Cornwall Ontario–
“Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34). From the track record of the Supreme Court in past and recent decisions, the court has never read this verse just quoted. Nevertheless, the Holy Scriptures are for them: “These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates” (Zechariah. 8:16). This is what the Lord God of Heaven expects of those who are in authority, those who are to rule over the people in righteousness.
The Bible is very clear that prostitution is a very terrible sin. The practice of prostitution is a direct attack against the honourable institution of marriage, which is the foundation for a good and healthy family. The act of prostitution is an immoral act, and those who participate are committing the sin of adultery. The desire to legalize prostitution is not a mark of liberty and a progressive society, but a sign of reprobation – meaning, God is giving up our society to more sin, as He removes His restraining hand that is upon us. That the Supreme Court and our government – on any level – is considering such a legalization is sure proof that God has allowed fools void of right judgment to rule over us.
“Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34). When will “sin is a reproach to any people” come to pass? To whom is the Supreme Court accountable? To whom is our government accountable? What will be next? Legalized incest, pedophilia, and polygamy? Oh, God have mercy on us, and on our children, for the Lord Jesus’ sake! “Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled; but God will judge fornicators and adulterers” (Hebrews 13:4).
Pastor Tom Newton
Calvary Baptist Church
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Photo: Kay Chernush for the U.S. State Department.
The Bible:
1) The Old Testament: stories of blood, thunder and a wrathful, vengeful, jealous God (aka Jehovah).
2) The New Testament: gospels of a healing, peace-loving, forgiving Christ-figure (who was condemned and crucified at the behest of the priests of the day) …. until you get to the letters (epistles) of a fitfully angry old bachelor ignorant of marriage, gender, DNA, and gender relations.
Caveat to readers of the Bible, especially priests and pastors: Be careful how you read it, much less apply or advocate its ‘laws’ and teachings. A great deal of critical thinking, understanding and compassion required.
The Bible otherwise a book of great beauty teeming with lessons about life. A superb testament to the human condition.
Rob – the majority of the child molestation cases has happened (is happening in) in the Roman Catholic church – her priests. Like Project Truth in Cornwall. I can say that the evangelical churches are not exempt for such wickedness, but to say or imply that the church is number one in this offense is not true. We point the finger at the church, and say “you should know better”, while the world is opening embracing all manner of sexual perversion and calling in normal behavior. There is enough hypocrisy to go around in and out of the church.
Rob – God does not do the molesting, but sinners bent on fulfilling their lustfull heart are to blame. Yes, God could stop it, in an instant, but He doesn’t. Such a questioning can be applied to all the woes of society. For now God says this is wrong, and judgment will follow, but sinners will not obey. Like the issue of prostitution – there are sufficient warnings from the Word of God that such is sinful. Human experience tells us over and over that such perversion brings misery to all, but we in our pride and arrogance stick up our noses at God and say “we will not have this man to rule over us”. By God permitting, allowing mankind to act as free agents while in the bounds of His Sovereign will, is that God is proving a point. And that point will fully come to light on the Great Day of Judgment.
So don’t blame God if prostitution is legalized, blame your fellow man, and yes, yourself if need be. And yes, don’t just point the finger, and than feel that you job is done. “Righteousness exalteth a nation” – do what is right for the good of all of humanity – for your children, for your neighbors, etc.
PJ Robertson “A great deal of critical thinking, understanding and compassion required”. Which I see from your dualism of the old testament god and the new testament god, that you need to practice what you preach. Such dualism is an old liberal heresy of the 1800″. Nothing new under the sun! Rehashed humanism, at it’s best.
@Pastor Tom Newton
Why does it hurt when I pee?
Just kidding. Merry Christmas.
@ PJ. Taken as a whole (both testaments), the nastiness and misery that that damned book has caused, far outweighs any good. That fact is made clear by the fire and brimstone BS emanating from fundamentalist bully pulpits.
