The use of language to dehumanize - Guest article by Wayne Collett

My husband Wayne and I have been involved in Christian ministry, disability advocacy, aged care and protection of the unborn for decades. We have followed the course of legislation in our country of Australia and elsewhere which has been both favourable for some of these groups and sadly, which has in some cases been extremely detrimental to the wellbeing of some, particularly in the area of abortion. In the state in which I live, Queensland, a baby can now be killed in the womb from conception right up to the whole of the third trimester and the politicians who enacted this legislation were shown on television hugging and congratulating themselves for passing it.

This guest article by my husband Wayne is an examination of how the terminology, or the words we use, gives an indication of how human life is viewed. I pray that the reader will find it thought provoking and a valuable resource. May God bless you as you read.

The use of language as a tool for desensitisation to the taking of human life, particularly in an otherwise civilised society

 

Recently, when responding to a vile affirmation of the murder of Charlie Kirk, which sadly came from a member of my extended family, I was on the receiving end of an outpouring of vitriol that ranged from an accusation that religion is the greatest threat to humanity to the Palestinian question to aborted children being nothing more than clumps of cells.

I was taken aback by the sheer level of hate that can spawn from the simple declaration that violence is never the answer to an opposing idea, which ironically emphatically proved the point I was trying to make.

This has prompted me to address firstly the veracity of the accusations levelled against religion and secondly to explore the use of language as a tool to support or incite violence.

To begin let’s look at their claim that religion (and knowing the person who made the statement I am confident they meant Christianity in particular) has been responsible for more deaths and suffering than any other motivator or ideology in history.

Personally I think most people with a reasonable level of education and a capacity for rational examination of history and evidence would dismiss such a claim outright, however if the reader considers this is, or may be the case then I would ask them to weigh the following and draw their own conclusion.

Firstly, have there been cases of harm or death done in the name of Christianity? Unfortunately the answer is yes. From the death tolls of the crusades and the inquisitions to the suffering of sexual and physical abuse at the hands of people, churches and institutions that claim Christian affiliation, the claims are undeniable. However as genuine bible-believing Christians should know, these actions are not consistent with the teachings of Christ and are therefore not Christian in their application. True followers of Christ do not commit murder, rape, incest or paedophilia. To be a follower of Christ is to share in His example of service and suffering. This whole premise would be akin to discovering a serial killer had the same surname as you and suddenly finding people are judging or avoiding you because of that commonality.

In the case of the crusades however, it could be said that they were a Christian political or military foil to the rise of Islam as it swept through the middle east and across the southern Mediterranean and that their determination to expel Islam from the holy land was motivated by the notion that the land had been defiled.

Likewise the inquisitions were a manifestation of brutality and violence that was motivated by a desire to strictly control doctrine and dogma within the catholic world. This is most evident by the response the early church had towards those believers who sought to disseminate the word of God by translating it into the vernacular so that it could be made more accessible to those who wanted a closer relationship with their creator. Early bible translators paid with their lives and this was motivated by nothing more than the desire of the church authorities (the pope, cardinals, bishops and priests) to maintain ultimate power and authority over the laity.

However, during the entire history of the church the vast majority of believers have been people dedicating their lives to the pursuit of growing in their relationship with God and serving others sacrificially as Christ demonstrated.

The explosion of understanding and revelation following the reformation begun by Martin Luther was an unshackling of God’s word that transformed a captured church into the bride God intended for His son.

Despite the failings attributed to the church through the evil intent of individuals following their own anti-Christian desires, the claim that Christianity has been the prime source of death and suffering over the last two millennia is simply egregious and not substantiated in any way.

 

What allows evil to flourish?

This work examines the ideologies that have spawned the orgies of hate particularly seen over the last one hundred or so years.

From this examination it is apparent that a common strategy of the oppressors is to co-opt the general population into their murderous intent, often by the use of language, imagery and propaganda with the intent to dehumanise the targets of their hatred.

 

What is Dehumanizing propaganda?

This is portraying a target group as vermin, disease, animals, or sub-human and has been a recurrent precursor and facilitator of mass killing in the last 100–200 years.

Scholars distinguish forms of dehumanization (e. g. , animalistic — likening people to animals, vermin, or parasites — and mechanistic — treating people like objects or machines). Dehumanizing language reduces empathy, increases moral disengagement, and makes violence easier for both leaders and ordinary participants to accept.

Scholars of genocide emphasise that dehumanization is one of several social-psychological and political building blocks (alongside ideology, political opportunism, historical grievances, and organizational capacity) that commonly precede genocides and mass atrocities.

Across multiple historical episodes, perpetrators and propagandists used a recurrent vocabulary and set of frames:

·         Vermin/pest metaphors (rats, cockroaches, insects) implying exterminability and contagion.

·         Disease/parasite metaphors (infection, contamination) implying the target threatens the body politic.

·         De-human descriptors (beasts, sub-human, vermin) to reduce empathy and legal/moral protections.

·         Existential threat framing (they are an internal enemy/traitors/plotters) to justify pre-emptive violence.

