Canada Closes Iranian Embassy

In another sign that bloodshed may soon be coming for Iran...Canada closed it's embassy in Tehran and kicked out it the Iranian diplomats in Canada.

Canada is closing its embassy in Iran and expelling the remaining Iranian diplomats in Canada, Foreign Minister John Baird has said in a statement.

The Canadian government cited Iran's support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and failure to comply with UN inspectors as the reason for the move.

Iranian diplomats have been given five days to leave Canada.

An Iranian spokesman called the decision "hasty and extreme", the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

Ramin Mehmanparast, from the country's foreign affairs agency, added that the Canadian government had "a long record of animosity" towards Iran.

Mr Baird's statement on Friday said that Canada viewed Iran "as the most significant threat to global peace and security in the world today".

He also said that Iran had engaged in "racist anti-Semitic rhetoric and incitement to genocide", and had shown "blatant disregard" for the protection of diplomatic personnel.

"Under the circumstances, Canada can no longer maintain a diplomatic presence in Iran," he added.

Here;  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19522744

"I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you." says God.

I wonder if Canada may start to receive blessings from God as they align themselves closer to Israel and start seeing things the way Israel sees them?

Hat tip to Tom F.

Two Tornadoes Strike in NYC

As the article says...folks in New York thought that tornadoes were only for the folks in the Midwest and the South...but not today.

NEW YORK (AP) — Two tornadoes struck New York City on Saturday, one swept out of the sea and hit a beachfront neighborhood and the second, stronger twister hit moments later, hurling debris in the air, knocking out power and startling residents who once thought of twisters as a Midwestern phenomenon.

Videos taken by bystanders showed a funnel cloud sucking up water, then sand, and then small pieces of buildings, as the first moved through the Breezy Point section of the Rockaway peninsula inQueens.

The second hit west, in the Canarsie section of Brooklyn also near the water, about seven minutes later. The National Weather Service said winds were up to 110 miles per hour, and several homes and trees were damaged.

No serious injuries were reported.

Residents had advance notice. The weather service had issued a tornado warning for Queens and Brooklyn at around 10:40 a.m. The storm took people by surprise anyway when it struck about 20 minutes later.

"I was showing videos of tornadoes to my 4-year-old on my phone, and two minutes later, it hit," said Breezy Point neighborhood resident Peter Maloney. "Just like they always say, it sounded like a train."

Here:  http://news.yahoo.com/2-tornadoes-strike-nyc-001225130.html

Seriously people...what do you think it will take to wake people up to say to themselves, "Wow!  The Creator of the universe is in control of everything and we are in control of nothing.  We need to repent and set our eyes on Him because ALL of the things he told us to 'Watch!' for are coming true at the exact same time!"

What will it take??

Israel Enters "Most Fateful 50 Days"

I recieved this email from Joel Rosenberg today...as many of you probably did.

(Washington, D.C., September 7, 2012) -- Evidence continues to mount that an Israeli preemptive strike against Iran's nuclear program is increasingly likely before the U.S. elections in November. In just five days, the 2012 Epicenter Conference will begin. There, I will deliver the opening address on "The State of the Epicenter," review what we know about the Iranian nuclear threat and the prospect of war, brief you on the steps The Joshua Fund has taken to prepare for war, and discuss what Christians can and should do to stand with Israel at this critical time. Please make plans to attend the Epicenter Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, next week -- or watch the conference live (or on demand) at www.epicenterconference.com.

Until then, here are some of the latest developments I'm watching closely:

1. Iran has doubled its uranium enrichment capacity at its most secure, hardened, underground nuclear facility at Fordow, near the religious city of Qom, despite all of the economic sanctions, according to a new IAEA report.

2. Israel's 14-member Security Cabinet met on Tuesday for a 10-hour meeting to discuss the latest intelligence on the Iran nuclear threat and consider Israel's military options. The Jerusalem Post notes that this was the first time the full Security Cabinet has met for such an in-depth discussion of Iran in several months.