@ Furtz Problem is not the good book, rather the ignorance and narrow-mindedness of fundamentalist interpreters, as amply demonstrated on this thread.
As usual Pastor Tom , you have been the catalyst for some jolly good discourse.
The topic of religious belief and the meaning of life always lead me back to a piece of music that heals me like a tonic in my times of questioning the value of life. This particular performance and the great composition give me hope in the human condition and the greatness in humankind’s developement. It’s that great!
I’m speaking of Dionne Warwick’s stunning interpretation of Bacharach and David’s “Alfie” (available on youtube).
Everytime I hear this piece of music and ponder its achingly beautiful paean to “love as the answer” I am deeply moved, far more so than by any sermon i ever endured in a church. I guess that’s the power of great art.
@ Michael. I have the same problem. I’m blaming it on the 24 of Coors Swill that my step son gave me for Xmas.
The bible in itself is ambiguous and controversial. At a young age, the child is taught what to believe. As an adult, the reader interprets the bible based on some of what they we’re taught, but personal search for answers is an eye opener when one delves deeper.
I believe in God, that Jesus was made man, lived among us, and will come again in glory.
However…….Religion is a different ball of wax altogether. I am reading a book called “Jerusalem” written by Simon Sebag Montefiore. It is atrocious what people did to their fellowmen in the name of religion. It went on before Christ and is still going on today in the middle East all in the name of religion and God.
It seems that religion is man made, like running a business. You don’t like the preacher nor what he has to say, you pull out and start up another religion with your own interpretations of the bible and your own beliefs. Jesus was Jewish, that being said, Judaism should be the one and only religion. Hasn’t HE proved Himself when on earth by healing the blind, the sick and the lepers? Is that not proof enough that He is the Savior?
Religion was and still is the cause of wars.
@ Stella. What proof? And please don’t tell me that because it is written in the King James bible, it has to be the truth. You are way smarter than that.
@Furtz
You must really love your son to drink that stuff!
Stella -“Judaism should be the one and only religion”. There is a real problem with that idea.
First of all. The Old Testament Scriptures which foretold of Messiah King Jesus’ coming which the Jews read, these same Jews rejected Him totally and end up crucifying Him. Therefore according in to Matthew 23 and 24, judgment is to fall upon Israel – and it did in 70 a.d. when the temple was destroyed and the Levitical sacrifices ended. The whole book of Hebrews is setting forth the replacement of the Old Covenant with the New Covenant -New High Priest, New Sacrifice, New Law, etc. There will be a future in gathering of a saved remnant of Israel in the Great Tribulation period, which is called Jacob’s Trouble, when Messiah Jesus comes back to judge the World in righteousness and set up His kingdom.
Secondly – Judaism is the same thing as what is called Phariseeism. Judaism is accounted as being started back in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah. The Lord Jesus in His time on earth rejected Judaism totally. Because Judaism had become nothing more than a religion of man’s traditions and commandments of men – See Mark 7:1-13.
If you take time to read Matthew 5:17- 48, you will see how the Lord Jesus is exposing, correcting the abuses of hypocrisy of the rabbis and leaders of Israel in His day.
So Judaism can not be the accepted way to God today.
Now now Furtz………play nice. **smile**
Many books not only the bible speak of Jesus’s healing powers. That is proof enough for me and millions upon millions of others. One doesn’t have to see to believe…..it’s called faith. Without faith and hope, what would our purpose be in life?
@ Stella. I do have some hope, but NO faith in imaginary gods and stuff like that. Except, of course The Flying Spaghetti Monster. 🙂 As for purpose, I live for my family, and to p!ss off freedom-fighters and baptist preachers, and to read your comments. 🙂 🙂
I agree all the way with Pastor Newton and as an RC I am very embarrassed and ashamed of the priests in my church for what they have done and still do till this day. I refuse to go to confession to a priest who has done nothing but sin and why should I confess to a sinner.
God gave us all choices to make in life and if we take the wrong road as they say then we pay for that. Yes God sure can stop the sin but He won’t and it is up to us to make the right choices in life.
