Atheism Growing in America

As God continues sending more and more signs that mankind is in control of nothing...disbelief in America is on the rise.

Proverbs tell us, "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God"

How many atheists are there?
It depends on your definition of the term. Only between 1.5 and 4 percent of Americans admit to so-called "hard atheism," the conviction that no higher power exists. But a much larger share of the American public (19 percent) spurns organized religion in favor of a nondefined skepticism about faith. This group, sometimes collectively labeled the "Nones," is growing faster than any religious faith in the U.S. About two thirds of Nones say they are former believers; 24 percent are lapsed Catholics and 29 percent once identified with other Christian denominations. David Silverman, president of American Atheists, claims these Nones as members of his tribe. "If you don't have a belief in God, you're an atheist," he said. "It doesn't matter what you call yourself."

Why are so many people leaving religion?
It's primarily a backlash against the religious Right, say political scientists Robert Putnam and David Campbell. In their book, American Grace, they argue that the religious Right's politicization of faith in the 1990s turned younger, socially liberal Christians away from churches, even as conservatives became more zealous. The dropouts were turned off by churches' Old Testament condemnation of homosexuals, premarital sex, contraception, and abortion. The Catholic Church's sex scandals also prompted millions to equate religion with moralistic hypocrisy. "While the Republican base has become ever more committed to mixing religion and politics," Putnam and Campbell write, "the rest of the country has been moving in the opposite direction." As society becomes more secular, researchers say, doubters are more confident about identifying themselves as nonbelievers. "The collapse of institutional religion in the first 10 years of this century [has] freed so many people to say they don't really care," said author Diana Butler Bass.

Here;  http://theweek.com/article/index/226625/the-rise-of-atheism-in-america

Of course people were turned off by the OT condemnation of sin!  People want to do exactly what they want to do and don't want to be accountable to anyone.  So it is true what the Bible says about the Last Days...men will surround themselves with people who tell them what their itchy ears want to hear...and what they want to hear is, "There is no such thing as sin!  Live how you want because tomorrow we die!"

Wow...America is in a really bad place.

Global Money Trickery

About 4 years ago I read a book by Wilfred Hahn called THE END TIMES MONEY TRAP.  I was impressed enough with the book that I called him at his office in Canada and we had a few nice chats about the state of the financial world.

Yesterday he had an article published on Rapture Ready and it would appear that he and I are still VERY MUCH on the same page.

As you read this article notice that you get the feeling that he also believes that we are past the point of no return....meaning that this financial system IS going to come apart.

A major secular “worldwide” turning point has been playing out across the world, having begun sometime in the 1980 to 1990 period, then progressing and cumulating to the breaking point in 2008-2009. There were numerous actors and influences that played a role; however, it is important to remain clear-eyed about these developments, to view them as a whole, and to understand their potential impact. They are momentous. You must understand that we are living in truly unprecedented times, with the scale and scope of developments so large, few can grasp their import.

At present, we continue to remain within the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) and it is not yet 100% certain how the ultimate scenarios will unfold from here. There are, however, really only two main ultimate scenarios: 1. High indebtedness becoming inflated away versus income levels; or 2. rolling debt defaults, deflation and slumping economies.

The fact that cannot be denied is that for the advanced nations as a whole, the tipping point of unsustainably high indebtedness arrived in 2008-2009. It signalled the end of the post-WWII period of economic and financial prosperity. A completely new phase has emerged which is far from having run its full course. Analysts will be misled should they continue to process data through the blinkers of post-WWII averages trends and developments. We have pointed out numerous times in our reports that virtually all of the underlying causal factors of the halcyon post-WWII economic boom period have halted or reversed.

Given the general depressants of over-indebtedness, uncompetitiveness, aging populations, and still-sinking residential real estate prices in many countries around the world, the best outcomes one can hope for are periodic rallies of economic growth and flashes of consumer confidence. That indeed qualifies as a mark of this era. The financial and economic outlook, both domestic and global, remains tentative and dependent upon the confidence-boosting measures of governments, monetary authorities and transnational agencies. It is a sad state of affairs when manipulations of “confidence” … in other words, confidence games … are the main hope.

Here;  http://raptureready.com/featured/hahn/h71.html

There's that word again...."confidence".  The Money Makers from around the world are desperately trying to make people believe that the paper system still has wings to fly...and they know it will fall to the ground like a brick if that confidence ever falters.

Remember that ALL PENSION PLANS and SOCIAL PROGRAMS collapsed and went to zero following the collapse of Post WWI Germany.  If it happened then...it WILL happen again.  We just don't know when.

So keep building on the Rock because everything else is sinking sand.

Global Warming Rebellion

It would appear that the science of man-made-global warming is NOT settled. 

Fifty top astronauts, scientists and engineers at NASA have signed a letter asking the agency to cease its global warming buffoonery. The global warming emperor has no clothes, and people are finally saying so out loud and in public.

