Abortion
http://www.queenofpeace.ca/Abortion_The_Legacy." title="http://www.queenofpeace.ca/Abortion_The_Legacy." target="_blank"http://www.queenofpeace.ca/Ab...htm
The Dangers of the Ouija Board by Dan Corner
| Permission to reproduce this article is hereby granted, but only in its entirety, including author's name and ministry address at the end of the article, and without any alterations. One of the chief tools used in divination is the Ouija Board. Though Parker Brothers (those who manufacture it) would suggest that this is merely a game used for entertainment purposes, this occultic tool leads to spiritual darkness. It is described as such: A board and pointer used for divination and by some as a means to contact spirits or entities. The name comes from the French and German words for "yes," oui and ja (ja is mispronounced with a hard "j"). Critics of the Ouija, who include authorities in most denominations of Christianity, say it is dangerous and a tool of the Devil. Advocates say that it, like other forms of divination, is a legitimate means to discover insight, wisdom, and self-truths and to communicate with discarnate beings. The board includes letters of the alphabet, numerals 0 through 9, the words "yes" and "no," and a heart-shaped pointer on three felt-tipped legs. One or two people place their fingertips on the pointer, which moves to answer questions. In most cases answers probably rise up from the subconsciousness of the users, even when "spirits" identify themselves and give messages. However, Ouija pointers have been known to fly off the board and spin out of control, as though being directed by unseen forces, and some users claim to be harassed by external agents contacted through the board. Precursors to the Ouija date back to ancient times. In China before the birth of Confucius (c. 551 B.C.), similar instruments were used to communicate with the dead. In Greece during the time of Pythagoras (c. 540 B.C.) divination was done with a table that moved on wheels to point to signs, which were interpreted as revelations from the "unseen world." The rolling table was used through the nineteenth century. Other such devices were used by the ancient Romans as early as the third century A.D., and in the thirteenth century by the Mongols. Some Native Americans used "squdilatc boards" to find missing objects and persons, and obtain spiritual information. In 1853 the planchette came into use in Europe. It consisted of a triangular or heart-shaped platform on three legs, one of which was a pencil. The medium or user moved the device over paper to draw pictures and spell out messages.(1) NOTE: The Ouija board, like other forms of divination, has been used in an attempt to contact the dead (necromancy), which is clearly condemned by the Bible: Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the LORD your God. The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so (Deut. 18:10-14). All other forms of sorcery are clearly denounced in Scripture as well. Those that refuse to listen to God regarding this command are mentioned in the follow Scripture: But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars-their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death (Rev. 21:8). Their only hope is to find forgiveness by turning from this form of wickedness to the true and living God through Jesus Christ. See Acts 20:21. Ouija Popularity Around WW I The Ouija enjoyed enormous popularity during and after World War I, when many people were desperate to communicate with loved ones killed in the war and Spiritualism was in a revival. In 1966 Fuld sold his patent to Parker Brothers game company of Beverly, Massachusetts. Interest in the Ouija picked up again in the 1960s and 1970s, along with renewed interest in the occult and supernatural. Parker Brothers stresses that the Ouija is a game for entertainment purposes.(2) Demon Possession and The Ouija Board People know not what they do when they dabble in the occult, even innocently. By doing such they open themselves up to many spiritual dangers that normally would never occur, one of which is demon possession. Such has been linked to the Ouija board: Some demonologists say the Ouija opens the door to possession by evil spirits ....(3) Some evil spirits first contacted by the Ouija board has led to a deeper involvement and bondage in the occult. Jane Roberts, Seth and Others Some critics contend that such contact is inherently dangerous, and that any beings who communicate through such a device are likely to be demonic and attempt to possess the user .... The entity Seth, popularized by the writings of Jane Roberts in the 1960s and 1970s, initiated his communication with Roberts through a Ouija board. The communication then rapidly progressed to direct automatic writing with a pen and then into a trance mediumship in which Seth allegedly used Roberts' vocal cords to speak. The Ouija also served as the initial means of communication with alleged spirits of the dead in 1913 for Pearl Curran (see WORTH, PATIENCE), and in 1919 for Stewart Edward White and his wife, Betty. The Whites spent 17 years studying Betty's mediumship with a group of discarnate beings who called themselves "the Invisibles." After initial contact was made through the Ouija, Betty began using automatic writing and then trance mediumship, in which the spirits allegedly used her own vocal cords.