Africans evicted from Israel

“He secures justice for the orphan and the widow; he loves the foreigner, giving him food and clothing. Therefore you are to love the foreigner, since you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. You are to fear ADONAI your God, serve him, cling to him and swear by his name.” Deuteronomy 10:18–20 Complete Jewish Bible.

Judaism teaches love for foreigners that enter Israel, we could term these people as immigrants or refugees or however we see them. In these case the law of God seems to put the onus on the “foreigner” to follow the ways of God and for Israel to accept the foreigner and not discriminate against them.

What we term as Christianity reaches out to people to a greater degree, there is more of an active energy involved with reaching out to people and inviting them into the community of believers, but this is a spiritual community, rather than a physical community.

It’s such a pity that in Israel that application of the law is partial, there is an emphasis on national identity in the sense of something that needs to be guarded so that it is not lost, instead of a more transcendent identity that outsiders (foreigners) can share and help to edify the whole community.

Outside of Israel, within the Church, application of the law is even more partial, but there is the notion of this transcendent identity which can embrace others and bring them into a community.

I don’t think any religious community has the interpretation of God’s word right, either those in Israel or outside of it, and neither myself, but as an outsider looking in, for I am neither in Israel physically or part of a church, I can basically see that no matter what ways in which we misinterpret God’s law or are partial in our application of it, the end result is the same – division, pride, prejudice, corruption and injustice.

I would say there is wisdom enough in the world for us to do better at achieving God’s righteous standards, but the evil in the world is winning over the good, and the more it does so, the deeper we slip into a dystopian reality – it’s not in the future – it is here and now, and has actually been around for a long time.

Far-right in the USA

Did you know what lies beneath the rise of the racist far right movements in the USA? Read up on “British Israelism” and “Christian Identity”. These movements want to assert that Anglo Saxons, the British, Scottish, German and Nordic peoples are the rightful heirs of the promises god gave to Israel, they focus on tenuous etymological links between words and twist biblical scriptures out of context in order to give them the reason to purge native peoples from their homelands and make people slaves. The Christian Identity movement in particular is extreme, it views people who are non-white as having no soul, not being human, a different species only fit to be slaves. The literature of these movements such as “The Turner Diaries” gave rise to the tactics and lifestyle of the Oklahoma bomber Timothy McVeigh and they underpin the views and lifestlyes of racist groups like the Ku Klux Klan.

It’s important to know that The Turner Diaries also depict a race war and nuclear war.

So when I see someone like Donald Trump, whom I would term a crafty snake, employ people in his cabinet like Steve Bannon Chief Executive of Breitbart News a far right website as his Chief Strategist (although he has now been sacked), Jim Sessions (Attorney General) with a murky right wing sympathising past, and even with actions like pardoning Joe Arpaio who publicly said he felt honoured to be compared to the Ku Klux Klan back in 2007; it seems clear racism in America is coming out into the open, and right from the top.

It seems to me people have to go through more character checks for a job in a supermarket, than for a job in the Whitehouse.

Artificial Intelligence and deepening inequality

Many years ago, I remember people saying computers would bring in an era of four-day working weeks because of the work the would save us. What seems to be happening is that computers, in the form of physical robots (used now for decades for manufacturing cars etc) and artificial intelligence algorithms (that power things like chat-bots, telephony systems etc) are actually making people lose their jobs entirely.

The way things work with technology, is that at first, stuff is apparently too expensive to produce, it is priced highly so only those with enough money to buy it can profit from the gains of being an early adopter of the new technology.  However, as time goes on the same technology becomes cheaper to produce and so it reaches more and more businesses and people who can afford it.

I’ve heard about futuristic visions of a society where only robots work, and everyone lives off a Universal Payment, which alarms me – more people tied to a system like the dole, and actually paid not to work!?

Consumerism fuelled by debt is at the heart of virtually every society on earth. If robots are going to take away more and more jobs, what will happen to the debt of those people whose jobs are taken away?  How will those people be able to acquire goods and services or generate wealth? The notion of this Universal Payment seems like another device to lock in the existing uneven distribution of wealth in society, robots and AI will only serve to entrench this further.

RELATED LINKS

World Economic Forum: Robots are leading us down a dangerous path, says World Bank Chief
The Express: Bill Gates joins Stephen Hawking in warning Artificial Intelligence IS a threat to mankind

Decorations on christmas tree at night

The Origins of Christmas

YAHSHUA (JESUS) SAID:
“You have let go of the commands of God and are holding onto the traditions of men.” (Mark 7:8)

My main intention in producing this leaflet, is to expand the Christian (“Believer’s”, follower of “The Way’s”) knowledge about the festival of Christmas, and to get them to consider if it is really a festival that honours the Son of Yah (“God”) whom we claim to worship. I also hope that the reader will be able to use this leaflet as a basis for further study, in order to take a closer look at the customs, ritual and history of a festival that we accept as being appropriate, that perhaps is not.