·         Cultural-civilisational frames (foreigners/aliens/outsiders) to justify “cleansing”.

These patterns recur because they leverage basic psychological responses (disgust, fear, disgust-induced moral exclusion) and can be transmitted efficiently by mass media, state institutions, religious or paramilitary channels.

The following examples demonstrate how language has been used to dehumanise certain ethnic, racial or political groups in order to justify their elimination.

Many readers will recognise the well-known instances of genocide or mass killings listed here however as will be shown, there is one particular case not generally associated as a genocide that far outstrips anything seen before in all of human history.

This document examines historical cases where such rhetoric was used to desensitise populations and mobilise perpetrators. I will also examine another case, rarely considered a genocide but which outstrips their combined numbers by a significant margin.

I will show how the same strategies are being employed today in regard to one particular genocide to make allies among the general population and quash dissent when questioned.

 

The Holocaust

Generally regarded as occurring between 1933 and 1945 the Holocaust was the attempted systematic extermination of the Jewish race. It was conducted in part under the justification of the Eugenics movement which had its origins in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The essence of eugenics is the desire to purify the racial profile of a nation by the systematic elimination of people of undesirable races, ethnicities or disabilities. It was this ideology that underpinned Hitler’s desire to create an Aryan master race of blonde-haired blue-eyed super men and women. In his twisted mind not only were Jews inferior genetically and socially but were also largely responsible for Germany’s economic woes after its defeat that ended the first world war.

Jews were seen to possess disproportionate control over national finances through the banking and lending institutions and were also seen as more immune to the impacts of the hyper-inflation that ravaged Germany after world war one due to their ability through their wealth to diversify their investments in foreign sources, thereby making them less impacted by internal economic woes.

In order to bring the general population on board with Hitler’s ideology a campaign of demonisation of the Jewish people was begun. Movie theatres would show propaganda films in which the Jews were characterised as rats which had grown to plague proportions and therefore needed to be culled in the interest of national purity. In this way the Nazis were able to dehumanise a whole sector of the European population and thereby justify their extermination.

The repetition of biological and vermin metaphors helped normalise dispossession and violence by framing Jews as a public-health problem or pest to be eradicated rather than fellow citizens.

By May 1945 it is estimated that six million (6,000,000) men women and children had been murdered. This figure doesn’t include Slavs, gypsies, homosexuals and other groups deemed undesirable, not to mention political opponents and the resistance movements.

 

Stalin’s Ukrainian Famine and the Great Purge

After the death of Vladimir Lenin the Soviet Union was ruled by Joseph Stalin, a man who transformed Lenin’s more pure Marxist vision for the USSR into more of a personality cult, somewhat akin to the Kim dynasty of North Korea today.

Stalin had a Russia-centric view of the USSR. This became evident in the early 1930’s when he virtually starved the people of Ukraine by commandeering their food production to supplement Russia.

During what became known as the Holodomor famine an estimated three and a half million (3,500,000) people died of starvation in Ukraine. In order to justify this to the general population he labelled Ukraine as a hot-bed of counter-revolutionaries and class-enemies and ultimately a threat to the security of the union.

Alongside and continuing throughout his rule, Stalin conducted what became known as the Great Purge, a systematic eradication of opponents with counter ideologies.

During this time people were encouraged to denounce anyone who was perceived as being less than 100% committed. This of course was fertile ground for abuse to settle old scores. The same thing was seen in China under Mao as well as Islamic theocracies implementing Sharia law.

It is estimated a further one and a half million (1,500,000) Soviet citizens were killed under the great purge. Therefore conservatively Stalin was probably responsible for around five million (5,000,000) deaths collectively.

 

Other significant genocides/mass killings

Alongside these examples are the Khmer Rouge atrocities of dictator Pol Pot from 1975 to 1979 with an estimated one million six hundred thousand (1,600,000) deaths, the Armenian genocide carried out from 1915 to 1923 by the Ottoman Turks of around one million two hundred thousand (1,200,000) people. The Rwandan genocide between April and June of 1994, costing around eight hundred thousand (800,000) lives and the Srebrenica Massacre of July 1995 causing an estimated eight thousand (8,000) deaths.

All of these examples employed a form of dehumanising propaganda to incite and justify violence.

 

In summary

While not an exhaustive list of atrocities carried out by dictators, autocrats and psychopaths the total of just over 14,600,000 likely represents the majority of the officially recognised numbers of fatalities.

 

The unspoken genocide

If the figure of 14,600,000 deaths attributable to the major atrocities of the last one hundred or so years seems shocking then consider a conservative death toll approaching one hundred million (100,000,000) due to a single cause that is rarely regarded a genocide at all.

I’m speaking here of the estimated number of abortions carried out primarily in western nations since the early 1970’s.

Since that time a conservative estimate of the number of abortions carried out in the USA, France, UK, Germany, Australia and Canada sits at just under ninety-six million (96,000,000) with the USA representing the vast majority at almost sixty-six million (65,700,000).