(4) The Lie Will Continue to go Forth Be assured, that for the many that are misinformed, the Ouija board will continue to be accepted as a mere game for entertainment purposes: Ouija A device marketed as a game in which answers to questions are divined.(5) The Ouija Board is Unsafe and Even Used in Seances! While the Ouija board remains popular and is sold commercially as a "game," it has been attacked both by critics of the occult and those within the occult community who consider it unsafe. Some mediums claim to have started with the board and "discovered" their psychic abilities as a result of using it.(6) Ouija board, in occultism, a device ostensibly used for obtaining messages from the spirit world, usually employed by a medium during a séance.(7) So what is a seance? And why would an occultic medium be using a harmless game for entertainment purposes there? seance A sitting organized for the purpose of receiving spirit communications or paranormal manifestations via the services of a medium .... A seance is immediate and powerful, playing upon the sitters' sensibilities with a drama that no other occult reading can match. But to the initiated, the seance can open the doorway to a mysterious other world.(8) WARNING! Have NOTHING to do with the occult or Spiritism in any form. Do NOT dabble with what God has expressly forbidden. If you already have, pray a sincere prayer to God asking Him to forgive you for your grievous sins. Also pray a prayer of renunciation, that is, renouncing this and all involvement in the occult. If you already own an Ouija board, remove it from your house and burn it publicly. This is how some first-century sorcerers treated their scrolls and thereby proved their repentance toward God: A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas (Acts 19:19). Please WARN as many as you can about the Ouija board. This dangerous occulic device not only can lead to demon possession, but even eternal damnation in the lake of fire. Remember what God says about those that practice the magic arts, even if under the guise of a harmless game for entertainment purposes: Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you (Deut.18:12). Anyone means anyone, even a person previously saved. Endnotes 1. Rosemary Ellen Guiley, Harper's Encyclopedia of Mystical & Paranormal Experience (NY: Harper San Francisco, 1991), pp. 418, 419. 2. Ibid., p. 419. 3. Ibid. 4. Rosemary Ellen Guiley, The Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits (New York, NY: Facts On File, Inc., 1992), p. 240. 5. Ibid., p. 239. 6. Encyclopedia of Occultism & Parapsychology, Edited by J. Gordon Melton (Detroit, MI: Gale Research, 1996), p. 966. 7. The New Encyclopædia Britannica, Vol. 9, (Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 1997), p. 11. 8. Guiley, The Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits, pp. 298, 299. -- To unsubscribe from this list, click here: http://www.standingontherock.org/mod/massmail/remove.php?u=627ba26a7ad433c6" title="http://www.standingontherock.org/mod/massmail/remove.php?u=627ba26a7ad433c6" target="_blank"http://www.standingontherock.... |
My Brother, My Sister & Myself
Hi, not sure as to how often I am going to get to the blog. Have a few health problems. Had a blood test done recently my 4th actually, and the Thyroxine is down this time, well and truly down which explains the tiredness etc. There is also a problem with a muscle in or near my groin, which is causing me some concern. My twin sister Jeanette had all the tests done and they all came back clear. It is in the emotional, mental, spiritual, and now through to the physical. Will be going soon, I am hoping to hear from the Fremantle Clinic for counselling and for change in medication if it is necessary. PSTD. The pain from this muscle is causing stress and the middle section of my back is inflamed, it is wasting away, dx in 1975, so it does flare up now and then.
Was playing with my old hockey stick and a tennis ball with Benji my dog, that was alright, it was hitting the dirt when I missed the ball. Yes, missed it twice and that too, could have jarred the back. Bought recently too a large ball , which is light to play with Benji and I had great fun with that. Poor thing hasn't had much fun since, that was Monday and have had to take it easy since then. Today was the first day I managed to play with the large ball with him.
My brother has problems with his low back, severe pain from crushed nerves, is not able to sit down for long, or stand around for long, even laying down he is in pain. Bob is on strong painkiller and on Muralax as well. He is hoping to have an operation at the end of the year. He does know Jesus and goes to church reguarly. Please keep us all in prayer for we are needing it right now anyone who reads this put us on your prayer list. Bob, Jeanette & Jennifer. Thank you.