Does this sound at all familiar?

Hear the word ADONAI speaks to you,
house of Isra’el!
Here is what ADONAI says:
“Don’t learn the way of the Goyim,
don’t be frightened by astrological signs,
even if the Goyim are afraid of them;
for the customs of the peoples are nothing.
They cut down a tree in the forest;
a craftsman works it with his axe;
they deck it with silver and gold.
They fix it with hammer and nails,
so that it won’t move.  (Jeremiah 10:1-3 CJB).

Christmas

The anniversary of the birth of Messiah (Christ) and its observance. The date of the birth of Messiah is not known. Celebrated by most Protestants and by Roman Catholics on December 25, by Eastern Orthodox churches on January 6, and by the Armenian Church on January 19. The first mention of its observance on December 25 is in the time of Constantine, c. A.D. 325. The word Christmas is formed of Christ plus Mass, meaning a religious service in commemoration of the birth of Messiah. It seems clear that the early Believers did not observe Christmas, in fact they still observed Passover (note the “Quartodeciman Passover/Easter Controversy“). However, once the observance of Christmas introduced it spread throughout Christendom. Some Believer groups disapprove of the festival. (Q: Is there a command in the bible that shows Christmas is to be celebrated? Is Christmas shown to be celebrated at all in the bible? Notice that Yahshua’s disciples were not Greek and a closer form of English to what they actually called our saviour would be Messiah or Yahshua).

Christmas Decorations

Christmas Decorations

MITHRAISM

The cult of Mithras, a Persian sun god, the worship of which reached Rome in or about A.D. 69. Based on the trials, sufferings, and exploits of Mithras, the cult appealed to soldiers. December 25 was the chief feast of Mithras, and in fixing on that date for Christmas, the early church sought to overlay both the Mithraic festival and the Saturnalia (see below). Christianity triumphed over Mithraism because of its written records of a historic Messiah, and its associated body of doctrine adapted for preaching, evangelism, and the needs of every day. Christianity, too, was universal, excluding neither woman, child, nor slave. It preached salvation by faith and demanded no stern ordeals. (Q: Should the worship of Messiah be confused and entangled with the worship of any other God or even a person mythical or otherwise?).

Sat-ur-na-li-a: [Saturnalis of Saturn] 1: the ancient Roman festival of Saturn, held about Dec. 17, with general feasting and revelry in celebration of the winter solstice (see below) 2: any period or occasion of unrestrained, often orgiastic, revelry. (Note 1 Peter 4:1-5, Ephesians 5:15-20, & Numbers chapter 25.)

Druids

Druids

Sol-stice: [Sol] the sun + [sistere], to stare, to STAND. SUMMER/WINTER SOLSTICES.

This scripture forbids the worship of the sun, moon and stars etc, things that the Pagan Solstices are closely linked with: And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars–all the heavenly array–do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshipping things the LORD your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven (Deuteronomy 4:19).

This scripture forbids divination, astrology, and human sacrifice, things that the Druids and heathens practice:” 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.” (Based on Deuteronomy 18:9-13. To review the conflict that exists between the worshipers of God, and those who worship created things see: Daniel Chapters 2-5, Isaiah chapter 47, note verse 13, & 59:5-8 – ‘vipers’, ‘egg’ – could this passage refer to the practices of the DRUIDS? Also see Romans 1:21-25.)

Q’s: Is Christmas an example of a ‘Believers’ festival that actually has links with pagan religion which God hates? Believers’ festivals are such because God has commanded them to be kept. If we as Believers join in celebrating a festival that God has not commanded, which the heathen use to promote practices which are contrary to the desire of God; aren’t we yoking ourselves with them to some degree by giving that festival a kind of legitimacy? Paul writes: Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Messiah and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” “Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” (2 Corinthians 6:14-18, & note 1 Corinthians 10:18-22, 1 Timothy 4:7, & 2 Timothy 4:3&4.)

