Home Building, being patient and tolerance. Three things that are like oil and water.

Everyone that has ever built a house knows that the process is one that sucks in many major ways. I stepped into the process of making one of my dreams come true knowing this, but I wasn't totally prepared for the frustration and anxiety of the "aww it's fine...we can fix that mentality".

I had someone tell me the other day that I was not patient.  I told them I was very patient. Patience is a person's ability to wait something out or endure something tedious, without getting riled up. Tolerance, however, is just not a virtue I have; in regards to spending my money and me expecting things to be done the way I want them to be done.  It's just that simple.  So I replied.  "I am very patience.  I'm just not tolerant". Being  patient and tolerant are two very different but closely related entities.

With that said and as thankful as I may be to have built a home for me and my family, I do not think I will be doing it again anytime soon. My tolerance level does not match the ignorance of assumptions made with my money.

I have come to the determination that a house is not built.  It is fixed.

Then fixed again and again until it is fixed enough that you can move into it.

In my particular case, moving in will require our house to be finished after we are living in it. Shutters, gutters, foundation cosmetic fixes, few sheet rock issues, closets built, blinds, back fill dirt, chalking issues and minor fixes that I just simply gave up on.

We have a very beautiful and very well built house. I'm so happy about it and excited to be moving in soon. This week as a matter of fact.

I was told if your marriage can survive building a house, your marriage could survive anything. Well, I don't know if that is entirely true being that both me and my wife are hardened martial veterans.

 The wife and I have had no disagreements in regards to any of the decisions that we have made together.  We have been blessed and in tune with each other along the way with those things.  We have rocked along with good laughs and frustrations.

The laughs and frustrations?  It was the redo's. The scratching our heads and going really? It was people not listening to what we said.  It has been those things and those things alone that has eroded our faith.

 That has been  the true price for our small dream to come true and thus the things that put us on edge of our normal sanity. The very thing that test a man's patience's and brings him to a punching body bag with his tolerance.

Being honest, I knew it would be frustrating at times, but I never expected it to be an experience of perpetually being pissed off for nine months and no one caring except for us. I guess it all boils down to patients, tolerance, fixes, anger, people not listening to what you want and leaving a job sorta and somewhat like you hoped it would be. But not quite.

None the less, here we are about to move into a uncompleted house a mere 13 months after the sale of our previous home.  We are happy but tired, mentally exhausted, broke and ready to finish our house once we sleep under our new roof for the first time and we finally feel like we are at home and not displaced.

We loved some of our sub contractors and hated others, but that is neither here or there, because now the end is nigh. And the frustrations will become distance memories and the new memories will become the highlights of our life. Me, my wife and our children will be safe, secure and out of the weather in our new home.  The home that our Miller will base his childhood upon.

wel3

When a Storm comes.....

When a Storm comes

 

When a storm comes you are either prepared or your taken by surprise.  When a storm comes you take shelter or you face it head on.  When a storm comes you can let it destroy and change you or you can pick up the pieces, rebuild and move on. 

 

What storms you have survived and lived through are the very events that have molded you into what you are today.  Did those storms destroy you or make you stronger?

 

If you survived your storms standing tall you are an inspiration.  If you have let the storms destroy you, they in turn destroy or affect those around you.  What ever the case, you are either an influence or example of something positive or negative to those that you meet, to those that live with you, to those that are your friends and your community. 

 

We are never ready for a storm.  Even if we know it’s coming.  We tend to hunker down and hope it passes safety and often it does.  But what if it does not pass us unharmed?  What then we do is an example of our character and our resolve as a person or people. 

 

Life is not a fair place to live in but it is often only as fair as we set ourselves up for it to be. We tend to feel the need and have the belief that we are owed something or deserve something.  Neither of these are true statements.  We are only owed or deserve something that we set ourselves up to deserve.  It’s called setting a goal and reaching it.  No one else can reach your goals for you, only you can do that, but you can waste your life throwing a pity party thinking such things.    

