Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Why is gay marriage impossible?

By definition gay marriage is an impossibility. Marriage is more than just a civil contract but is a sacramental covenant that god ordained to produce offspring. Since Homosexuals cannot produce offspring, it can’t be a marriage. Even just speaking on a natural level, the sexual act was designed to produce offspring. The purpose of the sexual act was to be fruitful and multiply (Genesis 1:22). No where is scripture do you see that it can be for personal pleasure. In fact Onan in Genesis was killed by God because of that. The following are 3 related verses. The middle one explains the duty of a brother to bring up offspring to his brother’s wife if his brother would happen to die and not bring forth children. The first one is where Onan is killed by god for contracepting and the last verse shows that the penalty for not bring up children is his brother’s household was public humiliation not death which proves that contraception is such a moral evil that god had to kill Onan for.
Gen 38:9-10 But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so when he went in to his brother's wife he spilled the semen on the ground, lest he should give offspring to his brother. And what he did was displeasing in the sight of the LORD, and he slew him also.
Dt 25:5 "If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead shall not be married outside the family to a stranger; her husband's brother shall go in to her, and take her as his wife, and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her.
Dt 25:9 then his brother's wife shall go up to him in the presence of the elders, and pull his sandal off his foot, and spit in his face; and she shall answer and say, 'So shall it be done to the man who does not build up his brother's house.'
Now since homosexuals can only have sexual acts in a way that is opposed to life it is a grave evil.
Recall the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis19. God sent angels in the appearance of men to see if anyone was righteous. The men of Sodom tried to rape the male angels. The long and the short of it. God pulverized the city so badly that archeologist can’t find where it was. The word sodomy means an offensive term for anal intercourse.
Lev 18:22 You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.
Rom 1:25-27 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
1 Cor 6:9-10 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
1 Tim 1:10 and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching,
People who have been have a homosexual disposition carry a heavy cross. Having this disposition isn’t sinful but acting out the disposition is. In a lot of cases the environment and culture have twisted the mind of the person towards the disposition. Many people have been helped with counseling. Better Help is an online counseling service that may be helpful. Also listen to this podcast talking about how a prenatal nutritional deficiency can cause a doubling of the size of the pre optic hypothalamus resulting in a predisposition to same sex attraction.

What’s wrong with Embryonic Stem cell research anyway and why should we care?

What’s wrong with Embryonic Stem cell research anyway and why should we care?
Embryonic Stem cell research is where scientists either take an embryo (human being in its simplest form) from a donor or from taking sperm and an egg and induce fertilization in a test tube. Since embryos are at the simplest form of a human the cells within eventually grow into all of the different types of cells in the body. Brain cells, skin cell, liver cells etc. With this idea, the hope is that these cells can be implanted in the body and grow into cells such as nerve cells which could cure paralysis.
However, embryonic stem cells have yet to help a single human patient. “There is no evidence of therapeutic benefit from embryonic stem cells,” according to Marcus Grompe, M.D., Ph.D., of the department of molecular and medical genetics of Oregon Health Sciences University.[1] Dr. Bert Vogelstein, professor of oncology and pathology at Johns Hopkins University, states that the promise of embryonic stem cell research is “conjectural.”
Adult stem cells, in contrast, are currently being used to help patients who suffer from the following conditions: (1) cancer, including brain tumors, retinoblastoma, ovarian cancer, solid tumors, testicular cancer, multiple myeloma and leukemias, breast cancer, neuroblastoma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and renal cell carcinoma; (2) autoimmune diseases, including multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosis, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis; (3) stroke; (4) immunodeficiencies; (5) anemias; (6) cartilage and bone diseases; (7) corneal scarring; (8) blood and liver disease; (9) gene therapy; and (10) heart damage.
The problem with Embryonic Stem cell research is in order to get the stem cells from the embryo they kill the embryo. That is the main reason why it must be stopped. The second is they create humans beings outside of the natural order. They make themselves god when they create life in a test tube. It separates the conjugal love of the parents cooperating in God’s creative plan.