Again, almost 100 million unborn children killed.

So, how does the abortion issue mirror the same pattern as a genocide?

Before abortion became a post-conception contraceptive (an ironic oxymoron) it was touted as being an act of last resort, limited to cases of rape or incest, or in cases where the pregnancy would likely result in the death of the mother.

However with greater accessibility and a conditioning of the population by activists and corporate abortion providers, abortions are performed in most western countries with little or no questions asked, often for any reason and are commonly legal up to the moment before birth. This has resulted in the deaths of millions of children for reasons as trivial as being the wrong gender. While not included in the statistics because of a lack of data, consider the Chinese “one child” policy that ran from 1980 to 2016.

Anecdotal evidence suggests a disproportionate number of girls were aborted in China due to a cultural preference for boys, given a boy was perceived as more valuable in rural/agricultural regions and would carry on the family name. When only one child was allowed many considered it must be a boy. This has now led to a drastic gender imbalance among the younger Chinese population with stories of girls being abducted from urban areas (and neighbouring countries) to satisfy the demand for wives in rural areas.

Like all other events mentioned here abortion advocates utilise certain language to achieve the same goal of conforming the general public into supporters. The most common is to dehumanise the unborn child by referring to them simply as a foetus or even more dismissively a “clump of cells”. This language is intended to assuage the conscience of a woman having an abortion by equating the procedure to little more than having tonsils or an appendix removed.

Another common catch-phrase is the “my body my choice” often used as a chant at pro-abortion rallies or when trying to shout down opponents. This slogan ignores the fact that the unborn child, while temporarily sharing its mothers body, is not part of the body, in that it consists of its own unique DNA and therefore is an individual, unique from its mother or father.

When challenged with the genetic uniqueness of the child, proponents of abortion struggle to justify the clump of cells argument and will often spiral into an unhinged rant about bodily autonomy. Despite this many western nations have legalised the abortion of a child virtually up to the moment before birth, a procedure so horrific that most advocates will not discuss the details of how it is performed.

The abortion genocide is not only linked by its use of slogans. Like the Holocaust it has its roots in the same ideology and indeed shares some of the same key figures.

 

Eugenics and Margaret Sanger

As mentioned earlier in reference to Nazi Germany, the eugenics movement played a major role in creating the environment into which the abortion movement has flourished.

Margaret Sanger, born in 1879, was an early advocate for women’s rights and was virulent in her views of what she deemed defective families and races. A staunch racist and antisemite she was guest speaker at KKK meetings and wrote extensively on the need to restrict the breeding of what she called “human weeds”. This included non-white races, particularly African Americans, and families with a history of less than desirable IQs.

There is a trove of her comments supporting these views in her own published works and also candidly in correspondence later made public. To offer just a few, these are some of her own words.

1.       "We don’t want the word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population." — from a letter to Dr. Clarence J. Gamble, December 10, 1939, p. 2.

 

2.       "The most merciful thing that the large family does to one of its infant members is to kill it." — Woman and the New Race, Chapter 5, "The Wickedness of Creating Large Families." (1920).

 

3.       "But for my view, I believe that there should be no more babies." — Interview with John Parsons, 1947.

 

4.       “More children from the fit, less from the unfit—that is the chief aim of birth control.” — Birth Control Review, May 1919.

 

5.       “The most urgent problem today is how to limit and discourage the over-fertility of the mentally and physically defective.” — The Birth Control Review, 1921.

 

6.       “Our failure to segregate morons who are increasing and multiplying… demonstrates our foolhardy and extravagant sentimentalism. … Every single case of inherited defect, of mental defectiveness, or of disease such as tuberculosis, syphilis, cancer, should be considered as a definite indication for sterilization or segregation.” — The Pivot of Civilization, 1922.

 

7.       “The undeniably feeble-minded should, indeed, not only be discouraged but prevented from propagating their kind. … The procreation of this group should be stopped.” — The Pivot of Civilization, 1922.

 

8.       “Birth Control is nothing more or less than the facilitation of the process of weeding out the unfit, of preventing the birth of defectives or of those who will become defectives.” — Woman and the New Race, 1920.

 

9.       “The campaign for birth control is not merely of eugenic value, but is practically identical in ideal with the final aim of eugenics: to make the racial stock more fit, to eliminate the less fit, and to prevent the birth of defectives.” — Birth Control and Racial Betterment, 1919 speech.

 

10.   “The most urgent problem today is how to limit and discourage the over-fertility of the mentally and physically defective. … Birth control is not contraception indiscriminately and thoughtlessly practiced. It means the release and cultivation of the better racial elements in our society, and the gradual suppression, elimination and eventual extinction of defective stocks—those human weeds which threaten the blooming of the finest flowers of American civilization.” — A Plan for Peace, 1932.

 

Margaret Sanger is the founder of the organisation “Planned Parenthood” in the United States which is the largest provider of abortion services in that country. An interesting side fact is that the majority of their “clinics” are located in predominantly black neighbourhoods.

