Church!
November 8th, 2008At Last
Here is a peculiar aspect of my new relationship with my sister. She keeps providing me with educational materials and information she has found, relating to Christianity.
The latest item: Bill McKay’s series of documentaries, Against All Odds.
I don’t know much about it. I’ll say that up front. But it’s fascinating. McKay is a Christian, and he interviewed Israelis who served in the IDF. The common thread? They experienced miraculous victories and rescues. And by “miraculous,” I mean “miraculous.” Example: they’re trapped by landmines. The mines are buried about a foot down. A wind rises, and it blows the sand off the mines, and the soldiers walk out. Apparently, some of these guys heard voices–presumably angels–telling them what to do. And supposedly, a number of atheist Jews turned to God as a result of these experiences.
McKay says the scholars at West Point study every military battle they hear about, to learn about waging war. He claims they have thrown up their hands over Israeli battles, because the odds the Israelis overcame were so great, the battles didn’t make sense. That happened in the Bible, and it is still happening today, as 1.2 billion Muslims often tell us.
The trailer is really neat, and you can see it at this site: Against All Odds. Take a look and see what you think.
Another interesting thing: she wants to go to Wayne Cochran’s church on Wednesday. If you don’t know who he is, I’ll tell you. He’s a former rock star, and he started a church here many years ago. My sister had forgotten about it. She and my mother checked it out, back in the 80s. They were impressed by his kindness and concern, but they didn’t join the church. A few years later, I went with my mother, and the church had grown so big, you could barely see the man from the back rows. Anyway, she wants to go, so we may make a run up there.
Tonight a commenter said something about me believing in a “comic book God,” because I believed God and the angels could influence voters and machinery and so on, to alter the outcomes of elections. I deleted the comment because it seemed like it was unnecessarily rude, and an ad hominem, and an attack on my beliefs, and I just didn’t want to fool with it. Maybe that was wrong; I’m trying to change the tone of this blog, and I don’t see how I can do that if I publish obnoxious comments. Maybe I took the wrong approach. But it’s hard to have patience with people who suggest, condescendingly, that God is some sort of detached, aloof being who is too important to involve himself in our business. That’s not how God was in the Bible, and if the Bible is wrong, then the people who wrote it were idiots, and we shouldn’t believe in God to begin with. God is a person, and he is crazy about each of us, and the angels are real, and so are demons, and they intervene directly in people’s lives. I once got a good long look at a demon; I saw it very clearly, in the middle of an ordinary day. I know supernatural beings are real. I don’t want to hear about the silliness of my beliefs. You might as well tell me my feet aren’t real, and I can see one of them right now. The fact that something hasn’t happened to you doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.
How am I supposed to deny that God exists as we know him from the Bible, when he has done so many remarkable things to prove himself to me?
It’s past my bedtime. I’m out.
November 8th, 2008 at 10:14 PM
The deleted commenter should check out Philippians 4:6-7:
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
It says pray about “EVERYTHING”. And if that’s the case, then God must have the power to grant our requests, even though He does not always do so. There are examples all over the Bible of God caring about the minutiae of the lives of His children, and of prayer changing things.
November 8th, 2008 at 10:59 PM
In the ’67 war, a division of Syrian soldiers are told that there’s an Israeli soldier over the dune. A couple guys should go take him out. Two volunteers go. Much noise. Then quiet. A squad goes to investigate. Much noise. Then quiet. A platoon goes. Much noise. Then quiet. Before the next wave, a soldier comes back over the dune and yells to his comrades. “It’s a trap! There’s TWO of them!”
It was funny 40 years ago.
Over the years I’ve heard reports of the kind of miraculous intervention you mention. Confusion in the enemy camp. Prisoners interrogated who swore they heard an armored column (where there was none) that totally demoralized them, etc.
