The difference between Terrorism and Militia

Saw this on MSNBC today:

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The video states that a "Christian Militia" plotted attacks on the US government in order to bring about the ruin of the government. One such attack involved killing a police officer, then bombing the funeral. This, my friends, is terrorism. A militia provides for the common defense, this seems to be an offense against fellow citizens. The group hides behind a religious front claiming they are preparing for the anti-Christ. This may, or may not be true, but judging by their plan of action against US citizens, I would have to say this is an extremist anarchy group.

The press eats this up, because it is everything they claim we are. A bunch of knuckle dragging, anti-government, gun clinging, bible thumping, flag waving, extremists. Only they seem to have their own flag that they fight under, and the only mention of Christianity is preparing to defend against the anti-Christ. I do not know their heart, so I cannot judge, but this seems extremely cultish.

Be wary of these sorts of things. Though we may not agree with our leaders, God has still placed them over us. There may be a time when we have to fight with arms, to defend our rights, to be free to worship, etc; but as of now, we can fight it in the courts and congress. God is still in control, He has placed people in authority over us, and therefore, we should obey them, until their orders contradict the orders of God. We should pay taxes, give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's. Though it may seem bad and chaotic, in time, it will all make sense. During WWII, I doubt that it seemed to be making sense what was happening, and why things were going the way they were going; however, looking back, it all comes together. Everything happened in just the right way for evil to be stopped, at least for a while. Israel was created once again, and a nation of Israel was set up, so that the prophecies in Revelation could be fulfilled.

Should we fear the anti-Christ? No, we have salvation in Jesus. Who can stand against the awesome power of Christ? Our sins are forgiven, they are washed away, we have been made clean. We are children of God now, not the devil; sin and death have lost their power. Nothing of this world can have affect. Our God is an awesome God, He rescues His people out of darkness. We yearn for the day we can be united with Him in heaven, but until that day, we carry out His work.

Should we prepare? Yes. Hard times are ahead, I believe. Real persecution, like that which is in other countries. Our freedom has granted us an easy life thus far, we are free to worship, we are free to pray, we are not killed by the government for our faith. But that may change. I believe it will, personally. Prepare for that. Memorize scripture, know what you know is true. You must be sure of your faith, you must be sure of who Christ is, you must be sure of your forgiveness from sin. At one time, you might be faced with a choice, deny Christ or die. Remember, to live is Christ, to die is gain. Let the world despise and leave us, they have left our savior too. Let them destroy the body, let them take away the very air we breath, our God is mighty to save, and they cannot harm the soul. I do not believe we can fully prepare for that time of suffering, but I pray that I will have the courage to say "Yes, I do believe in Christ."

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Anonymous said...

Such is life. I accept your condemnation. And for the last time, there is no god. So stop with all this child talk. Grow up, you damn sheep.

No! There is a God! Of this I have no doubt! His love is displayed all around. In creation, in the complexity of life, in the beautiful poem that is His will. The way all these great acts of evil work into good. The way that all the prophecies of the Old Testament concerning Jesus were fulfilled, and the way that the prophecies in Revelation are being fulfilled. The way that each person is created different, but equal. The way that all the different parts of the world work, and fit perfectly with one another. 


Could this be chance? Could this really have happened by coincidence? No, I don't see how it could. There is evidence of a creator in the world. I see it all around. There is evidence of a savior, I feel it every day. Our God is an awesome God. He reveals Himself to us through His word. Who can stand against the Lord? He is almighty, all powerful. Who is greater than our Lord? There is no one. May the name of the Lord be praised. Might are His works! His love for His people is seen throughout history, and even today. The Lord our God is mighty to save, and mighty to forgive. I beg of you, reconsider your position. Do not harden your heart. 

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Anonymous said...

Indeed, you are right. Indeed, you are wrong. I always loved the little proverbs people spit out, they never realize how easily they can be turned around.

I will admit it has been fun entertaining this kinship with you.

For your amusement: I am a devote atheist. I attend a catholic college. Oh, the irony. It makes sense, though. It was being surrounded by fanatics like you that turned me to this path.

My friend, you have no truth. We are all flying around this random star on this weird rock. We dont know where we came from, we dont know where we are going. And we always have to go to the bathroom. Theres no meaning to any of it. Think, if the purpose of life is just for the individual to save himself, even if its through helping others we will still have an eternity of humans accomplishing nothing. No, your way is far too simple, and therefore not truth. I too search for absolute truth, and it is not so easy to find that it is there before we are born.

P.S This will be my last response.
By the way, im only 18.

Mai dimenticata.
Nulla è reale, tutto è lecito.
Arrivederci, mi amico.

 I must say, I am truly saddened by such a world view.I don't see how someone with it could have any hope in life. Could even get up in the morning. Can you honestly believe that this world is all chance? That we are but chance? That nothing happens for a reason? That no one is in control?

