those isolated Christian believers. The same could be said of believers in Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Liberia, Yemen, Egypt, etc, etc, etc!
Get the point?
Christianity is under attack worldwide.
Evil has raised its head.
Now, what are you going to personally do about? Yes, your choice will be judged and you will be held responsible. To act is to draw that evil upon you and your loved ones. To not act will eventually cost the lives of you and your loved ones ...
And what did Dietrich Bonhoeffer think? Continued from yesterday's poem:
"Until thou wipe out our guilt,
Keep us in quiet patience.
"We will silently prepare ourselves,
Till thou dost call to new times.
"Until thou stillest storm and flood,
And thy will does wonders.
"Brother, till the night be past,
Pray for me!"
So, your move: stand for God and thwart evil or support evil through your disinterest ... And remember, to fight in God's world is to do so on bent knees - and He will move or He will tell you to.
December 29, 2015
Standing Convicted
I was reading my Bonhoeffer as I soaked in a hot tub of water - oh such luxury! I dig my Bonhoeffer books out about every five years - read, contemplate, sigh and feel inadequate.
Bonhoeffer chose poorly in life. He rose to head of the National Church (Lutheran), the single most powerful Christian voice in Germany before and during the War. Unfortunately, the complete lack of a Christian witness during the War, cost the Lutheran church dearly. A once pious people turned apathetic and then agnostic.
Bonhoeffer's choice to not condemn the assassination attempt against Hitler, brought him to the attention of those with lists. A long investigation as to why, landed him in prison as one of the co-conspirators! Hitler was cautious, he moved slowly against the head of the church, but eventually - yeah, Bohoeffer and most of the males in his family were jailed and executed. Bonhoeffer met his end April 9, 1945 - the last official execution by the NAZI's. There would be no living martyrs allowed in the post war Germany!
Somewhere around July 9,1944, Bonhoeffer wrote these interesting words:
"We sons of pious races,
One time defenders of right and truth,
Became despisers of God and man,
Amid hellish laughter.
"Yet though now robbed of freedom and honour,
We raise our heads proudly before me.
And if we are brought into disrepute,
Before men we declare our innocence.
"Steady and firm we stand man against man;
As the accused we accuse!
"Only before thee, source of all being,
Before thee are we sinners.
"Afraid of suffering and poor in deeds,
We have betrayed thee before men.
"We saw the lie raise its head,
And we did not honour the truth.
"We saw brethren in direst need,
And feared only our own death.
"We come before thee as men,
As confessors of our sins.
"Lord, after the ferment of these times,
Send us times of assurance,
"After so much going astray,
Let us see the day break."
If you think about the perilous times Bonhoeffer lived in, you can understand what he saw as his sins before God. And knowing God's justice, he knew he was not going to escape, though he longed for freedom.
And think on these words and the state of the world today....
Tomorrow, I have much to say.
Bonhoeffer chose poorly in life. He rose to head of the National Church (Lutheran), the single most powerful Christian voice in Germany before and during the War. Unfortunately, the complete lack of a Christian witness during the War, cost the Lutheran church dearly. A once pious people turned apathetic and then agnostic.
Bonhoeffer's choice to not condemn the assassination attempt against Hitler, brought him to the attention of those with lists. A long investigation as to why, landed him in prison as one of the co-conspirators! Hitler was cautious, he moved slowly against the head of the church, but eventually - yeah, Bohoeffer and most of the males in his family were jailed and executed. Bonhoeffer met his end April 9, 1945 - the last official execution by the NAZI's. There would be no living martyrs allowed in the post war Germany!
Somewhere around July 9,1944, Bonhoeffer wrote these interesting words:
"We sons of pious races,
One time defenders of right and truth,
Became despisers of God and man,
Amid hellish laughter.
"Yet though now robbed of freedom and honour,
We raise our heads proudly before me.
And if we are brought into disrepute,
Before men we declare our innocence.
"Steady and firm we stand man against man;
As the accused we accuse!
"Only before thee, source of all being,
Before thee are we sinners.
"Afraid of suffering and poor in deeds,
We have betrayed thee before men.
"We saw the lie raise its head,
And we did not honour the truth.
"We saw brethren in direst need,
And feared only our own death.
"We come before thee as men,
As confessors of our sins.
"Lord, after the ferment of these times,
Send us times of assurance,
"After so much going astray,
Let us see the day break."
If you think about the perilous times Bonhoeffer lived in, you can understand what he saw as his sins before God. And knowing God's justice, he knew he was not going to escape, though he longed for freedom.
And think on these words and the state of the world today....
