Catholic Priest Builds Bridge to LGBT Community

Another day...another article about gays.

You'd never have seen this in a Catholic Church 10 or five years ago, even in Boston. Last week, nearly 1,000 Catholics gave a standing ovation to a priest who'd spent an hour criticizing the church for discriminating against gays.

 And nobody shouted him down.

The priest was Jesuit James Martin, author of “Building a Bridge: How the Catholic Church and the LGBT Community Can Enter into a Relationship of Respect, Compassion, and Sensitivity.” The church was St. Ignatius of Loyola, across Commonwealth Avenue from the Brighton mansion where Cardinal Law once lived and police set up crime-scene tape during the sex abuse crisis. 

Among the congregation were giddy 90-year-old nuns; 20-year-olds from Boston College like Matt Stubeck, who waited in a long line for Martin to autograph a book for his gay cousin; devout lay Catholics; daily communicants; and eucharistic ministers who give out communion every Sunday.

 There was also an elderly couple who had driven up from Fall River. Speaking through his tracheotomy, the husband cried as he told Martin and St. Ignatius pastor Joseph Constantino how his gay son was vilified in a church that instructs its faithful, first and foremost, to love one another.

You go online and there it is, vitriol from conservative Catholics. Petition campaigns against him. The speaking invitation rescinded from Catholic University. He’s also been criticized from the left for championing mutual respect when the Catholic catechism still calls “homosexual” acts “intrinsically disordered.” And what about all those closeted, gay-bashing priests?

In a church known for shipping provocative priests to a figurative gulag, James Martin has willingly stuck his neck out. Yet his welcome in Boston, Philadelphia, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C. — and the slew of bishops publicly praising his book — are signs that such daring is less risky now.

It’s the “Pope Francis effect,” said Martin. Before Francis — who famously said of gays, “Who am I to judge?” — Martin said he never could have published this book at all.

And Marcella Maldonado, 52, at St. Ignatius with her partner and mother-in-law, could not have experienced a “phenomenal” evening. To Maldonado, Martin said nothing radical; instead he asked the church to abandon a radically disordered disdain for gay people like her. “This was a call to arms to be true Catholics,” she said. “Good Catholics.”

Here;  http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2017/11/19/priest-building-bridge-between-church-and-lgbt-community/dsSdkyc6kv84FodPbnx67H/story.html

Does it seem like Christians love to single out gay sex as sinful....and yet they may give a total pass to their son living with his girlfriend living a life of fornication?

Yep.

Does it seem like Christians will refuse the chance for practicing gays to teach or preach in church...but still allow a super-obese man who clearly practices gluttony to teach and preach?

Yep.

Does this change the fact that God doesn't approve of, and never will approve of, sex outside of marriage?  And that marriage is ONLY between one man and one woman?

Nope.

We Just Beamed Signal to Space Aliens...Is That a Good Idea?

NBC News is reporting that we just beamed a message about human intelligence to a galaxy 12 light years away that has an earth-like planet.

They are asking if that was a good idea. 

Secular people believe that we may have a chance of alerting aliens of our location....and what if those aliens were meat eaters and looking for their next species to eat as they claim "survival of the fittest" for the universe?

In a valley eight miles southeast of the Norwegian city of Tromsø, a radar antenna has just transmitted a short bit of radio programming to potential alien listeners: some specially composed electronic music and a tutorial about geometry and the use of binary numbers.

This isn’t the usual approach to the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI). Ordinarily, scientists engaged in SETI use such antennas with the hope of hearing a signal that would have been broadcast tens, hundreds, or even thousands of years ago. So far, no dice. But at least SETI offers the chance of short-term success. It’s like a slot machine that’s been stubbornly ungenerous despite having been fed a ton of quarters. There’s always a chance the next coin will trigger a jackpot. SETI could succeed before tomorrow.

That’s not true with the Tromsø transmission. It’s an example of active SETI, or what some scientists call METI (for messaging to extraterrestrial intelligence). The idea is simple: Send a signal that would alert aliens we’re here, and listen for a reply.

Obviously, patience is required. The Tromsø broadcast was beamed to one of the nearest star systems believed to have an Earth-like planet. The target, GJ 273, or more familiarly Luyten’s Star, is a runty red dwarf located 12 light-years from our solar system. Since radio waves travel at the speed of light, we’ll have to wait more than two decades before looking for a reply.

Despite the lack of immediate gratification, Doug Vakoch, founder of the San Francisco-based nonprofit METI International, has argued that if we really intend to prove that humans have cosmic company, we need to step up to the plate and take the initiative. He envisions the Tromsø transmission as a first step down a yellow brick road that eventually leads to signaling thousands or millions of star systems.