As for Judaism it is of the old testament and it is true that the Jews do not recognize Christ except for the Messianic Jews who are very few in number. Today we have Hollywood that is so mighty sinful and encouraging sin like the likes of Miley Cirus who is worse than Marilyn Munroe and all the rest of them. This girl has gone towards prostitution. The world is going to get much worse than what you see right now and the earth will be judged like what happened to the two towns in Israel called Sodom and Gamorah and yes all this is true and more. The Pastor does not lie to you but is telling all of you the real truth. I know what the Pastor is talking about with the Pharisees and I will also read it now for myself. Thank you Pastor.
@ Jules. Have you read any of the things Newton has written about Catholics and the RC church? Idol worshipers, false religion, and all the usual nasty stuff we’ve come to expect from the dear preacher. Here’s just a taste…
” Compare Roman Catholicism of our day to Biblical Christianity, and it is quite plain to see, that the Lord Jesus would have nothing to do with Roman Catholicism. Roman Catholicism with it’s works salvation by sacraments, it’s open and blatant idolatry – the worship of Mary, the mass, and all the other traditions of men, is an institution that is full of errors, lies, and abominations.”
Furtz I have not read what Pastor Newton has blogged about the Catholic church but nothing would shock me because I have been all through that with my own dad ripping off holy pictures off the walls at our house and smashing them and all the words that Pastor Newton and others of the Protestant faith can ever come out with. Catholics recite the prayer beads and would you believe Furtz that I don’t even know how to do that and I have the prayer beads in my dresser drawer just sitting in there. There is the prayer of the Hail Mary and I have some medals and a few pictures of her stored away. Yes the Pastor is right there and even the prayers to saints as well. Even the Eastern (Syrian and Greek) Orthodox church have the same prayers even though they are a break off from the Roman Church. People who are like Pastor Newton’s faith do not honor the mass and you have to overlook a lot because the Pastor is of an entirely different faith to mine altogether but that doesn’t mean that he is not doing his job to try and save souls. Every religion on earth is entirely different and all our Christian faith of all doctrines is not the real Christianity and everything has been twisted to accommodate everyone’s beliefs.
There was a girl that I went to high school with and she and her brother were Baptists. These people do not believe in smoking nor alcohol and I worked with a wonderful man in the federal government who used to pray at his desk every morning and he was a Baptist and when he would come in our unit he was so mighty embarrassed because of one particular girl in there and wanted to knock on the door before entering or have his work delivered to him. LOL LOL. ROLF! Oh that Rosy was something else. This man was very strict about how he lived and I miss that man very much and such a nice gentleman.
Furtz there is so much that I feel very disappointed in the RC church and since Vatican II it isn’t good at all and I know that Pastor Newton knows very well what I am talking about. Furtz the Pastor can say all he wants about the RC church and I sure wouldn’t feel bad and most likely that I would jump in and agree with him. There is so much that I could say and wish that I could add more. Furtz do not blame the Pastor because that is his doctrine. The Pastor is a good man and he is trying his best to save souls.
Saving souls by trashing everyone’s religion and beliefs but his own?
Alrighty then.
John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me”. Looks like the Lord Jesus was “trashing everyone’s religion and beliefs but his own?”
No Pastor…..where do you see the thrashing? What Jesus is saying is that HE is the Savior and the true prophet. One must follow Him and adhere to his teachings in order have everlasting life..
Once, along time ago there was this guy named Jesus. This dude was an amazing guitar player. They say he could play ANYTHING on his axe by the time he was 2 yrs old. Folks say he was “The One” – the direct pipeline to “The Muse” upstairs. He was out jamming around town with the hardest players, solo, at a very early age. Everybody knew this Jesus cat was one deep and serious guitar slinger. But some cats didn’t dig this Jesus kid. He was too good, too confident and the cat was downright disrespectful to some of the older, jaded guitar slingers in the clubs. Thing was, when Jesus laid it down on hisinstrument it was mellow and righteous. Like, he wasn’t into being a star man, he just loved to wail on that thing. When people tried to tell him how great he was, he’d just look upwards and say “hey man, it’s Him man – it ain’t me, I’m just the messenger” .