3. "Former Likud and Kadima member Tzachi Hanegbi said this week that he believed the fate of Israel's conflict with Iran will be decided within the next 50 days," reports the Israel Hayom news service. "Hanegbi, who is considered a confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, later told Israel Hayom the assessment was his own and not based on specific information disclosed to him. 'We are entering the most fateful 50 days Israel has faced since, perhaps, the similarly fateful days prior to the Yom Kippur War,' Hanegbi said at a Likud conference this week, as quoted by the Makor Rishon newspaper. Hanegbi, who in the past served as chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee as well as minister in the Prime Minister's Office in 2004 and Internal Security Minister in 2003, recently left the Kadima party and rejoined the Likud."

4. Rep. Mike Rogers, Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, is confirming a report of an angry meeting between Israeli PM Netanyahu and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro in which Netanyahu made it clear the Israeli government does not trust the Obama administration to stop Iran's nuclear program in time.

5. Prime Minister Netanyahu is scheduled to be in New York City to address the opening session of the U.N. General Assembly from September 27 to September 30. If Israel has not launched an attack before then, and he does in fact make the trip, it would be expected that Netanyahu may give a final ultimatum to the regime in Tehran.

6. Canada has just shut down its embassy in Iran and will expel all Iranian diplomats from Canada in the next five days. With this move, Prime Minister Stephen Harper remains the most pro-Israel leader on the world stage. He also may be signaling he believes war is imminent.

7. That said, the left-of-center Israeli newspaper Haaretz is reporting this week that Defense Minister Ehud Barak may now oppose an Israeli strike against Iran before the U.S. elections in November. There is considerable buzz about this in Israel. But the question is whether this reporting is accurate, or whether this is disinformation designed to confuse the Iranian regime.

Sounds pretty serious.  Let's see....50 days....how long til the U.S. Presidential election in November?

Egypt; Kill a Christian, Collect a Reward

For all the liberals who were excited about Egypt throwing out the dictator because they believed it would lead to peace, love and numerous rounds of Kum-ba-yah singing.....it appears that your age of Aquarius dreams are not going to happen in Egypt.

Recently an Egyptian Muslim posted a YouTube videotape of himself cursing Islam, its holy book, the Koran, tearing the latter to pieces and throwing it in the garbage. Excerpts of what he said follow:

There it is, Allah's book, this is the basic catastrophe. I don't know what day it is of this disgusting month of Ramadan! You are making the tearing of the Quran such a big and dangerous thing... it is instinctive to tear this book, those sons of [profanity] think they can threaten me and challenge me to tear the Quran, but I want to prove to them that they are nothing and what is the big deal in tearing this book!! There it is [he starts tearing the Quran] in the trash. Are you feeling better now! You cannot touch a hair on my head! We keep blaming Hamas and Gaza, but it is not them, it is this son of [profanity] book that I am stepping on right now. That book is the source of all evil and the real catastrophe. There is nothing new here, it is not Omar Abdel Rahman, Abbud or all the others; it is this garbage that is causing us to run in a demonic never-ending circle that will never end.
 

While this latest Koran desecration is a reminder that there are everyday Egyptians who are sick of the Talibanization of Egypt, a recent talk show on Al Hafiz channel concerning this incident is an indicator of what is in store for them.

After the video of the man tearing the Koran was played, one of three guests, a bearded and white-robed Dr. Mahmoud Sha'ban, visibly shaken by what he had just seen, said:

Someone like him must receive the punishment he deserves—and it is death. He is an apostate… It is clear from what he says that he is a Muslim, and must be killed as an apostate. As for that act itself, it is an infidel act, and he deserves to be struck by the sword in a public place—and as soon as possible; as soon as possible; as soon as possible. It must be announced and photographed and disseminated among the people, so that all the people may know that we respect our Koran and its words from Allah, and whoever insults it, receives his punishment from Allah. If people like him are left alone, they will only get bolder and bolder.

The next guest, Sheikh Abdul Mohsin, said: "I support the words of Sheikh Mahmoud [who just spoke], that this man must be killed fast, that he may be an example to others, so that all learn that we have reached a new phase in respecting Islam and the holy sanctity of the Koran and Sunna. This man has become an apostate and must suffer the penalty in front of the people." 

When the host tried to get a word in, the cleric exclaimed: "I am the sheikh, not you. I am the sheikh, not you! I am the sheikh! Hear me to the end, before I get up and leave!!"

Dr. Abdullah tried to mediate by clarifying to the host: "Do you know what the word 'void' [hadr] means [in Islamic jurisprudence]? It means it is the right for anyone who meets them [those who insult Islam] to kill them."