 

Life is a roller coaster of ever changing events, all of which are totally out of your control but it can be nudged in the direction of your desire.  Often the direction you head has stops along the way with detours around things you didn’t see, but it’s the journey to your destination that will determine you resolve.

 

What is resolve?  It is quite simply your desire to accomplice something bad enough.  Lazy and resolve are like oil and water.  You can not weather a storm or reach a goal without resolve and Lazy just results in you being lazy and feeling like you are owed or deserve something.

 

Next time you have a storm coming your way, get out your rain suit, your umbrella, your muck boots and clean your yard up.  Move forward, and continue on toward your goal.  Because just like no one else will stand before God on your behalf, no one else is going to see you reach your goal.  Yes, people will support you, but most secretly would rather you fail.

 

Let your Liberty prevail.

wel3

Mandatory verses Freedom... which best fits you?

Mandatory verses Freedom.

Mandatory and Freedom are much like oil and water.  They don’t mix. 

You can have one or the other but the two do not work together.  In fact they work against each other. 

You can either be mandated, which takes away your freedom.  Or you can be free and not be mandated.  

The words defined.

 

*Mandate- noun/- 1) indication to be obeyed. 2) Conferred power. 3) An official order or commission to do something.

*Freedom- noun/- 1) the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. 2) absence of subjection to foreign domination or despotic government.3) the state of not being imprisoned or enslaved.

It seems that as each day passes we become more indicated to obey rather than not being imprisoned or enslaved.  Our power to act, speak, or think as we would like without hindrance or restraint is slowly disappearing among the conferred power and or the commission to do something.

In short, we are loosing our freedom through mandates.

Anytime you are mandated to do something you have just lost the freedom of that that was mandated.  You no longer have the choice to do it the way you would have wanted to do it. Your choice by your own decision making is no longer available. The choice to not do it at all, or do it the way you think is best to accomplish the same goal for yourself and your family is null and void.

With free will you are free to do that something by your own decision.  You can make the choice whether it is good for you, bad for you, or whether your soul desires the choice or no choice at all.

There is a slight degree of a mixture with the rule of law, but that does not infringe on individuals rights or take away your freedom.  Those that place mandates try to do so in the name of safely, fairness and tolerance.  But it’s not a mandate, that’s actually called a regulation. There is a large difference between a mandate and a regulation.  Regardless of the spin.  Regulations define laws. Laws that are regulated when questioned are ruled on by the Supreme Court as to make sure they do not infringe on our constitution or bill of rights.

You have a license to drive, vote, and to show legal age and identity.  But it does not take away your individual right to make the choice to drive or not.

 You do not have to have health insurance to live. But when mandate to have it, you are forced to have something you may not need, want or use.

That is not freedom.  It’s a mandate.  And anytime you are told or made to do something other than something you want to do, you are enslaved to a group or entity that makes those decisions for you.

A mandate steals your freedom, your liberty or individual freedom to make a choice that affects you and your family.

Freedom opens up your possibilities. A mandate insures your direction at the hands of someone else.

Most mandates are used for control of the masses in the name of safety or tolerance.  But most never protect safety.  Nor do they have anything to do with tolerant by those who enforce the mandates.  Mandates just simply become the law with no argument.

I guess when it boils down to it; you need to ask your self one simple question.  Do you want to be independent with your life or would you rather be dependant on someone who takes from you and then gives it back to you based on what they deem you deserve.

 wel3

CHRISTIANITY.

Christianity is the world's largest religion. It has approximately 2 billion followers. Practiced in virtually every nation on Earth, it is based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ (4 B.C.?-A.D. 30?). Jesus Christ was a Jewish preacher who is believed to have lived in Palestine (then known by its Roman name, Judea) approximately 2,000 years ago. The word "Christianity" comes from the Greek Christos, a translation of the Hebrew Moshiach, or messiah, meaning the "chosen" or "anointed" one.