Data sourced from the US government’s “Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)” for the year 2019 shows precisely how Margaret Sanger’s mission is being accomplished.

In 2019, among all races of women who obtained abortions in the USA around 38.4% were African American while around 33.4% were White.

The distribution of women aged 15-44 was: 53% White and 14% African American.

Based on this data African American women in America have abortions 4.5 times more often than white women.

Conclusion

Much of the information provided here might suggest this is an American-centric problem and while the vast majority of abortions listed in publicly available data supports this, it is a first-world problem. This is likely due to the cultural shift in the affluent west towards self-interest and the glorification of one’s right to do whatever one wishes rather than considering others, or God. It has spawned the age of relative morality where each individual decides what is right or wrong within their own bubble without reference or regard to any higher authority than themselves.

In short, selfishness and narcissism are the new religion.

Virtually every western nation now supports abortion and perhaps the most telling anecdote supporting the conjecture is the virtual eradication of children diagnosed prenatally with Down’s syndrome in Scandinavian countries such as Iceland, Sweden, Denmark and Finland. Iceland boasts an almost 100% abortion rate in such cases. This is despite such prenatal testing not being guaranteed completely accurate.

By every measurable metric the worldwide abortion issue is a genocide. It is a genocide of unprecedented proportions.

Will it stop?. Unfortunately, probably no, however in the spirit of truth and transparency it is patently dishonest to describe the practice as anything other than the greatest genocide in the history of the world and to say it is being conducted on an industrial scale is barely adequate to describe its scope.

 

Good and faithful servant

 

Rest in Peace Charlie Kirk

Like so many others, my husband and I were shocked and dismayed by the tragic and horrific assassination of Charlie Kirk last week. Like many other Christians worldwide, we felt the loss of a brother in Christ. The body of Christ in the world is a family and we both celebrate the faith of our brothers and sisters, and mourn the persecution of Christians in many countries.

Charlie was someone who impacted many who both agreed and disagreed with him. His passion was to interact with young people and teach them to think about what they believe and give reasons for their beliefs. He encouraged respectful debate.

Above all Charlie loved his wife Erika and two children. Our hearts and prayers are with them as they grieve this tragic loss.

Charlie’s legacy will be to encourage people of faith throughout this world to stand firm:

“ But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,”  1 Peter 3:15

At this time of great sadness, it is the Christian community that can come together in the peace and hope of Jesus Christ. We rejoice that Charlie knows and is with his risen Saviour. We have the joy and hope that God still reigns and rules. We still pray that the enemies of Christ will turn to Jesus for forgiveness and salvation.

“In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.  “ John 1 :5

How do I read the Bible?

 

For a new Christian being given a Bible for the first time can be exciting but also a bit daunting. Where does one start?

Let me start by stating that the Bible is no ordinary book. It’s the Word of God. From start to finish it’s God’s words to humankind, written by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit by the hands of people. The word of God is powerful. It touches hearts and minds and influences in a way that no ordinary book can.

There are lots of programs online for Bible reading and study and these can be very helpful. However the sheer plethora of Bible study aids can also be daunting.

The Bible contains sixty-six books and is divided into the thirty-nine Old Testament books and twenty- seven New Testament books. Everything in the Bible, both old and new testaments, glorifies God through His Son, Jesus Christ and through His Holy Spirit.

The Bible is personal, for each one of us. It is also for all mankind.

The Bible is timeless. It is history, but it is also for here and now; and for the future.

Briefly, the Old Testament is the history of the people of God before the coming of Jesus. Genesis, the first book details the creation of the world, humankind’s fall into sin and the need for a way back to God.

The next five books detail the laws that God gives to mankind. This is followed by many books detailing the history of the Jewish people and their relationship with God, both following Him zealously and falling away.

In the middle of the Old Testament are five books loosely termed “poetry” – Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs. The psalms in particular are songs or praises to God and are often quoted, particularly psalm twenty -three.

The last books of the Old Testament are known as the books of the prophets and they contain many warnings about what would happen to the Jewish people. They also look to the coming of The Messiah, God’s Son, who would be a Saviour.

The New Testament begins with the four gospels which chronicle the coming and life of Jesus Christ. This is followed by the Acts of the apostles which describes the coming of the Holy Spirit and the establishment of the early church. Following Acts, we have a number of books of letters from the apostles to the early churches describing in detail the way that Christian life and witness is conducted both personally and corporately in church life. The final book of the whole Bible, Revelation is a book of prophetic visions given to the apostle John concerning events which will take place in the future culminating in the return of Jesus Christ, the second coming.

(For this category breakdown I give credit to biblehub.com, a resource I use frequently for Bible reading and study.)

So where to begin reading? My suggestion would be to start with Genesis. Many commentators suggest the gospels, but Genesis provides the reason for Christ’s coming. In Genesis we have the creation of the world – “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” Genesis 1:1. In Genesis we see the creation of all living things and mankind made in God’s image. We see the temptation by Satan and mankind’s fall into sin. We read of a global flood, and learn of some early heroes of our faith. We begin to realise the continuing battle between the goodness of God and the darkness of evil in this world. Right from the beginning we see the inability of fallen humankind to keep God’s laws and the need for a Saviour.