Book On Byron's Family
Date: Sun, 16 Jul 2006 22:26:03 -0230
If you'd like to learn more about it, just go to:
Why Jesus is the only waty to union with God
| "I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE"...John 14:6a Why Jesus is the Only Way to Union with God Almost everyone has heard that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except by Him. And no one can come to him, unless the Father draws them; but they must come to the Father through the example, teachings, and help of Christ, including the mystical missing cross. But make no mistake, he is not a license to continue in an unholy lifestyle; whatever label people claim, they must be holy to have any part of him. "Christians" who claim they can live an ungodly life on the technicality that they call Christ "Lord," or have been immersed in water, are a stumbling block to any thinking soul; and they besmirch his Holy Name. To be Lord, his Spirit or Love must control our thoughts, words, and actions; replacing the Spririt of flesh that controls our thoughts, words, and actions. (You tender hearted souls, who thought he was, but still wish him to be your Lord, will find encouragement on how your faith can still bring you to him and his Kingdom, below on this page.) His teachings are the ultimate in the way to become holy and become one with God; i.e., he said: So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsake not all that he has, he cannot be my disciple. Luke 14,v33 And whosoever does not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. Luke 14,v27 He that finds his life shall lose it, and he that loses his life for my sake shall find it. Matthew 10,v39 Of all the guides and teachers in history, Christ stands far above in holiness and perfection. His death on the cross is the physical example that we must spiritually follow to find God, to have God dwell in us, to be with God, to have union with Christ and the Father, while on earth, and to live with Him now and forever. Some may not know that Christ created the universe. Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. "For by him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together - so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself (God the Father) all things, whether things on earth or in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross." Col.1,v14-20 Jesus was not a man of war like Mohammed and Krishna; nor was Jesus just another man like Buddha who became enlightened. He walked the earth as a man, but before and after his earthly life, he reigned in the heavens, King of the Angels, creator of all things, including the heavens and earth and all in it. Although he ruled the heavens, he stripped himself of his glory and godhood to humble himself, becoming human form to dwell in a tabernacle of flesh; so that he could reconcile man back to the Father through love; the ultimate gift, his life, for the errant children of his creation. But he seeks to reconcile as first fruits, only those followers who wish to become like him, in union with him - because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. John says: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men..The true light that gives light to every man coming into the world." John 1,v1-9. So the Light is Christ. The Light that many meditation-based religions seek. So, since he created us, it stands to reason that he is the one to reconcile us back to himself and to the Father. But the Father is logical. He doesn't just make a rule unless it is necessary. I can accept the rule, but I always wondered why good people from other faiths were not able to be "saved." Somehow it just didn't seem fair when people from other faiths often exhibited far more peace, less materialism, and more wisdom than 'christians.' Let me share with you what I have been told in my meditations: First, remember Christ is the light that enlightens all men. Remember the Spirit of God has been poured out on all mankind. So, people from some other faiths can get very spiritual in meditation; like all men, they have the spirit within them chained down waiting for liberation from prison. They can become far more enlightened and more spiritual than "christians" of the various "christian" deficit sects. Often they reject materialism, they are more loving, more peaceful, they tend to be more giving, call for more holiness from their believers, and are more respectful of God. They find Jesus to be unacceptable because of the lifestyle of the typical "christian." As reported, when Gandhi was asked why he couldn't accept Jesus, he said, "I too will become a Christian, when I meet a Christian like Jesus." The Light in all men, which is the only teacher anyone needs, will eventually reveal its' identity as Christ to some such individuals in their meditations. They then have the choice whether to accept him or not. Unfortunately they usually decline because of their loyalty to the teachings of their faith and because of the poor record of 'christians' around them and throughout history. They may live a very peaceful life where they don't judge good vs. evil, but they are stuck there. They cannot get to total union with God, unless they accept Christ - the only way to be carried over the chasm. Rejecting Christ, they have thrown the proverbial baby out with the dirty bath water. They have rejected Christ because of "churchianity." So if he reveals himself to you, this is not the Jesus of the deficit sects, who claim him as an excuse for an unholy lifestyle, but this is the Light, Christ. He said, I am the light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. Christ has all power in heaven and earth. Christ said to, "pray that you will have the strength to stand before the Son of Man." It refers to conviction. While sitting quietly waiting on the Lord, (meditation), which is necessary to attain purity, the Light shows you the evil that is in your heart. Your tendency is to deny it and to run from the light which shows you your condition. Christ is your excuse for the unholy thing you are, and your lifeline to stay or "stand," (not flee). You can't do it without him; it is too humiliating to accept without knowing that he died to be your savior and helper; he says PEACE, don't worry. He is your pass for being the way you are as you seek his help to change. So without the knowledge of a friend and savior, your meditations only go so far, because you draw back in fear of yourself compared to God. So, if you are meditating, and you see something ugly about yourself, don't draw back; recognize it is the Light showing you your condition, and it is doing this to help you be rid of it and become a better person; and that Christ has died for you so that you need not panic and draw away, but remain to focus on the Light that shows you your condition; you too can claim his help by just believing in his name. And then, just when you don't expect it, strength will come; and whatever you have been shown, you will have strength to be different from then on. See Meditations for details on the lost way to union with God. With love and sorrow I must say that if you are a 'christian' and have not died to self on the missing cross, at judgment you too will flee. Without having mortified the deeds and habits of the flesh, you have no