BRAHMANISM - RELIGIOUS SYSTEM OF THE HINDUS CHARACTERIZED BY PANTHEISM
Brahmanism like Christianity teaches that there is only one true God. Unlike Christianity it teaches that God IS the universe, the earth, the plants, the animals, and even us. That’s right, they don’t believe God created it all, they believe God is all. Their god is called Brahman, which is the name Americans have given to the cattle from India that is sacred to them, and a belief in Brahman is part of Hinduism (to be covered in the H’s).

The Brahmans hold the belief of animism - that all things have a spirit, and they consider many things sacred as a result. When you couple this with the belief that we come back in another animal form if we have not lived well enough, reincarnation, you have people who can’t help but be vegetarians for fear not only that they are eating God, but also that they might be eating grandma if they eat any animals.

There are a multitude of problems with this idea, but let us focus on just two. If this Brahman is God and we are all part of him, why don’t most of us know it? And, secondly, If we and all the universe are all God, how can there be evil, and more specifically, how can we be or do evil? As far as I know Brahmanism has never answered these two problems. The Brahmans, continue in their pursuit of living well enough that they will become literally part of Brahman and not have to come back to this life again. I guess the old saying, ‘if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again’ would certainly be their motto. Unfortunately, we only get one life in which to obey God. It seems that even though they say we are all supposed to be part of God, we must have some sort of amnesia, and can’t remember who we are. I don’t know how part of an all-knowing God could not know something that basic, but that is the logic behind Brahmanism. Secondly, the evil; most of the adherents to Brahmanism or its like have historically denied the existence of evil. Well, that’s easy enough, if you can’t explain it just deny it. As Christians, we understand that God often works so that even the evil is overcome with a good result, i.e. Jesus’ crucifixion, or trials that strengthen us. God and the Bible, however, never deny the existence of evil. How could anyone who has even heard of the planet earth, much less someone who lives here be so suckered in as to believe that there is no evil? It is clear to anyone who will examine the evidence that there is evil here. So, if the entire universe is God, or Brahman, and there is evil in the universe, then, Brahman must be at least partially evil. Ouch! I for one am glad that I am neither part of a god, nor do I serve a god that is evil. Let us praise the Creator, not the created. (Rom 1:22-25) “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, {23} And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. {24} Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: {25} Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.”

BOTULISM - DISEASE OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM CAUSED BY BOTULIN IN SPOILED FOOD
What a topic for Friday the 13th, hope you know what you ate last night. If you have ever had any kind of food poisoning, you know how dangerous it can be. Our next door neighbor has had a baby in the hospital with it for the past week. I don’t know the statistics, but I know many people die from the different kinds of food poisonings. Amazingly, many of us may get food poisoning and never even know it. Our body fights it off in small enough amounts, and even in larger amounts a healthy adult can overcome most food poisoning if it is not a continuous occurrence. Since there isn’t really much danger of the church being destroyed as a result of food poisoning deaths, we must turn to a spiritual application.

The Word of God and the doctrines and teachings that come from It are referred to on many occasions in scripture as food. Of course we know that we can’t live on only the teachings of the Word, but Jesus also told Satan, and recorded it for us as well, that man can’t live without it either. Oh sure, people exist all around us without the Bible, but they aren’t really alive. We must have spiritual food to feed our souls, and without it we can’t have true life.

(1 Pet 2:2) “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:”
(1 Cor 3:1-2) “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. {2} I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.”
(Heb 5:12-6:2) “For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. {13} For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. {14} But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. {6:1} Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, {2} Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.”
(John 6:31-35) “Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. {32} Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. {33} For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. {34} Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. {35} And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”

We see there are many different spiritual foods: Milk for the newborn, meat for the full grown, and Jesus, the bread of life, for any who are hungry and will come. We were talking about botulism and food poisoning, however, and all of the above are free of any dangers. There is a type of food that is spiritually dangerous that we should watch out for. It isn’t referred to as botulism in scripture since the people of that time would have never understood that term. Jesus spoke to his disciples about dangerous teachings and likened them to leaven. (Mat 16:5-6 & 11-12) “And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. {6} Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
(11) How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? {12} Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.”