Simply put, the host was wrong to think that those who insult Islam should only be killed by the state. Any good Muslim can—and should—kill them, wherever he finds them. Of course, with a Muslim Brotherhood president in office, whether those who offend Islam are killed by the state or by Islamic vigilantes becomes somewhat semantic.

Already under President Morsi's first two months, Islamists have become more emboldened—whether by pressuring women to wear the hijab, killing a Muslim youth for publicly holding hands with his fiancée, or disseminating flyers that call for the total genocide of Egypt's Christian Copts—flyers that even openly included names and mosque contact points for those Muslims who wish to collect their rewards for killing Christians.

Here;  http://www.meforum.org/3333/egypt-kill-christian-reward

As the Muslims around the world ramp up their killing of Christians, we are reminded of the words of Jesus Christ;

John 16:2
They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God.  ³ They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me.

Yep...that pretty much sums it up.  Muslims think they know God because they claim to worship Allah....but in reality they don't know Jesus or the Father.

We need to continue to pray for our enemies and the dark cloud that Satan has laid over Muslims.  They are lost, just like we were.  Jesus is doing great things in Islam and leading people away from it's lies and into the Light.  Let's pray that the harvest will continue and ask Jesus how we can help.

Hat tip to Sonya B.

Pakistan Kicks Out 'Save the Children'

It's going to be pretty hard for America to stay friends with some of these nut-job Islamic countries.  Of course we all know that sometimes it is necessary to get in bed with some thugs in order to advance your cause.  But how long can you stay in that bed??

Today we find out that Pakistan is kicking out a world famous charity...and we also learn some more about the poor Doctor who got 33 years for helping the CIA find Bin Laden.

I sure wonder if he would still be a free man had Obama not spouted off all the "Bin Laden is dead!" news within minutes of it happening.  Maybe we could have gotten that doctor to safety?

ISLAMABAD — The Pakistani government has ordered foreign staff members of Save the Children to leave the country, a spokesman for the international aid group said Thursday.

The group has recently come under Pakistani government scrutiny because of reports that it helped facilitate meetings between the U.S. and a doctor who allegedly helped hunt down Osama bin Laden, a charge which the group has vehemently denied. The expulsion order comes among heightened suspicion of foreigners in Pakistan in the aftermath of the al-Qaida leader’s killing.

Ghulam Qadri said the Ministry of Interior informed the organization earlier this week that its six foreign staffers would have to leave the country within two weeks, although they have since been able to extend the deadline. He did not specify the new date.

Save the Children has about 2,000 Pakistani employees across the country, who will continue to work despite the expulsion.

He said the ministry gave no reason for the expulsion: “We are working with the government to find out the details for this action.” The ministry could not be reached for comment.

After the May 2011 American raid that killed bin Laden, Pakistan arrested Shakil Afridi, the doctor who allegedly helped the United States track down the al-Qaida leader. Afridi was said to have run a fake vaccination program for the CIA to collect DNA and try to verify bin Laden’s presence at the compound in Abbottabad where U.S. commandos found and killed him.

Afridi was later convicted and sentenced to 33 years for high treason. The U.S. has been pushing for his release and praised his actions but in Pakistan he is viewed with disdain by many including security officials for helping a foreign intelligence agency operate within its borders.

In the wake of Afridi’s arrest Pakistani officials have become increasingly suspicious of groups with international ties, and many aid groups have reported that it is becoming more difficult to obtain visas.

Here;  http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/pakistan-orders-foreign-staff-of-international-aid-group-save-the-children-out-of-country/2012/09/06/49af5478-f7fa-11e1-a93b-7185e3f88849_story.html

I watched an interview about 4 years ago on PBS where the Ambassador to the UN from Pakistan was interviewed by Charlie Rose.  He very clearly said that if Pakistan falls the entire region will erupt in chaos and war...which would pull the whole world in.  He said it is kind of a key country to keep the peace in the whole region...and remember they have been at war with India since about 1948?

Dems Struggle to Explain Fight Over God

George Washington, first President of the U.S., clearly told us, "It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible."

It's funny but it appears that the Dems at the DNC would have booed President Washington off the stage.