part of Him; and when you see yourself contrasted to what he wanted you to become, you will flee and feel betrayed by you ministers, teachers, priest, and pastors . For without holiness, none shall see God. Hebrews 12,v14 You were sold a false grace. You have been cheated from knowing that you could live in the Kingdom of Heaven within you, while on earth, which does not come with visible signs; instead they lied, telling you the world is going to be destroyed, and everyone is going to die but you and other "believers." So that I am not the only purveyor of disappointment, remember Jesus said in Matthew 7,v22: "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in your name have cast out devils? and in your name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity." To be known by Him, you have to sit quietly so that he, the Light and the Word, can teach you about himself and search you heart to show you your condition; and then change you to become like Him. But if you are tender, this fleeing does not have to happen to you. Your faith can still save you. Do not fear, you can experience the joy of real fellowship with Christ. I am not recruiting for any sect. I seek no followers; you have no need of any teacher but Christ. I do not want your money. Everything on this site is free. Nothing is for sale. I only want you to know the freedom from the distress of sin. I want you to know that you can be so filled with love, that you go through the rest of you life obsessed with loving others and loving God. You can be full of joy and peace. You can know the Father. You can become pure in heart and see God. You can have the Kingdom of God and the glorious Christ established in your heart. But, you must pick up you cross daily and crucify your flesh's affections and lusts, to be with Christ. Be of good courage and have faith, for the cross is light and easy. The cross simply is : you sit quietly in meditation every day- a cross to your will you obey his commands that you hear in meditation - a cross to your will you admit and regret what the Light shows your condition to be - a cross to your will If you've arrived at this site, still curious why Jesus is the only way, I have a challenge for you. Pick up a Bible (or click) and read the book of Matthew; it won't take long. If you've been seeking, it will ring beyond true. If you like it, read the book of John next. I believe you will find Christ's teachings so superior to anything you have read, that you will want to learn more; this happened to me. The "christians" of today are not examples of his teachings. The different deficit sects fight over the interpretation of the recorded words of the saints, without seeking the same Spirit that spoke the words; as he told me, "they fight over the husks, without discovering the grain." Instead look through the rest of this site, including Coming out of the World, Meditation, and Christian Freedom; and read the main attraction on this site, the Letters and Journal of George Fox, the original Quaker, who in the 17th century in England led hundreds of thousands to holiness and oneness with God; this people exhibited their moral ethnicity while they testified against all the "deficit sects" of christiandom as Godless. And they were reviled and persecuted for it; Just as Jesus predicted would happen to his true followers! Christ came so we could be one, with Him and the Father, on the earth in this life; so we could enjoy the Kingdom of Heaven here and now, after we go to him for his purification. He did not come to be a justification for continuing a Godless life on a technicality. No, he wants us to come to him so he can show us our condition; and by us repenting and obeying his commands, he purifies us until he and the Father come to establish their Kingdom in our hearts and dwell in us as our Lord and God, all by grace: For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Titus 2, v11-14 You might be asking, how could this be true? Everyone believes that there is nothing I have to do but believe in Jesus, and maybe get baptized in water. The answer is in the Bible; countless examples in the history of Israel where they forgot the requirements of righteousness and became comfortable in their flesh. In cycles, a prophet would arise, point out their universal error and then get persecuted or killed; then they got punished, they repented and lived correctly; they drifted back into a false religion. The same thing happened in the early church. After a few hundred years, the false doctrines became universal. Then 1200 years later, the Quakers arose to reestablish the true church of Christ; then the Quakers devolved into a deficit sect in the early 1800's. Read George Fox's Journal, and you will know for sure; just as they were surrounded by godless deficit sects, so are we today in an age of prevalent apostasy: false prophets, wolves in sheep's clothing, blind guides, minster's asking for your money, countless thousands of blind ministers taught by colleges instead of Christ, millions of blind followers in the ditch, and the missing cross. In response to a question, would many be saved? Christ said, "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many will go in there: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads unto life, and few will find it." Paul said, "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling (quaking)." So salvation is not as easy as you have been led to believe. You have been unintentionally misled. Your blind guides were also misled by their blind teachers. It is easy to go with the herd; but beware, for Paul said, They that are in the flesh cannot please God. Christ is eager to help you enter by the narrow gate and for you to receive his Kingdom; but you must go to him. You must go to Him for the purpose of loosing your fleshly life to gain your spiritual life; to attain purity through his grace and your faith in the power of the true gospel, the power of the cross, and the power of his name, Jesus Christ; all the power of God. Remember, all things work together for good for those who love God, to them who are called according his purpose. You have nothing to worry about. Even the things you did wrong in your life, worked to bring you to God, to be reunited with Him, to learn to love, to learn of God's love for you, to love God, to be loved by God, to become a son of love, to become love too. If you love Him, you will seek Him by going to him and getting quiet to hear his very soft voice. "Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46 v10 Be a part of restoring his Holy name within the world. -- To unsubscribe from this list, click here: http://www.standingontherock.org/mod/massmail/remove.php?u=627ba26a7ad433c6" title="http://www.standingontherock.org/mod/massmail/remove.php?u=627ba26a7ad433c6" target="_blank"http://www.standingontherock.... |
Residents leave en masse
Residents leave Nahariya en masse in response to attack
Posted by: "News-M" news@mideastweb.org ami_iss
Thu Jul 13, 2006 2:19 am (PST)
Residents leave Nahariya en masse in response to attack
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/738168.html" title="http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/738168.html" target="_blank"http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/...