November 9th, 2008 at 12:59 AM
In high school, a buddy of mine was nationally ranked in various Avalon Hill war games and used to regularly trounce West Point grads. I was good enough to give him a challenge at most games but while I was great in immediate situations, I didn’t have the background to set up my grand strategies well enough to win over all. I won battles and lost wars. I recall buying “Arab Israeli Wars” and took it to his house where his mother kept us supplied in 2-liter bottles of coke and boxes of hard pretzels. We recreated numerous battles from 1948, 1956, 1967 and 1973. He was Irish and let me play Israel. He won. Then I took the Arab side. I won.
By all NORMAL measures, the Arabs should win. Easily. It’s a matter of morale and how many losses one is willing to take. A big difference between Jewish and Muslim militaries is that Jewish military leaders lead from the front, not command from the rear. “Follow me!” is the standard.
The next Jewish holiday is Chanukah, where conservative estimates are that 12,000 Jewish non-soldiers defeated 40,000 Greek-trained soldiers.
Historically, Jews battle poorly when they are spiritually least worthy.
Regarding angels and the Divine presence in mundane life, the Talmud notes that there are angels assigned to individual blades of grass helping them grow. Everything is for a purpose. It is Greek thinking (ever so present in our contemporary universities!) that reduces God to a Prime Mover who no longer cares or matters.
November 9th, 2008 at 2:56 AM
I wish you would tell the rest of the story…what the thing looked like and what it was doing there and how you got rid of it. My poor little sister who killed herself saw them too sometimes, but I never have though I have prayed against many of them.
November 9th, 2008 at 4:21 AM
Matthew 6.
November 9th, 2008 at 8:15 AM
Funny, but I had almost this same conversation a couple of days ago elsewhere on the innertubes (so I’m going to copy-and-paste and edit as necessary) …actually, I started having this same conversation almost 18 years back, online, when “online” meant using the old Prodigy service…anyways, regarding your comic-book God commenter:
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You’ll never convince anyone whose reality is faith-based, that they’re wrong, and why they’re wrong, with rational arguments …and most especially when they don’t have the slightest clue that they’re even practicing faith (and they would deny it, if they could figure out what I just said implies).
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I learned a long time ago that it was at least better to be able to acknowledge you were listening to the preacher, than it was to be so clueless as to not understand you’re sitting in the pews, listening to a sermon …and not only is your commenter oblivious to the fact that he is indeed listening to a sermon, but furthermore he is singing in the choir.
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Your commenter is one of the secular faithful. The Church of Secular Humanism Unchained. I feel sorry for him (for all of ’em), but I dunno what to do for ‘im. Except pray for a miracle. He’ll likely need it. I did.
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2 Th 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie …
November 9th, 2008 at 8:58 AM
I call BS on your commenter. God is God, and He does act in this world. If believing that (which is the palin honest truth) comes over as “comic book” like to a scoffing unbeliever, it matters not in the least.
It is your site to run however you want, and you will set whatever tone you want in the content you create for it. I would ignore the uninformed (and actively mistaken as to the full reality of the universe) twit and go on much as you were before. Now if YOU happen to think that you have been conveying a message that is less sophisticated or less nuanced that it ought to be, then by all means adjust the tone, but I think you were doing fine (and God seems to be blessing your life rather nicely of late, that is at least some indication the He is pleased with your current turn in matters of faith – not conclusive of course, believers have plenty of bad things occur, but look at the turn of event s with your sister and tell me God isn’t at work and blessing your forays into regular prayer and Bible study).
November 9th, 2008 at 9:13 AM
I don’t want to insult anyone or portray myself as a great Christian or theologian, and I would prefer not to be guilty (as I have in the past) of the kind of condescension of which I complained. But I think I have gotten ahold of a few good things, and I am sure I’m right about God and the angels involving themselves very directly in our day-to-day affairs.
