: God Will Take Care of Us (Just Like He Did in the Book of Lamentations) Link: http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/Apr1999/29-e223989a.h... Comment: I have been a Christian for 40 years. I have yet to hear my first sermon on the Book of Lamentations.

The Book of Lamentations is the forgotten Bible book in American Christianity. It is just too disturbing. It confronts the modern American Christians with a God who does not care if His corporate judgment reduces the growth rate of the gross domestic product more than 0.5%. Or 50%.

As for the history of Spain and North Africa, 632 to 732, when the armies of Islam killed off entire Christian populations or forced them to convert to Islam, that's ancient history. Spanish Christians battled from 732 to 1492 to get the country back. This, too, is dismissed as ancient history. (Ancient history for Americans is anything before indoor toilets.)

The Ottoman Empire kidnapped infants from Christian families and raised them to serve as Jannisaries, the crack military troops of the Caliphate. To which American Christians answer: "What is the Ottoman Empire? You mean that footstool company?"

A million Armenians were slaughtered by the Turks in 1915-16 (including my wife's great grandfather). To which American Christians say, "What are Armenians? You mean those rug cleaners?" No; I mean the first nation to convert to Christianity, a decade before Constantine's vision. ("Constantine? Who's that?")

There is a degree of historical blindness among American Christians that is breath-taking. American Christians have no concept of church history.

So, they hold y2k seminars like the following.

This is from the Birmingham, Alabama NEWS (April 29).

* * * * * * * * * * * *

If the millennium computer bug strikes on New Year's Day, trust in God and practical preparation, not panic, hoarding and fear, will get Jefferson County's senior citizens through any resulting discomfort, said a Birmingham pastor.

"You've heard you're going to have to go to a cave for four years. That's not true," said Joe Brock of Birmingham's Cutting Edge Ministries. "Whatever discomfort it brings, God will get you through."

Brock delivered his message, a combination of practical tips and spirited revival, to more than 100 seniors gathered Wednesday at Brighton's Friendship Baptist Church. . . .

Saving some canned food items is another good idea, but don't hoard medications, Brock said. The state's pharmacists have said there won't be any Y2K problems at their stores. . . .

* * * * * * * * * *

When they hold y2k seminars for church members on how to take old people in these nursing homes into their own homes in 2000, I'll be impressed. When the deacons start allocating 10% to 20% of the church's income to fund y2k emergency food and medicine programs for senior citizens, I'll be impressed. Until then, I shall remain skeptical.

But, reply pastors everywhere, "my church doesn't have disposable income of 10% to 20%." Quite true; the churches are mortgaged to the hilt. The same is true of their members. Also, the members don't tithe. They don't intend to tithe. They say to the pastors, "The Lord will take care of you," and then they pay practically nothing to the pastors. Then the pastors pass on the same line of reasoning to senior citizens.

According to the latest figures, the savings rate in the U.S. has gone negative: -0.5%, the lowest quarterly rate ever recorded. The consumption boom is being funded by people who are tapping their life savings. "Let's party!"

On January 1, 2000, the party's over.

Link: http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/Apr1999/29-e223989a.h...

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-- ! (!@!.!), May 03, 1999

Answers

2000 zero zero, party's over, we're outta time.
So tonight I'm gonna party like its 1999...

-- The Artist (theartist@formerly.prince), May 03, 1999.

I was at a retirement center (which was nothing but a glorified nursing home) about a week ago. While there, during the seniors' "current events class," the esteemed reader -- and senior's link to the outside world -- read an article about Y2K.
Of course the newspaper had a Smiley Face perspective. The reader assured the residents that she did not foresee any problem in the furture in regards to the Y2K computer situation.

After that as well as countless other observations of modern man, is it any wonder why civilizations perish? It is not God forsaking man. In a creation where its vast size alone confounds us, some still are comfortable expecting their egos to be pampered; a brash expectation for those who know not what their consciousness is, let alone where it comes from.

When one has seen enough people die, it becomes obvious that consciousness is not produced by the brain, though it may reside there to a degree while one is living.

Seems to me, God has a broader perspective and purpose than becoming a slave to the catering of misguided egos. He just might expect us to comply to more than Y2K remediation. He did after all give us the faculty of reason, and the freedom to act wisely. For man to vainly expect to be served in comfort while continuing in the ways of folly seems a bit degrading of an expectation to put upon the Creator.

On the other hand, if we have done all we can do to extricate ourselves, and still cannot escape the mass consequences man has put into motion, then too wisdom and right attitude are required of us.