Tomorrow, I have much to say.
December 3, 2015
God's Protection
Most people I know live pretty smug lives. They are self assured and expect nothing terrible to go wrong in their lives ever. I suppose it is just the nature of the PRIDE of man to be this way - to expect peace to surround them without any personal cost. So, they live their lives as if there is no cost - and curse God when suddenly evil rears its ugly head ...
I have quietly been watching for decades the decline of this once great country - borderline Christian but apparently enough so that God seemed to be watching over America. He was blessing and yes, correcting as well - even bringing international shame upon this nation since 1970's. But fewer and fewer have noticed.
And just as in Jeremiah's time, any blessing was removed from the nation and replaced by blessings upon individuals. Of course, as the hearts of the many were turned from God - so increased their wrath against those whom still stood for God.
As the decades have passed, since I first had this terrible thought, I have witnessed the national erosion of blessing with the sins of the many blocking any greatness which God could bestow upon the nation. When on a governmental level we see murder as the State policy in foreign affairs and often internally as well - something God does care about strongly - can we be surprised at the carnage we are witnessing?
God is not there to protect us, He is there for us to bless Him. Any blessings we may receive is completely due to His grace and mercy - not because we deserve or have earned it!
How can we possibly regain God's personal or corporate protection?
Two things God hates more than anything, as documented in the Bible:
And divorce. Sigh. All generations of my Scottish based family have been thus afflicted. No, not just randy men but some real honest to gosh psycho women as well! Why even pretend that marriage means something when there is not even an attempt at permanence? Why attempt at marriage when divorce is so extremely easy to acquire? Change begins in the hearts of all us, to stand outside of culture to make marriage mean something - even if it is only to us! We have to re-cultivate the understanding that marriage is not a piece of paper, some dude saying you are married and then partying. It is about commitment - which means understandings, knowledge, wisdom, etc - and you possess none of those attributes - you are involved and must stand aside for those whom do possess unbiased status can judge. OMG! I used the J word! Yup. Understand this, most marriages are not of God and are based on man's desire, not His. That is why Godly wisdom and judgement are required. Notice the requirement for God in the lives of those assisting us!
Oh yeah, there are other areas as well we must personally clean up but this is just a swipe at the 80% of the problem.
I have quietly been watching for decades the decline of this once great country - borderline Christian but apparently enough so that God seemed to be watching over America. He was blessing and yes, correcting as well - even bringing international shame upon this nation since 1970's. But fewer and fewer have noticed.
And just as in Jeremiah's time, any blessing was removed from the nation and replaced by blessings upon individuals. Of course, as the hearts of the many were turned from God - so increased their wrath against those whom still stood for God.
As the decades have passed, since I first had this terrible thought, I have witnessed the national erosion of blessing with the sins of the many blocking any greatness which God could bestow upon the nation. When on a governmental level we see murder as the State policy in foreign affairs and often internally as well - something God does care about strongly - can we be surprised at the carnage we are witnessing?
God is not there to protect us, He is there for us to bless Him. Any blessings we may receive is completely due to His grace and mercy - not because we deserve or have earned it!
How can we possibly regain God's personal or corporate protection?
Two things God hates more than anything, as documented in the Bible:
- Murder
- Divorce
And divorce. Sigh. All generations of my Scottish based family have been thus afflicted. No, not just randy men but some real honest to gosh psycho women as well! Why even pretend that marriage means something when there is not even an attempt at permanence? Why attempt at marriage when divorce is so extremely easy to acquire? Change begins in the hearts of all us, to stand outside of culture to make marriage mean something - even if it is only to us! We have to re-cultivate the understanding that marriage is not a piece of paper, some dude saying you are married and then partying. It is about commitment - which means understandings, knowledge, wisdom, etc - and you possess none of those attributes - you are involved and must stand aside for those whom do possess unbiased status can judge. OMG! I used the J word! Yup. Understand this, most marriages are not of God and are based on man's desire, not His. That is why Godly wisdom and judgement are required. Notice the requirement for God in the lives of those assisting us!
Oh yeah, there are other areas as well we must personally clean up but this is just a swipe at the 80% of the problem.
July 9, 2015
A Sad Day Remembered
Today marks the 20th anniversary of the execution of my cousin Bernard and the only other male in the line. Sniff - Sniff - Sniff ...
Twenty years later and the UN still can not condemn the Serb actions that day.
Twenty years later and The Hague still can not condemn Slobodan Milosevic for crimes against humanity.
As I have often offered - I am more than willing to end this blight on the face of humanity's lifeline. Just give me opportunity ... :( I would even do the mass murderer Mladic!
