CGI IS COMPETING WITH RCG, PCG & CCG FOR MOST CRAZY!

The obsession of two of the leading pastors of the Church of God International with right-wing politics and conspiracy theories is clearly pushing that group into the “Bat Shit Crazy” category (Banned by HWA may soon be forced to add them to their poll). Recent sermons by Adrian Davis and Bill Watson have been literally chocked-full of warnings about folks on the left as socialists, communists, globalists, homosexuals, Jewish elites, Black Lives Matter supporters and pedophiles. In fact, listening to some of their most recent sermons one might conclude that the fall of the United States is imminent if Joe Biden and the Democrats are swept into power in the rapidly approaching U.S. election! Pack, Flurry and Thiel haven’t got anything on these guys!

In his most recent sermon, Pastor Davis declared that no matter who wins the election “America is gone…It’s just a matter of time – It’s just how quickly America will collapse.” He went on to say that America is already gone as an idea, and that the communist takeover is almost complete! He goes on to suggest that anyone who supports those wicked globalists and communists is in reality worshipping Satan! Pastor Davis proceeds to decry the “beautiful rhetoric” of the Left about coming together to solve problems and helping the disadvantaged. He then goes on to attack those who have advocated for a more serious and sober approach to handling the Covid19 pandemic. Pastor Davis believes that those who are advocating for global cooperation in instituting scientific health measures to protect folks are pushing fear. He says the coronavirus is contagious, but not very lethal. He points to Donald Trump’s quick recovery from the virus as proof of his point. Davis then proceeds to denigrate anyone who would deign to find fault with what happened to George Floyd. After that rant, the good pastor returns to his attack on those nasty advocates of social distancing and mask wearing – even injecting a right-wing video to buttress his attack! And, if you think I’m making up stuff about poor Pastor Davis, then just listen to the sermon for yourself (if you have the stomach) at https://www.cgi.org/weeklysermons?sapurl=LytxNWdtL2xiL21pLytoM210Mng4P2F1dG9wbGF5PXRydWUmZW1iZWQ9dHJ1ZQ==

In his most recent sermon, Pastor Watson calls out those “self-proclaimed” socialist Democrats: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. Like his preferred president (Trump), the fact that none of these individuals is the current standard bearer of the Democratic Party makes no difference to him! He proceeds to decry just how much America has changed in his lifetime – things like two homosexuals being able to marry each other! Pastor Watson also spends a great deal of time defending his obsession with politics - often pointing to the moral implications of issues like abortion and transgender rights. He says that folks on the left want to replace the U.S. Constitution with a socialist platform. Watson proceeds to decry professional athletes taking a knee during the playing of the national anthem at sporting events. And, if that isn’t bad enough, Mr. Watson is outraged by the fact that Ohio has recently instituted a mask wearing mandate because of Covid19. The gall of these folks to interfere with his rights! For Pastor Watson, masks don’t make sense, and he glories in the fact that the mandate exempts him as a pastor. “America!” he declares, “Freedom to travel…freedom to breathe fresh air!” Mr. Watson is paranoid about the collection of data. He sees dark conspiracies at work everywhere. He decries the fact that we are “quarantining the healthy.” Watson says he has no problem with folks wearing masks, just don’t force him to wear one! Later, he launches into a diatribe about a socialist platform and suggests that these folks are coming for your guns and are going to take away your right to vote. Once again, you don’t have to take my word for it – If you can stomach the message, you can view it in its entirety here: https://www.cgi.org/weeklysermons?sapurl=LytxNWdtL2xiL21pLytydDg5M3lkP2F1dG9wbGF5PXRydWUmZW1iZWQ9dHJ1ZQ==

Now, while I’m confident that these rants will appeal to a great many of the supporters of Donald Trump, I do not think that they have much to do with proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. And, if one is truly trying to reach the broadest possible audience with that message, how do you think an extremely partisan message will accomplish that? I have no idea how much of the leadership and membership of the Church of God International actually subscribes to these extreme views – hopefully not many of them. However, by providing a platform for these views, we are forced to conclude that that organization has clearly gone off the rails!