"We, the undersigned, respectfully request that NASA and the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) refrain from including unproven remarks in public releases and websites. We believe the claims by NASA and GISS, that man-made carbon dioxide is having a catastrophic impact on global climate change are not substantiated, especially when considering thousands of years of empirical data. With hundreds of well-known climate scientists and tens of thousands of other scientists publicly declaring their disbelief in the catastrophic forecasts, coming particularly from the GISS leadership, it is clear that the science is NOT settled."

Here;  http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2012/04/nasa_rocked_by_global_warming_rebellion.html

Of course I don't know why the earth gets warmer and colder over the eons.  But I do know that Minnesota was covered by a glacier some thousands of years ago...so I'm kind of glad it did get warm enough to melt that glacier. 

And of course many of us believe that all the strange weather, earthquakes, solar storms, etc... points to something else besides man-made-carbon-pollution heating the world.

Easter Trial

While most of us were eating ham and cheesy potatoes after a wonderful Easter church service...some of our brothers and sisters in Iran were going to trial for worshiping Jesus.

Twelve Christians stood trial Easter Sunday in Iran, where they were called “apostates” in a courtroom and tried on multiple charges, according to sources close to Iran’s Christian community.

The Christians had been acquitted on the same charges, including “crimes against the order,” a year ago in Bandar Anzali, a city on the Caspian Sea. The group was first arrested when authorities found them drinking wine while taking communion, according to sources.

Though the Iranian constitution grants protection to religious minorities born into religions, such as Christians, Zoroastrians and Jews, over the last year and a half individuals in these minority communities have reported increased pressure and clashes with government officials and Revolutionary Guards as their influence continues to mount throughout the country.

But converting, or more specifically, the act of turning from Islam, can be punishable by death. To leave the Islamic faith or to attempt to convert others away from the faith warrants capital punishment under Shariah Law.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/04/11/12-christians-stand-trial-on-easter-sunday-in-iran/#ixzz1rwntrrAY

Friends, we need to have our eyes wide open about the persecution of our brother and sisters taking place all over the world.  Further, we need to be asking the Holy Spirit how we can be helping these folks.  Of course we can all pray...but maybe there is a lot more we could be doing?

Hat tip to Tom F.

Radical Budget?

With $17 trillion of national debt, and $100 trillion of unfunded promises for Social Security and Medicare coming due....it would seem that America is in need of a radical budget.  Maybe one that inflicts some pain on us all?

Nope.  That's not going to happen.

Even in a city known for hyperbole, the attacks by Democrats on Rep. Paul Ryan's budget plan stand out.

It's "bad news in every single direction," said New York Rep. Carolyn Maloney, and "extreme and divisive," according to Rep. Diana DeGette of Colorado.

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said the budget is "not a statement of our national values," and her second in command, Maryland's Steny Hoyer, claimed the plan "represents a bleak future for America."

President Obama went furthest, saying in a speech this week that Ryan's "draconian cuts" would "impose a radical vision on our country" and that it was "antithetical to our entire history." It is "so far to the right," he said, "that it makes the Contract with America look like the New Deal."

So does Ryan's budget proposal live up to this radical billing?

Not at all. That is, not unless you'd call Obama's Democratic predecessor, Bill Clinton, an even more extreme radical.

Under Ryan's plan, the federal government would be 46% bigger in real terms than it was in 2000, which was President Clinton's last year in office. That percentage comes from an IBD analysis of budget data.

Here;  http://news.investors.com/article/607024/201204091911/paul-ryan-budget-spends-far-more-than-bill-clinton.htm?Ntt=john-merline

Holy Massive Government!  46% bigger than it was just 12 years ago..and yet that's still not BIG ENOUGH to appease the spenders?

So you see people....we really are going to simply drive ourselves over a cliff.  Only then will the spenders HAVE to face reality and live within their means. 

The tragedy is that when America does fall over the cliff and the Federal checks start bouncing....anarchy, unrest, rioting and mayhem WILL be the result.

We simply aren't the same bunch of Americans who went through the last depression.  Those folks were already tough and the depression made them tougher.

Today we are soft, lazy, obese and incapable of caring for ourselves for more than a few hours if the electricity goes out.  People will be robbing, looting and stealing when the first street light goes out.

So get ready....it could happen any day now.  It's only the Lord's grace that is keeping us from tumbling already.

4 Feet of Hail Falls in Texas

Can it really be possible that it hailed so long and so hard on one spot in Texas that it piled up to 4 feet deep?

An unusual spring storm in the Texas Panhandle Wednesday afternoon dumped two to four feet of hail near Dumas.

Trucks were reported sliding off the road on Highway 287 as a result of the unexpected weather phenomenon. Snow plows were being used to clear the roads.

Some vehicles were trapped in the drifts of hailstones.

See photos here; http://www.wfaa.com/news/texas-news/Spring-hailstorm-pelts-Texas-Panhandle-147083055.html

I wonder how many "first time ever" statements the world will need to hear and see before they ask GOD...."What is going on?  What are you trying to tell us?"

