Friday, December 22, 2017
Who invented Santa?
Wednesday, November 22, 2017
Should "Innocent until Proven Guilty" be a thing of the past?
- The minister tells you that, in the absence of any evidence, the accusation will be disregarded. Perhaps he further tells you to be especially careful to never be alone with a child so as to prevent any allegations in the future.
- The minister calls the police.
- The minister tells the parents to call the police.
- The minister tells the parents that they may call the police, but they need to be aware that the Bible warns against false accusations the same way that it warns against sexual misconduct.
- Should the minister now take disciplinary action against you because there are multiple accusations?
- Should the minister now call the police?
- Should the minister now urge the parents to call the police?
- Should the minister maintain that there is still no evidence and remind the parents about the gravity of making false accusations?
Monday, October 2, 2017
How We Know the Signs of the Times are Being Fulfilled
150 years ago, Babylon the Great – all the world’s false religions taken as a conglomerate – was so strong she crowned and removed kings, made laws, punished wrongdoers, and collected taxes. (Revelation 18:1-4) Even in pre-Constitution America, churches were given parishes by the state. They too made laws, collected taxes and punished wrongdoers. Today, there are only ten countries remaining in Europe where the state gives money to the church, and every one of those countries gives taxpayers the right to opt out of supporting the churches. In most countries today churches have no power over politicians and little over the people; in polls taken nowadays "none" is the fastest-growing reply to 'What church do you belong to?' In the United States there is a law - rarely enforced - against churches influencing elections. There is more and more talk about removing the churches' tax-exempt status. The Bible foretells that the governments will soon turn on religion. 150 years ago such a thing was unthinkable. But if religions were outlawed tomorrow there would be very little protest from the general population.
110 years ago, no one would have found it noteworthy for someone or some group to say “Peace and Security!” Peace was the norm right up until World War broke out. When world events in the near future prompt a cry of ‘Peace and Security!’ it will be a significant departure from what we've become used to. (1 Thessalonians 5:3)
100 years ago, if anyone had said, “Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation,” (2 Peter 3:3, 4) it would have been a reasonable question. Anyone who has said it since World War One, however, can be viewed as exactly what the prophecy calls them: ridiculous.
75 years ago, anyone who suggested that man had the potential to ruin the earth would have been locked up in an asylum. (Revelation 11:18) The planet was seen as a huge, self-regulating entity that puny man certainly couldn't harm. That view changed with the detonation of atomic bombs in the 1940s.
60 years ago began what has been called ‘The Golden Age of Terrorism.’ Jesus foretold that the last days would be marked by “fearful sights.” (Luke 21:11) According to Greek scholar A.T. Robertson, the word translated fearful sights means:
“Terrors. This rare word phobêthra is used only here in the N.T. It is from phobeô, to frighten, and occurs only in the plural as here.”
This generation: Jesus said quite explicitly “when you see all these things, know that he is near at the doors…Truly I say to you that this generation will BY NO MEANS pass away until all these things happen.” (Matthew 24:33, 34) Since the things discussed here have stretched over the past 110 years or so, there could be no one person who saw them all. But the word "you" here is plural. Jesus was speaking to a group: those future followers of his he called 'brothers', who did see - and understood that they were seeing - the Sign of the Times beginning in World War One. As they aged they also actively shared their observations, and discussed the significance of them, with other younger 'brothers'. The last possible associates of that generation are now in their fifties or older. BY NO MEANS will they all die before the end comes.
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
Stuff I wish I had known in science class.
Thursday, March 30, 2017
Worldwide Letter-writing Campaign Protests Proposed Religious Ban
“Everyone shall be guaranteed the right to freedom of conscience, to freedom of religious worship, including the right to profess, individually or jointly with others, any religion, or to profess no religion, to freely choose, possess and disseminate religious or other beliefs, and to act in conformity with them.”
From the United States, mailing those six letters to Moscow costs about $7. In some other countries, it could cost a family a significant portion of their monthly income. Yet, based on reports on Facebook, Jehovah’s Witnesses, their friends and business associates are pitching in with a will. Total cost of postage, according to one Facebooker, will be over $55 million, based just on the U.S. rate.
Rochester, NY: Jehovah’s Witnesses plead for freedom, mercy, in Russia crackdown
The University of Missouri’s Religion News Service: Jehovah’s Witnesses Fear Russian Government may Ban Them
Enough is enough! Jehovah’s Witnesses face Ban
If your local news outlet hasn't covered this story, please send them the link to this column.
Tuesday, March 7, 2017
Is Medical Marijuana for Christians?
Marijuana is now legal to use for medical purposes in the majority of states. Some states have also legalized its recreational use. But it is still illegal federally in states that have not legalized it. That means:
- If you work for the federal government, you can’t use
marijuana for any reason.
- If you work at a job regulated by the Federal
Transportation and Safety board, such as truck driver, you can’t use
marijuana. The same is true of many jobs in the healthcare
field.
- Your prescription doesn’t exempt you from employer drug
tests… they can legally fire you if you test positive for marijuana.
- You can’t use it if you live on federal property or
in federally-assisted housing, such as Section 8.
- If you are in a legal marijuana business, accepting credit
card payments via most banks runs you afoul of federal banking laws. And,
of course, you can’t take any business deductions on your federal taxes,
since the IRS considers your business illegal.
- Distribution to minors;
- Marijuana revenue going to criminal enterprises, gangs
or cartels;
- Diverting marijuana from states where it is legal to
other states;
- Running a marijuana business as a cover for an illegal
business, such as illegal drugs;
- Violence or the use of firearms in connection with a
marijuana business;
- Contributing to drugged driving or other adverse public
health risks;
- Growing cannabis on public (federal) lands;
- Using marijuana products on federal property.
Bill K. Underwood is the author of several books, all available at Amazon.com. You can help support this page by purchasing one of his books.
Thursday, February 23, 2017
Spread the Word: Transfusion is NOT a "Lifesaving Procedure."
Transfused |
Not Transfused |
Average hospital stay = 11 days |
Average hospital stay = 9 days |
Re-admitted within 90 days = 38% |
Re-admitted within 90 days = 29% |
Mortality = 11% |
Mortality = 4% |
And here’s the big one:
Overall 5-year survival rate was 33% higher among those patients not transfused. And the cancer-specific survival rate was a whopping 39% higher among those who had bloodless surgery!
- Blood Transfusions in Patients Undergoing PCI Linked With Adverse CVD Outcomes
- “Observational studies examining patient adverse outcomes associated with blood transfusion.”
- Blood transfusions still overused and may do more harm than good in some patients
- Fewer transfusions means better patient outcomes, lower mortality
- Minimizing Transfusions to Reduce Cost, Improve Outcomes
- What’s behind the decline in blood transfusions?
- Critical Care Patients Benefit From Restrictive Transfusion Strategy
“Jehovah’s Witnesses who refused blood transfusions while undergoing cardiac surgery were significantly less likely to need another operation for bleeding compared with non-Witnesses who were transfused. They were also less likely to suffer a post-op heart attack or kidney failure.”
“Blood transfusions are a common and often lifesaving procedure.”
"Blood transfusions are a religion. They have never been safety- or efficacy-tested," he said. "Drug options are carefully tested and regulated through prospective, randomized double-blind testing, but blood transfusion stands apart in that it has predominantly been believed to be helpful and evolved as a pillar of modern medicine."