But, it seems that justice never will be found on this earth for these mass murderers. The old Yugoslavia was their killing field - my cousin, a Swiss Medic, their victim. It is amazing as I read the news this morning in Europe - there is no mention of the Swiss Medic Team. No mention at the involvement of US, British and French troops. Nope just Serbs killing Muslims in Bosnia. Thats the story line even in the Swiss news services.
Sigh ...
If you can not remember your past, well I suspect you think yourself from problems in you present and future!
If you can prayer for his Aunts on this day.
Twenty years later and the UN still can not condemn the Serb actions that day.
Twenty years later and The Hague still can not condemn Slobodan Milosevic for crimes against humanity.
As I have often offered - I am more than willing to end this blight on the face of humanity's lifeline. Just give me opportunity ... :( I would even do the mass murderer Mladic!
But, it seems that justice never will be found on this earth for these mass murderers. The old Yugoslavia was their killing field - my cousin, a Swiss Medic, their victim. It is amazing as I read the news this morning in Europe - there is no mention of the Swiss Medic Team. No mention at the involvement of US, British and French troops. Nope just Serbs killing Muslims in Bosnia. Thats the story line even in the Swiss news services.
Sigh ...
If you can not remember your past, well I suspect you think yourself from problems in you present and future!
If you can prayer for his Aunts on this day.
January 10, 2015
Musical Saturday Morning
So, something a bit different for me today. I have been observing within me a tremendous growth in understanding of the world in which I live - areas where I never had any interest nor actual understanding of before. And in that observation, my mind continues to sort out life which has swirled around and trying to now find understanding. Songs which never made sense, suddenly do!
Today, I was able to understand Marvin Gaye's songs from the 70's. Well duh, you say. But, then you were not created with this vacuum I have lived in for almost six decades! So, perhaps I am dated, perhaps I am behind the curve, but songs such as this perhaps need to be heard - especially in light of today's drama and culture:
Today, I was able to understand Marvin Gaye's songs from the 70's. Well duh, you say. But, then you were not created with this vacuum I have lived in for almost six decades! So, perhaps I am dated, perhaps I am behind the curve, but songs such as this perhaps need to be heard - especially in light of today's drama and culture:
November 21, 2014
ISIS / ISIL
I was at a local store and the clerk had a heavy accent. "What is your accent?"
"I am from Bosnia."
My heart skipped a beat. I tried to keep the conversation going. "When did you move here?"
"I only came to find someone, but it has been a long time and I can not find him."
I let the conversation die, no I was not going to ask the next question, I feared the answer. For I was suddenly reminded in an odd way of the problem Bosnia and I have, which I believe is on the Little Apple Blog. I tend to forget that incident in my life, when the NATO refused to hold those responsible for the murder of my cousin Bernard, much less the over 1,000 executed with him. Wrong place, wrong time, medics not excepted. And I devised a devious justice to make them pay, and they did. By the end of that summer, no army had a working sniper left. And I slept well, knowing that murderers would be held for judgement by God. Like my ancestor Fredrick, I do not believe that all Muslims are bad, just the ones whom would murder their neighbors .... Yet, I live knowing for decades now that I bear a price on my head in Muslim held lands.
And with the rise of ISIS/ISIL, I have watched carefully the murderous swath they have cut through the Middle East and in random attacks even here in America and Canada. I have thought on this and the resolution is not a pretty one, for innocents would die - because the enemy can not be readily identified until they attack.
There have been numerous and sometimes contradictory stories and images of the anti-Christian slaughter on going in Iraq and Syria. They cannot all be confirmed. But, there is a pattern emerging - no one is immune from the barbaric acts of radical Muslim. Really just the reappearance of the Turks whom swept out of Egypt in the seventh century.
Do you remember a photo earlier this year of the corpse of a little girl, about ten years old, wearing a dress and leotards. She lies sprawled on the floor with her arms outstretched. For a presumably poor girl, she looks like she's dressed in her Sunday best. Everything about her looks normal, except that her head is missing. This photo makes you sick. It's right out of a horror movie. Something within you dies when you look at it.
Internet news media reported this is a Christian girl in Iraq beheaded by ISIS. Others report a different scenario for her death. But either way radical Islam killed her.
How do you justify killing a child? Much less a medic helping your own people? And more importantly, how could you do so in the name of God? As of this writing, Christians continue to be killed in Iraq simply because they won't convert to Islam. It is convert, pay a strict tax, flee, or die. In some cases, just convert or die continues to be the repeated phrase.