Some like to argue that an embryo isn’t a human being. Then my question for you is when does it become a human being? Is it at day 40 when brain waves can be detected and recorded? Is it at week 10 when fingerprints are evident in the skin and the fetus starts moving its fingers and toes? Or is it at month 8 or 9 or at birth? It has been the constant teaching of the church that life begins at the moment of conception. Exodus 21:22 "When men strive together, and hurt a woman with child, so that there is a miscarriage, and yet no harm follows, the one who hurt her shall be fined, according as the woman's husband shall lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. If any harm follows, then you shall give life for life,
Embryonic stem cells can be obtained in a non lethal way. There are embryonic stem cells in umbilical cord blood and tissue. There is also new research that they can make some adult stem cells mimic the properties of the embryonic stem cells.
We should care not only because they are killing human beings for research but also because they are using our tax dollars to do it. That’s right they are taking our money to support it. That means that we are indirectly helping the murder of thousands of people.
So my question is why do scientists have to kill to cure when they can cure by doing no harm?

Why shouldn’t we get tattoos?

It is a well-known fact that tattooing runs a risk of acquiring any number of deadly diseases, including Hepatitis C and AIDS. The reason is because the needle that is used to tattoo punctures the skin 3,000 times a minute. In an hour, that would be 180,000 times that puncture wounds provide a potential path to a deadly disease. Tattoos can cause many chronic skin disorders such as sarcoid, keloid scarring, allergic dermatitis, photosensitivity reactions, psoriasis, and tumors.
Leviticus 19:28 “Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.” We were created in the image and likeness of God (Gen1:26). Why would we want to tamper with the perfection of God’s creation? Nothing man made printed on our bodies can enhance what God has already given us. Getting a tattoo would be similar to this analogy. Say I go to Louvre in Paris, France and I go up to the work of art of Leonardo Da Vinci’s “the Mona Lisa” and I decide that she would look better with lipstick and a hat and thus I paint those things in. A few people may think she looks better also but decide that is not the intent of the artist. Now I’m sure the authorities aren’t going to agree with me and will execute severe penalties on me because it would be graffiti on a masterpiece. The body is the masterpiece of God. How much more should we respect his art work than a 16th century artist. If we put a tattoo on ourselves it is like saying God didn’t do a good enough job on me. That I am incomplete in some way or I was intended to look better so I need to get this tattoo. It would be I think, I want, I, me, my when it should be want does God want. God already gave us what he wants. The whole christian message is denying ourselves and following Jesus (Mt 16:24).
The body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” Why would we want to desecrate God’s temple? Our resurrected bodies at the end of the world will not have any tattoos on them. They will be pure and glorified. To show the seriousness of purity when it comes to Gods temple look back to the old testament. The ark had to be made of the purest of gold and the purest materials because the mercy seat was on top of the ark which was where the cloud of God overshadowed (the Holy Spirit only they didn’t know it at the time) (Lev 16:2). This was placed in the holy of holies in the temple. Only the high priest could go into this place once a year. The priest had to go through purification ritual prior to entering. If the priest wasn’t pure enough he was struck down dead in the temple. It got to the point that the priest had to have a rope tied to their leg so the other people could pull him out if he was killed. The body becomes the temple of the holy spirit at baptism in the new covenant. St Paul says that our body is not our own for we were bought with a price (1 Cor 6:19-20). On loan from God so to speak. If I would get a loaner car for a couple weeks while mine gets fixed and decide that it would look better with flames on the side, my opinion doesn’t matter because it is not mine to change.
St Paul tells us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God (Rom 12:1). If you look any place in scripture when it mentions sacrifice there is always one thing in common. The sacrificial animal that was free from any blemish was preferred. A couple of examples of saints who went to great lengths to preserve there purity can testify to this. St Agnes, St Agatha are two that I am thinking of. They refused to lose their purity from rape and marrying pagan nobles in the 3rd century and were tortured killed for it. One more recently I’m thinking of I can’t remember her name. It was when Russia was in a revolution. A Russian revolutionary forced himself into a civilian home and the woman jumped out the window and to her death rather than having her purity taken from her. Now that is a specific type of purity but I can’t think of a specific example for tattoos.
What do you think Jesus would do? Would Jesus get a tattoo? What about Mary? Mary is the pure vessel, the ark of the new covenant which carried Jesus for nine months in the womb and raised him. I can’t picture either of them getting one. In fact if you look throughout history tattoos have been a part of pagan culture not Christian. Not until recent times do you find tattoos popping up on Christians.