By Jack Khoury, Haaretz Correspondent
Nahariya residents began to leave the northern border city en masse Thursday
after a deadly Katyusha rocket attack killed a 40-year-old woman and wounded
29 others.
Dozens of families were seen packing their belongings in the city's Green
Naharyia neighborhood and making their way south to escape the reach of
Hezbollah's rockets.
Local resident Rivka Vekart described the incident in which her neighbor was
killed, saying she was thrown off her balcony from the rocket's impact.
"Am ambulance came and started to search for the woman outside her house but
didn't find her until she was found a floor beneath," Vekart said. "We don't
know what to do but one thing is for sure: We shall not leave. We weren't
scared in the past and they won't scare us now."
Meanwhile, Israel Defense Forces ordered residents of communities up to 15
kilometers from the Lebanese border to take shelter in local bunkers.
Muslim Woman calls Violent Islam barbaric
MUSLIM WOMAN CALLS VIOLENT ISLAM BARBARIC
Recently, Syrian-American psychiatrist Dr. Wafa Sultan was interviewed by Al Jazeera. Since then, her interview has been viewed on the internet more than a million times and is circulating around the globe via e-mail. She is also receiving death threats for it.
What Sultan said has shaken the Muslim world. She claims the world has not been seeing a clash of religions or cultures, but a battle between modernity and barbarism, a battle she believes the forces of violent Islam are destined to lose.
Islamic reformers have praised her for saying out loud, in Arabic and on the most widely seen television network in the Arab world, what few Muslims dare to say even in private. When subsequently interviewed by the New York Times (NYT) following her Al Jazeera interview, Sultan compared how differently Jews and Muslims have reacted to adversity. Regarding the Holocaust, she said, "The Jews have come from their tragedy and forced the world to respect them, with their knowledge, not with their terror; with their work, not with their crying and yelling."
She continued, "We have not seen a single Jew blow himself up in a German restaurant. We have not seen a single Jew destroy a church. We have not seen a single Jew protest by killing people. Only the Muslims defend their beliefs by burning down churches, killing people and destroying embassies. This path will not yield any results. The Muslims must ask themselves what they can do for humankind, before they demand that humankind respect them." Sultan is, she told the NYT, "working on a book that, if it is published, it's going to turn the Islamic world upside down. I have reached the point that doesn't allow any U-turn. I have no choice. I am questioning every single teaching of our holy book."
Now an American citizen, Sultan said her mother, who still lives in Syria, is afraid to contact her directly. But she is not afraid. "I have no fear," she told the NYT. "I believe in my message. It is like a million-mile journey, and I believe I walked the first and hardest 10 miles".
Source: Assist News Service
Aboginal Communities
GANG WARS AND POLITICS ARE TEARING SOME ABORIGINAL COMMUNITIES APART
Even the gang leaders have voiced concern. "Somebody's going to die," said one of the leaders of the Evil Warriors. "What can we do? That other mob attacks us with rocks, boulders, spears and anything else they can get hold of."
Wadeye, formerly the Catholic mission of Port Keats, has been plagued by warring gangs for years but recently the violence has started to increase.
"Our cry is for help," said one woman. "Seeing what's happening, my eyes are never dry. I hear the screams at night . terrified women and children . It has never been like this before. Our kids are not safe." She blamed the problem on the lack of police and a lack of resources. "When there's trouble around here and I call the police to come and protect my mob they never come," she said. "Where are the resources that the politicians kept promising us?"
Almost half of Wadeye's 2500 people are under 15 and cannot speak English. Life expectancy is 20 years less than that of non-indigenous Australians and an acute housing shortage - set to worsen over the next 20 years - means an average of 20 people to a house. The camps, created in response to the recent bouts of violence, lend an air of Third World poverty to the town.
Wadeye's only doctor said the violence had put the town's 1300 children at risk. "Australia should be ashamed at what's happening in remote indigenous communities," h e said. "We as Australians need to stand up with these people to reclaim their town from the groups that are trying to destroy it." He said the Health Department had told him not to speak about a six year-old rape victim.
Wadeye's problems have also created tensions in the Northern Territory Government, with questions being asked about the Territory's discretionary spending of federal grants earmarked for remote communities. An internal Government paper suggests that federal money that is supposed to be spent in remote communities is being redirected to projects that mostly benefit non-indigenous people, such as a $160 million wharf convention complex in Darwin.
The average Territory child gets double the education funding than a child from Wadeye, a recent report found. The co-principal of Wadeye's school, said only about 100 of the community's 880 children of school age were turning up for classes. "We need outside help . not Band-Aid solutions, but real help," he said. "There is sheer frustration here. Everybody's scared."