Beliefs and Practices

Most Christians belong to one of three groups. They are either Roman Catholic, Protestant, or Eastern Orthodox. The beliefs and practices within each group can vary considerably. But most accept that people are children of God and have immortal souls. Christians believe in one God. This God is a trinity, or a single deity made up of three divine persons. They are the Father (or Creator), the Son (or Word), and the Holy Spirit. Most Christians believe that Jesus Christ, the Son, was the human manifestation of God. They believe Jesus Christ came to Earth, was born of woman, preached, was crucified, and died. They believe that he rose from the dead and ascended into heaven and that through these actions he made it possible for people to be saved from sin.

As an expression of these beliefs, Christianity has various rites (which include sacraments) and rituals. One rite all Christians practice is baptism. Baptism represents one's entry into the community of Christians and also, to some, the washing away of sin. During the baptism ceremony, the body is immersed in water or water is sprinkled on the head. Both children and adults can be baptized.

The Eucharist is another rite practiced by all Christians. Some call the Eucharist Holy Communion or the Lord's Supper. It is the consumption of bread and wine or grape juice, representing Christ's body and blood. It usually takes place during a worship service. According to the Bible, Jesus instituted this sacrament the night before his death. And he instructed his followers to "Do this in remembrance of me." As with baptism, the Eucharist is presided over by a member of the clergy.

Only baptism and the Eucharist are considered sacraments by Protestants. But these and several other rites are considered sacraments by Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. They include penance, confirmation (a profession of faith), marriage, extreme unction (last rites for a dying person), and the ordination of clergy.

The Bible is Christianity's most sacred book. It consists of the core religious writings of Judaism, which Christians call the Old Testament, and the New Testament. The New Testament is made up of the Gospels (four "books" detailing the life and teachings of Jesus), the books containing stories of Jesus' immediate followers, the writings of Saint Paul, and the Revelation of Saint John the Divine. The Bible contains scriptures acknowledged by all contemporary Christians. Other significant writings by early Christians — the apocryphal books — are accepted by some Christians and not others.

Nearly all Christians recognize two main holidays, Christmas and Easter. Christmas celebrates Jesus' birth. Easter is the day on which he is believed to have risen from the dead. Good Friday is another important day for many Christians. They believe this is the day on which Jesus was crucified. The Catholic, Anglican (a Protestant sect), and Orthodox churches also celebrate saints' days. And they celebrate holidays such as Ascension Day (forty days after Easter, when Jesus was supposed to have ascended into heaven). Among Protestants, particularly Lutherans, Reformation Sunday (usually the last Sunday in October) marks the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.

Origins and Early History

Christianity emerged during the first century A.D. in Palestine (then known as Judea) as a sect within Judaism. Judea was a province of the Roman Empire. According to the Bible, Jesus preached to the common people that religion was not just something to be practiced by the priests in the Jewish temple. He taught that it was a moral code that should govern all their thoughts and actions. The large crowds that gathered to hear Jesus brought him to the attention of the Roman authorities. The Roman authorities became fearful that Jesus was stirring up the populace against them. So they had Jesus arrested and tried as a political criminal. He was eventually crucified (executed by nailing to a cross).

After the crucifixion, Jesus' followers were inspired by the story of his resurrection. They began to spread his message throughout the empire. In the beginning, this task was largely carried out by his disciples (notably Saint Peter and Saint John), whom Jesus had taught in his lifetime.

Saint Paul, too, played a significant role in promoting the new faith. At first he was among those who persecuted Christians. But later he converted to Christianity. He spent the rest of his life establishing churches and spreading Christ's message.

The early Christians suffered tremendously. Distrusted and hated by many, they were accused of the most vile crimes. Many of their leaders were imprisoned or executed. Persecutions most likely began during the reign of the Roman emperor Nero (37–68). Nero blamed the Christians for setting fire to Rome in A.D. 64.

During the 200's, thousands of Christians were murdered, including Pope Fabian, head of the church in Rome. They refused to offer pagan sacrifices ordered on behalf of Emperor Decius (249–251). Persecutions increased during the first decade of the 300's under Emperor Diocletian (284–305) and his successors.

