Women are here to please men!

I've got a bone to pick... or, a stick to stab in someone's eye...

A while back, I read something that just made me want to hurl (someone off a cliff). A couple days ago, the author of the article brought it to my attention again. The silly man likes to provoke me.

Anyway, this article made several claims which the author passed off as truth. And, not just any truth. God Himself says this is how it is, and if you aren't following this, you obviously don't believe in God and/or the Bible. And, the author is using the article to educate young men and women. Some of the claims he makes include:

• Women belong to men
• Women's happiness is dependent upon their relationships with men
• Men are the stronger party; women the weaker vessel
• Women (wives) feel dependent on their husbands when their husbands have sex with them
• If a husband isn't pleased with his wife, the woman sees this during sex and knows she cannot please him (which, of course, will make her unhappy)
• God made women want to please men
• Women associate sex with making babies
• ... my personal favorite: the love children get from their mother comes from the love the mother gets from her husband. If she gets no love from him, she is incapable of giving love to her children.

Dangerous Teachings!

Now, I'm not going to get into all the Bible verses regarding husbands and wives. The quick and dirty summary - mutual submission. Look it up on Google. Read it in the Bible. If whatever article you find regarding husbands and wives does not embrace mutual submission; but instead claims the husband rules his wife and she's basically no more than property to him, or alive simply to please him (which of course, very few articles actually say, but that's what many boil down to)... then whoever wrote it doesn't understand the Bible.

This said.... allow me to address the bullet points above.

An argument used to support these bullet points was that so many young ladies are seeking attention from men, often to the point of premarital sex and pregnancy.

I don't think this supports these bullet points. Instead, it is the belief in these bullet points which causes girls to seek attention from men, have premarital sex, and get pregnant.

If a girl believes her happiness is dependent upon a relationship with a man, she's going to seek a relationship with a man!

If she believes her only purpose is to please men, she's going to do what she must to please him. If she believes she is only on this planet to serve men, she's going to try to serve men.

We are teaching our girls to seek attention from men when we spread the lies listed in the bullet points above!

The Truth (as I see it...)

• Women (and men) belong to God
• A woman's happiness is dependent upon her relationship with Christ, and on seeking to better herself and follow her own goals and dreams
• Men are usually the stronger party physically, but other than that, women are definitely not weaker vessels!
• Most women enjoy sex. They are (usually) not sexually submissive. They do not feel dependent on men just because the man has sex with them; and most of us really love getting and giving pleasure
• God made women as a companion and helpmate to men. Not to please man.
• Women associate sex with a number of different things, depending on the woman, and her mood at the time. These can include making babies, showing love, feeling loved, giving pleasure, receiving pleasure... or sometimes, we just need that sexual release.
• The love children get from their mother comes from the mother. End of story. 

Please stop teaching our girls to be possessions!!!

 
God did not intend the female species to be simple possessions of men. Our wives, daughters, sisters, mothers... they are not here to please men. They are not here to be submissive to men. And their happiness does NOT depend on men.

Please teach the girls in your life to live up to their own potential. Please teach them to follow God, and love everyone, including themselves. Please teach them they can find happiness outside a man/marriage - and, in fact, will most likely only find a pseudo/temporary happiness if they are seeking that happiness from a man.

Please stop teaching our girls they are nothing more than possessions, reliant on men.

The Condemned House - Built with Lies

The one thing more dangerous than growing up in a house without God, is growing up in one built with lies about God.

In our previous articles regarding the condemned house, we briefly touched on Love. We discussed the importance of Trust in rebuilding our hearts. And we discussed the damage of Fear on our hearts.

How do lies affect all of this? 

• Christian lies build fear. They multiply it. Left on their own, they can and will destroy a heart by feeding the fears that reside there. 
• Christian lies betray trust. They hold it back. They keep it from being able to be built and strengthened.

What are Christian Lies?