WHO ARE THE TWO WITNESSES OF REVELATION?

"And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will be clothed in burlap and will prophesy during those 1,260 days.” These two prophets are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of all the earth. If anyone tries to harm them, fire flashes from their mouths and consumes their enemies. This is how anyone who tries to harm them must die. They have power to shut the sky so that no rain will fall for as long as they prophesy. And they have the power to turn the rivers and oceans into blood, and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they wish. When they complete their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the bottomless pit will declare war against them, and he will conquer them and kill them. And their bodies will lie in the main street of Jerusalem, the city that is figuratively called “Sodom” and “Egypt,” the city where their Lord was crucified. And for three and a half days, all peoples, tribes, languages, and nations will stare at their bodies. No one will be allowed to bury them. All the people who belong to this world will gloat over them and give presents to each other to celebrate the death of the two prophets who had tormented them. But after three and a half days, God breathed life into them, and they stood up! Terror struck all who were staring at them. Then a loud voice from heaven called to the two prophets, “Come up here!” And they rose to heaven in a cloud as their enemies watched." --Revelation 11:3-12, New Living Translation 

Folks in the now defunct Worldwide Church of God used to love to speculate about the identity of the two witnesses discussed in the eleventh chapter of the book of Revelation. Before their falling out, Herbert and Garner Ted Armstrong were the most popular contenders for the "honor." Since their deaths, speculation has run amok among their successors and their followers.

Unfortunately, most of these folks are completely oblivious to the fact that not everyone believes these two witnesses are synonymous with two literal church leaders in the end time. In fact, there are a number of other notions extant about these two witnesses in the Christian world. Don't take my word for it, just Google "The Two Witnesses" and see for yourself just how many different interpretations pop up!

Herbert Armstrong's literalist perspective got him into trouble in many areas, but its inadequacies are probably no where more glaringly apparent than in the realm of prophecy (his numerous prophetic failures are well-documented on Banned by HWA and elsewhere). Think about it, the book of Revelation is wall to wall symbolism, and it is just plain common sense that this wouldn't mesh well with literalism!

Moses told the people of Israel that the Lord would some day "raise up for you a prophet like me." (Deuteronomy 18:15) What if the two witnesses referenced in the book of Revelation were Moses and Christ? What if their testimony constituted their messages recorded in the Old and New Testaments? Is it implausible to think of them as "two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of all the earth"? Is it hard to imagine them and their messages being figuratively killed by modern biblical critics and later reanimated by Divine intervention? Did the messages from their mouths have the power to slay their enemies? Did they have the power to manipulate weather, turn rivers into blood and strike the earth with plagues? Is it possible that this scripture is not referring to 1,260 literal 24 hour days? I'm not saying that I've figured this thing out, but isn't it at least possible that this message has absolutely NOTHING to do with Gerald Flurry, David Pack, Bob Thiel or ANY of their followers? What do you think?

The Supreme God

Longtime readers of this blog know that I have largely avoided discussions about Trinitarianism, Binitarianism or Unitarianism. And, although I am still uncomfortable with being labeled as an adherent of one of those perspectives, I have reached some personal conclusions about the Scriptural teachings on the subject. Moreover, as with most of the other aspects of Christian theology, I find some merit in all three perspectives on the nature of God. Now, I realize that this will seem like waffling to more dogmatically inclined Christians, but we would all do well to remember that all three perspectives claim the Bible as the source of their understanding. Hence, if Scripture was as clear on the subject as the adherents of each of these various beliefs claim, then there wouldn't be three different Christian perspectives on the nature of God!

Of course, it would also be disingenuous not to admit that the Trinitarian view is the most widely held perspective within traditional Christianity. And, even many of those who profess to follow the other two perspectives (Binitarianism and Unitarianism) will acknowledge that both Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit proceed from God and reflect God's persona. Hence, the heart of the question is how all of these folks reconcile all of this with Hebrew notions of a monotheistic deity.