Some of the arguments for Christians getting them is “I will use it to share the gospel”. My response is why don’t you share the gospel the way the apostles shared the gospel. They didn’t need to mortify their flesh to share the good news. None of the saints though out history who converted and baptized people by the tens and even hundreds of thousands in their life time did not need a tattoo. They shared the faith by the witness of their life. People could see the holiness of God shining through them and it attracted them.The religious orders like the Franciscans attracted thousands of people by their life of poverty, chastity and obedience. St Francis himself said “preach always, when necessary use words.” They converted people by fasting, and praying for hours upon hours in front of Jesus in the most Blessed Sacrament. They converted by doing penance and self sacrifice and offering it for them.
I know there are a well meaning Christians out there who love the lord and have tattoos. There are also well meaning Christians out there who follow the media and the culture and kill their babies through abortion. They don’t think they are killing their babies when they are doing it because the culture says it is not killing. The Catholic church speaking with the authority of Jesus (Lk 10:16, 1 Jn 4:6, Mt 16:18) does not say whether or not 1 tattoo is sinful but it does however say that excessive tattoos is indeed sinful.

How far back does your pastor's authority go?

How far can you trace back the authority that was passed on through the laying on of hands that your pastor received at ordination? The following is the line of authority starting at Jesus and continuing to the universal pastor and his successors with the years that they were in the Chair of Peter.

Jesus (30-32)
1. St. Peter (32-67)
2. St. Linus (67-76)
3. St. Anacletus (Cletus) (76-88)
4. St. Clement I (88-97)
5. St. Evaristus (97-105)
6. St. Alexander I (105-115)
7. St. Sixtus I (115-125) Also called Xystus I
8. St. Telesphorus (125-136)
9. St. Hyginus (136-140)
10. St. Pius I (140-155)
11. St. Anicetus (155-166)
12. St. Soter (166-175)
13. St. Eleutherius (175-189)
14. St. Victor I (189-199)
15. St. Zephyrinus (199-217)
16. St. Callistus I (217-22) Callistus and the following three popes were opposed by St. Hippolytus, antipope (217-236)
17. St. Urban I (222-30)
18. St. Pontain (230-35)
19. St. Anterus (235-36)
20. St. Fabian (236-50)
21. St. Cornelius (251-53) Opposed by Novatian, antipope (251)
22. St. Lucius I (253-54)
23. St. Stephen I (254-257)
24. St. Sixtus II (257-258)
25. St. Dionysius (260-268)
26. St. Felix I (269-274)
27. St. Eutychian (275-283)
28. St. Caius (283-296) Also called Gaius
29. St. Marcellinus (296-304)
30. St. Marcellus I (308-309)
31. St. Eusebius (309 or 310)
32. St. Miltiades (311-14)
33. St. Sylvester I (314-35)
34. St. Marcus (336)
35. St. Julius I (337-52)
36. Liberius (352-66) Opposed by Felix II, antipope (355-365)
37. St. Damasus I (366-83) Opposed by Ursicinus, antipope (366-367)
38. St. Siricius (384-99)
39. St. Anastasius I (399-401)
40. St. Innocent I (401-17)
41. St. Zosimus (417-18)
42. St. Boniface I (418-22) Opposed by Eulalius, antipope (418-419)
43. St. Celestine I (422-32)
44. St. Sixtus III (432-40)
45. St. Leo I (the Great) (440-61)
46. St. Hilarius (461-68)
47. St. Simplicius (468-83)
48. St. Felix III (II) (483-92)
49. St. Gelasius I (492-96)
50. Anastasius II (496-98)
51. St. Symmachus (498-514) Opposed by Laurentius, antipope (498-501)
52. St. Hormisdas (514-23)
53. St. John I (523-26)
54. St. Felix IV (III) (526-30)
55. Boniface II (530-32) Opposed by Dioscorus, antipope (530)