I think that if Jesus were teaching today he would find the food poisoning analogy to be a good one as well. When we consume false teaching, like food poisoning, it will make us sick. If we are healthy Christians, we will be able to fight off the poison, but if we are very young (spiritually), immature, or weakened we may succumb to the poison and the result could be the loss of our soul if we don’t find the cure. Be careful what you put in your spiritual mouth just like you are careful what you put in your physical mouth.

BISEXUALISM - SEXUALLY RESPONSIVE TO BOTH SEXES
”There is no such thing as a homosexual or heterosexual person. In theory all are bi. In practice some are this, some are that, some exclusively, some part-time. The point is that were it not for the three monotheistic religions that have made a nice hell of all human relations—so that we shall love God the father all the more? -- no one would have thought to categorize anyone because of his sexual interests. ... I suggest we work together to flush Judaism, Christianity and Islam into the Mediterranean and restore the Greco-Roman world, where, believe it or not, there was no word for fag or dyke, nor was there any conception that an occasional sexual activity constituted an entire personality.”—Author Gore Vidal to London’s Gay Times, February issue. (Planet Out, email news service, 3/3/99)

I bet you didn’t know that we are all bisexual. The funny thing is neither does our creator. More and more the twisted thinking in our country tries to come up with ways to excuse sin. Mr. Vidal is probably correct in one thing, ”were it not for the three monotheistic religions (i.e. those that teach there is only one true God, even though Judaism and Islam don’t teach the whole truth about Him - jp). . . no one would have thought to categorize anyone because of his sexual interests.” How true it is that without God there is no moral standard, no reason to do one thing and not another, no right and wrong. The only problem for these individuals that want to make up their own rules is that no matter how hard they try or even succeed at getting rid of the influence of God, He will still be the one to judge us all in the last day.

I can refuse to believe in trains, or I can refuse to believe that they can hurt me, but if I remain on the train tracks I will eventually pay for that decision with my life. No one would think it hateful, intolerant, or bigotry to warn someone of this danger. How then is it that when we lovingly try to warn people about the danger to their souls, they think we hate them. Sin separates us from God and only repentance can bring us back.

(Rom 1:24-32) “Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: {25} Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. {26} For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: {27} And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet. {28} And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; {29} Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, {30} Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, {31} Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: {32} Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.” God would never condemn someone for something they had no choice about. Notice that He did not make them this way, but He allowed them to choose this way. God doesn’t want them to go to Hell for these actions, but if they will not repent He will have no other recourse. (2 Pet 3:9) “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

ASTIGMATISM - A DEFECT IN THE EYE THAT CAUSES LINES IN SOME DIRECTIONS TO BE  FOCUSED LESS SHARPLY THAN LINES IN OTHER DIRECTIONS.

In  case you are wondering as I was, there is another word that is along similar  lines ‘stigmatism’ but is not the same as astigmatism. (I never knew they  were two different words.) Anyway, I had opportunity to be at the eye-doctor  last Friday and found that I had missed this word. Maybe I just couldn’t  read it because of my astigmatism. But, I digress.

There are many lines that must be drawn in the religious world and in the  church, unfortunately, sometimes we don’t see those lines very clearly. The  reason usually is that we have a defect that is interfering with our  spiritual vision. The defect could be any of the following and possibly you  can think of others: ignorance, misinterpretation, learning from false  teachers, love of the world, love of money, or lack of resolve. Many of the  lines that God has drawn; and that we must duplicate in order to please him,  seem somewhat insignificant to human wisdom and that to can interfere with  our ability to see sharply and clearly what God has drawn.

