I am PRO-Second Amendment

4 American diplomats were killed by terrorists in Benghazi, Libya and the GOP screamed bloody murder for months. Congress is still holding hearings.

One terrorist on a plane tried to set off a bomb hidden in his shoe, now everyone has to remove their shoes before boarding a plane.

Oakland, Calif.: A former student at a Christian college fatally shoots seven people and injures three in April 2012;
Aurora, Colo.: Lone gunman kills 12 and injures 58 at a July 2012 screening of “The Dark Knight;"
College Station Texas: 3 people killed 4 injured;
Oak Creek, Wis.: A white supremacist shoots six people and a responding policeman at a Sikh temple before shooting himself in the head in August 2012;
Portland, Ore.: A masked gunman opens fire in a crowded mall killing two and seriously injuring a third before turning the gun on himself. Cops say killer’s assault weapon jammed, preventing further carnage.

20 six and seven year old American schoolchildren were killed by a single gunman and the GOP silence is deafening.

Where are the hearings Mister Speaker?

Where is the legislation to prevent more unnecessary loss of life caused by guns?

I am pro-Second Amendment. I believe anyone who wants to own a musket (holding one shot and taking three minutes to reload) can have one. Everything else necessarily requires responsible legislation.

Matthew 26:52 NIV “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword."

For The Record

I am as disappointed by those affiliated with the petition to "Deport Everyone That Signed a Petition To Withdraw Their State From The United States" as I am embarrassed for the creators and signers of the secession petitions, even though the response may have been done humorously. If one wants to secede from the Union based on the results of a democratic election, one might misunderstand the entire concept of these United States of America. To respond to such ignorance only adds fuel by giving the attention so desperately sought.  [/end rant]

Not the Governments Job!

To those of you who believe America is a Christian nation and that our founding fathers were Christian, who say "It's not the Government's job to give a hand up to people in need," and ask "Why should I pay my hard earned money out in taxes to help people who didn't earn it?" I've a few questions: How do you understand the story in Genesis 41:25-42 where Joseph by the instruction of God told Pharaoh to gather from all the harvest and store it to be redistributed to everyone in the land when there was need? How do you understand Exodus 23:6-11 (especially v10-11) where landowners were obligated by law to feed the hungry, or Isaiah 10:1-3 and Amos 5:11-12 where governments are instructed to show justice to the poor? Not only did Isaiah and Amos bring harsh messages from God to governments about how they should treat the poor, Jeremiah brought a scorching message (see chapter 22). How does your view of government square with Jeremiah?

While the story of Joseph and Pharaoh was regarding a particular event, doesn't it make sense, good sense to follow that principle? The law of Moses according to Exodus 23 institutionalized way of providing for the poor that did not depend on the good will of the individual. Yes, individual generosity was encouraged but, as a matter of law, part of everyone's produce or income was to be set aside to aid the poor.

While what we call the Old Testament is full of stories of personal and government responsibility to the least of these, Jesus had some important things to say about the subject: Matthew 22:37-39; Matthew25:31-46 

Jesus' commands to love and care for others were given as universals, without exempting any human organizations or institutions.  All human institutions, governments and businesses included, are responsible to care for others --- especially since individual or private charity can never be or do enough.

Isn't it time we stop justifying selfishness, greed, pride and the like?


Proverbs 14:31 reads, He who oppresses the poor reproaches his maker, but he who is gracious to the needy honors Him.

An Open Letter to Pastor Bruce Short

Nashville, Arkansas with about 6,000 residents has two hometown newspapers, The Nashville News and The Nashville Leader. In the Monday, October 8th edition of the News and the Wednesday, October 10th edition of the Leader the same letter to the editor was published. The letter was written by Bruce Short, Pastor of one of Nashville's many small congregations. I received a call from an older Christian couple who were disturbed after reading Bruce's letter. They encouraged me to write a reply.

After reading and rereading the letter I was disappointed in Bruce's word choice which basically said you can't be a Christian and be a Democrat. This is simply not true. This is not Biblical. Bruce's statements are divisive to the Christian community and are spiritually abusive. When your words or actions tear down another, attack or weaken a person's standing as a Christian to gratify yourself, your position or your beliefs that is spiritual abuse. When extra-biblical rules and standards are linked to one's salvation or standing with God, that is spiritual abuse. The widespread and generally held belief of Christianity according to the Bible is, salvation is in Christ alone. Legalism adds requirements beyond Jesus' sacrifice. Jesus stood against that very same legalism. Today I stand against that legalism.

Below is a copy of my reply sent to the editors of both local papers.