As an aside I will mention how blessed many have been through Creation Ministries International, Creation.com which upholds the truth of the Bible and how it is revealed through science. There are many fascinating articles on its website.

Following Genesis I would read through the gospels and Acts. The life and teachings of Jesus are central to the Christian faith. In Genesis we see the need for a Saviour. In the gospels we see Jesus revealed as the Saviour of humanity. Praise God!

Some people like to read a psalm every day as praise. Some read a chapter of Proverbs- pearls of wisdom. You can begin to hop between the Old and New testaments. I personally like to read and study a complete book rather than chapters of old and new together as prescribed in some reading plans. Read a lot if you want to, or concentrate on a small amount. It’s often helpful to make notes or journal as you read.

At this point I would say to a new Christian, do not be ashamed to read a children’s book of Bible stories. These can be very helpful by bringing to the fore many of the great heroic episodes in the Bible which are scattered throughout the sixty-six books. For example – Noah’s Ark; Joshua causing the walls of Jericho to fall; David and Goliath; Moses and the burning bush; Samson’s strength; Daniel in the lion’s den; Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus. As you read through the Bible you will then recognise these stories as you encounter them.

Begin each Bible reading with prayer. Ask God to reveal himself to you and to glorify Him in your life through what you read. Have a quiet place and regular time to read and read every day if possible. There are many reading plans, commentaries and study guides which can help you. Remember that God’s word is a living word. It offers new and fresh insights each time you read it and meditate upon it.

May you be blessed as you read.

Winter Solstice

 The 21^st June has come and gone in my home country of Australia and with it the shortest day in the year, the winter solstice. Its principle meaning for me is that it’s the birthday of a much loved niece. However to others in this country it has a far different and sinister meaning.

The winter solstice in some parts is used as an excuse to celebrate pagan festivals and rituals. It seems that the time of year can be intrinsically linked to dark arts. In Tasmania a festival is centred around celebrating pagan mysticism. A much-publicised event on the calendar is a massed nude dawn swim in the icy waters of the Derwent River at Hobart.

A cursory look at the events listed in this festival program include many items which appear quite harmless- food and drink outlets, concert groups. However, the program also includes many featured acts which carry a warning – attendees may be subject to see nudity, “adult themes” (whatever that may be) distressing content, taxidermy – and if upset one is to seek assistance from an usher. A “mass” was advertised, “location undisclosed” (and sold out).

One of the saddest things in a fallen world is that some people find such things attractive. Perhaps they are searching for spiritual values. Maybe the idea of rebelling against social norms is appealing. Maybe they are just looking for any opportunity for companionship and a good time.

There are a few common denominators to such events. They invoke the occult, the domain of Satan. They encourage the breakdown of normal social inhibitions e.g. by removing clothing. They mock traditional social values and in many cases they mock Christianity.

Through these events vulnerable people can be targeted and lured into more serious occult practices involving sexual activity, cruelty to animals and in some cases extreme cruelty to humans.

We should not be surprised at such things. “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light” 2 Cor 11:14. Things can seem attractive yet the intention is to draw people away from Godly living. “

 “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death. Even in laughter the heart may ache, and rejoicing may end in grief. The faithless will be fully repaid for their ways, and the good rewarded for theirs.” Proverbs 14:12,13

There’s an old country saying that goes: don’t remove a fence until you know what it’s there for. God has given moral instruction to uphold our human dignity and worth. He is the most perfect loving heavenly Father. He imbues His children with His Holy Spirit to guide and caution. Satan on the other hand has only one aim for humanity and that is destruction and death.

The realm of demonic activity which is entered through occult practices is very often unknown or underestimated by those who engage in them, even seemingly trivial practices such as tarot cards and fortune tellers. As Bible believing Christians we know that the bible is full of warnings against such practices, e.g.

“Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire practices divination or conjury, interprets omens, practices sorcery, casts spells, consults a medium or spiritist, or inquires of the dead.  For whoever does these things is detestable to the LORD.” Deuteronomy 18:10-12 

 

“So take your stand with your spells and with your many sorceries

 with which you have wearied yourself from your youth.

Perhaps you will succeed; perhaps you will inspire terror!

You are wearied by your many counselors; let them come forward now and save you—your astrologers who observe the stars, who monthly predict your fate.

Surely they are like stubble; the fire will burn them up.

They cannot deliver themselves from the power of the flame.” Isaiah 47: 12-14

 

Basically, the occult is a door into the realm of the demonic which can influence and, in some cases, indwell (i.e. demonic possession). One of Satan’s biggest strategies is to convince the world that he doesn’t exist or that the demonic realm is something to be laughed at. It is real and influential. However, the good news is that Jesus Christ has defeated sin and death:

“And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” Colossians 2:15

The Bible assures us of the ultimate end of Satan’s kingdom on earth. Christians are forever on the winning team.