Source: Compiled by the APN from edited media reports
What Comes After Hamas?
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid =1150885912248&" title="http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid =1150885912248&" target="_blank"http://www.jpost.com/servlet/...;pagename=JPost%2FJPArtic le%2FShowFull
What comes after Hamas?
Most analysts of Israel's military campaign in Gaza mention the ultimate goal of bringing down the Hamas government, beyond, of course, releasing the kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit.
The arrests of more than 80 Hamas activists, parliamentarians and members of the Palestinian Authority government, together with pushing much of its Gaza leadership underground, is aimed at making the PA government non-existent and non-functional. Israel's media has even suggested that Fatah leaders support these moves to dismount the Hamas leadership. Israel has also announced that no one "involved in terrorism" has immunity and that even the Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh could be a legitimate target.
The reactions of the international community to the arrests have been muted. Attempts to condemn Israel in the Security Council failed; the US and most EU countries have expressed displeasure with Israel's Gaza moves, but little more than that. That is not to suggest that the same limited response would be given if Israel were to assassinate Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders.
While the Foreign Ministry claims there is no separation between the political and military wings of Hamas, IDF intelligence and the Shin Bet all speak of separate wings with separate commanders. They say Haniyeh has no influence over the military wing of Hamas. There are those who even question whether the Damascus-based Hamas political leader Khaled Mashaal has control over the military wing. Mashaal claims he does not.
The attack on Kerem Shalom was probably not ordered by Mashaal and the politburo in Damascus. Mashaal probably only learned about it after the fact and exploited it to make gains on the ground in Gaza. There is no doubt that the kidnapping of Shalit is popular among Palestinians who see it as the one hope of getting their prisoners - some 10,000 - released from Israeli prisons. They know that Israel gave in to Hizbullah and its leader Hassan Nasrallah and exchanged hundreds of prisoners for the bodies of three soldiers. So why not hope that a live soldier would yield an even better return?
ISRAEL IS trapped. If the IDF and the intelligence services cannot locate the hiding place of the kidnappers and if a military raid to secure Shalit's release cannot be undertaken, the option of negotiations becomes more than real. But if Israel does negotiate with the kidnappers, we are almost guaranteed there will be copycat kidnappings every week. So with this on the radar screens, Israel has set the course to bring down the Hamas government. It sounds good and it certainly would have the support of Washington, but what happens after the Hamas government is brought down?
Can PA President Mahmoud Abbas take over? Can he declare a state of emergency and then appoint a Fatah-led government? Would any Palestinian anywhere think that the new government had any real legitimacy? Could Israel step in and reoccupy the territories and take responsibility for governing them? Is Israel ready to take that responsibility? Is Israel ready to ask the international community to step in and take over governing responsibilities? Is the international community ready to do that?
The answer to all of these questions is no. If Israel does bring down the Hamas government, the most likely scenario will be one of total anarchy and chaos. No one will be able to rule and no one will be safe - not Palestinians and not Israelis.
The kidnapping of Gilad Shalit has placed the Hamas leadership, Abbas and Israel into the same trap. No one wants to be there and no one knows how to get out. While Israel would like to exploit the situation for military gains against other targets, such as the Kassam rockets, a military invasion of Gaza on a large scale is not likely to achieve that goal. Some right-wing leaders, such as Effi Eitam, have suggested the wholesale extermination of the Hamas leadership. Others, including the justifiably frustrated mayor of Sderot, Eli Moyal, have suggested making Beit Hanun and Beit Lahiya uninhabitable. While Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Amir Peretz would probably enjoy higher popularity ratings if they accepted those insane and morally anti-Jewish and bankrupt ideas, Israel would push itself further into the corner of doom with absolutely no way out.
THE POLITICAL tragedy of the current situation is that all of the leaders have so far come out losers: Olmert, Peretz, Abbas and even Haniyeh. Even Khaled Mashaal, who was at first boosted in popularity, mostly because Israelis gave him more credit than he deserves for the Kerem Shalom attack, is now on the losing side, because he doesn't really control what is happening in Gaza.
In the short run, what is most important is bringing Shalit home safely. In the long run, what is most important is leaving opportunities open for rebuilding stability and future negotiations. Without stability and the ability to return to negotiations, there can be no realignment and Israel will be further doomed to hold on to territories that it no longer wants to hold.
It is very interesting that there is no word in Hebrew for "de-escalation" - maybe that is one of the reasons why it is so difficult to design and implement. Both sides need a ladder to come down from their positions. The only rational course of action that can save lives - including the life of Gilad Shalit - is to find a way to reach a bilateral cease-fire that would include a prisoner release. The release of prisoners would be conditional on adherence to the cease-fire and not linked to the kidnapping. The killing of hundreds of Palestinians, even if they support Hamas, will not help Israel's strategic situation. If Hamas is brought to its knees, Israel will have to face Islamic Jihad and al-Qaida or worse. Killing Palestinians and humiliating them has never created Palestinian moderation. There is still a choice that can be made. There are no guarantees, but taking a risk on a cease-fire that will release Shalit seems a lot better price to pay than every other possible alternative.