In one sense, this is not new. Radical Islam has been on the march since 632. Most of the population of the land they conquered, forced conversions upon or killed were conquered Christians. By 950, 50% of what had been Christendom was now under Muslim control, and the vast majority has never reverted back.
But today's leaders of Islam are more barbaric. ISIS refers to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. They are intent in re-creating the caliphate in the Middle East. Their spokesman said they won't stop until they fly the black flag of Islam over the U.S. White House. (Yah, sure ya betcha ... Just hold that thought for a while.)
Jesus told us that the day will come when men will kill you and think they are offering a service to God. They are deceived in thinking that God is pleased with this offering.
The irony is technically Islam teaches that Muslims will one day stand before whom on the Day of Judgment? Answer: Jesus. They teach that He will return one day. But they also teach the first thing He'll do is destroy all the crosses. They certainly don't believe in an avenging Jesus as Lord.
If radical Muslims think that by killing Christians Allah is somehow pleased, how wrong are they? Are they not succeeding? What is there to hold them accountable other than a few bombs hitting vacant buildings in the night? Yeah, the news hype begs the question: "whom is telling ISIS the targets in advance?". It is not by mistake ISIS captures weapons dropped to groups friendly with the west. Someone is feeding them information out of Washington DC.
Saul of Tarsus thought he was pleasing God by being party to the stoning of the first Christian martyr, Stephen. Before he was converted to Christianity on the road to Damascus, Saul was breathing out murderous threats to innocent Christians in Damascus. He threw some in jail - in some cases, they may well have died there.
Saul was just as much a religious terrorist as anyone in ISIS! Saul did what he did because he thought this was God's will for him to do so. Of course, God had other ideas on the subject and the Apostle Paul was created. For him, there was no more killing of Christians. Paul himself was beheaded for his Christian activities by Nero. Even a religious terrorist with blood on his hands can be converted to Jesus. And yes, murder seems to be repaid, even if you have converted.
Meanwhile, radical Muslims are killing Christians around the world. This is something mandated by Islam; the Koran says in Chapter IX Verse 123 to 'fight the unbelievers and let them find a harshness within you.'
Unfortunately, the enlightened age we have lived in failed to remember that there is a sickness which must always be held in check. Islam marched into Europe through force three hundred years ago, into the East seven hundred years earlier and continued a fight only ending at Vienna in 1683 with a slaughter. And this harshness referred to, to be shown those whom do not believe - a harshness which would kill innocent Christians, even children, in Iraq and Syria. This barbarism should be a wake-up call to the West.
Just as my cousin's death was to me ...
"I am from Bosnia."
My heart skipped a beat. I tried to keep the conversation going. "When did you move here?"
"I only came to find someone, but it has been a long time and I can not find him."
I let the conversation die, no I was not going to ask the next question, I feared the answer. For I was suddenly reminded in an odd way of the problem Bosnia and I have, which I believe is on the Little Apple Blog. I tend to forget that incident in my life, when the NATO refused to hold those responsible for the murder of my cousin Bernard, much less the over 1,000 executed with him. Wrong place, wrong time, medics not excepted. And I devised a devious justice to make them pay, and they did. By the end of that summer, no army had a working sniper left. And I slept well, knowing that murderers would be held for judgement by God. Like my ancestor Fredrick, I do not believe that all Muslims are bad, just the ones whom would murder their neighbors .... Yet, I live knowing for decades now that I bear a price on my head in Muslim held lands.
And with the rise of ISIS/ISIL, I have watched carefully the murderous swath they have cut through the Middle East and in random attacks even here in America and Canada. I have thought on this and the resolution is not a pretty one, for innocents would die - because the enemy can not be readily identified until they attack.
There have been numerous and sometimes contradictory stories and images of the anti-Christian slaughter on going in Iraq and Syria. They cannot all be confirmed. But, there is a pattern emerging - no one is immune from the barbaric acts of radical Muslim. Really just the reappearance of the Turks whom swept out of Egypt in the seventh century.
Do you remember a photo earlier this year of the corpse of a little girl, about ten years old, wearing a dress and leotards. She lies sprawled on the floor with her arms outstretched. For a presumably poor girl, she looks like she's dressed in her Sunday best. Everything about her looks normal, except that her head is missing. This photo makes you sick. It's right out of a horror movie. Something within you dies when you look at it.
Internet news media reported this is a Christian girl in Iraq beheaded by ISIS. Others report a different scenario for her death. But either way radical Islam killed her.
How do you justify killing a child? Much less a medic helping your own people? And more importantly, how could you do so in the name of God? As of this writing, Christians continue to be killed in Iraq simply because they won't convert to Islam. It is convert, pay a strict tax, flee, or die. In some cases, just convert or die continues to be the repeated phrase.