Anyway these sleazy, jealous no playin’ losers were goin’ around telling everybody that Jesus had decided that he himself was the baddest guitar slinger of them all. They had their flunkies scrawling “Jesus is God” on the sides of buildings around town and saying J was some kind of mutant guitar-shredding egomaniac kinda dude. They stirred up a lot of bad vibes around town for our man Jesus cuz’ nobody likes a wise guy, right? .
Jesus was nobody’s fool, he didn’t want to see his face on a t-shirt , he knew it wasn’t good for his career. He told the bad dudes to hang loose and stop with the hustle. Sad thing is, one of Jesus’ roadies was a stool pigeon and set our man up real good . Cat named Judus.
Anyway, Jesus never did get to cut any sides of his own. The industry took him young . All we have of his “thing” are the stories. Jesus just wanted to play his axe, but a whole lot of rock star crap got in the way.
You know, if my man Jesus came back tomorrow I’d have one piece of advice for him. “Let’s get you a good lawyer”.
Stella I understood the verse very well what the Pastor said about coming to the Father through Him and not through some priest. People are sinners and that means all people and only God and his Son Jesus (Yashua) are perfect. There is a saying both in the KJV Bible as well as our own Catholic Bible is that “all roads lead to Rome” and most of you would not even know the significance of that meaning but I sure do. Have respect for Pastor Newton folks because you have no idea how true the Bible is and it is being played out as we speak. There is a great deal more yet to come. As an RC I like and respect the Pastor and those of you who are not RC and belong to this man’s church and other denominations should all respect him because what he is quoting is the truth believe me he is telling all of you the truth.
stellabystarlight – that has been what I have been saying all along. It is not Calvary Baptist religion, nor Pastor Tom’s religion, but Christ lone, and receiving Him as Lord and Savoir as it is written in the Holy Scriptures.
Mark 2:17 “When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance”.
2Co 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new”.
Jesus (Yashua) would not accept any of the faiths that we have around today and would only accept His own since He is the Son of God and He is perfect. Man is at fault and just take a good look around at our world today which is a total polluted mess and in more ways than one. I love those scriptures Pastor. Pastor you above all of us can see the falling away from the Lord and I as an ordinary lay person can see it so very well. We do have to keep the flock in order and try to make sense into them.
Michael writes -“You know, if my man Jesus came back tomorrow I’d have one piece of advice for him. “Let’s get you a good lawyer”.
Michael, the Lord Jesus Christ had the best lawyer in the universe – God His Father: Judge, Lawyer, Executor, Justifier, and Life Giver.
Isa 53:10-11 “Yet it pleased the LORD(God the Father) to bruise him (the Lord Jesus His Son); he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities”.
Jesus (Yashua) does not need any man made justice “just us” which is mighty corrupt indeed. Only God’s law is the real and true law and the only real justice and not “just us”. The Bible tells the truth and that is why the Catholic church does not want its perishioners to know the Bible. You all have no idea how right that Book is even if it hit you all in the face.
Being that Yashua is not here on earth at present he relies on people like the Pastor to preach His gospel to the sheep out there and I am not talking about the ones on four legs but all the rest of us on two legs. I think that the ones on four legs would understand even better than the rest of us. I say that every single day of my life and no wonder I love my four legged friends as well as my feathered ones.
What a steaming heap of BS! I am not a “sinner”, nor is my two week old grandson. We are supposed to believe that a mythical character from two thousand years ago will save us? Save us from what? Oh yes, that mythical lake of fire that charlatan preachers keep threatening people with. This is the longest running scam known to humanity! An imaginary sadistic god that will throw you into an imaginary hell to burn for eternity if you don’t play the asinine game of kissing the a$$ of an imaginary savior?? It’s beyond insane! Thankfully, more and more people are waking up to the fact that this colossal scam is just that…a colossal scam.