It’s peculiar; we venerate Moses and the other people who gave us scripture. At the same time, many of us dishonor them by denying the truth of what they wrote. If God isn’t as he was portrayed in the Old Testament, then these men were all utter fools, and nothing in the Torah can be trusted.
Aaron says, “the Talmud notes that there are angels assigned to individual blades of grass helping them grow.” For all I know, this is true. It sounds fantastic (as in “grounded in fantasy”) because it implies the existence of a God and angelic host so great they cannot be imagined. But when you consider the size of the universe and the power required to create it, you realize that God’s greatness far exceeds our power to imagine, so it is silly to think it has limits we can understand.
November 9th, 2008 at 9:17 AM
OT: Okay, let’s start using actual divided up paragraphs again. I know it can’t be just me who’s having a hard time reading the comments? Here’s how:
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Just put a dash between paragraphs
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Or whatever your particular flavour of grammatical division might be. (It would be better if we all agreed, just for the sake of grammatical work-around conformity and ease-of-reading though.)
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…and this was Steve can take his time about fixing whatever it is that’s caused this.
November 9th, 2008 at 9:19 AM
…and the wa^Y Steve can …ya-da, ya-da
November 9th, 2008 at 9:25 AM
I can’t figure it out. It drives me crazy.
November 9th, 2008 at 10:14 AM
…beg Andrea for help. She’s a wizard at a couple or three different blog applications. (Heck …it was her original Twisted Sister blog that clued me in to HOI years back.) Until then, I think my suggested work-around will do it (well, if everyone clues in), so don’t worry about it.
November 9th, 2008 at 10:15 AM
crud: Twisted Spinster. She’d have my butt if I didn’t correct that.
November 9th, 2008 at 11:37 AM
1. On deleting commentary: Be true to yourself. First impulses are usually correct. The rest of us are along for the ride.
2. Have walked some of the ground over there, particularly the northern front (a lot of those areas are closed to non-military).
3. Unfortunately, there were good and sufficient reasons for the IDF successes and failures from a military perspective, particularly with regard to the ’73 war and the Lebanon ‘Incursion.’
4. Most of the twists and turns on those paths could be directly attributed to good or bad leadership (both sides).
5. An extreme example of what a modern Western military unit can do against a reasonably well trained and equipped Arab force was provided by the Battle of the 73rd Easting during the Gulf War.
6. Am a big fan of the Israelis observing #1 and not implementing the feel good crap we and the Europeans are advocating.
7. Have seen some spooky stuff -but it involved individuals, not larger forces. Those affected didn’t seem to be any more worthy than the rest of us. Once out of combat, everybody went back to their evil old ways.
V/R J West
November 9th, 2008 at 11:42 AM
“Unfortunately, there were good and sufficient reasons for the IDF successes and failures from a military perspective, particularly with regard to the ‘73 war and the Lebanon ‘Incursion.’”
What is a good and sufficient reason for a sudden wind to blow and uncover thousands of buried mines?
November 9th, 2008 at 11:46 AM
I should also add that Golda Meir did not share your opinion of Jewish military superiority. She contemplated suicide, in anticipation of a seemingly certain Arab takeover.
November 9th, 2008 at 1:13 PM
1. Don’t doubt the landmine incident.
2. It’s probably better if the Knesset is worried about IDF capabilities. Olmert’s confidence in 2006 was misplaced.
3. On a strategic level, the IDF can capably handle Arab military forces because of their level of organization and training. (both sides’)
4. On the other hand, the fellow wandering around with an AKM, two magazines and a cell phone concealed in his dishdasha constitutes a serious problem for them -and us.
5. The German army in both world wars had “Gott mit uns” stamped on their belt buckles.
6. Attributed to Napoleon: “God is with the big battalions.”
7. Am aware that #’s 5 and 6 lost. Eventually and explicably.
8. How about a guy in my squad. Hears his grandmother’s voice telling him not to go around a corner. Sticks his rifle out and has it shot out of his hand.