The writer is co-CEO of the Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information.
Gush Katif Expellees:
A Knesset committee has learned the gravity of the plight of the expelled families, via a report detailing their psychological, emotional and family problems.
The report, prepared by the Land of Israel Legal Forum, was submitted on Tuesday [July 4] to a Knesset committee that deals with the expelled families of Gush Katif and northern Shomron. It talks of sociological and emotional problems, the most extreme of which are: youths who cut their hands and veins, youths who required hospitalization in psychiatric wards, dozens of divorce proceedings, and a high percentage of cardiac incidents and other serious diseases.
The legal forum, which has been accompanying the expellees free-of-charge for over a year and a half, included its own recommendations for speedy and efficient handling of the issues.
One of the participants at the Knesset session was Rachel Yechieli, a volunteer social worker with the youth of Gush Katif. Born in Gush Katif herself, she lived in Moshav Katif when she was thrown out in the framework of the Disengagement.
She told Arutz-7's Hebrew newsmagazine: "Everyone sees and agrees that the emotional situation is very grave, and the bottom line is that no one was prepared in advance–not SELA nor anyone else. I meet with the youth and hear their problems–such as drugs which we never had before, but which have now increased many times over, very difficult psychological problems of my friends and acquaintances, and more and more."
Asked if it is truly important to go into such detail of the problems, Rachel said, "Of course it's important! This is the best proof that the government was not prepared in advance, and didn't know how to treat these problems. If the treatment would have been offered right away, and if they would have listened to us in advance, I believe that most of the problems would not have happened."
Rachel said that "lots of data were presented at the committee session, but no clear answers. Some groups are trying to help, including some municipal councils–but they have to lay out money and take a chance that they will receive budgetary allocations some time in the future. This is not the way things should be run in a normal country."
(By Arutz Sheva, July 5, 2006)
PRAYER FOCUS
Pray that the emotional suffering sustained by the settlers will be given a major priority by the Israel government and those who deal with trauma.
SCRIPTURE
"In my distress I called upon the LORD, Yes, I cried to my God; and from His temple He heard my voice, and my cry for help came into His ears” (2 Samuel 22:7).
God works for the Good
Those who love God and are called according to his purpose."
–Romans 8:28
"I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you
Hope and a good future." –Jeremiah 29:11
I have heard the passage from Romans 8 many times, and often people
Misinterpret it. I have heard people use this verse to say that God
Caused their suffering for some reason. This is a wrong and
Fatalistic interpretation of what Paul the Apostle wrote. Let's
Read it carefully:
1. It does not say that God causes all things. God is the
Creator of all things, but we are given free will to make choices,
Both good and bad. Choices have consequences, and sometimes we
Suffer.
2. It does say that God causes all things to work together for
Good! This means that God can take to circumstances of your life
And use them together as opportunities for good, for growth, for
Healing, etc.
3. It does not say that the "good" is what you want. God has
Never promised to give you what you want, but only what you need.
4. It does say that the "good" is according to God's purpose
And plan for your life. God can use the good and the bad, the
Pleasure and the pain, the ease and the frustration, working them
Together to help lead you and grow you into the future God has
Planned for you.
Bringing It Home:
1. Has life brought you some difficult times? Are you having
Trouble seeing how any or all of your life can be working towards
Good? Run to God in prayer, seeking God's wisdom and guidance to
Help you get through your difficulties, so that you can be blessed
And emerge stronger on the other side.
2. We often need others to help us see bad times as
Opportunities for growth and change. Who can help you see this? Go
To them and ask them to help you seize the moment for God and thus
For good.
3. Commit the passage from Jeremiah to memory. Say it often to
Give yourself the assurance of God's goodness and his intention to
Bless you through good and bad circumstances.
Prayer:
Lord God, many times all I can see is the trouble and the pain in my
Life. Help me to see the good and help me to take my life as it is
Today and grow spiritually through everything I am experiencing.
Give me faith, patience in suffering, and hope. Amen.
love Joann
Children In Church
Children in Church
A little boy was attending his first wedding. After the service, his
cousin asked him, "How many women can a man marry"?
Sixteen," the boy responded.
His cousin was amazed that he had an answer so quickly.
How do you know that"?
Easy," the little boy said. "All you have to do is add it up, like the
Bishop said, 4 better, 4 worse, 4 richer, 4 poorer."
After a church service on Sunday morning, a young boy suddenly announced
to his mother, "Mom, I've decided to become a minister when I grow up."