If you haven't seen the video clip of the Democrats asking for 'yea' or 'nay' on whether to have 'God' and 'Jerusalem' inserted into their platform, you can watch it here;

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/09/06/dem-delegates-steam-over-move-to-restore-god-jerusalem-to-platform/

It is very obvious that it was not a 2/3 majority when the yelling started, but was pushed through anyway...and the crowd started booing at the DNC.

Immediately after the vote late Wednesday afternoon, platform committee head and former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland told Fox News the move was merely a "clarification" and not an "error."
But President Obama's deputy campaign manager Stephanie Cutter contradicted that in an interview Thursday morning with Fox News, as she explained how Obama personally intervened to restore those references.
 
"They were a mistake and he said we've got to fix it," she said. "President Obama didn't agree with the platform. He sought to change it."

Meanwhile, delegates who objected called the process unfair.

Rashida Tlaib, a member of the Michigan delegation and the state's House of Representatives, told Fox News that delegates had been "shammed" because it was clear the party did not have the votes to change back the language. Tlaib called it "irresponsible" and "wrong."

"It failed twice, and for whatever reason it still failed but was still pushed through," Tlaib said, referring to the three votes that were called during the brief but chaotic procedural move.

Dems Quickly Backtrack on Jerusalem

I just got done doing a post on Jerusalem at the Democratic Convention.

Now I checked by email and got a fresh article from a faithful reader.  Check out this headline...but understand it is from an Iranian source;

Israel relationship with US damaged beyond repair over Iran attack

President Obama and the Democratic Party announced today that they would no longer support a “platform” that advocates listing the city of Jerusalem as the capital of a Jewish state.

The President and the majority party made this statement for a variety of reasons, primarily however, based on pragmatism.

The president is assured the vast majority of Jewish voters in the United States, where recent polls indicate only 15% are “concerned” about Israeli security and 4% about relations with Iran, will continue to support him.

Today, Republican candidate, Mitt Romney, who recently attended overseas fundraisers, the first American politician to do so as foreign contributions to American elections are a felony, made the following statement:

“It is unfortunate that the entire Democratic Party has embraced President Obama’s shameful refusal to acknowledge that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital. Four years of President Obama’s repeated attempts to create distance between the United States and our cherished ally have led the Democratic Party to remove from their platform an unequivocal acknowledgment of a simple reality. As president, I will restore our relationship with Israel and stand shoulder to shoulder with our close ally.”

Additionally, military and intelligence leaders in Israel are increasingly public in their criticism of the bellicose statements made by Netanyahu and fellow Likudist militants.

The real loss to Israel will be the “special relationship” with the United States which may have been damaged beyond repair.

If this is so, then the “sands of time” may eventually close in on the Israeli state, one that has thus far failed to recognize and adapt to a changing world.

Here;  http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/09/05/260031/israel-may-lose-us-ties-over-iran-attack/

So yes, our Iranian friends have picked up on the fact that the Democrats were booing over Jerusalem.  They believe that the sands of time may eventually close on the Israeli state.

Let's see what God has to say about that.

How ironic that the Iranians believe Israel has failed to adapt to a changing world....while they are still using everyone else's technology, keeping their women under cloaks and executing homosexuals using lift trucks to hang them. 

Who has failed to adapt?

Hat tip to Tom F.

Democratic Convention Puts Jerusalem on Platform

This is pretty amazing...as the whole world continues to buzz about Jerusalem...just as God said it would in the Last Days before end of the Age of Grace.

The Democratic national convention in Charlotte has been plunged into chaos with a row over Israel threatening to overshadow Bill Clinton's speech as the second day of business was mired in a clumsy and embarrassing climbdown.

Barack Obama intervened personally to try and head off a mounting clamour from Jewish donors and pro-Israel groups who objected to the dropping of a line supporting Jerusalem as the capital of Israel from the Democratic policy platform.

A day after the platform was published without the recognition of Jerusalem, the line was reinstated. Pressure had been building over not only the dropping of that statement – which was part of the Democratic party platform in 2008 – but also the removal of any reference to God in the document. Those omissions threatened to alienate both Jewish Democratic supporters and Christian swing voters.

But the reintroduction of the lines was equally controversial; its clumsy handling resulting in a confusing vote and booing on the convention floor.