Santa Claus

Santa Claus

YAHSHUA SAID:
“These people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men. You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.” And he said to them: “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!” (Mark 7:6-9, & note Deuteronomy 4:2)

BIBLE NOTES ON MARK CHAPTER 7 VERSE 8:
the commands of God . . . the traditions of men. Yahshua clearly contrasts the two. God’s commands are found in Scripture and are binding; the traditions of the elders (and our own traditions e.g. Christmas and Easter) – (v. 3) are not Biblical and therefore not authoritative or binding. Consider, the only ordinance Yahshua said we should keep in remembrance of him is ‘communion’. Also consider Yahshua’s words “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I am!” – (based on John 8:58), and Colossians 1:15-20. When was Messiah actually ‘born’? Is any celebration of his birth really something that we can truly understand? (See Luke 22:14-23, note 1 Corinthians 11:17-34.)

THE ATTITUDES WE HAVE TOWARD FEASTING AND GIVING:

If giving presents is an act of love, Yahshua said: “If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?” (Matthew 5:46&47. Also see Revelation 11:1-14 note verse 10). The same could be said of feasts, for Yahshua said: “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbours; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” (Luke chapter 14:12-14, & note Matthew 23:1-7).

Q’s: Why should it require a special season of the year to be generous to people? Is this tokenism? Is it possible that Christmas represents a kind of sincerity and good intention, which is actually not in keeping with the ideals and commands and spirit of the person (i.e. Yahshua Messiah) that Christmas is supposed to celebrate?

Christmas Cards

Christmas Cards

EXCESS, CHEATING AND HYPOCRISY:

The drunkenness and overeating that generally goes on at Christmas is perhaps symbolic of two things; the first being the drunkenness of spirit that permits conformity to false beliefs, the second being the desire to be filled with the pleasures of this world. One could argue that the food and drink that the heathen devour are symbolic of their union with Satan, in a similar manner that a Believer’s union with Messiah is represented by festivals like the Passover (Pesach) meal.

At Christmas the prices of goods go up, and in the hustle and bustle to buy, people can seem blind or indifferent to the fact that they are often being conned. Minds are focused on the next big consumer desire rather than on Messiah. People who are hard pressed all year perhaps get a few days of work with extra and/or early pay, perhaps given as an encouragement for them to join in with the tide of consumer excess and celebrate a festival with little scriptural validity that will profit them little. At seasons end they return to the same old routine, knowing nothing further of the true riches of godliness. Can this really be Messiah‘s desire for this Laodicean world? (Note Hosea 12:7&8, Amos 8:5, Ecclesiastes 5:11, and consider Revelation 3:14-22 and the concept of a ‘Laodicean world‘).

Many will celebrate the birth of Messiah at Christmas and worship him as a ‘little babe’, but these same people do not regard so highly the teachings and lifestyle that Messiah taught as a man. The truth is that it is not the birth of Messiah alone that saves us, we have to follow his teaching (including baptism), and recognise and celebrate the power of his death and resurrection daily, to truly embrace the hope of eternal life.

BACKWARD AND PARTIAL THINKING

In his letter to the Galatians, Paul writes to a group of Believers who had made a break from Pagan religion (See Galatians 4:8-11). In this passage Paul is rebuking the Galatians for turning back to their old principles of pagan worship (noting we are in Messiah permanently, not just for a season). Could the same passage of scripture be applied today to Believers who mix pure Believer’s teachings as found in the bible, with symbols and practices from Pagan rites and festivals? What could the effects of this mixing and compromise be?

In the past, when you did not know God, you served as slaves beings which in reality are non-gods. But now you do know God, and, more than that, you are known by God. So how is it that you turn back again to those weak and miserable elemental spirits? Do you want to enslave yourselves to them once more? You observe special days, months, seasons and years! I fear for you that my work among you has been wasted! (Galatians 4:8–11 CJB).

Look at that scripture clearly, some translations use the word “sabbath”, but this is a generalisation of a rest days, don’t be confused by that. Firstly remember Paul was speaking to Gentiles, not Jews. The Gentiles have never known the Elohim (“God”) of Israel.  The key then is in verse 8 “when you did not know God”, this is referring to the condition these Gentiles were in before they knew Yah. The served “gods” note the plural! Note the following:

“Hear O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one…” (Deuteronomy 6:4).

Israel was not to worship a collective of “gods” or even any other “god” other than Yah. Paul is talking about the rest and feast days, and seasons associated with pagan worship. Don’t let Christian pastors pull the wool over your eyes and fool you that Paul was against keeping the commands of Yah. For if Paul was really against this, then he would not have kept Sabbaths Acts 18:1-4, and Passover 1 Cor 5:8.  People wake up!