So FURTZ are you suggesting that an imaginary sadistic father of a mythical character from two thousand years ago is right up there with the notion of global warming and how carbon credits can save us all ? Which is the greater colossal scam in your opinion ?
Yes you are a sinner Furtz. Was just going over some emails and I do believe you tried to entice at least one of our sponsors to dump us at one point….
Pastor Newton where is that spaghetti that you threatened Furtz with? LOL LOL. ROLF!
@ David. I can’t quite connect the oceans rising with the existence of an imaginary god and all the BS that that entails.
@ Jamie. Yup. We got into a nasty “difference of opinion” three or four years ago. Funny thing is that it was all about Mr. Newton’s anti-gay comments on a story about CFN getting behind an anti-bullying initiative. I’ll admit that it got ugly and I did communicate with Mike Bedard, So, is your god gonna throw me into a fiery lake too?
@ Jules. I don’t let Newton anywhere near my spaghetti, and I don’t go near his. That would be an abomination!
Jamie you are funny too. I can’t help laughing about Furtz and Pastor Newton with his spaghetti.
I am not one to approve of gay marriage, abortion and many other things and I will joke but I will not bully anyone. I have worked with a few gay men and they were ok just lots of laughs at some of the mighty crazy things that happened with them at work.
I didn’t know that Furtz became a grandfather lately and I wish to congratulate Furtz on his grandson. Furtz had himself a special Christmas gift from the Good Lord. Now now Furtz be good you have a special gift in that little one. Have a Happy New Year.
Thank you Jules. And a big Happy New Year to everyone at CFN and all its viewers!
@Furtz
Yes Furtz, I second that!
All the best to the CFN community in all its glorious diversity.
You know, sometimes I have these dreams and the whole dream is inhabited by those funny little critters that represent the different commentors. Each of the “characters” match-up with the usual, regular posters and there are various interactions between the critters that reflect the normal positions they express in their comments.
Maybe I need a break ?
Furtz we get a mixture of people on these sites and everyone has their own opinion and if we were all the same it would be mighty boring indeed. I can say Furtz that I like your good sense of humor and it took me time to get to know you a little bit and you do make me laugh at this end. I wish you and all a Happy New Year and Furtz enjoy your little grandson.
For the religious there is to sin or not. For the non religious it’s about what is right and what is wrong. The two are not the same in many instances. Sin is left up for interpretation. The “God” of the bible has murdered and ordered the murder of millions of people and yet it is not considered a sin. It boils down to one simple question. Do you believe “sin” trumps what is right and wrong and do you let the thought of “sin” influence what you think is right and wrong?
FURTZ… not to spell it out, but maintaining that God is an imaginary entity because of your belief that no evidence exists to support the concept is the same as the fallacy of global warming and rising seas. No evidence exists to support global warming which is why the carbon credit proponents switched to the new buzz word, climate change ( allows for greater ambiguety
sorry about that, hit the wrong key. Meant to say ambiguity. Happy New Year !
PATRICK …Just my take or opinion but sin is not contingent on right or wrong alone. Our unique ability to rationalize enables all of us to make mistakes without necessarily being conscience of our mistakes. A sin therefore in order to have validity must occur with the present knowledge of wrong doing by the offender. Otherwise it is merely the act of an innocent. This is of course not to say that a wrong has occurred and that an individual should not be held accountable but rather explains why individuals in a court of law can be found innocent of an action or crime (wrong doing) as a result of insanity (lack of present knowledge). A little deep perhaps for this forum Patrick however you comment posed a question and I chose to respond.
Oh mighty Patrick – speak thus as an oracle of God, or Satan? Come down from thy lofty heights of human reason, pride and arrogance, and sit in the dust, the place where we all belong!
Isa 45:9 “Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?”.