Despite the persecutions, Christianity spread. In the year 200, the Christian writer Tertullian claimed that Christians lived in almost every town. By the beginning of the 300's it is estimated that nearly half the population of Asia Minor was Christian.

Expansion led to increasing organization of the church. Local congregations or churches were led by pastors called bishops. Under them were ministers of lower rank called presbyters and deacons. All bishops were equal in rank. But those in certain cities, such as Rome, had somewhat more influence.

The Spread of Christianity

The persecutions ended in 313. Constantine (280–337), emperor of the Byzantine Empire (the eastern branch of the Roman Empire), began to favor Christianity. He eventually made it the preferred religion of the empire. He was aided greatly by his Christian mother, Helen. Constantine also supported the observance of Sunday as a Christian holy day. And he financed the construction of the great Christian churches in Rome.

With imperial support, Christianity became more widespread and powerful throughout the Roman Empire, which by then stretched from the Atlantic Ocean to Persia. Under Emperor Theodosius the Great (346?–395), Christianity became the empire's official religion. Thereafter, both paganism and unacceptable forms of Christianity were forbidden.

At this time, however, Christianity still had no formalized body of beliefs, or theology. As individuals presented ideas, conflicts arose. One major conflict resulted from the claim that Jesus was not divine. Formulated by Arius, an Alexandrian priest (250–336), the doctrine known as Arianism became a powerful threat to those who viewed Jesus as wholly divine. It soon developed a large following.

Church leaders considered Arianism a heresy. (A heresy is an opinion that challenges an established belief.) To address this development, a council was held in Nicaea in 325 under the sponsorship of Emperor Constantine. There, the nearly 350 bishops and monastic leaders in attendance rejected Arianism almost unanimously. Despite this rejection, which was also supported by the emperors, Arianism remained a powerful view. It would be condemned again at the second Council of Constantinople in 381.

Over the next 400 years, Christianity formalized its beliefs and rituals. In the East this development was led by theologians Gregory of Nazianzus (329?–389), Gregory of Nyssa (331?–395), Athanasius (293?–373), and John Chrysostom (347–407), who wrote in Greek. In the West, where the Roman Empire collapsed in 476, the theologians known as the Latin Fathers — Jerome (331?–420), Ambrose (339?–397), Gregory the Great (540?–604), and, perhaps most important, Augustine of Hippo (354?–430) — articulated the core beliefs of Christianity.

The growth of Christianity was further aided by the rise of monasteries. (A monastery is a community of men called monks.) Monks live and work together and devote their lives to prayer. The monastic movement began with individuals called hermits, who withdrew to the Egyptian desert to lead solitary lives of prayer. However, it soon developed into a communal form, with groups of monks living together under the direction of an abbot.

Monasteries became an important element within both eastern and western Christianity. This was particularly true of those organized under Saint Benedict (480?–547). They provided some refuge and a place for learning. This was especially important after the western half of the Roman Empire had fallen to Germanic invaders. Also, Saint Benedict had developed a new "rule," a set of regulations governing monastic life. The Rule of Saint Benedict, and the way of life it helped bring about, were the inspiration for much of what was best about Christianity for the next thousand years.

During the Middle Ages (500–1500), the church represented order and control in society. Most people could not read or write, except for priests and monks. And priests were often government officials. Religious faith inspired the creation of countless works of art and architecture. Examples include the magnificent Gothic cathedrals of Chartres, Notre Dame, and Durham. Although it remained in many ways a time of violence, the Middle Ages represented a slow return to civilization following the collapse of the Roman Empire.

It was also during this period, on Christmas Day in 800, that Charlemagne, King of the Franks (742?–814), was crowned the first Holy Roman emperor by Pope Leo III (795–816). This marked the founding of the Holy Roman Empire, a confederation of powerful European states. The influence of this alliance between the pope and Europe's greatest political leader was immense. The church grew even stronger.