To those who are attracted to pagan festivals, I just say stay away. There are many testimonies of those who have turned from involvement in the occult to faith in Christ. If faced with an unwanted situation beyond your capability to handle, remember to call aloud the name of Jesus Christ.

The winter solstice, like everything else in nature occurs because our Creator God has placed the sun, moon and stars in the sky, affecting the times and seasons of the earth in beautiful orderliness.

“Yahweh, who gives the sun for a light by day,

    and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night,

who stirs up the sea, so that its waves roar;

    Yahweh of Armies is his name “ Jeremiah 31:35

 

 

May the love of God fill you with His peace and joy today.

Reprinted periodically - The Gospel and How do I become a Christian ?

  The Gospel

In the beginning, God, (God the Father, Jesus Christ his only Son and the Holy Spirit), created the heavens and the earth and everything in it, including the first man, Adam and the first woman, Eve. God created humans to live in relationship with Him, but gave them free will to either obey Him or be disobedient. Satan, the devil, whom the Bible identifies as a fallen angel, tempted Eve to sin by disobeying God and she in turn tempted Adam to also disobey God. For their disobedience Adam and Eve were cast away from God’s presence and the wonderful life God had created for them and through them all their descendants were destined to be born sinful.

Yet throughout history there have been men and women who sought after God. Humanity became so depraved that God destroyed the earth with a global flood, but saved Noah and his family. Through Abraham God established the nation of Israel, who would be God’s favoured people. Moses, Abraham’s descendent, led the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt and received the Ten Commandments and many laws of conduct. Because of the sinful nature of man, these laws were not kept, and a system of animal sacrifices was instituted to make atonement for the sins of the people. However, the people both individually and as a nation continued in a cycle of falling away from God and returning to Him.

During the history of the nation of Israel there were prophets who foretold that a Saviour would be born, to save humanity from its sinfulness. Their prophecies were fulfilled when Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem. Jesus is the only Son of God. He was sent to this earth and lived amongst us as a human, without losing His divine nature. In all things Jesus honoured and obeyed His Father, God. During His ministry on earth, Jesus performed many miracles and taught us regarding God’s nature and way of living. He was tempted by Satan but was without sin. He travelled with a group of disciples who were the foundation of the church – God’s people on earth.

In the same way that animals had been sacrificed to make atonement for man’s sin, it was the purpose of God to send Jesus to earth to become a total sacrifice, once and for all time, for fallen humanity. As was His destiny, Jesus was arrested, tried for heresy and crucified on a hill outside Jerusalem called Calvary. At the time of Christ’s death the curtain in the Jewish temple was torn apart, symbolising that the old system of God only being able to be approached by certain people and in certain places, was finished.

Now all could come into right relationship with God through the shed blood of Jesus, by committing their lives to Him in repentance and faith.

The Bible tells us that Jesus descended into hell and has total dominion over Satan and evil. On the third day Christ rose from the dead and appeared to his disciples and many others on earth. He gave his disciples the “great commission” to go into all nations and preach the gospel. Forty days after his resurrection, Jesus ascended into heaven.

After Jesus ascended to heaven, God sent the Holy Spirit to the earth at Pentecost (ten days after Jesus’ ascension). The Holy Spirit is not only alive in the world, but indwells in those who have committed themselves wholly to God and gives such attributes as comfort, counsel, power and discernment. God's temple is now not a building, but the people in whom His spirit dwells. In the same way the church is not a building but the body of Christian believers on earth.

The Bible tells of spiritual battles between good and evil in both earthly and heavenly realms. It includes indications of great tribulation yet to come. We are told that Christ will return to this earth, the second coming, when He will defeat the evil forces raging in the world and will judge the living and the dead.

We who have committed our lives to Christ still struggle in our humanity with temptation to sin, and must choose daily to live in obedience to His will. We grow in our faith through prayer, study and reflection of God’s word, the Bible; and by meeting regularly in fellowship with other Christians.

All this is a fairly factual summary of some of the content of the Bible. But most of all, our lives as Christians are lives that are transformed. We know a love that surpasses anything. We know a deep joy within our spirits springing from God's Holy Spirit within us. We know a power beyond ourselves which touches others and transforms them too. We have a confidence that even when life is difficult and deeply sad and broken and disappointing, we have a relationship which sustains and comforts and gives us hope. God is faithful and He has the best in store. Christianity is not a killjoy set of rules which will spoil your fun. It's the most fantastic life you could ever hope to imagine....and then some more. The Bible is full of God's promises for your life. 

How do I become a Christian?

The Bible tells us that there is only one way to relationship with God and that is through Jesus Christ:

"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)

“Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”. (John 14:5-6)

To become a Christian, you need to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that He died on the cross to honour God and for the forgiveness of sin and that He rose again and ascended to His Father God.

You also need to admit or confess that you are a sinner in need of God’s forgiveness through Christ. This is known as repentance. Repentance involves confessing that we have done wrong, saying sorry to God and committing to living a life in obedience to God's ways. Becoming a Christian does not make you suddenly perfect. We all still struggle with temptations and failures in this earthly life and continually need God's grace and forgiveness. Repentance does mean that we look to God for wisdom and guidance to resist temptation.