@ David. The fact that the polar ice caps are rapidly melting and raising the ocean levels is easily observed and measurable. The fact that severe weather events have increased in numbers and intensity in recent years is easily observed and measurable. The fact that the average global temperature has been increasing over the last few hundred years is also easily observed and measurable. The cause of all this is still debatable, but the fact that it is happening is not. Maybe I’m really dumb, but I still fail to see the connection between this and the asinine idea that we have to kiss the a$$ of an imaginary savior to prevent an imaginary god from tossing us into an imaginary lake of fire. As far as scams go, I think the attempt to reduce the greenhouse gasses that humans are introducing into the atmosphere is a fairly minor one compared to the thousands of years of misery that religion has caused.
Here’s a simple translation of Newton’s latest bible quote.
Anyone who questions any BS written in the bible will be tossed into the fiery lake to burn for eternity.
And how do we know this is true? Why, it’s written in the bible. That’s how.
If it wasn’t so sick and perverted, it would be funny.
Really Tom? You are asking me to come down from my holy heights? Have you looked in the mirror lately? Since when did using reason and logic become a bad thing? Oh right, it’s only wrong when it contradicts the bible, eh?
@David. No evidence of global warming exists? So you’ve studied the scientific evidence and in your expertise in the field, you’ve come to the conclusion that those who’ve studied it for years are wrong?
There is no evidence of a Deity to ever exist, that’s why it’s called “faith”.
As for your input on right and wrong, yes in some cases the innocent should be taught what is in fact right and wrong but we do not need religion for that.
“You don’t need religion to have morals. If you can’t determine right from wrong, then you lack empathy, not religion.”
FURTZ…Arctic ice levels are at a 60-70 year high. Currently a vessel is locked in ice in the Antarctica, in an area that on the charts previously no ice existed, this has been all over the news Furtz. The polar ice caps are not “rapidly” melting the rise and fall of sea levels are well within natural parameters, global trend in temperatures is actually falling not rising (latest world scientific report recently released, not an announcement by Dr. David Suzuki genetic scientist of note or by any other politically funded source). As far as an increase in frequency and severity of weather occurrences, the media overplays and paints a picture that portrays something very different from reality in its need to vie for advertising dollars via sensationalism. In actual fact Furtz and please check a reliable source by all means this year was close to if not a record low for such occurrences as tornadoes etc. The Simple Truth by Al Gore et al has been part of the hoax perpetuated on the ignorant and gullible masses for decades now. Acid rain in the seventies, then remember we were all going to need special suits because the ozone was depleting. You may be misinformed but you certainly are not stupid Furtz you suggest that God is a hoax and I simply pointed out that global warming was company to your hoax theories. Perhaps I was to hasty in my analogy as global warming has been proven a hoax but where is the proof that God doesn’t exist ?
@ David. Believe whatever you want re climate change and gods and such. Some people tend to go with scientific evidence based opinions and others don’t. Some people, like Newton, insist that the universe and everything in it was created in six 24 hour days about five thousand years ago. Others don’t agree with that “truth”. Please feel free to believe what you want and I will do the same.
David wrote “where is the proof that God doesn’t exist ?” I think this type of question has been addressed before. I say that invisible flying unicorns exist and because you cannot prove to me that they don’t then i am right and you are wrong? Try again.
You talk about the great hoax of global warming but you are repeating the same lies put out there by big oil companies. Ask yourself this one simple question. Who has the motivation to lie, the independent scientists or the ones paid by big oil? Do a search for space images on ice cap melting comparison and you can see for yourself. BTW why do you so seemingly seem so passionate about evidence about the polar ice caps but do not seem to care about providing evidence of a god?
Furtz – A better translation would be like this – John 8:24 “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins”. And Rev. 20:15 “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire”.
@ Patrick. It doesn’t take a genius to know that the polar ice caps are rapidly receding. Now we have to figure out whether it’s being caused by normal cycles in global temperatures, the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, or the never-ending hellfire emanating from a perpetually p!ssed off god.