56. John II (533-35)
57. St. Agapetus I (535-36) Also called Agapitus I
58. St. Silverius (536-37)
59. Vigilius (537-55)
60. Pelagius I (556-61)
61. John III (561-74)
62. Benedict I (575-79)
63. Pelagius II (579-90)
64. St. Gregory I (the Great) (590-604)
65. Sabinian (604-606)
66. Boniface III (607)
67. St. Boniface IV (608-15)
68. St. Deusdedit (Adeodatus I) (615-18)
69. Boniface V (619-25)
70. Honorius I (625-38)
71. Severinus (640)
72. John IV (640-42)
73. Theodore I (642-49)
74. St. Martin I (649-55)
75. St. Eugene I (655-57)
76. St. Vitalian (657-72)
77. Adeodatus (II) (672-76)
78. Donus (676-78)
79. St. Agatho (678-81)
80. St. Leo II (682-83)
81. St. Benedict II (684-85)
82. John V (685-86)
83. Conon (686-87)
84. St. Sergius I (687-701) Opposed by Theodore and Paschal, antipopes (687)
85. John VI (701-05)
86. John VII (705-07)
87. Sisinnius (708)
88. Constantine (708-15)
89. St. Gregory II (715-31)
90. St. Gregory III (731-41)
91. St. Zachary (741-52)
92. Stephen II (752) Because he died before being consecrated, many authoritative lists omit him
93. Stephen III (752-57)
94. St. Paul I (757-67)
95. Stephen IV (767-72) Opposed by Constantine II (767) and Philip (768), antipopes (767)
96. Adrian I (772-95)
97. St. Leo III (795-816)
98. Stephen V (816-17)
99. St. Paschal I (817-24)
100. Eugene II (824-27)
101. Valentine (827)
102. Gregory IV (827-44)
103. Sergius II (844-47) Opposed by John, antipope (855)
104. St. Leo IV (847-55)
105. Benedict III (855-58) Opposed by Anastasius, antipope (855)
106. St. Nicholas I (the Great) (858-67)
107. Adrian II (867-72)
108. John VIII (872-82)
109. Marinus I (882-84)
110. St. Adrian III (884-85)
111. Stephen VI (885-91)
112. Formosus (891-96)
113. Boniface VI (896)
114. Stephen VII (896-97)
115. Romanus (897)
116. Theodore II (897)
117. John IX (898-900)
118. Benedict IV (900-03)
119. Leo V (903) Opposed by Christopher, antipope (903-904)
120. Sergius III (904-11)
121. Anastasius III (911-13)
122. Lando (913-14)
123. John X (914-28)
124. Leo VI (928)
125. Stephen VIII (929-31)
126. John XI (931-35)
127. Leo VII (936-39)
128. Stephen IX (939-42)
129. Marinus II (942-46)
130. Agapetus II (946-55)
131. John XII (955-63)
132. Leo VIII (963-64)
133. Benedict V (964)
134. John XIII (965-72)
135. Benedict VI (973-74)
136. Benedict VII (974-83) Benedict and John XIV were opposed by Boniface VII, antipope (974; 984-985)
137. John XIV (983-84)
138. John XV (985-96)
139. Gregory V (996-99) Opposed by John XVI, antipope (997-998)
140. Sylvester II (999-1003)
141. John XVII (1003)
142. John XVIII (1003-09)
143. Sergius IV (1009-12)
144. Benedict VIII (1012-24) Opposed by Gregory, antipope (1012)
145. John XIX (1024-32)
146. Benedict IX (1032-45) He appears on this list three separate times, because he was twice deposed and restored
147. Sylvester III (1045) Considered by some to be an antipope
148. Benedict IX (1045)
149. Gregory VI (1045-46)
150. Clement II (1046-47)
151. Benedict IX (1047-48)
152. Damasus II (1048)
153. St. Leo IX (1049-54)
154. Victor II (1055-57)
155. Stephen X (1057-58)
156. Nicholas II (1058-61) Opposed by Benedict X, antipope (1058)
157. Alexander II (1061-73) Opposed by Honorius II, antipope (1061-1072)
158. St. Gregory VII (1073-85) Gregory and the following three popes were opposed by Guibert (“Clement III”), antipope (1080-1100)
159. Blessed Victor III (1086-87)
160. Blessed Urban II (1088-99)
161. Paschal II (1099-1118) Opposed by Theodoric (1100), Aleric (1102) and Maginulf (“Sylvester IV”, 1105-1111), antipopes (1100)
162. Gelasius II (1118-19) Opposed by Burdin (“Gregory VIII”), antipope (1118)