An open letter to Bruce Short,

While I join with you in asking our Christian brothers and sisters to have no affiliation with ungodliness, the understanding of the Democratic Party platform planks you mention aren’t exactly accurate.

In case you were misinformed about the Democratic Party platform,

Advocating for safe sex, is a far cry from “embracing free sex.” Studies have shown a decline in teen pregnancy, from 34.3 per 1,000 nationwide to 6.3 per 1,000 study participants* and abortions, from 19.9 per 1,000 nationwide to 4.4 per 1,000 study participants* due to the availability of birth control.

Should we trust in abstinence only education? One doesn’t have to look too far for the answer. Our neighbor Mississippi has abstinence only education and the highest teen pregnancy rate in the nation, 55 births per 1,000 teens aged 15 to 19 in 2010. Studies published this year by the Guttmacher Institute show teens who received comprehensive sex education, including instruction on birth control, waited longer to have sex and had lower rates of pregnancy. If you truly want to see less premarital relations and fewer teen pregnancies then you must support the Democratic Party platform.

Advocating for a woman’s right to choose is not “embracing murder.” Many of our brothers and sisters in Christ who are pro-choice are deeply concerned for the well being of the mother as much as an anti-abortion advocate for the unborn child. The problem with pro-life politics is the definition of life is exclusive. Pro-life politics excludes the lives of the mother, those on death row, women children and non-combatants living in countries considered our enemy as well as billions struggling to stay alive faced with disease and a scarcity of food or clean water. Pro-life politics does not consider those in this first-world nation who lack proper healthcare without which life would not be sustainable. In fact, many pro-life politicians have fought vigorously for an elimination of initiatives aimed at reducing infant mortality and early childhood problems, initiatives essential to promote health of the most vulnerable citizens. As a Christian I understand the sanctity of life extends to all life, not just the unborn. If you truly want to see fewer murders then you must support the Democratic Party platform.

My Christianity informs my politics as much as I am capable of making that true. As a Christian my preference is for policy that brings the greatest amount of good to the largest number of people. These policies are found in the Democratic Party.

Albert Motta

Howard County Committeeman, Arkansas Democratic Party Faith Caucus 

(end of letter)

At every church I was blessed to Pastor  I gifted the Elders, Deacons and anyone else in leadership with several books. The first and most important was always, "The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse" by David Johnson and Jeff VanVonderen ISBN13: 9780764201370

I gave a copy to Bruce back in 2007. Get yourself a copy. You will be blessed!

An Extremely Brief Comparative of Mormonism and Christianity

It has been years since I took my last comparative religion course so I will keep this to what I remember. In other words, this will be brief.

As this is an election year much of social media is a buzz with the topic of religion, especially Mormonism. I am too young to remember the first Catholic who won a parties nomination but I have done some reading on the subject and find things today are quite similar to then. People still fear what they don't know, and they still spread that fear via misinformation. Today however, we have an advantage of setting the record straight with an ever widening audience because Al Gore created the internet. It's alright if you didn't laugh, I'm quite happy with an 'ugh'!

It is not my intent to prove one right the other wrong nor one better than the other rather to point out the similarities and differences in two schools of religious belief.

I've made it easy if you are a non-believer or a religious scholar. Just use the links provided and follow along.

On God
Mormons believe that God the Father was once a man who progressed to Godhood. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught, "God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits in yonder heavens! That is the great secret. We have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity but I am going to refute that idea." Smith also taught, "We are precisely in the same condition and under the same circumstances that God our heavenly Father was when he was passing through this, or a similar ordeal."

The History of The Church Vol. 6, Ch. 14, p. 305-6  reads, It is the first principle of the Gospel to know for a certainty the character of God, and that He was once a man like us. Yea, that God himself, Father of us all dwelt on the earth the same as Jesus Christ Himself did. You have got to learn to be gods yourselves.

"It appears ridiculous to the world, under their darkened and erroneous traditions, that God has once been a finite being." LDS Presiednt Brigham Young

According to the Mormon Articles of Faith, "As man is, God once was; as God is, man may be." (see Isaiah 43:10)

According to the Christian Bible, God has always been eternal God, (see Malachi 3:6) God was never a man, (see Numbers 23:19) God is Spirit (see John 4:24) not flesh. Nowhere in the Bible can it be found that God 'progressed' to Godhood rather just the opposite; God is God, always was God, always will be God.

On Jesus
Mormons say because they believe Jesus is divine, they are Christians. Christians respond that because Mormons don’t believe in accordance with the Nicene Creed (see below) promulgated in the fourth century that Jesus is also the Father and the Holy Spirit, the Jesus that Mormons have in mind is someone else altogether.