The lies I speak of are the concepts we're taught growing up in which the Bible or Church is used to support, but which are actually dangerous untruths. For example...

Women are subservient, and must obey their husbands and serve them.
Yes, there are Bible verses which support submission by a wife to her husband... just as there are verses which support the reverse as well. The truth some of us aren't taught is mutual submission, and is a truth which leads to healthy, strong relationships for both husbands and wives. It does not involve the wife being barefoot and pregnant, expected to do her husband's every wish.

It is acceptable to rape or otherwise hurt your wife.
This again plays into those lies of women being property of men. Because the Bible states that if a man rapes a woman he must marry her, some people actually teach that it is ok to rape her. Again, the truth is women are a creation of God, created equal to (though obviously different from) men, and must be treated as wonderful creations of our Lord.

Women cannot have any authority over men.
Again, a lie. Women in the Bible held many different positions of authority, and Jesus acquainted himself with many different women, and even had some as disciples. They were never treated as less than a man.

If you love your children, you won't withhold physical punishment from them. The Bible gives permission to beat children.
I've heard the Proverbs verses used and abused to allow beating of children, molestation of children, a complete stripping of rights and free thinking of children, turning them into obedient little robots. Lies! The Bible tells us, as parents, to use authority to teach our children in the way of the Lord; to discipline (not necessarily punish them) them so they grow up with good morals.

If you do not follow every commandment all the time, you are going to hell!
Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying we shouldn't try to follow the commandments. We should try. We should try to be good, loving people. But the truth is, we are human, and we will mess up... repeatedly.

Love means judging others, consistently pointing out all their flaws; reminding them they're going to hell.
Love means love. Love means helping others. Love means giving the shirt off your back and the shoes off your feet to those less fortunate. Love means embracing those who are marginalized, bringing them into the fellowship of Christ. Love means accepting people even if they're sinners (after all, you are one too... as am I... and that person over there...)

If something bad happens, it's punishment for your sins. 
Imagine being told your dog died because you didn't eat all your vegetables. Your friend broke her leg because you didn't clean up your room. Imagine being a child and having your brother beat right in front of your eyes, and being told it's your fault this happened.... that God is punishing him for something you did.

Lies built this house

I'm sure this list could easily be expanded upon. These are simply some of which I have been taught - mostly during my childhood. And, I'm sure many of you will argue with me regarding whether or not some of these are lies. After all, there is some form of biblical support for each of them. Anyone with a Bible and concordance can  find verses to support almost any topic.

But for me, they are lies. They are dangerous lies which kept me from God for so many years. How could I love a God who sanctions child abuse? Or rape? How can I trust in a God who beats another child because of a small mistake I made? Who takes the life of a child because of me?

Houses must be built on Truth!

A house built with these lies will come tumbling down. Hearts built with these lies with forever live in distrust and fear. And what really makes these lies so dangerous? They are built falsely using the Bible. The Bible! God's own Word. God gave a man permission to rape me; my parents permission to beat me! Those lies... oh how they stick with a person, even after you've recognized that they are quite possibly lies.

Houses... Hearts... must be built on God's Truth. We must turn to our Bibles, read the Words ourselves, and recognize that we have a loving God - not a God whom sanctions such actions. God loves His creation - all of His creation...

men, women, children.

You. Me.

May God bless you all with the wonders of His Truth and Love!

10 Lies Christians Tell that Get Under My Skin

The past couple days, I have heard and read many things said by Christians that just got under my skin. I've heard most of these many times before, and every time I do, I cringe. So, in no particular order, here are the top 10 that came to my mind that I've seen/heard just within the past 24 hours...

1. "God sends the storm to show that He is the only shelter."

This implies that our God is some sadistic narcissist. I just cannot believe God needs to prove Himself or His worth. I cannot believe God intentionally harms us just to make Himself look better or to make Himself needed.