That's okay with us, but what made you decide that"?
Well," said the little boy, "I have to go to church on Sunday anyway,
and I figure it will be more fun to stand and yell, than to sit and listen"
A six-year-old was overheard reciting the Lord's Prayer at a church
service, "And forgive us our trash passes, as we forgive those who passed
trash against us."
A boy was watching his father, a pastor, write a sermon.
"How do you know what to say"? he asked.
"Why, God tells me."
Oh, then why do you keep crossing things out"?
A little girl became restless as the preacher's sermon dragged on and on
Finally, she leaned over to her mother and whispered, "Mommy, if we give
him the money now, will he let us go"?
After the christening of his baby brother in church, little Johnny sobbed
all the way home in the back seat of the car. His father asked him three
times what was wrong.
Finally, the boy replied, "That priest said he wanted us brought up in a
Christian home, and I want to stay with you guys!"
Terri asked her Sunday School class to draw pictures of their favorite
Bible stories. She was puzzled by Kyle's picture, which showed four people
on an airplane, so she asked him which story it was meant to represent.
"The Flight to Egypt," was his reply.
Pointing at each figure, Ms. Terri said, "That must be Mary, Joseph, and
Baby Jesus. But, who is the fourth person"?
"Oh, that's Pontius the pilot."
The Sunday School teacher asks, "Now, Johnny, tell me frankly do you say prayers before eating"?
"No sir," little Johnny replies, "I don't have to. My Mom is a good cook"
Pastor Dave Charlton tells us, "After a worship service at First Baptist
Church in Newcastle, Kentucky, a mother with a fidgety seven-year old boy
told me how she finally got her son to sit still and be quiet. About
halfway through the sermon, she leaned over and whispered, "If you don't be
quiet, Pastor Charlton is going to lose his place and will have to start
his sermon all over again!"
It worked!
Background Briefing on Situation in West Papua
BACKGROUND BRIEFING ON SITUATION IN WEST PAPUA
Tears of the Oppressed recently&n bsp;hosted West Papuan Baptist Minister, Rev. Socrates Sofyan Yoman, in Australia. Along with the Executive Secretary of Uniting International Mission, Rev. John Barr, who has close links with the evangelical church in West Papua, and accompanied by Tears of the Oppressed's Director of advocacy, ElizabethScott, Rev. Yoman was able to share West Papuan concerns with a number of key Members of the Australian Parliament, the Department of Immigration and Department of Foreign Affairs.
In this interview, Rev. Yoman shares his views on the situation in West Papua.
Q: What do you see happening in West Papua today?
A: Indonesian policy developed in West Papua, but not for the West Papuans. This is our experience. When the government moves Javanese people in from outside Papua through transmigration, they take Papuan land and give it to them instead. Papuans are marginalized in our own land - landless, homeless, hopeless. This is all supported by military force, police and so on. This historical background has brought a reaction from Papuan people, in demonstrations, public protests, and the Congress. But we feel Jakarta is not listening to us.
Q: How do people in Papua feel now?
A: People do not feel free. They feel fear, they are intimidated and terrorized by the military and police. Intelligenceofficers are everywhere. Papuans have no freedom of _expression, no freedom of assembly. Local people are checked by the military and must get permission to do everything. People are arrested for no good reason. Torture is continuing in police custody. The military not only terrorize ordinary people, but also the leaders of the community. My car was damaged by police, and people sometimes come to my house and threaten me. They are trying to make me stop speakingand restrict me, because I analyse what they do and publicly criticize them. They try to distract me from my work. But I trust my Lord with my life, so I'm not going to be frightened.
Q: What are the churches doing in West Papua to help the situation?
A: We have already declared West Papua a Land of Peace. The Indonesians have asked, "What is peace?" Their understanding is very different. But the churches are working to build peace. We have educated the people in the church to understand their history, their present, and their future. We tell the West Papuan community that they have to become peacemakers, implementing Christian values in their lives and communities. We have also made a strong effort to get Papuans to lay down their arms. February 5 is Peace Day - it commemorates the day in 1855 that the gospel came to West Papua. The gospel brought peace to our tribes and made us a peaceful society. This is still the contribution of the churches today.
During Rev. Yoman's return journey to Papua, he was stopped at Jakarta airport. An immigration officer took his passport and ordered him into another room in order to solve "a problem". When Rev. Yoman asked, "What problem?" and no answer was forthcoming, Rev. Yoman refused, said they could keep his passport, and walked away. He was stopped again and after some discussion, his passport was returned. His bag, clothes and briefcase were then finely searched before he was allowed to proceed. Church and community leaders like Rev. Yoman are singled out and under constant surveillance in Papua, which puts a great strain on them and their families. Please pray for their mental and emotional health under these circumstances.
Source: Tears of the Oppressed
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