163. Callistus II (1119-24)
164. Honorius II (1124-30) Opposed by Celestine II, antipope (1124)
165. Innocent II (1130-43) Opposed by Anacletus II (1130-1138) and Gregory Conti (“Victor IV”) (1138), antipopes (1138)
166. Celestine II (1143-44)
167. Lucius II (1144-45)
168. Blessed Eugene III (1145-53)
169. Anastasius IV (1153-54)
170. Adrian IV (1154-59)
171. Alexander III (1159-81) Opposed by Octavius (“Victor IV”) (1159-1164), Pascal III (1165-1168), Callistus III (1168-1177) and Innocent III (1178-1180), antipopes
172. Lucius III (1181-85)
173. Urban III (1185-87)
174. Gregory VIII (1187)
175. Clement III (1187-91)
176. Celestine III (1191-98)
177. Innocent III (1198-1216)
178. Honorius III (1216-27)
179. Gregory IX (1227-41)
180. Celestine IV (1241)
181. Innocent IV (1243-54)
182. Alexander IV (1254-61)
183. Urban IV (1261-64)
184. Clement IV (1265-68)
185. Blessed Gregory X (1271-76)
186. Blessed Innocent V (1276)
187. Adrian V (1276)
188. John XXI (1276-77)
189. Nicholas III (1277-80)
190. Martin IV (1281-85)
191. Honorius IV (1285-87)
192. Nicholas IV (1288-92)
193. St. Celestine V (1294)
194. Boniface VIII (1294-1303)
195. Blessed Benedict XI (1303-04)
196. Clement V (1305-14)
197. John XXII (1316-34) Opposed by Nicholas V, antipope (1328-1330)
198. Benedict XII (1334-42)
199. Clement VI (1342-52)
200. Innocent VI (1352-62)
201. Blessed Urban V (1362-70)
202. Gregory XI (1370-78)
203. Urban VI (1378-89) Opposed by Robert of Geneva (“Clement VII”), antipope (1378-1394)
204. Boniface IX (1389-1404) Opposed by Robert of Geneva (“Clement VII”) (1378-1394), Pedro de Luna (“Benedict XIII”) (1394-1417) and Baldassare Cossa (“John XXIII”) (1400-1415), antipopes
205. Innocent VII (1404-06) Opposed by Pedro de Luna (“Benedict XIII”) (1394-1417) and Baldassare Cossa (“John XXIII”) (1400-1415), antipopes
206. Gregory XII (1406-15) Opposed by Pedro de Luna (“Benedict XIII”) (1394-1417), Baldassare Cossa (“John XXIII”) (1400-1415), and Pietro Philarghi (“Alexander V”) (1409-1410), antipopes
207. Martin V (1417-31)
208. Eugene IV (1431-47) Opposed by Amadeus of Savoy (“Felix V”), antipope (1439-1449)
209. Nicholas V (1447-55)
210. Callistus III (1455-58)
211. Pius II (1458-64)
212. Paul II (1464-71)
213. Sixtus IV (1471-84)
214. Innocent VIII (1484-92)
215. Alexander VI (1492-1503)
216. Pius III (1503)
217. Julius II (1503-13)
218. Leo X (1513-21)
219. Adrian VI (1522-23)
220. Clement VII (1523-34)
221. Paul III (1534-49)
222. Julius III (1550-55)
223. Marcellus II (1555)
224. Paul IV (1555-59)
225. Pius IV (1559-65)
226. St. Pius V (1566-72)
227. Gregory XIII (1572-85)
228. Sixtus V (1585-90)
229. Urban VII (1590)
230. Gregory XIV (1590-91)
231. Innocent IX (1591)
232. Clement VIII (1592-1605)
233. Leo XI (1605)
234. Paul V (1605-21)
235. Gregory XV (1621-23)
236. Urban VIII (1623-44)
237. Innocent X (1644-55)
238. Alexander VII (1655-67)
239. Clement IX (1667-69)
240. Clement X (1670-76)
241. Blessed Innocent XI (1676-89)
242. Alexander VIII (1689-91)
243. Innocent XII (1691-1700)
244. Clement XI (1700-21)
245. Innocent XIII (1721-24)
246. Benedict XIII (1724-30)
247. Clement XII (1730-40)
248. Benedict XIV (1740-58)
249. Clement XIII (1758-69)
250. Clement XIV (1769-74)
251. Pius VI (1775-99)
252. Pius VII (1800-23)
253. Leo XII (1823-29)
254. Pius VIII (1829-30)
255. Gregory XVI (1831-46)
256. Blessed Pius IX (1846-78)
257. Leo XIII (1878-1903)
258. St. Pius X (1903-14)
259. Benedict XV (1914-22)
260. Pius XI (1922-39)
261. Pius XII (1939-58)
262. Blessed John XXIII (1958-63)
263. Paul VI (1963-78)
264. John Paul I (1978)
265. John Paul II (1978-2005)
266. Benedict XVI (2005—)