Another significant event was the Great Schism. It occurred in 1054 when the Christian church divided into the Eastern and Western branches. This was the result of conflicting beliefs and differences in worship, as well as various political rivalries. The Eastern branch became the Orthodox Church. The Western branch became the Roman Catholic Church.

A century later, during the late Middle Ages, orders (organizations) of friars developed. They preached in the growing cities of Western Europe and served the poor and sick there. The most familiar of these orders are the Franciscans, established by Francis of Assisi (1182–1226), and the Dominicans, established by Saint Dominic (1170–1221). A renewal of learning occurred in the 1200's. This was exemplified by Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225?–74), one of the greatest of all Christian theologians.

The economic and social advances of the late Middle Ages were halted when the bubonic plague swept across Europe from 1347 to 1350. It killed nearly one-third of the population. The plague was also known as the Black Death. It disrupted trade and farming and led to religious excesses, including violent persecution of the Jews.

In the East, Christianity had experienced difficulties since the 600's, as Islam moved westward from the Arabian Peninsula. As Islam expanded, the Byzantine Empire retreated. Constantinople, the empire's capital, was cut off from the West, eventually falling to Muslim invaders in 1453.

The decline of the Christian empire in the East had positive effects for western Europe. The Islamic empires preserved the learning of ancient classical scholars. This body of knowledge, as well as Islamic cultural advances, spread to Europe by way of returning Crusaders, Christian refugees, and traders. The influx of new and ancient ideas helped set the stage for the Renaissance.

The Renaissance began in Italy about 1300 and gradually developed in other European countries. This period, which would last about 300 years, saw a cultural rebirth in Europe. There was a flowering of art, literature, and learning. It was led by such men as Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519), Michelangelo (1475–1564), and Desiderius Erasmus (1467?–1536). Scholars rediscovered the classical literature and arts of ancient Greece and Rome. The development of the printing press made books (including the Bible) widely available and fostered the spread of new ideas. This atmosphere of free thinking, as well as greater attention to the Bible and the writings of the early church fathers, led people to question certain practices established by the medieval church.

The Reformation to the Modern Era

By the 1500's the church, headquartered in Rome, had become a major power. It was spending huge sums of money on art, buildings, and luxuries for leaders. This money came from taxes people paid on crops or land. It also came from the sale of indulgences. (These were payments believed to release people from punishment for their sins.)

As the church's demands for money increased, professional indulgence sellers wandered throughout Europe. This was widely resented. A growing spirit of nationalism (interest in one's own country) was present throughout much of Europe. Many people were less willing to support the church in Rome.

The Reformation was the movement in which some countries began to break away from Rome. If one could date its beginning to a specific time and place, it would be October 31, 1517. That was when Martin Luther (1483–1546), a German monk and theology professor, posted 95 propositions in Wittenberg, Germany, inviting theological debate on the sale of indulgences.

Luther believed that the whole system of indulgences was wrong. He believed it was contrary to the Bible, especially the writings of Saint Paul. According to Saint Paul, salvation is assured simply by faith in God's love and mercy. Luther soon won numerous German princes to his side. The princes saw the movement as an opportunity to weaken Rome's power over their country. Luther's translation of the Bible into German also helped spread his teachings, as more people could read scripture for the first time.

In 1521, after much debate with papal authorities, Luther was excommunicated from the Catholic Church. (To be excommunicated means to be deprived of the sacraments and the rights of church membership)

Other leaders of the Reformation, or Protestant, movement included Huldreich Zwingli (1484–1531), a pastor in Zurich, Switzerland; John Knox (1513?–72), a Scottish minister who lived in Geneva; and John Calvin (1509–64), a native of Picardy, France. Calvin had escaped to Geneva after being charged with heresy in his home country. He developed a form of Protestantism (Calvinism) that had a great impact on the United States and Europe. (In France, Calvin's followers were called Huguenots.) A major doctrine of Calvinism was that God alone determined the destiny — salvation or damnation — of human souls. Humans could do nothing to save themselves.