At the formal opening of the day's business, the convention chairman, Antonio Villaraigosa, proposed a vote to return to the document its past commitment to Jerusalem as the Israeli capital as well as a reference to God.

He called for those in favour of the change to shout 'Aye' and those against 'No'. It was a hard to tell, with the two sounding evenly-divided. Villaraigosa called the vote a total of three times to no certain result but eventually called it for the Ayes.

In fact, the change required a two-thirds vote in favour and it definitely did not sound anywhere close to that. But Villaraigosa pushed it through anyway, determined to try to bring a speedy end to an awkward row. There was loud booing in the hall when he announced the changes had gone through.

Here;  http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/sep/06/democratic-convention-reinstatement-jerusalem?newsfeed=true

Wow!  Loud booing when they mentioned Jerusalem as Israel's capital!!  Loud booing when they pushed to mention God?

What kind of a path are we on people?  When the name of God and His Holy City are booed at the convention to re-elect our President....how far have we strayed from Him who has blessed us and made us great?

This is truly an amazing and sad piece of news.

We will need to watch and see what the Democrats do about Jerusalem.  It seems that they have made the city a cup of trembling at their national convention.

New Orleans Hurricanes 7 yrs Apart...to the Day!

As I have mentioned, we were out of town in South Carolina last week so I got out of my news and blogging habit for a while.  However I did catch that fact that New Orleans got hit with another hurricane and that it messed up the city pretty bad.

I also remember hearing CNN in the foyer at the hotel saying how "eerie" it was that the path of the hurricane Isaac was following the same path as hurricane Katrina....7 years earlier.

What CNN says is 'eerie' or 'coincidental'....those of us who read the Bible and understand that God is NOT a God of coincidences....we look for something else.

So what's the deal?  Is New Orleans ripe for God's judgment?  Is there something really nasty happening there that is an abomination to God?  As America comes under God's judgment for our blatant disobedience and whoring after other gods....could it be that judgment will start in the nastiest places in this country?

God has an extremely ironic sense of humor. Get to know Him well enough and you’ll see what I mean. Take for instance, Hurricane Isaac hitting New Orleans on the 7^th anniversary that Hurricane Katrina hit. To the day. THAT, my friends, is a perfect example of God’s irony. I can just hear someone say, “What kind of ‘god’ does this?"

 

So, New Orleans was founded and built on the grievous sin of slavery which introduced the practice of voodoo that is still practiced to this day. There are numerous voodoo shops in New Orleans with classes utilizing this flavor of black magic, teaching how to manipulate people and circumstances. Contrary to popular belief, this stuff is powerful and very real. Then there's the customary debauchery of alcohol, drugs and prostitution that's winked at and mostly ignored by the authorities.

 

Of course, we can’t forget our little sodomite friends! In 1972, the celebration of Southern Decadence began and bills itself as, “one of the largest annual celebrations and festivals in New Orleans and has become known as the Gay Mardi Gras.” Celebrants arrive the Wednesday before Labor Day and usually don’t return home until the next Tuesday; almost a whole week of open homosexuality, displayed before God and all of creation. With over 120,000 gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender participants generating an economic boost of approximately $125 million, the city decided to recognize the importance of the event with an official proclamation to welcome the participants. Well there you go.

 

Katrina did little to dampen the spirits of the celebration. Less than a week after the storm hit, with thousands of fellow citizens suffering from homelessness and hunger, a group of sodomites marched their proud, little hearts out on Bourbon Street in the 'Big Easy,' defying the weather, then moved their party to Lafayette, LA to finish that season.

Hmmm. Guess we didn’t learn our lesson, did we? New Orleans STILL traffics in sex slaves who are part of the underground economy. Voodoo is STILL a rampant practice, with many shops proudly selling charms and materials for curses. Illicit drugs are all but openly sold on the streets. Prostitution is pretty much ignored, especially during Mardi Gras, the raunchiest party in the entire country. And the homosexuals continue to flaunt their sequined masks and leather riding crops during their week long celebration.

 

Read it all here;  http://raptureready.com/soap/wasson70.html

 

I have never been to New Orleans but have heard that it is quite a drunken party during Mardi Gras. 

 

Also, I had never heard of SOUTHERN DECADENCE which is the gay-pride celebration hosted in New Orleans which the hurricanes disrupted.

