Month: April 2023

EASTER MESSAGE 2023

Although there are many religions throughout the world, the majority believe in God and Jesus. Easter is a time of reflection on what was sacrificed to preserve the human race, and I would like to remind you of the true meaning of Easter.

Easter is the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. Jesus died on the cross to take away the sins of the world. While many men died on crosses because of Roman punishment, those men weren’t saviors for the world. They suffered as Jesus did and were buried, often in mass graves. So although the cross is essential, it can’t be the end of the story. There must be Easter – when Jesus came back to life. He is the only man in history who rose from the dead and never died again. Others like Lazarus were raised from the dead by Jesus but died again at some point.
Only Jesus rose from the tomb and ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father. While two other men in history disappeared without death, Enoch and Elijah, they don’t sit on the throne as the second person of the Trinity. That’s why Jesus is so awesome.
Although Easter may not have as many blessings and traditions as Christmas, there are more than ample references in Scripture to the event of what we have named “Easter.” The word “Easter” is not used in Scripture but seems to have its roots referring to the beginning of spring and possibly referring to a goddess named “Eostre.” However, there is no universal agreement among scholars regarding the first usage of the word.
What is important is that Jesus has risen. In fact, the primary tradition of Easter, which we can call a kind of blessing, is when we greet each other with “He is risen!” Then the other person responds, “He is risen indeed!” Although nobody actually saw him rise, based on Mark 16:6 when the angel greeted the three women at the tomb, saying, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen, he is not here. See the place where they laid him.” Of course, when they “saw” the place, Jesus wasn’t there! Unlike those women who initially didn’t tell anyone what they experienced because they were afraid (Mark 16), we enthusiastically exclaim, “He is risen!”
Father God, I am filled with gratitude and awe thinking of your Son’s sacrifice on Good Friday and His power on Easter. There really aren’t any words sufficient to describe the significance of what the resurrection means. But I offer my gratitude because I acknowledge I have been set free from the bondage of sin and eternal death.
Your power is available to me to resist sin, and I have your assurance that I will join you forever in heaven. My joy and peace overflow. Thank you for reminding me that the power that raised Jesus from the dead is the same power I have available to me to live a godly life. Thank you for receiving my praise and thanksgiving. I offer them sincerely and gladly.
 I pray to you God in Jesus’ name
My Brother in Christ.
AMEN

THE ABORTION DEBATE BETWEEN THE LEFT AND THE RIGHT

The issue of abortion is a highly divisive one, with differing views held by those on the political left and right. While there is some overlap between the two, there are also key differences in their respective views on the issue. While conservatives view abortion as the taking of a human life and prioritize the rights of the fetus, liberals prioritize a woman’s right to control her own body and access healthcare services. While there is some overlap in their views, there are fundamental differences in the way they approach this contentious issue. This article is not promoting one side over the other.  We will examine the differing views on abortion held by those on the political left and right, with a focus on the key differences between conservatives and liberals. By analyzing factors that shape their positions on this contentious issue. Ultimately, we seek to provide a comprehensive overview of the abortion debate and the perspectives that drives it, in order to promote a better understanding of this complex topic.

Conservatives or “Right-Wing” Republicans:

 Conservatives view life is sacred and believe that life begins at the moment of conception. This believe is grounded in their religious and moral conviction. Because of this belief, conservatives are opposed to abortion because they see it as the taking of a human life. To them, it is no different than murder.

 They argue that a woman who becomes pregnant has a responsibility to carry the baby to full term and give birth, regardless of the circumstances. They believe that the baby is a person with the same rights as any other individual, and that those rights should be protected. However, the issue of conjoined twins presents a complex ethical dilemma. In cases where separating the twins will result in the death of one of them, conservatives may struggle to reconcile their belief in the sanctity of life with the difficult decision of who should live and who should die.

 Furthermore, when the life of the mother is at stake, conservatives may face a similar ethical dilemma. While they believe that taking the life of another person is a sin, they also believe that the mother’s life is just as valuable as the baby’s. Therefore, they may be forced to make a difficult decision regarding whose life to prioritize.

 Some conservatives argue that in cases where the mother’s life is at state, it may be permissible to terminate the pregnancy to save her life. However, they maintain that this decision should not be taken lightly, and that all possible alternatives should be explored before resorting to abortion. There are those conservatives who believe that no alternatives should be considered when it comes to abortion, no matter what the consequences are.

 Finally, conservatives may also argue that the baby should not be punished for the actions of the mother. If the mother dies during childbirth, the baby will grow up without a mother, but that does not mean that the baby should be denied the chance to live. Rather, they believe that the baby should be given the opportunity to be raised by loving adoptive parents who will provide a nurturing environment for them to grow up in.

Liberal “Left-wing” Democrats

Liberals believe that a woman has a right to control her own body and make decisions about her own reproductive health. This includes the right to access safe and legal abortion services if she chooses. Access to abortion is a matter of social justice and equality. Restrictions on abortion disproportionately impact low-income women, women of color, and those living in rural areas who may have limited access to healthcare services.