In England, the factors leading to the Reformation were more political than religious. King Henry VIII (1491–1547) wished to divorce his wife, Catherine of Aragon. Not only had they failed to produce a male heir, but Henry also wanted to marry Anne Boleyn, a lady of the court. Pope Clement VII refused to grant a divorce. So Henry decided to reject papal authority and make himself head of the English church. Conflict over reform in the English church continued after his death.

Under the boy-king Edward VI (1537–53), greater reforms were adopted. They were only to be undone when Mary I (1516–58) turned back to Catholicism. During the long reign of her successor, Elizabeth I (1533–1603), the Church of England reached a compromise. This resulted in a church (called Anglican or Episcopal) that combined elements of Protestantism and Roman Catholicism. This was possible because no single theologian such as Luther or Calvin ever dominated the English church. In 1611 it also issued the most famous English translation of the Bible. This was the King James Version, which is still widely used today.

The Reformation was successful only in northern Europe. But it made inroads throughout much of the continent at various times. In southern and eastern Europe, however, Catholicism retained its strength. This was largely because the Reformation had led to the Counter, or Catholic, Reformation.

The Counter Reformation was an attempt by individuals within the Catholic Church to reform it and correct abuses. Leading this movement was the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) founded by the Spanish priest and former soldier Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491–1556). Many of these reforms were formalized by the Council of Trent (1545–63). The Council did much to strengthen Catholicism and to create modern Roman Catholicism.

The Reformation and Counter Reformation sparked years of war, persecution, and violence. During the Thirty Years' War (1618-48), nearly half the population of the German states died from the conflict or from the accompanying famine and disease. When the war ended with the Peace of Westphalia, Europe found itself religiously divided between Catholics and Protestants. Southern Europe — Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal — remained Catholic. Austria, southern Germany, Poland, Slovenia and Croatia, and the Low Countries (present-day Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands) also did. Protestantism dominated in England, Scotland, northern Germany, northern Holland, the Scandinavian countries, and Bohemia (part of the present-day Czech Republic) and Hungary. In eastern Europe and Greece, the Orthodox Church continued on its course. It was relatively untroubled by events on the rest of the continent.

The religious wars of the 1500's and 1600's helped usher in the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment was a period characterized by fresh views of religion and society. During this time, thinkers such as Montesquieu (1689–1755), John Locke (1632–1704), Wilhelm Leibniz (1646–1716), and others argued that religion was a private matter and not a governmental concern. Others saw the damage that religious wars had inflicted on economies. They argued that religious differences should not interfere with business. Still others asserted that the human mind was created free by God. They said the individual conscience should not, and could not, be coerced. Many rejected the idea that the state should enforce religious conformity according to its ruler's religious views.

The Dutch were among the earliest to accept the notion of religious tolerance, but only informally. Legal measures favoring religious tolerance were first adopted in England. The Church of England would (and still does) remain the state church. But toleration (a government policy of allowing unsanctioned forms of worship and belief) was granted to all Protestants in 1689. Catholics would not receive full religious and political freedom until 1829. This was a remnant of the Reformation-era conflicts.

Meanwhile, conflicts between Catholics and Protestants and between different sects of Protestantism dominated Europe into the 1700's. When Europeans arrived in the New World, Catholicism was the religion of Europe. First European settlements were therefore Catholic. With the Reformation, the New World became a source of conflict between Protestant England and Catholic Spain and France. In British North America, different sects of Protestantism clashed. In New England, the Puritans attempted to create a religiously pure commonwealth, while the Church of England was established in many colonies. New York passed from Swedish to Dutch to British control. It saw its religious establishment change from Lutheranism to Dutch Reformed to the Church of England.

Maryland, established as a haven for Catholics, adopted a policy of toleration for all Christians. This was short-lived, however, and the Church of England was established there in 1702. Of all the colonies, only Pennsylvania and Rhode Island practiced religious tolerance and were without established religions. This changed soon after the creation of the United States. Because the U.S. Constitution guaranteed freedom of religion, religious liberty expanded greatly.