In one sense, this is not new. Radical Islam has been on the march since 632. Most of the population of the land they conquered, forced conversions upon or killed were conquered Christians. By 950, 50% of what had been Christendom was now under Muslim control, and the vast majority has never reverted back.
But today's leaders of Islam are more barbaric. ISIS refers to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. They are intent in re-creating the caliphate in the Middle East. Their spokesman said they won't stop until they fly the black flag of Islam over the U.S. White House. (Yah, sure ya betcha ... Just hold that thought for a while.)
Jesus told us that the day will come when men will kill you and think they are offering a service to God. They are deceived in thinking that God is pleased with this offering.
The irony is technically Islam teaches that Muslims will one day stand before whom on the Day of Judgment? Answer: Jesus. They teach that He will return one day. But they also teach the first thing He'll do is destroy all the crosses. They certainly don't believe in an avenging Jesus as Lord.
If radical Muslims think that by killing Christians Allah is somehow pleased, how wrong are they? Are they not succeeding? What is there to hold them accountable other than a few bombs hitting vacant buildings in the night? Yeah, the news hype begs the question: "whom is telling ISIS the targets in advance?". It is not by mistake ISIS captures weapons dropped to groups friendly with the west. Someone is feeding them information out of Washington DC.
Saul of Tarsus thought he was pleasing God by being party to the stoning of the first Christian martyr, Stephen. Before he was converted to Christianity on the road to Damascus, Saul was breathing out murderous threats to innocent Christians in Damascus. He threw some in jail - in some cases, they may well have died there.
Saul was just as much a religious terrorist as anyone in ISIS! Saul did what he did because he thought this was God's will for him to do so. Of course, God had other ideas on the subject and the Apostle Paul was created. For him, there was no more killing of Christians. Paul himself was beheaded for his Christian activities by Nero. Even a religious terrorist with blood on his hands can be converted to Jesus. And yes, murder seems to be repaid, even if you have converted.
Meanwhile, radical Muslims are killing Christians around the world. This is something mandated by Islam; the Koran says in Chapter IX Verse 123 to 'fight the unbelievers and let them find a harshness within you.'
Unfortunately, the enlightened age we have lived in failed to remember that there is a sickness which must always be held in check. Islam marched into Europe through force three hundred years ago, into the East seven hundred years earlier and continued a fight only ending at Vienna in 1683 with a slaughter. And this harshness referred to, to be shown those whom do not believe - a harshness which would kill innocent Christians, even children, in Iraq and Syria. This barbarism should be a wake-up call to the West.
Just as my cousin's death was to me ...
July 4, 2014
Remembrance of Wars Past
I grew up on many sides of the Flemish-Lux-French-German border. If there was a NATO base near by, I was probably living somewhere within 70 miles of it. Father never wanted to actually live anywhere near a NATO base!
I mentioned the other day my memories of leaving France, it still stings in many ways. Too many friends died at the hands of the French, my own life almost taken several times - save only for "luck of the draw", and the humiliation of being taken at gun point out of our home and sent back to Germany. Bad taste still left in my mouth ....
However, that is not to say I still do not have friends whom live in France. From the "old" days, one of them ran across me about 12 years ago online when I was posting on an art site I ran. He too is an artist and so we renewed friendships and he sends me pictures often as to what is up in the Laon Air Force Base region.
For the Fourth, it is wreath laying at a commemorative monument to remember the cost of freedom borne by British and American pilots to take out the previous German Luftpost, where Laon AFB was to be. And the price paid by American servicemen as they fought over this German support point for the Battle of the Bulge. Strategic location, high prices paid.
Few actually remember or care any longer ...
I mentioned the other day my memories of leaving France, it still stings in many ways. Too many friends died at the hands of the French, my own life almost taken several times - save only for "luck of the draw", and the humiliation of being taken at gun point out of our home and sent back to Germany. Bad taste still left in my mouth ....
However, that is not to say I still do not have friends whom live in France. From the "old" days, one of them ran across me about 12 years ago online when I was posting on an art site I ran. He too is an artist and so we renewed friendships and he sends me pictures often as to what is up in the Laon Air Force Base region.
For the Fourth, it is wreath laying at a commemorative monument to remember the cost of freedom borne by British and American pilots to take out the previous German Luftpost, where Laon AFB was to be. And the price paid by American servicemen as they fought over this German support point for the Battle of the Bulge. Strategic location, high prices paid.
Few actually remember or care any longer ...
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