When I was with the doctor he had me read, or at least try to read a chart  of letters and numbers. As a result of my vision problems (in case you  didn’t know, I have had glasses for all of my adult life), there were times that I  couldn’t make out the letters. I would say, “That is either a ‘G’, a ‘Q’, or  an ‘O’. Wait maybe it is a ‘C’.” It was tough. It took several minutes and  several lenses before finally, I could see everything clearly. James likened  the Word of God to a mirror that reflects the truth to us, but some people  don’t ever look in the mirror, some just ignore what they see, some glance  at it every once in a while, and others distort the mirror to their liking.  If we want everything to come into focus we have to look deeply into that  perfect law of liberty, and whether we like it or not, change ourselves for  the perfection of God.

God has drawn some lines for salvation, some for worship, some for service  of our fellow man, and some for constructing the church. There are some  areas where he has even given authority to the elders of the church to draw  some lines, and to husbands and parents to use their judgment to draw  others. Where we are free to draw our own lines we need to apply any  biblical principles that fit. Where others have the authority to draw lines,  we need to respect their authority, and in the areas God has drawn lines no  one else can change them. We need to continuously study God’s Word in order  to have clear vision. We also need to remove any other devotions that are  keeping us from reading God’s lines.

The Bible teaches that baptism is essential to salvation, but sometimes we  are tempted to try to blur that line when our loved ones have not obeyed the  gospel. God hates divorce, but when we are the ones involved we want to put  what we want before the oath we took ‘to death do us part’. We may make any  number of excuses for crossing God’s lines, but none of them make it  acceptable.

ANTHROPOMORPHISM - GIVING HUMAN CHARACTERISTICS TO GOD

The French philosopher Voltaire said, “God created man in his image and  then man returned the favor.” From the time Adam and Eve hid in the Garden,  giving God the human characteristic of limited knowledge, up to the present  people have practiced anthropomorphism. Most likely it will continue until  the end of time. We are all guilty of this from time to time when we think  based on our human experience and knowledge that God is being unfair about  one thing or another. When we accuse God of not making sense in the  directives He has given we are trying to limit Him to human thoughts. God,  however, cannot be limited by us neither can His reasoning always be  understood by us. He said, “ {8} For my thoughts are not your thoughts,  neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. {9} For as the heavens are  higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts  than your thoughts. (Isa 55:8-9).”

Today we live in a society that is loosening its morals and denying  absolutes in every area of life. As a result of this degradation, people  (even Christians) are attributing to God these wishy-washy values and  painting Him with rose colored peace and love glasses. Any lifestyle no  matter how strictly condemned in the Bible is now OK with us and with God to  since we have made him in our image. Everyone is at peace with a gracious  and loving God Who would never send any of his beloved creation to such a  horrible place as Hell, in fact, Hell doesn’t even exist.

Is this god that people are now serving the real God? NO! God doesn’t flip  flop on matters like a fish out of water. James says, “ Every good gift and  every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights,  with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” (James 1:17). If  God said it was evil 2000 years ago it is still evil now, if He said it was  good it is still good, and if He said there is a Hell where the disobedient  will be sent then there still is.

God is not a grandfather who spoils children by letting them have anything  they want and never disciplining them, quite to the contrary, (Heb 12:6-7)  ”For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he  receiveth. {7} If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons;  for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?”. We need to be sure that  we give God the characteristics attributed to him by the Bible and not those  made up by sinful men who call good evil and evil good.

How do you envision God? Does He look like you? Think like you? Act like  you? Remember that we need to be changing to become more like Him, not  changing our image of Him to become more like us. (Rom 1:22-25) Professing  themselves to be wise, they became fools, {23} And changed the glory of the  uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds,  and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. {24} Wherefore God also gave  them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour  their own bodies between themselves: {25} Who changed the truth of God into  a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is  blessed for ever. Amen.

ANTAGONISM - ACTIVELY EXPRESSING HOSTILITY

In every good story there is an antagonist who tries to overcome the hero  or protagonist. We usually cheer for the protagonist and hope that he can  win over this ‘bad guy’. Our lives are no different really. God is the  protagonist of the universe and Satan is the antagonist. We usually cheer  for God, so to speak, by being obedient to him and his cause, but sometimes  there are those among us who fight on Satan’s side.