 

So here is some of the schedule of events from Southern Decadence;

 

Thursday- Big Dick Contest...this is the 'official' kickoff of Southern Decadence held upstairs at the Bourbon Pub.

 

Friday-huge Gay Parade starting at 7:30

Friday Midnight-Boys On Parade.  Strip show of gay men held at Bourbon Pub.

 

Saturday Midnight-Hot (gay) Ass Contest.  Held at Bourbon Pub.

 

Of course if you Google the event you can see all sorts of pictures of very gay looking men with their shirts off, wearing tight leather pants and speedo suits parading around, drunk and making out with any other man that their heart desires.

 

Huh...sounds a lot like Sodom right before God smote the place.

 

Here is what the official website lists in it's history section;

 

Because the 2005 celebration was cancelled due to Hurricane Katrina, Southern Decadence 2005 Grand Marshals Lisa Beaumann and Regina Adams reigned for both 2005 and 2006, making the very first time in Southern Decadence history that grand marshals
ruled for two years. And keeping with the unpredictability of Decadence, the Grand Marshals from 2008 reigned once again in 2009.

The rest, as they say, is history. What began as a little costume party is now a world-famous gay celebration. In the 40th year, it has mushroomed from a small gathering of friends to a Labor Day weekend tradition, attracting over 110,000 participants, predominantly gay and lesbian, and generating almost $125 million in tourist revenue. This annual economic impact ranks it among the city's top five tourist events.

 

Described by one reporter as "a happening of haberdashery fit for an LSD Alice in Wonderland," Southern Decadence 2011 will be as outrageous as ever and live up to its reputation as New Orleans' largest gay street fair. It all begins in earnest six weeks before Labor Day. However, the real party starts on the Wednesday before Labor Day, and the events are non-stop. It picks up steam daily as it nears Sunday's big street parade, which rivals New Orleans' gay Mardi Gras in scope, with the party lasting well into the day on Monday.

 

It sure sounds like an abomination.  Even worse they are PROUD of this Sodomite celebration!  Reminder to all..."Pride comes before the fall."

Can Christians Vote for a Mormon?

The question of whether of not a Bible-believing, God-fearing, follower of Christ can vote for a Mormon president was asked of me today.

First off, let me start out by saying very clearly that I don't KNOW the answer to this question.  However, I will say very clearly that if Christians were waiting for the perfect Christian to run for President over these past 230 years....they would have never voted for anyone.

So what's a guy to do?  I can say with 100% certainty that the next President of the USA will be Obama or Romney.  So which one would you prefer?

The friend who asked me the question also attached an article;

Should Christians vote for the lesser of two evils?

Now, if a truly blood-bought, born-again, child of God was running for political office, the debate would be moot. But let’s face it, we will probably never be given that option (at least not on the presidential ticket). Any genuine Christian with presidential aspirations would be facing an insurmountable obstacle of opposition because the world would hate him because it hated Christ first (and no pupil or Christian presidential candidate is above His master).

Time and time again in America Christians are relegated to having to choose between the lesser of the two evils and it doesn’t appear that the upcoming presidential election will be any different.

So, with all that said, my current position is that true Christians should not have to vote if they first have to sit down and estimate which candidate is the lesser of two evils.

Although I cannot (and will not) dictate to others whether they should vote or not, my conscience tells me that voting for the lesser of two evils is still voting for evil.

Here;  http://defendingcontending.com/2011/06/09/should-christians-vote-for-the-lesser-of-two-evils/

So clearly, this author above is of the opinion that voting for the lesser of two evils is still voting for evil so he will not vote....since his choices are both evil.  Do you agree with him on that?  If he doesn't vote...does he have a right to complain?

And then a few hours later I received this email from Christianity Today that has three separate opinions on whether a Christian can vote for a non-Christian...in this case a Mormon.  I posted excerpts from the first opinion below:

For American Christians, it is helpful to remember this as the November presidential election approaches. They face a choice between a politically and theologically liberal Christian and a politically conservative Mormon. Those who prefer Barack Obama, the left-leaning Christian, likely solved their dilemma in the last presidential election. Millions of voters are now confronting a new moral question: "Is there anything wrong with voting for a Mormon President?"