List of Scriptures

1) Note 1 Peter 4:1-5, Ephesians 5:15-20, & Numbers chapter 25.
2) Deuteronomy 4:19.
3) Based on Deuteronomy 18:9-13. To review the conflict that exists between the worshippers of God, and those who worship created things see: Daniel Chapters 2-5, Isaiah chapter 47, note verse 13, & 59:5-8 – ‘vipers’, ‘egg’ – could this passage refer to the practices of the DRUIDS? Also see Romans 1:21-25.
4) 2 Corinthians 6:14-18, & note 1 Corinthians 10:18-22, 1 Timothy 4:7, & 2 Timothy 4:3&4.
5) Mark 7:6-9, & note Deuteronomy 4:2.
6) See Luke 22:14-23, note 1 Corinthians 11:17-34.
7) Matthew 5:46&47. Also see Revelation 11:1-14 note verse 10.
8) Luke chapter 14:12-14, & note Matthew 23:1-7.
9) Note Hosea 12:7&8, Amos 8:5, Ecclesiastes 5:11, and consider Revelation 3:14-22 and the concept of a ‘Laodicean world‘.
NOTE: All boxed excerpts are from: ‘Brewer’s Concise Phrase & Fable’. 16 ed. © 2000 Published by Cassell & Co, ISBN 0-304-35725-1

PAMPHLET VERSION: The Origins Of Christmas

Freedom of speech and hate speech

21) The tongue has power over life and death; those who indulge it must eat its fruit. Complete Jewish Bible: Pr 18:21

36) Moreover, I tell you this: on the Day of Judgment people will have to give account for every careless word they have spoken; 37) for by your own words you will be acquitted, and by your own words you will be condemned.” Complete Jewish Bible: Mt 12:36–37

I’ve got no problem with free speech, people should be able to say whatever they want. What I do have a problem with is ignorance, and the opinions that breed from ignorance and are despised by the majority of decent people.

People who are filled with hate actually need to be heard, so that their opinions can be brought down by public debate, and if the public doesn’t have the strength, will or intellect to add clarity to a situation be a rebuttal that educates those that hear it, that is a failure on the part of those that should defend what is right, and a triumph for those who proclaim what is evil.

This debate tells me that society is losing its mental capacity not only to ensure people get a proper education for those that fall beneath the net, because I believe many problems that manifest in hate speech are born of ignorance and reflect a mental deficiency which after generations who pass through that same conditioning can become a genetic flaw; but also, in the general level of education for those who do not fall below the net, and who do not indulge in hate speech, who are stunned and shocked but are somehow lacking the ability to formulate the speech to counteract hate filled language.

See the debate on Al Jazeera here

The shameful past

I recently heard about some students who want statues of William Gladstone removed. Gladstone was a British Prime Minister who served 4 terms in Parliament and helped some slave owners get compensation when the trans atlantic slave trade was abolished.

Video courtesy BBC News.

I think it is a bad idea. Britain needs to face up to its past, and we all do, hiding from it doesn’t make the problem go away. Some people who train their pets not to foul in the home, will take a pet that has broken the house rules and rub their nose in their mess and tell them, don’t do it again. The same can’t be done in this case explicitly, but destroying the evidence I feel destroys one of those markers that reminds Britain of its arrogance and iniquity of many years ago, that it was proud of at the time. These statues also reminds the oppressed who oppressed them so that we might be aware of the serpent that given latitude, might strike twice.

Additional reading:

The Independent: Britain’s colonial shame: Slave-owners given huge payouts after abolition
Cambridge University Press: Gladstone and Slavery

Frankenmeat

So a clever scientist has figured out a way to create meat in a laboratory, and sees an industry growing from this that will help to reduce the land use, CO2 emissions and other resource consumed involved in regular animal farming for meat to be consumed by humans.

Sounds like a clever idea, but when this industry takes off, what will happen to the millions of jobs sustained by people involved in the meat industry and the various industries it works in conjunction with?

Without a doubt, the way in which some animals are treated is disgusting, a lack of care, poor conditions, and the fact they are bred only to be slaughtered. But at the same time, technology in all its glory, could be about to create a far greater problem, contributing to mass unemployment and a potential seismic shift in the ways some countries labour markets work, that they may never recover from.

Faith for a price?

I sometimes watch the TV and some of these super preachers, who carry on like career professionals in business. They want your money, and people who are naive are taken in by this all over the world. It’s true that believers should tithe when they are actively part of a particular church, but we shouldn’t expect to get a blessing proportionate to the size of the gift.

I watched with some dismay and the news of what is going on in South Africa as this Al Jazeera article shows.