9. Made believers out of all of us for at least 5 minutes.
V/R J West
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November 10th, 2008 at 6:30 AM
I’ve actually experience several demonic attacks over my life, and in each one, the path to victory was in Jesus Christ. I didn’t try to fight them like some B-movie vampire flick; I seemed to sense readily that they were way more powerful than I. I merely pled the blood of Jesus, in one instance, after being awoken from sleep with a feeling of panic, terror and dread I sensed this dark presence hovering over me. I prayed in Jesus name, and visualized myself wrapping his sacrificial blood around me like a roman cloak. The spirit vanished and I slept like a baby the rest of the night.
Demons, miracles…they are very real. I really enjoy your posts, Steve. Your sharing about your growing awareness and awakening of the awesome power and majesty of our God has helped me to refocus myself on Him.
Keep up the good work.
November 10th, 2008 at 3:17 PM
Man, oh man, Wayne Cochran. I knew him in Macon back when he was a white redneck and before he was a white James Brown. He had just had his minor hit “Last Kiss” (long before J. Frank Wilson, Pearl Jam, etc. covered it) – one of those “I’m an idiot driver and killed my girlfriend” teenage angst songs. I’m glad to know he has a church.
November 10th, 2008 at 4:02 PM
maybe.
every army has a variety of these narratives.
the most famous is of course the British Army’s “Angel of Mons,” which allegedly saved the then-decimated BEF in late August-early September 1914.
Reason should dictate here but please do recall Guy Sajer’s statement about his experience as a foot soldier on the Eastern front: “There came a point where I should have died and I did not.”
November 10th, 2008 at 7:03 PM
Your blog, your decision, and good on yer. Having said that, I’d have been interested to see how your commenters reacted to the post.
November 11th, 2008 at 8:26 AM
1.) Always bear in mind some of the best words from one of the most important passages – 1 Corinthians 13:12 – “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall fully know, even as I am fully known.” This is the biblical version, most familiar to me, of the blind men and the elephant cliche. I believe and know that practically all of our doctrinal divisions stem from our unwillingness to realize that for the most part we are all correct in our knowledge and incorrect in our conclusions. If you don’t believe me, try and finish this sentence: “Christ’s message on earth was….” If you’re any good at it, you’ll find yourself parodying Monty Python’s Spanish Inquisition sketch.
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2.)Many of the phenomena we ascribe to spiritual experiences can be explained by variations in brain chemistry. For example, the common experience of being held down by a fantastic creature while in a semi-conscious state; alien abductees claim this experience too. Non-believers take this as evidence against the reality of the creature. Ask yourself this though…If you imagine something that is real, is that thing imaginary? Now we know in part, then we’ll know in full. If you (the reader) are still not willing to reconsider you’re position on such things, here’s another thought experiment for anyone who’s had a few terms of college physics: A.)An electron isn’t a particle and it isn’t a wave – it’s an electron. Ergo, B.)Are angels; real, imaginary, physical, spiritual, cultural constructs, or what?
November 11th, 2008 at 8:41 AM
Many of the phenomena Christians of little faith attribute to brain chemistry can be explained by the supernatural. Thank God Moses didn’t share your bias. He would have gone to a therapist instead of leading the Jews out of Egypt.
November 11th, 2008 at 8:44 AM
Now that I think about it, that’s a wonderful metaphor for the way atheist Jews behave in the modern world.
November 12th, 2008 at 8:25 AM
Oh don’t misunderstand; I don’t have a bias. I believe in the supernatural – sometimes, out of the corner of my eye (or my mind’s eye) I can catch sight of Christ watching over me. I see science as always catching up with the greater reality.
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You can’t deny science, though. There are brain disorders and chemical imballances and even diseases that result in religious visions. Check out Ergot, for example. The question then becomes whether these “explanations” invalidate the supernatural, or are simply one of the paths God has provided – sort of like a video game cheat code that gives you special access to the programer.