I would say that, whatever one believes about the nature of Christ or the nature of the Holy Spirit, the New Testament is quite clear that there is ONE SUPREME GOD. Hence, regardless of what one believes about whether there is one - two or three entities in the Godhead, the New Testament makes very plain that there is only ONE entity who is Supreme.

In all four of the gospel accounts, Jesus refers to this entity as his Father (see Matthew 7:21, 10:32, 33, 11:27, 12:50, 16:17, 18:10, 19, 20:23, 24:36, 25:34, 26:39, 42, 53, Mark 13:32, Luke 10:22, 22:29, 24:49, John 5:17, 6:32, 65, 8:19, 28, 38, 49, 54, 10:17, 18, 29, 30, 32, 37, 12:26, 14:7, 12, 20, 21, 23, 28, 15:1, 8, 15, 23, 24, 16:10, 18:11, 20:17 and 21). And, as any serious student of the Judeo-Christian Scriptures knows, a good son honors and obeys his father - is in subjection to his father.

This fact is further reinforced by Christ's own statements. We read in the Gospel According to John: "Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God. Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him." -John 5:18-23 Christ clearly believed that he was doing what his Father wanted him to do. Was Christ really making himself equal with God as the Jews alleged?

A little later in this same account, we have Christ telling his disciples: "These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I." -John 14:25-28 Notice that Christ believed that the Father had the authority to "send" the Holy Spirit, and that he acknowledged that his Father was greater than him!

That his Father was in a superior position is further underscored by what Christ revealed in his famous prophecy from the Mount of Olives which he gave to his disciples. Speaking about the timing of the fulfillment of his prophecies, he said, "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." -Mark 13:32 In other words, the timing was in the hands of an entity who was superior to him and all others!

Finally, this concept is further reinforced by the Apostle Paul in his first letter to the saints at Corinth. Paul wrote: "But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. For “He has put all things under His feet.” But when He says “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all." -I Corinthians 15:20-28 Clearly, Paul believed that Christ regarded the Father as Supreme.

Hence, whatever one believes about the nature of Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit or about humans becoming part of God's family, it is clear that there has always been and always will be ONE SUPREME GOD. No other entity has ever or will ever usurp that position. That there is one Almighty God is the clear teaching of the New Testament, and any suggestion that any other entity is or ever will be on that level is just plain blasphemy! 

The Incredible Human Potential?

Once upon a time, Herbert W Armstrong declared that his book, The Incredible Human Potential, was “the most important book since the Bible!” In that book, Armstrong wrote that God had originally created the earth and the universe for angels to finish. He said that many of those angels had sinned and had consequently forfeited their right to that inheritance. According to Armstrong, this led God to decide to create humankind and give them the opportunity to inherit what the angels had lost in their rebellion. Moreover, Armstrong believed that God had created humans out of matter, so that they could be destroyed if they sinned and not have to suffer in eternal torment like the angels which He had created to be immortal.

And, just in case anyone would suggest that this brief summary is a mischaracterization of what Herbert Armstrong actually taught, I have included below a number of lengthy excerpts from his book: 

“Angels inhabited this earth before the creation of man. And the government of God was administered on earth until the rebellion of the sinning angels. How long these angels inhabited the earth before the creation of man is not revealed. It might have been millions - or even billions - of years. More on that later. But these angels sinned. Sin is the transgression of God's law (I John 3:4). And God's law is the basis of God's government. So we know these angels, apparently a third of all the angels (Rev. 12:4), sinned - rebelled against the government of God. And sin carries penalties. The penalty for the sin of the angels is not death, as it is for man. Angels are immortal Spirit beings and cannot die. These Spirit beings had been given dominion over the PHYSICAL EARTH as a possession and an abode. The universal, worldwide sin of the angels resulted in the physical destruction of the face of the earth.”