The answer is "No." In the 2012 election, voting for Mitt Romney—yes, a Mormon former bishop—is certainly a moral option for followers of Jesus Christ. For those who want a pro-life, pro-free market, pro-business, pro-defense, and "America first" champion, Mitt Romney is their man. It is no sin or dishonor of God to vote for him, even though his Latter-day Saint religion is far from orthodox Christianity.

 

To believe otherwise is to commit to a perfectionism that would make it nearly impossible to live in this world. If a candidate must be precisely aligned with our religion before we can vote for him, biblically faithful Christians will not be able to vote for either man in the upcoming election. Nor could they have voted for Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, or Reagan. Washington and Reagan seldom attended church. Jefferson and Lincoln had disqualifying doubts about who Jesus Christ was.

 

This demand for a perfect candidate would cause Christians to eliminate most presidential candidates in every election. There will be a price to voting for Romney, of course. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will enjoy heightened visibility and influence with a Romney candidacy and much more with a Romney presidency. Pastors will have to ensure congregations know right doctrine—a desperate need for this generation of Christians in any case. Individual Christian voters will need to distinguish, perhaps publicly, between their vote for the politician and their fierce disagreement with that politician's beliefs.

 

We did not create the limited possibilities of this fallen world. We must, though, make the most righteous choices possible within this fallen world.

 

Here;  http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2012/september/is-it-wrong-to-vote-for-mormon-president.html?utm_source=connection-html&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_term=3740845&utm_content=135299032&utm_campaign=2012&start=1

So obviously, this author realizes we live in a fallen world everyday where ALL of our choices are imperfect.  If we are looking for perfect choices we would never vote for any mayors, or senators, or congressmen or school board officials or ANYTHING!

I have quoted this passage often but will quote it again as it pertains to this discussion; "We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one."  1 John 5:19

So no matter where we are planted in this Satanic, fallen world we will be given less than perfect choices.  Perfection will never be here for us to choose until Christ returns and sits on his throne.

Martin Luther said, "I'd rather be ruled by a wise Turk than by a foolish Christian."  I would have to agree.

If we KNOW that the most powerful man and leader of the free world is going to be Obama or Romney and you have a say in which one it will be....would YOU rather be ruled by a wise Mormon who can read a balance sheet and is against killing babies, or a foolish Muslim who has never read a balance sheet and is in favor of killing babies?

Sadly, in this fallen world in which we live, that IS your choice.

USA Prepares Economic Aid for Egypt

Of course I know this type of deal sometimes has to be done.  Sometimes, as a nation, you have to get in bed with shady characters because it will ultimately advance your own cause.

In Egypt, where they have thrown out the strong-man dictator Mubarak, and replaced him with someone from the Muslim Brotherhood, I guess the White House believes they better keep bribing the  new guy so they can stay in his good favor.

WASHINGTON — Nearly 16 months after first pledging to help Egypt’s failing economy, the Obama administration is nearing an agreement with the country’s new government to relieve $1 billion of its debt as part of an American and international assistance package intended to bolster its transition to democracy, administration officials said.

The administration’s efforts, delayed by Egypt’s political turmoil and by wariness in Washington about new leaders emerging from its first free elections, gained new urgency in recent weeks, even as the United States risks losing influence and investment opportunities to countries like China. President Mohamed Morsi chose China for his first official visit outside of the Middle East, although a spokesman said the crisis in Syria was the main issue driving the visit.

The assistance underscores the importance of shoring up Egypt at a time of turmoil and change across the Middle East, including the relatively peaceful uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, Libya’s unfinished transition, the showdown over Iran’s nuclear program and the war in Syria.

Mr. Morsi has called for President Bashar al-Assad of Syria to leave power and end the bloodshed there, while China, along with Russia and Iran, has been a supporter of Mr. Assad as his military assaults opposition strongholds and civilians.
       

Given Egypt’s influence in the Arab world, the officials said, its economic recovery and political stability could have a profound influence on other nations in transition and ease wariness in Israel about the tumultuous political changes under way.

 

Here;  http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/04/world/middleeast/us-prepares-economic-aid-to-bolster-democracy-in-egypt.html?_r=2&hp

 

So in this situation we have Mr. Morsi calling for Mr. Assad of Egypt to step down.  The U.S. must have figured out the old Arab saying, "My enemy's enemy is my friend."  They must believe that getting Assad to step down is VERY important so if Morsi is calling for the same thing...America will play friends with the Mr. Morsi, Muslim Brotherhood member.

