The Star of Bethlehem from a Christian View

Dr. Ray Bohlin   ... "The Gospel of Matthew states that the star informed the magi of the birth of the King of the Jews and actually led them to Bethlehem once they had arrived in Jerusalem. The star of Bethlehem has been the subject of scholarly discussion ever since the first centuries after Jesus' birth. Some believed it was a supernova explosion, others a comet or a conjunction of planets associated with specific constellations that would herald the birth of a king in Israel. Some have suggested that none of these astronomical events can adequately account for all that Matthew tells us within the context of his worldview. In this discussion, I will be investigating the more common explanations to see if we can come to some understanding as to just what the magi saw 2,000 years ago." ...

Raymond G. Bohlin is Vice President of Vision Outreach at Probe Ministries. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois (B.S., zoology), North Texas State University (M.S., population genetics), and the University of Texas at Dallas...

Celebrating Christmas  ... "Dr. Keiper walked with him over to his office and, calling him by name, said, "Have you ever read the text carefully?" The professor replied that he thought he had. Keiper then took his Bible from his briefcase and turned to Luke 2:14, to the verse that is our text, and then read with his professor, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men" (KJV). He asked him to examine the last clause of the verse carefully: "good will toward men." He explained the full force of the original language which literally means "Glory to God in the highest and peace among men of peace." He then assured the professor that the reason why the Christmas message was an apparent farce to him was not God's fault. The trouble lies with men. Keiper concluded, "When men are truly men of good will — seeking to do God's will — this text becomes a mighty force. When men seek to have their own way, it becomes a mighty farce. Because man is at odds with God, there cannot be peace on earth. What we sow we shall reap.' "
 

Merry Christmas from Rich Terrell, the mad Photoshopster

http://terrellaftermath.com/

Have a merry Islamic Christmas

Merry Christmas from our Muslim friends in Canada  "Right at holiday time, a Muslim "charity" in Toronto has started a highly offensive advertising campaign in the Toronto subway declaring Jesus is no God. Just for a micro-second, imagine what hell would break loose if a Christian group on the eve of Ramadan (or heck, any day of the year), sponsored subway ads declaring Mohammed was no prophet." ... 

 

This Islamic teaching aligns with that of  the Watchtower Society - known as the Jehovah's Witnesses - whose literature is used by Muslims to refute Bible-based claims about the nature of Christ.

A Muslim friend I knew at work was a fervent man from Pakistan, very committed to converting those of us around him to Islam. A shelf above his desk was full of literature he used to equip himself to refute all aspects of Christianity. On that shelf I saw several books published by the Jehovah's Witness organization, the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania.

An organization that refers to itself as the only true Christians produces literature used by a Muslim to refute the claims of the Christian faith.

Liberal Hero Farrakhan’s Call for Gays to be Beheaded Gets No Reaction from Media

Liberal Hero Farrakhan’s Call for Gays to be Beheaded Gets No Reaction from Media
Read more at http://conservativebyte.com/2013/12/liberal-hero-farrakhans-call-gays-beheaded-gets-reaction-media/#FXKvKp3eAEippEEG.99

Liberal Hero Farrakhan’s Call for Gays to be Beheaded Gets No Reaction from Media
Read more at http://conservativebyte.com/2013/12/liberal-hero-farrakhans-call-gays-beheaded-gets-reaction-media/#FXKvKp3eAEippEEG.99

Conservative Byte 

"It is amazing that Leftist hero and Obama buddy Louis Farrakhan can talk about beheading and stoning gays to death and you won’t hear a word from the media.

"The silence is telling and very predictable."