Trying to find aliens by pinging only one star system is a long shot. But although the broadcast from Norway is unlikely to provoke a response by any Luytenians, you can be sure it will provoke plenty of Earthlings.

That’s because METI is controversial. To begin with, what do you say to someone you’ve never met, and who’s a member of a different species? This has been batted about at more than a few conferences, and much of the conversation centers on whether we should show our bad side. Do we tell aliens that we engage in war, threaten our environment, and chow down on other critters? Personally, I don’t get too exercised about these discussions. Such concerns — while of great importance to us — are likely to be mere curiosities to the aliens.

But the aspect of METI that really inflames people (including some in the SETI community and even celebrated physicist Stephen Hawking) is the possibility that sending signals skyward may expose us to an existential danger. Suppose Luytenians do exist, and they’re unfriendly. If we tip our hand with a broadcast — no matter what its content — they might respond with a fleet of interstellar missiles to take us out. Bummer.

https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/we-just-beamed-signal-space-aliens-was-bad-idea-ncna822446

Bible readers know that this article is one more indication of the lateness of the hour.  We know earth is being prepared for a massive delusion and we have lots of reasons to believe that "aliens from outer space" will have something to do with it.

For this reason, Hollywood has been coming out with hundreds of Alien movies over the last half century...to prepare us all for the day when "aliens" actually come and visit earth and give us their doctrines.

Most Bible readers also know that these "aliens" are really just demons in disguise.

We believe that the people who are left behind following the rapture will be deluded...and that those who are born again and are indwelt with the Holy Spirit can never be snatched from their Savior's hand.

1 Timothy 4
The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.

2 Thess. 2
For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie

Big Quakes On The Way To "Devastate Earth"

My readers already know that earthquakes will get more frequent as the return of The Lord draws near.

For that reason, this headline plucked from the daily news is interesting.

Deadly earthquakes could hit a BILLION people next year because of Earth's slowing rotation

Swarms of devastating earthquakes are set to arrive next year due to the slowing of Earth's rotation, scientists claim.

Experts warn we 'had it easy this year' with just six severe earthquakes.

Next year we could have at least 20 serious earthquakes, and the most intense ones are expected to occur in tropical regions, home to around one billion people. 

Tiny changes in the speed of our planet's rotation will trigger huge seismic activity by releasing vast amounts of underground energy, experts claim - although their research has been rejected by some scientists. 

'Next year, we should see a significant increase in the numbers of severe earthquakes. 

'We have had it easy this year. So far, we have only had about six severe earthquakes', he said.
'We could easily have 20 a year starting in 2018.' 

Since 1990, more than 80 per cent of all magnitude 7 earthquakes on the eastern Caribbean plate boundary have occurred in the five years following a maximum deceleration.

During these periods there could be up to 30 intense earthquakes every year, while the rest of the time the average figure was around 15 quakes.

'The Earth is offering us a five-year heads-up on future earthquakes', said Dr Bilham, who said the Earth began a slowdown more than four years ago.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5099551/Swarms-big-earthquakes-set-devastate-Earth-2018.html

The Bible says the earth is groaning as it anticipates its redemption from the curse of Genesis 3.  The curse will be lifted when Christ returns to set up his 1000 year reign.  And when He touches down on the Mount of Olives, a massive earthquake will rock the entire world.

Zechariah 14
On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south.  5 You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake[a] in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him. [this is ALL believers who were taken in the rapture and are now returning with Christ to rule and reign with him]

6 On that day there will be neither sunlight nor cold, frosty darkness. 7 It will be a unique day—a day known only to the Lord—with no distinction between day and night. When evening comes, there will be light.

8 On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it east to the Dead Sea and half of it west to the Mediterranean Sea, in summer and in winter.

9 The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name.

Amen!!  Even so, Come Lord Jesus!

Saudi Arabia and Israel? What is Going On?

Even the leftists at HuffPo can sense there is something new and strange going on when Israel and Saudi Arabia start to get close.

Saudi Arabia And Israel — What Is Going On?

General Gad Eizenkot, the IDF Chief of Staff is not the most media savvy Israeli general, in fact he was often been criticized in Israel for not being as open to the Israeli press as some of his predecessors have been, and surely has hardly been open to the foreign press. Yet, a few days ago, in his office in the heart of the Israeli defense establishment complex in Tel Aviv , he granted a long and detailed interview to a Saudi Arabian publication in London, ILAF, and it was a very revealing interview, nothing like a polite chit chat. The general was instructed by his political bosses, PM Netanyahu and Defense Minister Lieberman to be interviewed and be as open as possible, and the loyal soldier did exactly that. Just think about the scenario-Israeli Chief of Staff, Saudi publication, and the discussion is not about the Palestinians, but about the common enemy-Iran. Surreal scene if it happened just few years, maybe even months ago, but what is really even more astounding is the fact, that the unimaginable scene of the past, seems so logical these days.