 Liberals tend to support policies that promote comprehensive sex education, access to contraception, and other reproductive healthcare services in order to prevent unintended pregnancies and reduce the need for abortion.

 Liberals tend to view abortion as a medical procedure, rather than a moral or ethical issue. They believe that women should be able to make their own decisions about whether to have an abortion, without interference from politicians or religious groups. Many liberals believe that the decision to have an abortion should be made between a woman and her doctor, and that politicians should not be involved in making medical decisions.

 Some liberals argue that access to abortion is a fundamental human right, and that denying women the right to choose is a violation of their basic freedoms. Finally, some liberals believe that access to abortion is necessary to promote women’s health and well-being, and that denying women the right to choose can have negative consequences for their physical, emotional, and economic health.

The fundamental difference.

 Conservatives generally oppose abortion, believing that life begins at conception and that the fetus has the same rights as any other individual. They view abortion as the taking of a human life and argue that women have a responsibility to carry the baby to full term and give birth, regardless of the circumstances. Conservatives may struggle to reconcile their belief in the sanctity of life with difficult decisions such as those surrounding conjoined twins or the life of the mother. They may also argue that the baby should not be punished for the actin of the mother and should be given a chance to be raised by loving adoptive parents.

 On the other hand, liberals generally support a woman’s right to access safe and legal abortion services. They believe that a woman has a right to control her own body and make decisions about her own reproductive health. They may view access to abortion as a matter of social justice and equality, arguing that restrictions on abortion disproportionately impact marginalized groups. Liberals may also believe that access to abortion is necessary to promote women’s health and well-being, and that denying women the right to choose can have negative consequences for their physical, emotional, and economic health.

 

 

 

The fear of the Unknown

(Perception of Reality Inside Your Mind)

People often believe they know more than they actually do. What allows us to persist in this belief is our reliance on other people.

Take, for example, the light bulb, which was designed by someone else. We are good at screwing in a light bulb, and we believe we understand how it works. However, we are relying on the expertise of others since the light bulb was invented.

When asked to write a detailed, step-by-step explanation of how the light bulb works and rate their understanding again, people often reveal their own ignorance. Their self-assessments of their understanding of the light bulb drop when they try to write down a detailed description of how it is made and works.
It is one thing to know how to change a light bulb without knowing how it is made, and it’s another to have an opinion on a topic like immigration without understanding it. In a survey conducted in 2014, respondents were asked how they thought the US should react to Russia’s annexation of Crimea and whether they could identify Ukraine on a map. The farther off base they were about the geography, the more likely they were to favor military intervention.

This is how a lack of knowledge can become dangerous. When asked for their stance on questions like “Should there be a single-payer healthcare system?” or “Should teachers receive merit-based pay?” and asked to rate their positions depending on how strongly they agreed or disagreed with the proposals, most people run into trouble when asked to explain the impacts of implementing each one. Once they can’t explain, they tend to ratchet down their intensity and agree or disagree less vehemently.

Strong feelings about issues do not emerge from deep understanding. They often emerge from a sense of fear of not knowing, and people’s opinions are often based on the opinions of others who reinforce their opinions. For example, if two people have an opinion on something baseless and a third person agrees with them, the three of them feel even more confident in their opinion. The more confident they become, the more dismissive they are of information that contradicts their opinion.

By instilling fear of baseless facts in a group of people, it may not be enough to provoke a reaction, but if many people install the same fear, people’s brains begin to believe it to be true. The more people who believe in that fear, the more they will spread it to others. When people hear the truth, their brains may not believe it to be true because so many people believe in baseless facts.

Why MAGA people are easily deceived By Trump

Fear can play tricks with your memory and your perception of reality. It also affects your body. Fear can weaken the creation of long-term memories and damage the hippocampus, short-circuiting the response paths and causing constant feelings of anxiety. Moreover, fear can interrupt processes in our brains that allow us to regulate emotions, read non-verbal cues, and other information presented to us, reflect before acting, and act ethically.

It’s the fear that lives within us that determines how our brain reacts to this fear. The less you know about a topic, the more you tend to rely on others to reinforce your opinion. If another person comes along and tells you the same thing, you will believe it to be true, simply be-cause someone else believes it. Then, as more people come to you with the same belief, you start to think they can’t all be wrong. This reinforces your opinion, and you begin to feel confident that you know everything that supports it.

As your passion for the topic increases, your fear of the unknown decreases. This encourages your brain to lower its activity to protect you, as it is no longer programmed to think of that fear as harmful to your body. As a result, you become more aggressive in confronting those fears. The more you confront those fears, the more emboldened you become. You gather strength in numbers and become more vocal and aggressive in your opinions, projecting them onto others.
Soon, your brain stops protecting you and becomes more aggressive in stopping anything that will change your mind. It becomes convinced that anything in opposition to your beliefs is like a virus attacking the body. It then takes on an attack mode to stop the virus from destroying you and sends a signal to you to get rid of those who attack you.