You then need to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. Just as a wedding ceremony begins a marriage, so a prayer of confession and faith can begin, but is just the beginning, of a relationship with God. An ongoing relationship includes learning about God through Bible study; baptism, conversations with God through prayer, and encouragement through Christian fellowship in a caring church.

The following is a prayer which could be used to begin this relationship. You may wish to pray it alone, personally, or you may wish to discuss your decision with a Christian friend or pastor first to fully understand:

Dear Heavenly Father God,

I come before You acknowledging You as the only one God- Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Thank You for revealing Yourself to me. Thank You, Father God, for sending Your only Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross, honouring You and making a way for sinful people to come back into relationship with You. I acknowledge that I am a sinner. Please forgive my sin and cleanse me I pray. I receive Jesus Christ into my life to be my Lord and Saviour for the rest of my days. May You give me strength through the power of the Holy Spirit to live my life as a Christian. I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ my Lord and Saviour. Amen

May God bless you with an ever-increasing knowledge of His wonderful presence and endless love as you continue to seek and serve Him.

Ephesians 3:14-20 :

^"For this reason I kneel before the Father,  from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.  I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,  and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen

Another Mother (a story)

 

Where did I go wrong? I loved him, there was no doubt about that, from the first moment that my mother- in -law placed him into my arms. Avi my husband was not best pleased that we were to have another mouth to feed, already being parents to two boys and four girls, one a sickly infant, but the child being a boy made him a little happier. Perhaps he would follow him into the pottery trade and help a little around the workshop as he got older, as his brothers had done.

Ah, how little I knew then of the tears I would cry over my son and the prayers I would offer to God on his behalf. When did his wilful spirit demonstrate itself? Looking back, I remember that from the time he could walk, he wanted to run free, away from me. His sisters and I would chase him through the dusty streets of Jerusalem as he wound his way between fruit vendors and wool merchants, weaving his lithe body between donkeys laden with packs entering the city through the gates in the walls.

I remember a day when I took him to his father’s workshop. Shelves on the walls were filled with platters and cups. Avi sat at the wheel, skilfully turning a dish, his broad hands gently sculpting the wet clay.

“Look at your clever father” I said. “He’s making a dish to eat from. You mustn’t touch.”

Before I knew what was happening, my son had thrown back his head with a defiant grin and poked his fingers straight through the side of the dish. Avi was livid with rage.

“Get him out of here! Don’t you know I have taxes to pay?”

I think that was the beginning of the hostility between my son and his father. Where the other boys were teachable and obedient, this one was defiant. As if life in Jerusalem under the Roman Empire wasn’t hard enough. We had to be unobtrusive, obey the rules, pay the taxes and avoid the soldiers.

I feared for this son of mine. I would always know that my other children stayed close to home, but as he passed from boyhood into manhood, he disappeared more and more, hanging around the inns and taverns, listening to tales from the merchants and travellers of places far away.

There was kindness in him too. We had a donkey and a cage of doves and an old goat and he was the one who spoke to them more than all the others, who changed the straw and made sure they were watered and fed. I never knew him to be unkind to an animal.

People were another matter. He was rude to the elders in the temple. He fought constantly with his father and siblings. He began taking little things from the store holders when they weren’t looking. I knew one day he would walk away from his family and he did.

I prayed for his safety. I even joined a crowd once, hoping to see this miracle Man called Jesus who had powers, we heard, to make the blind see and lame walk. Perhaps if I asked Him, He could help my son but there were so many people there and I was too far away.

 Oh, how I prayed.

For two years we heard nothing. Then one morning there was a tap on the door of our little room and outside stood Samuel, my father’s longtime friend, with a grave look on his face.

“I waited until I knew for certain,” he said “but now there is no doubt. Your son was arrested by the Romans a few days ago for breaking into a centurion’s house and stealing valuables. He was tried today. He is to be crucified on Friday.”

My world fell apart. Those few days were the heaviest of my life. I could not go out on that Friday, could not go near the place of crucifixion, even though I longed to see him one last time. I suppose you could say I was a coward. I sat in the house with my daughters holding my hands until the sun went down. My oldest boy came in.

“It is done” was all he said.

That, however, was not the end of the story.

The next afternoon I received an unexpected visitor. My daughter showed him into the room and he sat next to me on a low stool. Taking my hand, he introduced himself as John, the son of Zebedee.

“Dear woman,” John said, “You have suffered greatly. I am sorry for all that you’ve gone through. I want you to know that I was with your son when he died.”

“You were with him?” I said.

“I was there for my friend and master, Jesus, “John continued. “Jesus was the Son of God, great in power and wisdom. He was without sin, yet He was crucified, in our place, so that when we die we can go to be with God because of Jesus. “

“My son was there with Jesus?”

“Yes, he was there beside Him. I want you to know that in his last moments he spoke to Jesus and asked Jesus to forgive him for his sins. Jesus said to him “Today you will be with me in Paradise.””