The prophet Micah wrote:

Its heads give judgment for a bribe;
its priests teach for a price;
its prophets practice divination for money;
yet they lean on the LORD and say,
“Is not the LORD in the midst of us?
No disaster shall come upon us.”

Micah 3:8 English Standard Version.

I’m reminded of Isaiah 55, and what Yahshua said in Matthew 10:8 (Complete Jewish Bible):

You have received without paying, so give without asking payment.

Video: courtesy Al Jazerra.

You can’t buy the truth and you can’t buy salvation.

Brexit, polarisation and sleepwalking into disaster

I watched some of BBC Parliament recently, by chance, and the MP’s were speaking about the Brexit impact assessment, redacted findings, the autonomy of the Select Committee and the danger of leaks. BBC News has a good summary of the current debate here.

I find it fascinating, that with probably the most important political event that will happen in my lifetime, and the lifetimes of many MP’s involved, that instead of working together, the political parties are engaged in the same old polarised debates; “I’m right, you’re wrong” – “This side of the house, that side of the house”. It’s like watching some kind of opinion tennis spectacle. These people are paid a lot of money, but they don’t seem to realise that they are wasting time and destroying the path to collaborative progress. Maybe the real work just doesn’t go on in The House of Commons.

The Queen should step in and bang these people’s heads together, as they apparently act on her behalf. Or maybe she is just content to remain a figurehead bringing in revenues to the country, however, whether you consider those revenues to be 2bn or 5bn, you have to weigh that up with the cost of a potential lost opportunity for The Queen to step in and stop Parliament from aimlessly arguing about this issue, defending their political pride, perhaps bolstering a woefully weak Prime Minister, so that we don’t find ourselves doing too little, too late.

Apartheid against the Rohingya

In Myanmar (formerly Burma) there is a shocking development, where the majority Buddhist population is persecuting this muslim minority. With hundreds of thousands of people being displaced, and with little or no access to food, water and shelter, it’s being referred to in terms from Apartheid to Ethnic Cleansing and genocide.

In truth the situation has been going on for many years now as a form of Apartheid and systemic discrimination, but in recent months has escalated into full-blown Ethnic Cleansing. This shows how systemic injustice, inequality, Apartheid and Ethnic Cleansing are linked.

What’s adds a note of further disbelief to this situation is why Aung San Suu Kyi – a Nobel Peace prize winner can not see the stain on democracy that is happening right now as she rules over a country in which she was imprisoned for her devoted stance on democracy.

The Pope refused to mention the Rohingya muslims by name.

But the world has not forgotten them.

Amnesty has a good article here and there are ways to pledge support also.

The controversy over the Washington “Redskins”

I’ve often spoken about how language reflects prejudice. As a black person I often feel on the wrong end of that in an Anglo-Saxon/European culture. There is this weird inconsistency in the English language regarding its references to the colour black. Generally black is bad, white is good. Financially if you are in the red, that’s bad – but if you are in the black that’s good, yet during the crisis that hit the UK government in 1992 when we exited the ERM, financially a bad day, it was referred to as “black Wednesday”, and to further the inconsistency, we now celebrate – in the retail centric sense, Black Friday after the US Thanksgiving. There are frequently negative connotations associated with colour, but actually as humans we have so much more capacity to use language more accurately and communicate effectively.

However, it has to be remembered that black people are not the only people stereotyped and marginalised by the use of language. Just this week on Al Jazeera I saw an article about the Washington Redskins. Not being a follower of American Football myself, I’d never considered the angle this story revealed, and had always considered The Redskins name as being loosely synonymous with the colour of their kit. But when you look closely at the emblems on the kit, the team mascots and paraphernalia associated with The Redskins – it points to a kind of Native American Indian theme, which some Native American Indians feel offended by.

We have this odd thing going on in society regarding skin colour. White people are not actually white – the name flesh as a colour doesn’t mean anything as there are many different colours and shades of flesh. SImilarly, black people are generally brown, of various hues and Indian People, native American or otherwise are not at all red, similarly – people of Chinese decent are not yellow… It seems to me, if colour is important, we should probably at least be accurate about the colour names we use.

Now that I know Native American Indians are offended by these terms, I won’t be using them – and I think in order to make our society more responsible in its use of language, all people who are demeaned and marginalised by certain words and linguistic forms should band together to protest, teach and correct others about this. If pressure isn’t applied against the this kind of thing, it will just go on unchallenged, perpetuating the crass insensitivity and/or blindness of a majority group which is adamantly slow to change.

Vide and further reading “NFL Team name causes outrage in the US“, courtesy Al Jazeera.