Hi Phil and everyone,
and then there is marriage.  Mariage was created by God for more reasons
than I can innumerate here, bbut here are two of the strongest that I can
think of.
First of all, it is a picture of Christ and the church to the world.  It is
that which holds society together, and is supposed to be a containment for
our sexual desires, so man and woman just don't turn into animals,
fornicating all over the place without responsibility.
And of course, marriage is supposed to be the secure house for the safe
raising of children and the perpetuation of the human race.  But now like
anything else, we have all become paranoid about saying anything about these
issues, lest we offend the "sodomites" as I heard one preacher say.  Sin is
now a choice of an alternate lifestyle.
So the U.S. which started out as a Christian nation, was tollerant of
others, but now the tables are turned.  Others are not tollerant of
Christians.  everyone can persecute Christians, because Christians can't
blow up buildings and kill people in order to demand their right.
But there is one thing we can do--that is, allow these persecutions to draw
us closer to our Lord and savior, Jesus.
    Vinny
----- Original Message -----
From: "Phil Scovell" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, November 07, 2004 7:24 PM
Subject: Symbol This


>      There is something sad I see happening in America and that
> is the dumbing down, or the devaluating, of the importance of
> symbolism.  For example, the flag, for starters.  The supreme
> court decided a number of years ago that constitutionally, the
> flag bears no symbolism concerning freedom of speech.  Thus you
> can burn it, sit on it, sow it on the butt of your britches, spit
> on it, drag it through the mud, urinate on it, use it for toilet
> paper, and just about anything else you want to do with it.
> Yet, once upon a time, if an American flag touched the ground, it
> was to be burned.  If symbolism isn't important, why do state
> legislatures pass laws declaring certain birds as the state bird
> and flags as their state flag and flowers as their state flower?
> For that matter, why do high schools and colleges pick something
> as a symbolic representation of their school athletic teams?  Why
> do most companies and commercial businesses have a logo?  What
> comes to mind when you see a nativity scene, Santa Claus, or a
> Christmas tree?  What if you see a display of pumpkins at a
> certain time of year?  What about a 5,000 pound rock with the 10
> commandments carved into its surface?  When it really comes down
> to the meaning of the separation of church and state, I wonder if
> the founding fathers were more concerned with the government
> getting involved with the church rather than the church getting
> involved with the government.
>
>      Let me try a few things out on you to see if anything comes
> to mind.  Does a bell have an meaning to you?  How about an
> eagle.  A fish?  A bear?  A heart?  Does a halo mean anything?
> What about a star?  Does the figure eight mean anything to you?
> What comes to mind when you see the symbol of a snake?  How about
> a cross?  A candle or perhaps a lighthouse?  If symbols don't
> really have any meaning, why are icons used in computer
> applications?
>
>      I was in a church once where during the alter call, the
> pastor asked everybody in the evening service to come forward.
> As we stood around in a circle, the pastor proceeded to tell us
> how important the authority of God's Holy Word was to each of us
> as Christians.  He then lay a Bible on the carpeted floor of the
> front of the church and invited people to come and stand,
> literally stand, on the bible as he prayed for them.  He said it
> symbolized standing upon the authority of God's Word.  Oh,
> really?  Who says?  Even young people were being encouraged to go
> and stand on the Book of books.  I made up my mind, regardless of
> what it cost me, to speak up and denounce the whole thing if one
> of my kids were encouraged to stand on the Bible.   Why?  In my
> home, we never laid a Bible on the floor for any reason.  We were
> taught the bible should always be on top of anything.  That is,
> if you had other papers and magazines on a table and you laid the
> Bible down, it was always to be on top of everything.  Never,
> never, never put something on top of the Bible.  We were taught,
> the key word is taught, never to throw the Bible or to hit other
> children at church on the head using the Bible.  I remember my
> two older sisters, when they went to the public high school,
> carrying their Bibles with them along with all their other books.
> Strange to have these feelings of reverence about a bunch of
> paper and ink and genuine simulated tooled Moroccan leather.  Is
> it really that important or are we being overly sensitive about
> something that really doesn't mean anything?  Are we perhaps
> fearful we might get carried away and start worshipping the
> symbol?  Funny though, I have never felt as if I were worshipping
> the flag when I said the pledge of allegiance.  I never felt I
> might be worshipping the bible itself by reading it or carrying
> it or memorizing it.  Now that I think about it, I don't remember
> feeling like bowing down and worshipping or praying to a
> Christmas tree and I dead sure knew the presents we put under it
> weren't for the tree or some unknown god.  Speaking of big rocks
> with the 10 commandments inscribed, I don't ever think I would
> feel like falling down upon my face and worshiping the rock when
> I saw it.  Apparently, though, three lawyers in Alabama were
> somehow offended by what they thought it might mean.  I wonder
> where they think law began in the first place.  There's nothing
> like being paranoid.  I heard it argued the other day on a talk
> show by someone who isn't an absolutist but thinks everyone else
> should be, that Christians wouldn't like it if a Buddhist symbol
> of some sort was in a public courthouse.  Of course, he failed to
> recognize the simple fact that Buddhist didn't found this country
> and had nothing to do with forming a free nation.  Yet this free
> nation allows Buddhists to come here, become American citizens,
> and worship any way they wish.  They no longer even have to learn
> English to become an American citizen.  Talk about freedom.
> Their temple property can also be tax exempt.  Try that in some
> other countries and see what happens.  If symbols have no
> meaning, why are some trying to get them band from public places?
> One final question.  If symbolism no longer is needed, why do we
> still fly the American flag at half mast under certain
> circumstances?
>
> Phil.
>
> I Flew Kites With Jesus
> www.SafePlaceFellowship.com