2. "Jesus won't let anyone get you." (told to a small child)

I grew up hearing this from family members and Sunday School teachers. I was molested, beaten, raped. And well, obviously either I didn't love Jesus enough, or He didn't love me, or there just wasn't any Jesus.

3. "[insert person's name] was healed because (s)he had more people praying." 

Prayer and God's healing aren't popularity contests. Two people are sick - one has 500 people supposedly praying for him, the other has 3... God isn't going to heal the one with more friends and not the other just because the first is more popular.

4. "My life is perfect now that I've accepted Christ" and 

5. "Once you accept Christ, you no longer sin." 

Both are very inauthentic. Read: The Search for What is Missing 

6. "It's part of God's plan."

Your baby died. It's God's plan. Your home burned down. God's plan. Tornado wiped out half your city. God's plan. Someone walks into an elementary school and opens fire, killing dozens of little children. God's plan. When did we get such a horribly cruel God?!?! Or, does this play back into #1 on this list? 

7. "If you don't turn to God now and repent, you'll burn in eternal hellfire!"

This one isn't so much a lie, as just a poor approach (in my opinion). I just don't see threatening people as a way to get them to turn to God. We shouldn't turn to God in fear, but in love. This is another statement that just makes God seem to be a cruel god, rather than the loving Lord I believe in.

8. "Women are inferior."

This one is worded in many different ways, but always comes back to essentially being that women are inferior to men. This is such a complete lie. Yes, women are different. And in Biblical times, women were often inferior to men in society. But they were never inferior to Christ. Jesus always approached women. And even in the Bible, women were teachers, preachers, and prophets. We should never assume that just because someone is missing a certain part anatomically that they are in any way inferior.

9. "If you don't keep God's commandments, you don't love God/Jesus; if you don't love Jesus, God doesn't love you." 

Abuse of John 14:21. I so don't like this. This verse must be taken in context with the rest of the Bible, most notably John 3:16 and 1 John 4:19. Yes, we should seek to keep God's commandments. But God's love is unconditional.

John 14:21: He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.

John 3:16: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

1 John 4:19: We love Him because He first loved us.

10. "Only Christians have morals."

.... I can't even think of what to say. This one irks me in so many ways. A non-Christian can still be an incredibly good, moral person. Most are (that I have met, anyway). Christians murder... non-Christians murder. Christians help the hungry and homeless... non-Christians help the hungry and homeless. Don't write someone off as being immoral just because they don't believe in God. 

Bonus: "I'm only doing this because I love you." 

This one ties in with #7... but includes the "I'm only saying this because I love you." As Christians, we feel the need to consistently insist sinners are going to hell if they don't repent. We judge people by what we see. Many use this line as an excuse to verbally, emotionally, spiritually, sexually, and physically abuse another person. Love does not hurt! 

What do you think? Do you have any statements you've heard made by Christians that just got under your skin? Please share!

Recognizing a False Prophet

The insult and accusation of "You're a false prophet!" seems to be a common one thrown out there. If we disagree with what someone is teaching in regards to God, the Bible, and Christianity in general, we throw out that accusation. Admittedly, and ashamedly, I have done this before. And, I have also been called a false prophet. It's one accusation that really stings... and so now I do try to refrain from saying that term, unless I truly believe it to be the case.

But, what is a false prophet? Whom can we rightfully call this, and when should we check ourselves?  It isn't just someone who disagrees with our theology.

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Matthew 7:15-23)

God has given us the tool to use to determine if someone is a false prophet - the Bible. All we need to do is compare the teachings of the person to what is within the Bible. Does he teach correctly about who Jesus was and is? Is he teaching the Gospel (the full Gospel... not just the parts he likes)? Is he teaching any flat out lies (i.e. something which is specifically negated in the Bible... not something you interpret differently)? And what about his character? Is he prideful? Greedy? Looking for power or attention?

Allow me to give a couple examples..