-Chapter 4, page 41, The Incredible Human Potential

“He had created a beautiful, perfect creation in the earth. He populated it with holy angels - probably millions of them. He put over them, as king, on an earthly throne, the archangel - the cherub Lucifer. Lucifer was the supreme masterpiece of God's creative power as a single separately created Spirit being. He was the most perfect in beauty, power, mind, knowledge, intellect, wisdom, within the almighty power of God to create. God can create nothing higher or more perfect, by instantaneous fiat. Yet this great being, knowledgeable, trained and experienced at God's own throne in heaven over the universe and the administration of the government of God, had rejected that government, corrupted his way, rebelled against administering or even obeying it. He had led all his angels astray and into the sin of rebellion and disloyalty.”

-Chapter 4, pages 50-51, The Incredible Human Potential

“God saw that no being less than God, in the God Family, could be certainly relied on never to sin - to be like God - who cannot sin. To fulfill His purpose for the entire vast universe, God saw that nothing less than Himself (as the God Family) could be absolutely relied upon to carry out that supreme purpose in the entire universe. God then purposed to reproduce Himself, through humans, made in His image and likeness, but made first from material flesh and blood, subject to death if there is sin unrepented of - yet with the possibility of being born into the Divine Family begotten by God the Father.”

-Chapter 4, page 52, The Incredible Human Potential

“This earth, originally, was intended to be the abode of a third of all the angels. The angels, beholding the earth at its creation, found it so beautiful and perfect they shouted spontaneously for JOY! (Job 38:4-7). It was to provide a glorious opportunity for them. They were to work it, produce from it, and preserve and increase its beauty. And at this point, it is well to understand the nature of God's original creation: It is like the unfinished furniture available in some stores. This furniture is "in the raw" - it is finished all but for the final varnish, polish, or paint. Some can save money by doing this finishing themselves - provided they have the skill to do so. This furniture may be of fine and superb quality - yet lacking the final beautifying completion. So it is with God's creation. It is perfect, but subject to a beautifying finish which God intended angels to accomplish. The original "unfinished" creation was produced by God alone. But He intended angels, prehistorically, and MAN, now, to utilize creative power - to finish this part in God's creation - of adding the final beautifying and utilitarian phases of what shall be the FINAL COMPLETED CREATION! And whether or not it had been revealed to the angels, it was a supreme TRIAL AND TEST. It was to be the PROVING GROUND of obedience to GOD'S GOVERNMENT and their fitness to develop into final finished creation the millions of other planets in the vast universe.”

-Chapter 5, pages 54-55, The Incredible Human Potential

“So the angel potential was to take over the entire universe - to improve and finish the billions of physical planets surrounding the uncountable stars, many of which are SUNS. The sun in our solar system is merely an average-size sun. Some which we see as stars are actually many, many times larger than our sun. Our solar system, vast beyond the imagination of most minds, is only a part of our galaxy, and there are many galaxies! In other words, the physical UNIVERSE which the mighty God created is vast beyond imagination! How GREAT is the GREAT GOD! He intended angels, and now MAN, to have a vital part in the final creation of the endless universe!”

-Chapter 5, page 55, The Incredible Human Potential

“The penalty of sin by the angels was not death - for God had made them immortal spirit beings who cannot die. What God gave them was THIS EARTH as their abode and opportunity to qualify to possess and beautify the entire UNIVERSE. Their penalty (they are still awaiting final judgment up to now) was disqualification - forfeiture of their grand opportunity, perversion of mind, and a colossal earth-wide CATACLYSM of destruction wreaked upon this earth.”

-Chapter 5, pages 56-57, The Incredible Human Potential

“Look, now again at God's overall supreme PURPOSE. It is to develop GODLY, PERFECT CHARACTER IN THE MILLIONS OF MANKIND WHO SHALL DO THIS CREATIVE COMPLETION THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE LIMITLESS PHYSICAL UNIVERSE! That is THE AWESOME PURPOSE! For this PURPOSE, God started by creating millions of angels - Spirit beings. Then He created the PHYSICAL UNIVERSE and this earth, and He put angels here to develop this earth, ruled by THE GOVERNMENT OF GOD. But the king He set as ruler - LUCIFER - rebelled, revolted, misled a third of all the angels, and THE GOVERNMENT OF GOD no longer governed the earth. Lucifer was the supreme masterpiece. If Lucifer and his angels went wrong, there was no assurance the other two thirds would not. As God surveyed this tragic cataclysm, He must have realized it left HIMSELF as the ONLY BEING who will not and CANNOT SIN! The only possible ASSURANCE of accomplishing His great PURPOSE was for Him now to reproduce Himself!”