Mormons believe that Jesus Christ was the firstborn spirit-child of the heavenly Father and a heavenly Mother. Jesus then progressed to deity in the spirit world. He was later physically conceived in Mary’s womb, as the literal “only begotten” Son of God the Father in the flesh (though many present-day Mormons remain somewhat vague as to how this occurred).

Mormons also believe Lucifer is Jesus brother. Before you freak out about that let me explain; they are brothers in the same way all of humanity are brothers. We are all created by God the Father, and as His children, all are brothers. According to Mormon doctrine we are all created spirit beings who live in heaven with God where we develop into the person we are. When we reach the limit of our ability to progress in Heaven with God as spirit, we can choose to live away from Him on earth for a while by being born into a family. Now I've strayed ...

Biblically, the description of Jesus as the “only begotten” refers to his being the Father’s unique, one-of-a-kind Son for all eternity, with the same divine nature as the Father. Jesus is eternal (see John 1:1) deity, (see John 8:5) Jesus did not progress to deity but has always been God. (see Hebrews 13:8)

There are some similarities and stark contrasts between Mormonism and Christianity. This post only scratched the surface in two areas. I hope even in its brevity this information is helpful. If you read something here you believe posted in error, please leave a comment.

*Revision: My links work fine in draft form but for some reason are not translating to the post so I've added (see passage) after each entry.

The Nicene Creed

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.

Who, for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.

And I believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Christian Choice

While there are many issues to discuss I will try to keep this post to a single topic or at least not stray too far. This year, not unlike every election year, I find myself thinking about abortion. I consider this topic not only because I am asked about it but also because like many other issues my thoughts are in process. I used to be a single-issue voter admittedly because I didn’t take the time to educate myself enough to make an informed decision nor did I take the time to deeply consider more than just my adopted view. This is no longer the case.

Single-issue politics are used to divide, making the one issue a cornerstone on which all others rely manipulating Biblical text to suit a personal agenda. The Bible is neither a conservative nor a liberal collection of literature rather a widely scoped story of hope. To take passages out of context knowingly is spiritually abusive.

I used to be bothered when people would ask why I am pro-abortion, or how could I be a Christian and vote for a pro-abortion candidate. Firstly, I don’t think I know anyone who is pro-abortion. Many of my brothers and sisters who are pro-choice are deeply concerned for the well being of the mother as much as an anti-abortion advocate for the unborn child. My problem with pro-life politics is the definition of life is exclusive. Pro-life politics excludes the lives of the mother, those on death row, women children and non-combatants living in countries considered our enemy as well as billions struggling to stay alive faced with disease and a scarcity of food or clean water. Pro-life politics does not consider those in this first-world nation who lack proper healthcare without which life would not be sustainable. In fact, many pro-life politicians have fought vigorously for an elimination of initiatives aimed at reducing infant mortality and early childhood problems, initiatives essential to promote health of the most vulnerable citizens. No, I am not pro-abortion, in fact, I am more pro-life than most.

The choice to take any life, whether by abortion, capital punishment, war, the inability to pay for healthcare, or withholding life-giving resources is always a cause for careful and prayerful consideration.

A Few Facts

1. There are more Private Sector jobs today than there were the day Obama was elected president. In fact, corporate profits have been at or above pre-recession levels since the beginning of 2010.
2. Republican governors across the country have been laying off millions of our nation's most valuable human resources: teachers, firefighters, police officers, and many others. This is why, even with more Private Sector jobs today than when Obama took office, our nation's unemployment rate is at a shameful 8.2 percent.
3. Republican governors claim they had no choice but to fire those public employees because they were trying to fix their states' budgets. What they won't mention is this fact: Accepting an infusion from the federal government to tide them over while the private sector was shedding jobs by the millions and diminishing their revenue base would have helped their budgets get under control without having to sacrifice all those jobs.
4. While those same Republican Governors turned down federal help House Republicans fought tooth and nail to make the federal aid so small it wouldn't have had any impact at all.
5. Democrats have successfully led this country out of a near depression in spite of Republican obstructionism at every turn. The Obama administration did that in part by saving the American Auto Industry that Mitt Romney said he would have let go bankrupt.
6. Corporations have no patriotic incentive to use their profits to put Americans to work.They are currently sitting on over 1.9 trillion dollars instead of using it to pay their workers a living wage so they can afford to buy more things, creating more demand and by extension, creating a real need to hire more workers.
7. The country cannot enjoy a robust economy if the predominance of the nation's wealth is being hoarded in bank accounts by the Private Sector and not put back into circulation into the economy that allowed them to make it.
8. Public Sector hiring can return a troubled economy back to full stability, as history proves.

These facts are edited directly from Jill W. Klausen's blog and can be found in context and in original form at the link provided.