James tells us that this attitude and behavior is sinful. (James 3:14-18)  But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie  not against the truth. {15} This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is  earthly, sensual, devilish. {16} For where envying and strife is, there is  confusion and every evil work. {17} But the wisdom that is from above is  first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy  and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. {18} And the  fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

There will always be someone who will cause strife and contention, but we  need to be sure that someone is not us. We also need to be firmly  committed to working for God and not for the antagonist and his followers.  The church is commanded to deal with antagonists who cause strife and  divisions and rebel against God. In the Old Testament the people promise  Joshua in Joshua 1:18 that if there are any rebels they will be put to  death. In the New Testament, however, we are not called to execute them, but  we are to MARK them and AVOID them. Paul makes this clear for us in Romans;  (Rom 16:17) Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions  and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.  We all know of people who are antagonistic toward Christ and the gospel.  Have we marked and avoided them, or do we spend time in fellowship with  these individuals. We need to first be sure that we are not antagonists and  second avoid contact with those who are. An individual exhibiting antagonism  toward Christ and the church needs to be brought to the attention of the  Elders so that they can effectively correct the situation through teaching  and/or discipline.

There is an old camp song we used to sing that went like this: “Tell me  whose side are you fightin’ on.” and the reply was “I’m fightin’ on the  Lord’s side”. So whose side are you fighting on?

ANARCHISM - DO AWAY WITH GOVERNMENTS AND LAWS

Government doesn’t always do right, in fact, at times we may think that we would be better off without any government at all. We need to remember that God is ultimately in control and the government gets its authority from God. When government goes to far God corrects the situation like he did in the U. S. S. R. a decade or so ago.

In Romans 13, Paul deals extensively with the Christians duty to be subject to the governing authorities. In order to do away with all government and laws we would have to rebel against the existing authority, and that would be rebelling against God as well.

In truth, as Paul says, government should be there to punish the wicked and protect the righteous. It is most unfortunate that we are heading down a path that will eventually lead us to a government that will punish good and glorify evil. We are half way there already. Lest we think that we could then rebel against that government and get rid of it, let us remember that the same government that Paul told the Romans to be in subjection to later put him to death. Despite that turn of events, we have no evidence that Paul’s (God’s) teaching on the subject ever changed.

Anarchism cannot even actually ever exist. Even if all of man’s laws were annihilated, God’s laws will be enforced at the end of time. What is more, if we got rid of the laws we currently live under, there would be a new law; namely, ‘the law of the jungle’ or ‘might makes right’. Even when Government doesn’t do what it should, let us remember: it is ordained of God, and it is in existence to protect us from evil.

There are many who think they have done away with God’s laws by simply ignoring them, but they will be in for a rude awakening in the world to come. Let us be sure that we are not part of that number.

ABSOLUTISM - COMPLETE UNRESTRICTED POWER IN GOVERNMENT
If God is your government unrestricted power is a wonderful thing, unfortunately most of the countries of the world today don’t even recognize His existence. Even our great nation which was originally founded on a deep respect for God and his absolute power has fallen into Satan’s trap of believing we make the laws. There are even many Christians who fail to properly understand the role of government in their lives. For example, a couple of weeks ago in our Bible class one of our members boldly explained to us that because of Romans 13 if the president declared that we had to turn in our Bibles we would have to do it. There are many others who believe that such things as abortion, fornication, or even homosexuality is now no longer sinful since the government has made it no longer illegal. These individuals allow the government to dictate their morality rather than allowing God and his word to do so.


For the majority of this country’s history God played an important role, but now He has been removed from the throne and Man’s selfish fleshly desires have replaced. Along with his removal the government is becoming more and more powerful in its ability to dictate the lives of its citizens. One school system this past month revoked a student’s first amendment right to free speech without even batting an eye by refusing to let him mention God in a graduation speech. The danger this poses to the church is clear. How long will it be before churches are taxed, subject to the fair hiring practices of industry, or even closed down because they are involved in "hate speech". Even when (notice I said when not if) the government refuses to give us the rights that we have been endowed with by our Creator, we must stand firm as Peter and John did in Acts 4:17-20. We must boldly proclaim even against an absolutist government “we will obey God rather than men.”