Gira the non-False Prophet: 

The first person, we'll call Gira. Gira is old fashioned. He believes he's allowed to control his wife in all she does. He determines if and when they have physical relations, regardless of her desires. He believes the Bible orders her to give herself to him whenever he wishes. He believes the Bible gives him the right to control her. She has very little rights, if any, in the marriage - other than to serve him and call him Lord.

He believes he has the right to strike his children with physical objects because the Bible gives him that right. Actually, it doesn't just give him the right, it commands him to strike his children in this way.

Do I agree with Gira? Not even remotely. I think he takes a much too literal stance on the Bible. I think he's a controlling old man who is just looking for an excuse to abuse his family and keep control over them. I think he's a pig. But, I do not believe he's a false prophet. I just think he refuses to examine the scripture any further than seeing it allows this type of control.

It could be argued he's a false prophet because of his refusal to go deeper into the Gospel, and because of his arrogance, and because he is teaching these lessons to young people he knows. But, I personally just think he's an idiot and an ass.

Kapaneous the (False) Prophet:

 Kapaneous is different from Gira. He teaches hate. He flat out tells people we are to hate sinners. And when someone tries to disagree with him, and points out scripture that is against his belief? He doesn't come back with valid scripture. Instead, he gets angry and starts cutting you down. He tells you you're stupid and don't have a clue what you're talking about. He accuses you of not being able to read, or not owning a proper Bible. He accuses you of simply being "noise" that he doesn't need to listen to.

He's arrogant - every time he speaks, he reminds people that he is a chosen one of God - not you. He  was called by God to preach - not you. He insists he's humble and simply a servant, but he consistently says this, while drawing attention to the fact that God does not call too many to preach and prophesy... but that he is one of these few.

This man - who calls himself a pastor - is one whom I would consider a false prophet. He teaches flat out lies. He does not use Scripture to base his teachings on. And when Scripture is used to point out his teachings are wrong (not just against ones own interpretation, but against the main message of the Gospel)? He gets angry and volatile. He is prideful. He believes himself to be above those he teaches, and is not afraid to let people know this. At times, he almost seems to put himself on the same playing field as Jesus.

To me, this is a false prophet. This isn't just a man being too set in his ways to learn the truth - it is someone who believes he is the truth, and willfully teaches lies and seeks acceptance as being better than the rest of us.

What do you think? 

What is a false prophet to you? Would you agree with the previous two descriptions? Have you encountered a false prophet?

And another thing I really do not know the answer to, and would love to hear others views...

What do you do when faced with a false prophet? Simply ignore that person? Call them out for what they are to prevent them from swaying others into such a harmful teaching?

Please comment and let me know your thoughts...

Hatred and Lies in the Name of God??

Perhaps this is very poor taste... but I feel a strong pull on my heart, soul and mind to post this. This was a conversation between myself and someone who claims to be a pastor. Basically, it started with the "pastor" saying that Christians are considered hate-mongers because we hate sin... and I was trying to explain that it's not because Christians hate sin (we're supposed to hate sin). It's because many Christians hate the sinner. We sometimes act like those who sin are not worthy of God's Grace, Love or Mercy.

I also want to state that I really am not proud of my own behavior in this conversation. I got angry, and started to show that exact hatred and judgment that I speak against.

That said, here is the conversation. With the exception of the text of the scriptures (I linked the verses instead of pasting them), and removing the name of the "pastor" and one other person who's name was mentioned, nothing has been added or removed from this conversation....

Hatred and Lies

“Pastor”:

Christians are now hate mongers? Because we hate sin.

“Very true . If I share that fornication is a sin , I'm hatin' . If I say that Homosexuality and gay marriage is a sin , I'm hatin' . satan has really flipped the game .........” 

Me: 

No... it's hating when you say God hates gays, or that God hates adulterers. Or that gays, adulterers, etc are going to hell and/or are unworthy of God's love and grace. It's hating when you attack anyone who disagrees with your view on homosexuality. It's hating when you use the Bible to justify acting in any way other than love towards another person.