I could hardly speak. The tears were coursing down my cheeks. “My son is in Paradise with Jesus” I whispered.

John smiled at me gently, that kind, good man whose face seemed illuminated with light. “You too can know Jesus,’ he said. “Repent and commit your life to God. Jesus has paid the price for your sins too.”

“I want to know Jesus” I said.

“I want to know Jesus too,” said my daughter.

“I want to know Jesus too,” said my son.

 

That was so long ago and now I am an old woman, reminiscing on all that life has brought me, the good times and the terrible days. Through all the years I have grown to know and love Jesus more and more and I trust and believe that one day I will be reunited with my dear son and see our beloved Saviour face to face.

No Place Like Home

1Woe to those who devise iniquity

and plot evil on their beds!

At morning’s light they accomplish it

because the power is in their hands.

2They covet fields and seize them;

they take away houses.

They deprive a man of his home,

a fellow man of his inheritance. Micah 2: 1-2

 

 

I live in Australia, a country which used to be colloquially known as "The Lucky Country". "The Great Australian Dream" was to own your own home. Post World War 2  Australia prospered on its natural resources and life was comfortable for many. With a large land area and small population home ownership was common. A working class family could afford repayments for a quarter acre block with a modest home on it ; repayments which were geared at one quarter of an average monthly wage for one worker. Typically mothers were full time homemakers.

 

Fast forward to 2025 and Australia still has a large land area and a relatively small population. The dream of owning one's own home, however, is far out of reach for many young people.  High rent costs prohibit many from being able to save a sizable deposit needed for a home loan.

 

The high cost of homes has been exacerbated by a growing number of people who buy houses for investment, not to live in but to make money from. People on lower incomes used to be able to buy starter homes or “fixer uppers”. Older people whose families had grown and moved out used to be able to downsize to smaller houses. Now these more modest homes are being snapped up by those who seemingly have a never ending desire to add to their property portfolio and this includes overseas investors.

 

I am neither a financier or economic analyst but I have to think that we have rapidly become a nation of the needy and the greedy. It’s not uncommon now in the capital city in which I live to hear of people living in tents because they can’t afford to pay rent, or even find a place to rent. Displaced families are living in cars. Young people are faced with the depressing prospect of never being able to afford a home that they can call their own.

 

God is not blind to economic injustice. Throughout the Bible there are many scriptures pointing to wise and fair business practices and economic management. God is very concerned for the poor, the widows and orphans, the sick and disabled. I personally think that it breaks God’s heart to see children living in cars and mentally ill people living under bridges with only cardboard to shelter them from the winter cold. Thank God for those volunteers who provide comfort and food and necessities of life to those people.

 

When people think of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah it is often attributed to the immoral sexual practices of those cities, and to some extent that is true. There was yet another reason:

 

 Now this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed, and complacent; they did not help the poor and needy.  Thus they were haughty and committed abominations before Me. Therefore I removed them, as you have seen.  Ezekiel 16:49,50

 

 

Many of us feel helpless when it comes to the growing disparity between rich and poor in our nations. Where does God and His church fit into all this?  We need to be in prayer for our nation. Pray for our leaders at federal, state and local levels that they would make wise and just decisions. Pray for our corporate giants in finance and industry that they would conduct their business justly.

 

Wherever you are able, advocate for and help those who are in need. In many ways it is Christian charities which are reaching out to the needy. Personally, we can choose to live simply, be content with what we have and be willing to share with those in need.

 

God will bless those nations and individuals who care for those in need.

 

 

 

 

Repentence

 

Sorry

"Sorry"
Is all that you can't say
Years gone by and still
Words don't come easily
Like sorry, like sorry                    Tracy Chapman

 

Some people go through their whole lives unable to say “sorry”. Such a small word that can change lives and relationships. What a difference it makes to the whole process of forgiveness.

I firmly believe that Jesus honours those who are willing to humble themselves and make peace. The Bible is full of verses prescribing the course of action when we are wronged.

1 Peter 3:8-4:19

Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” ...

Proverbs 20:22

Do not say, “I will repay evil”; wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you.

Luke 23:34 

And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.

Colossians 3:13

“Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.”

Matthew 6:14

“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you.”

Ephesians 4:32

“Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.”

 

This Easter time, as we remember the terrible suffering of Jesus. He was betrayed, forsaken,  mocked, condemned, scourged and finally crucified. On the cross He bore the sin and suffering of all mankind, an unimaginable burden. He felt forsaken by His Father God.

He could have called legions of angels in His defence, but He didn’t.

He died for those who persecuted and despised Him.

Beside Him were two other crosses. The man on one mocked Jesus. The man on the other admitted that he was a thief, a sinner. Jesus promised this man eternal life with Him in Heaven.

In repentance we come again to the cross, confessing our sin. We lay our cares and heartaches and difficult situations down at the cross, knowing that He bore so much more than we will ever be called upon carry.

Thank You Jesus.

May God bless the readership here this Easter.