Wikipedia: "The Southern Poverty Law Center states NOI’s “theology of innate black superiority over whites and the deeply racist, anti-Semitic and anti-gay rhetoric of its leaders have earned the NOI a prominent position in the ranks of organized hate.' ”

Farrakhan In His Own Words On Homosexuals  “ 'God don't like men coming to men with lust in their hearts like you should go to a female. If you think that the kingdom of God is going to be filled up with that kind of degenerate crap, you're out of your damn mind.' ”

'The Call' Viewer Calls For Gays To Be Beheaded   "A Staten Island resident stunned the host of New York 1 program "The Call" by suggesting that gays should be beheaded in accordance with Sharia law.
"...  the caller noted, "I'm Muslim and I believe 110 percent in Sharia law. Sharia law needs to be implemented in the United States because that's the only way this deviant lifestyle will be corrected.' " 

The Fall of NBC News

arkansasgopwing

Thomas Lifson  "It seems that turning itself into an Obama lapdog has not worked out too well for NBC News.  The once-respected and prosperous news organization is facing cutbacks and an alienated staff. Claire Atkinson of the New York Post writes:

NBC News boss Deborah Turness is spending the last few days of the year eyeing cuts - moves that could include axing some senior on-air talent, The Post has learned.
Turness, brought on in August to shake up the moribund news division - where "Meet the Press" and "Today" had stumbled - is in the midst of a host of end-of -year buyouts and cost reductions, sources said.
The current moves are not the first time Turness has irked journalists under her command.
NBC veterans have complained privately that Turness is not serious enough, sources said.
"Instead of getting better, NBC News has been getting worse," said one executive. "It's a mess."
The grumblings are centered on Turness' more aggressive tabloid style.

"Why would the network operation turn to tabloid style? Must be that people are not watching. And in fact, both Meet the Press, the most venerable program in television history, and Today, traditionally the most profitable product of NBC News, have fallen behind the competition. So revenues lag, and costs must be cut. Somehow, audiences must be persuaded to come back, and nothing sells like sleaze.

"Nobody is yet mentioning the hard left turn NBC News made when Barack Obama took office. The network has become a laughingstock for its softball propagandist approach. That could have a lot to do with its decline (Fox News, in comparison, is doing just great). But that is unmentionable at 30 Rock, the network's headquarters.

"There is no way to know how much damage the leftist lunacy broadcast on MSNBC has done to the NBC News brand, but it cannot have helped. NBC News figures regularly appear on MSNBC, and the stain may not come out.

"NBC News fully deserves its fate, having reneged on its duty to provide hard hitting news. But as an amateur student of broadcast history, I can't help but be nostalgic just a smidgen. NBC, after all, invented network broadcasting in the days of radio. Working with its sister corporation, the now defunct (take heed, NBC Universal!) RCA, NBC pioneered technologically (it invented color television) and culturally.

"That proud history is now lying in ashes. What a shame. The current bosses have sold their souls and sacrificed their heritage on the altar of politically correct Obama worship. Barack Obama is bringing ruin to those who backed him as some kind of messiah. There may be a lesson in this, but those who need it most are incapable of learning it."

Some random, unconnected thoughts

From HopeNChange:  Santa's Twerkshop

"And so, Mr. Obama, Hope n' Change encourages you to stay in Hawaii as long as possible and wishes you a heartfelt "Mele Kalikimaka."

"God knows you've caused enough of a melee back here on the mainland." 

From Debbie Schlussel: Perfect Description of Obama on Vacation (and Every Other Day)

FLASHBACK: Islamic Cleric: Muslims Saying “Merry Christmas” Is “Worse Than Killing Someone”…  

... "When you say: “Merry Christmas,” you are saying: “Congratulations on your false religion,” “Congratulations on your false understanding of life.” You are congratulating them on the most evil of polytheism and heresy. [...]
This is worse than fornication, drinking alcohol, and killing someone."
Then all Muslims should be pleased with the Obama's Christmas, er, holiday card. shown below.

 

Where's the Liberal "Fairness" in this?

As soon as I read this first post to my wife of fifty years, she made the connection to the second post.
Enjoying irony, I can't resist putting these together here. 
The Tunnel Dweller.

British supermarket will allow clerks to refuse service to customers buying pork and alcohol
"But M&S appears to have surrendered to the notion that the religious sensibilities of their employees tops the needs of its customers. If they want to put devout Muslims on a cash register, they should also put up a sign saying "This clerk does not ring up pork or alcohol products." Can you imagine standing in line for 10 minutes and then being told you have to go to another register to be served?"  More here.