“Pastor”:  

+Brandi Eissinger God hates sins. Wow please grow. 

+Brandi Eissinger whatever bible you are reading from please find an accurate one or get a teacher. Both would be most acceptable. Because every comment is usually slanted or uninformed. 

Me: 

lol see now THAT is hating.

IF you would have actually read what I said, I was trying to say that people do not say Christians are hating when we say something is a sin. They say we're hating when we say God hates the sinner, or that the sinner is not worthy of God's grace and love. How is this uninformed? How is this slanted? How is this worthy of you attacking me and acting in a completely non-Pastor/non-man of God fashion? 

“Pastor”: (note… I removed the actual text of the verses the “Pastor” quoted only to save space in this. Instead, I have placed links on the verses to Bible Gateway.)

Let's discuss sin. Paul in Romans
Romans 1:25-32 KJV

Ezekiel 18:20-23 KJV

Acts 2:38 KJV

1 John 5:18 KJV

To sit back and want to speak half a gospel because of what ever serving agenda is isn't gospel preaching. Its killing them. Robbing them of the truth. You dont let your kids play and traffic without scolding them. You dont let your friends play with firearms. I don't know where you want the gospel of half to be preached but again. Unless you are truly willing to stand in the gap snd battle sin inside a man because you love him. Stand aside please. Because the comments presented are weightless. Because the very same gospel or point of view as you say is a saving gospel. I would much rather be accused for being a hater of sin than a critic without a foundation. I am glad you are hearing it. There is hope. Because no one comments for things they dont like. They comment because something sticks. Otherwise I don't engage. Preach the whole bible not the just the parts you like. Preachers don't get that luxury. We preach what the Holy Spirit tells us. That is in our bible as well. 

Me:

You preach lies if you preach that it is ok to hate anyone. You preach lies if you do not teach that we are to love the sinner.

I am not saying do not hate sin. I have never said that and I would never say that. I speak only the truth as God instructs me to teach. But you teach that it is ok to hate people. It is ok to condemn them. You teach that it is ok for you to attack me for simply trying to clarify a point.

HATING a person is a SIN. Attacking a person is a sin. And telling people that this is ok? Passing yourself off as a Pastor when you believe and teach these lies is a sin. You're right - I don't let my kids play in traffic or friends play with firearms... which is exactly why I would never allow any of them to attend a church with you as a leader. It would kill their soul.

“Pastor”: 

+Brandi Eissinger gladly enough God speaks who goes to church not you. If we let mab decide where we go. We would be all in hell. No manner of your chatter will change that. The line stretches around the corner for those who have ill things to say. You are more than welcome to bring your picket sign and speech. I welcome it. Nothing wikl silence me until my life is called to Heaven. Until I hear ny name called. I will preach to you and everyone. You can tune out. Comment. Spew barbs. Throw stones. Nothing will silence my voice to preach and teach the gospel. You are the very reason men and women need to speak the things that are discussed. And I bless you dearly and love you dearly. And welcome your attacks. Bring them forward

Me:

You are NOT preaching or teaching the Gospel if you are preaching and teaching hate! That is my point. I go to church... every Sunday and whenever else there is church. I go to two different Bible studies. My best friend is a Pastor who knows the true Gospel and teaches it to me all the time. The Gospel is NOT about hating people. It is about love. So quit insulting me. I am not some uneducated idiot. God speaks to me. God calls me to teach the truth. And God has called many wonderful, knowledgeable people to help me with this mission. Do not give me any lines of bull that you bless or love me because you do not understand such words and concepts.

“Pastor”:

+Brandi Eissinger god bless and godspeed to you. 

Me:

Nice dismissal. Go back to being a false prophet. But that won't stop me from telling people you teach lies. :) I'll pray for your soul.