Decide now so there will be no question for you when others are foundering in confusion and stand between two opinions. I exhort you today as Elijah did in I Kings 18:21 when he battled the prophets of Baal, “How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if the government, then follow it.” Just remember at the day of judgement even the officials of the governments of the world will be judged.

Time for a short quiz for all of you English scholars out there. Since most of us have been speaking and writing in English all of our lives, this should be really quite simple. I’ll put some sentences and you just pick the one that sounds right to you. Ready or not here we go. 

On this first one imagine you called me on the phone and asked, “Is this James Pasley?”. Which of the following would be the right way for me to answer? (1) That’s me., (2) This is he., or (3) This is him. 

Okay, let’s just do one more and then we’ll check our answers and see what we’ve learned. This time suppose I ask you, “Didn’t I see you and the president together yesterday?”. Which answer would be right grammatically? (1) It wasn’t me., (2) It wasn’t he and I together., (3) It wasn’t us., or (4) Maybe it was me, but not him.

Sometimes it is hard to know what sounds right and even more often, at least with grammar, what sounds right is not correct. If you guessed number two on both questions you got the right answer, but those two don’t really sound right to us, do they? Most of us would have chosen any of the other choices before choosing number two. My wife is a certified elementary teacher and a writer and she missed them, so don’t feel too bad. Because of the rampant practice of misusing these pronouns in everyday speech even strict grammarians have begun to accept this usage.

What is the point of all this, you may be asking? The point really is quite simple. If something sounds right to us or we think it is right that doesn’t make it right. Even if the majority of people believe something is right that doesn’t make it right. Now in the area of grammar or even man-made laws like the speed limit if enough people make enough of a fuss those rules and laws can be and have been changed. There are some laws, however, that are beyond our ability to change. Gravity is one example of this kind of law. We can accept it, deny it, or ignore it, we could even all vote to abolish it. Regardless of what we say or do the law of gravity is unchanged, and stepping off of a cliff will still result in a nasty fall. That is the way all of God’s laws are. 

God told Naaman to dip seven times in the Jordan River to cure his leprosy, but Naaman didn’t think that sounded right, so, he headed toward home, rejecting the law God had given for his recovery. He even suggested some alternative rivers that he thought would be better. One thing that he couldn’t change was the fact that he still had leprosy. He continued to have leprosy until he submitted to the will of God. In the same way today we have people denying God’s laws, ignoring them, and suggesting alternatives. Unfortunately, as long as we do so we are lawbreakers and guilty of sin against God.

God established marriage, defined it as one man and one woman, and set it as the only acceptable outlet for sexual expression. Our society has tried to change any and everything to what sounds good to them or what they think should be right. What we have to get through our thick heads is that no matter what laws we pass in our country, no matter what is acceptable to society as a whole, and no matter what churches and their leaders compromise on; God’s laws regarding sexuality and marriage will still remain the same. His laws, not ours, will judge us on the day of judgment.

The congressional delegates of the state of Massachusetts may say that two men can marry, but that does not make them married(Matthew 19:4-5). Our society may accept that two adults who love each other are not wrong to become sexually involved even though they are unmarried, but God still calls it sin(1 Corinthians 6:19-7:3). 

Marriage and sexuality are just the tip of the iceberg. Space doesn’t allow us to deal with all of the moral and religious standards that God has put in place, but we will all stand before Him to give an account of the things we have done(2 Corinthians 5:9-11). Until we understand that God’s laws are immutable (unchangeable) and eternal, we will continue to be in danger of receiving his wrath. How do we think that we can receive God’s promises and blessings while we disregard his warnings, disrespect his ordinances and, in essence, spit in His face like rebellious teenagers. We’d better wake up and realize who is in authority; and who is not!