-Chapter 5, page 59, The Incredible Human Potential

Having established what Herbert Armstrong taught in this book that has been considered by many within the Armstrong Churches of God to be essential theology, the question comes to mind: Is the teaching correct? Do Armstrong’s conclusions comport with what is revealed in Scripture?

As Herbert and his followers was/are fond of employing “prooftexts” to establish the legitimacy of their teachings, that technique will also be employed in this post to answer the questions posed. However, it should be noted that my use of the technique does not constitute an endorsement of it is an entirely reliable technique for establishing or defending doctrine. Nevertheless, in this instance, I believe that Scripture is clear enough to refute the above referenced teachings of Armstrong.

First, Scripture clearly refutes the notion that this earth was ever intended to be the possession or abode of angels. We read in Jude 6 about “the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode…” Jesus Christ told his disciple that he “saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” Luke 10:18 Likewise, in the twelfth chapter of the book of Revelation we read: “And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” Revelation 12:7-9

Second, and closely related to the first point, Scripture refutes the notion that the angels ever had any part of man’s potential. In the book of Hebrews, we read that Christ inherited a more excellent name than any angel. Hebrews 1:1-4 The text continues: “For to which of the angels did He ever say: ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You’? And again: ‘I will be to Him a Father, And He shall be to Me a Son’?” Hebrews 1:5 In other words, God NEVER said this to any angel! Continuing the thought, we read: “But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: ‘Let all the angels of God worship Him.’ And of the angels He says: ‘Who makes His angels spirits And His ministers a flame of fire.’” Hebrews 1:6-7 And, just so that there wouldn’t be any room for misunderstanding, the thought is restated more emphatically toward the end of the chapter: “But to which of the angels has He ever said: “‘Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool’? Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?” Hebrews 1:13-14 Clearly, angels were created to serve those who will be saved!

Moreover, the thought reaches its logical consummation in the following chapter. In the second chapter of Hebrews, we read: “For He has not put the world to come, of which we speak, in subjection to angels. But one testified in a certain place, saying: ‘What is man that You are mindful of him, Or the son of man that You take care of him? You have made him a little lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor, And set him over the works of Your hands. You have put all things in subjection under his feet.’ For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.” Hebrews 2:5-9 Did you catch that? God has NOT put the world to come in subjection to angels – THAT WAS/IS NOT THEIR POTENTIAL. Indeed, we are informed that Christ took on the nature of humans so “that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.” Hebrews 2:14 Which brings us to Herbert’s assertion that angels are immortal.

Paul wrote to Timothy that immortality is a God quality. I Timothy 6:16 Moreover, there are several passages of Scripture which indicate that Satan and his minions will be destroyed. We read in the book of Isaiah: “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit.” Isaiah 14:12-25 And, after making clear that Satan is the subject of the text (see Ezekiel 28:12-15), we read ““By the abundance of your trading

You became filled with violence within, And you sinned; Therefore I cast you as a profane thing Out of the mountain of God; And I destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the fiery stones. ‘Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, That they might gaze at you. ‘You defiled your sanctuaries By the multitude of your iniquities, By the iniquity of your trading; Therefore I brought fire from your midst; It devoured you, And I turned you to ashes upon the earth In the sight of all who saw you.  All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you; You have become a horror, And shall be no more forever.’” Ezekiel 28:16-19 And, finally, in the book of Revelation we are informed that Satan and his minions will be cast into the Lake of Fire (see Revelation 20:10), which is the second death.