“Pastor”:

+Brandi Eissinger you are dismissed you aren't saying anything that is truthful about me or otherwise. Just talking. I don't listen to noise anymore than I do giving it life. Your talk hasnt contained a shread of truth. So I moved you along. There are more naysayers than to concentrate on one. You have your mind made up. Awesome. Now move along. 

-----------------------------------------------

Am I wrong in seeing this as preaching hatred and lies? Did I do anything (at least, at the opening of this conversation) to be treated as if I am uninformed and in need of growth (although, to be honest, we all can use some spiritual growth). 

Am I wrong in seeing this as someone whom should not be preaching? I'd almost go so far as to say he's a false prophet. 

Is it acceptable to teach hatred of others in the name of God??? 

Please, everyone... before you follow any Pastor, Priest, Minister, Preacher, etc... always compare their teachings to Scripture. It is not in Scripture to hate others. It is not Biblical to spread hatred or to teach it in His name.

God bless

Good/Evil, Truth/Lies...

Good and Evil. Truth and Lies. Light and Dark. Love and Hate. Dreams and Reality. (Did you notice... the "good" things are always listed first... which means reality sucks).

So, I am writing on this blog because I promised a sermon at least once a week. And, it's been a week since I've written one. But, this isn't so much a sermon. In fact, it really should be on my other blog... and I will probably post it there as well as here just to get adequate readers of this post.

Anyway, I have been thinking today and tonight and the past 10 years or more about how so many things in life have two sides - and you can't have one without the other. You can't have light without dark. You can't have good without evil. You can't have love without hate. You have to have the opposite for the one to mean anything.

God is good (in theory). This would make Satan evil. The Bible is truth (theoretically). This would make anything that disagrees with the Bible, a lie. This is how the books of the Bible were selected. I watched a television documentary the other night on recently found books which were left out of the Bible. Some of these were written by other disciples (or about them). For example, there has been found the Gospel of Judas. Now, as we all know, Judas is the one who betrayed Jesus. However, according to this Gospel, Jesus actually requested this betrayal from Judas. Jesus had to sacrifice himself for our sins, and therefore asked his friend to do help him. This goes against all the other Gospels... the "real" gospels. Therefore, it is heresy and cannot be in the Bible.

Don't get me wrong. I don't believe the Gospels we know are lies. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John - all the other disciples would have seen Judas as the betrayer. They would have seen this as truth. But why can't it be possible that Judas' account happened? If it was done in secret - which it would have had to be for it to work - the other disciples wouldn't have known. Therefore, all accounts would be truth.

How can conflicting details both be truth? Because truth is subjective.It is in the eye of the beholder. This is the same with good and evil. In some cultures, cheating on your spouse isn't "bad". Killing someone isn't "bad." Granted, yes, these are sins in the eyes of God... but if you aren't Christian, you can only go by what your religion (or culture) tells you is good and bad, and these won't always agree with the rules of Christianity.

And it isn't only that. It can also simply be the difference in interpretation between an action someone does, and who they do that action against. Suppose you push someone off the boat in the middle of the sea and drive away. You might think you're doing it for this person's own good, to teach that person how to swim on her own. This person, on the other hand, hates you. It doesn't matter if she makes it or not. It doesn't matter if she learns to swim or not. Your perceived good act is an evil act in her eyes. Too dramatic? Ok, say you made a promise to always be there for someone, then walked away. You might see this as not a big deal... nothing bad. It's not your responsibility and you simply don't have time for this someone. It isn't so much that you think what you've done is good... you just don't see it as bad. Or, don't bother thinking about it at all. But have you ever considered looking at it from the other side? Everything has two sides. Always. There are always two truths. Two lies.

Light and dark. Light is truth and goodness. It's God. It's heaven. It's life and salvation. And it couldn't exist with dark - without evil. Without death and the thought of eternal torment. And yet, we have both of these living within our world, and ourselves. Not one of us exists without both this light and this darkness. Now, it is simply a matter of which you are seeking. Which do you actively pursue?