"Think, if the purpose of life is just for the individual to save himself, even if its through helping others we will still have an eternity of humans accomplishing nothing." The purpose of life is not to save oneself. That is impossible. The purpose of life is bring glory to God. That is what creation was created for. 


"No, your way is far too simple, and therefore not truth." Yes, it is simple, isn't it? But there is no other way. Nothing can take away our sin, except the blood of Jesus. Why can't simple be truth? Wouldn't a God who loves us, and wants to be with us, make it as easy as possible to be with Him? Wouldn't He do as much work as he could to make His love available to us? I submit that He has gone as far as possible while still giving us the choice between accepting His love, and denying it. 


It is horrible for anyone to go to hell because they did not accept the great love offered them. How much more horrible the one that heard of it repeatedly, who saw it throughout their life, who saw people changed by it, and yet did not accept it! Cursed is that man! I submit it would be better had he never been born, for then he would not have to live with eternal regret for not accepting such a love!

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Anonymous said...

The axiom upon which you rest your beliefs is the problem with your kind. You always deal with absolutes. If you are not good, then you are evil. If you are not with us you are against us.

You can deny it, but it is apparent in everything you have written to me today. And it is at this point where you are simply and utterly wrong.

There is no good or evil. There is no right or wrong. There is no god. It is not a question of belief, but of existence. Just remember, everything is a perspective and people are no more or less for what they believe. I do not see myself as above you because I believe that your beliefs are wrong, just as you should not view yourself as better than those who chose not to follow your path. And since when did I ever claim perfection? Maybe you dont get it, but I dont care what "evil" i do with my life, because no matter how bad it is your judgement and by extension your gods is useless on me.

In the words of Altair:
Nothing is real. Everything is permitted.

Once you understand this paradox then you will see what i see.

Have a nice life. Or whats left of it anyway.

And such is the way of the world. No hope. No sense of right or wrong. Nothing to judge by. What a horrible world to live in! What a horrible world view to live by! If there is no judge, then why do right? If this life is all we get, then why not please yourself? The very fact that this world is not in complete chaos shows that there is a God who cares about us, and restrains us from being taken completely by evil. Who restrains us from our evil desires. Who has given us a conscience.

There are absolute truths. There is right and wrong. It is apparent. There are laws set forth by our creator, and when we follow such laws, things go well for us. When we do not, things go poorly. These laws work because they are good. They are good because they tell us the nature of what God is. They are based off the attributes of God.

I am sorry if I came off as judgmental, I was not trying to do so. I do not look at people as lower than myself  because they do not believe what I believe. The only reason that I talk of such things is because it would be cruelty not to. If you knew how to heal cancer, would you keep it to yourself while you saw those around you suffering? Could you let them continue to suffer even though you knew the secret that would save them? I cannot! Forbid it that anyone should keep such a gift as eternal fellowship with Jesus Christ to themselves! I am not trying to ram it down someones throat, that would be impossible. You can lead a horse to water, yet you cannot make it drink. If it chooses to die of thirst because it refuses to drink of the water, than so be it, but at least you gave it the means to survive.

Christians are not better than those that are around them. We are still human. We still fail. We still fall back into our past addictions, our past patterns, our past sins. So what makes us different? Christ is at work. Christ is changing us. Christ has forgiven all of our past sins, and all of our future sins. But for the grace of God can I stand. In Christ alone is hope. This world has nothing for its people. There is no hope for those that do not have Christ. Christ is everything that we need. I beg of you, do not reject his love anymore. You have heard the truth, you have seen what can save you, it is up to you to drink. We cannot force you to accept rescue, to stop fighting; you must do that. I will be praying for you, my unnamed friend.

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Anonymous continues:

Anonymous said...

Continue as you will. All I say is remember the days of when you were a child, and knew not of death or religion or politics. And remember this, you imply that we had a choice, a free choice, and we chose evil. So allow me to ask, did you chose to be born? Your view implies that there is a time before we are born when we are not evil, so tell me, why is it that your soul chose to be born, if it knew it was to be born evil? If it knew that it was going to return to god, why even go through with life, and the struggle that is accompany to it? Why not stay in the afterlife, or beforelife in this case?

Answer me! Tell me the meaning of life, and maybe then I shall give your damn religion some credit.

We cannot choose to be born, we cannot choose between good or evil. As I have said, we are evil, and are in need of a savior. I did not say that we chose to be evil, it was Adam and Eve that did so at the beginning. However, we are their descendants, and are born separated from God.

I must ask, have you ever lied? Have you ever cheated? Have you ever stolen? Have you ever hated? Have you ever lusted? Such things are not of God, and anything that is not of God is evil. I have stated before, that evil is the absence of God. Since we are born absent from God, we are evil.

You ask the question, why would I soul choose to be born if it knew it would be evil. I tell you that our souls did not exist before we were born. There is no preexistence for creation. We have a definite beginning. God however, is eternal, He has no beginning, and no end. We are created, and therefore, have a point in time when we were created.