Moreover, even if Scripture wasn’t so clear on this point, it does not make sense that God wouldn’t have the ability to destroy anything which “He” has created. While angels apparently have the ability to exist indefinitely at God’s pleasure, it does not follow that they are immortal. And, since we are told that there will not be anymore sorrow, crying or pain in the new universe, the continued existence of Satan and his minions anywhere would make that statement a lie (see Revelation 21:1-4).

Third, as I have written in numerous other posts over the years, the notion that God is working on “Plan B” is absurd! As has already been pointed out, the book of Hebrews utterly refutes the notion that angels ever had ANY part of man’s potential. Moreover, the notion that all of the angelic host would lose out on their inheritance because one third of them sinned is contrary to any notion or sense of Divine justice. And, finally, Scripture makes plain that God planned for mankind’s salvation and inheritance before the “foundation of the world” (see Matthew 25:34, Ephesians 1:4, I Peter 1:20 and Revelation 13:8). In short, whatever God intended for humankind was intended from the outset. There has never been any failure of that plan, or any modification of that plan because of some failure on the part of those who were created!

Thus, Herbert Armstrong’s The Incredible Human Potential should NOT be regarded by anyone as a source of sound biblically based theology. By his own standard of scriptural prooftexts, his teachings are shown to contradict the Bible and cannot be reconciled with what is revealed there.

Does Nehemiah's FOT Validate Armstrong's Observance?

Since leaving the Worldwide Church of God, I have attempted to follow Paul's advice to the saints at Colosse about not judging another's beliefs and observances (Colossians 2:16-17). Nevertheless, I also believe that it is the duty of all of us who have escaped Armstrongism to push back against their self-righteous and dogmatic approach to their beliefs, traditions and observances and absolute disdain for those of others.

Chief among these are the practices which Herbert Armstrong instituted regarding the festivals outlined in the twenty-third chapter of Leviticus, and more precisely the Feast of Tabernacles. I have pointed out in numerous posts and articles over the years that Herbie's observance of this festival did not conform to the scriptural instructions provided for its observance. In summary, designating certain cities as festival sites and providing for meeting halls and hotel reservations are Herbie creations.

In this connection, some folks have pointed to the eighth chapter of Nehemiah to justify Herbie's practices. What about that? Does this passage justify Armstrong's modifications of the scriptural instructions regarding this festival?

First, we must remember that the book of Nehemiah is dealing with a group of Jewish exiles who had been allowed to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the city and God's temple. Hence, anything that we read there does not contradict the law of the central sanctuary which designated Jerusalem as the ONLY legitimate feast site!

We read there: "Now on the second day the heads of the fathers’ houses of all the people, with the priests and Levites, were gathered to Ezra the scribe, in order to understand the words of the Law. And they found written in the Law, which the Lord had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month, and that they should announce and proclaim in all their cities and in Jerusalem, saying, 'Go out to the mountain, and bring olive branches, branches of oil trees, myrtle branches, palm branches, and branches of leafy trees, to make booths, as it is written.' Then the people went out and brought them and made themselves booths, each one on the roof of his house, or in their courtyards or the courts of the house of God, and in the open square of the Water Gate and in the open square of the Gate of Ephraim. So the whole assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and sat under the booths; for since the days of Joshua the son of Nun until that day the children of Israel had not done so. And there was very great gladness. Also day by day, from the first day until the last day, he read from the Book of the Law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day there was a sacred assembly, according to the prescribed manner. - Nehemiah 8:13-18, NKJV (emphasis mine)

Notice that there is NO indication in this scripture that these exiles stayed in any of the buildings then extant in Jerusalem (or that they erected tents for that purpose). Indeed, the context makes it very plain that these folks felt that the actual construction of these arbors or temporary shelters was necessary to properly observe the festival. Moreover, although specific species of trees are listed in the account, we also see that the branches of other "leafy trees" were used in the construction. Hence, the claim that one must use only the particular species of trees listed to be consistent with the observance recorded here is obviously specious. To say that a temporary stay in a permanent building constructed by others is the equivalent of staying in an arbor or shelter which you have personally constructed for that purpose seems to me to stretch credibility.