A Saudi-Israeli honeymoon? A Wahabbi-Jewish reconciliation? Well, not really, rather a combination of two other developments, one which has been in motion for some years, and one which was set in motion very recently. The first has to do with a gradual change in Israel’s posture and role in Middle Eastern politics, from being the ultimate bogey man of Arab politics, the inevitable pariah, to being an actor in the overall Middle East political game, being a participant from within, and not the threat from the outside. A slow process, mostly not public, far from completion and maybe not even irreversible, but one which subtle Middle East observers could very well detect. It has been the result of the political upheavals in the Middle East, the repercussions of the Arab Spring, the civil wars and chronic mayhem in some Arab countries, but also the growing disillusionment with the Palestinians and their constant expectations from the Arab world to go on with the conflict with Israel, at a time when priorities in Cairo and Riyadh, for example , are so different altogether. It is not, as some delusional Right Wing Israelis think, that the Arabs have lost all their interest in and attachment to the Palestinian predicament, it is the sense, that more Arabs than ever before simply put this predicament in a lower place in their list of concerns. And sure enough, there is, of course, the Iranian Shi’i Empire in the building, a huge shadow being cast over the entire region, the mostly Sunni Muslim Arab region, and in particular, over Saudi Arabia. It is this shadow, which may have precipitated, though not created, the sense in the Saudi royal family that a change has to occur in the Kingdom, and the sooner the better, perhaps even the quickest the best. This blog has widely discussed and analyzed the rise of Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, in fact the urgent, near panicky pace of his rise and changes. He does not need me to remind him, that, as the Arabs say, the haste is from the Devil, but he is in full speed and gear, that is to say, that he feels, that the danger from the East is acute, and the solution should accordingly be unprecedented. The Crown Prince wants to stem the rise of the Shi’i crescent, he wants to stop Iran, he wants to defeat Iran, and for that he needs allies. He knows, that Saudi Arabia alone cannot do it, probably he realizes what has been known for many outsiders for a long time, that his armed forces are weak, ineffectual and maybe even lacking morale. Money has been heavily invested, but even in Saudi Arabia they discover, much to their chagrin, that money is not everything. So, if allies are the subject of the search, surely there is Egypt, the Gulf sheikhdoms, excluding the naughty Qataris, and then the US? Obama was not there for the Saudis, who were not impressed with the humiliating bow of the newly-elected President to the late King Abdallah, and Trump runs a chaotic foreign policy, strong on words and weak on actions. So, is it to be Israel? Can it be Israel?

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/saudi-arabia-and-israel-what-is-going-on_us_5a12ca1ee4b023121e0e94a9

There is an old Arab saying, "My enemies enemy is my friend."  Since Saudi Arabia and Israel are both at or near war with Iran...this could be a very natural outcome.

Iran is not made up of Arabs, but Persians who are Shi'ite Muslims.

Just like the Bible said would happen in the Last Days....ALL the eyes of the world are on teeny, tiny little Israel which consists of a tiny sliver of land and 7 million people.

If you want proof of God....look no further than the modern miracle of Israel.

Hosea 3
Afterward the Israelites will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the Lord and to his blessings in the last days.

Russia, Turkey & Iran Prepare for "Major Get-Together"

I'm pretty sure I don't need to remind many of my long-time readers about the Ezekiel 38 coalition.

Ezekiel clearly says that near the very end of the Last Days a military coalition led by Russia and consisting of Iran and Turkey, will attempt to destroy Israel.

This headline should make us aware to how close we are.

ANALYSIS: RUSSIA-IRAN-TURKEY MEETING IS MESSAGE TO US

Turkish, Russian and Iranian diplomats will meet in Antalya on Sunday in the run-up to a major get-together in Sochi on November 22. The meeting is supposed to focus on Syria, but its real purpose is part of a larger effort by Moscow to illustrate its influence in the region.

Moscow, Turkey and Iran are all sending symbolic messages to Washington that the Americans are out in the cold and the post-ISIS era may well be dictated by regional powers.

http://m.jpost.com/Middle-East/Iran-News/Analysis-Russia-Iran-Turkey-meeting-is-message-to-US-514581

So for the first time in human history, Turkey, Russia and Iran are getting ready for a "major get-together."

Of course we have no idea WHEN the trumpet could blow and Jesus could break in like a thief in the night and snatch His bride away....but none of us who read our Bibles should really be surprised if it happens sometime soon.

Ezekiel 38
7 “‘Get ready; be prepared, you and all the hordes gathered about you, and take command of them. 8 After many days you will be called to arms. In future years you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from the nations, and now all of them live in safety. 9 You and all your troops and the many nations with you will go up, advancing like a storm; you will be like a cloud covering the land.