 

Of course we are all familiar with the saying, "If you play with snakes you will get bitten."

 

And if we add in the fact that we are playing friends with Israel's enemies...it gets really dicey.

 

Finally one has to ask the question of where exactly is it that America is getting $1 billion to give to Egypt?  When will someone come forward to give us economic aid?

U.S. to Iran; Don't Strike our Military Bases

Nothing really new here except the war talk, planning, preparations, propaganda and false reports continue to increase.  Also it appears that Israel is truly all alone.  If they are going to try and stop Iran...it appears that the U.S. is making more preparations to sit this one out.

The United States has no intention of joining in a preemptive Israeli strike on Iran and expects the Islamic Republic to refrain from attacking US targets in the case of such an attack, senior Washington officials told their Iranian counterparts, according to a report in Yedioth Ahronoth on Monday.

In recent days, senior administration officials reportedly sent messages to Iran, through diplomats from two European states, addressing the possibility that Israel would launch a unilateral strike and establishing that the US expects Iran to not draw it into a conflict by firing on American army bases and aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf.

 

Monday’s report came amid widespread debate over the level of coordination between Israel and the US on halting Iran’s nuclear program, which — despite assurances by US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro on Sunday that the relationship is as good as ever — appeared to be strained.

 

On Saturday, former minister Tzachi Hanegbi said the United States is not determined to halt Iran from getting a bomb and last eek’s IAEA report, which indicated that Iran has expanded its capacity for uranium enrichment, granted Israel even more legitimacy to strike Iran on its own.

 

Meanwhile, the New York Times reported on Monday that the Obama Administration is installing new curbs against Iran as a way to calm Israel and keep Jerusalem from launching an attack. It asserted that the president was considering a declaration of American “red lines.”

 

Here;  http://www.timesofisrael.com/us-to-iran-in-case-of-israeli-strike-dont-fire-on-our-bases/

 

It is interesting to ponder the idead that America was blessed and made great by God in order to stand alongside Israel after she was re-birthed as a nation. 

 

If now we are distancing ourselves from Israel and not willing to stand alongside of her in time of war.....what purpose do we serve in the prophetic narrative of the Bible which is a book whose entire focus is on the Jewish people and their country, Israel?

 

Do we really believe that simply because we are America that we can't be removed from the stage when our part is done?

Axis of Evil

Remember a handful of years ago when President Bush said that Iraq, Iran and North Korea were an axis of evil and he was ridiculed for it?

Today we know that Saddam Hussein and his kids are dead in Iraq...but that evil hasn't stopped there.  In fact it appears to be increasing as the suicide bombers are blowing each other up and the corrupt folks are battling for control.

And today we find out a little bit more about the other two.

Iran and North Korea signed a scientific and technological co-operation agreement Saturday, bringing the two nations deeply at odds with the U.S. closer together.

Iranian state TV did not provide further details on the document but said it will include setting up joint scientific and technological laboratories, exchange of scientific teams between the two countries and transfer of technology in the fields of information technology, energy, environment, agriculture and food.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told Mr. Kim, the North Korean Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly, that North Korea and Iran have “common enemies.”

“Arrogant powers don’t tolerate independent governments,” Ayatollah Khamenei told Mr. Kim. “In the march towards great goals, one should be serious, and pressures, sanctions and threats should not cause any crack in (our) determination.”

In a separate meeting, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Mr. Kim’s visit would have a “great impact on strengthening bilateral ties, expanding co-operation and boosting the anti-hegemonic front.”

Both countries are bitter enemies of the U.S. and the West. Iranian and North Korean officials have said in the past that their nations are in “one trench” in the fight against the Western powers.

Here;  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/bitter-enemies-of-the-west-iran-and-north-korea-make-science-technology-pact/article4514231/

So the nut jobs of Iran are teaming up with the super-nut-job of Korea.  I'm guessing they won't be sharing ideas on how they have created top Universities of Science that are attracting the world's elite students....since neither one of them even has one.

I'm guessing they are going to share info on missiles, bombs and nuclear explosions.

I guess President Bush was correct after all?