At this time also, the European powers — primarily France, Spain, England, and Portugal — were colonizing other parts of the Western Hemisphere, as well as Africa and parts of Asia. They also introduced Christianity. The Christianization of Asia was relatively unsuccessful, with the exception of the Philippines. But Christianity would become a major religion in much of Africa.

Christianity Today

During the 1900's, increased religious tolerance gave rise to the ecumenical movement. That movement sought to overcome the differences that had splintered Christianity. The movement became stronger after the World Council of Churches was established in 1948 to promote unity among churches. By the year 2000 the council had over 337 member denominations representing over 400 million members on six continents.

Although it did not join the World Council, the Roman Catholic Church responded to the spirit of ecumenism and tolerance at the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II, 1962–65). This council transformed the church's relationship to the modern world. And it acknowledged the need for interreligious discussion and collaboration. Two of its pronouncements, the "Declaration on the Relationship of the Church to Non-Christian Religions" (Nostra Aetate) and the "Declaration on Religious Freedom" (Dignitatis Humanae), altered its opposition to other religious traditions and ended its hostility to religious liberty and church-state separation.

The separation of church and state has freed Christians to become more politically active, often in opposition to government policies. During the 1960's and 1970's, for example, churches played a major role in the civil rights movement. (The civil rights movement was the struggle for equal rights for African Americans.) Toward the end of the 1900's, Christians were at the forefront of the human rights movement. In Poland the Catholic Church played a major role in the fight against Communism.

At the same time, the end of the 1900's saw the rise of a fundamentalist Protestantism. Committed to a literal reading of the Christian Bible, these Christians rejected the theory of evolution, ecumenism, and the scientific view of the universe's creation. In the United States they played a significant role in political affairs. They formed the right wing of the Republican party. Fundamentalist Protestantism also found a niche in Central and South America. There its emphasis on personal morality and hard work found a growing audience among the region's poorest people.

Today, Christianity faces several realities and challenges. The collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe has opened up some countries to new forms of Christianity and has also revitalized their traditional Christian forms. In other countries, particularly Egypt and Sudan, Christianity is encountering a stronger and faster-growing Islam. Whether these religions can peacefully coexist remains an open question.

In Europe, Christianity remains the dominant religion. But fewer Europeans are active churchgoers. Catholicism is no longer Europe's leading Christian faith. But it is dominant in South America, Asia, and Africa. Although most people in the United States are Christian, other religions are growing.

Despite these changes, Christianity continues to play a significant role in the lives of millions.

By Edward Queen

Shared by wel3

ARE WE IN A HOLY WAR?

As the world has forgotten the Holy Wars (the crusades), the Muslims have not.

The crusades are all about Jerusalem.

Most of the worlds population does not understand the crusades. Nor do some even know it existed.  Many may think that it was stories made into movies.

For this reason, we hear the two terms; peaceful and radical Islam.  We may not be in a religious war with Muslims, but they are in a war with us.

That's why they are fighting, killing, and beheading. They are still fighting a Holy War. A war to form their caliphate.

To understand the caliphate is to also understand why there will never be peace.  Peace within the caliphate only comes with one people and religion in the world.  Muslims and Islam.  Anything different than that has to go.

Living together in peace does not fulfill their prophecy.  If one does not convert they are a infidel.

 The definition of infidel - a person who does not accept a particular faith. A person who does not accept the Islamic faith. Unbeliever.

To understand what is happening now, you must understand history.  You must understand the Crusades.

 Not the stories you have heard.  Not the tales you have been told.  Not a vague understanding of the crusades, but you must understand the history of the Crusades. What they were about. The struggle and It's subject.

 It is a struggle about worship and forming a caliphate state.  It is a struggle that is still going on in that region of the world as of today between the whole Muslim world and Israel.

A caliphate is a form of Islamic government led by a caliph...a person considered a political and religious successor to the prophet Muhammad and a leader of the entire Muslim community.