I hope this helps answer your questions.

Re: Human Nature

In the comments of my post entitled Human Nature:

Anonymous said...

I respectfully disagree, and believe you are wrong. I am not, nor was I born evil. I am tolerant, and would appreciate that if you believe that humans are naturally evil you apply it only to yourself and not impose it on anyone else. That would be hypocritical.

Now I will be disrespectful and impose me beliefs on you. You believe man is naturally evil, therefore created evil. Yet you believe that your creator loves you though he created you evil. You also believe that heaven is reserved for the good, and hell for the evil. Good and evil, which you define as belief or non-belief in your religion. If that is so then why would your god create you as a low being yet make a way for you to be good? Would it not make more sense that you were created good, for the purpose of doing good in the world, and then have your reward when you die? Of course, you say. It works either way, you say. Except it doesnt. Christianity's basic premise is that Jesus is salvation, and what is he saving you from? Sin, your natural evil. But what tells you that you have sin? It is not imperfection. Imperfection alone does not imply evil, or sin. It is your own Bible that tells you. The Bible says you are evil, and that Jesus is good. One requires the other. It is a self-fulfilling prophecy, and therefore an artificiality.

Thus I submit to you, my convictions.

First, allow me to establish what I believe in regards to man being created. Adam and Eve were created in the image of God. They were created with knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, with dominion over the creatures. When God created man, He made a promise of life with them, on condition of perfect obedience. He forbade them to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil upon the pain of death. Adam and Eve, being left to the freedom of their own will, fell from the perfect state that they were created in by sinning against God. The covenant that God made with them, was not only for them, but for all man kind descending from him by ordinary generation. Therefore, we sinned in him, and fell with him. All descendants of Adam are therefore born into sin.

So, God did not create man evil, He created them perfect. We fell short of His glory. All man kind, by that fall, lost communion with God. Man is under His wrath and curse, and therefore liable to all miseries in this life: to death, and to the pains of hell forever. But God, out of His good pleasure, did not leave us to die. He entered into a covenant of grace to deliver us out of our estate of sin and misery, and to bring us into an estate of salvation, by a redeemer. Our only redeemer is Jesus Christ, who being the eternal Son of God, became man, and so was and continues to be, God and man, in two distinct natures, and one person forever.

Therefore, I submit that we were created good, but we gave it up to serve ourselves. All creation was created for one purpose, and one purpose alone: To bring God glory. When we left to bring glory to ourselves, we became evil. We are now born evil. Every day we sin, anyone who says that they do not sin is either a liar or insane. There is none righteous. Everyone has lied. Everyone has cheated. Everyone has had evil thoughts. Everyone has done evil in the sight of the Lord, even if they have not in the sight of man. I do not need the Bible to tell me that I do wrong. I know it in my heart. The Bible tells me how I can be saved from what I have done.

Human nature

We have all seen the old cartoons where someone is about to make a big decision. On one shoulder, we have an angel, on the other, a devil. Each try and sway the person to the side of good or evil. In the end, one wins out, and the person makes their decision. While this may make a comical visual, it is inaccurate. As humans, we are evil. We don't need a devil on our shoulder fighting with an angel for control of our decisions. We ourselves make horrible, evil choices naturally. What we need is the Holy Spirit to guide us down the right path. 

How often though, that we make the foolish decision, and try to please ourselves! How quickly we forget the great love and mercy shown to us every minute of every day! We are a wretched people, who's very core is corrupt. Everyday, we are reminded that we need a savior, and thankfully, every day, our savior, Jesus, rescues us. With one hand we praise God, and with the other we reject Him. Fortunately, God loved us enough to not only rescue us when we do evil, but to also begin a work within our heart. To change our sinful nature. We will fail Him every day until we go to heaven to be with Him, but His grace and love is everlasting. He will never forsake us. He will always forgive us. Let us praise Him! Let us thank Him! Let us be ready when He calls! Let us serve Him! Here am I, send me!

Some think that we must do good works to be saved. Foolishness! There is nothing we can do that would save us. We all deserve death. Only Jesus can save. Only He can change us. And because of that change, we live for Him. Because of the love shown us, we love others. How foolish to think that we can judge if someone is worthy of God's love! None of us are worthy! None of us deserve love. All of us deserve death and suffering. No one is good. No one is righteous. Therefore, we must take God's love to all people. Do not let a day go by when it is not shown! 

Do you really believe, that what you believe, is really real? When I was first asked that, I had to think for a while. I prayed that God would show me, and thank God, He did. There is no savior except for Jesus. There is no way we can stand without Him. If we truly believe that what we believe is really real, then how can we withhold God's love? How can we keep it to ourselves? We must share with every nation! Do not let a single person leave without knowing God's love. Our God is mighty to save! Praise the Lord oh my soul!