Russia Massing Troops Near Iran

A few months ago Russia stated that an attack on Iran would be treated as an attack on Moscow.  Now, I for one, don't really believe that...but what the Russians are saying is that they view Iran as an ally and they will do what they can to align themselves with Iran.

April 10, 2012 – IRAN – The Russian military anticipates that an attack will occur on Iran by the summer and has developed an action plan to move Russian troops through neighboring Georgia to stage in Armenia, which borders on the Islamic republic, according to informed Russian sources. Russian Security Council head Viktor Ozerov said that Russian General Military Headquarters has prepared an action plan in the event of an attack on Iran. Dmitry Rogozin, who recently was the Russian ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, warned against an attack on Iran. “Iran is our neighbor,” Rogozin said. “If Iran is involved in any military action, it’s a direct threat to our security.”

Rogozin now is the deputy Russian prime minister and is regarded as anti-Western. He oversees Russia’s defense sector. Russian Defense Ministry sources say that the Russian military doesn’t believe that Israel has sufficient military assets to defeat Iranian defenses and further believes that U.S. military action will be necessary. The implication of preparing to move Russian troops not only is to protect its own vital regional interests but possibly to assist Iran in the event of such an attack.

Here; http://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2012/04/10/russian-massing-troops-near-nothern-iranian-border/

It is getting harder and harder to ignore these signs pointing to Ezekiel 38 as you see Iran and Russia draw close as they prepare for an Israeli attack.

Are we on the very edge of WWIII?  Could our lives be forever changed next week?  Have we all built our houses on the Rock instead of the sifting sands of this world?  Do we have oil in our lamps so we can see clearly until the Bridegroom returns for us?

What an exciting time to be alive people!!  God could have placed us in our mother's wombs at ANY OTHER TIME in history...but He didn't.  He placed us here to play our part NOW!

So get out there!  Spread the Word that the Kingdom of God is at hand!  Today is the day of Salvation!  Jesus came first to offer us grace...giving us salvation that we don't deserve...but when He comes again He will be bringing the wrath of God.  Warn you loved ones, family and friends to bow to Jesus with a willing knee now so that they aren't forced to bow to him on judgment day.

What Vladamir Lenin Said

We know that Lenin was no the nicest man.  We also know that the Russia he ruled has not fared well when it comes to blessings from God.  Now look at one of Lenin's quotes:

 By a continuing process of inflation, government can confiscate, secretly and unobserved, an important part of the wealth of their citizens. By this method they not only confiscate, but they confiscate arbitrarily; and while the process impoverishes many, it actually enriches some. – As the inflation proceeds and the real value of the currency fluctuates wildly from month to month, all permanent relations between debtors and creditors, which form the ultimate foundation of capitalism, become so utterly disordered as to be almost meaningless; and the process of wealth-getting degenerates into a gamble and a lottery.

Lenin goes on to say that not one man in a million will be able to understand what the government is doing as they confiscate the wealth of its citizens.  Well I am happy to say that most folks who have been reading this blog should at least have SOME CLUE as to what is coming for our Mammon-worshiping society as our leaders continue to print money and the debt bomb readies to explode.

We are accumulating debt at a rate of $3.7 billion per day, or $154 million per hour. No politician of either party, other than Ron Paul, has any plan to even moderate the spending, let alone make actual cuts. The CBO projections rolled out by these congressional weasels aren’t worth the paper they are printed on. The National Debt is on track to surpass $20 trillion in 2015 and $25 trillion by 2018. And this is before the Medicare and Social Security costs blast into orbit in 2020. Kicking the can down the road works until math catches up with you. It is insane to believe we can dig ourselves out of this debt induced mess with more debt, but empires tend to act insanely in their death throes.

“In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule.” – Friedrich Nietzsche

The cracks in the façade are already painfully visible. The U.S. ran a $1.4 trillion deficit in 2009; $1.3 trillion in 2010; and $1.3 trillion in 2011. In the chart below you can see foreigners’ appetite for U.S. debt since 2007 has plunged. Maybe it has something to do with getting a negative real return by investing in U.S. Treasuries paying 2%. Maybe it has something to do with Ben Bernanke attempting to inflate away our debt burden. Maybe it has something to do with Congress and the President accelerating spending and creating massive deficits for as far as the eye can see. Maybe they are losing trust and confidence in the American Empire.

Here;  http://www.zerohedge.com/news/guest-post-you-aint-seen-nothing-yet-part-3

Holy Debt bomb!!  We have to borrow another $1.3 trillion in the next 12 months AND we have to refinance $7 trillion of debt we already borrowed??  Where are we going to find the nations that have all those trillions?

Friends, get ready for something big.  I hope it is the rapture of the church...but it is very possible that God will first allow us to see the collapse of America, because He wants to show us what happens to nations who worship the false god of Mammon.