Baker must cater to same-sex weddings, or else

... "This decision sends a boding message to other small businesses, especially those in the wedding industry such as florists, bakers, photographers, and event venues, putting them in a troubling standoff between freedom of religion and anti-discrimination laws."

30,000 In IL Must Redo Their O-Care Applications

From an unfazed Associated Press:
"CHICAGO –  Illinois officials are emailing and calling thousands of people, advising them to start over on their health insurance applications if they believe the federal government mistakenly referred them to Medicaid.
"We wonder how many people were ‘mistakenly’ shunted into Medicaid by those ACORN and SEIU navigators? After all, Democrats want people to be as dependent on the government as possible.

The latest wrinkle in the troubled enrollment process for the nation’s new health insurance system was announced Wednesday, just days ahead of a key enrollment deadline.

"You see, it’s just a ‘wrinkle.’ Having health insurance isn’t a matter of life or death, after all. " ....

Al Sharpton's Chicago Town Hall Erupts into Revolt Against Machine Politics

Big Government

... "While the stated goal for Sharpton was to bring the many different groups together to discuss solutions to the city’s violence epidemic, he may not have gotten the types of responses he was looking for. Calls for more gun control laws and getting guns off the streets were nonexistent and not mentioned by residents throughout the session.
"Instead, attendees offered solutions addressing the problems facing their community as a whole rather than just taking on “gun violence” itself. Audience members addressed the need for jobs and solving the foreclosure crisis plaguing Chicago’s south and west sides. Perhaps the loudest message—and one that Reverend Al or the Chicago media have yet to report on—echoed by several different people in attendance as well as panel members was that it is time for the black community to start voting differently." ...

Hat tip to Karl P. Koenigs  at Guardian Eagles

ENYA SINGS ADESTE FIDELES

American Glob
 

"Trust is gone" --- by Dennis Prager (Cartoon update)

UPDATE:  This came out this morning and it fit perfectly with the message of Prager's article.

Investor Village  "I have been broadcasting for 31 years and writing for longer than that. I do not recall ever saying on radio or in print that a president is doing lasting damage to our country.
....

"But I have never written or broadcast that our country was being seriously damaged by a president. So it is with great sadness that I write that President Barack Obama has done and continues to do major damage to America. The only question is whether this can ever be undone.

 

 This is equally true domestically and internationally.

Domestically, his policies have had a grave impact on the American economy.

....

"Among presidents in modern American history, he has also been a uniquely divisive force. It began with his forcing Obamacare through Congress — the only major legislation in American history to be passed with no votes from the opposition party."

"He has also divided the country by economic class, using classic Marxist language against “the rich” and “corporate profits.' ”

....

"One wonders if there is a remaining ally nation that trusts him. And worse, no American enemy fears him. If you are a free movement (the democratic Iranian and Syrian oppositions) or a free country (Israel), you have little or no reason to believe that you have a steadfast ally in the United States."

Emphasis in the original.
Hat tip to fellow Marine Robert Hope, Sacramento, CA. Thanks, Bob.

Related; America’s Crisis of Trust ... "As a result, no one or no institution has credibility in America today. The dip in the president’s honesty rating is not a blip, but part of long-term decline in confidence in government and institutions that represents and unraveling of a system where nobody is trusted at all."
Douglas Schoen was a pollster for President Bill Clinton and Pat Caddell was a pollster for President Jimmy Carter.

Cracker Barrel Backtrack: Duck Back On Menu

Truth Revolt
"We made a mistake, we listened to you, and we apologize."

"Nationwide country restaurant Cracker Barrel has reversed its decision of Friday to stop selling some Duck Dynasty merchandise with Papa Phil's face prominently displayed. Thanks to fierce customer backlash and a strong anti-Cracker Barrel Twitter campaign, the restaurant tweeted on Sunday that Duck Dynasty products are back on the shelves."

Trouble is that Duck Dynasty money goes to A+E; Duck Commander income goes to the Robertsons. But A+E should get the message.