To understand the caliphate and what is happening now, you must understand the Crusades.  Not the stories, but truly understand the Crusades.  How they came about and why it was a holy war between Christians/non believers and Muslims.

 The crusades are all about Jerusalem and the caliphate.

 Being that Jerusalem is a place of worship for both Christians and Muslims, it has always been a hot spot. And the fact that the Christians God is different then the god of the Muslim, Both lay religious claim to Jerusalem as a place of worship and to worship.

  It was a Holy War. And it remains a Holy War till this day.  We are simply in it and do not realize that we are because no one understands the end goal of the caliphate and Jerusalem. No one understands that the Crusades are not over.

 It's not about peace and getting along.  It's about the caliphate and the one true god of Islam.

The Crusades are all about Jerusalem.  Originally the crusades were Roman Catholic endeavors to re-capture the Holy Land from the Muslims.

For centuries, Jerusalem had been governed by Muslims, but they tolerated Christian Pilgrims because they helped the economy. (Christian pilgrims were visitors that came to and from to worship in Jerusalem).

Then, in the 1070s, Turks (who were also Muslim) conquered these holy lands and mistreated Christians before realizing how useful their good will and money could be.  The Turks also threatened by the Byzantine Empire.  Emperor Alexius asked the pope for assistance and Urban II, seeing a way to harness the violent energy of Christian Knights made a speech calling for them to take back Jerusalem.

Thousands responded, resulting in the First Crusade. (Sorta sounds similar as to what is happening these days...does it not)?

 Pope Urban II proclaimed the First Crusade with the stated goal of restoring Christian access to holy places in and near Jerusalem. (Sorta sounds like the same issues between the Jewish people and Muslims today...does it not)?

 The Crusades were expeditions undertaken, in fulfillment of a solemn vow, to deliver the Holy Places from Mohammedan tyranny. Muslims were threatening to conquer this remnant of the Roman Empire for Allah. As they had already done in most parts of Europe.

 The threat was real; most of the middle east, including the Holy Land where Christ had walked, had already been vanquished.

Thus began the era of the Crusades, taken from the Latin word crux or cross.  Committed to saving Christianity, the Crusaders left family and jobs to take up the cause.

 Most that fought on the side of Christians, where in fact not Christians. They were people that fought for other reasons.. They did so in the name of Christ. However, being that all of Europe was involved, many did it for power, riches and trade.

 Thus one reason I believe Christians have such a disconnect with the history of the crusades and the Muslims do not.

What started out as a noble war and over 200 years it was politicized by Europeans at the expense of Christianity.. .

Today, the only people that truly understand the crusades are the Muslims.  They have never stopped fighting for Jerusalem and the caliphate.

The rest of the world moved on to other wars and conquest.  In the process, the world forgot about Jerusalem and left the battle between the Jews and Muslims who still to this day battle over Jerusalem and surrounding lands.

It's a history lost; but a Holy War that is still being fought.  Its a Holy War that calls for Jerusalem to be under the control of Muslims and death to all that are in the way.

The Crusade Period was between 1095 - 1291. Historians consider that between these dates there were seven major Crusades and numerous minor ones.

The goal was to recapture Jerusalem, to aid the Byzantine East, and to unite Europe in a common cause. The early Crusades did unite Western Europe in a common purpose, provided an influx of Eastern thought into Western culture, and opened new avenues of trade between Europe an the Levant. It also changed the world forever. Europe was able to take back most of their cities taken by Muslims.

During this 200 year struggle for control of the Holy Land, the conflict ended in 1291 with the fall of the last Christian stronghold in the Holy Land at Acre,Israel, after which Roman Catholic Europe mounted no further coherent response in the east.

So you see, the Muslim world hates Christians as much as they do Israel.

The crusades was a 200 year war between Christians and Muslims all over Jerusalem and the right for each religion to worship at the very same spot.

There is so much history within this 200 year period.  But I would encourage you to study it.

You will never know where your headed if you don't know whence you came.

wel3