Once again, I'm not going to condemn anyone for attempting to observe God's commands and worship "Him" in the manner they think best. BUT I also don't want to hear from those folks that they have lifted their practices and traditions directly from Scripture. Don't accuse others of adding and subtracting when you are doing that very thing! My grandmother used to say "What's good for the goose is good for the gander!"

Some Conclusions Based on the Available Evidence?

 On this blog, we have explored the evidence provided by science (evolutionary, biological, genetic, geological, paleontological, cosmological, and many other areas of both classical and modern physics), scriptural (and other religious traditions), history and personal experience. Taking all of the available evidence together (see previous posts on this blog), a clearer picture begins to emerge about both the nature of God, and what that entity appears to intend for us.

First, the evidence suggests to us that God has constructed a reality which tends to hide and obscure the true nature of things and has initiated complex, repetitive and long lasting processes that govern the day to day operation of the universe which we inhabit. Hence, we are left with the distinct impression that God is NOT actively/intimately/regularly involved in creation. However, I believe that the available evidence suggests that God is actively monitoring the operation of these processes and can (and does) occasionally intervene to produce a particular outcome. In short, the evidence suggests that (in the words of a popular song) God is watching us from a distance. And, finally, it also appears that God has designed these processes to be progressive in nature; OR, at the very least, building toward some desired outcome.

Second, as relates to humankind as self-aware creatures, it appears that God/Nature has designed us to be very conscious of our vulnerability and lack of control over our surroundings. The obvious corollary to this conclusion is that humans seem to have an innate need/desire to believe in (and appeal to) the supernatural. Moreover, as relates to God and the universe around us, it appears that God/Nature has designed us to be explorers and seekers of truth and understanding. Likewise, as with all other living things, the evidence suggests that humankind is preoccupied with the perpetuation of itself – Stated another way, it appears that the pursuit of immortality is an inherent part of being human. And, finally, the evidence suggests that humanity is very often preoccupied with the tension between love and hate, good and evil; and the choices which this tension engenders.

Now, I realize that these conclusions at first blush appear to be very general and anticlimactic. However, if we look at these conclusions as pieces of a whole, I believe the outlines emerge of a God and a design that provide a firm foundation and substantive framework for further exploration and other more precise conclusions which we might reach as a consequence of that pursuit. Moreover, the weight of the evidence which is available to us suggests that the Fundamentalist/Literalist dogmatic perspective on God, Scripture and religion is contradictory, incoherent and does not offer a sustainable approach to further spiritual growth and enlightenment. What do you think?

My Prayer for Our Nation

 Almighty God,

Have mercy on us! We appeal to your unfailing love and your boundless compassion.

Please remove the stain of our national sins and cleanse us from our guilt.

Please forgive us for blaming our neighbors and brothers for our own failures.

Please forgive us for putting our own interests above those of our neighbors.

Forgive us, O God, for polluting and destroying your good earth and the waters that cover it.

Forgive us, O God, for allowing our faith and trust to be placed in the hands of an evil man.

Please forget our arrogance and willfulness in the face of the plague which has afflicted us.

Please forget that we have continuously excused ourselves for our behavior and rejoiced in our wickedness.

Help us to see that our rebellion and sin has been against you.

Remove this great wickedness and sin from our midst and wash away our sins.

Restore to us a clean conscience and a proper appreciation of your many blessings.

Help us to have the courage and humility to admit our sins and return to you.

Please don't cast us out of your presence!

Please don't remove your blessings from this land!

Help us to realize that a sacrifice on our behalf has already been made, and that we have only to accept it.

Look to the United States of America with favor again and help us to rebuild the institutions which you inspired.

Lead us out of the chaos and meanness that has enveloped us.

Save us from ourselves and restore sanity and goodness to our nation!

In Jesus name, I pray.

Amen.