What is faith if it cannot contain spiritual surrender in a Christian-like manner, even unto death.

mmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmm

-- Ashton (allaha@earthlink.net), May 03, 1999.

It not just Christians that have no sense of history. Its ALL Americans. Really, who can blaim them. The whole country is only a little over 200 years old. All the things that you described happened not only a long time ago but a long ways away.

I believe this is a major reason why we are facing so much denial here. Just no dang sense of history.

There is this naive (almost cute really) belief that technology only moves one direction. Forward. When in reality technology moves forward, backwards and sideways. But other countries have the impressive ruins to prove it. We don't.

-- R - We're gonna party like its 1799! (riversoma@aol.com), May 03, 1999.

Excellent Ashton, but what would you expect a population who's only exposure to a house of God is Creflo Dollar extorting money on nationally syndicated televison to be? Salvation for sale to the elderly and the senile. And a society with no time for their elderly who have lost all family values and the personal touch of nursing an elderly parent unto death, then preparing the body and digging the grave? Death is a thirty minute visit to the funeral home, lip service to God, a chat with relatives you haven't seen in years, then hurry back home because the super bowl is about to start. Excuse me I have to change the station, Creflo is coming on.

-- Nikoli Krushev (doomsday@y2000.com), May 03, 1999.

History, a broad perspective. Learn from history or be doomed to repeat it. Isn't anybody else sick of the endless spinning wheel?
Around and around and around in repetitive cycles of misery & mire.
We're getting out!

" ... the world's great civilizations averaged a cycle of 200 years. Those societies progressed through this sequence:

From bondage to spiritual faith.
From spiritual faith to great courage.
From great courage to liberty.
From liberty to abundance.
From abundance to selfishness.
From selfishness to complacency.
From complacency to apathy.
From apathy to dependency.
From dependency back again into bondage.

 As the United States has passed its 200th birthday, and in view of the recent epidemic of immorality, I wonder how your readers would assess America's current position."

-- William W. Quinn, Lt. Gen., U.S. Army (retired), to Ann Landers, 8/21/1998

mmmmmmmm mmmmmmmm mmmmmmmm mmmm

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), May 03, 1999.

OUTSTANDING!!!! THAT'S A KEEPER.

-- Nikoli Krushev (doomsday@y2000.com), May 03, 1999.

Nikoli, thought you might like that. Profound and provoking. Where is Hardliner? Many old regulars are missed. Wish we could get a wind-finger report from all of them at this lull point.
Well, "progress" seems to indicate more & more "new" weapons for inflicting varied and greater damage. This on Drudge NATO USING 'NEW WEAPONS' TO KNOCK SERBIA.

[ For Educational Purposes Only ]

"XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT FLASH XXXXX MONDAY, MAY 3, 1999 12:29:08 UTC XXXXX

RUSSIA CHARGES: NATO USING NEW WEAPONS TO KNOCK OUT POWER IN SERBIA

"As a result of the use of new weapons, NATO aircraft on Monday managed to destroy the entire power supply system of Serbia," Russia's ITAR-TASS wire service is reporting. The wire quotes "government sources" but offers few details.

NATO spokesman Jamie Shea told reporters early Monday morning that NATO knocked out 70 percent of the power in Yugoslavia overnight, adding, "We can turn the power off whenever we need to and whenever we want to."

In Brussels, diplomatic sources told the AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE that NATO war planes had used "graphite bombs" overnight for the first time in the air campaign.

"The bombs exploded in the air, showering splinters of graphite over the power station which triggered multiple short circuits," reports the wire.

The superconductors used fully disactivate electric equipment, casing mass short circuit.

Use of these weapons "was a part of the psychological pressure" on Yugoslavia, according to a diplomat.

X X X X X "
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Remember in 1998 when the US Military said "Disruption of our infrastructure is an act of War"?
Y2K is a built-in act of war, self-inflicted. More than a storm. And war is hell.

xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxx

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), May 04, 1999.

Speaking of Storms ... always a very good reason to Be Prepared.
Never know when Nature will do its torque or twister and topsy turvy the helter skelter shelter.

Oklahoma City has just been clobbered by a MILE-WIDE Tornado. Actually several tornadoes in the area. 260 mph winds. 4.5 inch hail. Hundreds of homes demolished. 6 dead, 150 injured, #s rising. Oklahoma National Guard called out. Red Cross at work. Hospitals, police, firefighters overwhelmed. Ferocious storms. Praying for all those affected.

xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxx

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), May 04, 1999.